Ewan Jones and George Dyer launched SAFEJAWZ from their student bedroom in Manchester – to developing a £40,000 gum shield for star YouTuber KSI and collaborating with Marvel
“We had no money, no contacts, and no idea how we were going to break into the market, but we had one thing: belief that we could change it,” Ewan Jones, co-founder of SAFEJAWZ tells me. Ewan and his co-founder, George Dyer, started their entrepreneurial journey fresh out of university. They both had never worked in the corporate world before launching their start-up. The pair took on jobs to make ends meet while growing the business from the ground up. “We didn’t have careers before starting SAFEJAWZ,” Ewan says. “We never worked in corporate jobs or gained industry experience. Instead, we did whatever we could to pay the bills while we built the business. George worked in construction and bartending, and I was a doorman and on-call firefighter. It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept us going.”
The idea for SAFEJAWZ started back in their university days. George had been selling sports equipment at student events – and it was during one of these occasions that he and Ewan had a Eureka moment. “I’ve always wanted to start my own business,” George explains. “When Ewan and I were selling bits of sports gear at events, we quickly realised there was a gap in the sports mouthguard market. It was a category that hadn’t been innovated in for years. The designs were dull, and the products were uncomfortable—there was no excitement in the market at all.”
Ewan and George were athletes themselves – Ewan was a rugby player and George a boxer. They knew the frustrations of using traditional mouthguards all too well. “I’d played rugby for years, and George had boxed, so we both had a lot of experience with mouthguards,” Ewan says. “They were always uncomfortable, and we both struggled to keep them in during play. On top of that, they were boring—there was no excitement in buying or wearing them. We realised that if we could make a product that was not only comfortable but also fun and fashionable, we could change the game.” And that was when the idea for SAFEJAWZ began. SAFEJAWZ create custom-fit mouthguards which are all handmade in a highly accredited dental laboratory. They protect thousands of athletes worldwide with gum shields that deliver on all fronts.
The journey from an idea to reality wasn’t easy. Ewan and George had no capital or investments to start with, and faced significant hurdles in the early days of launching. “We had no money, no credibility,” Ewan admits. “I sold my car for £1,400 just to get enough cash to build a basic website and buy some sample stock. We were operating on a shoestring budget, so we couldn’t afford any mistakes.”
Breaking into the market proved to be a bigger challenge than they thought. “It was tough getting meetings with buyers,” George recalls. “The same two legacy brands had dominated the mouthguard market for years, and there was very little interest in trying something new. We were the new kids on the block with no track record, and it was hard to get anyone to take us seriously.”
Ewan and George didn’t let the early setbacks discourage them. In fact, they saw their lack of resources as a hidden advantage. “What felt like a burden was actually our superpower,” George says. “Not having money or industry contacts meant we had to be really creative with how we approached everything. We couldn’t afford expensive marketing campaigns or partnerships, so we focused on profitability from the start. We knew that if we built a solid foundation, we’d have a sustainable business in the long run.”
Ewan said that the slower pace of their growth allowed them to avoid many of the pitfalls that fast-growing start-ups often face. “We accepted that it would take us longer to get where we wanted to be,” he says. “But that gave us the time to really refine our products and build a strong, loyal customer base. In hindsight, the grind was worth it.”
What started as a small operation quickly gained traction. SAFEJAWZ’s unique combination of comfort, functionality, and bold, eye-catching designs appealed to athletes who wanted more than just protection—they wanted personality. “Our early designs were geared toward confident athletes, especially those in combat sports,” George explains. “But as we expanded our range, we saw our customer base grow beyond combat sports to all kinds of contact athletes, from rugby players to hockey teams.”
The product innovation that set SAFEJAWZ apart was built on solving the very problems that Ewan and George had experienced themselves. “Our focus from day one was to make a mouthguard that athletes actually wanted to wear,” says Ewan. “We designed them to be comfortable, with better-fit technology, but we also injected personality into them. Suddenly, mouthguards weren’t just a necessary piece of equipment—they became something athletes could get excited about.” Ewan and George also made it a mission to keep full control of their business. “We’ve always been focused on sustainability,” says George. “We knew that growing too fast could jeopardise the long-term health of the company, so we took a slower, steadier path. It’s paid off.”
SAFEJAWZ has soared to greater heights. Since its launch, the company has sold over 1.5 million mouthguards to date and stock in major retailers including Sports Direct. They are now on track to hitting £5 million in sales this year. The brand also won the King’s Award for Enterprise, ranking as the 16th fastest-growing founder-led company in the UK. They have since struck a deal with US film and comic book brand Marvel and created the most expensive gum shield ever made for star YouTuber KSI – costing £40,000.
When asked what motivated him during his entrepreneurial journey, Ewan said: “There were times when it felt like success was a distant dream. But we always believed that if we kept going, our efforts would be rewarded. Persistence has been the key for us. We knew we were changing the industry, and that’s what kept us motivated.”
George spoke about the importance of mindset when it comes to achieving success in business. “For both of us, it’s always been about the long game,” he says. “Growing fast at the expense of our health or family lives was never an option. We’ve taken a holistic approach to success, focusing on building something sustainable for the future.”
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