Who has it? Terry does!

He has no marketing training, but Mountnugent engineer and family man, Terry Reihill, wowed business investors when he made a pitch for his online venture in RTÉ's television series Dragons' Den. As shown in the programme aired on Sunday evening, Terry secured, from Dragons Norah Casey and Ballyhaise native Sean Gallagher, a €25,000 investment in his eCommerce retail site, whohasit.ie, also winning high praise from other dragons. "I am delighted with the backing from the two dragons. I don't see it as losing 40% but gaining... not just the cash investment but also the expertise from the two dragons," Terry told The Anglo-Celt. The programme was recorded in January, and whohasit.ie has been "going very well" since the two dragons invested in it. "We have over 20,000 items on the website and we're getting hits from 96 countries so we're making our impact globally," according to Terry. While websites like Micks Garage are aimed at consumers, Who Has It is aimed at industry with stock for sale in construction, machinery, vehicles, agriculture, electrical and health and safety. "I was hugely impressed by Terry because of his straightforward approach to business, his clear understanding of the market and the fact that he had built a simple and semi-automated business model. I think Terry has hit upon a niche market with few competitors and ample room for growth," said Sean Gallagher. "The one thing that came through was that all the Dragons were hugely impressed by Terry. He obviously knew his business and was going about it in a smart and cautious way," said Sean, describing Terry as "a likeable fellow as well". While television viewers were tuning in on Sunday evening, it was also the first time for Terry to see the on-screen end product of his one-and-a-half-hour pitch. Terry tuned in at home with his wife, Brigid, sons Mark and Adam and other close family members. A trained engineer with 26 years of industrial experience, he had all his facts and figures prepared when he was making the pitch. Having got friends to quiz him on it, Terry was psyched for success. "I had a lot of preparation done," said Terry, who felt more adrenaline than nerves on the day. "It's important to know your business and your market. It's that old saying, fail to prepare and prepare to fail... I was so focused on the Dragons I didn't even notice the cameras."