Dragons tamed by happy go lucky entrepreneurs

Dragons' Den

The Dragons Den was initially brought to life by a team of entrepreneurs with their recess socket for televisions, accompanying their pitch with big, beaming smiles. With an offer of £55,000 in exchange for 35 per cent, Touker saw past the smiles and rubbished the teams product. With Deborah’s understanding of untidy TV wiring, she remained the entrepreneurs best hope of investment. When the other dragons declined to invest, the two entrepreneurs sealed a deal with Deborah after declining a joint offer from Sarah. The cheeky chappie’s smiles were bigger than ever after pocketing all the cash they were after and the experience of one of the longest serving dragons.

The causal business proposals didn’t last for long, however, as an ex-firefighter presented her business of Van Girls, which was initially grilled by Touker. The all-girl delivery firm faced initial rejection from Nick and Touker, but the business was thrown a lifeline by Sarah after Peter and Deborah refused to invest. With a difficult decision to make after a well thought out pitch, Sarah dashed the ex-firefighters hopes of an investment with the words “I’m out.”

A mother and daughter team were up to face the dragons next, with their handbag restoration business. With an appeal for £60,000 for a 20 per cent stake in the business, the handbag team faced stiff questioning from Deborah. Things quickly turned sour when the two entrepreneurs confused the dragons with two separate businesses but only one opportunity for investment. The mixed messages proved pivotal in the decision making for the dragons, as they all shied away from investing. A clever concept, but the confusion and frustration was the deciding factor for all the dragons.

Intensity levels failed to drop when a husband and wife team entered the den with their scuba diving safety device. Having lost their home and everything else just five years ago, the two entrepreneurs were asking for £120,000 for a 30 per cent stake in their business. With Nick being a keen diver, the team were off to a good start as all the dragons shared an interest in the product. However, when the real business started and questions kept rolling in, the pressure of the den took its toll on wife Lorraine, as she left her husband to face the dragons alone. With Nick taking aim at the entrepreneurs capability of running a business, this set the tone for the rest of the dragons, as they pressured him to license the scuba diving product instead of running the business himself. This was the perfect example of how quickly things can change in the den, as a million dollar idea was soon torn apart, leaving the husband and wife team with no investments.

Tempers continue to rise in next weeks episode, as the dragons turn on each other and face a number of ignorant pitches.