So what happens after the den?
I was in there during covid times, so we couldn’t hug/shake hands, or hang out after. It was a quick hello afterwards and then I had to head home. I then met up with Steven and Deborah a few weeks later to talk things through.
It was a meeting to update them on the business and what my more detailed plans were for the future. They both had strategy ideas and offered ways they could help, and took tasks away with them. My mind was buzzing, as they have such vast knowledge and connections and very real ways they can help my business.
Meanwhile, the lawyers were completing due diligence, this is extensive and probes our accounts, products, revenue channels, staff, contracts… about 90 documents for us! This process took about 2 months. Luckily, it didn’t throw up any surprises, and Deborah and Steven are both pragmatic, so it was a fairly straightforward experience.
Then the day finally came when all investment docs had been agreed and it was the official closing! We all signed the investment agreement on the same day and the money landed in our account about a week later, after all investment agreements had been signed off. It felt like a real watershed moment, as the is one of the main reasons you go on the show! To see my hard work and efforts actually come to fruition was incredible. The fact they’d trusted me with their hard-earned cash was a privilege and one that certainly motivates me to this day, I want them to feel it was a good decision and return many times what they originally gave me, one day. The actual deal went through back in September 2021, and the programme didn’t air until March 2022, so it was a long time to keep quiet! I also didn’t know how my episode would come across on tv, so it was great to watch it and have it be so well received. It was such a relief. I felt a great sense of personal achievement, I am one of the few who managed to get through dragons’ den, I still can’t believe I’ve done it.
Since then we’ve had some great help from the dragons and their teams, from website conversion help, to retail help, and some celeb help too. I’d highly recommend if anyone is thinking of going on, it’s helped sales, brand awareness and opened doors for us we never thought possible.
