so far, the Dragons have agreed to invest in 110 businesses. They were very pleased with their investment in Levi Roots, the Rastafarian singer who had the idea for Reggae Reggae Sauce.
He came into the Den with a guitar, a couple A
of bottles of sauce he had made in his kitchen
– and nothing else. But the Dragons sensed an opportunity in the charismatic Levi, and two of them agreed to invest in his product. Two months later the sauce was on the shelves of
one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains, and Levi is now running an impressive and profitable company.
Paul Simpson wanted the Dragons to invest in his handmade coffee tables. They have a wooden base, which look like 14th century castles, and
a glass top. Nobody was enthusiastic, and the
Dragons rejected his idea. But Paul hasn’t given
up. Now he is making a new table, this time a B
replica of Windsor Castle, which he thinks might be popular with tourists. And that is what makes a real entrepreneur – they never give up. If the Dragons invest in them, there is a good chance they will be successful. But if they leave the Den empty-handed, the determination to make it on their own is as great as ever.
And of course the Dragons don’t always get it right. Inventor Rob Law’s product, a suitcase for children which they can also ride on, was rejected
as ‘worthless’. One Dragon thought it was not C
strong enough, and another Dragon, who runs a holiday company, said she didn’t think there was a market for the product. A third Dragon simply said ‘I meet people like you all the time. You think you have something, but you don’t’. However, today Trunki cases are best-sellers, and are sold in 22 different countries.