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Getting investment from BBC's Dragons Den

Written by: Sue Stockdale

Article Overview: In August 2008, Buggyboot creators Charlotte Evans and Carolyn Jarvis appeared in BBC's Dragons' Den TV series to seek investment for their business. Charlotte and Carolyn made a spirited presentation, which they describe as being one of the most challenging and nerve-wracking pitches they've ever given. After demonstrating the product and explaining the business, Charlotte and Carolyn secured the full amount of funding they sought and the support of a Dragon - Deborah Meaden. Read more how they got started

Getting investment from BBC's Dragons Den

In August 2008, Buggyboot creators Charlotte Evans and Carolyn Jarvis appeared in Dragons' Den as they were seeking investment for their business. Charlotte and Carolyn made a spirited presentation, which they describe as being one of the most challenging and nerve-wracking pitches they've ever given. After demonstrating the product and explaining the business, Charlotte and Carolyn secured the full amount of funding they sought and the support of a Dragon - Deborah Meaden.
The Buggyboot itself has won several awards, and Charlotte and Carolyn were both nominated as British Female Inventor & Innovator of the Year for Buggyboot in 2008.

1. What is your business? We design and manufacture of accessories to make shopping and being out and about with children in buggies easier and less stressful. www.buggyboot.com

2. What prompted you to start up in business? We both felt it was a good idea and was missing in the market place. We knew each other and felt it was something we could both contribute to and remain friends.

3. What was the market situation when you started up- did a similar product exist? Not at the time as our idea was all based around having capacity to put your shopping into without the buggy tipping over, but we have since enabled our product to be either a stand on step as well as a bag and there are competitor boards out there.

4. Do you have a vision for your business and if so, what is it? I think our vision is about seeing our product on the streets and being a useful addition to struggling parents. We want to make our business successful and the product to be global.

5. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it? The two main obstacles are lack of knowledge and money and both are to some degree interchangeable. You have to dare to ask and take all the knowldege you gain and use it in a considered way. You can find out how to get finance if you are armed with the knowledge and you can buy yourself the knowldege if you have the money!

6. How did you find the finance to get started? Some was personal money that we both funded through our own part time jobs that we were doing at the time and other finance came through Finance South East and SEEDA. We found out about it through Kingston University.

7. What are your personal qualities that have that have helped you to succeed in business?Resiliance, tenacity, optimism, belief and to some degree a bit of obliviion...because if you really knew what you were doing you might not ever do it!

8. How do you keep going when things get tough? Luckily we are a partnership and we have a mantra which is 'Be nice to each other'. We keep talking, listening and understanding and seek advice when we dont know.

9. How do you measure success? Success is partly about the journey of getting your product onto the shelves in shops but when we see the Buggyboot out in the high street and being a buggy necessity we will have succeeded. Trouble is you always think you can do better!

10. If you had one piece of advice for a woman starting out in business, what would it be? For us it was important that we are a partnership as we would not have done it alone. To women who go it alone my advice would be don't be put off by negativity. There are always lots of options available, so just take your time, ask around and find the right route for you. If your product or idea is a good one you will keep getting reasons to continue.

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Article Tags: buggies, buggy, carolyn jarvis, charlotte evans, competitor, creators, dragon, dragons, dragons den, finance, innovator, inventor, lack of knowledge, market situation, money, obstacle, obstacles, parents, pitches



Related Forum Posts
Dragon's Den - I'd be interested in hearing people's reaction to the CBC TV show "Dragon's Den." Personally, I feel the show is very corny(probably why its on the CBC), however it illustrates perfectly the importance of having a well defined elevator pitch with a killer pain statement and glorious value proposition. Those entrepreneaur wanabes who get the most interest(and ultimately a crap load of money) are those who impress the Dragons with a great EP. This being said, another trend I can see is that those who truly...TRULY...have a passion for what they do and can properly communicate this to the Dragons are also favoured. Furthermore, those who also show the Dragons that they have done alittle research (like knowing their names and the companies they founded) also have a better chance. These are all valuable lessons that can be learned if you strip back the cheesy veneer of the show. I'd be interested in hearing all of your thoughts and what you have learned from the show.
Dragon's Den Comments - Great post JWGM! While I'm usually not home to watch it on Wednesday nights I liked the one episode I saw (same one as you Louis!). I think any opportunity for entrepreneurs to get an understanding of what investors are looking for in a business helps. One thing to note is that you want to pitch to people who understand your business. There were a few entrepreneurs who had positive responses but because the Dragons weren't from that industry they didn't want to get involved. The entrepreneur who wanted to make the truffles franchise is an example - all the Dragons liked the idea but only one got involved - the one who had a background in setting up franchises. I'm glad Canadian entrepreneurs are getting more exposure and am looking forward to more shows!
Re: help wanted in u.k. - Thanks for the feedback everyone, I just got the reason for that just now. Here goes- The BBC only owns the Dragons' Den format for the UK. As such the interactive content is only available to people within the UK. I hope this clarifies things Thanks Brendan
Re: help wanted in u.k. - Hi Brendan, Well done for getting onto (or into) the Dragons' Den. I'd love to see the clip, but it is unavailable in my area (Japan)... Any chance of getting the clip onto youtube? Best wishes, David H
Re: Would you buy a house for a dollar? - Investors with their long term planing always be looking forward for such cheap investment projects. This is not a bad idea I think. One can take initiative on it and can earn handsome amount by doing small investment.


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