The call came, I was in, I was going to be pitching live to the Dragons! There are not many entrepreneurs that get to say that.
What followed was months of work! Getting together everything that would be needed to appear on the show as well as trying to commit to memory, my pitch, and all the figures. As a family we have always been fan’s of the show, but I never realised what went into actually getting on the show.
The date of my pitch came around very fast, and again, I roped in Jade for moral support. Off we went to Manchester. Her car this time, she refused to travel in mine, can’t think why! The whole journey there I felt awful, I was absolutely convinced I had one of the kids bugs.
We arrived at the studios to drop of the props and as we were sat in reception who should wander through but Peter Jones himself. We both just sat and stared and then tried not to stare and then stared a bit more. He is a lot taller than I imagined him to be!
Props all dropped off and it was time to find the luxury accommodation that the BBC had booked us into. So after arriving at the wrong hotel to start with, there are two apparently in close location to each other, we found our less than luxury hotel in a rather a derelict part of the city.
I thought I would try and eat something to see if that was why I felt so awful, so off we wandered to find a restaurant, absolutely nothing around unless we wanted a kebab or a Mcdonalds. The golden arches won.
Happy Meal eaten and pitch practiced I bedded down for the night and I left Jade polishing off our wine allowance.
After very little sleep, and now feeling quite poorly, 5am arrives and it is time to get ready. Myself and the other entrepreneurs were being collected from the hotel at 6am. Off I go down into reception, on to a mini bus and I am driven to the studios.
By now I am feeling a mix of fear, sick, more fear and praying that if I have a bug it doesn’t decide to rear its head mid pitch!
So the day consisted of setting up our displays where the producers come and check it and ask some last minute questions. Then it was on to make up, run throughs, waiting, run throughs, bit more make up, interviews and then it was time. I can’t put into words what it was like to be stood in front of the Dragons.
All in all my pitch took around an hour, there were lots of questions and lots of great advice given. What you see on the TV is quite different to what actually happens behind the scenes. The Dragons were all very supportive of what we are trying to achieve with cloth nappies and support the reduction of waste to landfill.
So I know you are all dying to know what happened, did I get and investment?
Well, you will just have to watch the show on Sunday the 18th to find out.
