I’ve lost count of the number of times people have uttered those words to me over the last four years! My response was always "absolutely no way, I could never do that". Yet here we are…
How did this happen?!
Last April, I opened my Instagram DMs to find a message from a BBC producer asking if I would like to have a chat about applying for the corporation’s ‘factual entertainment’ show. My gut feeling was once again, "absolutely no way", and I sat on it for a while.
I then decided to at least have a phone call with the producer—I had nothing to lose! While that first call piqued my interest, I was still adamant that it wasn’t for me: vulnerability, stress, and being the centre of attention? No thank you!
I did, however, appreciate that going through the process and being forced to pore over my business in forensic detail could only be a good thing, so I agreed to the next step…
There are so many next steps in the application process, and it’s exactly the same whether you’ve applied under your own steam or have been invited to apply—there are no shortcuts!
The steps included:
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that initial call
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a second call
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a pre-recorded pitch (these used to be in person in an actual TV studio before COVID, but applicants now send in a video)
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a business plan
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numerous forms and questionnaires
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a recorded one-hour ‘interview’
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due diligence (anyone who has been on the show will likely be shuddering at those words; it is, as you would expect, exhaustive and exhausting, but should be embraced because, again, that level of analysis is no bad thing, especially if you run an ethical business!)
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a call with a third-party specialist to discuss emotional wellbeing
Early on, and before I’d signed an NDA, I tracked down around ten people who had been on the show to ask if they would share their experiences. I do like to do extensive research, and this felt like a huge decision—this was my own personal version of due diligence, I suppose. They were all so generous with their time; one even called me from an airport just before boarding a flight. I found another so impressive I offered to buy her lunch, and she said yes! We’ve met up a few times since, and she has been such a cheerleader for me and my business. Thank you, Hannah!
The BBC was really good at telling me what to expect at each step. It starts to get very real when they inform you that you’ve passed another stage, and that your business will be discussed at meetings with an ever-increasing number of senior producers, culminating in the series producer giving the green light (or not).
Even after passing this gruelling process with flying colours, I was still unsure if I’d accept a filming date! After all, I couldn’t possibly actually DO IT! At the grand old age of 55, I had never pitched a business before, or even given a presentation, so pitching on a show with no do-overs, to five highly successful entrepreneurs (and knowing that millions of people would eventually watch me) felt more terrifying than I can convey.
I was on a family holiday in the South of France when I was finally offered a filming slot. We were scrambling to come up with a solution to get me home and prepped earlier than our trip was due to end, but we couldn’t make it work. It was towards the end of the filming schedule, and I was absolutely gutted—it looked like I wouldn’t be on the show after all.
That told me everything I needed to know. I wanted to be on Dragons’ Den!
The following week, I was offered another slot! I had nine days’ notice to prepare* for filming in Manchester, the other end of the country from me. It was the last day on set for season 22. My last chance.
*I hadn’t even written my pitch, let alone learned it; nor had I memorised my numbers—because up until then, I wasn’t actually going to go on the show!
Cue action stations! I voice recorded my pitch in bite-sized chunks and listened to it for hours every day. I wrote all my numbers onto revision cards and stuck them on the fridge. And placed them on my dressing table. And in my handbag. And in the car.
I rewatched previous episodes of the show (wow; it used to be brutal) and wrote down questions I wouldn’t at that point be able to answer off the top of my head. I revised these daily.
I wrote my forecast in such a way that it all stacked up against my growth to date, and my gross and net profit margins. I valued my business based on its EBITDA. Basically, I made the numbers as robust and factual as possible.
While all this was going on during those NINE DAYS, I was in constant contact with the BBC about my pitch script, props, and setup.
I also asked Julie—an Instagram superstar who loves my towels—if she fancied coming with me, as in actually into the Den with me. She didn’t miss a beat before saying YES! (Note to us all: be more Julie!)
Filming Day
The day before my filming date, James drove us from Winchester to Manchester so that I could rehearse my pitch over and over in the car. We dropped my towels and other display items off at the studio and went to meet Julie at our hotel (we had never met in person before!).
The following morning, we had to be at the studio at 7 a.m. It’s impossible to convey the size of the knot in my stomach! In fact, it would be more accurate to say "there’s a stomach in my knot". I liken it to waiting to have surgery; people kept coming to ask me to do increasingly scary things (at least nobody drew on me). My producer asked me to recite my pitch to him, and whilst I absolutely knew it, I couldn’t get past the first paragraph.
Then he told me about 20 people (floor producer, lighting, sound, etc.) were about to rock up, and they’d expect me to get it all out: no pressure, Ronan. And just like that, it flowed perfectly. I then filmed face-to-camera pieces, and walking out of ‘the lift’. Hair and makeup brought some light relief and a lovely chat with makeup artist Nancy, who knew all about the concept of using T-shirt fabric to dry hair.
I was the last of three businesses to go into the Den on that last day of filming, entering at around 11:45. I walked out at around 13:15—an hour and a half of grilling!
I can’t tell you the outcome. You’ll have to wait to watch it on the 27th (I haven’t seen the final edit, by the way, and I’ll be watching it with around 100 people at a WATCH PARTY, which is, apparently, a thing!)
This is getting super long, so I’ll save the rest for Part Two…
