"What you've got there is a ball on a spring"
Excellent. On the surface this is the rich giving help to the poor. The inventors of this world who might not otherwise be able to amass the investment they need, get a chance to be heard by some of the biggest names in business. But I have two problems with Dragons Den - and you'll soon see they're fairly substantial problems.
My first problem: the people. There are some ridiculous ideas, cardboard beach furniture, pet burial pack, road kill soft toys... All the way down to one of my favourites, the all female building company - obviously because the majority of male builders lie to their customers and are unreliable, she implies. Cherry on the cake? She had no qualifications whatsoever to do the building work.
If you get the opportunity to go on Dragons Den, make sure you know what you're talking about. Don't go on with a half arsed attempt at a presentation - just don't! If you're going to run a business, why wouldn't you know your figures and your markets and actually what your product really does. You might truly love and believe in your product but that doesn't mean that someone else will. And when you've been given advice, take it - some products are just not meant to be.
My second problem, and probably the killer for my enjoyment of this program: the dragons. Take for example the poor soul who wandered in with Storycode - an online way of finding new books to read based on books you like. An excellent idea, I was thinking. Apparently not. It was ripped apart by the Dragons almost immediately. Several dragons seem to assume that because they are in control and hold the power (money) they have every right to be unbelievably rude and obnoxious. Frankly, I don't care how much money you have, it doesn't mean you're exempt from manners.
There are some people who just can't win. If you don't go into the Den with enough information/ sales/ background you're out. But on the other hand, the lady who took her gardening, wheeley gadget into the Den was constantly questioned over 'why was she there?'. The Dragon's problem with her was that her background was too good, her product had sold too well and she had too much money. How could she win?
My final Dragon peeve: Deborah Meaden. Does she ever smile? Does she ever invest? Who knows - I've never seen it. I'm sure that when the Dragons do choose to invest it's an excellent opportunity for the company involved. It's just the attitude with which the verdict is given. No doubt, there is some good advice in there somewhere - I just can't see it through my cringing eyes.
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