DRAGONS DEN - BBC TV

 

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If you've ever had an idea to make money, Dragons' Den is THE show to watch. All manner of money-spinning minds will step into the intimidating world of business financing, determined to make their dreams come true. All they need is the cash. To get this, they must face the Dragons, all of whom are formidable business thinkers with the money to make things happen.

 

The Dragons' Den was a six part series where entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to secure investment finance from the Dragons... elite business experts. Find out who was the biggest winner of them all?

 

Who said business wasn't ruthless?

 

 

Host: Evan Davis

 

Evan Davis:  BBC's economics editor 

2001 & BBC 2 Newsnight

 

 

Dragons' Den

 

If you've ever had an idea to make money, Dragons' Den is THE show to watch. All manner of money-spinning minds will step into.

 

 

But this is no lottery - the contestants will need all their powers of reasoning, presentation and persuasion to convince our five business experts that theirs is a product worth investing in. The Dragons know what makes a successful idea, how much it's worth and how much cash is needed to get it off the ground.


The Dragons' Den

 

Evan Davis and the Dragons

 

 

The Rules

  • Each business (pitcher) can pitch for a specified amount of funding for their idea or product.

  • If the pitcher can convince one or more of the Dragons to meet that specified amount (usually in exchange for shares of their company), the pitcher walks away with the cash.

  • If the pitchers find themselves short of the specified amount of funding, they lose it all.

  • Each pitcher is free to bargain with the Dragons in order to get the specified level of funding.

 

Life's a pitch - meet the dragons:-

 

 

Peter Jones

 

Dragon - Peter Jones

Peter kicked off his career at 16 with his own tennis academy. He's now a multi-millionaire and founder of a large telecommunications company...

 

Rachel Elnaugh

 

Dragon - Rachel Elnaugh

Originally an accountant, Rachel decided to start up Red Letter Days, a company offering a range of once-in-a-lifetime gift experiences...

 

Duncan Bannatyne

 

Dragon - Duncan Bannatyne

Duncan's fortunes changed dramatically when he bought an ice cream van. He's since made millions from retirement homes and health clubs...

 

Doug Richard

 

Dragon - Doug Richard

A 46 year old Californian business guru, Doug brings a touch of trans-Atlantic dynamism to the bargaining table...

 

Simon Woodroffe

 

Dragon - Simon Woodroffe

Not just a snappy dresser, Simon Woodroffe is the man behind restaurant phenomenon Yo! Sushi...

 

 

 

 

DEBORAH MEADEN  |  DUNCAN BANNATYNE  |  PETER JONES  |  RICHARD FARLEIGH  |  THEO PAPHITIS

 

 

 

 HomepagePresenter & Dragons  |  TV Show  |  Investment Winners  |  Pitcher's Bible  |  Online Applications  |  Downloadable

 

 

 

Dragons' Den is a television programme which originated in Japan. The format, which now airs internationally, consists of entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to secure investment finance from business experts — the "Dragons".

 

Show format

The contestants are people who have what they consider to be a viable and potentially very profitable business idea, but who lack funding. They have a short time (usually five minutes, followed by questions and negotiations) in which to pitch their idea to five rich entrepreneurial businesspeople, the "dragons" of the show's title. They have before the show named an amount of money that they wish to get, and the rules stipulate that if they do not raise this amount they cannot get any. The dragons then probe the idea further, often revealing an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of the contestants or sometimes vain subterfuge of troubling facts, and consequently rejecting the investment. It is common in a show to see five or six ideas and only one that attracts the dragons' money. In return, the contestant offers the dragons a percentage of the company, which is the chief point of negotiation.

 

 

Versions

 

Dragons' Den currently screens in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Sweden and Canada. However, the version that screens in Sweden is the UK production, not a local production. New Zealand has screened the UK series, and the Australian series, and a local series is in production.

 

 

Japan

 

Titled Money no Tora (Money Tiger), this original version was created by and aired on Nippon Television from 2001 to 2004. It was the first entertainment programme in the history of Japanese television that dealt with the concept of business investment. During its three year run, as many as 16 business executives appeared in the programme as Tigers.

 

 

Australia

 

In Australia, Dragons' Den is broadcast on the Seven Network and hosted by Andrew O'Keefe. It is produced by Michael Horrocks. The Australian Dragons are:

 

  • Peter Higgins

  • Sarina Russo

  • Simon Reynolds

  • Darryn Lyons

  • Suzi Dafnis

 

The Seven Network announced in December, 2005 that the show would not be back for a second season after soft ratings.

 

 

New Zealand

 

In New Zealand Dragons' Den is broadcast on TV One. Initially the UK and Australian series' were broadcast, but a local version is in production to screen in late 2006.

 

The New Zealand series is produced by Eyeworks Touchdown, the host will be Rawdon Christie

 

The New Zealand Dragons are:

  • Jule Christie

  • Bob Jones

  • Annette Presley

  • Paul Webb

  • Barry Colman

 

UK

 

In the UK, Dragons' Den is broadcast on BBC Two and is hosted by Evan Davis, the BBC's economics editor. The second series ended on 20 December 2005, with a "Where Are They Now" episode, giving details of the outcomes of some of the ventures from the first series, shown the following day. A third series commenced on BBC Two on 3 August 2006.

 

The theme tune of Dragons' Den has been credited to John Watt.

 

The Dragons are:

  • Duncan Bannatyne

  • Peter Jones

  • Theo Paphitis (replaced Simon Woodroffe from Series 1)

  • Deborah Meaden (replaced Rachel Elnaugh from Series 1 and 2) 

  • Richard Farleigh (replaced Doug Richard from Series 1 and 2) 

 

Canada

 

In Canada the show will be aired on CBC Television starting in October 2006. Taping is now finished, and the show is in post-production.

 

Canada's Dragons will be:

 

Robert Herjavec, sold his IT security firm at the height of the dot.com boom for over a $100 million.

 

Laurence Lewin, founder of La Senza, a chain of lingerie shops shops with more than 310 stores throughout Canada and via corporate licensees, has a further 320 stores operating in 30 countries around the world.

 

Kevin O'Leary, popular host of ROB TV's SqueezePlay, he sold his educational software firm to Mattel for $3.2 billion.

 

Jim Treliving, a former RCMP officer who now owns Boston Pizza. In 2005, his restaurants generated well over $500 million in sales.

 

Jennifer Wood, whose career in the cattle business started in 1990, is one of the most influential executives in the Canada's beef industry. She owns a 10,000 acre ranch with over 20,000 head of cattle.

 

 

LINKS and REFERENCES

 

 

Entrepreneur's Essential links


The Pitcher's Bible

 

The product


You have to be doing something unique. If you're opening a sandwich shop, remember there are a thousand other sandwich shops. What makes you different? If you can't say, in one single sentence, what makes you different, then you don't have a difference. If it's too complex to explain then it's probably too complex to understand. Know what makes you different.

The Impact


You have to have a nose for an opportunity. What's an opportunity? When you can sell to someone else and make a profit. So know the price of your product. Know the market that you're planning to sell it to. Have a way to prove all of this to the investor that you're pitching to. In doing this, you aim to show them that there is an opportunity and that you know the size of it. The size of the opportunity will translate directly, to that investor, the value of your company.

 

 

The Investor


The first thing a person has to understand when pitching a business is what an investor is looking for. An investor is asking three questions:

  • Is there a market?

  • Is there an innovation?

  • Is there something here that is different?

 

Presentation


If you're an entrepreneur and you're pitching, be aware that the investor is looking at how well you present, how well you dress, how you carry yourself, how open you are to taking criticism and feedback. They're evaluating you as much as they're evaluating the company, the numbers and everything else.

 

 

The Stakes


Know how much of the company you're prepared to sell before you walk in. If you don't know how much you want to give up, you won't know when to say “yes”, when to say “no”.

 

 

The Partnership


Investors are not your enemies. Investors are your partners. When you sell a part of your company, what you're doing is getting married to a stranger for a very long time. Be prepared for that. If you don't like them from the outset then the chances are you're not going to like them later. Even if you think you might get along with them, bear in mind that if you commit, you're committed for a long time.

 

 

WINNERS SO FAR

 

 

Episode 2 - Tracey Graily

 

Tracey Graily

 

Tracey Graily's concept was geared to providing advice and tailor-made suits for professional, high-earning females. She required £120,000 to kick start her business. All the male dragons except for Doug Richards - who agreed to £60,000 for a 20% share - were not impressed by Tracey's vision. Rachel Elnaugh felt it was a market niche and didn't hesitate to invest £60,000 for a 20% share. She even said Tracey could buy back 10% of the company at £100,000... if it proved successful within a year. Suits you madam!

The done deal: 40% company shares for £120,000 investment.
See her website for more information.


 

Episode 1 - Charles Ejogo.

 

Charles Ejogo from Episode 1

 

The business idea was for the world's first multi-media umbrella vending machines and Charles Ejogo was looking for an investment of £150,000.

 

 

 

MONEY FINDER

 

 

 

ABBEY NATIONAL

ALLIANCE & LEICESTER

ALLIED IRISH

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

ANGELS

ANZ BANK AUSTRALIA

BANK OF AMERICA

BANK OF TOKYO JAPAN

BANK ONE USA

BANKS

BARCLAYS - UK

BAYERISCHE LANDESBANK - Germany

BNP PARIBAS GROUP - France

BILLIONAIRES

BRISTOL & WEST

BRITISH NATIONAL BUSINESS ANGELS

BRITISH VENTURE CAPITAL FIRMS

BUILDING SOCIETIES A - Z

BUSINESS PLAN

CAHOOT

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK - Canada

CHASE MANHATTAN - US

CITIBANK - US

COMEICA BANK - US

CREDIT CARDS

CREDIT LYONNIAS - France

DEUTSCHE BANK - Germany

DOW JONES

DRAGONS DEN 2006

DRESDNER BANK - Germany

ECONOMICS

ELECTRONIC MONEY TRANSFERS

ENTREPRENEUR

EQUITY HOUSES

FINANCIER

FIRST DIRECT

FLEET - US 

FORBES 100 RICHEST

FORBES 500

FOREX INVESTMENTS

FORTUNE 500

FOUNDATIONS - GATES

FTSE

FUJI BANK - JAPAN

HALIFAX

HOLDING COMPANY

HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE

HSBC

HSBC BANK USA - UK

HSBC - HK

IMPERIAL BANK - US

INSURANCE

 

 

INVESTORS INDEX

IMF

J PIERPOINT MORGAN

JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE

LA SALLE BANK - US

LOANS

LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE - MARKET

LLOYDS

MADRID STOCK EXCHANGE

MARKET CAPITALISATION

MAYBANK - Malaysia

MONEY

MONEY LAUNDERING

MORTGAGES

NASDAQ

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK GROUP

NATIONAL LOTTERY

NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK

NATIONAL BUSINESS ANGEL NETWORK

NATIONAL CITY BANK - US

NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE

OFFSHORE BANKING

PENSIONS

PLCs

RBS ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND

SANWA BANK - Japan

SAVINGS

SHAREHOLDERS

SHARES, STOCKS, DIVIDENDS

SHELL COMPANIES

SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK - Thailand

SOCIETE GENERALE - France

SOUTHERN BANK BERHAD - Malyasia

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK - UK

STATE STREET BANK - US

STOCKS AND SHARES

SUMITOMO MITSUI BANK - Japan

SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS

TAX HAVENS

THAI FARMERS BANK - Thailand

THE AMERICAN DOLLAR

THE POUND STERLING

TORONTO DOMINION BANK - Canada

TRUSTS

UBS AG - Switzerland

UNION BANK OF CALIFORNIA

VENTURE CAPITAL

WALL STREET

WELLS FARGO - US

WEST DEUTSCHE LANDESBANK - Germany

WORLD BANK

WOOLWICH

 

 

 

 


 

 

SOLAR COLA as an INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY?

 

The soft drinks market is a tough place to do business, unless you have something different to offer and the marketing muscle to match. 

 

For nearly 100 years Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have dominated the marketplace with similar products.  Each company spends around $600-800 million dollars a year to maintain its market position. The advertising centers around sport and music, with a scattering of irregular television campaigns. Each company launches (or attempts to launch) new brands every year.  So far, they have not proved as successful as their regular cola brands.

 

Red Bull, although in a different drinks category, spends not quite as much on advertising , but has managed to acquire instant status and volume sales from sponsoring formula one, the Darpa Desert Challenge, and now the New Jersey MetroStars football team.

 

Solar Cola, apart from it's contemporary name, is a healthier cola based drink.  Just as refreshing, it contains a unique blend of added ingredients as an aid to good health and energy levels.  The company contributes to and sponsors alternative projects, to include this website, featuring movies, music and several thousand pages of general information, which generates in excess of 3 million visits a month already.  Recent acquisitions include the rights to the Solar Navigator World Electric Challenge, and also the new Bluebird Electric land speed record car for 2007.  The company may also sponsor the London to Brighton Solar Car Run in 2008 (dependent on the number of university entries received). 

 

It is thought that this marketing strategy will equal several hundred thousand dollars of conventional Ad Agency spending.  As an example of the kind of media coverage such nautical antics generate, you have only to look at the newspapers when Ellen Macarthur completed her world circumnavigation.  The same holds true for Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

 

The design of the Solar Cola can is copyright protected, with trademark applications in the USA, Australia and Europe pending in Class 32 and granted rights in the UK.  Introduction of the drink is held in abeyance pending official launch of one or other sponsored projects, which will be activated when the time is right, such activation to coincide with the market introduction of the drink.

 

Solar Cola PLC is shortly to be activated for online investment as their trading arm.  The company is forecast to produce excellent results for investors, with sustained growth to be followed by an eventual flotation on the Stock Markets of the world in the next few years.  At this point estimates suggest investors will reap substantial gains - in line with international Licensing expectations.

 

Solar Cola Ltd is managing the funding requirement for the trading company.  They are looking for medium term or seed investment between £4-5 million to kick start phase two of the venture.

 

If you are a Business Angel, or Equity House, looking for an opportunity with the potential for good returns, please contact SOLAR COLA LTD for details.  Please ask for the funding project manager: Nelson Kruschandl

 

 

+ 44 (0) 1323 831727

+44 (0) 7905 147709

 

 


 

This material and any views expressed herein are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an endorsement or inducement to invest in any specific program. Before investing in any program, you must obtain, read and examine thoroughly its disclosure document or offering memorandum.

 

A taste for adventure capitalists

 

 

Solar Cola - the healthier cola alternative

This website is Copyright © 1999 & 2006  NJK.   The bird logo and name Solar Navigator are trademarks. All rights reserved.  All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.       Max Energy Limited is an educational charity.

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