“I want to be the Dragon that everyone at home wants to pitch to!”
CRAFTING ENTREPRENEUR SARA DAVIES TAKES HER SEAT IN THE DEN…
There was a chair going spare on Dragons’ Den following the departure of Jenny Campbell at the end of the last series, and we’re very pleased to welcome the newest of the bunch: Sara Davies, founder of Crafter’s Companion. At 35, Sara is the youngest Dragon to join the panel, but that doesn’t mean she lacks experience: she started her company while at university! Inside TV caught up with her during a break in filming on set in Manchester…
You were 20 when the first series went out – did you ever think you’d be on it?
It’s funny, I was at university studying management, and the other students would come round with bottles of wine and a takeaway, and we’d watch the show. I went on to start my own business over the next few years, before I graduated, and whenever I saw the others, they’d say, “Remember when we used to watch Dragons’ Den? One day you’ll make an awesome Dragon!” I used to kind of laugh it off, but I’d think, ‘Maybe one day…’
So how did you come to be chosen for the show?
I was chatting to a friend who’s also in business, who was round on a Sunday night and we were watching Dragons’ Den. He said, “You would be brilliant on this,” and I replied, “I’d love to.” So he said, “Why don’t you ring them?” and I said, “You can’t just ring up and say you want to be on Dragons’ Den!” And then he texted me the next day, “I’ve rung them, they want to speak to you tomorrow”!
What was it like sitting in the chair for the first time?
They actually let me come in a few hours before everyone else that morning to get accustomed to everything, and it really hit me this was actually happening. And I’ve definitely had to learn the etiquette. On the first day, I was being polite, not speaking over people or interrupting – and the producers took me to one side and said, “You’re never going to get a look in, just go for it!”
Does it feel daunting?
Absolutely. I’ve been one of those people at home, being a critic of other Dragons coming in and out, and for
FOR YEARS I’VE WATCHED AND THOUGHT ‘I CAN DO BETTER!’”
years thinking, ‘I could do better!’ But it’s one thing sitting at home thinking it, and another sitting in that chair going, ‘Now I need to do it.’ I want to be the Dragon everyone watches and thinks, ‘She’s awesome. I’d love to pitch a business to her and have her invest in it.’ So that pressure keeps you on your toes when you’re in there.
Do you think you’re ready for the fame that comes with being on the show?
I’ve had a little taste of it out in Manchester with the other Dragons. We go for dinner and people come up and say, “Can I get a photo with you?”, talking pretty much to Peter and Deborah, sometimes Tej and Touker – and, no word of a lie, I’ve been the one taking the photo a few times!