SHE IS LOOKING FOR BUSINESS VENTURES WITH A LIFE BEYOND COVID
SPIRING entrepreneurs and budding inventors are preparing to brave the fiery comments of the Dragons’ Den panel once more.
The 18th series switches from BBC2 to a BBC1 slot next week and sees the return of 62-year-old businesswoman Deborah Meaden and her fellow Dragons Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman, Tej Lalvani and Sara Davies.
Hopefuls will be aiming to strike a life-changing deal with the toughest titans of industry and have just three minutes to give a pitch that could make or break their business.
But what does exactly does it take to impress Deborah? always looking for good businesses and it hasn’t shaken my confidence at all.
What it has done is to make me very aware of how businesses have responded, and how they are looking beyond the current situation. I have 19 to 20 live investments at the moment, and the ones doing well are all talking about life after the pandemic.
We can’t go backwards, so we have to accept it will be different as we go forward. I think there was a moment at the beginning when everybody thought, “Oh my goodness, what does this actually mean for business?” but we live in a world of entrepreneurs and they don’t see barriers, they just see challenges to overcome.
I’m probably in the right place, because every single one of my businesses has told me they found something better about themselves during this time, ways of doing things better. That’s what I’ve been looking for in the den. People who are trying to do things differently. many reasons including the environment.
We’ve all learned to speak the new language and I don’t think there’s going to be anything lost in this new world.
It means more time with the dogs too.
I’ve learned a huge amount.
It can sound pretty trite but it’s absolutely true. Every time I think I understand it all, I’m shown a new way of doing things that I hadn’t thought of.
Business is moving so fast and you’ve got to keep moving with it, because doing what you did ten years ago isn’t going to work.
I always look for entrepreneurs in the den who look ahead and stay open minded.
I think it will. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that businesses are going to have to change the way they do things in order to survive, and that can mean job losses.
Good people can lose their jobs, and a lot of them are going to look at starting their own business. It’s actually easier now, because of the internet – a lot of stuff has moved online.
You’ve still got to get it right, but your access to starting a business is much more readily available.
I think there’s going to be a whole new swathe of entrepreneurs, not just because of the pandemic, but because of the security, flexibility and independence that having your own business brings you.
That’s not to say that there aren’t times when your business runs you. It’s like having a small child you have to really take care of.
It’s one of those lovely programmes the whole family can watch – grandparents can discuss with grandchildren in the front room and everyone has an opinion.
I think there’s a little bit of an entrepreneur in everybody and Dragons’ Den demystifies the world of business.
It’s made people realise they can do this. It’s not a magical world over there that only other people are involved with. That’s really important, and it’s why I love being part of the show.