Enter the Dragon's Den!

What really happens on a day in the den with the Dragons'

In June 2004 I took a call from a guy who worked for the BBC in Manchester. He asked about my shave cream and whether I'd ever seen the Dragons' Den program. I hadn't, but was curious. I'll mention my emigration to Canada in 1982 (from good old Wigan), so was out of touch with what was on TV in the United Kingdom.

I was invited to meet with the producers of the show in Manchester, where they gave me some idea of what the show was about. My thoughts were the show was something along the lines of Tomorrow's World, a showcase for new ideas, etc (little did I know).

Whilst in Manchester we did a video talkthrough of what my shave cream was all about, the reason I started work on the project, the research I'd done and the beneficial results of shaving with it.

The tape was sent off to London and reviewed together with more than 4,000 others who'd applied to be on the show. It seems my invention was novel enough (and the inventor peculiar enough) to grab their attention.

A couple of weeks later I was asked to attend an address in London's East End. When I arrived the place looked more mafia than BBC - that alone should have given me a warning of what was to come!

Forewarned is Forearmed

Ushered into a tiny room where around 10-12 other hopefuls were assembled. Most were nervously pacing up and down practising their presentation, I was a little concerned as I hadn't got one!

These folks had an advantage over me in they had at least seen the show before and had a good idea that it may well prove confrontational.

After about an hour in the "sweat it out room" my name was called and I was led to the make up room. My first instinct was to flee the place. After all, what would my mates in Wigan say if they saw me wearing lipstick!

Thankfully the make-up artist said I'd "enough colour" to look fine on camera without any make-up. But I'll put that down to my panic of seeing a bloke holding a selection of lipsticks and suchlike.

From there I was taken by the producer to the "holding area". The journey gave me the feeling a prisoner on the way to the gallows may experience - just before the floor gives way!

Off the Cuff

The producer asked "would you like to practice your presentation on me before you go up to face the Dragons?" I declined and he asked why? I told him I hadn't actually put anything together - at that point it was his face that drained of colour!

He then instructed "if you freeze or cock it up that's what the camera will see and that's what the TV will show". I told him I'd prefer to speak from the cuff as it came to me and not use a "canned" speech. Having seen politicians (and the like) in their droves talk so perfectly (yet insincerely) from scripts crafted for them I'd rather look nervous on TV than insincere.

The "jump light" went on and up the stairs I went to face the Dragons.

It's intimidating to stand in front of 5 Dragons (whose sole purpose seems to be to devour the innocent). Add to that the camera, the 20-30 technicians in the shadows of the room and a large hot spotlight overhead.

It was intense but once you get past the first minute; without having a heart attack; you start to settle down to getting your pitch across.

My strategy really was a simple one. Although I hadn't a speech prepared I knew if I stayed on track with my 4 R's I'd be in decent shape. The 4 R's were…

• Request (£150,000 for a 15% stake in my venture)
• Reason (years of suffering bad shave days)
• Research (8 years of R&D and lubricant formulations)
• Results (the best shaves I've ever had).

My Tribology Background

For your initial introduction you are given 3 minutes which I managed to get through well enough. They let me run over that time and was sure I'd caught their interest.

After those 3 minutes it's then Q&A time which I'm told lasts an average 8 minutes. They seemed keen, curious, and recognised the problems they'd also experienced with bad shave days.

Eagerly enquiring about my engineering background where I'd served an apprenticeship with DeHavilland, at Lostock, near Bolton (40 years previous). I'd then gone to work in the aerospace industry - in the UK, Canada and on contracts for the US Government (much of it interesting stuff, F18s, Grumman A10s, Blackhawks and even Patrol Frigates).

For the most part my work was in Quality Assurance but I also studied Tribology; the study of Friction & Lubrication; becoming a member of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers (ASLE) in 1986.

Relaying this background to the Dragons and how my knowledge of lubricants (and how metals cut) had helped me formulate my shave cream. This went on for around 20 minutes and was received well.

Then came the turning point! Asked why I was requesting £150,000 for 15% stake in my venture my response was that I'd worked eight years perfecting my formulation and that I'd applied for patent rights in 17 countries costing about £200,000.

Red-Tongued Rachel

Rachel Elnaugh jumped on this and said "where did YOU get £200,000 from?"

So even though I've been away from 'home' for more than 20 years I still come across as just a 'lad from Wigin' and I make no effort to shed that image.

I asked for a time out at this point. I didn't think it relevant to the show; nor to my invention; that I should need to account for what I'd done during the 23 years I was a resident and Canadian citizen.

The producer advised me to tell it like it is (they'd already done a background check). So there I was, left to "explain" to Rachel and the other Dragons that̴ in 1995 (due to very peculiar circumstances) I'd been trading with Calvin Klein Canada. I was selling 15-17 tonnes of their perfumes a month - direct from CK - into the grey market. Canada is like that - still a land of great opportunity.

Rachel was so gobsmacked that she went for the jugular, telling me I was a fantasist. She was reined in by a couple of the Dragons as her comments were based on no more than shock at my revelations.

Rachel's company "Red Letter Days" was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, though unknown to any of us there, leading to Theo and Peter's takeover.

Tractorloads

I understand why - in retrospect - Rachel hearing me say how well I'd done may have gone against the grain. I put it down to bad timing on that front as Rachel has been in touch since and we get on well.

I think it's fair to say in the conflagration that arose on the day I at least held my ground. I think they learned that it's not only dragons that can breathe fire!

Doug Richard (the Californian Dragon, a decent guy), went on to say…

"You came across as an engineer, now we find you're a businessman!"

My response was, just because I'd traded for 8 years with CK Canada and CKNY, it didn't make me a businessman (a title I avoid like the plague). Doug said "but you've been buying perfumes by the tractor trailer load for years". My response was how stupid would I need to be to miss out on an opportunity like that, 'you don't need to be a jockey to know a horse when you see one!'

I don't see myself as a businessman. I don't like the spin the users of that title try to attain for themselves (back to that Wigin Lad attitude).

Our debate continued for at least 30 more minutes during which I think the Dragons thought they'd be better biting something less able to defend themself!

Dragon's Egos

Though none of the Dragons felt comfortable enough to invest Theo certainly likes using my cream and maintains an interest in what I'm doing.

If I made one mistake on the show it was perhaps not hiding the fact that I wasn't really there to sell 15% - I was more interested in the opportunity to let people "know all about it".

The Dragons are on the show to massage their egos, the BBC serves it's own interests by engaging in provocative performances, so I think it's fair ball to look for a benefit to me out of it.

Bob Norburn

Credentials of the Dragons

Doug Richard

The Californian is founding chairman of data services company Library House and also cofounder of Cambridge Angels. Since he set up and sold his first software venture in the 1980s Doug has been president and CEO of Micrografx.

Duncan Bannatyne

A childhood of poverty gave Duncan the drive to make his fortune. He started working life as a car trader but changed the course of his life with an ice cream van, becoming the king of the 99. By switching to thinking outside of the box his nursing homes made him a multi-millionaire. Duncan has a chain of eponymous health clubs and is reputedly worth £160m. He was awarded an OBE for his services to business and charity.

Peter Jones

Peter joined the Siemens Nixdorf board at the early age of 28. Aged 16 he founded a tennis academy and then started an IT accessories company before joining Siemens Nixdorf and then The Caudwell Group. Peter started telecommunications firm Phones International Group which is worth more than £300m.

Rachel Elnaugh

Rachel was an accountant with Arthur Andersen when she got the idea for her company Red Letter Days. Rachel was the only woman on the panel of Dragons.

Since the well-publicised trouble at the company she founded, Red Letter Days, Rachel joined Easyart as CEO, taking over from its founder, Simon Matthews, who decided to become a psychotherapist.

Theo Paphitis

Theo is one of the UK's richest men and is described as colourful and highly impressive. His business ideal is simple, buy failing companies and turn them round. Rymans, La Senza and Contessa are all a part of Theo's business portfolio.

Rachel Eats Her Fiery Words!

To: Bob Norburn
Shaving Cream

6 November 2005

Dear Bob

I understand that your episode of Dragons' Den is due to be aired on 29 November and I just wanted to apologise in advance for my suggestion made during the recording of the show that I believed you were some sort of fantasist.

Having now seen some of the articles that have been written about you it is clear that I misjudged the position and for that I apologise.

I also want to say that your product is truly brilliant. I know it was originally designed as a men's shaving product but I have personally used it for shaving my legs which resulted in beautiful soft smooth skin.

I wish you every success with it and feel sure you will have a huge hit on your hands if you can just get that lucky break you truly deserve.

Kind regards,

Now try Bob Norburn's revolutionary shaving cream for yourself

More views from the other side

Dragons' Den also saw StyleBible.com given an unfair dressing down by the Dragons.

A portable toilet device for women wasn't given a chance by the dragons as they couldn't see the potential for Shewee. Samantha Fountain says she loved the experience.

Danny Bamping won dragon funding but before the deal was done his bankers stepped in to help.

Jay Cousins' Flatworld featured in a follow-up BBC programme and has grown into a successful business venture.

One individual who didn't create a good impression with the dragons was David Wilks, but since the show he's proved what a great product Interflush is by winning countless awards and contracts.

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