Dragons’ Den is all about mega rich investors giving wannabe entrepreneurs a chance to make millions in business like they have – and some of the most successful products and companies presented there have done just that. Success stories from the show have now become household products and created millionaires along the way.
There have been a huge range of different things that have gone on to make loads of money for those who pitched them and the Dragon who secured investment. From office supplies to festivals, here are the most successful products and businesses which all got investment when they appeared on Dragons’ Den.
Magic Whiteboard
via BBC
The Magic Whiteboard was created by couple Neil and Laura Westwood in 2006. The product is basically a whiteboard sheet, that you can stick on any surface, and you have probably seen them in offices, at universities and in schools. The couple hoped for £100k for a 15 per cent stake in the company. Peter Jones branded the product “ridiculous” saying nobody would ever need it, but the couple fought back and gave examples of when they had very much needed it in their workplace.
Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden were convinced, and agreed to give a £50k investment each for shares in the company. By 2014, the couple were able to buy back the Dragons’ shares and had turnover of £1.2million.
Skinny Tan
via BBC
In 2013 Louise Ferguson and Kate Cotton pitched beauty product Skinny Tan to the Dragons. Skinny Tan’s unique selling point is that it’s the first self-tanning product made of natural ingredients that can naturally reduce the appearance of cellulite, as well as making you look tanned.The brand had profits of £600k in its first year, which had all five Dragons making offers. Eventually it was Piers Linney and Kelly Hoppen who won the deal, securing £60k investment for a 10 per cent stake in the company.
Now the product is everywhere, is one of the fastest-selling tanning products in the UK and even has celebrity ambassadors, with the latest being Love Island’s Liberty Poole.
Reggae Reggae Sauce
via BBC
Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Sauce is now basically a household name, so you may forget that it started as a humble product presented to the Dragons. In 2007, Levi Roots’ music-led pitch became one of the most memorable in the show’s history. It secured a £50k investment for 40 per cent of the business from Dragons, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. Peter Jones continues to be a shareholder, citing the product as one of his most successful investments and products from Dragons’ Den.
The sauce is now stocked in supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and has been picked up by restaurants such as KFC and Subway. Levi Roots now has a huge net worth of £35million, according to information gathered by Betway.
Chocbox
via ScrewFix
No, this isn’t a box of chocolates – it’s actually a patented plastic box designed to safely store electrical wires. Two Dragons secured the deal, Duncan Bannatyne and James Caan, who offered a £150k investment in the business for a 36 per cent stake. According to Betway, the investment saw almost immediate pay-offs, with a sales deal worth £25millionbeing secured shortly after.
That initial sale helped to make the product’s inventor, Peter Moule, a millionaire just three months into his partnership with the Dragons. Both Duncan Bannatyne and James Caan still consider this to be one of the most successful products they have invested in from Dragons’ Den.
Craft Gin Club and Bubble Club
via BBC
In 2016 Jon Hulme and John Burke presented their idea for a wine and gin subscription service, and received offers from all five of the Dragons. Dragon Sarah Willingham made the shock revelation that she was already a customer, so the entrepreneurs couldn’t refuse her offer. She invested £75k in exchange for 12.5 per cent share in the business.
Wonderbly
Wonderbly is one of the biggest Dragons’ Den success stories, with revenue surpassing £30million, ad campaigns on the Tube in London, and over two million sold worldwide. Originally named Lost My Name, Wonderbly creates personalised children’s books where the child’s name appears as the main character in the story. Dads Asi Sharabi, David Cadji-Newby, Tal Oron and Pedro Serapicos pitched to the Dragons in 2014 and Piers Linney invested £100k for a four per cent stake. He has since gone on to call it “the most successful business to have ever passed through the Den’s walls”.
Mainstage Festivals
via BBC
Mainstage Festivals was founded in 2011 by Rob Tominey and Aden Levin, and offered “once in a lifetime” low-cost clubbing holidays for 18-24s. They stepped into the Den already with a revenue of £1.6million, which was a prospect the Dragons couldn’t say no to, with many of them making offers. The successful offer was made by Piers Linney who gave the entrepreneurs £100k for 15 per cent of the business.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
•All the huge brands and products that were originally rejected on Dragon’s Den
• The Dragons’ Den rich list: Just how much money do all the Dragons have?
•The Apprentice millionaires: These are the richest people to come from the show
