Motherhood is a journey filled with love, but it’s also full of challenges, especially for single mums. Without someone to share night feeds, help with household chores, or watch the baby while you run errands, everything falls on your shoulders.

But don’t worry, you’re not alone. In these circumstances, a breast pump, especially an electric one, can be a true lifesaver. It helps you save time and maintain your precious milk supply for your little angel. With the right gear, like a compact breast pump, an insulated cooler bag, and safe storage bottles, you can take greater control of your breastfeeding journey, even on the go. Let’s explore some smart pumping tips that make life easier, even when you’re constantly on the move!

Choosing the Right Breast Pump

Choosing the right breast pump is the most important factor to “ease the burden” for busy mothers. Currently, there are 3 different types of breast pumps on the market, including.

• Manual breast pump: easy to use, suitable for mothers who pump a little milk and in a short time.
• Electric breast pump: has a higher speed and efficiency, suitable for regular and long-term pumping.
• Hospital-standard breast pump: often used in medical cases when mothers need to pump a lot of milk.

Electric breast pumps are a popular choice among mums thanks to their convenience, compact design, and efficient milk expression.

For busy mothers, you should choose a cordless electric breast pump, compact and easy to clean. With a modern, convenient, and smooth design, it will help mothers to pump milk anywhere, whether at work, in the car, or when traveling. Electric breast pumps will help you save time and be more flexible in providing precious breast milk for your baby.

Breast Pump Tips for Busy Mums On the Go

Pumping breast milk properly and intelligently will help single mothers not to be “dizzy” while taking care of their baby. If you have found the right breast pump, then now is the time to save the following useful tips to make the process of pumping breast milk easier.

1. Create a flexible pumping schedule

The first tip is to create a pumping schedule that works for you. You don’t have to force yourself to follow a set pumping schedule, but be flexible in incorporating pumping sessions into your daily routine. Creating a pumping schedule that fits your daily routine will help you maintain a steady milk supply without causing stress.

A pumping schedule also helps you manage your time better, especially for busy single moms or when returning to work. You can break up pumping sessions into sleeping baby time, post-feedings, or lunchtime. The key is to be consistent but flexible. If you are going on vacation, do not be afraid to modify your pumping schedule to suit the duration of the vacation.

2. Choose a travel-friendly breast pump

A cordless, lightweight, and easy-to-charge breast pump is ideal for mums on the go. You can choose from a compact electric breast pump or a wearable breast pump. Certain breast pump models also have a bottle to pump milk directly into the bottle, save time, and maximize the pumping experience.

Consider portability, battery life, simplicity, quietness, and your pumping routine when selecting a breast pump. You can look up the best breast pumps UK list to determine the model that best suits your budget and needs.

3. Pack smart for pumping on the move

The next tip is to prepare a separate bag for pumping on the go, including a pump, milk storage bottles/bags, sterilized tissues, and spare batteries. With an electric breast pump, you need to make sure you have all the necessary parts for the pump to work.

In addition, don’t forget to prepare additional hygiene items such as breast pads or spare bras. Having everything ready will help you be proactive and not be “distracted” when you need to pump milk in the middle of a busy schedule.

4. Store your breast milk safely anywhere

Storage is very important after pumping. If you want to store breast milk for as long as possible, you should store it in the fridge for up to 4 days and in an insulated cooler for up to 24 hours. You have to refrigerate the milk immediately after pumping it into the refrigerator to preserve the nutritional content of the milk.

But busy mothers cannot carry the whole refrigerator with them. So you can use special milk bags and store breastmilk in a cooler bag so that the milk quality does not get affected.

5. Locate comfortable, pump-friendly spots

Whether you are in a shopping mall, office, or rest stop, look around for a private, clean, and comfortable place to sit. The mother’s state of mind when pumping also directly affects the quality of her milk. Therefore, you should choose a quiet, warm environment to relax and feel more comfortable when pumping. A nursing jacket or cover will help you feel more private and confident.

For new mothers who have to return to work, you can request to use a private space and rest to pump at work under the ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). You should discuss with your company to have a comfortable space for pumping.

6. Use sterilizing wipes to sanitize baby bottles

You may not always have the opportunity to clean your bottles or electric breast pump accessories immediately, especially for mothers who travel frequently. Therefore, sterilizing wipes are a necessity to allow you to keep your tools clean when you are in transit. Have additional sterilizing wipes ahead of time to be able to wash your breast pump tools as and when convenient, even while traveling by car.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask for support

Finally, remember that being a single parent doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone. Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family, or single-parent groups for support when you need it. If you feel overwhelmed or need help caring for your baby, ask a family member, friend, or co-worker. Just a little help at the right time can make a big difference.

Pumping On the Go Essentials

You can also keep this list of essential items handy to make pumping easier on the go.

• A compact electric breast pump: Prioritize the type with a lightweight, cordless design that is easy to carry in your bag. And prepare all the parts for the machine to work well.
• Breast milk storage bags or bottles: Choose a bag made from BPA-free material that can be sealed tightly to preserve milk better.
• A reliable cooler bag: Used to store breast milk at a safe temperature until you can store it in the refrigerator.
• Sterilizing wipes: Useful when you don’t have the conditions to clean the bottle or breast pump on the spot.
• A hands-free pumping bra: Helps you pump while doing other things, saving time effectively.
• Nursing cover (optional): Create privacy if you pump in public.
• Power bank or spare batteries: Make sure the breast pump always has a power source, especially when you are traveling for many hours.
• Snacks and drinks: Pumping can leave you hungry and dehydrated, so have some snacks and drinks on hand to stay energized and maintain your milk supply.

Final Words

Being a single mom is inspiring but tough. With these tips and the right electric breast pump and equipment, expressing on the go is more efficient and convenient. You do not have to give up breastfeeding due to your busy lifestyle. And being a solo mom does not mean you have to do everything on your own. Ask for help when you need it, plan boldly, and take care of yourself so you can provide your best care to your baby wherever you are. Wishing you a lovely journey with your baby!

Read more:
Making Life Easier: Breast Pump Tips for Single Mums on the Go

You’ve bagged yourself an interview for a job you’d like, but how do you go about creating a good impression? 

With 33 per cent of bosses knowing within the first 90 seconds of an interview whether they will hire someone, you’ve got to be quick and prepared to make yourself memorable.  

Three quarters of interviewers check your social media before they interview you, so ensure your digital footprint, is clean with no anti-social or offensive content. If they’ve searched you up and found nothing to be of a concern, then you’re more likely to be thought of in a positive light.  

Doing company research is essential and failure to do any is the most common mistake made in an interview. However, as you cram facts and figures into your head to impressively spur as a question is proposed to you, it’s important to note that impressions go far beyond showing your ability to look a few things up. 

Did you know, 67 per cent of bosses say failure to make eye contact is a common non-verbal mistake? Yes, you may feel awkward and yes, you may want to look away but eye contact is crucial in reflecting confidence and assurance – two impressions you want to make. A lack of smile, bad posture and fidgeting too much are also seen to be common false-moves people make in interviews.  

Another non-verbal and instantly impressionable feature of yourself is what you choose to wear. Your attire has to be coped to the type of job you are going for, for example if you are going for a finance job, you may wear something completely different to what you would wear to art and design role. Bare this in mind as around two thirds of bosses say clothes could be the deciding factor between two similar candidates.  

You don’t know how many people have applied for the role, how many people have reached interview stages, nor what the other candidates are like, so be different, be unique and stand out. Steer away from generic answers to interview questions and twist your answers to make them memorable and set you aside from your competition.  

There’s normally a question thrown in that may catch you off guard, if there are any experiences that have changed your life for example, but don’t seem fazed. Think about a sensible but honest, expandable answer and be passionate about your response!

Read more:
How to make an instant good impression in an interview

Ploughing through work, struggling to be productive and feeling like the day isn’t going to end. Sound familiar?

Everyone goes through a stage of feeling unmotivated and it can become quite a drag when you have a whole day of work to commit to. Research has found that engaged employees are 43 per cent more productive, so that chance to gain some motivation will definitely pay off.  

A positive mindset is key, but with such unmotivating thoughts in your head, it’s often hard to reach. Here are five common thoughts you need to scrap in order to get on task, get motivated and feel all-round happier:

“I’ll do it tomorrow” 

Let’s be honest – you won’t. The work you have to complete the following day isn’t going to lessen if you continue to add things to ‘tomorrow’. Getting work done today will not only leave you feeling productive, but it will save you time the next day and the relief will reassure you that you’ve made the right decision.  

“I don’t have time” 

There’s only one reason you won’t have time for something and that’s because you haven’t made time. Create a schedule, plan your day and allocate tasks a specific amount of time to ensure your to-do list is completed. If things don’t go as planned, don’t stress, but if there is a plan in place it’s more likely to happen than not.  

Using up ‘wasted time’ is also a great way to fit extra work in, like on your commute. There’s nothing to say you can’t check a few emails or read up on some information during your time on the train – which may make the journey a little less burdening! Or even at lunch, if you’re eating in the office, why not grab your earphones and watch a video on research you’re working on?  

“I don’t want to” 

Life is not plain-sailing by all means. Unfortunately, everyone has to do things they don’t wish to do and you are no exception. At the end of the day, once you’ve done it, you will feel a lot better. It’s so easy to push something aside that you don’t want to do but this will only be pushed aside for another day and you’ll find yourself back to excuse number one – “I’ll do it tomorrow”. You will eventually have to face it – so why not get it over with and do it now?

“I can’t do it” 

“There’s no such thing as ‘can’t'” my dad would say – and to be honest, it’s true.  

There is always a way to get around things, you just have to put your mind to it. Do you think every successful entrepreneur would be where they are today if they constantly doubted themselves?  

Less of the ‘can’t’ and more of the ‘can’ and you will definitely see what difference a positive and confident mindset will make.  

“I think I need help” 

If you need help then you need to do something about it to abolish that thought. Whether it’s your employer or colleague, seek advice from the appropriate person to get the support you feel you need. 

If you constantly feel in need of help, your motivation will decrease as a result of feeling you cannot do something without assistance. This consequent lack of confidence will lessen your productivity and leave you struggling to pick up speed on your work – so talk to someone.  

Always remember, a positive mindset will lead to positive outcomes and so, by trying to ditch any negative thoughts, you will be on the right track to becoming a successfully motivated individual in no time!

Read more:
5 unmotivating thoughts you need to scrap 

Competition, teamwork and triumph – all elements of football, right? But what about business too?

So your office may not look like the place for a kick-about but the work that goes on within is certainly reflective.

With leadership status, a team all working towards one goal and that all-important attire representing the organisation you are part of, there are many links between business and football that companies can harness to push for success. The similarities could explain the passion many business leaders have for football – take Lord Alan Sugar for example, an avid Tottenham fan – the only part of him, some would say, isn’t so admirable!

Working as a team

How many times have we witnessed an over-ambitious player yearning for glory as he dribbles his way in-and-out of his opponents to then attempt to boot into the top left hand corner? A lot of the time this fails, and if it doesn’t, it’s either luck or their name is Lionel Messi.

In a football team, you’re not going to pass to someone who you think will hog the ball and risk failure, you’re going to pass to someone who will work cooperatively to help reach the goal – this is exactly parallel to business. Leaders – you can’t do it all on your own, and employees – you need to embrace team work. In fact, the ability to work in a team is one of the top skills that employers look for when recruiting. As they say, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ so this attribute is vital to both football and business.

Negotiation

This may not necessarily happen on pitch but it certainly does off. Team leadership will have to negotiate the transfer of players or investments needed to be made to help get the team to the top of the league. Negotiating in business occurs everyday. Investing in resources, innovation etc all help to make your business a success, so take the negotiations as seriously as if you were fighting for a place at the top of the premier league.

Leadership

In football, although there’s a manager, there’s also a captain, likewise in business, there is a manager and assistant manager. The leaders give guidance to the team, alongside motivation and reassurance that success will come. This is what businesses should also be aiming for! 41 per cent of companies that encourage colleagues to support one another experienced a significant increase in customer satisfaction, so emboldening your employees will pay off for the business as a whole.

Management should be keeping an eye on their employees but also offer them flexibility and have trust in the way their team are operating. Employees should feel comfortable in approaching any form of leadership for help or to address any concerns they may have – and leaders, it’s your job to make them feel they can!

Always have the goal in site

On the pitch, it’s always the aim to smash the goal – which should be the same in business, whether the goal is large or small, there at least needs to be one in place. As a team, having something to work towards is going to motivate you to reach it, not only quickly, but with as much success as possible. Think of the football as a metaphorical task – the players are your colleagues, the pitch markings reflect the stages you’ve reached and the opponents are the hurdles you face. With this in mind, it’s a good way to maintain focus to drive forward, especially if you picture yourself playing for your desired team with the crowds cheering you on. Oh, the crowds – they are the surrounding support, whether that be family, friends or clients – think of them to help you reach your goal.

Representing your team

You stride out with your surname and associated number on your back but what’s more important is that badge on the front. With programmes being distributed, the pressure for your team to win is building but whatever you do, you’re wearing that top with the almighty Hammers badge on and you’re now representing the team.

In business, your name is associated to others for having a particular role within a company, whether that be assistant manager, consultant or supervisor, you represent your organisation through the role in which you undertake. Hence the reason many opt to have separate personal and business social media/email accounts. Whatever you do reflects the company you are a part of, so bear this in mind.

Think of programmes in football as your business cards, if you want to promote a game, you’ve got to get the programmes out there, likewise if you want to promote your business, you’ve got to get your name spreading. Business cards are your programmes, so give them out and promote the work you do.

Give the team the recognition they deserve

Player of the Season or Employee of the Month? Having some sort of employee rewards system is a great incentive to make them work to their full potential.

Employee incentives are known to help boost employee retention, which is good for businesses – so much so that a 5 per cent increase in employee retention can generate a 25 per cent to 85 per cent increase in profitability. Funnily enough, even though 90 per cent of business leaders believe that an engagement strategy could positively impact their business, only 25 per cent of them actually have a strategy in place.

Having a rewards system will even help future members of your work, as more than 4 in 10 employees consider rewards and recognition programme opportunities when seeking employment.

So, go gather your team, work hard and smash your goals.

Read more:
The similarities between business & football that will help you reach success  

Motivation is what gets you out of bed to kickstart your day, and without it, it’s difficult to get things done. Naturally, a lack of motivation mirrors your level of productivity, which means your day isn’t going to get much better after receiving a talk with your manager.

There are some easy steps to follow which will help you get yourself back on your feet:

Grab a coffee

Simple but for many of us, it’s a must! Not only does it wake you up, but the caffeine will also help increase your productivity by giving you the energy you need to start off the day. An active and awake mind will enhance thought processing and consequently allow you to think more clearly, generating more ideas – helpful for your working life. When managers recognise employees’ contribution, it is said that engagement increases by 60 per cent – so everyone’s happy!

Watch a motivational TED talk

If you haven’t seen one, you need to. A TED talk is probably one of the best things to watch when your motivation is running low. There hundreds out there, and they’re not the same-old, same-old. With a variety of under 20 minute videos covering all types of subject, I’m certain you will find something you can empathise with.

Take advantage of social media

The influence of social media has rapidly risen since its growing popularity. No matter what type of motivation you’re lacking – whether that be fitness, work, or something you’re working towards, social media can give you the nudge you may need. From following particular accounts that actively post motivational content, to searching a hashtag relevant to what you’re looking for – you are bound to gain some motivation.

We are generally a visually pleased species, which is probably why 700 million of us use Instagram. The app stores thousands of images, and despite most people using the app socially, there are masses of motivational content uploaded onto the app everyday. Popularly, users can store images through Instagram’s option to save a post or by screenshotting what they have seen.

If it’s not a fond photograph set as our phone or desktop wallpaper, a lot of us tend to set a motivational image in its place. This is a great way to help maintain a good level of motivation from having to see the source of motivation every time you go on your phone – which is around 85 times a day.

Take a new approach – maybe you’re getting too used to the way you currently operate

The fact that you can get too used to something, pretty much applies to everything. The way you are working may be getting too repetitive, so try changing it up. Maybe mix up the order of your tasks, or change the location of your work (if you can).

A lot of people like to invest in some new stationary to help with productivity. Yes, new stationary. You’ll be surprised at the difference this can make, but with a fresh notebook and a new set of pens to work with, ideas will soon spur and you’ll want to write to your heart’s content!

Put your earphones in

Got a favourite song or artist? Or maybe just a set list of songs that make you happy/uplifted? – Give them a listen. If not, Spotify stores thousands of different playlists for all types of mood! Music can have such an impact on your perspective and how you feel. Anything with motivational lyrics – pay close attention to, and soon you’ll be raring to go!

Read more:
What to do when your motivation is running low

Gone are the days where only apprentices and university students have to balance a work and study life.

The soar in opportunities over the last few years has been extortionate, with chances for literally anyone to partake in education alongside their working life. Whether that be through an online course, a day in the week at college or an evening fast-track class – many people are now opting to secure an extra qualification.

Apprenticeships are still a common work/study route to take, and the rise in late starters compared to typically undertaking an apprenticeship once leaving school is notable. People aged 25 and over accounted for 44 per cent of apprenticeship starts in 2015/16 and 58,000 45 – 59 year olds began an apprenticeship during the same period.

Working whilst gaining a qualification is all well and good until the stress begins to kick in – and for the majority, it will. You’ve got work to get on with, but you can’t stop thinking about the assignment you’ve got to finish for the next day and a sense of panic begins to evolve. What you don’t realise is that stressing yourself to get the work done is only going to backfire as you begin to fall into this worrying cycle of stressing about being stressed.

To help avoid stress and balance work and study in the best way possible, there are a few tips you should bare in mind.

Allocate time

Allocating time for work and education in a structural way is effective –  as long as you stick to it.

For example, if you work 9am til 5pm and it takes you around an hour to get home, you can allocate 6pm til 7pm to revise/work on assignments and then allow yourself to relax for the rest of the evening. Or, instead of going from work straight into getting home and working on educational work, once you get home have a relax then have some dinner and study afterwards – but be aware that your mind may not be as active as it was earlier due to the risk of tiredness settling in.

Having some type of structure like a timetable means you are more likely to stick to the slots allocated for your study time.

Don’t brush off the work

How easy is it to leave that assignment to do at the weekend, or do the research for your project tomorrow instead of today?

No matter how tempting it is to leave work to do for another day, don’t do it! Once it gets to the day you left it to, it’s likely it’s only going to get the brush off again, and this will only repeat itself.

No excuses, do the work and you’ll feel so much better as a result.

Be honest with yourself

If the balance between work and study is feeling a struggle, take a breather and tell someone.

More than half of us blame unrealistic deadlines and heavy workloads as the causes for workplace stress – both of which can be resolved with some negotiation.

There’s nothing worse than having to cope with stress on your own, so talking to someone –  whether that be your tutor or employer, and explaining your situation will make you feel a lot better and the chances are, they’ll likely be able to do something to help.

If you’re honest with your situation and explain how you’re feeling, tutors for example, will possibly offer to be more lenient with deadlines or be able to offer additional resources to help assist with the struggles you’re finding in relation to your current study work. Be honest with yourself and don’t let the stress get too much!

Take a break 

When you’re ‘in the zone’ it’s easy to try and power through to complete as much work as possible until you realise it’s hours later, the sun has gone in and your laptop screen is the brightest light source in the room – but you need to take a break.

Take time out of your study allocation and use it to relax or do something to take your mind off whatever you were working on. Whether this be watching some light television like a reality show, or even getting yourself to the gym – it will help to give your mind a break.

Travel to work wisely 

For many of us, it takes over half an hour for us to commute to work but how many of us are guilty of using this time on our phones, scrolling through endless feeds on social media platforms? Instead, by using this time effectively, you can limit the work you will have to do later on in the day.

During your journey, get out your assignment brief/criteria or research and give it a read – reading during commuting is common and although this is usually a book or newspaper, why not exchange this for something you need to read and get it out of the way? Alternatively, why not brainstorm some ideas and put them in the notes tab on your phone? Or, make a to-do list of what you need to get done for the day? – Either way you are still being productive and helping balance your work and study life.

Read more:
Top tips to balance work and study

Undoubtedly, there has been a moment when you have seen a marketing campaign and been pretty impressed, but some tend to ‘wow’ us slightly more than others.

Whether it’s the striking imagery portrayed within or the moralistic message that you receive in return, there are particular aspects that help aid a campaign to success.

Although most of us visually know what a marketing campaign is, not many realise it is more than just a message, image or sound. Oxford Dictionary defines it as ‘an organised course of action to promote a product or service’ and companies do this in a variety of ways.

Often you find, particularly with television marketing campaigns, that a product or brand is promoted by using something else that people are likely to be engaged in. For example, there are a lot of campaigns that involve family – in-particularly children, as well as pets/animals – simply because it means that audiences can relate to what they are witnessing.

A lot of campaigns also play on traditions, like a well known fairy tale or renowned character like Santa Claus – this engages the audience because a twist on something they are familiar with is viewed as interesting and unique. You will find that some of your favourite campaigns are likely to include some of these features, which is probably why they contributed to gaining your appreciation.

For example, Comparethemarket.com uses the ubiquitous meerkat as part of its marketing campaign to ensure that people remember the brand and associate the meerkats with the name. The meerkat family have become such iconic characters for the company that customers now receive a free meerkat toy when they use the service.

As well as this, by offering customers a two for one cinema deal, they have used the meerkats’ interaction with celebrities to promote this additional benefit of using the company’s service. It is not uncommon for businesses to include some sort of incentive within a marketing campaign to help drive engagement.

A marketing campaign is vital to get correct in order for your business to be successful. With a good marketing campaign, you will definitely see the positive impact on your business and the benefits that come with successful marketing.

Sharon Stevens-Cash, Director of Derby-based digital marketing company Gravity Digital, says: “Marketing isn’t a project that just ‘gets done’ so you move on. Marketing is something that is constantly changing, evolving and needs developing.”

It is important to keep a close eye on your marketing, in order to make sure it’s doing what you intend it to.

Stevens-Cash commented on keeping on top of your website: “This is your most important marketing tool so don’t just ‘launch and leave’. Make it a habit to look at your website at least once a week and make sure everything is working as it should. Get people involved and ask for feedback, it’s amazing what great tips you can get from customers, staff and suppliers if you just ask.”

After asking three digital marketing professionals about their top tips to make a successful marketing campaign successful, all responded that having a plan is definitely a priority and something that has to be strategic and thoroughly clear.

Stevens-Cash stated: “Have a plan and stick to it. All you need is a blank piece of paper, wipe board or Word document. Keep your plan simple so down the side have the week number 1-6 initially then along the top have task columns that you want to focus on for example – Website – PR – Promotion – Product – Events – Social Media. Then layout regular tasks such as – write monthly blog, post on social media every day, attend ‘The Conference’ etc.”

Mark Wright, Director of Climb Online also offered his view on planning your marketing campaign: “Businesses can be so caught up in thinking about how best to spend a marketing budget that they fail to properly plan their campaigns, and as a result they cannot fully measure their success.

“Thankfully, with platforms like Google Analytics and measurable stats from digital advertising platforms such as Facebook and Google AdWords, planning and measuring marketing campaigns has never been so easy, as long as you set KPIs in place at the start.

“Measurable KPIs include an increase in website traffic, or a target number of online conversions – such as email sign ups, contact submission forms or e-Commerce sales.”

Mark Clisby, Marketing Director of Yell Business stated: “Before planning a marketing campaign of any shape or size, it’s essential that you have your overarching marketing plan in place. Any marketing campaign should fit directly into this, so everything is cohesive and to ensure you haven’t just devised an idea that looks good on paper, but doesn’t tie in with any other activity. Your marketing plan should include insight into your targeted audience types, peak times of year and other data that will provide the foundation needed to plan a more successful marketing campaign.”

The three professionals stated their other tips on how to make a marketing campaign successful.

Stevens-Cash highlighted the importance of being pro-active: “Keep talking and looking around you. Most SMEs get their work through word of mouth and recommendations which is great, but we should also make sure we reach out through marketing. When someone comes across your company it’s always better if they have already heard of you, read an article or already follow you on social media, it makes that recommendation work even better.”

Clisby asks, is it relatable – is it relevant?: “Tying into my previous comment is the need for any marketing campaign activity to relate to the wider picture. This could be a time of year, a national holiday or something you know is going on in your targeted audience’s lives (for example, an ongoing industry-related problem that needs solving). Giving your marketing campaign a relatable and relevant hook, that people can identify with, will give it a much greater chance of success. A large aspect of this feeds into the distribution phase of your campaign, because whoever your audience, journalists to e-mail marketing recipients, the message is much more likely to grab them if it’s timely and relevant.”

Stressing the importance of testing, Clisby continues: “A crucial and fundamental element of any marketing campaign is extensive testing. If a landing page is broken, or a social sharing function doesn’t work, it will affect the success rate of your campaign. During the planning of your campaign timeline, be sure to factor in a good amount of time to test every aspect of it. You’ll then be able to launch with confidence.”

Understanding the latest digital trends is an important tip from Wright, as well as integration: “One big question to consider is: ‘Have you incorporated the latest digital trends within your marketing campaign?’ Right now, the digital marketing sector is talking about the power of written and video content, an increase in voice search, A.I applications and mobile usage. It is, therefore, vital to make sure you’re keeping up to date with the latest consumer trends, whilst knowing exactly what platforms your target audiences are using and when to engage with both your business and your competitors.

“A marketing campaign should integrate a number of key channels for maximum impact and results. For example, where one member of your target audience may engage with your brand via paid search, another may engage with your latest blog post promoted via Facebook. Plan across multiple channels and where relevant replicate marketing activity across each one.”

Read more:
What makes a successful marketing campaign?

The workplace as we knew it ten, or even five years ago has changed. Instead of the number of square meters directly correlating to your company’s perceived success, startups and businesses are recognising the advantages to thinking lean and thinking social. Coworking is becoming a familiar sight all over London and the UK, and with big names like Regus vying for a piece of the action, I think it’s safe to say coworking is here to stay. In May alone, the term ‘coworking’ has been mentioned over fifteen thousand times on Twitter. So why is it so popular?

Price

Any business decision needs to be cost effective and startups need to be lean. Coworking spaces offer businesses space to work at more affordable rates. Whilst you can can opt for a traditional desk or office set up, coworking also allows members to hotdesk at home clubs and in many cases at other clubs within the group. Membership costs will often also include use of meeting rooms and printing costs, though always check!

Collaboration

The joy of coworking is that you never know who you’re going to meet, whilst you’ll get used to seeing the regulars and people with full time desks, there’s also the people looking to hot desk when travelling or in the area for meetings. In a coworking space you have a plethora of people with different skill sets and expertise that are normally only to happy to talk through ideas or problems.

If it isn’t ideas you’re after, maybe it’s the beer. We’re social creatures by nature, and whilst the idea of ‘networking’ may feel many with fear, free beer and pizza has a different effect! Socials and get togethers not only break the ice and help you get to know your fellow coworkers, but it can also boost your productivity and promote happy working relationships to others in the same environment. Keep your eye out for the events at your local clubs, it’s a great way to meet new people or take a break from work for a quick chat and some much needed sustenance.

Facilities

There are some fantastically designed coworking spaces. Central Working Paddington, even won an award for their space. Cheaper rates and sharing space doesn’t mean that you will forgoing the little extras or end up sitting at a wobbly desk all day. Many spaces offer fantastic meeting spaces and break out areas that you’d happily invite clients to.

To add to the positives, many coworking spaces are either conveniently located near a coffee shop or have one onsite.

There are so many great coworking spaces around the UK, offering a range of memberships to suit your schedule and budget, whether you want a one-off hotdesk, or monthly paid daily access.

Adam Blaskey, Founder and CEO of The Clubhouse commented on the trend he has noted: “A trend which we can already see here at The Clubhouse is an increase in blue chip members. Yes, we have entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses, which gives The Clubhouse a high energy atmosphere, but the vast majority of our members are medium-sized enterprises and large corporations located close by, even around the corner, who need somewhere executives can escape to when they really need to focus on a project or require overflow meeting space.

“What these people need is a place where productivity is proven to reach peak levels. We offer a range of private meeting rooms; open-plan co-working for quiet concentrated effort; lounges and flexible meeting areas for hosting important clients; wi-fi is ultra-fast and unlimited; coffee is free; newspapers are available; and there’s a dedicated team supporting all of our members’ business needs.”

Read more:
Why you should consider coworking

You work hard, put in the hours, stay sane and manage to get things done – or so you thought. After all of this effort, you’re still not feeling successful, but why?

The dictionary defines ‘success’ in a number of ways, one being: ‘the favourable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavours; the accomplishment of one’s goals’. Just as there are numerous definitions for success, measuring success is also subjective. From submitting work before a deadline, to beating your PB in the gym or getting a promotion at work, success comes in many shapes and sizes.

At times you may feel like your being sucked into a whirlwind of doubt and making decisions you eventually come to regret, however, this is all a part of growing and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll meet someone who will tell you they are yet to make any mistakes – and if you do, they’re lying.

Here are some thoughts you should think about ditching in order to feel a little more successful and fulfilled in the work you’re carrying out.

Thinking you’re not good enough

Do you think entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg got to where they are with a mindset of thinking they weren’t able to achieve what they have? A positive mind makes all the difference. If you feel you can do something, your determination is going to drive you to achieving it.

If the pressure of reaching a goal is letting self-doubt creep in, create smaller goals to reach on the way to the overall result. Doing this will give you a more consistent, optimistic outlook on what you want to achieve and will help you believe that you can achieve them.

No matter what background you come from, what circumstance you’re in and what people think of you, with some hard work you are entitled to achieve success in your own way.

Start thinking that you are good enough and you will achieve success and you’ll soon notice the difference in how you feel.

Thinking things will eventually come for you

The harsh reality is, nothing worth having comes easy. If you want something, you’ve got to go and get it and if you think a laid back attitude is going to get you anywhere, you are very much mistaken.

Success isn’t served on a platter, and whilst there may be the odd exception, those that have made it have worked hard for their success.

Complaining that you’re not where you want to be or doing what you want to do, isn’t going to get you there, so quit the complaining and get working.

Thinking about giving up

Giving up is probably the most common thought, but arguably the worst. You could be on the verge of success but that little bit of pressure has stopped you from reaching it.

We all have different stress thresholds, and things that trigger negative thoughts or the desire to throw in the towel. But don’t be too quick to reach for that imaginary towel…

Giving up won’t only stop you from achieving success in your current project, but will likely cause doubt in reaching success in your forthcoming ones. With a positive push through the pressure you may be facing, you are bound to come out the other side a lot happier.

Bringing others down will make you more superior

Although it’s easy to compare yourself to others – wishing you had their opportunities and admiring what they have achieved, there is nothing worse than trying to bring these people down in order to make yourself feel better.

A little something called karma may unwelcomingly come your way if you are inclined to negatively comment on others’ success.

Encouraging and praising others’ success is the best way to achieve it yourself. You never know what opportunities may be around the corner, so don’t let the success of others around you be a threat.

Instead of commenting maliciously about these people, learn from them. Recognise the way they work and operate and maybe implement this into your own work, it may help you achieve the desired success you hope to achieve.

Pushing your to-do list aside

You’ve accumulated quite a hefty to-do list which is gaining additions each day… but it’s getting the brush off. These jobs are becoming more lengthy but you’re just sat there waiting for the right time to complete them.

Life is just too short – get things done and live everyday like its your last.

What’s the point in creating a to-do list if you’re not going to complete the tasks within it? Chances are, you’ll feel a lot better for every task you cross off, and the feeling of being productive is going to strengthen your determination in being productive in other tasks too.

These thoughts are so common, even in successful people. Abolishing these thoughts are going to get you to success a lot quicker than you may think.

Read more:
5 thoughts to ditch in order to be successful

It’s no secret that the value of social media is huge – to millennials in-particular. Growing up with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc, it has become a big part of their lives, forming an ideal platform to interact with others. It’s even been incorporated into their daily routine,  with 50 per cent of 18 – 24 year olds going on Facebook as soon as they wake up – including myself, guilty!

This soaring trend doesn’t just limit at its social opportunities. From a business perspective, customers are said to be more inclined to recognise a business in a greater light if they are present on social media. In fact, 42 per cent of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business. Despite this trend, some businesses are still yet to jump on the bandwagon.

A lot more people now use Twitter and Facebook to seek news, in total opposition to the days when you’d pick up a newspaper. Yes, granted, newspapers are still being read and many people like the physical copy of their news, but for live, quick and brief news updates, social media is the way forward. Even you – there’s a high possibility that you’ve come across this article from a social media platform.

As a millennial myself, I am the first to admit that we are a lazy generation. We don’t want to read paragraphs and paragraphs of elaborated text to eventually get to the one sentence that holds what we are looking for – we just don’t want to waste the time. We are visually pleased and love a short, snappy point that tells us what we’re looking for – which is why we’re not the biggest fan of clickbait, but then again, who is?

Businesses need to be taking on board this lazy trait of millennials and using it to help build their brand. If something doesn’t grab us in the first sentence or the title, it’s unlikely that you’ll receive a click-through. In fact, visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content.

To prove the point about us millennials being ‘visually pleased’, the launch of Instagram in 2010 and it’s great popularity since can be just enough to reflect the appeal. I am an avid Instagram user myself, socially uploading at least once a week and uploading frequently for work too.

Using Instagram for work is a growing and relevant trend that is beginning to appear more commonly and I can only predict that this will continue to rise. With Instagram approaching it’s 7th birthday in October 2017, it’s doing pretty well with its popularity as its user numbers are creeping up to industry hoggers such as Facebook and Twitter.

In the early days of social media, Facebook quickly became the big player. Bebo and MySpace began to take the back foot and Facebook worked its way to the top spot. With the launch of Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, people were more inclined to opt to use more social media platforms, meaning less time spent on Facebook.

On a recent small Twitter poll, I asked ‘what form of social media do you use most often?’. As expected, as this poll was hosted on Twitter, 44 per cent declared this as their answer. But, this was closely followed by Instagram at 40 per cent. Only 12 per cent of the people in my poll stated Facebook to be their most used platform and 4 per cent declared LinkedIn.

Although Instagram is based around photos, Facebook doesn’t escape our photo-loving trait as there are over 300 million photo uploads on Facebook every day – more evidence to support the statement that we are such a visually pleased generation. Not to mention how much sharing of these images goes on: a good image with a good caption can go a long way and if your business is the stem of this, business awareness can blossom for you immensely.

Facebook still reigns at the top. It has 500 million more users than Whatsapp, 284 million more users than Twitter and 600 million more users than Instagram. So, just imagine what the mere creation of a business Facebook page could do for you!

Instagram users ‘like’ 4.2 billion posts per day – meaning your page is more likely to show up on a user’s discovery page if you are consistent with your posts. Again, more awareness of your business you could be missing out on.

Let’s not forget Snapchat! Being launched in October 2012, this popular photo capturing app isn’t just used socially. With constant new updates that allow users to read quick, snappy news pieces, along with tips on, Snapchat provides more than just a platform to socialise with friends. A lot of companies who want to reach out to the younger generation generally, ought to get themselves on Snapchat as 73 per cent of Snapchat users are millennials.

With the endless mounts of statistics proving the true value and benefits of social media for your business, it’s clear that the potential opportunities for your business are being missed if you are yet to create your social media pages.

Read more:
Why are some businesses still yet to have presence on social media?

Amongst the never-ending list of products that go up to face the Dragons were Just Bee, who pitched in the latest series.

The 100 per cent natural, honey-sweetened drinks generally received good feedback from all Dragons, but one in-particular was showing more a firmer interest than the others, Peter Jones, who decided to make the budding entrepreneurs an offer of £65,000 investment for a 25 per cent equity share – which the company decided not to accept.

However, this potential knock-back did not stop the company from progressing in their listings, as they are now stocked in Waitrose, Boots, Holland & Barrett, Selfridges, in addition to independent retailers across the UK.

After tasting the Just Bee drinks – and having loved them, I was literally buzzing when the opportunity arose to interview one of the people behind the brand, Andy Sugden.

In his own words, “Just Bee is a spring water drink, but the difference is instead of using refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, we use honey for the natural sweetness in the drinks. Because we’re using honey, it’s all completely natural with a very low sugar content, as well as a much lower calorie content than a lot of traditional soft drinks. This makes it a more natural alternative. We have three flavours: apple and ginger, green tea and lemon and blueberry. ”

Andy works alongside the company’s other co-founder, Joe Harper who is quite the bee champion. Following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, Joe is currently training to be a beekeeper, keeping the occupation a very much generational trend. So, from an early age, Joe was familiar with using honey as a substitution for sugar, in tea and porridge, but what about Andy? How did Joe manage to get him on board with the idea? I was intrigued to find out.

“Joe and I have been friends for 10-11 years now and we’ve always said to each other that we wanted to set up our own business, work for ourselves and do our own thing but never came up with the right idea.” Andy shared. “There were plenty of conversations in the pub where we said ‘we could do this’ or ‘we could do that’ and they’d feel like really good ideas at the time, but you’d wake up the next morning and think ‘maybe that wasn’t an idea actually’.

“It’s coming up to 3 years ago when Joe said ‘why don’t we do this idea of making drinks but using honey as the natural sweetener?’

“We just thought, there’s so much in the press about sugary soft drinks that are always so bad for you, why don’t we go and make these refreshing, healthy drinks using honey? – that’s how I got involved. Joe said to me this idea and I said ‘yeah let’s go for it, let’s try and make it happen!'”

With the negative, high-sugar content stigma linked to soft drinks in the press, along with generally unhealthy products within the food and drink sector, I was curious to find out that with the branch of companies launching new healthy products, did Andy feel that Just Bee would be threatened or affected by these potential upcoming competitors? “I think it’s a positive thing. I think that if you went back 10 years ago, there were your big global, traditional drinks brands, but now I think it helps that there’s lots of people bringing out new quirky, interesting drinks and I think because there’s lots of people doing that, it overall raises the profile that you don’t have to go to these traditional brands anymore and that there are these different healthy alternatives that you can try.

“So overall, I think these new brands are a positive thing and for us, because we have a strong USP in using the honey and the backstory with Joe being in a family of beekeepers, I think that puts us in quite a strong place and we’re very different to anything else already out there”

When trying to delve into the future prospects of the Just Bee brand, it was clear that the focus is on drinks products at the moment and eventually expanding the flavour selection. However, due to the versatility of the brand and the consequent versatility of honey, food products cannot be ruled out for the future of the brand.

Andy commented: “As the Just Bee brand, what we’re trying to do is use honey in a healthy, different and modern way and that doesn’t have to be limited to drinks, but that’s where we’re focusing at the moment. It’s still very early days so that’s where we’ve got to put all of our energy and effort but in the future, who knows? Because honey is such a versatile product.”

So why did Andy and Joe go into the den? After admitting that they were already fans of the show, they decided to sort of jokingly apply and pitch their fairly basic, business idea to the producers of the show in an audition. At this time, the pair hadn’t even created the product yet, but the producers clearly liked the idea as after their initial rejection to appear on the show, around a year later Just Bee was asked to make a return.

Andy stated that it would have been “amazing” to work with Peter Jones, and his offer was “very tempting” but the equity stake he wanted in the business exceeded the amount the company was prepared to give away.

But what about the idea Peter proposed? For any Dragons’ Den fan, you may be awaiting the release of Just Bee’s pocket sized cordial – a product idea of Peter’s. However, sadly Andy explained: “It’s something that we have looked at and as far as we can tell it’s not actually possible to do. What you would need to do is effectively concentrate the honey – we have found a process that can do that but it would involve using additives and chemicals, which is just completely against what we’re trying to do, which is to create a completely natural brand. So, although we’ve found a way we can do it, it’s just not right for our brand and what we’re trying to achieve.”

From having previously received investment prior to entering the den, I wanted to find out, when did the business know when to seek funding/angel investing?

Andy answered: “For us, we spent the first six-nine months of the business doing everything on a shoestring budget, which was myself and Joe’s own savings.

“If we needed to pay for something we would try and get it at the lowest possible price. What we were trying to do at that time was effectively trying to prove the proof of concept, so we started selling in the local shops around Manchester where we’re based.

“We wanted to find out: are the drinks selling? What’s the feedback from the customers? How quickly are they selling? What can we do to improve sales? So we were learning on a small and fairly cheap level.

“Once we built our confidence up in Manchester, we started to do it in London.

“After we had enough confidence that the product was working, that was the point where we thought ‘right, we now need to start putting some more money into the company to professionalise the brand’. This was the point where we needed investment.

“You can go to your angel investors and say ‘look, here’s what’s happened over the last six months’ and they can see all the sales and give advice which in turn helps you raise more money.”

With over a 10 year friendship, I wondered if it’s difficult to actually work alongside a friend in a business situation. Andy responded: “I actually think it’s almost the opposite because we know each other so well and because we’ve been friends for over 10 years. I don’t think we’ve ever had an argument! I think, if I begin to get annoyed by him he’ll back off and equally if I see he starts to get a bit annoyed, I can back off, so because we know each other so well, it really helps us work well together.

“I think it’s a massively positive thing. It’s hard work, but running a business is quite fun as well and sometimes it doesn’t feel like work. Growing a business can seem like a hobby and it’s quite nice to be doing that with someone that you’re really good friends with.”

Anyone building a business arguably takes inspiration from others in some type of way. So, who were Andy’s inspirations in business?

“In my old job, I was doing business advisory work, so I was fortunate enough that before starting Just Bee, I worked with quite a few people within Manchester and the North-West who had a range of different successful businesses that they had spent 10-15-20 years growing.

“Helping them in their businesses is what really pushed me to go and think ‘actually, I really want to give this a go myself’.”

Considering the amount of experience Andy has accumulated over the past few years, he shares some advice to anyone who wants to start a business:

“It’s hard work and never easy, but you’ve just got to give it a go. I think there’s a lot of things that Joe and I have done over the past two years where they haven’t worked out and things have gone wrong, but I think that’s just the nature of the startup business. You’ve just got to realise that that’s what it’s all about, some things with work, some things won’t work but if you don’t give it a go and try to start with, then you’ll never find out. If they don’t work, stop doing it and if they do, do more of it.”

Read more:
Just Bee buzzing on success out of the den

The variety we see each series in the den never fails to amaze me as a viewer – you never know who or what is going to enter from that famous lift.

Sometimes, a simple idea can be just the trick, without the need to make things complicated. This is why Just Bee has made it into my top pitches of this half of the series. Just because they didn’t receive investment, it doesn’t mean they weren’t worthy of a place amongst the top.

Firstly, they noticed a gap in the market for their product and have gone with it, with the mere idea of using honey instead of refined sugar to sweeten spring water drinks. The craze into healthy food and drink is growing rapidly, so they seemed to have launched their idea at a good time.

Confidence – check. Knowledge of their brand – check. A striking appearance – definitely check! Friends and business partners, Joe Harper and Andy Sugden, strolled into the den making quite an impression in their blue and pink beekeeper attire. If this wasn’t enough to draw your attention, maybe the fact that their products are 100 per cent natural and all under 50 calories, could get you feeling the buzz?

It was clear that this duo had rehearsed their presentation to perfection, as their numbers were spot on – a key and crucial attribute to creating a good impression on the Dragons.

A good pitch doesn’t always mean it has to be invested in. With Deborah disliking the taste of the drinks and the others agreeing that Peter would be the best Dragon to invest, it was clear from the outset that we wouldn’t be witnessing a full-den of Dragons competing for an acceptance of offer.

With Peter pretty keen to get on board, but demanding a higher equity stake than the idealistic share Joe and Andy had proposed, it became a difficult decision for the pair to make. A stinging decision resulted in a rejection of Peter’s offer.

A more obvious choice to allocate a place in my top pitches was hosted by John Kershaw presenting M14 Industries. As this genuine gentleman entered the den and began to explain his business, it seemed very similar to what’s already out there. Being a social and dating app business, there is much recognised competition already existent that he is bound to try and battle against.

John’s idea became interesting as he shared the niche targeting of the apps. For example, one app, Bristler, is a dating app that matches people who like beards, with people with beards – consequently, making it more likely for a match to form. Additionally, one of his social apps, Bump, enables expectant mums to interact and share their experiences with one another.

You know you’ve got to be doing something right if Peter Jones refers to you as “one of the most appealing people to invest in”.

Due to the fact that this pitch was place last in the order of its episode, it was pretty predictable that it was going to get an offer, but maybe not so predictable was that every single Dragon would want in.

John went with Nick and Peter, accepting a collective £80,000 investment, giving up 20 per cent share of his business.

The last pitch holding a top spot is Watmuff & Beckett Soup. This fresh soup business definitely dominated my appetite. Andrew Watmuff, the co-founder, had used his surname and the chef, Michael Beckett’s surname to create the name of the business – which I thought was quite traditional.

Not everyone thought the same about the name though. Peter believed the name to be too long and generally wasn’t fond of it, but Andrew stuck true to his brand by declaring his believe in the name.

With a rather polished pitch going fairly smoothly, Andrew knew he’d attract the attention of health-conscious Deborah when he stated the soups were wheat and gluten free with no additives or preservatives.

Although the Dragons liked the product, the branding and packaging wasn’t such a hit, so much so it put them off making an offer – apart from one.

A £45,000 investment from Nick Jenkins for a 20 per cent buyback offer meant that Andrew walked away with a sealed investment deal. It was surprising that Nick was the only one to make an offer to Andrew, for this entrepreneur, product and pitch were all-round ‘soup’er.

Andy Sugden, co-founder of Just Bee shared his favourite pitch, mirroring one of my own choices – John from M14 Industries: “I thought this was the best because his pitch was really clear, he came across very personable and with loads of personality but was just being himself! (And he ended the pitch by saying… “basically it’s just really exciting!”) He got five offers from the Dragons so his approach must have been good!”

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: The best pitches

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Schools are failing the future workforce

So, series 14 has officially come to an end. We’ve seen such a vast selection of pitches over the last few weeks in the den, with some budding entrepreneurs perfectly presenting how to get the dragons onside, along with a huge number of hopefuls fundamentally lacking just what the Dragons are looking for.

The one aspect that will probably never be stressed on enough is the importance of numbers. Every series, there are always handfuls of people who will never seem to learn that this is one of, if not, the biggest attribute to creating a good impression. When someone knows their numbers, they develop a sense of security for the investor as it shows that the individual distinctively knows where their business currently sits, how it has progressed and what it is going to do to reach the figures of its potential projections.

Someone who was fairly good on his numbers was Rob, the first to enter the den tonight. With an appearance complying of an electric blue suit, paired with a slick hair cut and vibrant red glasses, his all-round polished look created quite an impression on the Dragons – and a good one too.

From being compared to a Marvel cartoon character, Rob was pretty chuffed with his label as he seemed to have scrubbed up well in compliment with his business and what it presents.

Being the founder of a male grooming business, ‘Gruhme’ – pronounced as ‘groom’, set his appearance in perfect parallel. He was asking for £75,000 in exchange for a 15 per cent equity stake.

Claiming to mix traditional and modern techniques, I was beginning to become a little confused. What Rob was actually predominantly presenting was male fragrances, which Peter didn’t quite take to the scent of.

The fragrance, and male grooming sector more specifically, hold such a huge place in retail. This fact was a concern for the Dragons, who questioned themselves on whether or not the competition already out there would potentially suffocate this fairly niche brand.

Personally, I couldn’t see the distinguishing trait that would set the brand apart from the others and clearly the Dragons couldn’t either, as they all declared themselves out.

What entered the den next was basically a business that takes on a idea to Deliveroo. ‘Supper’ is an online food delivery service which currently delivers restaurant served food to Londoners. The man behind the business, Peter, was asking for £100,000 for a 10 per cent equity stake in the business.

Homing a number of restaurants in one place, allows individuals to select their food quickly and easily, but I simply couldn’t help but think, ‘hasn’t this essentially already been done?’

Even though 80 per cent of the restaurants on the system use Supper as their exclusive delivery service, Sarah made a very valid point, outlining that “if it’s a success, it will automatically fail” based on her lengthy knowledge of the sector and pressures that restaurant kitchens have to face.

Founder, Peter, had declared to have personally invested £300,000 into the business already and knowing it was going to essentially need over £350,000 additional investment was a worrying fact.

You have to admire Peter’s passion and determination to make the business a success but in the long run, it’s bound to come at a stand still. Being aimed at business people is also very unrealistic. There is no way that the business will seek enough people under this label that will be willing to fork out for Michelin star restaurant food to eat in their office – and their bosses may have an opinionated view too. A lot of people go to a Michelin star restaurant for the experience and general atmosphere, not to indulge in the food whilst staring at their crammed notice board and never-ending to do list.

The idea just wasn’t tickling the taste-buds of the hungry Dragons and so, the hopeful left with nothing.

Something that did appeal to the Dragons’ palate however, was couple, Ashley and Kate’s ‘Selwyn’s Seaweed’ snacks. They are small packets of flavoured seaweed that present a healthy alternative to current snack favourites such as biscuits and crisps… but only hold 4 grams per packet… for 99p.

I don’t know what it is about large personal investments tonight, but the pair had already chipped in £275,000 into the business, which was mostly spent on building a warehouse that isn’t in their name, and operates 3 days a month – worrying right? They were asking for £70,000 Dragon investment in an offer to give up 20 per cent of their business.

Despite the fact they are quite expensive for how much you actually get, I’d probably still buy them. I love seaweed as it is and the appeal towards the healthy nature of the food is something I could see soar in the future. We are currently witnessing a rapidly growing favour of healthy products, and many recognised companies are now jumping on the bandwagon to reduce fat and sugar in their selections.

Although the Dragons generally liked the taste of the product, being labelled as both “expensive” and “risky”, showed that the investment opportunity was just too small for the Dragons to fish out.

Consequently, the couple exited the den with no investment.

Finally, to conclude the series, Simon entered the den seeking a £100,000 investment for a 10 per cent share in his interactive fitness machine company that aims to “make exercise more motivational”.

The machines are fundamentally a funner alternative to standard exercise, using light pods to replicate targets, users can compete with one another in hope to achieve the best score possible.

As the Dragons got down to business after a trial of the machines, Simon was joined by his business advocate, Martin to assist him in the rest of the pitch.

Now, before I carry on, having yet to witness a successful investment-receiving pitch tonight, along with being the last pitch of the series, despite the strategic editing to try and throw you off, it was too predictable that the company will be receiving investment. This much-evolved trend within the series has meant that you have pretty much been able to infer what the fate of each pitch is going to be – this ruins it for me.

Carrying on, the concept of this business actually seems quite fun and perfect for locations such as holiday parks or amusement piers. However, at the start of this review I stressed the importance of numbers which the pair clearly struggled to prioritise. Trying to guess your way out of it doesn’t exactly help you either – the best thing to do is to be honest.

Sharing the hope for the machines to appear in gyms slightly baffled me. Yes, I agree it would make it more interesting, but it takes up a fair amount of space, attracts a lot of attention for someone who may not want it and I essentially couldn’t see it taken seriously in such an environment.

Despite the hiccups on the figures, most Dragons were still willing to invest, and with Sarah and Nick out, the other Dragons were left to battle it out in attempt to reach the top of Simon and Martin’s leader board.

We finally had a deal! The partners had picked their winning deal. A pairing of Deborah and Peter collectively invested £100,000 for an initial 30 per cent share, with a buyback deal on a two year limit.

What a great series it has been, but let’s hope the next isn’t as predictable.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Plenty of activity to end the series

First to enter the den tonight was a very confident budding entrepreneur, Steven. He was asking for a £100,000 investment in exchange for a 15 per cent equity stake in his business ‘MicroFitness’ which essentially helps to tackle childhood obesity by offering a range of activities into schools and sports centres.

The activities are quite varied, from yoga to martial arts, to archery and zorbing, – even the Dragons trialled a few of them as we watched Deborah sneakily shoot her harmless arrow at Peter and chuckled at Nick as he struggled out of the zorb he’d managed to squeeze himself into.

After the Dragons’ playtime was over, the den got a whole lot more serious.

Generally it seemed like a good pitch, confident and smooth, with Dragons loving the promotion of healthier, fitter and more active children.

However, if there’s one thing in the den that will get picked up on, it’s the figures.

The profits Steven proposed were promising but definitely questionable. Despite having to face Peter’s tackling questions regarding Steven’s supposedly ‘unrealistic’ figures, the budding entrepreneur was clearly trying to remain confident.

With the figures being such a key factor of what investors will look at, they just didn’t add up to success for the Dragons, who all declared themselves ‘out’.

Matthew was next to enter the den with his ‘Autoblaze system’, asking for £150,000 investment in exchange for a 15 per cent share.

The product is fundamentally a unit that is fitted onto the back of your fire stove, which uses a fan to blow hot air into your stove and cause the fire to start up without you doing it yourself. To activate the fan, you use a remote control, but what is the point?

Apart from the fact that it’s apparently more eco-friendly and prevents smoke coming into the home that is released from the stove when initially igniting it, I can’t see much point in this product at all.

Furthermore, alongside the fact that they are sold to stove manufacturers, means that the likelihood of a customer willing to pay an extra £500 for an ‘Autoblaze’ to be fitted with their stove is pretty unlikely – just for the mere reason of not having to physically start the fire yourself.

One thing that Matthew doesn’t seem to have taken into consideration is the fondness that people take with their stoves. There are a huge amount of people who own one as they like to initiate and control their fire and this product takes that aspect away from them.

The pitch began to decline further as the value of £1 million had no justification whatsoever, and after Deborah tried to retrieve figures from Matthew, it was clear that there was more chance of getting blood out of a stone.

With a lack of innovation, potential and burning passion, Matthew left the den with nothing but advice.

Also entering the den tonight was Falu, with ‘Howdah’. The Indian snack business was hoping to receive a £100,000 investment in exchange for a 17.5 per cent equity stake.

After Sarah picked up on the fact that not all supermarkets have a ‘world food’ aisle, it was becoming difficult to see this product in a place that anyone can buy it unless it somehow made it into the mainstream sections.

I personally think this would have quite a niche audience buying it, perhaps people with Indian heritage or people who enjoy Indian food, or people who would like to try something different to the conventionally-flavoured snack that already exist – either way, not a guaranteed, stable sell.

After a collective view of not being able to make a return on this investment, the Dragons all decided to decline making a contribution to the business.

As I’ve said before, the structure of the last few episodes have been extremely predictable. Maybe there were not many successful investments throughout this series and producers struggled to work out an effective ordering of pitches, but the extent of how likely a pitch is going to be successful or not, it becoming a ruining factor of the programme in my opinion.

You are pretty much guaranteed a successful pitch at the end and fair enough, but there always tends to be unsuccessful pitches for the rest of the beginning of the programme – ones that don’t even include an offer even if it is rejected, so, as a viewer you are sat waiting for the end to witness the best part – but in a way, I suppose that’s the idea.

John was last to enter the den tonight, with his bespoke social and dating app business. He wanted an £80,000 investment in exchange for a 15 per cent equity stake.

With apps such as ‘Bristler’ which manages to match people who have beards with those who like beards – pretty odd but seems to work, and ‘Bump’ which takes a more entirely social objective rather than dating, allowing expectant mums to interact, the business seems like a promising one.

With an answer for literally everything that was thrown his way, John managed to receive great praise from all Dragons and in-particular Peter who stated him for being “one of the most appealing people to invest in”.

After all Dragons opting to offer, with all very similar deals on the table, John had a big decision to make. Eventually, after pondering about the den with his notebook, John had made up his mind.

Nick and Peter were his new investors, accepting a collective £80,000 investment, giving up a 20 per cent share of his business. What a triumph!

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Dragons’ Den: The best pitch yet?

From watching the episodes unroll the countless number of unsuccessful pitches leading to a pitch hosting a potentially investable business, it seems that there tends to be a trend that has been established as the series has progressed – and this episode was no exception.

Kevin was the first budding entrepreneur to enter the den, in the hope of receiving investment in his online male grooming retailing business. He was hoping to gain £45,000 for a 15 per cent equity stake share,  particularly anticipating an interest from Touker.

The company most prominently sells American grooming products including pomades, and some Australian products too, with the benefit of low shipping charges which a lot of existing companies do not offer.

Due to the fact the business is solely online, Kevin wanted to receive investment in order to transfer into wholesale.

After finding out Kevin is a full-time secondary school teacher and does this business on the side of his current career, this didn’t seem to work in his favour as Dragons failed to see how he could solely dedicate himself to this grooming business. Although the numbers were average, I didn’t really see enough potential to the extent that Kevin could transcend from his education-based career to being a full time business owner and entrepreneur.

After Nick declared “you’ll have to give up the day job”, Kevin blatantly wasn’t certain on the idea, or rather would not commit.

You can’t help but commend the budding entrepreneur for his confident answers to the Dragons’ tackling questions, but the fact he already had a steady career in something completely conflicting to what this ‘other’ business, was understandably not appealing for the Dragons, let alone any investor.

To be honest, going into the den, knowing full well what the Dragons can be like from witnessing reaction to previous pitchers who have declared balancing two jobs at once, is something that Kevin should have considered.

Although his students and fellow colleagues will surely be proud of his feature on the show, unfortunately with the Dragons’ interest elsewhere and Touker stating to ‘”hate” the business, Kevin walked out of the den empty handed.

‘Nutrifiz’ was the next business to be presented to the Dragons. Founder, David was hoping to track down a £75,000 investment in exchange for a 10 per cent equity stake in his wheatgrass-based business.

The product is a wheatgrass tablet that dissolves when added to water – supposedly easier and less messy than a lot of current wheatgrass products on the market.

I’ve heard that wheatgrass isn’t the nicest tasting healthy beverage and this rumour has been strengthened through the lack of positive comment from the Dragons on the general taste of the product – even to the point where Touker was slightly choking on it! However, it can’t be too bad if it’s already stocked in Asda and Holland & Barrett!

Although the product is making a fairly healthy profit, it wasn’t appealing enough for the Dragons to take a shot at a business opportunity, and consequently all declared themselves “out”.

Founder of ‘Snugs’, Paul, walked into the den asking for a £80,000 investment for a 5 per cent share in his custom earphone business.

The idea is that these earphones will not fall out your ears as they are created to the exact shape and dimensions of your own ears. You get your ears scanned, which then gets produced into bespoke earphones that fit you perfectly.

Despite this being quite a good idea, with the Dragons all round liking the product, there is probably no way I would pay £199 for a pair of earphones, when I can get some for £20 that, granted, may not stay in as well, but will essentially do the same job.

When discovering that the scanners alone cost the company $10,000, it was difficult to remain optimistic about the potential profits that the business could earn. With Paul wanting to get more scanners in addition to his current two, the costs were becoming quite alarming for the Dragons, recognising the amount of products needed to sell just to cover the scanner price.

Even though Peter had stated, “I like it a lot”, the likeability was not enough for him to invest, but he proudly stated that he would be a customer.

With a shared lack of ambition to invest, the budding entrepreneur exited the den with no investment in hand.

Finally to conclude tonight’s episode, husband and wife, Sinead and Adam presented their “clever baby products for modern parents” business, asking for a £75,000 investment in exchange for a mere 5 per cent stake.

The company essentially sell products that are modernised and help make parenting that little bit easier. From updated moses baskets to non-slip bathtubs, the business seems to be a baby-boom for parents.

Already being stocked in John Lewis, The White Company and on Amazon, the potential for this business was becoming more promising as the pitch progressed.

One thing was stopping the couple from receiving prominently positive feedback was their “ludicrous, ridiculous ad stupid” valuation – a typically miscalculated figure the Dragons find often.

Valuing their business at £1.2 million wasn’t sitting right with the Dragons and was clearly setting their ambitions a little high at this early stage. Despite the countless international business deals the couple had managed to secure, the background in parenting USP was something the Dragons weren’t buying.

With most of the Dragons declaring themselves “out”, including Deborah who’s faith in the branding wasn’t strong enough, only one was left holding the baby – Touker.

Finally, an offer made! Touker was willing to give up £100,000 for a 30 per cent stake in the business – much opposing to what Sinead and Adam initially came in asking for.

After a little discussion and negotiation, the final deal was £100,000 for a 25 per cent stake, down to 15 per cent in a buyback deal – result!

Touker has a new baby business to adopt and grow.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Finally, a Dragon gets his baby!

A rather pessimistic tone in the den tonight as we saw many a chance for a Dragon to invest, but chose not to take it.

First in was Craig who claimed to be “not lead by making money” – which as a viewer, didn’t exactly reflect any optimism in receiving an investment from the Dragons. He wanted to receive £90,000 for a 10 per cent share in his business, ‘Patlock’.

The product Craig was presenting fundamentally fixes onto the handles of French double doors and prevents intruders from opening them from the outside. However, how easy is it to break the window and remove the device to then open the door? – pretty easy, according to Peter Jones and Craig agreed.

After discussing the figures of the business, it was clear to see that the nature of profitability was looking quite promising. Working out that every £1 the business spends, it gets £2.50 back, Sarah exclaimed “that’s a business model!”

Despite the product’s availability from Argos and Amazon, it didn’t outweigh the fact that Craig exuded about as much energy as the brick wall at the back of the room.

Due to this lack of energy, passion and for the mere fact that the product would not be an optimistic investment opportunity for the Dragons, Craig was wished all round “good luck”s and left empty handed.

A rather heart-warming pitch followed, as Angela graced the den with a performance from a number of children who joined her in her pitch. As the children sang in a number of languages, the Dragons seemed to enjoy their presence, but I still had no clue what to expect! A language school? A singing school? An international stage school?

Angela’s business was seeking £50,000 investment for a 10 per cent equity stake in the 30 franchises it operates. Teaching children languages from “birth to aged 11”, with opportunities in schools, the business seemed like a hopeful prospect for its budding entrepreneur.

Yet again, Peter’s analytic and rather forensic tackle at the business’ figures, calculated that for the 10,000 children the business helps to learn a language, in a week, Angela’s company earns £1 per child – which isn’t the greatest value.

When Angela shares her ambitious prospects for the business to expand to Dubai, the Dragons can’t quite project confidence in her ideas, despite her passionate and emotional attachment to her business and what it has to give.

Not knowing what the Dragons could offer for the business, meant that they all declared themselves ‘out’.

A more technology-based product was presented to the Dragons next, as Juma and Anwar shared their application with the Dragons which supposedly helps anyone with hearing loss by alerting the presence of different sounds to them in different ways.

The pair were seeking a £50,000 investment in exchange for a 20 per cent equity stake in the business.

I actually thought the idea was brilliant. Being able to alert an individual affected by hearing loss through vibration, flashing, etc by basically using other senses seemed to be a promising and maybe even a revolutionary idea.

But, with the great idea came a not so great aspect.

This UK business in fact is basically a distributor. The main business is based in Denmark, but the Dragons were getting no stake in that.

The business partners were asking for investment in the UK business only in exchange for a stake in the UK business only, which Peter declared as “bonkers” and the other Dragons were not keen to invest due to this fact either.

With Peter claiming that his ten-year-old would “probably decline” the pair’s offer, he, along with all the other Dragons rejected to invest.

At this point, I was tempted to turn over…

With just over ten minutes left and still no Dragons yet to invest in a pitch, surely this last one had to display some glimmer of hope?

In an attempt to alter the trend in which the previous pitches tonight’s episode had formed, Andrew faced the Dragons with his fresh soup business. ‘Watmuff & Beckett’ soup company was looking for a £45,000 investment for a 10 per cent stake in the business.

I loved the fact that Andrew had used his second name, along with his friend and chef of the business’ second name to form the brand and create this rather traditional name. With Andrew’s generational background in British farming and the business’ chef in food, I thought this was quite a heart warming concept and a great relevance for what the brand is about.

Despite my fond views on the name, Peter obviously wouldn’t agree with myself. He found the name too much of a mouthful, but what about other food brands, even distinctively in the soup industry? People still buy ‘Covent Garden Soup Company’ products, and the name isn’t exactly a word or two.

Being gluten and wheat free with no preservatives or additives, the product became more glorious to myself than it would to Oliver Twist.

A dig made on the packaging and brand, consequently lead to no Dragons left standing, apart from Nick Jenkins.

I was very surprised Nick was the only Dragon to make an offer to Andrew, but delighted that he did. All the money for a buyback deal starting at 20 per cent – deal!

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Ending on a soup-erb pitch

Tension was definitely a common element found in all the pitches we saw tonight and the Dragons truly unleashed their claws, roaring at the budding entrepreneurs that graced their territory.

Bees vs Dragons, as two beekeepers strolled into the den, ready and prepared to battle against the opposing Dragons. Fully attired from head to toe, Joe and Andy, founders of JustBee created an eye-catching impression as they shared their hope in receiving a £65,000 investment for 10 per cent equity in their healthy water drink business.

The concept is that they use honey to sweeten their beverages, as an alternative to sugar or sweetener, making the drink better for your health. The growing craze in healthy alternatives is something I think this pair can easily grow in parallel with, as I can already visualise the products in a number of delicatessens and brasseries.

Having top accuracy and confidence with their honest figures could not have provided them with a sweeter impression of their knowledge of their business and where it is positioned.

Although Deborah wasn’t a fan of the taste of the drinks, it didn’t stop Peter from making an offer of all of the money but for a 25 per cent share. His suggestion of creating a squeezable small product of the cordial used to put in water to have on-the-go, is clearly something he wanted to make a reality.

After countless discussions between the pair, they concluded that 15 per cent was their limit and Peter wasn’t prepared to drop that low, so he consequently declared himself out as the pair buzzed out without investment.

Next up to pitch was a product I couldn’t quite get my head around. Frances introduced her numerous dolls, with complementing stories to run alongside them and was asking for a £70,000 investment in exchange for a 10 per cent share.

The dolls are apparently award-winning for their quality and design but I couldn’t help but agree with the ‘eerie’ description Peter labelled them with. They are emotionless in the face and are wearing historic clothes that, although coincide with their stories and background, add to the weird vibe they exhale.

Their historic nature is apparently their USP, but I don’t see how this is actually appealing and believe that the eeriness could actually scare many young children.

Frances, having already spent £400,000 on the dolls – yes, £400,000, alarmed me at how much of a struggle the business faced to keep it going. The Dragons didn’t liken to the product at all and so Frances left the den with her dolls, and nothing else.

Damien was next to enter the den, asking for a £100,000 investment for a 10 per cent equity stake in his salon, spa and product range business.

Sparking some confusion as to what the business is and what makes it something that salon-owners cannot already set up themselves, Damien battles hard to dispel any doubts the Dragons share.

The pitch didn’t have the greatest start, with broken and dysfunctional product samples, not exactly setting the right foot in for a good impression.

With the unravelling revelations about the business, from owing money to HMRC to a general struggle with finances, the honesty was commendable from the entrepreneur but it didn’t demolish the concerns related to the issues he proposed.

Due to the fact Damien lacked proof that his franchise business model works, the Dragons were not confident enough to buy into this beauty combo.

Lastly, Agostino and Luca walked into the den asking for £45,000 for a 5 per cent stake in their business.

The Italian pair presented their attachable bicycle indicators which are supposed to help cyclists alert drivers and travellers around them of their directions.

The only problem is, the visibility is something that is key for this product but sometimes it’s not evident, especially depending on the size of the cyclist.

Despite the visibility concerns, Nick and Touker made their offers and Nick obviously ignited the budding entrepreneurs’ hopes as they accepted his investment of £45,000 for a 12.5 per cent share.

So from bees, dolls, beauty and bicycles the light was shining brightly for the Italian duo.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Indicating success

I’m not quite sure how to describe this episode of Dragons’ Den, but varied definitely comes to mind.

The first pitch was hosted by Gemma, who was presenting her intimate waxing product business, ‘WaxU’ – not exactly easing us into the episode. She was asking for £50,000 investment for a 10 per cent equity stake.

Being sold in 55 salons in the UK already was quite impressive, along with the fact that WaxU is randomly sold in a salon in Iceland too. Despite the promising future for this brand, I couldn’t help but focus on how nervous Gemma seemed! It can’t really be easy entering the den with five Dragons staring at you, potentially ready to roar to their heart’s content, but with a few deep breaths beforehand, she could have been a lot better off.

Obviously, when a product enters the den, it has to be tested, and who better than Touker to help show how the product performs. With trousers rolled up and ready, Touker soon had a silky smooth patch of hairless leg – which he was surprisingly quite happy about.

Gemma’s lack of research into the intimate waxing industry specifically clearly doubted some of the Dragons. However, all Dragons believed this brand could work without a Dragon and that Gemma could in fact pursue her goals for the business on her own.

Consequently, Gemma left empty handed but managed to strip the most valuable advice from the Dragons to help her along the way of her future prospects.

Quite an edgy product entered the den tonight… not that I know exactly what it is.

Rob was asking for £50,000 in exchange for a 15 per cent share in his unique, luminous ink based business. He had t-shirts on show that you could draw on with his luminous ink that glows in the dark.

After learning more about Rob himself, he is a truly admirable individual for his sheer determination in making the business work and clear business acumen that he portrayed, but I wasn’t feeling the product on a personal level. Even though the Dragons were impressed with his work, I didn’t see much point, let alone a trend it could create – but then again, what do I know?

If confessing that he has been sleeping on his office floor for the past year wasn’t enough to reflect his commitment and belief in the business, then nothing will have.

You could distinctively see each Dragon genuinely appreciating the efforts Rob had made on his journey to where he is now and Deborah in-particular was extensively impressed by the sacrifices he had made.

Although all Dragons liked the product, not all were willing to invest – only one was in fact.

Deborah bagged herself a 20 per cent share in the business for all of the money Rob was asking for and the pair clearly couldn’t be happier with the outcome and the prosperous, bright future that lies ahead.

Hoping to tie up £80,000 investment for a 20 per cent equity stake was Simon who came in to present apparently ‘the world’s first’ biodegradable and compost-able cable tie.

Of course, it had to be Peter’s prototype that didn’t function as it should and to say the very least, he really wasn’t impressed.

Discovering that Simon was quite a frequent inventor from creating parachute systems that he wants to approach NASA with, to creating a type of surfboard and even having written his own novel – you can’t knock his creative enthusiasm.

But it just wasn’t enough for the Dragons to bind an investment into this cable tie business and Simon walked away with nothing but loose ties.

The last pitch of the episode was probably my favourite because it is something that is totally up my street. A beauty subscription box – you pay £10 a month to receive £45 worth of products – amazing right?

Behind this business was Oliver, who was asking for £80,000 but for a mere 3 per cent equity stake.

Having Debenhams already on the business’ side, the future was already looking fairly bright for the young entrepreneur’s growing business. Labelling a value of 2.7 million on the business as it stands was much too ambitious though, even though it could potentially reach this value in the future, pricing it at this figure was arguably incorrect at this time.

Oliver’s ambitions to take the company international, as well as getting more brands and retailers on board were both things he was hoping a Dragon could help him achieve.

As a viewer, we only see a very small segment of a pitch that could have gone on for hours and so, for Peter to state that Oliver’s pitch was ‘one of the most impressive’ he’d seen in the den was something to be proud of in itself. However, Peter lacked passion in the business and declared himself out.

With Nick also being out, Touker made an offer of all the money for a hefty 22 per cent more than the equity stake on offer as he wanted 25 per cent. After realising the potential of this offer being accepted, he soon withdrew his inital offer altogether.

Oliver ended up bagging himself a great pairing of Sarah and Nick who gave £40,000 investment each for a shared 8 per cent equity stake.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Waxing off an opportunity

Some potential, but not enough – a common feeling for the majority of pitches that graced our screens tonight. From partying in igloos to scooping up poop, you can never predict what will walk into the den and certainly not this week.

First to meet the Dragons this week was Danny, with his igloo disco event business – all you need, under one igloo roof: a dj, lights and music. He was asking for £80,000 for a 20 per cent equity stake.

His experience in event management, dj-ing and the general party industry was in no way to be faulted, likewise with his precise preparation on the figures associated with his business. It’s a shame the Dragons weren’t showing much appreciation for the effort of his presentation as they squeezed into this scaled down version of his igloo event and stood frozen like mere penguins attempting to keep warm.

As the Dragons waddled out, Danny was faced with interrogative questions on figures and rightly so. Ironically, even though his knowledge of the numbers in his business were spot on, the actual management of those within the business was quite frankly, a bit of a shambles.

Danny’s financial side of the business with a lack of promising cash flow, quickly turned a potentially invest-able business, icy cold.

Truth be told, the Dragons didn’t warm to the idea of investment and consequently froze themselves out of the opportunity.

‘Not Dogs’ – an award-winning meat-free, fast-food brand served up in the den by founders, Katie and Jane, who were asking for a £75,000 investment in exchange for a 15 per cent equity stake. The business partners are planning their first opening of a new restaurant in Birmingham, completely vegetarian.

From a personal perspective, I thought the idea of a variety of meat-free fast-food was great. There are so many people I know, including my own mum, who do not eat meat and when out and about, finding the perfect eating place to suit everyone’s taste buds can be tricky.

Dragons eagerly praised the taste of the Not Dogs, stating that even meat eaters may not find the food distasteful.

Even though the Dragons’ palate were ignited, the idea of a stand alone business didn’t whet their appetite.

If you didn’t think they were going round in circles already by this point, after an unsuccessful hula hooping pitch swivelled into a lack of interest, the Dragons were quick to take advantage of the hoops left on display. One Dragon in particular set the bar and took the others for a spin by proudly outperforming her rival Dragons. Deborah clearly has an interesting pastime.

Dogs vs Dragons as John with his business ‘Handiscoop’ – a practical device to pick up your dog’s poop, was next into the den.

Asking for an investment of £45,000 for a 15 per cent share in his business, this long-handled pooper scooper was not appealing to the Dragons at all.

Nick in-particular breathed fire as he demonstrated how easy it is to pick up remains and dispose of it easily, without the use of the device but using something we have already – our own hands.

Once discovering that John doesn’t in fact own the patterns to his invention, nor know how many products needed to sell in order to secure his licence, the business didn’t reek potential.

Touker claiming the product to be ‘practical’ but presenting harsh reality to John, stating that he is merely ‘dreaming’ pretty much concluded the pitch’s fate.

After literally being shown his exit, John left empty handed and was unable to pick up from the mess he’d made.

Lastly, attempting to track down a hefty investment of £100,000 were business partners, Vincent and Raj. Offering an 8 per cent stake in their business, they presented a tracking software that allows you to locate your lost valuables through an app.

If you’re forgetful and are quite a frequent ‘looser’ of your possessions, this product would be your best friend.

The average amount of time spent looking for misplaced items a day is 10 minutes but I’m pretty sure mine is much longer, whether that be my keys, phone, purse or even television remote – I’m constantly guilty for loosing things!

I loved this idea, but can’t say I was too impressed with the uniqueness of it and neither were the Dragons. I know I’d seen very similar products being featured on Facebook before and online in general but apparently, this company was different – a better and longer lasting battery and a more reliable software.

Despite Peter claiming the idea around tracking tagging being ‘so old’ he proposed an offer to the tech duo. All Dragons agreed that Peter’s global tech expertise was to be noted and by far the best Dragon to invest and consequently, he stood alone in his offer.

Willing to hand over the full asking price of £100,000 but for 30 per cent, nearly four times the equity stake Vincent and Raj were offering, Peter caused a need for discussion between the unsure business partners, especially as this would mean they would only get 5 per cent more each than Peter would be earning.

After many attempts at negotiating a lower equity stake, Peter stuck to his word and couldn’t bring himself to search for a lower percentage share.

With a little push of enthusiasm and advice from Peter’s fellow Dragons, the pair made a game-changing decision to accept Peter’s offer and were ready to let the business track down success.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: An icy start to a triumphant track

The den never fails to welcome a variation of businesses in. Tonight we saw a range of pitches that presented different products from food-to-go to keepsake gifts, all of which made the programme quite an entertaining episode.

Unusually, there were not as many pitches shown during tonight’s episode as there would be normally. Perhaps these were the pitches that were particularly long, after-all, one entrepreneur did come out of the den expressing that he felt that he’d just spent four hours in the ring!

The first to walk into the den tonight were business partners, Roger and Phil. They were hoping to seek an investment of £80,000 in their personal security gadget business and were willing to exchange the investment for a 15 per cent equity stake.

Their product was designed in order to ensure confidence of security, mainly for people staying at hotels. It works as follows: you place the device under the door and then tighten it – which will lift the door slightly, almost like a wedge.

After doing so, this is supposed to prevent anyone from making their way through the door and into the room in which you are present, however, this didn’t prove to work to its expectations as Nick managed to barge his way through the device fitted door within around 10 seconds – Oh.

What none of the Dragons picked up on was the query on carrying this device around in luggage. It’s not a very large device but it’s not very small either and I know for one, I would not want to carry it with me whilst travelling, especially as it has only found to simply delay an intruder’s entrance. You may as well just use a chair by the door instead of wasting £24.99 on a ‘Door Jammer’.

The name doesn’t reflect much creativity either, however the people behind the business are far from unintelligent. Already owning a business that profits millions of pounds, Dragons were curious as to why Roger and Phil were coming to the den.

After much discussion, finding that although the product will sell, the Dragons were not confident enough to invest. As a result the multimillionaires leave with nothing but advice, and of course, still their ragingly successful other business.

Next to pitch was Cambridge post-graduate, Sunil, who was asking for a £80,000 investment in exchange for a 5 per cent equity stake in his food-to-go business, ‘Great Grub’.

Before even entering the den, he seemed to like what he sees in the mirror, as if his clean cut beard and slick hair didn’t give it away, the hidden cameras certainly did.

His business is food that is inspired by street food-to-go options and the company praises itself on being halal so that everyone can eat the product.

When sharing his background of modelling and financial education and experience, he stated previously that “I was an A-list celebrity” – sorry, what? Fair enough, he may have done some good modelling campaigns and impressive shoots, but ‘A-list celebrity’ is probably not the label he should have used.

Despite Sunil’s attempts at convincing the Dragons that he is a driven and determined individual with a strong work ethic, it’s the product that doesn’t intrigue them. Sarah’s concern over the limited labelling of being halal on the product and Nick’s uncertainty on the company’s legal name, as well as Sunil failing to justify his £1.5 million company value, all contributed to reasoning for all Dragons opting out.

Steve and Sam were next to enter the den in hopes to ideally secure £75,000 investment from Nick or Sarah in exchange for a 5 per cent equity stake in their business ‘TickX’.

Fundamentally, the company is a price comparison site for tickets for events such as concerts. The platform is completely free, with no additional costs for the user.

Although this is a fairly good idea, it’s difficult to believe that it hasn’t been done before. The struggle and long process of getting people to begin to think of ‘TickX’ for tickets rather than sites such as ‘Ticketmaster’ was a concern, particularly for Sarah, who chose to opt out as a result.

Finding out that there was a larger shareholder than Steve and Sam themselves was interesting, however, they were not willing to reveal who and what amount in which they shared. But, you can always count on a Dragon to reveal information if you’re not willing to and Peter was smugly happy to let out the Ministry of Sound share.

Despite this, Peter managed to talk himself into an offer with Nick, both offering half of the asking amount for 10 per cent equity each. Touker also made an offer of all of the asking amount but for 15 per cent equity, all offers significantly exceeding the offered equity stake.

After an obligatory talk to the back den wall, the entrepreneurs revealed that the equity stake the Dragons were asking for was just too high and consequently, all Dragons declared themselves ‘out’.

Last but by no means least, Rachel and Mary entered the den to pitch their company ‘Love, Keep, Create’ – a personal gifting company that creates a range of toys/animals out of clothing such as baby grows or shirts.

This online business clearly captured the interest of all Dragons who seemed to be intrigued by the heartfelt keepsakes displayed in-front of them and the £50,000 Rachel and Mary came in asking for seemed to be well in their eyesight.

Although the Dragons seemed quite unaware of their products, I don’t believe they’re as unique as they seem. I have seen numerous people doing these type of keepsake teddies and characters on small businesses found on Facebook for example and therefore, I don’t feel they have been very unique with their idea. This does not mean that I don’t like it though, I think it’s a great idea and a perfect way of recycling clothing in a memorial way.

Sharing the preparation for the seasonal nature of the business impressed Nick who’s query was covered before he had to mention it.

One Dragon did seem fairly undecided on the business, simply because he didn’t see the large potential for scalability and his Dragon was Touker. Consequently, Touker chose not to invest, to which Peter surprisingly joined him and chose to keep his chequebook shut too.

However, Rachel and Mary did manage to bind three Dragons’ interest, all of which Deborah, Nick and Sarah chose to offer exactly what they were asking for – £50,000 for a 10 per cent equity stake.

After little discussion, I though that due to his marketing skills and experience in personal gifting, Nick may have got the acceptance for this one but no! Deborah managed to receive confidence from Rachel and Mary who chose to cotton her on to the future of their business.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Dragon cottons on to keepsake deal

Back on our screens were the much loved Dragons and, oh how they were missed!

A new set of eager entrepreneurs walked into the den in hope to receive a vital cash investment for their businesses. Yet again, variation was not lacked as we saw socks, chocolates, dance mats and active getaways all presented in the programme tonight.

First to stride into the den were Alex and Ini, founders of ‘Quiet Rebellion’ who were seeking £75,000 investment for a 10 per cent equity.

The product they were presenting were socks that are able to be worn for corporate and professional use, but also have a hidden pattern which makes them more fun to wear. Having a pattern on the sole and top of the socks means that people from the outside just see a regular sock but the wearer knows they are very different to your average pair of socks. So, what’s the point? Why would you hide what actually is your unique selling point? – just a couple of questions that were raised by the Dragons.

As the pair attempted to fight off the challenging roars of the Dragons, it became clear that many of the views each side argued were somewhat opposing, in which they had to agree to disagree.

Peter Jones being a proud wearer of more snazzy socks, in-particular stripy ones, meant that his view on hiding this element of the product was fairly negative. As he declared himself out, so did the other Dragons and ‘Quiet Rebellion’ left with no investment.

Next to enter the den was a surprising performance. A mix of different dance genres all performing individually to portray the different types of dance this ‘Dancercise’ mat could potentially teach its owner.

The company were hoping to receive a rather hefty £150,000 investment for a mere 10 per cent stake in the company.

After a rather humorous trial of Deborah, Nick and Touker using the dance mats, all three found it more confusing and much more easier to follow the instructor without following the instructions on the mat at all – not at all promising for the entrepreneurs.

Peter suggested how it is merely a variation on a classic – ‘Twister’, which obviously lessens its uniqueness.

The Dragons were struggling to get their heads round the fact that the entrepreneurs valued their company at £1.5 million, despite their low profits of around £2000. Consequently, all Dragons declared themselves ‘out’.

Another company brought to the den was ‘Cocoa Ooze’. Founder, Jamie, was hoping to receive a £70,000 investment to help achieve his expansion plans, for a 10 per cent equity stake.

This chocolate gift business is in a clearly crowded but potential market. However, many Dragons, Deborah in-particular, were raising concerns on the fact that it has already been done and the uniqueness between ‘Cocoa Oooze’ and other existent companies is actually quite slim.

Despite the concerns, Touker granted Jamie an offer of the full amount for 35 per cent of the business, with a buy back offer to 20 per cent. Jamie accepted and ‘Cocoa Ooze’ was on the road to expansion!

The final pitch presented to the Dragons was by Steven and Matthew with their ‘Active Away’ business. They were hoping to receive £25,000 for a 5 per cent equity and had their eyes on one Dragon in-particular – Peter Jones.

‘Active Away’ is a company that organises activity based holidays for all types of audiences. It not only promotes good health but is also supposedly really fun – this sounded right up my street.

Knowing that 85 per cent of customers book with the company again definitely lit the eyes of the Dragons in a proven repeatable business.

To be honest, it was tough to fault the business at all with Deborah setting the ball rolling with an investment offer of the full £25,000 but for 15 per cent, three times the equity stake the entrepreneurs came in offering.

As Touker proposed offer of head office space thrown in with his matching offer to Deborah’s, the den quickly became heated and the true roars of the Dragons let loose as tension between the two grew.

With Peter openly expressing his love for the company, he offered £25,000 for a quarter of the business stake, which Sarah saw as unfair and offered the full amount of money for 10 per cent.

After discussion near the famous back wall of the den, Steven and Matthew were still keen to get their ideal dragon on board and so by negotiating, Peter Jones eventually invested £25,000 for an initial 20 per cent stake with a buy back offer to drop it down to 15 per cent.

With two happy entrepreneurs, it was clear that Peter wasn’t afraid to express his triumph to the other Dragons too!

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Game on!

Week 12 – the final week!

As finalists Courtney and Alana gathered at City Hall to prepare themselves for a potentially stressful few days ahead, they were instructed to bring their businesses to life and launch them fully to present to industry experts and Lord Sugar, Karren and Claude.

Once the previous candidates had returned, Alana’s team finalised as Grainne, Frances, Rebecca and Oliver, whilst Courtney’s consisted of Jessica, Karthik, Sofiane and Paul.

The battle between the cakes and the novelty gifts had truly began.

Firstly, to think of a brand name. Creative Courtney was dispersing all these pretty naff ideas, which Paul openly didn’t appeal to. Meanwhile, Alana’s team generated a name pretty quickly – ‘Ridiculously Rich’.

Whilst Courtney attempted to think of a name for his brand, he chose Jessica to manage his sub team of Paul and Sofiane, but did he not learn from previous tasks? These three had been a complete and utter nuisance when working together in the past and who’d guess that Sofiane and Paul would have friction again?!

With Courtney still yet to decide on a name, time was running out and it literally came down to his favourite colour and favourite animal – no lie, ‘Purple Whale’ was born.

After attending a pitch coaching session, Courtney left with some interesting exercises to help him deliver his final pitch in a more confident manner. With pitching being more of a weakness of Courtney’s, this was such a valuable opportunity for him to really embrace and fully take on board the techniques he’d learnt as it truly could impact the result of the delivery.

Frances and Grainne were in the sub team doing the digital ad for Alana and decided to call her up about their concerns after seeing the logo in which Alana had helped design, Least to say, she didn’t take it well, but I couldn’t help but agree with what Frances and Grainne were saying. The logo really wasn’t that great and the including of the cake stand within it was somewhat cliche and predictable.

Once Courtney’s team members all took a glance at the final logo, they seemed pretty satisfied with the result. The simplicity was something of praise.

Both Courtney and Alana were generally pleased with the work produced by their sub-teams, even though in my opinion they were not entirely great.

However both teams did successfully create a good TV ad. However, Alana made the change of having herself as the driving force of the brand and with such a personal story behind the brand, having her as the face of Ridiculously Rich was a good option to take in my opinion. After Oliver initially suggesting this sort of change in order to create USP when in comparison to other brands, it showed that he was actually inputting some good into a task, unlike in most of the others he’d took part in before.

Alana putting Oliver in charge of packaging was not so much a promising elect, simply due to the fact that he is very indecisive, even with such little time left. However, team members and even Oliver himself were pleasantly surprised by the packaging outcome.

Courtney’s team also loved the prototype baby trophy drinking cup that Courtney had designed and I have to grant that its uniqueness is fairly evident.

Back to City Hall to deliver their final pitches and it is clear just how nervous the finalists are. I was particularly nervous for Courtney, especially as he has crumbled so much at pitches before in the previous tasks in the process that you wouldn’t expect him to have made such a drastic change as he had made.

Both pitches were very successful and seemed to be confidentially impressive. Alana especially, started off a little shaky, but once in the swing of the pitch, nothing was getting in her way and she even lacked hesitation when being faced with on-the-spot questions.

Once returning to the boardroom, the previous candidates shared that both were easily capable for being the new business partner of Lord Sugar’s, but there could only be one winner.

With a tough decision to make, weighing up the positives, negatives and risks of each brand proposed to him. Lord Sugar finally based his decision on his gut feeling.

The result was finally revealed and Alana had done it! Her perseverance in business from the age of 17 had truly paid off and the future looks very bright for her indeed.

What a great series and after personally predicting that the girls in this series would not do so well, there were clearly a few dark horses amongst the selection.

Read more:
The Apprentice Final: Let’s eat cake!

If the candidates thought a regular job interview was difficult to handle, then they were nothing compared to facing the likes of Claude Littner as shown this week.

This is by far my favourite part of the series and what I had been waiting for, for weeks! It’s a chance to see how the candidates react under true pressure and also allows us as viewers to discover more about the candidates and their personal passions.

A mixture of makeup, novelty gifts, cake manufacturing and clothing were themes presented within the remaining candidates’ business plans, which was quite refreshing knowing they were all taking a different path.

If you saw this week’s episode, you will have seen that Claude Littner, Linda Plant, Claudine Collins and Mike Soutar all sat and truly grilled into the business plans in which were put forward to them. The episode consisted of an interweave of all the interviews carried out, with many humorous moments for viewers to watch.

As the candidates declared this for being Claude’s favourite time of year, almost like his Christmas, they couldn’t be more correct as you could tell he was absolutely loving being in his element of control and intimidation.

Claude went straight ahead with getting his views across to Frances, disregarding the question of how harsh he may sound, he openly stated that her 8/10 task losses were no excuse and there must be a reason why she’d stacked up so many losing tasks.

Not just Frances received a gruelling, Alana was faced with Claude’s view that she may not be tough enough to grow her cake manufacturing business, but with her promising profits so far, she must be doing something right?

Jessica’s interview clip with Mike was quite humorous as he’d clearly been doing his research. She literally found out in that moment that her business partner from one of her other businesses had resigned, but her reaction was, maybe worryingly, chilled.

Whilst Grainne was told that she was maybe being a bit too ambitious in her aspirations in the way that she wanted to do so much rather than smart small, Courtney was slightly receiving opposite feedback. His lack of passion and charisma was something that was nagging at pretty much all of the interviewers. “You haven’t got that killer drive” Claude proclaimed, but after a little encouragement, Courtney began to sell himself as best as he could.

One of the best parts of the interview stage is when interviewers reflect on the candidates CV and Mike’s find on Courtney’s CV is a prime example of how you can be caught out on exaggerations. He’d put on his CV that he was the ‘head designer’ at one of his previous companies in which he had worked for, but Mike’s research found that Courtney was in fact the only designer the company had. Fair play to Courtney for trying to big himself up a little though!

Of course, when Claude asked Jessica to briefly share her background, there was nothing ‘brief’ about it at all! He found that her business was not very sustainable in that the risks and money loss are potentially too high in able for it to be a stable profitable business.

So many times during the interviews Frances said that she would have changed the faults in which they picked at if she had the chance, but did she not realise – this was her chance! Being fairly open about her lack of knowledge with the financial side of business and managing the figures was probably a wrong move as all interviewers identified this as a problematic weakness.

When returning to the presence of Lord Sugar, the interviewers shared their general views. Courtney, although being quite a dull person, has actually achieved many great things in a short space of time and that his novelty gift business could have potential to grow. “I wouldn’t write him off” Claude advised.

Worries were risen regarding the amount of money loss Jessica’s business had previously suffered and whether Frances’ business would actually be scale-able. Grainne’s proposal of a business was also questioned for maybe “shooting too high”.

Despite this, Alana’s business left the interviewers fairly impressed considering her promising profits that had already been reflected from it.

Once Lord Sugar brought back the candidates to reveal their fates it was pretty clear that he was unsure on Grainne’s makeup brand, academy and recruitment agency – especially as she was not yet qualified to carry out the training. Unfortunately, Grainne got fired and I was extremely shocked.

After Lord Sugar apparently accidentally revealed the winner of this series through a following on Twitter, after some research, I was under the impression that Grainne was going to win, but clearly not! I guess I now don’t know the true winner after all.

After much discussion, Jessica and Frances were fired and despite Alana’s lack of confidence and Courtney’s lack of energy, they had made it to the final. “And then there were two” Courtney rightfully grinned.

Next week is only a short time away until we find out the true winner of this year’s The Apprentice.

Read more:
The Apprentice: The hardest grilling yet

This week, the remaining candidates were set the task of creating their own gin to then pitch to three potential buyers.

After Lord Sugar mixed the teams up, Titans’ representatives became project manager, Grainne along with Trishna and Frances and Team Nebula consisted of project manager, Courtney, with Alana and Jessica.

The teams opted for a different and perhaps opposing approach to their gin – Titans went for a spicier taste, whereas Nebula selected a more fruity infusion.

Whilst Alana went off to make the raspberry and pink pepper gin, Jessica and Courtney were left to brand the product. ‘Giin’ is what they came up with and how on earth is that supposed to represent the fact that you drink gin with your friends? The concept that Courtney concocted was nowhere near his other brighter ideas in which he has shared in other tasks – typical for the time he is project manager.

Meanwhile, Frances was in charge of the branding for team Titans, supposedly placing a map showing India on the bottle label behind the ‘Colony Gin’ name, however actually showing Africa, not India. How embarrassing for Frances that she had to call Grainne and Trishna 19 times and they still were yet to pick up the phone. Whilst they were ‘testing’ the gin, perhaps a bit too much, Frances was frantically stressing about what to place on the label in reference to the ingredients. In the end, she obviously had to improvise but Trishna only had the audacity to reflect a foul mood for the lack of ingredients on the bottle, which was half her fault!

Once the pitches began, Alana and Courtney were up first with not the best of starts to say the least. Courtney failed to place together their easel and quite clumsily mumbled his words to present his ‘unique’ giin. Although, Courtney seems like a genuine and friendly character, his pitching could not reflect anything more contrasting – boring, disengaging and monotone.

Pitching to the same potential buyer, Frances and Trishna seemed slightly more promising in terms of confidence with the pitching however, Trishna’s attempt at setting up the pitch whilst Frances was talking wasn’t subtle at all. Whether it was nerves or not, I don’t know, but she did not stop dropping items which was extremely off putting. Nevertheless, the potential buyer actually seemed to like the product in general, but the team lied about the ‘natural orange peel’ colouring of the gin, which is actually a food colouring additive.

Courtney once again attempted to lead the next pitch for team Nebula – what a wrong move. It’s clear he always thinks he is better at pitching than he is, otherwise he wouldn’t constantly put himself forward for it. Although Courtney and Alana slammed Jessica for her waffling in the pitch, she’s actually the only one who tends to keep buyers engaged with true personality.

It was clear for team Titans that the buyers at the second pitch were not keen at all and who would be on an orange gin? Trying to be unique sometimes isn’t worth the effort, for it can easily come across unappealing as a result – which was the case here. Trying to tackle their questioning on the colour, Frances stated their flexibility in that they could change the orange colour if the buyers wished, bu then Trishna contradicts the comment by stating how they would not change the colour as it is what makes them different – slightly misguiding and totally off putting through a lack of consistency.

The third pitch for both teams seemed to appear to go averagely, maybe Grainne’s team slightly worse due to the confusion on the colour and name of the gin, for the negative connotations that ‘Colony’ mirrors.

At the end of the day, it was all about the orders that determined the winning team and team  Nebula absolutely smashed it.

Whilst Courtney, Jessica and Alana flew off on a helicopter ride, Grainne, Trishna and Frances bickered in the grotty cafe.

There was no true direction for blame, they all seemed to pick at one another but Trishna was happy to sit and state her innocence.

Once returning to the boardroom, it was clear that a lack of communication within the group was likely the main reason for the failure of the task.

Trishna was reluctant to believe her faults and always had something to say to defend herself. All that defending wasn’t worth it as Lord Sugar pointed the finger at Trishna and she was officially fired.

After Lord Sugar recently accidentally revealed the winner of this series, I now know the candidate who becomes victorious, but I will not spoil it and reveal the result. However, this does mean that I will not be guessing the fate of the remaining candidates, but I am excited to see the last few weeks unroll.

Next week are the interviews – the best part of the series. Tune in next Thursday at 9pm to be thoroughly entertained, where candidates’ business plans are inevitably going to experience a gruelling.

Read more:
The Apprentice: A concoction of errors

In my opinion, adverts are truly hyped up much more than they should be at Christmas. To the point that people desperately wait to see the new releases and boastfully praise themselves for being one of the first to have seen a new ad – is it really worth it? I suppose that the hype is the general point and for the businesses behind the campaigns, this is exactly what they want, but we often generally tend to forget that these ads are in fact existent in order to boost sales.

Although John Lewis is arguably always awaited on for their Christmas advert, this year, M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s have also been amongst the number of popular favourites this year, with some struggling to appoint their ultimate top.

With the different types of approaches in which this year’s adverts have taken, to market or advertise your product, you can learn a number of things from all of them.

Firstly, in this case, we’re talking TV advertising, but with any type of advertising, visuals are key. It is known that videos are the best way to engage an audience and truly capture our interest. As humans, we naturally lose interest in something that is repetitive and visually unpleasing – like a standard wodge of text. By using bright imagery, striking visuals or something with a story or something that sets us in a place where we have to logically think about what is occurring is the best way to keep attention captured.

A lot of adverts tend to involve children or animals because marketers know that this is what engages the public and emotively moves us the most. Marketers love to build an emotional connection between a child or animal with the audience, which is then somehow threatened with a problem and resolved by the end of the advert. You’ll find this to be very common in a lot of television ads because it’s the easiest way for audiences to build an emotional relationship with the characters onscreen.

If adverts don’t do this, they normally characterise something that doesn’t exist as a living character – a bit like personification in a visual sense.

We see that in the John Lewis advert, they have used the most typical household pet – the dog as the main focus of the campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6lr_VRsEo

Craig Inglis, Customer Director and Marketing Chief at John Lewis says: “We make just over £8 [profit] for every pound we spend so the Christmas ad campaigns are hugely profitable.

“The returns are long term as well; we see the continuing impact. The £7m we spend is dwarfed by our competitors. We punch well above our weight.”

The nature of the family tradition, revealing a present on Christmas Day, mixed with an element of fantasy by including all the other woodland animals to join in, in a way we would never possibly see before is something that captures our hearts. Although there is something very warming about this campaign and many find it to be truly amazing, I don’t believe it holds the crown.

My favourite has got to be the Marks and Spencer advert which is based around the tradition of Santa Claus – many of which have avoided this year.

However, instead of making Santa Claus the protagonist, it’s Mrs Claus who takes centre stage. This advert seemed to me almost like a mini movie as the graphics are so well executed. You’ll find that playing on a tradition is a very popular take for many adverts. Where you would expect Santa Claus to conventionally be the prime focus for this advert, by giving Mrs Claus a personality and character of which is open to much interpretation, it puts a spin on the traditional view that only Santa Claus delivers presents.

Therefore, audiences are familiar with particular characters, so there’s no need to introduce them, however they are usually presented in a way that you wouldn’t expect, which is exactly what happens here and the reason why I love it so much.

The Sainsbury’s advert followed the path a few adverts generally take. What’s worse than having a cheesy ad song stuck in your head the whole day? Sainsbury’s have taken this concept but the song created is actually quite good, in a non-annoying sense.

It’s also typically British referring to the typical commuter’s day into London, which many viewers would empathise with, not to mention the fact that James Corden is also on the vocals.

Having some sort of jingle or catchy tune is such a great way to grab an audience as they will literally struggle to get it out of their heads!

A dark horse this year has been the Heathrow advert – the two bears that are in fact grandparents to greeting children at the end. This is more of an advert where you have to think and you’re so engaged because you’re following these two bears on their journey and are awaiting to find out where they are going and why.

This is probably the most accurate Christmas advert in relation to being applicable to the brand as travel and Heathrow is pretty much featured throughout the whole ad. An unexpected ending is always great because, who wants to watch something they know the ending of? There would be no point.

The Waitrose Christmas advert is also very warming and prioritises the character of a traditional robin. This robin goes on a perilous journey, created through amazing graphics, to return back to find another robin at the end of the advert, in which a young child is awaiting their arrival. Again, using both animal and child, as well as a resolved story at the end has resulted in this advert being up with the favourites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKYdG9r0Pk&t=3s

Aldi have created a follow up to their ‘Kevin the Carrot’ advert by using the fame of the John Lewis hit. They’ve staged Kevin sat, essentially watching the ad and working himself up to watch it, which is
cleverly humorous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWBuC_QyHY

One thing that pretty much all of these adverts have done is use social media to help spread the word of their adverts and create a discussion. For example some have used hashtags: John Lewis, #BusterTheBoxer and Aldi, #KevinTheCarrot, which can be used on Twitter and Facebook. Sainsbury’s have got a filter on Snapchat where users can become  Dave, the singing character from the advert, themselves. Social media is vastly becoming one of the biggest forms of marketing and is such a vital element in helping products or a promotion thrive in discussion and popularity.

A definite feature within marketing is that a message is portrayed. It rounds the advert to a point of reason and ensures that audiences realise the aim of the advert.

The relevance of social media can be proved to be so important through the way in which Burberry hold second place in number of views on YouTube for their Christmas advert. Despite not actually being aired on television, the hype has been so prominent online that its drama-like ad has achieved as much recognition as those who have been rolling on our screens for weeks.

Here is a list of some of the most popular UK Christmas adverts so far in relation to YouTube views:

Read more:
What to learn from the Christmas adverts

7am – as a frequent viewer, you’d know that by this time the candidates would have had a phone call by then, but not this week.

As candidates lounged in their nightwear and comfy clothes, the doorbell rang and outside stood Karren and Claude – slightly unexpected! The candidates were gathered in a room in the house to visit the virtual boardroom where Lord Sugar presented their task. Wearing the virtual headsets, candidates were presented with the proposal of having to design a new virtual reality game.

Trishna was appointed project manager for team Nebula in hope to earn herself a win and Sofiane became project manager for Titans, which caused a slight stir within the group. Dillon was clearly very gutted about this election, who declared his expertise and skills in creativity and design would set him in good place for project manager but of course, Sofiane pushed for his role and got what he wanted.

Sofiane then had to make the decision of how he was to split the teams. Obviously, if you have two experts in branding you’d set them off to brand the product, right? But, no! Sofiane likes to do things his own way and placed himself and Grainne in the branding side and sent Dillon and Alana off to create the game.

Meanwhile, Courtney and Grainne were sent to brand the game for Nebula. They generated the idea of a game in space and a character loosing their pet – in this case a badger. It was quite humorous seeing the reaction from the other side of the phone when Grainne and Courtney presented their ‘Gordon’s lost his badger’ game idea. Yes, it was very random and if I’m honest, I like to question how much creativity and thought really went into that name?

Jessica and Courtney enjoy each others company too much. – to the extent that they distract each other and spiral off onto other ideas or loose focus on the task they are to be carrying out. I can’t be the only one thinking maybe they get on a bit too well?

As Trishna and Frances review the branding sent over from Jessica and Courtney they were not half-impressed with the results. Their main concern was that the game was called Galactic Gordon’s Lost His Badger, but in the branding there was no featuring of Gordon just the ‘astro badger’. Gordon is in the name, so you’d expect for him to be shown and predictably this were to be questioned in the pitch.

Team Titans’ game was Magic Shells, an underwater puzzle-based game. ‘Magic Shells’ was not the most imaginative name in the world but the branding actually looked quite good.

After presenting the games at Comicon, there were mixed reviews. Magic Shells was coming across for being more for a younger audience and Galactic Gordon’s Lost His Badger was found to be unclear for users as to what they have to do in the game.

During the pitches to an audience of experts and enthusiasts, team Nebula faced expected questions on the lack of feature of Gordon and also the long-winded name. However, this was only a small hurdle faced when in comparison to team Titans’ pitch.

The pitch for Magic Shells was very messy and unprofessional. First of all Sofiane caused a fluster within the group’s plan for the pitch as, once again, he began doing his own thing. Grainne demonstrated the game in possibly the worst way and awkward silences were present, but actually overall the audience seemed to like it.

Th candidates located back to the real boardroom to hear about the votes and comments from experts and the public on their games.

Jessica was graced on her pitching engagement skills and she has become my new prediction to win – which is surprising since I couldn’t stand her at the beginning of the process. Although there can be times where she gets a little excited and can sometimes find it hard to control what she says and does, she is actually very smart and nearly always receives good feedback from external individuals faced within tasks. I think she could be a dark horse and so this is why I think since my prediction to win, Paul, was fired last week, Jessica is my new prediction.

The more Sofiane spoke in the boardroom, the more tempted I was to change the channel. Though, I was satisfied to hear him for once admit his mistake in the pitch by leading the team off track by doing his own thing.

The results were in and what a storm of a win it was for team Nebula with 5/7 experts stating that with a little work, they would invest in the game, opposed to all 7 experts stating they would not invest in team Titans’ Magic Shells game.

Nebula not only gained favour from the experts, but also 222 out of 300 votes from the public.

After much bickering in the boardroom, Sofiane brought back Grainne and Dillon with him.

At this point I was urging for Lord Sugar to widen his eyes to the lack of potential that sat infront of him and to see that Sofiane needed to go. He always does his own thing, doesn’t like to follow others and cannot even stick to his own plans but Lord Sugar, although stated him for being a very nice guy, fired Dillon.

Although I was slightly in shock because I thought Sofiane would go, I didn’t give up hope as the background soundtrack was still rolling, inferring of a second firing.

Lord Sugar obviously saw sense and Sofiane was fired.

When returning to the house, Grainne faced the candidates who were convinced that Dillon would walk through any minute but no, he was gone for good.

Six candidates now remain and Courtney is literally the last man standing.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Two candidates face reality

Week eight commenced and a new location was granted. Candidates gathered at the National Portrait Gallery where they were presented with an event managing task. Teams were to host their own event at their allocated venues and the teams with the most profit would be the winners.

Lord Sugar then gave team Titans London Aquarium as their venue and Madame Tussauds was allocated to team Nebula.

Off the teams went, to plan and create their own unique events that would hopefully rake in the money. Dillon became project manager for team Titans and Paul was in hope to manage a second win for team Nebula.

Entertainment was discussed and I believe Nebula’s choice of casino was a great option, however not so keen on Titans’ mermaid entertainment but it went with the theme of the venue so it could’ve been a good shout.

Once teams were off to sell the tickets, it was clear that Paul had no clear pricing strategy. It was disastrous – numbers became lower and lower but if the team had thought to have done research into pricing and not just estimating their own, sales would be racking up quicker.

Now, from initially being fairly dubious on the mermaid entertainment, I seemed not to be the only one. Courtney and Grainne were selling their tickets, highly promoting the fact that guests would see a “breath-taking” performance of a mermaid in water. One problem – there was to be no mermaid in water, but two dressed up women singing a bit of Disney.

From the get-go, Frances had been singing Paul’s praises on countless occasions, which seemed to be a little like a game-plan to me. Paul was very much embracing the nice comments and kind gestures that Frances was making and they agreed they liked working with each other – maybe just a bit too much?

When Dillon told Courtney and Grainne that they would be dressing up outside of the Aquarium to pull in more tickets, they didn’t look too excited to say the least. But in true spirit, they got on with it – definitely commendable. In doing so, they actually got a few more tickets sold and the guest number stacked up to 58 in total.

However, when the event had began, those 58 guests were still waiting outside to come into the venue – not a great start at all.

Catastrophe continued as tickets were not just oversold for the tour, but also tickets were over-refunded too. The mermaids were sightly odd at the event but in a weird way, they worked and overall guests seemed to be enjoying themselves.

However, at the Casino event, guests were watching a rather opposing negative form of entertainment – Paul and Jessica’s argument, which should have been done in a more private area and in doing so, would have also prevented the complaints about the scene too.

Overall, both events were not perfect in any way and I’m happy my invite clearly got lost in the post.

The many mistakes made in the task from both teams were discussed in the boardroom, but the ones that meant the most in terms of affecting the profit was for team Nebula. Team Titans reclaimed their winning spot as team Nebula sulked off to Bridge Cafe where Paul and Jessica’s bickering once again began to arise and he chose to bring Jessica and Frances along with him back to Lord Sugar.

As blame was pushed onto Jessica when returning to the boardroom, her emotion began to get the better of her and tears began to form, likewise with Frances. Paul remained content, however a couple of times seemed to even rub Lord Sugar up the wrong way, coming across with an aggressive tone – probably not the best way to be to the person who was to determine your future in the process.

Tensions built and more emotion was expressed but blame was on all three of the candidates’ shoulders, so who was Sugar going to fire?

At the start of the series, I predicted Paul to be the winner and at week eight, I have been proven wrong. Paul was fired and although, initially my favourite, his reappearing aggressive attitude was becoming clear to not be favourable in business.

Eight candidates remain – bring on week nine.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Mermaids and A-Listers

The early wake-up call is back – no more afternoon starts and night shifts to begin week 7.

As the process is progressing, it’s beginning to get a little more interesting.

This week, candidates had to take overnight bag along with them along to their task, leaving most candidates a little curious but excited.

The black, flashy cars containing the candidates left in ridiculously perfect unison (as usual) and off they went to their destination – the Royal Victoria Docks.

Lord Sugar, Karren and Claude greeted the candidates at the very suave Super Yacht – London’s only floating hotel.

The task for this week was to pick products to sell at the Annual Boat Show at Poole Harbour. Selling was the key to this task, and after giving Dillon a slight dig and push on this focus, he declared Frances and Karthik to be project managers.

Pressure was on for Frances who had never been on the winning team throughout the whole process, so she had to prove that Nebula had the potential to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Karthik hadn’t been a project manager yet in the process, so he also needed to prove his managerial skills that he claimed to possess.

Not a great start for team Titans. Karthik ignored the expertise that Samuel put forward in relevance to the task and made a “tactical error” as described by Claude, relating to his choice of positioning of team members. However, at the end of the day, as a viewer it was clear to see that Karthik wasn’t going to be great in making the best decisions anyway, proven from previous tasks.

Frances was more strategic and organised in her decisions, for example splitting up Paul and Sofiane to prevent potential clashes and placing people in the most appropriate positions.

As the teams browsed and trialled the products, Karthik demonstrates his lacking in managerial skills through his unwillingness to make a decision on which products to sell. Though, finally a decision was made and it seemed that both teams opted for a couple of the same items, in which the seller had to decide who they would think would sell the most of their product.

Although Nebula managed to obtain representation for the paddle boards over team Titans – thanks to Jessica, they did fail to retrieve the jet-skis, which Sofiane took a lot more personally than project manager Frances who took it in her stride and carried on with the task.

10am – show day.

Obviously, the higher end products were to produce more money and so, pressure was placed on Courtney and Grainne to sell the jetskis.

A pricing strategy was introduced by Karthik for the lower priced items, but did Samuel stick to what he was told? Of course not! Being his arrogant, know-it-all self, Samuel yet again took matters into his own hands by charging for items at his own price.

It was painful to watch Claude observe Courtney and Grainne learning the facts about the jet-skis as their potential customers were literally walking past.

Although Jessica was selling, it wasn’t strictly in the most moralist of ways. A personal fib here and there was beginning to be her signature tactic in drawing customers in to buying the products she was presenting – however it was working with some, so why stop her?!

The rain began to plunder, which didn’t work in the favour of Courtney and Grainne’s who struggled to receive any deals. But, as the weather began to slightly brighten up, hopes were also looking up. Although the sale was not confirmed, a jet-ski teaching business was interested in buying multiple jet-skis meaning a potential high win yet again for Titans.

Despite the teams’ best efforts to flog their stock, the rain fell heavier and the number of customers around began to sink.

6pm – trading finished.

Frances and Sofiane predicted a selling of around 2 – 3 speed boats, whilst Courtney and Grainne predicted around 4 jet-skis being sold.

First to reflect on in the boardroom was Titans’ performance. Karthik’s decisions were not exactly praised and after Lord Sugar asked “good project manager?” – the silent response spoke louder itself.

For Nebula, a more positive reflection.

Paul praised Jessica in the task – which is rare in the boardroom as the competition is so fierce. The satisfied team praised their project manager and at this point I was really, really hoping that they would fish out Nebula’s first win.

What a result.

Frances lead the team to an amazing triumph, selling £40,000 worth of goods, as opposed to Titans’ £188 – what a way to prove yourself.

After Frances’ emotional win, team Nebula finally experience a treat whilst Titans received the biggest shaming in the process yet.

Tensions had never been so high in a cafe as Titans discussed the task and their dreadfully embarrassing failure. Ultimately, Karthik is the obvious choice to blame and rightly so, but Samuel’s arrogant attitude is so irritating for me as a viewer and I really wanted him gone.

As the so-called ‘team’ returned to the boardroom, Samuel denied dismissing instructions and completely excused himself for saying it was a “bad sales day” which Karren was quick to comment, “not for Nebula”.

The simply diabolical failure of the task left Lord Sugar no choice but to fire Karthik straight away, saying he didn’t even trust him to bring back the right people to the boardroom.

This twist made it very interesting and by this point, I really wanted Samuel gone.

Alana, Dillon and Samuel returned to the boardroom, in which someone else was to be fired. To be quite honest, I didn’t see any of them to be winners, so either could go but I was really urging for Samuel’s exit as I found the more he opened his mouth, the more frustrated I became.

With Samuel not being a team player, Alana lacking confidence and Dillon wading his way though the process being the ‘nice guy’, it was difficult to predict who Lord Sugar would point the finger at.

To my delight, Samuel was fired and whisked off home in the black cab, claiming to be going onto “bigger and better things” – sounded like a sore looser to me.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Tides turn for Titans

2:30pm – not the usual ridiculously early wake up call time for the candidates to be notified of their meeting place.

Disrupting their day of rest and relaxation, the candidates had 20 minutes to get ready to take a visit to the 69th floor of the UK’s tallest building, The Shard.

After Lord Sugar proclaimed London to be one of the most multi-cultural places in the world, he gave them a ‘shopping list’ of items known from different cultures. Candidates had £1000 to get the items at the lowest prices possible from places within London, meaning they also would have to work the night shift, returning to The Shard at 6am the following morning.

This task was not only set to test the candidates’ negotiation skills, but also how well they knew London.

As the teams quickly got underway, for Nebula, Trishna put herself forward as project manager which everyone seemed content with. Rebecca seemed to sit back and watch, despite knowing that she said she would project manage the next task and needed to prove herself to Lord Sugar. She could have at least given it a go, even though she was bound to say this wasn’t her strongest point but at least it would have showed effort.

Trishna’s strategy seemed sensible – splitting the team in half, one going to East London and one going to West London. Team Nebula appeared to have had a good knowledge of London which was bound to work in their favour for this London-based task.

Meanwhile on team Titans, Courtney was appointed the project manager. After hearing the post code SE2 for one of the item locations, Courtney was confident that it was just by London bridge – how wrong was he?! Stuck in the car locating to somewhere much further than they had imagined was wasting a lot of their precious time.

Paul claimed to know East London well for team Nebula, and so he directed them to the well known Beigel shop in Brick Lane to get 200 rainbow doughnuts at a price of 35p each – speedy and a good deal.

While the other team were on their way to the West side of London, Trishna found that Sofiane needed to be tamed. There were numerous times where he would try to do his own thing, which we’ve seen in too many previous tasks too – he is definitely not a real team player.

Karthik had an interesting strategy when trying to buy cheap another item on the list – a lehenga. He simply said to shop owners that this was him “asking a favour”. His technique failed and a different approach in a shop across the road seemed to work and he bagged himself a £55 lehenga as a result- not the best price but certainly not the worst.

Nebula’s sub team, managed by Paul, were on their way to Streatham after a call made by Rebecca confirmed that they were able to get both items, tagine and African black soap from one place. However, a miscommunication over the phone seemed to turn ‘tagine’ into ‘tahini’ and ‘soap’ into ‘soup’ – what a waste of time. Also, by Rebecca managing this particular call, it didn’t leave her in good light of the task as driving all the way to the South-West killed too much of their valuable time.

Alana made a fairly good deal on the cigars but Karren described her approach for being a “pathetic female” and not the way she would have negotiated, but Alana still got the price down, so you have to commend her for that.

Jessica wasn’t much better in getting the  cigars for team Nebula as she tried to make the supplier feel guilty with a story that she was getting the cigars for her dad – not very professional. She ended up paying a high price, despite Trishna’s plan to walk out and move on if this were to happen.

While team Nebula were quite frantic, Courtney’s approach in team Titans was definitely more laid back, Karren stating him for having “no sense of urgency”, which didn’t seem to stop them getting back to The Shard for 6am.

Unfortunately, half of team Nebula were late – the half which included the project manager, which didn’t really set a great example.

As the positives and negatives of the task were discussed between Lord Sugar and the teams, I couldn’t help but notice the unimpressed attitude that Karren portrayed, chipping in with comments to put the candidates down more frequently than usual.

It seemed blame for downfalls in the task were flown across the room at different candidates and every one had something to own up to in this task, but the end result confirmed the losers.

Titans were once again victorious and went off for a deserved pampering session in the comfort of the candidates’ home.

The bickering in the cafe was let loose between team Nebula, with the finger pointed mainly at Rebecca, Sofiane and Trishna – when of course, Rebecca claimed to not be the reason for the failure of the task.

Returning to the boardroom, it was clear to both, the candidates and Lord Sugar, that team Nebula lacked negotiation skills as a whole. The items they bought were at such a significantly higher price in comparison to team Titans’ items, which literally cost them the success of the task.

As predicted, Trishna brought back Rebecca and Sofiane to the boardroom. Rebecca made her excuses as usual, Sofiane defended his tendency to do his own thing as trying to help the team and Trishna believed she wasn’t fully responsible for the failure of the task.

As each candidate fought for their place in the process, Sugar said he was “concerned” about Sofiane in the way he acts. At one point, he lead us to believe that Trishna was going to be fired as he put the total blame on her for the failure of the task. However, the finger was pointed and Rebecca was finally fired.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Lost in London

You’d think the candidates would be used to their weekly early morning wake-up call by now, but no, they still act as if they’re not expecting it.

This week, the candidates gathered at Lee Valley Velopark and were given the task of creating a crowdfunding campaign for a new cycling product; making a webpage, video and PR stunt, as well as pitching the product to cycling retailers.

This week Lord Sugar decided to mix things up and possibly throw the trend of Titans’ consecutive wins. After little discussion JD was allocated as project manager for Nebula, whilst a very confident Samuel became project manager for team Titans – which was bound to be interesting.

Choosing the product got the teams off to a good start as the decisions made were fairly neutral with team Nebula opting for safe, yet comfortable headphones and team Titans chose to promote a light up ‘fashionable’ gilet.

As for planning the PR stunts that followed, the initial vibe was very much tainted.

Nebula chose to gain attention to their headphones through a gospel choir singing a reworded version of ‘Joyful Joyful’. Although Frances seemed pretty impressed by her lyrical ideas, the expression on the choir members’ faces couldn’t oppose her enthusiasm any more. Meanwhile, Samuel pitched his rather confusing idea to his team members who’s thoughts were predictable, matching the majority of viewers watching at home: just what was he doing?

As Samuel allowed his ideas to run, or should we say cycle, away with him, JD was pretty much sitting back and letting his other team members do the work. From an outsider’s point of view, it was clear to see there was no form of management within team Nebula. JD may as well had been an addition to the role of Karren and Claude’s – simply watching the task unroll.

Team Nebula began filming their video for the campaign, with Sofiane literally taking the hot-seat – which is never good. As predicted, Sofiane let his rather bossy ways run away with him, telling Jessica who was directing, which shots to do and where to film. Friction began to grow between Sofiane and Paul, who appeared like two bickering brothers, with Jessica taking the mothering role, when trying to make the peace.

The gilet video was looking a lot more professional than the headphones one. Yet, JD was so unaware of the goings on in his team, simply due to his continued laid back approach. “I’m happy to take a step back and just chill out” – like he hadn’t been doing already at the point?!

So, the bickering between Paul and Sofiane continued and Jessica was once again found getting into her mothering role, with a more stern manner this time, which seemed to be more effective.

Before the PR stunt, when watching the video team Titans had created, Trishna had pointed out that ‘gilet’ was spelt wrong – when in fact it wasn’t. However, when she tweeted out and made sure the webpage spelt ‘gilet’ as ‘gillet’ it was Claude who had to pull her up on her mistake – slightly embarrassing, particularly after being so smug in pointing out the ‘mistake’ in the first place.

Next came the pitches where Karthik unsurprisingly took a humorous yet, professional approach, which was rightfully applauded by the retailers he was approaching. Courtney was obviously quite nervous but managed to deliver relevant information, unlike Samuel who ended up standing in for the pitch which Trishna was originally down to do, who would have probably done a better job.

JD lead his team for the pitch, who may have seemed confident but the retailers weren’t buying it – literally. From JD telling already converted cycling retailers that the market is growing to Frances being unexpectedly passed over to talk on pricing, with the slip up on the figures, it was pretty much a disaster which was noted in their return to the boardroom.

Lord Sugar addressed Samuel’s idea for team Titans’ PR stunt as ‘terrible’ and ‘useless’ and I couldn’t have agreed more.

But, although it was a mutual view that Samuel was not the best project manager, team Titans still became victorious for another consecutive week, going off to learn some advanced cooking whilst team Nebula drowned their sorrows drinking tea from ridiculously small polystyrene cups in a typical losing team’s rundown cafe.

As it was outlined by Lord Sugar that Rebecca and Frances had been in the loosing team five times, their positive nature of their fate was beginning to become questionable. However, Frances made a great escape gaining the freedom of not returning to the boardroom as JD picked Paul and Rebecca to join him to face Lord Sugar.

As soon as the three candidates walked in, it was clear that Paul was pretty certain that he shouldn’t have been called upon to return to the dreaded boardroom. With a defensive and convincing reason as to why he had been wrongly brought back, JD finally admitted that it may have been a mistake and that Sofiane should have been in Paul’s place. As well as admitting to this mistake, JD admitted to many more and took it on the chin as he held his hands up to the wrongs he’d been accused of.

Lord Sugar saw that JD’s chilled approach could only take him so far and for a role in project management, this was too much relaxing for his liking and was the latest contestant to be fired.

Read more:
The Apprentice: On your bike, JD!

5:45am. Candidates picked their best suits and shined their shoes before leaving to visit Drapers Hall in London, where they were inevitably greeted by Lord Sugar, Karren and Claude. The location is the home to the guild of wool and cloth merchants and has seen the industry’s value progressively rise.

The task proposed to the teams was to choose a department to run in Liberty’s, as well as offering a personal shopping experience in competition with one another to gain the most sales.

As the teams went off to discuss ideas, elect project managers and get along with the task, Nebula had an unexpected announcement – Aleksandra was going to leave the process after “not enjoying it”. First of all, I can’t quite seem to get my head round the fact that she waited until the moment the teams began to collaborate before mentioning her thoughts to leave – at least say it before the task and get a lay in!

Discussions broke loose and after not so much deliberation, Sofiane took the role of project manager for Titans and Grainne for Nebula.

After exploring the long list of different departments that Liberty has to offer, both teams seemed fairly keen on the scarves as a logical option to undertake, for their renowned trademark of the Liberty brand. However, Nebula’s project manager, Grainne, was swayed to prioritise handbags for Mukai’s confident offering of his experience and expertise in the fashion sector was something that he wasn’t prepared to go unnoticed.

So, after Titans chose animal themed scarves to sell, Nebula opted for classic handbags. The teams were sent off for a crash course in window selling and designed the structures and layouts of their displays, taking into account the information gained from the experts.

Not forgetting the personal shopping aspect, Frances carried out such thorough research into her client who she was meeting the next day, that it put Alana to shame, all Karren could say regarding the matter was “not a great start” and I couldn’t have agreed more.

7am the next day.

The window displays were revealed and it was laughably clear who had taken on the advice from the experts. Titans had an interactive and enticing display of scarves whilst Nebula attempted to create a New York skyline opposing a tropical paradise – a customer would just mistakenly take for a confusing and off-putting display.

After Alana’s poor research into the personal shopper arriving, Dillon had to shop broadly in hope to cope for the needs and wants of the shopper. But, even though Frances did in-depth research about her customer, they were still very fussy with her picks however, surprisingly the customer still welcomed Karthik’s advice.

Jessica was proving to be a real stand-out in team Titans where she balanced her shop window displaying with her sales and still managed to come out as the top seller.

Paul was doing well in Nebula, link selling the sales of the handbags to the personal shopping experience they were also offering.

Sofiane pushing himself forward as a ‘natural born leader’ and amazing salesman struggled to sell at all – maybe a slight push over the line of confidence? This was also reflected in team Nebula as Mukai’s claims for having such expertise in the sector was failing to prove through the number of sales he was processing. Finally, his first sale, calculating to £795.

As 6pm struck, trading was over and back to the boardroom they go, to discuss the task.

Hearing that Dillon’s personal shopping customer had an unknown budget of £5000 was gutting for him after only selling him £1000 worth of items, especially when in comparison to Frances’ customer, who spent nearly double their budget – a mere example demonstrating the importance of knowing your customer.

After much discussion, the figures were revealed and the Titans were victorious, going off to enjoy an afternoon of playing crochet and having drinks on the lawn.

Although the win was narrow, even a handbag’s difference for team Nebula, they were still defeated and the visit to Bridge café had to arise some of the reasons as to why they failed the task.

Returning to the boardroom, much of the blame to the failure of the task is pointed at Mukai for his perseverance of pushing his department of the handbags forward. The window display accounts for reason for the failure of the task too, as the lack of interactivity could have potentially lost them 30 – 40 per cent of footfall they could have earned if they had it. Karthik also complained about where he was placed in the task and felt he should have been more on the frontline, selling.

Once considering everything discussed, Grainne finally after a couple of changed decisions brought back Mukai and Karthik to the boardroom.

As the three bickered like school children, I urged for Lord Sugar to not fire Karthik – although being a loose cannon and slightly annoying at times, these are prime reasons why, as a viewer, he is great for the process.

Lord Sugar pulled the finger out, leaving Mukai fired and rightly so.

Karthik was left with few words from Lord Sugar – “I have my eyes on you.”

Read more:
The Apprentice: A failed hope to pull it out the bag

Once again, the candidates were franticly rushed to get ready for the upcoming task ahead.

Gathered at the beautiful Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, the candidates were surrounded by historic ambiance as Lord Sugar explained the relevance of the setting, being a prime location to see the iconic musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He then revealed that the task for this week was for candidates to create their own range of confectionary and to sell it to traders and the general public in one of Britain’s most-loved seaside locations, Brighton.

Lord Sugar mixed up the teams and elected Alana for Titans’ project manager and Oliver for Nebula’s – both of whom didn’t look too confident in his decision!

As the teams’ work went underway, it was clear that Alana was strong in supplying innovative and unique ideas to her team, in contrast to Oliver, who seemed to be, let’s say, traditional? He went for the simple options and quite blatantly didn’t know where to start in regards to interacting with his team as a project manager.

After the teams picked the sweets they were going to produce, it was quickly concluded that rock maybe wasn’t Nebula’s best option to go for in regards to its difficult production process. Although Oliver can apparently make sausages, it was proved that making rock was really not his forte, after countless occasions where his team members had to prompt him to keep an eye on his produce.

Titans were to produce blue and white confectionary ‘pillows’, 190 packets in fact, as the sales team narrowly secured a deal with Brighton Football Club. During the pitch to the club, Sofiane was eager to boost up value for their products even after the customers stated their firm budget of £300. Fair enough, some negotiation can be achieved, but when the customer is this certain that their budget isn’t moving, it’s a real risk to persevere as you can loose the sale altogether – which I’m surprised wasn’t the end result.

Mukai’s sales team from Nebula, approached a winery in hope to accept an offer for their confectionary. Sealing the deal to receive £75 – yes, £75.

After the brand identities were created – Nebula’s ‘Suck it and Sea’ and Titans’ ‘Guilties’, the sweets were ready to flog!

The pressure began to get slightly too much for Alana who was feeling stressed over the fact she had lots of confectionary to produce in a restricted amount of time and knowing one of the machines in her kitchen was broken. After figuring out alternative ways to produce the order of sweets for Brighton FC, the team ploughed through as quickly as they could.

When Sofiane was explaining to the customer that they had the ideas of creating ‘half footballs’, the customer wasn’t 100 per cent convinced. Even after Sofiane demonstrated what he meant with the sweets, it was still a bit of a stretch as the customer stated that it ‘wasn’t what was agreed’. Despite this, they still took the batch and the order was officially complete.

As the teams sold by the seaside, Alana showed her managerial skills as she discussed a pricing strategy with her team. Not so sensibly, Oliver simply didn’t really have one.

As Oliver tried to draw attention to his products by riding the bike around like a bit of a fool, the other teams were beginning to pick up on their sales.

Just when I thought that Karthik was actually bearable to watch this week, he demonstrated his overly-confident side as he stated, “I’m the best salesman in the universe”.

Task over and back to the boardroom.

Tensions are not anywhere near as bad as the previous week however, it’s clear that Paul has a slightly moody streak in him where he shows his frustration if something goes wrong. However, I think Paul is one to watch – he’s clearly very smart and is very observant in situations.

Close one to call but Nebula are the failures of the task and as Titans pick up a sweet victory, they go off to learn free running whilst Oliver brings Paul and Mukai back to the boardroom.

Throughout the whole task, Oliver did nothing but depend on other people to make decisions for him, he had no real plan and team members didn’t feel secure in his management – you simply can’t help but laugh at him at times. This was definitely something Lord Sugar saw through and advised, “your best hope for £250,000 is to buy a scratch card” as he fired him.

Another week goes on.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Fudged failure and sweet success

OKI has been delivering advanced printing solutions for over 60 years and intends to continue to introduce new technologies to support the needs of both large and small businesses. For those who are less aware of OKI, they are a company that develops printers, faxes and other devices that cope to boost business productivity by supplying fast and high quality products in the workplace.

The company’s approach can be described in three words: ‘secure, easy, smart’.

Terry Kawashima, OKI Europe’s Managing Director has been working at OKI for over 30 years and was the individual to introduce the Smart Colour Solutions event that was held in Milan at the start of October. He stated that OKI’s broad selection of printers means that they are now affordable for SMEs and not just large enterprises.

OKI prides themselves on their unique, award-winning LED technology that took a revolutionary step in the world of printing. The LED technology that they have been using for 20 years is said to limit wear and tear due to its fewer moving parts within the mechanism. Along with this and in compliment with the robust engine structure, this technology is reliable with a built-to-last design which enables OKI to provide users with a three year warranty as standard on most models.  

OKI operates in a way to support different types of business sector and has now found ways to particularly support industries such as retail, healthcare and graphic-arts.

For signage and promotions in retail, the options available are ideal. Head offices of retail companies can send over price or promotion labels to branches without the need for a laptop to connect to the printer – a massive time saver. Additionally, some of the printers on offer are able to print onto a magnetised material, where signage for events, promotions and stands can be carried out quicker than ever before. This reduces the amount of time a branch has to spend on the displays enabling more spent on the selling/distribution of the company’s products.

In healthcare, the technology works brilliantly too. A patient’s information is accessible to individuals that need its view and they are also able to update patient details quickly and efficiently through the built-in document management software.

Most printers have the option to heighten the security on some documents by only giving the appropriate and concerning people the accessibility of the selected files. The printers can also store some documents or users can print a document and then have it deleted from the database once printing is complete.

In today’s digital age, mobile phones with features such as the Cloud, mean that computers are gradually descending in regards to level of importance and necessity. A lot of what we could only previously do on our computers, we can now do from the handheld devices in our pockets.

OKI have developed smart printing devices and solutions to coincide with this ongoing trend. For example, a lot of the range enables users to send the printer documents through the OKI app which is easy to use and extremely quick.

Lee Webster, General Manager Product Marketing at OKI has been working at the company for around 18 years and commented on digitalisation and the effect on the print industry: “People will still need to print. The challenge is to make sure that they always have the capability to print. This is why today we’re seeing, Google Cloud Print, Apple Air Print, etc and the mobile printing app – these are the kind of things we need to do to make sure that, yes – people are changing the way they approach documents with digitalisation, but actually when they need to print we need to make it easy for them to print and that should be what our focus is.”

Lee went on to explain the impact OKI has had in the world of printing in regards to A3 colour printing: “We launched the original C8000 back in 2008 and basically we began to look at how the A3 market had been declining for many years. When we brought out this product, it was quite revolutionary in terms of being so company and it still is the most compact device, and actually turned the market and made it grow again for several years.

“Now the market’s probably the same size or maybe slightly bigger than it was all those years ago and we are the main player there – we lead that change. We created a new A3 colour segment that revived the A3 colour printer market and we are still a key player there, which is why we are upgrading the products today, to keep one step ahead of the game.

“More than 1 in 4 of every A3 colour printer sold in the EMEA for the last 4/5 years has been an OKI.”

The new range and the attitude that OKI have towards the future is promising, with determination to remain in the top half of the printing industry. Tetsuya Kuri, Vice President of OKI Marketing UK, shared the findings that OKI research retrieved, that physical documents receive more attention than digital – printed adverts/flyers/promotions have a  48 per cent chance that will be more likely to attract people, as opposed to digital’s 26 per cent rate.

It is clear that OKI are not threatened by digitalisation and that in fact they are using it to help their products advance, grow and cope for the current digital age that we are in.

Read more:
OKI Europe launches Smart Colour Solutions to change perception of printing for SMEs

After the weekly phone call alerting candidates to be ready in 20 minutes, the taxis soon arrived and whisked them off to see Lord Sugar, Karren and Claude to find out the task for this week.

The task was simple – to create a brand, TV advert and digital screen in which the public can interact with, all for jeans made from Japanese denim. Yes, it may sound fairly straightforward but the teams could not have made the task more difficult for themselves if they tried.

The key for this task was to ensure that management, structure and skills were applied in the appropriate way – which both teams miserably failed to achieve.

Initial sparks from the girls’ team arose as Rebecca and Jessica fought for project manager. When finally allocating the role to Jessica, Rebecca’s concerned-looking expression longed to be a permanent feature of her appearance for the duration of this task, as she numerously declared that her skills lied in this task. As Jessica picked up on the role, it was clear that pressure was already beginning to mount.

Whilst the girls had Jessica as project manager, Mukai took the role for the boys’ team.

The boys’ brand name was ‘Day’ (Day After Yesterday) which was pretty much a name Mukai had created and wasn’t going to negotiate a change on, totally disregarding the boys’ first ideas.

Mukai’s lack of support for his team was further continued through his attitude shown towards Dillon on the phone, who was willing to share the sub-team’s plans and ideas. An analytic Claude watching from afar was disappointed in the behaviour of the project manager and stated that the conversation would have been vital.

Meanwhile, the girls had calculated their brand name and strap line – ‘Unclaimed’ with ‘claim your fit’ – bound to spark confusion. When in discussion, one of the girls became confused if the strap line was as we know it or if it was the line on the strap of the jeans – I can assure that many viewers’ head fell into their hands or they were tempted to change the channel at this point.

As Dillon wasted time leading his team to audition the models for their adverts, the girls team arrived at their shoot – without any jeans.

“So, you’re shooting your jean campaign without any jeans” Karren commented, exposing the girls’ stupidity. Although very humorous to watch as an audience, project manager, Jessica, was clearly feeling the pressure as the tears began to build and a moment to compose herself outside was advised by Karren.

As a model was finally sent to the boys’ shoot, they were still one model short so Courtney stepped in and good on him. Something to value about Courtney is that he is always up to do anything with no fuss, but hopefully the other candidates won’t take advantage and target this as a weakness in the forthcoming tasks.

Moving onto the digital posters. The girls had the lead on this one as their advert was interactive. However, even though the boys were meant to create an interactive advert also, their poor time management resulted in them only having time to produce a standard poster advert.

So, the next day arrived and the teams got to physically view their product packaging. My personal favourite was the girls’ design, but to be honest, both were pretty unimpressive for a bunch of ‘geniuses’.

It became clear that Karthik was beginning to grain on many of the boys and that he was definitely the catalyst for conflict and disruption. As they argued like little boys in the playground, JD attempted to shut him up.

The pitches were absolutely dreadful. Firstly, the girls presented a pitch that confused the receivers due to the fact that the different forms of advertising in which they used, didn’t work well together or with the brand they were trying to promote. A dysfunctional approach to the advertising meant that their luxury brand for women of around 25 years old, was not coming across clearly.

If that pitch wasn’t bad enough, the boys’ couldn’t have gone any worse. From project manager, Mukai, fluffing up his words from the moment he opened his mouth to introduce the pitch to JD slipping up on claims that the brand is unisex – it was terrible. Mukai’s arrogance and authority of project manager going to his head, reflects an example of how arrogance and over-confidence with an unwilling to work in a team, gets you nowhere in the world of business.

Unlike last week, a winning team was very difficult to call, simply due to the masses of faults made by both teams.

As they discussed the failures in the boardroom, Lord Sugar expressed his anger, “mad men? More like demented dimwits”. As he stated that he simply couldn’t allocate the winning title to neither team or have his name against such a travesty, there was no surprise in his decision.

As both teams go off to separate cafes, the conflict and arguments began to brew.

Once returning to the boardroom, Jessica brought Natalie and Alana back with her and Mukai brought JD and Karthik.

From the girls’ team, it was clear that Jessica had suffered the stress of the task, Alana and Jessica’s clash of personality was questioning the genuineness of Jessica bringing her back to the boardroom and finally Natalie just didn’t pull her weight. Unfortunately for Natalie, styling hair, makeup and cleaning are not qualities that Lord Sugar is looking for.

For the boys’ team, Mukai was an appalling and unsupportive project manager, JD was claimed to have not been productive and Karthik – we know loves to chuck his toys out the pram.

As the bickering evolved and the accusations began to fly across the room, it was expected that Lord Sugar would fire more than one candidate, but no.

Natalie was fired and the remaining candidates made an extremely lucky escape – especially “loose cannon”, Karthik.

Read more:
The Apprentice: Basic brands, abysmal adverts and poor pitches

The obligatory high angle shots of London rolled onto our screen as we welcomed back one of the most entertaining ‘business’ programmes to date. The dramatic opening swiftly introduced the 18 eager, and some slightly arrogant, individuals of which make up this year’s candidates.

The amount of claims the candidates make at the beginning – some more ridiculous than others, do exceed the point of confidence. It’s humorous as a viewer to hear their claims of winning and being better than the rest, then to watch them unroll, facing pressure in tasks and consequences for their silly mistakes shown as the process progresses. But, it is an inevitable trend we see every year – false promises and massive egos.

As Lord Sugar finished his ‘pep talk’ on striving to succeed to prove the candidates business acumen and that “the process is not personal, it’s business”, he individually discussed some of the statements on each of the candidates’ CV.

There was one candidate that stood out – and not in a particularly positive way. I couldn’t help compare digital marketer and clothes brand owner, Jessica, to an excited little puppy as a juxtaposition to the content other candidates that stood in her company. Her excitement was to the extent that Karen advised her to “take a breath”, and from this moment, I knew I was going to find Jessica to be very annoying for the rest of this process.

So, the task – to sell antiques to traders, as well as selling to the general public. The mix of valuable items meant that the candidates had to figure out the more valuable items from the not to impressive ones – with the help of an expert if needed.

After deliberation between the teams, Titans and Nebula were born – Paul being project manager for Titans and Michelle for Nebula.

When viewing the discussions the teams were having, there was quite a distinct difference between the genders this year. All round, the boys seemed quite focused and set their priorities stern whereas, the girls this year appear quite ditsy and not so strong.

The girls sold their stock quickly but at low prices, with some ridiculous deals being offered. The worst part is, they believed they were doing well!

Both teams were looking to sell a quirky, vintage looking chair, as we see the boys receive value for it being £300, the following shot shows Frances happily flogging it off to a customer for £17.50 – what a loss of opportunity! Her commentary reflects how impressed she was with herself, even after negotiation from £20.

As the task continued, the boys clearly had good structure with promising sales. Selling a vase for £175 which we later found out in the boardroom was valued at £7 was an impressive sale and one of which was bound to mark impressively in Lord Sugar’s analysis of candidates.

Claude reported that the girls spent maybe too long on research with the experts in which consequently left them with less time to sell. Even though being advised that Portabello provided great opportunity in the heart of antique selling, did they locate there? No, they decided to go to Camden instead to “save time”. Unfortunately for the girls, they did end up losing a lot of time due to a lack of communication to the driver who had their valuable goods.

Not all was good for the boys though. They narrowly miss a good sale due to simple questioning of asking a trader if they had the authority to make a deal and the money to hand over on the day. Missed opportunity through a simple mistake – time wasted!

However, the boys were selling their goods in the advised Portabello market, which clearly proved to pay off as their goods were being flogged left, right and centre. It was clear that the boys were prioritising the sales to customers rather than the traders and the girls were slightly in opposing contrast.

The amount of times Michelle claimed to have been strong in management was humorous when compared with the way she ‘managed’ her team. However, she is not the first to make such comment, as expertise in management claims are what countless numbers of candidates make and fail to carry out.

As 6pm approached, trading concluded and even though it was a tough one to call, the Titans slightly gave off a winning impression.

As expected, the Titans were victorious and celebrated with dance lessons as the girls took the essential visit to the well-known run-down café to discuss the failures of the task.

Once revisiting the boardroom, it’s clear that Michelle was much in fault for the failure of the task and receives a gruelling from not just Lord Sugar, but also many of her team members who begin to arise concerns of her strategy in regards to pricing and control. Slightly unfair on Michelle, as they didn’t mention many concerns as much during the task, which could have made a difference to their outcome.

Michelle brings Alana and Rebecca back to the boardroom of which Rebecca profoundly objects to being part of the failure of the task, even though she held back from selling and sold £25 worth of goods.

Although desperation in Rebecca’s remarks were maybe off putting for Lord Sugar, she narrowly missed a firing as Lord Sugar pointed the dreaded finger at Michelle.

17 candidates remain, but who will be the next to go?

Read more:
The Apprentice: Lord Sugar searches for his diamond

Working from home can sound like the dream, or in some cases a nightmare as seasoned veterans on telecommuting will tell you that it’s not all plain sailing. So how do you make the most of working from home whilst enjoying being out of the office?

Use your commute time wisely

You may not have to travel to work but don’t use that as an excuse to sleep in for an extra hour or work from your bed. Use the time you would be travelling to do something productive and non work related, whether its reading a book, fitting in a work out or make a healthy breakfast and catch up on the news (not Facebook).

Make a list

Jot down all the things you hope to do for the day. Make sure you are realistic but don’t be too easy on yourself. Present doable tasks that are possible to achieve given your time frame.

Hide/ disconnect any distractions

If you work with the TV on in the background or listen to music, then great, but if it’s a distraction switch it off. Keeping distractions to a minimum will make it easier to maintain your focus.

Stay hydrated, take small regular breaks

It is known that smaller breaks whether at work or home is best for brain activity, mindflow and generally working to your best. Staying hydrated throughout the day and taking regular breaks, I find, is a great way to keep you going.

Keep in touch with the office or someone!

Whilst it’s great working form home it can also be a lonely existence. Ideas come about when you can bounce them around and get feedback, so keep in touch with the people you work with. If that’s not an option find someone that’s in the same position and set up a time each week or even day to talk shop.

Give yourself space

Layout whatever you need in the appropriate and most comfortable way. This way, if you can see everything you need to, you feel more organised and more comfortable. Secondly, avoid mess. It’s true what they say ‘out of sight, out of mind’. You don’t need the distraction of doing the washing or tidying up when you’ve got work to do!

Get out of the house

Go for a walk round the block, get to the post office on your lunch break, whatever you do make sure you get some fresh air in your lungs and blood moving. It’ll give you a break and your brain a reboot.

Don’t get distracted by the people around you

Sometimes the biggest problem of working home is not a lack of motivation or discipline but other people knowing that you are home! Whilst it may be tricky don’t encourage people to visit during the work day or at least limit coffee time with friends!

Read more:
How to achieve your optimum when working from home

This series of Dragons’ Den offered a variation in pitches, allowing us to outline the most favourable, to the not so impressive.

The top three pitches

I simply couldn’t resist allocating a place in the top three to the Snaffling Pig & Co.

Nick Coleman and Andrew Allen’s polished and confident pitch was full of engagement through puns, humour and genuine entrepreneurship, not to mention the product being a selection of different flavoured pork scratchings! The flavours on offer vary from maple, to salt and vinegar, to BBQ and many more – all of which are insanely delicious! From researching their market and audience thoroughly, it definitely proved to pay off in the den, setting a great example for other considerate participants.

Even though business partners, Nick and Andy, didn’t receive offers from all Dragons, potential was still noted from Nick Jenkins who chose to invest and make the most of his branch into another pig related company!

The pitch proposing Cocofina has also landed a spot in the top three, simply due to the fact that the products literally enticed every single Dragon, leaving them to intensely compete for Jacob Thundil’s acceptation of their offer, giving the entrepreneur the power that is conventionally placed within the claws of the Dragons.

Cocofina is a range of coconut based products that include, snack bars, oil, nectar, water and many more. From the growing popularity of healthier snacks and substitutions, Cocofina is in the perfect market for it to grow – which obviously the Dragons acknowledged.

Even when the pitch was joined by Jacob’s business partner who was unexpectedly asked by the Dragons to join Jacob in the den, they still collectively managed to pull off a great pitch that resulted in all Dragons offering investment.

Another pitch which definitely made its mark in the den was from partners, Martin Child and Jenny David presenting ‘MarXman’ – a helpful but simple tool designed to help builders and any DIY undertakers, by allowing them to easily mark their drill holes.

Self-proclaimed Dyslexic and Asperger’s individual, Martin, was admirable for his perseverance in promoting his product, proven when the couple revealed to have invested nearly all of their life savings in the invention. The fact that the product was already stocked in Wickes, caused a widen in the eager eyes of the Dragons.

All chose to offer an investment but inevitably, Deborah was the one to receive acceptance as she jumped for joy at her triumph.

The worst pitches

In terms of attitude, the worst pitch has to go to Marco who was proposing his company ‘ProGains ‘ – a pre-prepped meal delivery service.

One thing Marco does teach us is to never lie to a Dragon.

After claiming that his brand was trademarked, Deborah found a fault in his statement as she scanned the paperwork to find that only a mere application for trademark was made – not confirmation. His over-ambitious attitude was too much for the Dragons and, when added to his false statements too, it didn’t encourage the Dragons to invest.

Although the product was actually potentially  quite good, at this point in the business where uncertainties lie, the Dragons decided it was best not to invest.

Taking a different view, for the worst pitch in terms of clarity, it definitely has to go to Faheem Badul from ‘Direct Wholesale’ with his franchise restaurant and ‘Perios’ food business.

From the start of the pitch, not only the viewers were puzzled, but the Dragons declared on frequent occasions during Faheem’s presence that they were confused by what he was trying to pitch. Even after these declarations, Faheem still remained to be perceived as unclear. He even forgot to ask the Dragons how much investment he was seeking and for what equity percentage share – which isn’t great, especially when a Dragon has to prompt you!

Faheem’s determination to get Peter and Sarah on board with him quickly began to prove less achievable as his pitch grew more confusing the more it progressed.

Deborah branded the pitch for being “one of the most frustrating” that she has ever sat through, Peter was “not impressed” and Sarah “couldn’t be more confused” – not exactly encouraging! As expected, all Dragons declared themselves ‘out’, leaving Faheem with advice to take a more clear direction with his business.

The funniest pitches

The funniest pitches due to their pure lack in potential were from Rupert Evans who was entering the den with his ‘Fold-Ease’ invention and Ben Drury presenting his ‘Lacemups’ gadget.

Firstly, the concept of ‘Fold-Ease’ is that it helps you fold the ‘perfect’ crease in your paper. By preventing you from suffering friction burns and paper cuts, this neat little invention that is placed on the top of your finger allows you to fold paper, quickly and efficiently.

This sparked confusion and surprise in the den, as well as a lot of head-in-hands!

The laughs continued as Rupert revealed the existence of two sizes in the product! Being great for a secretarial or admin role as Rupert proclaims, the Dragons failed to agree on this occasion and rejected his investment seeking of £40,000.

Ben’s ‘Lacemups’ is a product that is supposed to help teach children to tie their shoe laces.

From rather humorously watching the Dragons test out the gadget, it was funny to see the struggle they found! All of the Dragons found the product more hassle to use than tying your shoe lace as you normally would, consequently contradicting its fast and easy approach to tying shoe laces. Peter seemed to find the most difficulty, resulting in him requesting for another Dragon’s help!

If the Dragons can’t get to grips with the product, it’s highly unlikely that a child would cope well and so, due to this, all of the Dragons predictably declared themselves out.

Dragons’ Den is due to bounce back onto our screens later this year

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: The best, worst and funniest pitches of the series

First into the den in hope to drive the Dragons into an ambitious investment of £200,000 for only a 2 per cent equity, was Dan Humet with his car parking app and website which helps track down parking locations within an area. I know you may have had to re-read that sentence, but yes, it’s true, he asked for £200,000 in exchange for a 2 per cent equity share – crazy, right?

The concept of the business was actually quite convincing and potential was definitely granted to the product. As a driver myself, I would definitely find the app useful. Being quite an impatient individual, I would undeniably be satisfied with time saving in regards to finding parking spaces – particularly areas I’m not so familiar with.

The money demands and valuation formed a continuum of rising concerns, however didn’t stop Dan from receiving offers. Peter offers all the money for 20 per cent, in which he profers to share with Nick who accepts a share. As Dan reveals he owns around 46 per cent of the business, 20 per cent is too much to share. He negotiates a 5 per cent share – in total! 

A 2.5 per cent equity share each, was just not inviting enough for neither Peter nor Nick. Clearly,  Dan wanted to hold on to the majority of his 46 per cent share and so, his stubbornness to offer away more equity left him to leave the den empty handed. 

Now, I’ve already mentioned my impatient tendency, so when I heard Mustafa from ‘WellGelLondon’ state that their gel nail products work quicker than the existing gel products, I got a tad excited! 

I know the feeling of having to wait around 40 minutes for your gel nails to be perfected in a salon and for me personally, anything to speed up the process is inviting! With ‘non-toxic’ benefits and a ‘chemical-free, natural’ claim, I was urged to listen more closely. 

However, my excitement soon began to fade as Sarah declared her familiarity with other similar fast-process products currently on the market. Additionally, Deborah’s analytical eye on the product detail documents proved that some of Mustafa’s ‘non-toxic’ claims were too ambitious. The other Dragons resulted in a mutual feeling that the product didn’t have the potential to grow extensively and so Mustafa failed to gel down an investor. 

Next to grasp my attention was Alison Greeve, presenting two of her inventions – a non-slip service tray and a hand holder for tablets. She was hoping to grip onto a £75,000 investment for a 7.5 per cent stake in the business. 

Not going to lie, the tablet holder was something I’d seen in many forms already, but the non-slip tray was something of potential. After discovering Alison gradually placed focus on her second product – the tablet holder, Dragons were very questionable of this decision. 

The ‘targeted’ and ‘small’ market was not enticing enough for Peter and a quick decline in interest from the other Dragons left the entrepreneur empty handed.

Finally, to conclude the series until later this year, Jamie Lawler pitched his company ‘Kids Flush’ – a button that fixes on-top of toilet flush buttons to aid parenting by encouraging children to flush after going to the toilet. Not only is the button an inviting, resplendent colour, it also makes a funfair noise each time the button is pushed, in a way to praise the child – which the Dragons found fairly amusing. 

With his retail aspirations, Jamie was hoping to seal a £40,000 investment for a 20 per cent share in his company. Most Dragons were not interested for the “product is not a business” as stated by Nick, who shared the same view with his fellow Dragons. Touker however, remained attentive and was yet to flush away an opportunity as quick as the other investors did.

 After deliberation, dramatism and a conventional den build up, Touker decided to grant an offer of all of the money, but for a 20 per cent higher share than Jamie’s asking equity. Jamie gratefully accepts the offer and the series concludes!

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: The Dragons roar for the final episode  

Self-proclaimed ‘workaholic’ Ranjit Sohal, entered the den asking for a £50,000 investment in his silicon housing for accessed lighting business, targeted at the audience of technicians for its safety and compliance benefits, in return for a 15 per cent equity share. Although it was a bright start to the pitch, being described as ‘innovative’ by Peter, there was much deliberation about the colour choices of the silicon light fittings. I personally thought that the colours were slightly resplendent and that it would maybe narrow down the audience even further, as black and white would be the most commonly opted for colours. The Dragons’ ignite began to dim and they were failing to see the light by the end of the pitch, as was I. As Nick describes the business as being ‘not investable’ the other Dragons follow his thoughts, resulting in a blackout. No offers to this eager entrepreneur.

Next in the den were Lauren and Mark Taylor, presenting their brand ‘Kokosobaby’ which consists of coconut oil based skincare baby products, promoting a more organic and natural approach to childcare.

Their impressive stockist, Boots, failed to uphold the initial interest that this gained, due to the fact that their numbers prompted concern. The idea of becoming more organic in skincare, especially in regards to babies is a progressively popular trend that is beginning to evolve. This becomes no wonder when four out of five Dragons declare themselves out because of a conflicting investment that they have in other similar businesses.

At this point, I know I’d be feeling discouraged, especially as the Dragons were literally dropping like flies. The couple stood there in hope, which paid off, gaining a negotiated offer from Touker who gave them the £50,000 investment they were seeking, but with a discussed equity share of 30 per cent buy back to 25 per cent.

Next to capture my attention was John Ball’s pitch, asking for £50,000 investment in his tablet/ smartphone stand business, for a 20 per cent equity share. After sharing a perhaps intentional story of his struggle, Peter asks if he has come for ‘investment or counselling?’ – Which undoubtedly caused a chuckle amongst many viewers, but also put him in his place as John then got down to business.

As the Dragons began to question numbers, John became guarded in some aspects. Why would you go on Dragons’ Den, which you know will be broadcasted on television, knowing also that you’ll be asked about figures, only to answer that they’re “not something I’m happy to go on television”? – big fail!

The amount of cases and stands currently out in the market, especially where some of which are cheaper, are bound to cause tough competition. This is a shared concern amongst the Dragons and so, even though praise is given, John leaves empty handed. Peter concludes, “great product, small potential.” PitPat

Finally, after a rather unsuccessful start of pitches, Andrew Nowell concludes this episode with his pitch, presenting ‘PitPat’ – a gadget that dogs wear around their necks, allowing the owners to monitor their activity by enabling a link to their free app.

The valuation is negatively described throughout the pitch including ‘crazy’ and ‘ridiculous‘ and Peter is eager to find out what IP that the company owns valuable enough for it to be a £2 million worth business. Andrew begins to stumble as the interrogation of Peter’s questions seems to trouble his flow of responses.

As Deborah reassured Andrew that the product was a good one and worth a tail wag, she and Nick pair for a matching offer, allowing Andrew to gain the £150,000 investment he was hoping for but a significantly higher equity share than what he was offering. Andrew left empty handed, even when proposing a counter offer of a 12.5 per cent as a limit of equity share, 5 per cent higher than his original 7.5 per cent share offering. Nick and Deborah were eager for the 10 per cent each, leaving no choice but to devastatingly decline the offer.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: How to narrowly gain investment in a popular market

Cocofina is an established food and drink company that bases its products on the well-known ingredient, coconut. From being the first UK coconut water seller, its success has caused the company to branch out into creating different products, but still with the base ingredient of coconut. From water to nectar, bars to chips and oil to vinegar, the wide product range along with the healthy benefits, clearly impressed the Dragons to the extent that all five made an offer to invest.

I got the chance to talk to Jacob about his experience in the den, as well as finding out what advice he would give to startups and of course, coconuts, coconuts, coconuts!

With all five dragons offering the full amount of money of £75,000 and Souleyman offering £100,00 the duo had the dragons eating out the palms of their hands. Talking about his experience in the den, Jacob explains his decision on choosing a joint investment from Nick and Sarah “Sarah is an obvious because of the food, but she’s also young and very energetic, as well as coming across as very positive. Nick is very strong on marketing and we’re not strong on online marketing. Nick has literally built a business on printing greeting cards and selling them and has been very successful, so we wanted to have them on board.” 

Jacob’s love of coconuts stemmed from a very young age. He grew up in Kerala, India which actually means ‘the land of the coconuts’ so, it’s literally in his heritage! 

From growing up in such a coconut-filled environment, Jacob confessed this inspired him to eventually create a business with an ingredient that was a much loved part of his childhood. “For me, coconut water is one of the things I go really crazy for. Even now, when I land in say, Thailand, I drink 4 often in the first 2 hours. I am really really crazy for it, I don’t know why, I just have this obsession for it!.”

Even though Jacob’s love for the coconut has been apparent for a very long time, he didn’t start the business until 2005, prior to this he was working for HSBC and BT. 

I was surprised at the contrast between the business he has now and the businesses he previously worked for. The direction into creating a food and drink business was fairly opposing to his more engineerial background, so I questioned it, in which he replied: “It’s not that different” 

He explained, “My dad passed away when I was 17 and I was running my dad’s business plus doing an engineering degree at the same time. So, when my friends were playing games and going to play football, I was on a business trip to Hong Kong. 

“But I enjoyed it, because I got so much experience from the age of 17. After that, I trained my mum to take over the business whilst I continued my studies. My family were all business people and I was thinking that you needed to become a professional so, I became a professional for say, 14 years. I thought ‘this is it, get a mortgage, buy a car, get married and follow the dream’.

Although this was Jacob’s initial life plan, it didn’t particularly work out in this conventional way: “At 30, I was thinking ‘if every day is going to be the same, what am I going to do? Is this it?’ At that point, I was sitting on a beach in Brazil, where I would travel with my boss on work, and I got given this coconut to drink.” 

After receiving a spark of inspiration, creating a coconut water business then became something Jacob wanted to pursue. However, he faced challenges as he realised that due to lack of awareness around the benefits of coconut water, there were virtually no buyers for it. “Slowly it started evolving because people started looking for more healthy drinks. As well – travel. A lot of people travel and this drink reminds them of their holiday.”

Jacob was working part-time during the early stages of the business, where he worked evenings and weekends. Before deciding to work on the business full-time, he got his first batch produced and went to the taste festival in Regent’s Park to test out his product’s potential and to secure his confidence in that this was the right decision to make.  

50 per cent of the audience disliked the product, claiming it to be ‘salty’. “I was buying coconut water from India. Indian coconuts that grow near the sea are quite salty because the fact that the water comes from the ground. So, then I found a special species of coconut that’s quite mild and that’s grown inland, not near the sea – in Thailand and the Philippines.

“We got our first food and drink award in 2006 in which the judges said, ‘if people are looking for a healthy drink, they would love Cocofina’. 

As Jacob began to gain listings and pitching to wholesalers, the business started to grow and he began to spend more time in his business and less with his current employer at the time. Even though he became the first person to sell coconut water in the UK, he decided not to take it to supermarkets: “A lot of people don’t know me, only the health fanatics know me. I have my niche and there are a lot of brands that came afterwards and they were just trying to make money and they’re getting pushed off of the shelf in the supermarket.

“For us, being stocked in Holland and Barret, there are only two brands – Vita Coco and us. So, there’s a choice for the consumer, do they go for the mass market brand or the health brand?

Coconut-based products tend to have a lot of health benefits and so, I asked Jacob if this was something he was trying to encourage and promote, “Not really. It’s like, if you like chocolate, you like chocolate. Coconut’s another flavour like chocolate, so if you like it, you like it. I am trying to sell a good quality product for people who really like coconut. I think I have enough consumers who will buy something healthy because it’s good, not the other way round. I wouldn’t have anything that taste’s bad, because I don’t think I need to. I try and find an alternative.”

I was intrigued to find out where the inspiration of creating other coconut-based products arose from. Jacob explained how he once made a snack bar for his son, which went down pretty well! Confessing that he really liked his invention, he started giving away the snack bars he was making. Within 3 weeks of launching the snack bar, he sold 25,000 units and the rest is history. He brought out two new flavours of coconut snack bar and is currently working on his 4^th which has pineapple in and Jacob describes as “incredible”. 

I asked Jacob who his inspiration was and he heart-warmingly replied: “I don’t have any superheroes but I have my brother-in-law. When my dad passed away, he was someone I looked up to because he works really hard. He’s a doctor and he would go and for doing rounds on a Sunday, even though it wasn’t part of his work. As far as he’s concerned, the patient was in his care and he didn’t care whether it was Saturday, Sunday or Monday if someone needs to be seen to. So for me, he was someone I really looked up to.”

Not many can say that they have experience of running a businesses from the age of 17, so I was keen to discover what advice Jacob would offer to startups: “There’s a few things I would say. Number one is, in the beginning, don’t choose profitability. Try to put in the least amount of money as possible. 

“Number two is, try to not have so many fixed costs. In the beginning, you don’t have income to support your overheads, so don’t have a fancy office, and don’t have a big mortgage. The only person that’s going to notice your own car is yourself, so you don’t need to impress anyone, you need to keep your costs low. What happens a lot of the time is when we progress in our jobs, our needs also increase.  What I’ve tried to do is keep my costs at the level where I was on my second job. If you need to reach your dreams, there are some sacrifices you need to make. You’re not going to travel business class on day one, that’s afterwards and you’ve got to put in your sweat.

“When I started out, I had a serious fear of selling. I just couldn’t pick up the phone and call someone, I was always saying ‘I will do it tomorrow’. I think the sooner you conquer this fear, the better, just go for it! If someone says ‘no’, that’s fine. 

“When you sign up to new channels, new distributers and even suppliers, be very careful because you can’t put a step back because once you’ve done a deal with these people and products are on the shelf. All the distributers that I currently have and have gained over the last 10 years, I haven’t lost any of them. It’s a very important decision, so don’t take it lightly. If someone came and said ‘I want to buy your product’, you don’t need to say ‘yes’, you need to figure out if it’s working for the brand. 

“Re-invent yourself and everything 12-18 months, because who you were 18 months ago is not who you need to be 18 months later. The situation has changed, the world has changed, your business has evolved, and you have other people working with you. You are not going to say ‘this is my business, so I am going to be who I am’, you’re going to say ‘how has the business changed and how do I need to change myself and upskill myself to work in this sort of change?’ 

He continued, “If you end up focusing too much on your job and are not giving work to other people, then other people’s efforts are being wasted.”

Check out my review of the Dragons’ Den episode that featured Cocofina

Read more:
The Dragons go nuts for Cocofina 

Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee, but the alteration of a more ‘holey’ lid firmed onto my coffee cup will not change my ‘experience’ of drinking one. Tom and Craig’s ‘FoamAroma’ coffee lid is designed to enhance your coffee drinking ‘experience’ – which fundamentally means, it allows you to smell the coffee more whilst you drink it. I’m not going to lie, initially I was intrigued from their introduction. From showing great research into the industry, whilst hinting at a potentially successful product to finally present the invention – a regular coffee cup with more holes in – really?

It became laughable when Craig, the inventor, claimed the cup would cause less tension on your jaw with the use of this lid. I’m sorry, maybe it’s only me who has never heard of a strained jaw caused from drinking from a regular lid that thousands do so every day? In my opinion, they should wake up and smell the coffee themselves and the lacking potential that this invention has.

Next seeking the Dragons to sing their praises were sisters, Claire and Tina, with their children’s singing groups ‘Little Belters’. They claim to boost confidence and improve the vocal techniques of 5 – 11 year olds with their fun group classes, which we got to witness the Dragons trial.

One thing I did learn is that Peter Jones’ vocals are definitely not as strong as his business acumen.

The sisters struck the wrong note when the mention of figures made them fluster, consequently draining the upbeat atmosphere. I couldn’t help but feel for the pair when the Dragons were practically spoon-feeding them the maths and they still failed to calculate a number. Claire and Tina leave empty handed.

David caught my attention with his ‘Daio’ silicon sleeve that helps to maintain child safety within the home, preventing the harmful effects of hot styling tools left unattended. His impressive featuring on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ wasn’t enough to hide the burns of his current debts. I didn’t really see how David could enter the den, having no idea that the Dragons may find this of a concern. Although the idea of the invention was admirable and relevant, the extremity of the current amount of investment and debt stacked up already, rang alarm bells for the Dragons, who chose not to invest.

Finally – a pitch worth waiting for.

I wasn’t the only one going nuts for ‘Cocofina’. Jacob and Manisha entered the den in hope for a £75,000 investment which didn’t seem a struggle to earn as the products simply sold themselves. If you love coconut, you will also love ‘Cocofina’s wide range of coconut-based food and drink products. From oil to bars, water to chips and vinegar to milk – it has something to offer for everyone! I loved the concept of this business and can easily state that every item in the range, I would buy!

Jacob’s quick and prepared answers to all of the Dragons’ questions, very much appealed to all five Dragons, who got the green stuff out for an offer of investment. As the Dragons began to compete, the contacts each one was offering was their best chance to get one above the other. Even though all five Dragons made an offer, Nick’s ‘2 for the price of 1’ deal with Sarah appealed most to Jacob, who accepted their joint offer.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Low pitch to high pitch

Last night’s Dragons’ Den was full of rejections, yet a particular pitch happened to make its mark on all five Dragons – but which one?

First to enter the den this week was Australian, Stuart Mason, presenting his ‘SpaTap’ invention – a portable, water-saving, silicon tap mechanism that attaches to a water bottle.

My initial reaction, like Deborah’s, was a feeling of confusion in relation to who his audience was and why they would need this product.

The mention of camping became understandable but in my view, he definitely tried to blag it with “dog walkers” – either way, he was facing a niche market.

The ‘cool’ product, as described by Sarah, was indeed that, but still didn’t take away my original feelings about the invention. When the reference to the humanitarian use was mentioned, I began to see potential likewise with the Dragons, as the thought of saving much needed water could have been revolutionary.

Unluckily for Stuart, Peter was just too smart.

Peter’s remark in reference to hygiene was a very valid point that began to drown Stuart’s hopes of an investment. His £65,000 asking price was slowly appearing to approach the plughole, as one by one, the Dragons declared themselves ‘out’.

With a mechanism that worked through the use of contact, this lead to all types of hygiene concerns and so, even though the product was sprinkled with compliments, Stuart tapped out of the den without gaining an investment.

If you thought the last pitch was slightly confusing in concept, that was nothing in comparison to the next. A smiley, confident and optimistic Faheem strolled into the den asking for a large order of £130,000 for a 10% share in his restaurant business.

I didn’t understand much from this pitch and I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. Not a single Dragon had an understanding of what the concept of the business was and I don’t even know if Faheem was completely convinced himself. An impressive 1.5 million turnover in the last year was about as good as it was going to get.

From being remarked as ‘average’ from an unimpressed Peter, Faheem’s positive approach was beginning to lose its initial flavour. Deborah became frustrated and Sarah felt she had ‘no choice’ but to declare herself ‘out’. Nick and Touker both shared the views of their fellow Dragons’ and also opted not to invest.

To follow was Ben, who pitched his invention that supposedly helps children learn to tie their shoe laces, however, the dragons were probably the worst to trial this one on.

Half of the Dragons found the invention more difficult to use than just normally tying a shoe lace, which didn’t give Ben a great deal of confidence. His ‘solving a problem that doesn’t exist’ was obviously not worth the Dragons’ money and so he failed to tie down an investment from a Dragon.

Beauty Boulevard’s Rachel and Paula were up next, presenting their long-wear lip product, ‘Glitter Lips’. Yes, the appearance was fairly striking and quite unique but now millions have seen the idea, what’s to say that bigger and more renowned beauty brands won’t copy and develop ‘Glitter Lips’?

Although the various features in Elle, Cosmopolitan, Grazia and Vogue were imposing, as well as the numerous television appearances on shows like Strictly Come Dancing and This Morning, it just wasn’t enough for the Dragons to see full potential.

The need for an ‘acquired taste’ got the Dragons questioning from a business point of view, how well the product would work within the beauty industry.

Peter’s inclusive efforts to get involved with the product by demoing a resplendent, sparkly pink colour on his lips was although quite amusing, actually proved its long-lasting effect. Entering with a sparkle, Rachel and Paula left the den empty handed, failing to dazzle the Dragons.

Partner’s Martin and Jenny were last to enter the den, pitching their ‘MarXman’. It is designed to help builders and any DIY undertakers, by allowing them to mark their drill holes easily and effectively.

I immediately imagined this would be right up Deborah’s street, especially due to her contacts in the industry and successful businesses that are currently within the same sector.

From an ideal stockist of Wickes nailed down already, the future for this invention was quite possibly a bright one. The slight shock in revelation that the couple had essentially invested most of their savings into the business (roughly £100,000) was not enough to put off any of the Dragons.

All of them offered support and expertise, in addition to an offer. After the obligatory walk to the back of the room for a ‘quick chat’, the couple decided to accept Deborah’s offer as she jumped out of her seat with a formerly contained excitement.

I think it’s clear which pitch was the only one to make an indelible mark this week.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Tapping out or making your mark?

In this week’s episode of Dragons’ Den, we saw investment hopefuls, Nick and Andy pitch for investment in their business, The Snaffling Pig Co. After successfully walking away with £70,000 worth of investment for a 20 per cent equity stake in their business, we caught up with the successful pitchers to find out about their Dragons’ Den experience and to see what advice they would give to other SMEs and startups.

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Dragons’ Den: The Snaffling Pig Co on the show and funding for SMEs

A rather entertaining Dragons’ Den hit our screens last night with a wide range of contrasting business ideas and propositions. From finger-wear to help fold paper – yes, I know… to pork scratching fanatics, the Den was not lost for choice.

First to face the roars of the Dragons was a French entrepreneur presenting his business ‘Mini You’ – an organisation that uses technical printing to produce life-like miniature 3D models out of chocolate/wax and other forms of material. The Frenchman was seeking £80,000 worth of investment for 15 per cent equity in his company which failed to ignite the Dragons’ interest. If I’m totally honest, I concurred with Peter Jones’ description of the ‘bizarre’ prospect of the business, simply because of the mirroring dimension of the product, to the potential that this business has to grow – Tres petit!

What this clearly unprepared entrepreneur taught us viewers, was the importance of numbers – even for the simple demand of profit. Deborah Meaden’s attempt to retrieve solidarity on figures proved unjustifiable, as the Frenchman threw his arms up, and expressed a supposed estimated figure in which Deborah still had to assist him on. The £15,000/£16,000 estimated profit a year proved to belittle his business even more as the value the Dragons were seeking was beginning to shrink. As expected, the result concluded and all Dragons declared ‘out’ as they waved, au revoir!

The next pitch was a notable one, where fashion duo, Sarah and Beth, were in hope to dazzle the eyes of Touker Suleyman proposing their demand for £78,000 in return for a 15 per cent share in their fashion brand.

Their two ranges ‘Alter’ and ‘Hope & Ivy’ had been claimed to have flown off the rails to successful and well-known fashion brand ASOS, as well as having sewed up an impressive half a million pounds in just 5 months. However, regardless of this success, a strategic Touker zipped in and out with critical comments, but didn’t affect the optimistic trend between the other Dragons. His cheeky offer of 40% in the business totally contradicted his initially harsh and belittling remarks that did nothing to elevate his position as a preferred investor. The disbelief demonstrated by Touker only served him a polite decline of his offer, as the duo end up opting for a trendy pairing of Deborah and Peter to help their fashion ranges smash the sales.

A short interlude followed into a rather laughable pitch by entrepreneur, Rupert, requesting £40,000 investment for 40 per cent equity in his business ‘Fimble Folder’.

Now, I can’t quite believe that this invention had earned any money at all. Who would buy a ‘Fimble Folder’ to help you fold the perfect crease in your paper? Although, thinking about it, I’m not sure if I’d want to take the perilous risk of suffering the terrifying indentation within my skin, otherwise known as a paper cut! And, it gets better – there are two available sizes for this supposed essential!

A deserved description of Rupert’s ‘stupid’ and ‘ridiculous’ invention, finally folded up the pitch with the famous two words from all five Dragons – ‘I’m out’.

Hoping to secure an investment next, was father and daughter, John and Anna who were not prepared for a slippage from their non-slip attachable ‘i-Stay’ bag strap. The practical issue of slipping bag straps is one that many will know the struggle of – especially commuters. Although, the invention had already received a hefty amount of investment, it hadn’t aided the grip of the 3 consecutive years of NET loss. The trend in confusion of numbers and annual losses prevented the pair from bagging an investment from any of the Dragons.

Okay, not ideal for vegetarians and vegans but Nick and Andrew’s flavoured pork scratchings hogged the interest of the hungry Dragons – that is, apart from Sarah the ‘un-Willing-ham’ who quickly professed her distaste for the generic pork scratching. Myself, on the other hand, loved the idea! The initially faultless presentation happened to stumble a trotter, as a porker of a question in regards to figures proved to throw the entrepreneurs. The ambitious duo declared they wanted to piggy-bank a £6.9 million turnover in the next 3 years. Their unique 11 flavours and research into the pork scratching industry which accounts to a whopping £40 million a year, still happened to attract the Dragons’ hungry eyes. Nick Jenkins clearly saw the potential as this business had already more than scratched the surface.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: Address, Impress, Invest

The rapidly growing introducing of TED Talks provide you with applicable knowledge, useful information and interesting outlooks on various topics in under 20 minutes. The easily accessible clips act as inspiration for you to spark new, fresh ideas, along with sharing a different perspective on many matters from endless successful individuals.

Find your drive

What is your focus? Take a listen on how Tony Robbins helps to explain why we do what we do and how “invisible forces” happen to take some form of role.

Don’t doubt yourself

Elizabeth Gilbert shares her personal story on rebuilding confidence after failure, advising different ways to push yourself forward. She urges you to find your ‘home’ and work to the best of your ability to stay there.

Stay happy

If you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, let Stefan Sagmeister offer his view on conscious and unconscious happiness, as well as seven rules that everyone can make note of to seek a feeling of contentment.

Don’t let success be your limit – money isn’t everything.

Richard St. John expresses the importance of sustaining success. Although reaching success is amazing, sustaining it is the struggle as the satisfaction of gaining success can be pleasing enough. Richard speaks of his past and proves how money fails to buy happiness.

It’s never too late to try something new.

Has there always been something you’ve wanted to do? Matt Cutts discusses his 30 days challenges and how his memorable moments increased his self-confidence and fulfilment. Matt finds that sustainability is gained through small changes and urges you to give it a try.

Read more:
5 TED Talks to get you motivated

Since completing my A levels, I have been quizzed by many on why I have chosen to take the apprenticeship route rather than the typical graduate path that 718,500 other UK students this year applied for.

Throughout my two years at sixth form, I was indecisive of which industry I wanted to go into. My fluctuation of interests between media and music were causing my struggle to settle with a potential career path, however, I saw more opportunity for myself in the media industry. I’ve always been a lover of writing and particularly in a media/journalistic format during my English A Level, from writing fictional newspaper articles to gossip magazine entries.

So, why not do a degree in something I have an interest in?

The thought of lecturing and the structured days were not enticing enough for me. I was more attracted to the thought of learning on the job – learning but with personally a more positive outlook. After 14 years of education, I was excited to leave the format of standard education.

Moreover, to my advantage, many employers in the world of today see experience as a notable value – some just as much as a degree, or even better.

Imagine the situation you are faced with as an employer – two people have been shortlisted for your advertised role. One hopeful holds a degree relevant to the role and position you are offering whilst the other has been working in the industry for 2 years, although at junior level, has gained appropriate and applicable experience and skills for the job. So, who gets the position? Hard decision – right?

From wanting to go into the media industry, I found that experience may be of more value to me due to the type of work carried out within the industry and the opportunities that university may not offer me. I’m not suggesting that media degrees are unusable, because I would very much be in the wrong, but I’d like to think that success can be achieved without the demand for a degree.

Just because I’ve opted for the apprenticeship route, it doesn’t mean I can’t get some form of qualification. The vast majority of apprenticeships now offer the chance to earn a qualification alongside the apprenticeship, in which I am lucky to say mine is one of them. This is such an inviting opportunity as it means you are learning and earning in a sector you enjoy, as well as the fact that you can apply realistic experience to your chosen course.

Granted, the social aspect of university is appealing, but for me personally, not enough to outweigh the debt and student loan that go with three years at uni. Another benefit to an apprenticeship, the small fees for travel, etc are lightyears away from the expenses of university.

Degree or not, if you demonstrate a good work ethic, consistency, determination and professionalism within your job, employers respect this enough and your rewards will be reflective of your behaviour.

Read more:
Why I chose an apprenticeship over university

If you’re looking for the wrong way to approach a bunch of eager investors, last night’s episode of Dragons’ Den abundantly portrayed this. Marco from tailor-made meal company ‘Pro Gains’, is a typical example of how over ambition can blow your opportunity in the Den.

His initially precarious presence, as a viewer, outlined clearly that this young entrepreneur was in for a rocky ride. His rather prosperous asking of £125,000 of investment matched the ambitious attitude of this MD. He claims he eventually wants to cook up a whopping £20 million valuation for his company, after lying about its security of a trademark name – school boy error! Deborah Meaden’s curiosity proved right as the entrepreneur had only merely applied for a trademark for his company – which was in fact rejected.

Challenged by comments from the Dragons who claimed Marco would be difficult to work with, a desperate plea was made in attempt to let the Dragons in on his difficult background. An empathetic Peter Jones although understanding to this entrepreneur’s position, still couldn’t bring himself to make an offer for his meal company.

After leaving the den, Marco’s passion seemed to have become weirdly admiring; with having somewhat ludicrous aspirations that he’s still convinced he will achieve. What ruined it for me was the fact that after commenting on his pitch in the den, Marco stated how he believed the Dragons ‘feared’ him suggesting an inference of being threatened by his potential for success which totally contradicts the point of going into the den. Lucky escape for the Dragons, I’d say!

Moving onto dynamic duo, Danielle and David, who were proposing their analogue optical cable invention, claiming for its existence to possibly change the music industry for the better. Entering the Den with a rather rocky and musical performance, instantly grabbed the attention of all Dragons but also the viewers at home. This intriguing introduction engaged us into the pitch, along with their impressive, appropriate name dropping including the likes of Cold Play. However, these particular aspects didn’t quite impress the Dragons to the extent that they would be confident in a repeatable business – something a key investor would seek. Although the ‘amazing’ invention appears to work well in the industry so far, its limited number of three prototypes – yes, three – is causing a lack in the business opportunity. Touker’s widening eyes saw the potential for the product and the business gratefully accepted a £70,000 investment for 35 per cent equity.

In my opinion, a rather pointless idea followed.

David from ‘Splash Maps’ entered the den wanting £60,000 investment for a 15 per cent share in his waterproof, washable and wearable fabric map company. First of all he claimed to have made a ‘terrific’ turnover in the last year… £35,000. His somewhat easily impressed view on his figures did not match the view of the Dragons who found themselves slightly lost especially when it came to his rather pushy turnover prediction of £1.8 million by year three.

From then on, unfortunately for David, his pitch gradually started to head south. Maybe years ago, before the introduction of new technology, his invention would have gone down a storm, however, with the invention of smartphones, how many people do you know that use a physical map anymore? Perhaps David should navigate to a more potential destination, making a U turn on this idea is probably best in terms of growing the business. He is left gutted, leaving the den empty-handed – no investment and advice to take a new direction.

Moving onto Andrew, a pitcher who captured the hearts of our Dragons, by drawing them into his emotional and struggled past. Becoming emotional during his pitch, he managed to pull on the heartstrings of our investors and his early on hiccups in reference to his slightly false figures were once blurred by the end of his time in the den.

His universal man hole cover key company helps to reduce the equipment needed for the relevant labour workers. It was rather inevitable to think that Deborah Meaden may invest, due to her successful involvement and valuable contacts within this particular industry. However, her uncertainty was in Andrew himself. She believed he wasn’t the right person to grow the business and demanded he find a business partner, to go along with her offer of all of his asking price of £40,000 for a 35 per cent share – 10 per cent more than his equity offer.

As the background music began to dramatise, Peter Jones competed for a mirroring offer of Deborah’s, this time for a 40 per cent share. In an attempt to somehow receive an involvement within this potential business, Peter then made a tactical offer seeking a pairing with Deborah. A decline from Deborah releases a feisty claim from Peter stating how his involvement with the business would make it as successful as possible.

Andrew saw Deborah being the key to his business success and kindly accepted her offer, which whilst predictable was a sensible outcome.

Read more:
Dragons’ Den: The Dragons get their claws out