A Merseyside man has opened up on what it is really like to appear on Dragons’ Den.
Drew Cockton won a big investment for his luxury fragrance firm after appearing on an episode of the popular BBC One series last year. The LGBTQ+ entrepreneur received a £50,000 investment from Dragon Touker Suleyman for a 30% stake in his Wirral-based firm Owen Drew.
The offer from retail magnate Mr Suleyman was made after Drew impressed the Dragons by detailing his previous mental health issues, and explaining why these were the driving force behind the creation of his business - and why the concept of wellness is so important to him. Viewers watched as Drew began by explaining to the Dragons how at the age of 22, he had opened a hotel business on Manchester’s Canal Street, quitting his job in financial services "against all the advice of my family" after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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At the time, he said: “I was totally inexperienced. I was working so hard that I actually made myself quite ill and had a breakdown." Undeterred by what he described as "failure", the 36-year-old started his business from home six years ago, making and selling candles on social media. Now, a year on, Drew, who created the North West LGBTQ+ Business Awards, has told the ECHO what the experience is really like including waiting for 11 hours to make his pitch and if the dragon’s Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman are as brutal as they appear on the show.
He said: “The process felt like forever. I arrived late morning and didn't leave until 10pm that night. They had wanted to book me a hotel for the evening and come back the next day but I didn't have any spare clothes, although they were offering to get everything dry cleaned. I had psyched myself up to film on the day, so was quite firm with them. I thought it was a good sign that they really wanted me to film.”
Drew, who recorded the show in October 2020 but his episode didn’t air till May 2021, claims you aren’t allowed to re-record anything and “went into autopilot when presenting” to deal with the nerves. He added: “The words just reeled off my tongue exactly as I had learned them. My mouth kept on going dry whilst I was answering questions and the producers kept passing me bottles of water. It is pretty much the same as how you see it on TV. A 10-minute clip of me was broadcast but it felt like I was in the den for hours so a lot was edited out. And of course, it's filmed in a studio, not an industrial warehouse.
“The dragons don't smile or offer any encouragement when you are pitching your business, which is really off-putting and they did really grill me on my numbers. Fortunately, I had practised everything so many times that I didn't come unstuck on the figures. They were actually really complimentary about my business and me personally but I think it all depends on how you present yourself. I tried to be humble and not arrogant because I knew from previous episodes, that doing this meant you were setting yourself up to be torn apart.
“I watched hundreds of episodes and clips on YouTube so I knew the kinds of businesses and people they liked to invest in and those that they didn't. I had prepared for every conceivable question they might ask me and practised in front of my friends. I knew that the way I presented myself would make or break things.”
Despite writing his pitch entirely by himself, the producers did check over everything to make sure it was factually accurate in advance. Drew added: “We had launched the 'World's Most Expensive Candle' and a mention of this was included in my presentation. I had to go to great lengths to prove that it was, indeed, the world's most expensive candle.”
Since leaving the show, Drew said having Touker’s involvement and mentorship has been nothing short of “fantastic”. He said: “He gave me his mobile number and told me to ring him any time. He's an old-school businessman, he prefers talking on the phone rather than endless emails. On a day-to-day basis, we mostly deal with his team who look after his investments and brands. I am learning so much from him as a businessman and I'm really excited to see where he takes our brand and business.”
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