Our Dragons' Den Story: The Call & What Happened Next...
Two years ago, our phone rang out of the blue. It was the BBC, asking if we'd ever thought about applying for Dragons' Den.
The timing was almost funny, we'd actually applied just two weeks before that call. So when the researcher asked if we were free right then, that very moment, for a 30-minute interview, we said yes and dived straight in.
That phone call turned out to be the easy part.
The application
Shortly after, the application form landed in our inbox. If you've never seen a Dragons' Den application, it is not for the faint-hearted. We sat down to tackle it on a Bank Holiday Monday, thinking we'd get it done in an afternoon. Nine hours later, and running to 14 pages, we finally completed it. Every question answered including the personal profile for each of us, every number checked...
Looking back, that form was as much a test of resolve as anything we said on camera!
Samples, pitches, and a favour from Simon
Next came a request to send product samples up to the BBC in Glasgow, so the team could actually taste and see the products for themselves.
The next challenge was to record a pitch, exactly 2 minutes 30 seconds or less. Try condensing your entire business, your passion, and your numbers into two and a half minutes, it's harder than it sounds. We roped in our friend Simon to film it for us, ran through it more times than we'd like to admit, and eventually sent it off.
Then we waited.
The live pitch
Eventually the call came for another live interview, only this time we had to deliver the pitch live, on camera, in real time. We're fairly sure this stage exists to check one simple thing: can you actually do this in the Den, under pressure, with the cameras rolling? No second takes, no editing, just us and our product.
The verdict
And then came the hardest part of the whole process: the wait. Days turned into weeks before we finally got the call with their decision.
The feedback was honest and, in its own way, encouraging: "The BBC execs liked you, they liked your products, but we felt you needed a bit more growth in the business to give you the best chance of investment. Apply again next year."
Disappointing yes, but it gave us something to aim for.
What we did with that feedback
Rather than see it as a rejection, we treated it as a brief. Since then, we've:
- raised £100,000 from family and friends
- launched into Booths supermarket
- launched into Ocado
Would we have hit those milestones without that phone call and that feedback? Maybe eventually. But having a deadline and a clear ask, "show us more growth", that lit a fire under us that's hard to replicate any other way.
So, should we apply again?
That's the question we keep coming back to. We've done the growth they asked for. We've proven the demand. Part of us thinks it's time to go back and finish what we started. Another part wonders if we've already got the momentum we need without it.
We'd love to know what you think. Should Yoyo Laos Sauce give the Den another go? Let us know!
