Theo is the quality control and puts reasonable pressure on items and many break...... They all have their roles and expertise in the den!..... With good patent the product may be useless still and with not as "tight /secure patent" that Deborah approves of as such could still become a great company that sells a great product...... Peter gambled with levi roots and now Peter talks like he is a Michelin starred chef, and no one can patent carribean food..... Its like pizza hut trade but they can't patent the pizza so papa johns and domino's etc can't make pizza and earn huge profits also as the customer will always have a preference ...... Same with any product.... Some for instance can copy the smart phone but iPhone users will stick with apple as they like the product.... Many other phones are better now but most iPhone users stick to apple because they are used to the functioning and they have paid money for music downloads etc...... Apple have no worldwide patent on the smart phone that can stop others making a similar "smart phone" .... Patents are only good if the product is good and sells
If I remember correctly Deborah worked for the patent office at one point in time so she knows them VERY well so all the dragons usually hand them to her or Sarah (when she was on)
Davy Newcomb. Yes, I totally agree with you. Being an inventor myself, I can just imagine how nerve wracking it is there for two newbies, with a good idea. I have a bunch of various inventions as well as improvements on existing products, including kitchen utensils, products, but I approach companies via email. I'm in South Africa, but looking for licensing agreements for all my products, in the USA and other countries.
@@caitlinbarker645 hi Caitlin, I have contacted one American company who loved my first 3 Inventions, and asked me many questions, including if I have patents, so we signed an NDA next day, but that person still hasn't come back to me yet. So I contacted a different company for my other unique improvements on kitchen products, who also immediately asked for my rough sketches, and after seeing them, asked me to also forward my sell sheets when they're done, cos he seems very interested too. So now I'm waiting to my graphic designer to finish them, but she's very busy now. And then I have a few more other inventions and improvements on existing products as well, which I'm planning on sending to more American companies too. You also an inventor? 😊
They were possibly the sweetest ladies ever. They were just so gentle and pleasant. I like their product too. It’s perfect for small spaces but I’d prefer it in black that green.
I think this is one of my favourite Dragons' Den clips ever. - It just goes to show how wholesome the interaction can be if you are respectful and honest. These two women weren't business masterminds, but they had a decent product that they were trying to succeed with. Their belief in what they were selling was honest, and in turn the Dragons responded to that by giving out some really nice advice and information. - I'm unsure when this was filmed, but I hope Shelene and Lisa are doing well nowadays, because they clearly deserve to be!
I really hope they succeed. But… I have many patents over more complicated medical devices and most of them are just good… patents… I lose. Even though they’re great ideas! Funny thing is that the 3 companies I sold were the ones with the least chance of massively succeeding. I had a good salesman partner. And luck!!!
Theo's sales pitch was worth thousands to those girls. Tens of thousands when added to the comment about their margins, and Duncan's comment about being misadvised. Add all of that together, with the TV coverage. The most valuable thing they have done with their business. Hope they use the lessons wisely.
I honestly can imagine this sort of product doing really well with snazzy marketing and targeted towards young professionals in purpose built apartments with balconies.
I thought the product was good and could be up-specked to have more of a display effect. I would have thought the watering system might be able to be used in other areas.
That was disappointing from the dragons. There is a lot of potential there. Margins: dragons probably have loads of connections that can bring production costs way down. They could also get the selling price up through their own channels, through their connections, existing sales agreements or simply putting their name behind the product, expanding the margin per item on both sides. Patent: left loads of room for expanding the range as Deborah herself explained the patent covered a wide range of designs. This would be very valuable. Sales: their biggest issue is they are not sales people. A dragon could get them meetings with numerous large stores within a few weeks through their connections. This was one of those occasions where I feel they didn't invest because it wasn't a ready made business which will dish up a return for no work from them. They sometimes forget that people go on to the show because they aren't a ready made business!!
Well..the dragons know what they can do..and decided against it. It wasn't worth their time/energy when there are better deals to be made with other pitches.
I mean, you said it yourself, they have nothing but a prototype and a fancy cardboard box. There's no business there. They also don't come across as all that charismatic or business minded. It's not a surprise they didn't invest.
As someone who's into gardening/plants, this was an amazing product that I've seen so many DIYs for but not many products, especially affordable ones. This would've been GREAT to have out there, especially because of ease of care (watering)
Those women didn't get their funding, but the advice they got from experts like that probably would have cost £50,000 and they kept 15% of the company. That's still a big win.
yeah, not enough money in it, plus it's a big item so storage and shipping costs are high. This is 2010 though, it's post reecession and it's before the crazy inflation we have now. Everything is marked up ridiculously high.
I was thinking the same thing. Their price up from the manufacturing cost is too modest. Even if they don't mark up to 30 they could sell it for 15 to make the price more appealing to consumers and still make a tidy profit.
@@theSafetyCar no, wholesale prices sometimes don't even 2x it. Sometimes it's just 1.3x, wholesalers just get them in and then sell them on a a couple of weeks.
dont think so, it's a very niche product, they have jsut £13K in the bank. You can't make gardening products your only source of income in the UK. It's too seasonal. We got mad about gardening for 4 months of the year, and then 4 months we treat the garden like it's chernobyl
These ladies come in all professional, made clear and professional pitch and Peter is laughing like a child Infront of them, and it’s a big day for them.
clear and professional pitch ? Really ? they've talked worse than me full of stress in front of my class doing presentation when i was a kid. And some of you still don't understand how works editing, they take some parts of 1h of discussion to give an atmosphere but sometimes the reaction are taken from another moment in the discussion
I literally loved the way these ladies were presenting it. Being powerful and gentle at the same time. Sad no one thought about giving them some time, helping them right their margins prices etc. get in there. Still, it was a really good product.
I'd love a few of these for vertical farming. I think the potential, especially worldwide is huge. Just need to drive down the manufacturing cost and increase sale price!
This feels like a product that would’ve been a smash on the American version of the show. One of the “Sharks” is Lori Greiner, who is known as the “Queen of QVC” (QVC being a home shopping TV network), and an item like this seems tailor-made for that. I do love how the Dragons attempted to help and guide the entrepreneurs even though they weren’t going to invest in their business. That kind of guidance is so clearly part of the reason they entered the Den in the first place, and it cost them nothing but honesty in their presentation.
The retail price is TERRIBLE way too low. That should be going for £19.99 with their £5 build cost then they would’ve made over £10,000 in their first sales.
This is great! The dragons should have invested in order to help them reduce production costs, which is their biggest setback. There is a huge market as people are moving to ever smaller apartments, but still would like to keep a garden.
"We tested this tube over a period of five years.. dependent upon size of holes , you can either over or under water ..THIS tube is unique . ".. Product,quite obviously, represents ~Unsurpassed watering system .. The ONLY, element holding these ladies back is their lack of business confidence. Damn it, that's why they're in the Den in the first place....Shame on those Dragons ! ☹️
It's not the business confidence... I don't think that was ever brought up as an issue for not investing. The thing that the dragons brought up were that the dragons didn't see the product as a suitable return for their money and time. They saw the business as a niche business. The cousins will make some money, but not enough for investors like the dragons...
I don't blame them for not investing. The product is good, but these two aren't businesswomen. Their margins are abysmal, and their pitch was lifeless. It's no wonder they didn't go for it.
09:30 - 10:00 Best advice from Theo. If you irritate them enough, eventually they cave in just to get rid of you. It's worked for me in the past. Phone them every single day and drive them nuts. That's worked for me as well.
I actually buy one of these. I like how the shape is quite tall and watering is easy. When it comes to stackable plant pots, it's a hassle to remove them one by one and with how bad my back is, this would be a very good alternative.
@@derekm3180 I think the important difference is the faculty to water it throughout ...that was what the patent was for .Tomatoes a bit cramped yes for sure but for salads peas spinach herbs many other edibles without large root systems should thrive well
Every one of them are tighter than two coats of paint. People come in and ask for pocket change from these corporate walruses and get spoken down to and humiliated. Theyre arrogant, greedy and forget they got where they were after not so clever investments and blind luck. Horrible to watch.
Had a look and can't find the product anywhere looks like they're not doing too well. Still on companies house but they appear to have a large loan. Hope it works out for them
That idea is absolutely amazing, have these dragons not seen the other benefits i.e. stacked hydroponics? This thing will make a mint if they use this for that as well..
Hydroponics are a massive thing right now in some counties, especially in apartment blocks. Sometimes, I don't think the Dragons know what they are on about.
@@jeanettw2341 Huh? The methods are in use, just not in commercial farming because it's not cost effective. Hydroponics tackle a very specific issue, which is lack of space (or for aesthetics if you want to be persnickety). If you're a farmer with 50 acres of land you wouldn't even consider the subject. I don't get your point?
I like how the dragons didn't talk down to them, understanding that they were two working class people whose sales experience was rawer than raw. their business was working, just with big margins and limited advertising. There was no bs with the pair though, no catastrophic blunders or hidden flaws, I honestly think that one of the dragons would've got this going good had they taken a punt. They would've got a patented product on the shelf within weeks on whatever platform they thought best, garden centres, diy outlets, shopping channels etc, and I'm sure they would've definitely cut those margins with production and shipping.
I made a stackable garden tower that used a drip and aeroponic spritzers in each module. Made it out of 5gallon buckets that I cut holes and formed netted pots into. I feel smart
They went in to get a dragon, not just the money. They needed a dragon to open doors for them and speed up the process so that they didn't get rejected in the first place! Imagine having a dragon and the fame of that dragon alone would be enough to cause more interest from the buyers.
I get they are busy and rich but one of these dragons could make that one call wouldn't cost them thing and they would have their foot in the door. Kindness is free
I'd nearly give these two money myself. This is a classic one that if this pair wanted more money the dragons would have said, "if you just asked for less money it would have been worth a punt". You cant win!
One good thing about dragons den and shark tank is, it's essentially free advertising, even if you don't get one of them to invest, knowledge of your product is out there and if it's good, you'll get some purchases and maybe a bigger investment than you'd asked for later from someone else
I would say this product is better suited in those old granny magazines that everybody gets but never wants, apart from grannies. Those brochures that sell ten foot levers for turning the bath taps on and reading glasses with a beam of light for doing crosswords at 4 in the afternoon etc
I don't get it. If they can get a US patent on the water tube, they can license the tube to companies that make planters, and flower arrangement business suppliers, etc. Idk why they are selling a product. Their value is the patented watering system. License that out.
There are millions of people who live in apartments, high rises who dont have a garden that would like one of those. I think the market is potentially very large. I would certainly buy one.
This was a lovely one. Although they didn't get investment, they got a good morale boost, encouragement and some advice from the dragons. Its a neat little product and I hope they made it!
They did enjoy a major boost in sales after this episode aired. They immediately set up a website and said they received a lot of orders through phone and e-mail. However, I think they've long thrown in the towel with this one. The website isn't online anymore and you can't order it on Amazon either. Anyways, both of them etxremely sweet and polite ladies, hope they've gone on to bigger and better things!
I sat down with some of my lovely homemade spaghetti Bolognese to enjoy this latest DD upload. I wasn't too sure on weather I had put too much Tobasco in it, however the mozzarella balanced it out, I think next time I'll ease off but it's about finding that median.
@@Deleted11100 *"Weather"?* 🌦🌂☔☀️ Lmao.. "spaghetti Bolognese" doesn't actually exist here in Italy.. this sauce, (correct name, "ragù") is not served with spaghetti because it tends to fall off the pasta and stay on the plate.. you need to be more adventurous.. try tubular shapes, like penne.. 👍🇮🇹 No mozzarella.. save that for pizza or pasta al forno 🤭🙃🥱😁
