With over 225 episodes of Dragons’ Den recorded so far, thousands of entrepreneurs have pitched their business ideas to leading investors. However, the show offers a lot more than just investment. 

In this episode, I hear from Déj Doherty, founder of The Wholeleaf Company, the sustainable palm leaf tableware brand. Déj co-founded his company to reduce the amount of plastic tableware going to landfill, while also creating employment opportunities in developing countries. Appearing on Dragons’ Den was a pivotal moment for the business which has since gone on to supply leading organisations including Waitrose, Glastonbury Festival and Buckingham Palace. 

Déj shares his experiences of Dragons’ Den, how he leveraged his appearance on the show and his advice for anyone thinking of applying. 

Déj's advice:

• The more you prepare the less nervous you will feel
• It’s not a comfortable experience, waiting to be interviewed
• You may be encouraged to ask for more than you actually want - to make your case more exciting - but this could work against you
• They prefer only one interviewee, even if you do have a co-founder
• Have confidence in your forecast numbers
• If you show you are genuinely passionate about your business, that is more likely to convince them
• Afterwards, do as much PR/social media as you can to maximise the effect of the show
• More than any investment, what you will be gaining is brand awareness for your business
• You will probably notice an increase in attention (from potential investors) as a result
• Raising money is a full-time job which is hard for a one-man band, so you may find it better in the long run to grow more slowly and do without outside investment

If you’d like to contact Déj you can reach him via
[email protected]

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

Let us know how your start up journey is going or if you have any questions you would like us to discuss in future episodes. 

FF&M recommends: 

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link &  Licence

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