Home Life Style I was on Dragons’ Den and got an offer of £50,000 – and this is what really happens behind the scenes

I was on Dragons’ Den and got an offer of £50,000 – and this is what really happens behind the scenes

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The Dragons' Den contestant who took a hefty investment from Sara Davies (pictured) during last night's episode has revealed what goes on behind the scenes of the long-running BC show.

The Dragons’ Den contestant, who bagged a hefty investment from Sara Davies during last night’s episode, has revealed what goes on behind the scenes of the long-running BC show.

Alex Street, from Derbyshire, pitched his football shirt business to Dragons Davies, Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman in the hope of raising a round of funding.

In the end, he took £50,000 from Davies after she said her children would love a Mystery Jersey subscription box and decided to invest in Alex’s business, despite a major hurdle.

In an interview with FEMAIL, the father-of-two, whose business pays tribute to his father, recalled keeping the deal a secret for months as he recalled his time at the infamous lair.

Alex appeared on Thursday night’s episode of the long-running reality series in which entrepreneurs from across the UK pitch their startups to some of the UK’s best-known investors in the hope of raising a funding round .

The AFC Wimbeldon supporter who sources and sells unique football shirts in monthly ‘mystery boxes’ worth £29.99 finally got £50,000 from Davies, 40, for a 10 per cent stake in the Mystery Jersey Company.

“I’ve had to keep this huge secret for so long,” he said emotionally. ‘And it’s been really complicated and difficult. But I’m almost relieved that it’s available now and we can get on with it!’

Alex explained that there is usually a long hiatus between the filming of the show’s episodes and their release, explaining that he proposed it to the Dragons “five or six months ago.”

The Dragons’ Den contestant who took a hefty investment from Sara Davies (pictured) during last night’s episode has revealed what goes on behind the scenes of the long-running BC show.

Pictured is Alex Street, from Derbyshire, who launched his football shirt business in the hope of raising a round of funding.

Pictured is Alex Street, from Derbyshire, who launched his football shirt business in the hope of raising a round of funding.

Since the business reality show first premiered in 2005, the studio has “traveled” around the country, including filming locations in London, Glasgow and, most recently, Manchester.

After submitting his ‘audition’ video, which is essentially a version of what becomes the final speech, Alex was asked to arrive at the Old Granada Studios, where the show has been filmed since 2018.

However, contestants will typically have to wait several hours before coming face to face with the dragons, time spent setting up cameras and rehearsing their performances.

“The makeup artist was brilliant, Debbie was wonderful to me,” Alex added. “She looked like she had a really nice tan and she was really calming and reassuring.”

However, after multiple rehearsals with members of the production team, Alex was “gutted” before even entering the studio.

“You can imagine the nerves are building up and the pressure is building.”

Alex credited his years spent watching Dragons’ Den for shaping his strategy for the show, noting how people can feel “intimidated by the whole situation.”

“People are very eloquent; there are great businessmen who are very well presented and I know that I am not one of them,” he said.

Alex's speech earned him a £50,000 investment from Sara Davies.

Alex’s speech earned him a £50,000 investment from Sara Davies.

The father of two said

The father-of-two said he “gravitated” towards her after Davies said his children would love a box of Mystery Jersey.

So Alex decided to “shoot from the hip and just be myself,” candidly admitting that he didn’t know the answer to several key questions about his business, such as customer retention rate or how many new customers sign up each month. .

Davies told Alex that he had made a “dog’s dinner” of his numbers, but decided to take a chance and back the founder with his investment.

Reacting to the gaffe, Alex said that being inside the lair is “such a pressurized situation” that he was proud to have gotten “the first new numbers,” adding that yesterday’s episode marked the first time he addressed to investors.

He described the experience as an “emotional rollercoaster” that lasted more than an hour, with the final edit lasting just under 15 minutes.

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were “very insightful” and “gave me some incredible advice,” he “gravitated” toward Davies.

“She could see that I was stumbling a little bit and she said, ‘Come on, you’ve got it.’

“And it was so lovely and made me feel so warm inside.”

Alex eventually walked away with a £50,000 investment from the owner of Crafter’s Companion in exchange for 10 per cent of the Mystery Jersey Company, provided he made his money back within 18 months.

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were “very insightful” and “gave me some incredible advice,” he “gravitated” toward Davies.

After filming the show, Davies’ team re-contacted Alex and his team at Derbyshire-based Mystery Jersey Company to get their deal underway.

At all times, the only person other than Alex who knew about the offer was the company’s co-founder, Jaime King; The rest of the staff and even his family found out about Davies’ investment at a viewing party he hosted last night.

‘Not even my daughter knew!’ shared.

The production team will typically get back in touch a week before the episode’s release date, giving business owners just enough time to prepare for what is often a rush of orders or increased customer interest. potentials.

“The week before you’re busy,” Alex continued. “You’re trying to prepare things, prepare your actions, make sure your social media is good and be mentally prepared for what may come.”

Since Alex’s episode, the company’s website has already been adorned with a banner announcing that Mystery Jersey Company is Dragons’ Den approved.

Alex was also invited to a retreat hosted by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman.

He recalled “becoming friends” with Derry Green, who appeared on Dragons’ Den last year when he introduced his Skelmersdale-based tourism company.

Alex has also been invited to a retreat organized by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman.

Alex has also been invited to a retreat organized by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman.

Praising the founder of The Secret Garden Glamping, Alex credited Derry for “putting him at ease throughout this whole process” because it can be “stressful when you put yourself out there.”

Currently, the Mystery Jersey Company team is enjoying the new attention as they work on all of their new orders with a focus on providing “the best customer service we can.”

When asked if he knew how many website visitors had landed on his page, Alex joked: “Now you’ve even let me know with a question about numbers.”

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