How Important is Help to the Self-made Entrepreneur?

On the flip side, these super rich financiers, who are justified in their convictions as they are using their own money to invest, have helped propel many to success.

Lending a helping…scale

Prior to making their appearance on Dragons’ Den Canada, married couple Tonia and Hatem Jahshan had already established themselves as successful self-made businesspeople. From their humble beginnings in Tonia’s basement, the Hamilton based company had generated $1.3 million in sales. All this before even appearing on the show.

Their success is attributed to their product – steeped tea. Regarded as a better alternative to the traditional bag teas we’ve all become familiar with.

Yet, despite their previous accomplishments, it was their deal with Dragons David Chiltonand and Jim Treliving that helped balloon profits. The company “has

grown five times over and achieved multi-million dollar status” since the life changing partnership was made over the show.

The injection of $250,000 from the two Dragons, in addition to Jim Treliving’s American business connections, was also key to realizing the company’s goal of transitioning to the US market. This was one of Tonia’s and Hatem’s earliest goals for the company.

The couple has had only positive things to say about the help they received from the show, stressing how the Dragons have been “instrumental and amazing” to their success. Tonia even attesting that “David calls my husband Hatem every other day,” reflecting that the support they received was far from financially centered or officious in tone. Instead, proving that the help from the Dragons has been largely based from genuine and heartfelt intentions of making the deserving self-made businessman achieve the millionaire status that they so duly earned.

Deal or no Deal? It doesn’t really matter

Turns out you don’t even have to accept an offer from the Dragons to reap the benefits of the show. Just ask Raul Rupsingh and Stephen Beath, the founders of SoftShell.

While their software, which allows seniors and disabled people to use the Internet and email through a simplified computer interface, enticed offers from many of the Dragons, they chose to reject them (small business). Why? Well the offers came at a price of 50% of the company’s share. Too large of a sacrifice for the two entrepreneur duo, as they were not willing to part with majority control.

Regardless, the company still achieved success, as the show served as a major source of advertising. Helping attract alternative investors, close new deals with 50 nursing homes across Ontario as well as allowing for the possibility of US expansion in the future.

GrowZorb serves as another example of where closing the deal wasn’t important. After the partnership deal with dragons fell through, David Koetsch’s creation (an improved growing medium for hydroponic greenhouses), has received various propositions from European investors. Something that David credits to his exposure from the show.

For many struggling entrepreneurs, lack of promotion and mainstream exposure are colossal weaknesses. At times, it’s the missing link to realizing success. Yet, advertising is expensive. Especially when done on television. Consequently, shows like Dragons’ Den help in the making of self-made millionaires by publicizing their ideas, their businesses and the qualities of the entrepreneurs themselves.

Dragons’ Den help goes as far as encouraging viewers interested in any of the pitches to “get in contact with the entrepreneur directly to make any business deals with them.” They even created the website shopdragonsden.com, which allows viewers to purchase many of the products pitched on the show including those that “got burnt.”