A few months ago I was contacted by a lovely lady at the BBC asking if I wanted to appear on a BBC business TV show…my ears pricked up and I listened on intently! It turns out it was Dragons’ Den, then the panic started…

The researchers had seen my crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo and had approached me as they thought I could be a possible entrepreneur suitable for the TV show Dragon’s Den. The adrenalin surged through my veins as I knew it would be amazing for The EasyLock if we received the investment from the Dragons and it could be a real turning point for the brand. I was already spending the money in my head thinking what we could do with the Dragons’ help.

To kick off the Dragons’ Den process I had to fill in lots of forms about the business and my background and submit my business plan to the BBC researchers. Luckily I passed this requirement and was invited to BBC Media Village in London for a pre audition. Eeek!

I was asked to prepare a speech explaining The EasyLock the product and the business and how much I was asking for in terms of investment. I also had to show the BBC researchers exactly how the EasyLock works. To be able to show them exactly how the lock functions, I needed a door! For a few days I became a carpenter, which was great fun! I sourced a typical hotel lock, fitted it to a door and a door frame so it would stand up by itself. I was very impressed with my efforts. Transporting it across London to the interview warranted some strange looks from passers-by though!

So the pre audition…I am not a natural in front of the camera and find it quite uncomfortable, as a result I was very nervous. The team at the BBC were great and very understanding, I knew I wasn’t yet facing the dreaded Dragons but the nerves took over slightly and it took me a few takes to get the speech right. Thank you to the BBC team for their patience! What a relief (all round!) when I finally did a take without fluffing my words, phew!

Even after my failed attempts, I was pleased with my pitch and the hotel door prop, feel I got my point across and that the researchers fully understood the brand, my background and what investment I wanted.

I then had a nerve wracking wait while the researchers and producers decided whether I would be selected to go through to the actual show. I was excited and nervous to hear back from them, I felt very torn as although I felt uncomfortable during the pitch I knew that being on Dragon’s Den really would move the brand to different places.

Alas the BBC came back to me a few weeks later and (very kindly!) told me that I hadn’t been selected to take part on the main TV show, so I wasn’t going to come face to face with the Dragons.

In some ways it’s a huge shame that my Dragons’ Den journey ends here but I take pride in the fact they liked the brand enough in the first place to approach me. On a personal level I am slightly relieved that I don’t have to pitch in front of the Dragons, I know my brand and I believe in it wholeheartedly but being grilled on the spot by the Dragons would have been very hard.

So its up to me now again with no Dragon help!! I have learnt some valuable lessons through this process and to be honest, it will only make me work harder to make The EasyLock a success – onwards and upwards!