Am I Crazy: Chronicles of an Entrepreneur Part 2

How much money do you want? $200,000 I replied. What are you going to use it for, was the next shot.

I was prepared for that one. I had been pouring over my excel spread sheet all morning drilling the numbers in my head as I primed myself for the audition…the Dragons Den…a chance for inventors to pitch their ideas to investors on television and make a deal right there on the spot…cash flow problems solved…money in the bank to finally get the latest and the greatest invention to the trillions of people who don’t even know how much they need it… yet. Right there, done deal, shake hands, next chapter.

But there is a reason they call the show Dragons Den…and the investors Dragons…these people can be downright treacherous. Before going to the audition I checked out clips of the show on YOUTUBE to get a feel for what it was all about. YIKES!!! Some of the inventors got slaughtered and berated. It was an American Idol for ideas instead of songs. And like American Idol, some of them deserved it…but still…this crew of Dragons is what makes the rest of us think that business is so bad ass…if you can’t walk and talk like this then you shouldn’t be in the game.

Well, a game indeed, so with the YOUTUBE death clips fresh in my mind I headed down to the Four Seasons Hotel Saturday afternoon for my audition for the show…along with almost 100 other hopefuls that tried out over the two day period.

I was nervous, pacing the hall going over and over my 2 minute pitch. My clothes were new…only 15 minutes ago from the mall downstairs. My jeans and golf shirt weren’t cutting it Lyn thought. Dress for success was the mantra. I was called into the audition room. One team was pitching, another on deck, me in the wings.

The two guys were getting interrogated on camera…you’re not even ready for the market, they said. But but but…stuttered the gentleman. Do you have a factory…well not yet, but but but…NEXT!

And the next guy took a shot with his clothing company…that didn’t go over too well. NEXT!

Ok go. Do I start now. Yes now. Ok, well, let’s see, the hardware industry is a $12 billion dollar market and… Where’s your product, they cut in. Well, I was getting to that. Let’s see it, we don’t have a lot of time. Uhmmm, but, let’s see, I stammered and went through my print outs to pull out the sexiest photo I had of my invention…my tool for urban living.

What’s this, said one of the ladies. That looks cool, said another and she walked towards me to get a closer look. How does it work, she asked with a smile, the teeth not so sharp looking anymore. I relaxed and went on.

Do you have a patent? Yes, pending. Do you have a factory? Yes, they are already a supplier to Target in the US. Do you have any customers? Yes, Canadian Tire in North Vancouver is my first customer…and on and on I went.

There were some tough questions for sure but straight and to the point. In the end…they felt I was still too far away from being market ready, but are considering me still. They start filming May 14 for three weeks in total, so if I do make it on the show and I do swing a deal I will know right then and there if I have the money to grow with…plus it’s fun to do it all on TV…how many times in  my life am I going to get a chance to play like this…and so I wait and in the meantime I will be brushing up on my dragon slayer skills. It’s just a game in the end, so off I go to play.