Xenophobe Disrespects All Dragons Within Minutes Of Pitch | Dragons' Den

Okay, my name is Alex Hall. I am the founder of Big O. We were looking for an investment worth one hundred and fifty thousand pounds for a 15% stake in our company. About three and a half years ago I saw a niche in the market for a pre-packaged marinated deli style olive to go with Chris and peanuts for the pub market. We wanted to create a brand for olives like KP is for peanuts. Walker's is for the fries. We wanted to be the Big O'His of olives and if it had not been for the big initial problems with our Spanish suppliers we would be on the right track to achieve our business plan, in numerical terms, our plan wants to generate a turnover of 4.5 million in three years and that's really incredibly conservative.

Alex is looking for £150,000 and is prepared to give away fifteen per cent of his company. The rules of Dragon's Den dictate that she must get at least what she asks for or she won't get a cent, so tell me how you financed yourself to get into this stage. Well, I have a brain for business. You know, I'm always thinking of ideas and I got a made-for-nothing prototype pot and I said, I want olives here with a six-month shelf life. Who designed the tree? I, you design the tree, so you own the rights to that tree, yes, all of these. the designs have been registered and the trademark yes, the pole and dispenser are patented with the packaging finished and patents in place, the business looks promising, a new dragon.

Theo Paphitis is clearly enjoying the taste of the product, although Doug Richard wants to know more about the market for the product. Big O, did I understand that you, your inspiration for the product and the way you design the packaging and the ease of use, you said that you wanted to be right next to the other type of snacks that you get when you shop? The inspiration was poppin. bar market, so can you explain to me what evidence you currently have? What level of success have you had in getting to that pub at the bar? Well, yes, I mean, I can, the phone rings all day and we don't have any products, Elsa.

That's a charming anecdote, but I was actually looking for a little more substance than that. No, well, you'll get more substance basically. I don't know what you want to know about big names. I'm just looking to know what your product is. actually being used by a customer who likes it and there is some kind of evidence to support that question, yes, simple, well, I can, yes, I mean, it is simple, although our sales do not reflect what the company could do because we have had inconsistent suppliers. Tell us many of these unique sales in a week.

Sorry, I can't answer that question so directly because it's very different. You know, you might get your village pub selling one every three days, but you might get your town busy. pub that will sell 48 in a day, it varies, I mean Ian's average Ramona, this is a point that terrifies 101, one a day, alex has finally given the Dragons an arm sir, but it's not the one that they were searching. Big O can look good. but their slow sales have surprised the Dragons and the business appears fragile despite their resilience Theo Paphitis is determined to find out how these sales translate into income Alex, when did he start supplying bars?

November 2003 to early 2003 and what the sales volume or sales have been until then. So far I can answer that question, but I don't think it's that relevant because we've had very inconsistent supplies. Because I want to know what they've been selling since November 2003. I'm sorry, but what do you mean? If we had had a continuous supply, you did not have it and in reality you did not have it and we have not been able to know how much turnover you have made in that time. We have 1200 customers unlimited limited limited Alex, please answer the question. Sorry, I'm not going to answer that question because it's not relevant, it's not relevant, it is to me, if you don't answer my question then I'm out, I'm out.

Alexe's defensive behavior has cost her the interest of Theo Paphitis and is also not endearing her to the rest of the Dragons Duncan Bannatyne wants some straight answers Alex tell me exactly what problem you had with your Spanish supplier explaining if any Maybe you dealt with the Spanish, never well, well, there is someone Spanish here, dishonesty could be key number one, key number one, well, they said things or put something in the product that shouldn't be in the product and they didn't let us know. , so it wouldn't be on the label and was totally Dishonest Alex is on a collision course, she needs a hundred and fifty thousand pounds, but her radical statements about the Spanish could push Doug Richard over the edge.

You really caught me off guard when you smeared an entire nation because a supplier really blows your mind. like you're a wild weapon telling me that every spanish our designers have ever dealt with spanish um yeah, i've dealt with honest spanish and only a few, especially if that's the kind of comment you're willing to make, god alone You know what else we'll say, so I lose some faith in your judgment, okay, so I won't be reversed. Doug Richard is out and things are about to get worse, at least if you look deep inside you know it. the product isn't selling and that's your problem, so you don't really have a production problem, that's not the problem, it's that you can't buy enough.

I don't think you know why you're giving ears and ammunition. Alex has lost the interest of three

dragons

, but she still refuses to acknowledge their concerns. Only Rachael Eleanor and Peter Jones and his offer for the hundred and fifty thousand pounds remain. investment is on the verge of collapse I'm Peter, I'm sitting here and I'm absolutely baffled. I think, first of all, it's one of the worst arguments I've seen today. You mentioned you have a business brain. I haven't seen any inclination to really know what you're doing yet, so the biggest problem I have is that I'm now focusing on someone I don't really want to invest in, regardless of how good they are.

You've completely lost me, you've lost my interest and I'm out too. Alex's Last Hope by Rachel L Norah. You've encountered this incredibly hard job and this is your proposal. We are selling yourself, your olive products and your business concept. For us, business is about problems and, in fact, one of the most important tests for a successful entrepreneur: whether you can successfully overcome those obstacles or whether we beat you and we are doing well, it has been two and a half years. You've spent all your money and all you can say is that it's really the suppliers' fault that you haven't built a successful business now.

I actually quite like the product and personally I really like olives and I can see that there is a gap in the market, whether you can really make it work or not is another question and that is where I would have the problem investing, So it's not for me, so I'm out. Alex has been demolished by the Dragons, who discovered that his defense of the manner and refusal to divulge the basic details of his business made it impossible for them to invest. He said it's an example of how not to get an investment. It could be a good product.

It was irrelevant because she was so selfish. she feels comfortable asking if someone listens to spanish so she can feel free to criticize an entire nation it's the pit it's reprehensible behavior if she behaves like this then she'll do other things that are equally wrong Alex a difficult question that was quite complicated until now I'm too arrogant , I mean, you simply refuse to give them the information that they are asking for and, in that sense, it is not that relevant to give them that information because it does not reflect the business from their point of view.

They ask you a question and you know the answer. The fact is that the product works. We have proven that it works. That's all.