Dragon's Den - We're In!

I always wondered what it would be like to be on Dragon’s Den...and this week I got my chance!

Miss Maria and I were honoured to be invited as the ‘Dragons’ to Year 6’s Den. (Thinking about it - maybe we shouldn’t have been so flattered...dragons..and all that).

Well, we fulfilled our roles as awkward, questioning, demanding dragons as Year 6 pitched their business ideas to us as part of their Business Enterprise programme they take part in every summer term. We couldn’t believe the ingenuity of the ideas, the smoothness of their sales’ tongues and their incentives and offers to hook the customer in. Glam Girls’ Goodies not only sold hand creams and lip balms, but came in homemade sewn wallets in colours to order. Food seemed to be a theme with great ideas around pizza and popcorn alongside a sideshow of a Penalty Shootouts or Goodness Goodies who were touting overpriced doughnuts with the clever idea of offering a selection of mouth watering toppings that would stick to the doughnut’s glaze. Bubble Tea is obviously at the height of its popularity and M&A Food & Drinks made the most of this craze with their clever marketing and Sir Lushie were ready with their crazy coloured slushies. And finally The Pen and Cup company decided on merging two ideas, one profit making and the other non-profit making for charity - The Three Mysteries - where customers could pay to receive a surprise book in a brown paper package and all the proceeds would be ploughed straight into a charity.

To be honest, we were flabbergasted. Each presentation not only sold its marketing ideas, they had also carefully thought through every aspect of their costs, made allowances for Covid-19 restrictions by creating risk assessments and considered dietary requirements and the wellbeing of their customers. Miss Maria and I will be battling it out to invest in the companies and hopefully, when the businesses open, we will see who has created the most successful business of all. And how will we judge if it’s successful? Well I will ask the children that question. Will it be the one that makes the most money or the one where the customer is most satisfied with the product and creates value for our world.

Business Enterprise is creativity, innovation and learning for a purpose at its very best. Thank you Year 6 for inspiring us...now when do the businesses open? I thought I could just squeeze in a doughnut...