Braving the dragons' den - shaun p's story

Anyone who has ever seen the Dragons' Den will tell you that you either have to have supreme confidence in your product, be completely deluded or just plain desperate to brave the dragons. It certainly isn't a decision to be taken lightly. Unless, of course, you are Shaun Pulfrey, who found himself face to face with the fearsome five-some just to get a friend off his case. "A friend of mine told me to take the Tangle Teezer to the Dragons' Den, but I said I was too busy," explains Shaun. "I was working toward launching at Salon International and I was also Assistant Technical Director at Richard Ward, so I didn't have a spare moment. "One day, he was bugging the hell out of me. He told me that this series was full so it wouldn't be until next year anyway. So I copied my strap-line, plonked it down on the entry form and said that I was after half a million quid." "They got back to me the next day and before I knew it I was at Wood Lane doing a screen test."Many participants entering the Den appear to be plucking figures out of thin air, but in Shaun's experience you can't get away with just bandying about any old figures. He adds: "You have to have absolutely everything down on paper from your business plan to the details of any orders that have been placed or any manufacturing or distributing contracts you have in place. "If at any time the dragons want to check out the figures they can. So you have to stop filming and then they check out the figures and start again. That didn't happen to me, though. In fact the whole thing went really quickly." As it happened, Shaun's request for £80,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in his Tangle Teezer business was turned down by the dragons who gave him a real grilling. "When you walk into the studio it takes you by surprise because it is just like on the television! Then the dragons start to interrogate you and before you can respond to one the next one starts," says Shaun. "Deborah Meaden gave me a really hard time saying it was like a horse brush, but before I could argue with her the next comments were coming from another direction." "I wasn't disappointed about not getting the money because I can get that from a bank. But I wanted a dragon to take it to the consumer global market and I didn't feel like they heard me out. "For the last three years, I've been working on a product that the market I have worked in for 30 years has told me there is a demand for. "I've designed it, worked with manufacturers to build it and bankrolled it with my own money, but the dragon's just said no without explaining why they had come to that conclusion. "The whole thing made me wonder whether the dragons are looking for innovation - which I showed them - or whether they just want to find some vulnerable entrepreneurs who they can squeeze for 45% of their business." While the dragons may not have warmed to Shaun's Tangle Teezer, which claims to offer a pain-free way to remove knots from long hair, the brush was warmly received at Salon International and he now has plenty of business opportunities on the horizon. "The future is looking very bright indeed," he adds. "I've just filmed for the 'Where Are They Now' episode of Dragons' Den and I sold more than I had expected at Salon. "I've had three offers for global distribution since Salon and a further three since the show aired. "I also have Deborah Meaden to thank because since the show I've been in talks with one of the biggest distributors of equine products so there's another opening there!" Did you miss Shaun on Dragon's Den? You can watch him here. If you're interested in stocking Tangle Teezer in your salon contact 020 7274 6128 or visit www.tangleteezer.com to order online.