Dragons’ Den - Inspiring fire in the bellies of future dragons…

It’s been 10 years since I left Dragons’ Den and despite going back to cover dragon absences several times, it still seems like yesterday.  During my time out of the den, I’ve had the benefit of being able to unpack first-hand the profound impact the show has had - and continues to have - on its viewers since its launch in 2005. 

When I was growing up the word entrepreneur didn’t really exist in the mind of the everyday person or school kid - it wasn't a word that was bound around and Dragons’ Den has lifted the shroud and the mystique about what it takes to run your own business. The blood, the sweat, the tears and the journey to success, or not.

Dragons’ Den regularly attracts millions of viewers and its success, in part, can be boiled down to the fact that everyone hopes and believes that they can become successful - Dragons’ Den champions ordinary people doing just that. The dragons get to play the part of ‘dream maker’ and you, as the viewer, can cheer them on as they pitch or shout at the TV if you’d be doing it differently.

There have been some truly inspirational people that have come out of the den, not only with dragon investment but hugely successful businesses with some even becoming household names, and being able to watch these successes has made people realise that entrepreneurism is not an unattainable career path that only other people are involved with.

There have been some fantastic entrepreneurs who have been vocal about the impact that Dragons’ Den had in shaping them growing up, with Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett being prime examples, and now they’re the dragons investing in the next wave of entrepreneurs.

Whilst Sara and Steven’s success has to be credited to their determination and sheer brilliance, both are very vocal about Dragons’ Den being one of the few windows into business that was available to them growing up. The impact Dragons’ Den was having was apparent even when I was on the show. Half of the letters I was getting were from people under 16 years old; these youngsters were incredibly passionate and were determined to one day become entrepreneurs themselves. Powerful stuff.

I often quote Napoleon who said the British were a nation of shopkeepers. Well, a shopkeeper is a small business person and that’s what we are. He was dead right. The fact that anyone can run his or her business is attractive to the British public and Dragons’ Den has helped get that back into the public consciousness - a monumental achievement.

I firmly stand by the belief that there is an entrepreneur in everybody, Dragons’ Den has demonstrated this to more people than ever and this is evidenced by the fact that the number of businesses in the UK has grown from 3.5 million businesses in 2000 to 5.6 million in 2021* - an extraordinary figure.

Similar to football, you get players playing in the Premier League, Championship, Division 1 - I could go on, but the point is that they are all footballers and they are all giving it a good go ! Like entrepreneurs, people can do it at different levels, and unless we try we won’t ever know how good we can be and whether the idea or pitch will hold up in the Den, or the outside world.  

*Reference: Parliament Research Briefing December 2021.