We will find out next month if a Fredericton business owner was able to strike a deal with a Dragon.
Jeff Alpaugh is the Co-Founder of a clothing business that makes what he calls dangerous dress shirts.
Alpaugh says they were the first to arrive on the set in Toronto, and they went through about three dress rehearsals getting ready for the pitch, before finally entering the Dragon’s Den, “They tell you, you get 60 seconds uninterrupted and then after that, it is game on. But I think we got interrupted after around one second. What I also didn’t anticipate is how much I would have to control the Dragons, respectful and diplomatic but in a bit of a forceful way. So for instance, by saying, that’s a good point, Dragon one, now check this out.”
They were out in front of the Dragons for about 45 minutes, but he says it felt like it only last about 2 to 3 minutes, “It didn’t feel like I was on a TV show. It just felt like we were have a conversation. But the Dragons cut you off a lot, and I didn’t expect that,” Alpaugh says.
Their hope was to strike a deal with Michelle Romanow for E-Commerce, or Michael Wekerle for the financing, and being on brand and a great spokesman, “But whether or not that’s the way it played out, I can’t talk about that,” Alpaugh added.
Whether they get a deal or not, Alpaugh says he’ll have to wait to see how the episode looks to determine whether or not this will be good exposure for the Fredericton business, “I’ve watched probably every single episode of Dragon’s Den, and when I see a company and Founders that I identify with, not get a deal, it almost makes me like those people more.”
We won’t know if Jeff Alpaugh Custom gets a deal until November 9th, when the episode they are featured in will air on CBC.
