Master and Commander: The far side of the world

Master and Commander was the first of my rentals, this was a good action packed film, the story of one ship going to the edge of the world to fight another.  I felt I missed out a bit of the story by not having read the books.  While it was a good film I couldn’t see the bigger picture of why they were doing it.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Poseidon (2006)

The 2006 film Poseidon is a remake of an earlier film.  A cruise ship is struck by a huge wave which turns it upside down.  Many of the passengers stay in the large ballroom area but the story follows a group who attempt to make their way to the bottom of the ship where the propeller tubes could provide an exit.  The boat is struck by the wave early on in the film so most of the film follows the group through various challenges they face.  Its quite a typical story line, as the characters face a range of trials during which they are slowly killed off and you are left wondering how many / who will survive.  The film is a good one to watch once but it lacks good character development, you don’t really get to hear much of the characters back stories, and as a result you don’t feel their pain when one dies.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons had a lot to do to live up to the book!  I don’t think I have ever watched the whole Da Vinci code film, It never lived up to the book in my opinion.  However Angels and Demons is a fantastic film.  When I watched the film I had forgotten most of the book, including some of the key themes, but the movie was not diminished by having read the book.  There were some differences between the book and the film but nothing major.  The film is fast paced, but still detailed enough to provide enough background on the characters.  The story is a classic treasure hunt, taking Robert Langdon from church to church but not so long that it is repetitive.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Knowing

The trailer for Knowing makes it look like a fairly grounded psychological thriller, though the film is perhaps the oddest film I have ever seen.  As the trailer says, 50 years ago school children each put an envelope into a time capsule, 50 years on the capsule is opened and the envelopes are handed out.  The one picked by Nicolas Cage’s son contains a list of seemingly random numbers.  Nicolas Cage’s character realises that these are dates and numbers.  The dates of major disasters over the last 50 years and the number of casualties and there are three dates still to come.  Cage’s character believes he is tied into these events after being present for one and sets out to find out more.

I rented this film as I enjoy several of Cages previous films and this film was definitely worth watching, though it gets stranger and stranger as it goes on!

Buy Now from Amazon UK

If you’ve seen any of the above films, leave a comment with your thoughts

Next Month,

I only subscribe to the 2 DVD’s a month package which is just £3.91 a month, Lovefilm has several packages which include unlimited DVD’s and Blurays for £9.78 a month and packages which also include computer games.

My DVD queue is full of films which are released in November so I am hoping for some good films soon!

Join Lovefilm today with the Barsley Brief and get your first month Free!  That’s two weeks more than the standard Lovefilm offer.

Click here to find out more and join Lovefilm

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Sean was first in the episode with his tangle teaser hairbrush.  He had failed to get investment in the den but two years on the tangle teaser is in fairly wide use and available to buy online at Amazon.  Duncan Bannatyne had a go and admitted it was better than a normal comb, and seemed surprised that Sean had solved over 250,000 units.  Duncan was impressed how far Sean had come and thought he may be the “one that got away”

Next on was Jason Roberts who just this series got funding for company Tech21 which produces a range of items which protect gadgets through the revolutionary D3O material.  See some of their products here on Amazon.  He partnered with both Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones and Peter visited him just 4 weeks later, the first post den meeting.  Jason was able to use the Dragons money to secure the exclusive global rights to the D3o technology.  It’s still early days but Peter is confident.

Ian Chamings was looking for £150,000 in 2006, for his software “Mixalbum” which mixes dance music.  He got the investment with Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis.  Three years on Mixalbum has become very popular in gyms, and has taken up the licensing route suggested by Richard Farleigh.  The company is currently turning over £500,000, most successfully from licencing which Ian wasn’t keen on initially.  The profits weren’t mentioned though.

Blinds in a box were next up.  I couldn’t believe it originally when they got investment from James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne.  It seems quite a odd, and potentially unnecessary product.  A year on and they made an exclusive contract with a catalogue retailer but did not get the sales they wanted.  Now in their second year they can go to other retailers so must sell, sell, sell!

The final pitch was for ice blades, rollerblades which are made like ice skates so that you can “ice blade” without the ice.  They got funding from Theo Paphitis.  Peter Jones though felt this was one of the most ridiculous investments in the den.  Just 5 weeks later and Theo went to visit, and carry out the due diligence and his other condition “a world expert telling him it was just like ice skating”  so he brought along ex Olympic figure skater Haig Oundjian.  The product passed the test and Haig Oundjian loved them.  They won’t get investment though until the patent is approved.

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Dragons Den: On Tour Episode Two

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The Online Dragons Den is the same concept to the Dragons Den we know and love but is much more accessible to pitchers.  Anyone can submit a video to the Online Dragons Den asking for an investment of up to £50,000 and the best pitches are selected by the BBC and the entrepreneurs are invited to pitch to the online dragons Shaf Rasul and Julie Meyer.

Shaf Rasul

http://www.shafrasul.com

Edinburgh based Shaf has made his millions in property and computers. His E-net Computers business is worth £35m and has other interests in Dubai and property.

Julie Meyer

American by birth and European in spirit, Julie came to Paris in September 1988 and has been working with technology business leaders and entrepreneurs ever since.

Episode One

The BBC2 show is hosted by Dom Bryne who presents the highlights from the online pitches.  This week the show includes Graeme and Tom Hill’s Mpod and Victor Scott’s commuter-friendly trolley trike. Plus Brian Loughborough’s economical haircare solution and Christine Turner-Crowe’s Hay Hammock.

Graeme and Tom Hill’s Mpod never got as far as the dragons, it was a large sack with the words SOS on it which you put over yourself to signify the need for help if you break down on the motorway.  All very Odd.

Marcus Reoch http://www.dragonsineurope.com did get into the den, dressed like a court jester, he was looking for £50,000 for 15% in “the Chinese dragons club” teaching afterschool mandarin to children.  Marcus was questioned thoroughly in typical Dragons Den style.  The dragons first discussed the concept of the company and then went on to discuss financials.  Julie was out because she didn’t feel Marcus was hungry to grow and increase revenues.  She felt this was more of a lifestyle business for Marcus rather than an investment.  After Julie was out Marcus revealed more to Shaf to try and get his investment.  Shaf just couldn’t see how he could get the investment to stack up and make a return so he was out also.

Lisa Penn and Matthew Penn were next to make it into the den with their cosy shopper baby blanket.  They wanted £20,000 for 15% for their business and gave a positive pitch, however the dragons felt the couple weren’t committed to giving enough time to the business.

Family fridge limited http://www.familyfridge.co.uk, is a free website the invention of Alexi Deak who wanted £20,000 investment for 20% in this free website.  The website is a free planner, it includes calendars, pictures, gift lists and more, everything you might stick to the fridge!  (as soon as the pitch started the Family Fridge website went down!).  Alexi struggled to really articulate what family fridge did.  Shaf has website investment experience and felt the return might not be their from advertising.  Alexi revealed that he was nominated for young entrepreneur of the year.  Julie offered the £20,000 for 30%.  Shaf matched the offer but highlighted that he was an entrepreneur not just an investor and would work closely with him.  Alexi accepted the offer from Julie.

Summary

An interesting start to BBC Two’s Online Den.  Some of the “raw” pitches are a little cringe worthy but it is fascinating to see the smaller investors getting the chance to pitch.  Since the Den, Marcus has published several Chinese books, the cosy shopper is available at several retailers, and Alexi’s Family Fridge is growing fast.

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The Online Dragons Den Episode One

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Today in Episode one the tour heads south, featuring the colourful father and son team behind Ladderbox, the opening of pop sculptor Guy Portelli’s exhibition, and olive oil enthusiast Michael North, who dared to take on Deborah Meaden during his time in the Den.

Peter Jones catches up with one of his investments, Rachel Watkyn from Tiny Box Company, and the Den Destroyer Theo Paphitis drops in on the man behind one of the most popular products not to get investment – Rob Law’s Trunki – to find out if he was wrong to not invest.

Below I’ve covered some of my favourite bits from the episode.

The program starts showing the Dragon’s Den On Tour Bus, I find it hard to believe that they would all travel together on a bus.but you never know.

Ladderbox

http://www.Ladderbox.co.uk

Rob and Geoff Hill came onto Dragons Den in 2008 wanting £100,000 for 15% equity.  They were quite an entertaining pitch but ultimately didn’t get investment in the den.  The company had been in place quite a while and Duncan Bannatyne felt they had come to Dragons Den to bail them out as they couldn’t sell them.

A year on Duncan Bannatyne, their harshest critic goes to visit them.  The pair are keen to show him the newest product in their range, but it’s an odd start as they chauffeur him to the house in a golf cart.  They had lost £93,000 on the Mk1 Ladder box, but invested a further £50,000 in development of the Mk2 Ladderbox with paint roller.  Rob and Geoff think it will take another £40,000 to get it to market.  Duncan believes they should just give up.  However the pair have a licencing deal on the table which will mean they don’t have to put in any more money and they’ll get £1 per unit.  If they can sign this Duncan thinks this is the best way.  However he still believes fundamentally it is a bad idea, do date they have not signed a contract.

Tiny Box Company

http://www.tinyboxcompany.co.uk

The Tiny Box Company produces ethical recycled packaging boxes for the gift and jewellery boxes.  Duncan was disappointed with the quality of the product, even Deborah “the ethical dragon didn’t invest”.  But Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones were interested, they invested together for 40% total and £60,000.  The other Dragons were surprised.

A year on and the Tiny Box company have a new warehouse, and Christian has left the tiny box company leaving Rachel alone despite giving Peter the assurance that he was committed.  Peter Jones visited the company and is very pleased with the progress so far.  Rachel has a great business but Peter Jones isn’t convinced if it will ever become a big business.

Trunki

http://www.Trunki.co.uk

Rob Law is the creator of the Trunki, perhaps the most popular product to be turned down by the Dragons three years ago.  As ever Theo tested the Trunki to breaking point and snapped the strap, this stopped most of dragons from investing or asking for a large equity stake.  Theo went as far as saying he was wasting his time in the den.

Theo “the destroyer” goes back three years on to meet Rob in Trunki Towers.  Theo Paphitis says he now sees them everywhere when he goes to the airports.  The company has expanded from Trunki’s (now on the Mark 3), to saddlebags and rucksacks which convert into booster seats.

The company is has an annual £1.4 million turnover, but fairly low profits.  Theo said it is imperative to ensure he has the cashflow to go forwards as he was worried about the low profit margins and wished Rob the best of luck.

Buy a Trunki today direct from Trunki

Guy Portelli

http://www.portelli-sculptor.co.uk

Guy Portellis offer was an unusual one, he was offering 25% of 100 of his Pop art sculptures which he would display and sell for an investment of £70,000 at a large exhibition.  The dragons were interested and this sparked a bidding war.  Guy Portellis got Theo Paphitis, James Caan and Peter Jones for £80,000.  A key point of this was that this would give him three guest lists.

In Royal Tunbridge Wells James Caan visited Guy in his studio, and admired the range of pieces Guy had already produced.  A year later the sculptures have been created and he is ready to exhibit.  With the dragons help they have a impressive guest list at the exhibition, but would people buy?  Since the exhibition 4 pieces have been sold for a total of £60,000 and guy is now touring the pieces.

Michael North

http://www.oliveoilclubs.com

Michael is passionate about fresh seasonal olive oil.  His company was an olive oil club giving his club members 12 bottles of olive oil a year of fresh seasonal olive oil.  He annoyed Deborah in the den after contradicting her and none of the dragons chose to invest.

Deborah Meaden went to visit Michael a year to see how he was getting on.  Deborah has bought one of her favourite oils and asks how old it is, and he correctly tastes it as a 2007 olive oil.  They go on to taste several of Michaels newest freshest oils.

Michael isn’t making a product from the olive oil clubs but he has other products which he now sells, including a Balsamic vinegar spray, for instant salad spraying!  Deborah is sceptical that Michael has no unique selling point and he has not spoken to any supermarkets.  Deborah feels he needs a business partner to focus on the business side while he focuses on the Olive Oil side.  Deborah feels she was right not to invest.

Dragons Den is back again next Sunday at 9pm on BBC2

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Michael Lea – Earle’s

http://www.earles-direct.co.uk

http://www.earles-sandwiches.co.uk

Michael was seeking £100,000 for 15% in his mobile hot and cold food van company.  Earles was formed 12 years ago and delivers pies, sandwiches, drinks etc to businesses.  Michael gave a overview of the company history but was light on what the money was for.

He wanted to franchise his sandwich company, specifically with his new van design which combines hot and cold food storage and an ice cream machine.

Michael had separated his original business from the Franchise operation that he was asking for investment on.  Michael revealed that he had put approximately £160,000 to date, is surprised me that he was only offering 15% when he has not put in much more.

James Caan was worried about the principles behind the business as he had been in a similar business and lost a lot of money.  James was out.  Deborah Meaden shortly declared herself out too.

Theo Paphitis was out too, he was critical of there being no unique selling point to make his company different from anyone’s else.

Duncan Bannatyne who had previously run his own ice cream van business, felt ice cream vans were better and was out.

Peter Jones asked for the current business to be included aswell as the franchise, and offered £100,000 for 35% of the entire business.  Michael went to the back of the room for a think and although he didn’t seem convinced accepted the deal.

Peter said this taught the other dragons a lesson – the benefit of declaring last!

Vernon Kerswell – Extreme Fliers

http://www.extremefliers.co.uk

Vernon was seeking £75,000 for 15% in the world’s first remote controlled micro-helicopter and car in one.  Vernon has already manufactured several products and gave a strong knowledgeable pitch.   He was very honest that he was looking for a dragon to get the product into toy retailers.

He answered questions well from the Dragons and showed that he was enthusiastic and put a lot of effort into the range.

Theo Paphitis wanted a play with the Terror wasp.  Deborah tested the business skills of Vernon questioning the patents and product protection.

Peter Jones revealed he owned 25% of Blaze toys which is one of the biggest radio controlled helicopter in the UK.  He spent over £100,000 in legal costs to fight a legal patent for the rotor design of remote control helicopters, and eventually settled.  For this reason he was out.

James Caan was interested but after Peter Jones revelation he was out.

Duncan Bannatyne loved Vernon but he felt there were too many competitors.

Deborah felt Vernon was highly investable but had heard too much from Peter Jones and was out.

Theo Paphitis started questioning Vernon’s academics, and was considering an investment in him.  He felt this wasn’t the right time, and Vernon should finish his degree, while developing his products, and then launch the business and at this point Theo would be ready to invest.

Susan Bell and Jonathan Jones – Butterfly Technology

http://www.butterfly-technology.com

Susan and Jonathan wanted £75,000 for 15% in their company which created an invention that dispenses all product from a tube without any wastage “Squeeze with ease”.  They gave a good presentation explaining the key design and points of their product.  I felt their equity offer was incredibly low when they are still at the prototype stage.

Peter Jones felt that this would have a slow take up as manufactures wouldn’t want to reduce their sales by users getting more out for their tubes.  Duncan thought the best money saving way would be to use a key to wind the tube and force the contents out.

If this product works to their expectations they have incredibly high profit expectations.  Deborah Meaden was familiar with Susan’s from very positive previous press she had received.  However Deborah felt that this was not an environmental / ethical product that she claimed it to be so she was out.

James Caan agreed that she had so much publicity in the past that if this were a good idea she would have already have been offered investment, so he and Theo were out.

Duncan Bannatyne didn’t believe in the product and was out.

Peter Jones felt Susan was talented but didn’t listen and the product shouldn’t be on the market so he was out.

David and Patti Bailey – Motormouse

David and Patti were looking for a £100,000 investment in their company for a 20% stake.  They have created Wireless computer mice in the form of supercars.

Originally I was unimpressed but they couple had strong sales to date and they were quality “executive toys” rather than very plasticy cheap cars.  They also revealed they have a licencing agreement with a Italian sportscar manufacturer.

Peter Jones started questioning and Patti answered strongly showing that they were aware of similar toy’s but there’s was an executive gadget not a toy.

James dug a little deeper and discovered that the “missing link” was the retail market and they needed help breaking into it.

Theo loved the quality of the product and the packaging but felt the competition was very high and this was a price sensitive market so he was out.

Duncan Bannatyne felt the market wasn’t big enough so he was out.  Deborah was out for the same reasons.

Peter Jones felt he would have invested less but £100,000 was too much for the market they were looking to enter.  This left just James Caan.

James again liked the product but didn’t feel it was big enough.  He did like the creators and their expertise and wondered if they would help with his other companies as an investment in David and Patti, for 50%.  The couple were flattered, but didn’t want to do a flat 50/50 split. James Caan offered 49% but they challenged for 60/40.  He pushed back for 45% but David and Patti beat him down to 40%!

Conclusion

The Den has closed for the last time this season.  I had mixed feelings on today’s episode,the people were very interesting and lead to a good episode but I wasn’t so impressed with the products.  I liked Earle’s Sandwich company as this gave us some insight into some of the dragon’s past.  Vernon was a great inspiration of how much a young entrepreneur can achieve but I felt the product was to similar to other things on the market.  The tube device was quite odd and the computer mouse while well made is ultimately quite faddy.

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Dragons Den Series 7 Episode 8

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Lovefilm Update

I still Love Lovefilm!  They have made a few changes to their website which has made it a little more user-friendly such as a useful “My Lovefilm” on the homepage, which shows what I’m renting now, my ratings and reviews etc.

Also it was a lovely surprise to receive an email from them giving me a free rental a “Film Extra”.  This has been really well thought out, I have up to a month to redeem this rental and all I need do is click the Film Extra button and the free rental will be sent!  I think I will wait to November when many of the DVD’s I have queued will be released.

Also with Sony announcing the new Playstation 3 Slimline console I think now is the right time to buy.  So of course I may have to buy a new TV too!  But looking forward to renting Blu-Ray discs at Lovefilm for No extra cost!

Click here to subscribe to Lovefilm.com and get 30 days free DVD / Blu-Ray / Games rentals

Film Reviews

It’s been a while since my last post so I have 6 films to review.  So in chronological order of my rentals…

Body of Lies

I’ll be honest, Body of Lies is quite a forgettable film.  I rented this nearly three months ago and was watching the trailer just now and can hardly remember the film.  At Lovefilm I only rated the film as two stars which compares with a community rating of 3 1/2 out of five.

“Body of Lies” is based on “Washington Post” columnist David Ignatius’ 2007 novel about a CIA operative, Roger Ferris, who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence. Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation–and his life–on the line.

The Bank Job

I rented The Bank Job as the story is based around Baker Street near where I work.  The Bank Job is based on a true story and I found it interesting to watch from this respect and to see places I walk past every day.  But as a “action” film it lacked.  There was no exciting car chase or really ingenious method of robbery, they just dug a tunnel and the rest was easy!  A sub plot of two parties fighting for the contents of one of the safety deposit boxes kept the film interesting and lead to several twists.

The Bank Job is a highly-charged heist thriller based upon the infamous 1971 robbery that took place at the Lloyds Bank in Marylebone London. Starring Jason Statham as Terry, a car dealer with a dodgy past and Saffron Burrows as Martine, the woman with the plan, The Bank Job interweaves corruption, murder and scandal with 1970′s England!

When Martine offers Terry a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London’s Baker Street, he recognises the opportunity of a lifetime! The plan: to target a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. However Terry and his crew don’t realise the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets – secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal that spans London’s criminal underworld, the highest echelons of the British government, and the Royal Family itself.

Frost Nixon

When I watched Frost Nixon I didn’t really know much about the Watergate scandal.  The film was a interesting documentary which taught me a lot about this historical event.  It was also interesting seeing how the interview was put together, Frost’s struggles to get funding, and how his success came at the 11th hour in the last of the interview sessions.  I only rated this as a 3 star as while it is a great documentary, it’s just that a documentary, not a film that I would want to watch again and again.  But then thats the great reason for renting movies rather than buying!

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (Da Vinci Code, A Beautiful Mind) brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan’s (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the untold story of the historic encounter that changed both: Frost/Nixon. Reprising their roles from Morgan’s stageplay are Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who fully inhabited the part of Frost onstage in London and New York.

Australia

Australia is one of those films everyone says you should see (perhaps other than some Australians I know).  It has a good plot and despite having a long run time of 2hrs and 45 mins keeps your attention throughout.  Ultimately though its not my kind of film, so while it was good to watch and I enjoyed it, it isn’t one I’d see again or buy.

Moulin Rouge’s Baz Luhrman and Nicole Kidman reteam for this epic that pays homage to their homeland. In Australia, Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) is a prim and proper Englishwoman who journeys to Australia in the years before World War II reached the country’s shores. She is determined to have her estranged husband sell his cattle ranch to a monopoly-craving businessman named King Carney (Bryan Brown), but when she arrives, Lord Ashley is dead, and her plan to sell the ranch changes when she sees an employee named Fletcher (David Wenham) cheating her husband’s business and mistreating a young boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters) because he is of mixed race. Urged on by both pride and a sense of justice, Lady Ashley wants to drive her herd of cattle to Darwin so she can sell them to the troops, but she’ll require the help of an independent cowboy (fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman) to get them there.

Australia changes genres almost as much as Kidman’s character changes from fantastic costume to fantastic costume (courtesy of Luhrman’s wife and collaborator, Catherine Martin). The film begins as a fish-out-of-water comedy, then changes into a Western, then morphs into a romance, and it finishes as a World War II drama. But in this genre-bending epic, there’s something for everyone, especially for fans of Jackman. The actor has rarely looked better, and there’s plenty of opportunity for him to show that he can be an action star as well as a romantic lead in the mould of the Golden Age stars. The film itself harks back to classic Hollywood, at times resembling essentials such as Gone With The Wind and The African Queen. And fans of The Wizard of Oz will enjoy seeing how the beloved film works its way into Australia’s plot and score.

Valkyrie

Finally Valkyrie.  This film is based on the true events surrounding a plot to assassinate Hitler.  The plot of the film is always moving forward’s with Tom Cruise’s character taking the lead in the plot.  This was a great film to watch and one I would consider buying on DVD.

Based on a the true story of a cadre of Nazi officers who grew to oppose Hitler’s murderous pursuits and made several attempts to kill him in the late stages of WWII, VALKYRIE features a top-flight cast, with drama and suspense in equal measure. The film is a stylistic departure for director Bryan Singer (X-MEN, X2) and star Tom Cruise, with a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and Nathan Alexander that is constructed like a heist film, with a team of like-minded men coming together for a common purpose and facing incredible odds. It is 1943, and though he has come to be disgusted by Hitler’s campaign of evil, Count Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) has risen to the level of lieutenant colonel in the German army. Convinced that Hitler must die, Von Stauffenberg requests a transfer to Tunisia, where he loses his left eye and right hand during an Allied air raid. Falling in with a group of similarly disillusioned officers including Major General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh), General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy), General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson), and Colonel General Ludwig Beck (Terence Stamp), Stauffenberg is at the centre of several attempts on Der Fuhrer’s life, culminating in a bombing that kills a handful of his officers and leaves Hitler only slightly injured.

Though advance photos of Cruise in Nazi uniform brought VALKYRIE negative publicity, his restrained performance is at the heart of this well-crafted, thinking person’s action movie. He is bolstered by an incredible British cast including Branagh, Stamp, and Wilkinson, and by the film’s dazzling art direction. Though it’s a story to which viewers should already know the ending, Singer still creates ample suspense. The result is a taut and effective historical thriller.

Click here to subscribe to Lovefilm.com and get 30 days free DVD / Blu-Ray / Games rentals

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Lovefilm Rental Update

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Michael Oke – Bound Biographies

http://www.boundbiographies.com

Michael wanted a £75,000 investment for a 20% equity stake in his company Bound Biographies which offers a personal biography writing and production service.  The business is a franchise scheme and Michael is looking for the money to expand this.  He spoke a lot of the emotion of the job but not much regarding the actual business.

Deborah Meaden had experience of people who had made their own biographies and spoke very passionately that she didn’t like the principle as they end up spending more money than they expect.

Michael didn’t seem so strong on the figures side, spouting several numbers.  Peter Jones was out as he felt Michael was “completely uninvestable as a business concept.”

James Caan questioned the growth of the company with less than one franchisee a year over its 18 year history, for this James was out.

Duncan Bannatyne didn’t feel it was a business and was out, as was Theo Paphitis.  Michael left without a deal.

Kay Russell – Physicool Ltd

http://www.physicool.co.uk

Buy online now at Boots

Kay Russell was seeking £100,000 for 20% in her company Physicool which offers a reusable sports and medical cooling bandage.  Kay started strongly highlighting the worldwide sales and the unique selling points of the products but she didn’t say what she needed the money for.

Once again James Caan was keen to volunteer himself to test the product.  Former tennis coach Peter Jones was quick to point out that the concept of a cooling bandage was not unique.  Kay was quick to point out that this is the only reusable product on the market and that the coolant was patented / copyrighted.

Kay was very knowledgeable on the figures which showed strong growth.  After Duncan’s questioning she revealed that there was a second company which sold the same product for horses but this wasn’t on the table for the dragons to invest in.

James Caan was particularly disappointed by this and declared himself out.  Deborah Meaden agreed they were separate products (you wouldn’t want to think you use horse bandages!).  She offered the full amount but for 30% of both businesses.

Theo Paphitis didn’t want to compete with Deborah and declared himself out,  Peter Jones agreed that it is an incredible offer, Duncan agreed and Kay accepted Deborah’s offer for the full amount.

Buy online now at Boots

Stephen Voller – Bee Automobiles

http://www.beeautomobiles.com

Stephen was seeking an impressing £2.5 million for 30% in his company Bee Automobiles.  Bee Automobiles is looking to produce the next generation of electric cars.  I was shocked when I read this by the amount Stephen was seeking.  Obviously I would expect this is nothing close to the cost of developing and producing cars but Dragons den rarely sees a investment request over £300,000 and I personally cannot remember any of a million or over.  If you can leave a comment with the details!

The BBC commentator (in the adverts before the show) confirmed that this was the biggest investment request ever in the den.

Stephen gave a good but slightly stuttered presentation, covering areas of the design team, patents and the market.  Peter Jones asked about Stephens background, who was the UK managing director of Netscape.  Stephen went on to give details of an impressive track record.

James Caan said he would give the £2.5 million if he could be convinced it would be successful.  Stephen answered James questions strongly but Theo Paphitis asked how this could be possible when all the car industries are working so hard to produce alternative fuel cars.

Theo seemed to get quite worked up that he couldn’t find a new unique selling point which would make this car sell out, with the car taking 2 years to come to market he felt it would be outdated and declared himself out.

Deborah Meaden felt this was a guaranteed failure with the competition of the market place and was out.

Duncan agreed with Theo and declared himself out.

That left James and Peter, James asked how they would market the car, he didn’t feel this could be done for the low marketing budget and declared himself out.

Peter Jones too felt £10 million wasn’t enough to create and market a car so declared himself out.

Michael Pritchard – The Anyway Spray

http://www.AnywaySpray.com

Michael wanted an investment of £125,000 for 5% in his company the Anyway spray.  This Invention allows every last drop of liquid to be used in multi-directional household product sprays as Michael explains in this short clip.

As I research this I have a sneaky suspicious that Michael will get funding as in the last week he has really started to market the company, with several You Tube videos, a Twitter account and a brand new website (did he have dragon help?), but lets see if I’m right!

He gave a good demonstration presenting the product.  His business plan was to licence the product for a royalty of 1p per use.  Michael shocked Theo Paphitis that the patents were only pending and he had no idea whether they would be accepted.

Deborah liked the product but was not happy with the lack of a patent.  Duncan felt the product was worth nothing unless people bought / licence the product from him.  Duncan was out as he felt it was more effort for a manufacturer to integrate the Anyway Spray into their products.

James Caan couldn’t see the need for this product so was out.  Deborah felt it was a “wild gamble” and was out.

Peter Jones didn’t feel that a manufacturer would want to use this because of the extra cost of using them, but he offered half the money for a massive 20% because of the lack of patent.

Theo Paphitis matched Peters offer.

The full amount was on the table but for 40% not 5%.  Michael tried to negotiate down, the dragons offered to each give 5% back after making their money back.  This would take the investment down to 30% but Michael wanted to hold onto more of the equity.

He negotiated down to 10% for each dragon with a money back guarantee (I didn’t fully understand how he would afford this!)

Summary

In a lighter moment in one of the in-between clips an investor creating luxury Tudor playhouses wasn’t able to get an investment but did make a sale to Peter Jones!

The Bee Automobile was possibly one of the most interesting pitches of the series for me.  Britain has a long history of independent car makers.  It would have been great to see him get this investment but I have to say I agree with the dragons, I can’t see how they would produce it and market it for the £10,000,000 budget.

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Samantha Gore – Saboteur Crime Prevention

http://www.saboteurcrimeprevention.com

Samantha was pitching for £120,000 for 20% of her company.  This is here second appearance in the den showcasing the latest addition to her crime prevention range a electric blind closer and opener.

Here is a clip of Samantha’s first visit to the den.  She is the first to pitch and shows her FakeTV invention.

Unfortunately the clip stops half way through Samantha’s pitch so here is the continuation

Since the above program was aired Samantha has developed the FakeTV into a retail product and it is now available to buy for just £27 on Amazon.co.uk.

Back to today in the den though!  Not the best start when the BBC announcer (at the end of the previous show) said she was one of the worst pitchers of the previous series.  This episode she was pitching her latest invention an electric blind closer.  As with previous products this is an “occupency simulator” so when you are on holiday the blinds or curtains will automatically open.

As with all great dragons den technological demonstrations, it didn’t work!  The curtains she was demonstrating with failed to open.  Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis were shocked that it was around £70 for each set of curtains.  Deborah Meaden just didn’t like the product.

Theo Paphitis questioned what she was there for and Samantha admitted she wanted help.  James Caan felt she hadn’t moved forwards enough in a year and become commercially viable so he was out, Theo Paphitis was also out but felt she would be successful with a different product.

Peter Jones though said don’t come back!  He was out because he didn’t feel the idea was any good.

Deborah felt Sam would be successful but not with this.  Duncan Bannatyne was torn but declared himself out, the idea just wasn’t good enough.

I wasn’t sure whether this was a good idea or not.  I used to have automatic opening track curtains and this is certainly a inexpensive method of doing a similar job however I would have liked to have seen the curtains close again (I don’t know that they would of.  If you are on holiday you need them to open and close daily not just once.

You can buy the FakeTV now at Amazon UK

Ronan McCarthy – The Spit ‘n’ Polish Shoeshine Company

http://www.shoeshine.net

Ronan wanted £108,000 for 10% in his shoe shine company.  The Spit n Polish Shoeshine company’s key selling point is their modern shoe shine booths which include a mobile phone charger, TV (for sponsors), mug holder, the day’s papers etc.  I wasn’t convinced this could be profitable but after seeing the Apprentice this season make an absolute killing from shoe shining I didn’t want to underestimate Ronan, that said I don’t think the Apprentices had to pay rent!

Ronan gave a solid pitch and demonstration and had already got locations in a couple of BAA airports.  James had his shoes shined and Deborah got straight to business, wanting to understand the business model.

Ronan struggled to get a number out of Ronan but managed in the end.  The booths cost £5,000 to make and should generate £55,000 a year.  Ronan went on to give impressive profit projections to James.

Duncan Bannatyne questioned where the shoe shine station would be as he knows the shoe shiner at Heathrow who can barely make a living.  Duncan felt Ronan’s projections were unrealistic to get 7 customers an hour etc and was out.  Peter also went out.

Deborah found Ronan exasperating and was out.  Theo Paphitis was out too.

This just left James Caan, who liked the model and the booth but felt it was a tough way to make money.  He made an offer of £108,000 but for 40% of the business.  This is a lot more than Ronan wanted to give away.  James felt this was a completely theoretical business with no testing so 40% was what he wanted.  Ronan chose not to negotiate but to leave with nothing as the offer was so far from the original 10%

Ian Worton and Peter Neath – Grillstream

http://www.grillstream.co.uk

Ian and Peter were seeking £120,000 for 15% of their company Grillstream which produces an easy to clean grill tray that collects and stores the fat from sausages and other meats. To look at it is a ridged baking tray but much thicker, much like a George Foreman the fat runs down the ridges.   However the difference is that like a grill, there are open bars with gaps between them, the fat clings to the bars and rolls to the front rather than sticking to the grill pan.

Deborah questioned whether it would work if it wasn’t put together correctly and it did work.  Theo Paphitis wanted to know what they would do with the money.  They didn’t have a clear answer of how they could use the money.  They seemed to want to launch the two products but didn’t have a clear idea of how much different things cost.

They felt they would make £350,00 after tax profit in year one despite their current business which one had been working in for 17 years only making £50,00 this year, James was out.

Deborah wasn’t convinced by the product, Duncan felt the offer was too steep, if they just needed help they should have asked for less money or even nothing and was out as was Deborah.

Peter Jones didn’t want to be the face of the grill, the next George Foreman so he was out!

Theo Paphitis felt they had a great product but the only way to make money was offer it built in and licence it to manufacturers.  He asked what they would do with the money and they said develop new products (not licence it)

They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and left with nothing!

Jason Roberts – Tech 21

Please leave a comment with the web address!

Jason from Tech 21 wanted £150,000 for just 5% of his company which creates Impact Protection cases for mobiles and PC’s.  I had already heard of Tech21′s products before the iBand for the 3G iPhone and they also have similar products for the iPods but I hadn’t heard of the company.  However I felt their offer of just 5% was particularly low.

He gave a rather nervous pitch but once he got into it he covered the key points.

I felt it was a little odd that he is only licensing D3O the technology that the products use, so is reliant on them for the future of his company.

Theo Paphitis want to hear about Jason’s career.  He had worked in the bag industry for a long time but wanted to go alone.  Theo questioned the 5% but Jason gave some strong revenue figures but maybe not strong enough.  Jason revealed he had future possibilities to work with the mobile phone manufacturers to put the technology directly in the phones.

James asked probing questions with regards to current accounts but Jason wasn’t able to answer.  Both James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne declared themselves out.

For £100,000 Jason would be the exclusive user of D3O for 3 years.  Jason then revealed he had a long term contract for 1000′s of laptop sleeves a month from one PC manufacturer (but is this a real contract in the dragons eyes?)

Peter Jones offered half the money and with his past mobile and technology experience wanted 20% this is 4 times the amount for half the money!

Theo Paphitis was impressed but felt it was very risky, he matched Peters offer.  This gave Jason a full offer but for 40%.

Deborah offered half the money for 15% of the business, she would add value in her own way but agreed Theo and Peter were better for the mobile, technology investment for a quicker launch.

Jason thanked Deborah for her offer but took the higher offers from Theo and Peter for 40% off the company.

Buy the iBand and other Tech21 products at Amazon UK

Summary

This was the first episode of the current series not to have 2 deals!  I was shocked!  However I did feel this week had some of the most “normal” and commercial products of any episode.

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Jane Rafter – Slinks

http://www.janerafter.com

Jane came into the den looking for £75,000 for 20% in her company which produces sandals for every occasion.  The sandals are interchangeable with different uppers and straps giving you “3 pairs in 1″.  Jane gave a confident and well rehearsed pitch and then passed the sandals round to the Dragons.

Peter Jones jumped straight in asking whether the system of interchangeable sandals was patented.  There is a patent pending on this.  Duncan Bannatyne thought the product was an excellent quality but wasn’t sure their was a business there and started to question the financials.

Deborah Meaden felt the shoes weren’t comfortable and Jane refitted the shoes on her.  Peter and Duncan declared themselves out.  Theo Paphitis then questioned what the money would be spent on and Jane gave a very long and thought out list of spending requirements and future plans.

Deborah declared herself out, Theo though made an offer based on re-engineering her marketing strategy.  He wanted 20% for half the money.  James Caan agreed with Theo so Jane had an offer for 40%.  Jane wanted to negotiate down to 30% but the dragons wouldn’t budge.

Jane dealt for 40%!

Paul Ward – Germwarfare

http://www.germwarfare.co.uk

Paul wanted £100,000 for just 5% in his company Germwarfare.  The money was needed to advertise their newest product range “HALO” which according to their site is the only Non Bio Liquid laundry detergent on the market scientifically proven to kill Hospital Super Bugs MRSA and C.difficile spores at 30 degrees.

Pauls business had shown good profits in the past from alcohol gels which are found in hospitals etc.  Theo couldn’t understand why they needed the investment if they were so profitable.  Theo found that Paul also wanted business expertise and contacts.

Theo and the dragons were upset that Paul and his company were unwilling to negotiate on the 5% valuation and most of the dragons went out.

James Caan gave it a go though and offered the full money for 30% but would give 10% back each year if they made their targets.  However Paul declined.  Peter felt that the Paul was not their for investment… maybe just advertising?

James Nash – Wine Innovations Ltd

http://www.wineinnovationsltd.com

James came into the Den seeking £250,000 for 25% in his company Wine Innovations Ltd.  His company produce pre-filled wine glasses with peel-able lids.

James gives a slightly nervous pitch.  Deborah asks for sales information, so far they had tried the product at 2 outdoor concerts and sold approximately 20,000 at each.  Each product cost just 38p to produce.  Duncan felt that James’ patent for sealing the wine and removing the oxygen wouldn’t stand up.

Deborah then queried the letter of intent from which the company’s valuation was based on.  This was not an order or really an attempt to order.  from this both James and Deborah declared themselves out.

James brought in his advocate a wine marketing manager.  Duncan went out because no one had made an order.  Peter was out because the the share of the company was unrealistic.  Finally Theo was out because he didn’t want to invest and then see the patent fail.

Carol Savage – MyDish

http://www.mydish.co.uk

Carol Savage was looking for a £100,000 investment in her website MyDish for 10% of the company.

MyDish describes itself as “a place to collect all those fabulous family recipes that we don’t want to lose, that we would like to preserve for our friends and family, and share with the world.If you’re looking for a memory or an inspiration”

This pitch particularly interested me as I have a few websites, though I’m not sure I would value any at £1,000,000!!!  So while I was researching this episodes pitchers I thought I would give a quick site review.

The homepage is a little confusing to begin with, there are several feeds (forum feed, comment feed,) and as a new user I didn’t know where to start, though I found the recipes section and there was a vast array of recipes sorted into sensible categories.  It was frustrating that on the recipe listings page I couldn’t click on the beautiful recipe thumbnails, you had to click on the name underneath, but it just seems second nature to try and click the image.  Also on this listing page and indeed the recipe page there was no star rating which I would have looked for to help me pick a recipe.

I then went on to look at it from a business point of view.  How does it make money?  Well actually I couldn’t figure this out, there was a small shop section which allowed the purchase of some cookbooks (but surely all the recipes you need are on the site!) and cookery lessons (but these seemed to be direct links not affiliate links).  There were very small tastefully done adverts on some pages but I didn’t see these as enough to make the business profitable.   I’ll have to wait and see what she says in the den…

In Carol’s pitch she spoke well about the site and the inspiration behind it.  The current revenue streams were personalised cookbooks, advertising, selling cookbooks, selling to employers for staff to use (I didn’t understand this one).  Carol’s site receives about 100,000 visitors a month and has invested £50,000 in the business.  in the first 3 months of this year she has generated £30,000 which impressed me.  She also revealed the site has a white label solution so company’s can create their own version of the site on their internal networks.  The site cost £600,000 to create.

These massive start up costs were out of proportion to the profit expectations.  Theo was going to set up MrsPsTreasuredRecipes.co.uk – the domain is still available so get in quick Theo!

Peter felt the site was not a money making business and declared himself out, James agreed and was also out.  This was followed by Duncan.  Deborah however loved the site, and discovered that the site had a strong link up with supermarkets, to automatically add the ingredients of a recipe to the basket.  Deborah offered the full amount for 15%.  Theo was very impressed by Carol and Theo Paphitis matched the offer, but said she could take both offers for 30%.  Theo wouldn’t go alone, Carol could either choose just Deborah for £100,000 or both for £200,000.  Carol dealt with Deborah for 15% and £100,000.

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