Dragons don’t invest but TV exposure is priceless

And with a successful meeting with Morrisons supermarket under their belts since filming the show Card Vase, the company’s unique patented product is well on the way to success.

Patrick Gavin and Chris Bibby represented the four-man team behind Blooming Simple as they tackled the four Dragons in the den and, while they didn’t get the £100,000 investment they asked for, they’re hoping to go on to hit the heights that previous unsuccessful applications Trunki and Mask-arade have achieved by themselves since their appearances on the show.

Patrick, Chris, and partners Trent Scanlan and Russell Pinder are behind the company which supplies the flat-packed Card Vase that can be assembled in seconds to hold a full bouquet of flowers in water, that also doubles as a greetings card with a featured design and panel for the sender’s hand-written message.

The product was invented by Russell’s dad Tony and, following his untimely death last year, they felt it was time to make the world aware of his invention and applied for Dragons’ Den to seek investment for the growing business.

They’d already secured a licence deal with Carte Blanche to produce a Me To You range, creating vases for the world’s largest foil manufacture Anagram International, partnering with a US distributor to supply to Walmart, Majier, Hy-Vee, plus other grocery chains and wanted to expand in the home market.

“I’d almost forgotten about the application,” Patrick said, “when we got a call from the BBC informing us that Blooming Simple had been invited for audition.

“With only one day to prepare a pitch and arrange for the necessary props, me and Chris were heading off to the BBC studios!

“The pitch went surprisingly well, with only six takes – the first was good enough, but just to be sure – then we had to wait to see if they liked the audition and in a matter of weeks we were invited to Manchester to pitch in front of the Dragons themselves.

“Rising at 5am in Manchester, the morning of the shoot was spent rehearsing the pitch, going over the figures and imagining any kind of question that would be asked, so that they would be fully prepared for any questions. With suits dry cleaned, hair trimmed and shoes shining we were ready for the day.”

Patrick explained they had been told to be prepared for a long day and, after setting up props, the morning was spent meeting the other entrepreneurs and finding out about their businesses.

When it finally came to their turn, feeling surprisingly confident and relatively calm, Patrick and Chris deliver what they feel is a faultless pitch, asking for £100,000 for 10 per cent equity in their business, detailing the success, the various markets and revenue streams, the Me To You licensed designs and distribution in America.

Patrick said: “The hardest part was now over, or so we thought, as we were ready for the Dragons’ comments, which consist of Peter Jones describing us as ‘likely lads’ and questioning some of the figures, Piers Linney wondering if we have any concerns about the patent and Kelly Hoppen, Deborah Meaden and Duncan Bannatyne suggesting that if we had entered the Den with a better evaluation of the business, we may well have secured a Dragon or two.

“Unable to secure the investment we required, we left the Den feeling disappointed, but not disheartened. ”Overall, the product received praise. Kelly could see Card Vase selling in the supermarkets, Peter suggested that we need to focus more on licensing, Piers liked the balloon and vase combination and Deborah said we gave a good pitch.” However, since leaving the Den after filming a few weeks ago, Patrick and Chris have had a successful meeting with Morrisons and are currently negotiating a trial with the view to launching Card Vase across the supermarket’s estate.

They’ve also appointed a UK distributor, Paperlinx Retail, to handle UK operations who will be exhibiting the product at Autumn Fair, and are now in the process of producing a new range of designs and displays to present to the major UK retailers.

Patrick added: “With the exposure from the show and interest from the supermarkets, Blooming Simple hope that Card Vase will become a recognised brand in the card, gift and floral markets, making all their hard work and sacrifice blooming worth it!”