As mentioned in our previous post we were on Dragons’ Den (can you tell we’re pumped?). It’s getting close to the air date {March 24, 8 PM EST}, so we thought we would share some of our “behind the scenes” experiences with you.
To start, if we had $1 for every person who has said Cookin’ Greens should be on Dragon’s Den… well…we wouldn’t need to be on Dragon’s Den! So back in April 2012, when we heard CBC Dragons’ Den was hosting auditions in Toronto (the very last day of 30 days of auditions across Canada), we pondered the idea of auditioning. Within 10 minutes we said, “well…we need more people across Canada to know about Cookin’ Greens, and we need more money to help us do that,” so we jumped at the opportunity to pitch Cookin’ Greens to the Dragons.
How were we going to win the decision-makers over you ask?
DEMO THE PRODUCT! Let them experience Cookin’ Greens first hand.
We were limited in what we could bring into the den – The two bags and the green bin of fresh wilted dark-leafy greens. Toby (myself) and Cheryl – Cheryl is my right hand, well, everything, without her we couldn’t have done what we did – she is is the one keeping me together in the picture to the right!
Allow me take you through the process of applying for Dragons’ Den…
We arrived very early for the auditions because everything is on a first-come first-serve basis. We registered, and stood in line for a few hours. As we got closer to the front of the line we started to prep for cookin’ our greens in the big atrium of the CBC building. Before we knew it, the whole building smelled of garlic and our dark leafy greens. Toby was cookin’ and pitchin’ and Natalie assisting. Our Everyday Cookin’ Greens Recipe was a hit before we even got in front of the producers.
We did our pitch on a Sunday afternoon and got a call the following Monday morning that we had been selected to pitch our Cookin’ Greens in the Den – OMG – what did we get ourselves into? Soon after, the CBC coaching began. We were prepped by Katie, our very helpful and wise segment producer, in order to be as prepared as possible for our time in the Den.
Top left: Cheryl, Toby and Katie – CBC producer. Katie was unbelievably supportive and really wanted us to win over the Dragons’.
The staff and producers at CBC were amazing and, when needed, comforting (Arlene totally made Toby cry!). After a discussion with a Business Evaluator, we decided the “ask” would be based on what we need and the state of the business – $175,000 in exchange for 20% of the business – it’s all about the evaluation – right? Do the math. Kevin did it a nano-second. Did he challenge us? You’ll have to wait until March 24th to see.
Toby and Cheryl, cookin’ our greens, to hopefully score the dragon’s “green.”
Come back on Monday when we launch our first recipe created for Arlene Dickinson, using the Cookin’ Greens Designer’s Mix, by Kelly Brisson over at The Gouda Life.
A big thank you to some special people:
Natalie Maurice – She helped with the audition – she was there at 6 a.m. and helped win the producers over.
Cheryl Seal – Long time friend and colleague – she is a huge Cookin’ Greens fan and has been with us since day one (over 4 years). She’s helped every step of the way – educating the retailers and the consumer. A super star person all round.
Wendy Solomon – She’s a life long friend. There for coaching, coaxing, and support. She was calm, collective and creative throughout the whole process.
