Tags: BeautyTeam.ie, BundleBee, Dermot Heffernan, Dragons Den 2011, Grooming Kennel, Heated Seat, John Burke, Martin Commins, Reasons4Rhymes, Sarah Jane Hanton, Surviving Santa Ponsa

This week's episode of Dragons' Den had an interesting and varied batch of pitches presented to the Dragons! From grown men in drag, to a giant blue bee, to an electric chair this week really had something for everyone! The first pitch, Surviving Santa Ponsa, will go down in the books as one of the most entertaining in Dragons’ Den history! The two entrepreneurs, Pakie and Frank, were in the Den to present their stage show to the Dragons. Their entrance into the Den dressed fully in drag caused a stir with the Dragons who were reduced to tears…of laughter! There was nothing funny about their business, and impressed by their profits, the Dragons all invested. The final outcome was a 5 way equal split of the €20k asked for with the Dragons taking a mere 5% each. read more

Tags: Events, Fiona Ashe, LinkedIn, Social Media

Leading social media expert, and contributor to allaboutbusiness Fiona Ashe is running two courses- one on LinkedIn and one on Facebook Marketing -see details below: SOCIAL NETWORKING: LEVERAGING YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE Tuesday 5th April, 6pm - 9pm, Camden Court Hotel, Dublin 2 Standard Ticket - €150. Early Bird Ticket - €99 Early Bird booking closes on Thursday 31st March SOCIAL NETWORKING: FACEBOOK MARKETING Tuesday 12th April, 6pm - 9pm, Camden Court Hotel, Dublin 2 Standard Ticket - €150. Early Bird Ticket - €99 Early Bird booking closes on Wednesday 6th April Fiona is also happy to organise trainings in other parts of the country, you can contact her on  087-2372289.  [...]
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Tags: Archer Golf, Bobby Kerr, dragons, Dragons Den 2011, episode 5, Episode Summary, Gavin Duffy, JR Pads, Kooky Dough, mytown.ie, Niall O'Farrell, Norah Casey, Sean Gallagher, The Clever CloseLine

Five weeks in and you would think the Dragons have parted with enough of their cash. Each week the Dragons are presented with products ranging from the straightforward to the decidedly bizarre and this week was certainly no different!  Our first entrepreneurs up Darren Rudden and Colin O'Brien delivered a pitch none of the Dragons seemed particularly excited by. Their idea – The Clever CloseLine is a rotary clothesline with an automatic rain sensitive cover which automatically deploys over your clothes when it starts to rain and automatically retracts when the rain stops. Norah Casey was the first Dragon to declare herself out saying that she while she thought the pr  [...]
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Tags: Bobby Kerr, Cut n’ Curl, Dragons Den, Dragons Den 2011, Gavin Duffy, Niall O'Farrell, Norah Casey, Salt Clinic, Sean Gallagher, SlapShot, Stylefish, Wrapsu

This week saw Norah Casey pull even further ahead of the other Dragons with ANOTHER investment! So far she has invested a whopping €107,500 in just four episodes. With the nearest Dragon, Gavin Duffy, a full €70,000 behind her it seems unlikely that anyone will catch up with her at this stage! First into the Den this week was Thomas Kinsella with the ‘Cut n’ Curl’ scissors. Thomas was asking a big investment of €70,000 to help get his product to market. He obviously wasn’t banking on their being a nurse in the Den though and Norah quickly refuted his claims that the scissors would reduce the risk of infection in hospitals.   [...]
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Tags: All About Business, Bank of Ireland, Branches, Events, Show your Business

On Friday the 25th March selected Bank of Ireland branches are hosting a 'Show your Business Day'. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to bring along their own exhibition stand or take a table, set up their laptop, bring along some samples, whatever is required to make the most of their display in the local branch. This is a great opportunity for local businesses to showcase their products and services to their local communities. Below is a list of selected branches: (more...)  [...]
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Tags: All About Business, Bin Guardian, Bobby Kerr, Dragons Den 2011, Gavin Duffy, myfirsthurl.ie, Niall O'Farrell, Norah Casey, Sean Gallagher, Secret Recipe Company, WATzDAT party box, whohasit.ie

So here is it, our summary version of Dragon's Den Episode 3 for all of you who missed the tension-cutting pitches on Sunday's show! First into the Den to meet the Dragons were Karen and Maureen from 'WATzDAT party box'! The confident business ladies were looking for a €25,000 investment for just 5% equity in their business. Initially the only Dragon excited about the prospect of a party was Niall as he inspected the contents of the party boxes. However they soon garnered Gavin Duffy’s interest and he offered half the investment asked but wanted a 22% equity share.  Norah followed suit offering them the full €25,000 but for a majori  [...]
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Tags: Entrepreneur, Events, RDS, Road to Recovery Meeting, SMEs

Some interesting events and conferences for SMEs and entrepreneurs coming up at the end of the month. At the RDS in Dublin from 6pm. Dave Harvey, founder of City Channel, and presenter on Newstalk will talk about how media can can benefit SMEs with a minimal budget.   This will be followed by round table networking.   Called the 'Road to Recovery Meeting', this is a free event and takes place on 22nd March.  You can get more details here. (more...)  [...]
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Tags: Bobby Kerr, Dragons’ Den, Gavin Duffy, Niall O'Farrell, Norah Casey, Poll, Sean Gallagher

Episode 2 got off to a flying start with an investment in Isobel O'Donovan, owner of Issie's Chocolates.  A former boutique owner, she impressed them with a confident pitch and well prepared figures. Although the Dragons had concerns around the branding and packaging of the product Niall obviously wasn't put off, he made Isobel an offer for the full amount - €20,000 for 50% equity. Find out how she felt when facing the Dragons in our behind the scenes interview here.   Dave Carthy came to read more

Tags: All About Business, Events, Networking

Networking is always cited as a key activity for anyone who is starting out or attempting to grow their business. It's gives people the chance to meet like-minded individuals, learn something new and make contacts which could turn into potential sales for their business.  As you can see from our calendar, March is proving quite busy in terms of events for entrepreneurs and SMEs across the country, with a number of events focussed on getting ready for export. Worth checking out to see what's happening in your area: Networking and Events  [...]
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