News & Insights

Introduce A Dragon To Your Business

23rd October 2023

by Amanda McCulloch

For those brave enough to step into the Dragons’ Den and pitch their business ideas to a panel of famous investors, the resulting financial support and mentoring have helped to launch many successful businesses – and created several millionaires.

Since the popular BBC show first aired in January 2005, success stories have included Levi Roots and his expanding portfolio of Reggae Reggae food products, which are now stocked nationwide in major supermarkets.

Another alumni from the show is the Magic Whiteboard, thought to be the second most successful business ever to come out of the Den.

And who would have thought that a pitch for a self-tan brand would take Skinny Tan from being a start-up to a global success story?

Steven Bartlett joined the cast in 2021 as the Den’s youngest-ever dragon and he's speaking tonight (24th October) at the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s Ultimate Masterclass Festival.

It's a sell-out event that I hope inspires entrepreneurs to engage with talented local senior executives who can help them develop and grow their businesses.

For anyone looking to move their business to the next stage of growth, investment can be key, but perhaps more crucial is trusted advice. 

Timely guidance from experienced business leaders can be transformational for start-ups and SMEs but when you are managing a fledgling business just how do you get the support you need?

Typically, entrepreneurs are entrenched in their business, but it is hard, especially as the business grows, to be across everything. 

If you want your business to grow – either expanding your portfolio or diversifying into new sectors, chances are you will need to bring in outside help and support. 

However, your business may well not be able to support, or need, full-time, high-level input.

I see this scenario regularly in my professional capacity as an executive recruiter, and personally, it's the approach we adopted at TMM Recruitment when we strengthened our board a couple of years ago by appointing Jock Gardiner as Chairman. 

Primarily, we wanted practical help that was focused on strategy and governance but I've also found it so valuable to have a sounding board, someone who knows the business but isn’t emotionally tied to the business, to help us make well-judged decisions.

The idea of a Dragon coming into your business to provide commercial acumen is not fanciful. At TMM Executive our network includes senior business people from across the north-east who are at the stage in their careers where they are choosing to act as independent associates, consultants and non-executive directors, working alongside budding entrepreneurs to help them realise the full potential of their businesses.

Bringing in a seasoned business leader to provide commercial acumen in terms of securing finance, developing people and exploring new markets makes perfect sense, and it doesn't necessarily need to be a full-time role. 

There is an opportunity to engage with C-suite leaders, essentially as a consultant, and benefit from their experience and expertise, without incurring the overhead of taking someone senior on full-time.

If you are inspired by Steven get in touch to discuss how I can help you find your own business Dragon.