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Nuts Poker League After Dragons Den



We know that the panel on Dragon’s Den have all made some serious dollar. But what about all those hopefuls who peddled their wares in front of the judges hoping for a wad of cash in return for a slice of their company?

From the innovative and truly unique to the downright dreadful inventions exhibited on the show, Canadians tune in week after week to see what prospective entrepreneurs have to showcase.

After

Dragons Den Nuts Poker League and fun to play online. Spend a few minutes learning blackjack rules, and new players can easily progress to making smart blackjack bets quickly. Practice using one of our 50 free blackjack games now Dragons Den Nuts Poker League. The Official Nuts Poker League Mobile App. As the official Nuts Poker League Mobile Application TNPL Mobile enables you to check venue, regional and national league tables, view individual event turnout and winners, find your nearest venues and keep up-to-date with the latest news from the league on the go.

But who really went the distance and made big bucks once they were snapped up by the Dragons’ deals?

Just because they were turned down on air doesn’t mean they were doomed for a life of failure, by the way. Plenty of contestants on Dragons’ Den who could not broker a deal or found that their contracts simply fell apart behind the scenes went on to have huge success in their industries.

Here are some of the most successful businesses from the TV show…

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LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Shoelery
Patricia & Nadia Macri came onto the show to sell a pair of shoes in a variety of ways, with a luxury brand of shoewear accessories. Although initially impressed with their designs, they were less wowed by the sisters’ math skills as they scrambled and fudged the numbers to answer questions from the Dragons. Arlene came to their aid, giving the requested $60k for a third of the business – so long as she could take control of the company.

Nuts Poker League After Dragons Den Haag

Steeped Tea
Hatem & Tonia Jahshan came to the Den to broker a deal for their in-home tea parties. After finding Cream of Earl Grey while travelling, Tonia’s parties with friends quickly branched into selling tea kits to consultants. After making over $1 million, they looked to the Dragons to help them enter the U.S. market. Four of the panellists put in offers, but the couple accepted David and Jim’s offer of $250k for 20 per cent. They increased sales by 10-fold and made it into PROFIT 500’s list of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies in 2014.

Dig It Handwear
Fed up with having green fingers and nails after gardening, long-time friends Wendy Johannson and Claudia Harvey from Toronto created a glove that protects women’s manicured hands. Deemed by some of the Dragons as simply too niche, it left just Jim and Kevin to enter into a fierce sparring match. The ladies accepted Kevin’s offer of $50k for 10 per cent with three per cent royalties (which he later dropped) and now stock their gloves (and other products) in stores like Lowe’s, Canadian Tire and Home Depot.

Awake Chocolate
Four high-energy entrepreneurs from Mississauaga starred on the Valentine’s Day edition of the show, pitching their caffeine-enriched chocolate bars to the panel. With the taste of milk chocolate and the pick-me up of an energy drink, it was pitched to the Dragons as “Kit-Kat meets Red Bull.” Almost all were interested but they eventually agreed on a royalty deal with Kevin and David. The company have seen $2 million of growth in sales since the show.

Snappy Socks
A mother of five came up with a solution to the age-old domestic dilemma, where is my other sock? By affixing snappers to kids socks so that they never get lost in the wash, Corla Rokochy from Saskatchewan managed to bag herself a $50,000 loan from Arlene and Brent despite not having any manufacturers at the time. Fast forward to today and she’s selling in Toys ‘R’ Us and Shoppers Drug Mart.

OMG’s
Larry Finnson and Chris Emery, former creators of Clodhoppers, tickled the Dragons taste buds. The pair hoped to make the money they lost out on from their previous company, which was sold, through chocolatey graham wafer clusters mixed with gourmet nuts and toffee bits. Arlene Dickenson offered them $250,000 for a 50 per cent equity and the treats are now sold across the U.S. and Canada.

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY…
And just because Dragon’s said “I’m out” or failed to honour their deals off-air, it doesn’t mean contestants didn’t go on to find success elsewhere. These few went onto bigger (and often better) things after going it alone.

Mistura Beauty
The Ottawa-based cosmetics company purveyed it’s 6-in-1 beauty solution with mineral based products and one multi-functioning shade for everybody. Andi Marcus showed some real sass, informing Kevin, “Oh I have some sale, darling” when he questioned her valuation. Despite reaching a deal with Brett on the show, it was never finalized. The products can be found online and in hundreds of stores across Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall.

Holy Crap
Probably the most successful duo to ever grace Dragons Den, Brian and Collin Mullins started making products to combat allergies. The gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan breakfast cereal caught attention with its unique name, Holy Crap. Jim Treliving was so taken with it he offered “whatever you want” for a deal. The deal ultimately broke when they realized it would mean leaving their Sechelt, B.C. home, but they went on to find huge success. By 2014 it was reportedly set to make $20 million and astronaut Chris Hadfield famously ate a single-serve cup aboard the International Space Station.

Nuts Poker League After Dragons Den

Coretection
Greg Bay from Abbotsford, B.C. offered a solution to core injuries with his very tight core shorts. But after asking for a whopping $500k in return for a measly 15 per cent share, he was left with his pants around his ankles (after stripping down to reveal the garments) and no offers. But Bay ultimately triumphed when Under Armour subsequently took over the manufacturing, now selling the shorts to NBA, NHL and NBA players.

Nuts Poker League After Dragons Den Betas

Group IV Solar
The solar power company wanted to make a Canada global leader in sustainable development, but Kevin O’Leary said he saw “a lot of money wasted.” Casting aspersions on his business model, the Dragons all turned down Michael Zimmerman’s request for $300k and he left empty-handed. Today he has a fully functioning solar farm that provides enough power to fuel 100,000 homes. Dragon Bruce Croxton visited the farm in an update special and called him “the one that got away.”

Nuts Poker League Dragons Den

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Tony Bromham

As many will have seen if they are fans of the TV programme 'The Dragon's Den', poker nut Steve Bellis managed to wring £65,000 out of the Dragons in aid of his business, The Nuts Poker League. At UK Poker News, we are always encouraged when something good happens to help poker in the UK so we contacted Steve Bellis to find out more:

UKPN: Hello Steve and thanks for talking to UK Poker News.

SB: Hi, Glad to speak to you too.

UKPN: First things first, before getting on to the recent excitement of the Dragon's Den, can you cast your mind back to the conception of The Nuts Poker League – how and when did the idea manifest itself and take root?

SB: I saw the idea on a trip to Canada in October 2005 to see my father and thought 'that's just what the UK needs!'. So, being an enthusiastic poker player and having the energy, I started The Nuts Poker League in November 2005. They do things differently in Canada and the USA, so I used the concept and started from scratch, learning as I went along.

UKPN: Did you have teething problems getting the vehicle off the ground, legally and practically?

SB: Of course, the current UK gaming law was formed without ever thinking that poker would be on UK shores. There are so many grey areas in the current legislation that it is difficult to get a definitive answer for anyone. As I see it, if a player is not playing for money, then how can they gamble?

The initial teething problem was the sheer scale of interest, but I have managed to get through it all unscathed.

Nuts Poker League After Dragons Denver

Poker

UKPN: In which location or area did The Nuts Poker League first develop strongly and has it since spread purely by word of mouth?

SB: We first started in Wrexham, North Wales, and quickly spread by word of mouth to Deeside, Shropshire, Cheshire, Manchester and Watford. Now, with the recent publicity, we have enquiries from all corners of the UK, Holland, France, Falkland Islands, Spain and the Army and RAF.

UKPN: We note that you have recently acquired the sponsorship of William Hill Poker for The Nuts Poker League. Was this a development entirely independent of the Dragon's Den fund-raising idea or were the sponsors encouraged to sponsor you because of your serious efforts to raise funds? What are William Hill expecting of you and what are they expected to do for the League?

SB: Yes, the deal was done before the Dragons Den episode. They are offering prizes to the players for the advertising opportunity on the web site. Clearly they are not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts, they expect players to download their software and play on their site. The recent publicity and interest nationwide has now moved the goal posts in a positive way, so it is safe to assume that they will wish to discuss the most effective way forward for Will Hill, TNPL and especially our players.

UKPN: The next logical question – for those reading this who missed the TV programme - is why does the League need the funds raised and, having acquired them, how does this alter the outlook for the League?

SB: For any business to grow it is essential that cash is injected. Cash is king in any business and it is very easy to over trade and go into a negative cash flow, so the additional cash should plug the gap. The funds are needed for additional tables, chips, cards, dealer buttons etc as well as back end web site development. I also need to employ someone to help with this growth.

UKPN: What inspired you to apply to Dragon's Den and was it a case of pot luck that enabled you to book a slot, assuming there are hundreds of businesses seeking funds? If you hadn't got in, how would you have approached fund-raising assuming it was vital?

SB: Im afraid I was not inspired at all to go on the show. It was all chance. A friend sent an email to me with a 'Dragons Den' attachment on it and I left it in my in-tray for about 2 months. I decided to clean up my in-tray and came across the old email and decided to open it thinking it was a Welsh show! I filled in the forms and sent them off and received a phone call after 5 days inviting me to go to Manchester for an audition.

All went well with the audition and I was contacted again to go to London for the recording. I then realised what the show was all about and just caught the last 10 minutes of a repeat before setting off for London. The Dragons were quite nice on the 10 minutes I saw so I thought it would be a breeze. I did not even have a pitch to practice with the other hopefuls. The rest is now history.

UKPN: Can you give us a flavour of what it was like to appear on the programme, what it involved. Do they make a point of putting you through the wringer!

SB: I have to say that I am glad I did not realise what the show was really about. If I had I may have had second thoughts. The whole atmosphere was intimidating and not really an ideal environment to conduct business. However, if you believe in a business you need to be confident with them or they will chew you up and spit you out. They do make a point of being aggressive and provocative, to the point of bullying at times, but if you have a business you believe in and the right attitude, the Dragons can be tamed.

UKPN: Finally, Steve, can you summarise for interested readers what The Nuts Poker League offers its participants and members and how should a newcomer go about getting involved?

SB: We offer a great night out where you can play Texas Hold'em against people from all walks of life and age ranges. You can turn up at any venue, register and get playing. A lot of our players have expanded their social circle and find it easy to make new friends at our events. Players can check their results and league position on the web site www.thenutspokerleague.com and see where the next events are.

UKPN: Steve, thank you very much for your time, and UK Poker News wishes you well for The Nuts Poker League.

Nuts Poker League After Dragons Denny

SB: Thank you too. ALL IN……….

Ed note: Play with the league leaders by winning an exclusive Team Poker News Aussie Millions package when you download 888.com Poker.