“We knew our stuff, but when you’re faced with The Dragons, it’s hard not to let your mind go into panic-mode and even forget your name! However the pitch went perfectly and gave us a great confidence boost. What you see on TV is 10 minutes of edited highlights from a two hour grilling in the Den. They just keep digging until they find something you can’t answer!” recalls Polly. Theo pulled apart Polly and Helen’s financials but once the spotlight was off they quickly realised to their frustration that his calculations hadn’t accounted for their direct sales, but it was just too late to go back in and tell him!

Deborah Meaden offered the full £100,000 in return for 45% of the business and James Caan offered the same investment for a 40% share. However, Polly and Helen had agreed before they entered the den that they would not give away more than an absolute maximum of 35% of their business, so the pair stuck to their guns and turned down the tempting offers. Cuddledry has since secured private investment.

Exciting new products are due for launch early next year – so James Caan’s comment about a ‘Cuddledry range’ will soon be a reality. And they are about to diversify into a new market – a version of the Cuddledry designed for dogs!

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