Top 10 Most Successful Dragons Den Businesses

#10: Mainstage Festivals

Everybody loves going on holiday, but it can often be more hassle than it’s worth having to book hotels, flights, and activities while you’re away. That’s why package holidays are so successful and useful and is where Mainstage Festivals – still named Mainstage Travel at the time – saw a gap in the market. They were specifically targeting clubbing holidays for young people heading overseas, rather than other package holidays that might focus on families. Their idea to create package holidays aimed at specific, popular festivals in other countries was a resounding success, receiving £100,000 for a 15% stake from Piers Linney. By 2021, they were making millions in profit.

#9: Wonderbly

Originally called Lost My Name when it debuted in the Den, this business was the brainchild of four dads who thought personalised books would be a great idea for young kids – and wouldn’t you know it, they were absolutely right. The business allowed parents to get picture books made with their child’s name on the pages, encouraging them to engage with reading. Piers Linney gave them an investment of £100,000 for a 4% stake in the company, after some tough negotiations. Renamed Wonderbly, the company has only gotten bigger and has even partnered with major authors to bring more people to the page.

#8: Look After My Bills

Keeping up with your utilities is a nightmare; all your good deals will expire after a year, leaving you having to either switch to a different supplier or suck up the new charges. That’s why Look After My Bills was such a good idea; entrepreneurs Will Hobson and Henry de Zoete said that they’d do all the switching for you to ensure you were always on the cheapest tariff. Unsurprisingly, the Dragons were all eager to make an offer since the business was proven to be both popular and profitable – but it took Will and Henry hours to negotiate them down to a 3% stake in the company, split between Tej Lalvani and Jenny Campbell. It’s now an incredibly successful switching service.

#7: Wonderland Magazine

One of the most unique products to appear in the Den was this fledgling fashion magazine about all things on-trend. Huw Gwyther brought his magazine onto the show seeking £175,000 for 17.5%, and initially confused the Dragons by pitching something as risky as a brand-new upscale magazine on the show. Ultimately though, Peter Jones saw the potential in Wonderland and gave Huw the full amount for a 40% stake. It was a lot of equity, but it helped get the magazine off the starting line. Over the years, many famous faces have graced Wonderland’s cover, including Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift, and it’s still going strong.

#6: Kirsty’s

Single mum Kirsty Henshaw entered the Den with her range of healthy desserts called Worthenshaw’s at the time. The Dragons were immediately impressed by her range of sugar-free, dairy-free, low-fat, low-calorie puddings – not to mention how robust her pitch was and how well she was already set up. She was in a perfect position to make use of an investment from a Dragon, and in the end, landed a joint offer from Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne for 30% - though they weren’t the only Dragons to offer. Years later, and Kirsty’s has become a highly successful, multi-million-pound business, stocking tasty treats with major British retailers.

#5: Trunki

Despite being successful entrepreneurs in their own right, sometimes the Dragons can’t see the goldmine sitting right in front of them. That’s exactly what happened when Rob Law brought in Trunki, a children’s novelty suitcase that could be ridden on – a godsend for anybody who’s had to spend hours in an airport with young kids. But Trunki was mocked by the Dragons as being pointless and silly, as well as being broken in the Den by Theo Paphitis, and Rob went home with nothing. But the joke was on them because Trunki became extremely successful. Millions of units have been sold and it’s stocked by major retails, including Argos.

#4: Minicabit

Once upon a time, there was no price comparison website for taxi companies, leaving people unsure of which company to use in a pinch. That’s where Amer Hasan’s Minicabit came along, proposing to offer customers the cheapest way to get to their destinations by quickly comparing minicab rates from hundreds of companies. But though a deal was reached in the Den, it ultimately fell through behind the scenes, which happens from time to time. In the end though, Amer didn’t need the Dragons because Minicabit was able to thrive on its own, growing to collate prices from up and down the UK.

#3: Tangle Teezer

Another popular reject, the Dragons couldn’t see the potential in Shaun Pulfrey’s innovative hairbrush. Pulfrey claimed that it was a new type of brush that was effective and painless at detangling hair. Again, Pulfrey was mocked by the Dragons, who unanimously didn’t see anything worthwhile in a brush like this. But it didn’t matter what they thought because the viewing public loved the Tangle Teezer and bought it in droves; by mid-2021, Pulfrey had made an incredible £200 million from his business. With its patented teeth, the Tangle Teezer has gone from strength to strength since appearing on the show and now millions of people have one in their homes.

#2: Magic Whiteboard

Husband-and-wife Laura and Neil Westwood came to the Den with a roll of whiteboard sheets that were magic because they could stick to absolutely any surface. It was designed initially for use in hospitals because it was something Neil – who used to work in one – realised would be incredibly useful. Though there were some sceptics in the Den, most notably Peter Jones who just couldn’t see the potential, they did get their £100,000 investment in the end for a 40% equity split between Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden. It’s gone on to be so profitable that the Westwoods were able to buy back that 40% and the business is entirely theirs again.

#1: Reggae Reggae Sauce

Widely celebrated as the most successful pitch in “Dragons’ Den” history, Levi Roots blew the Dragons away when he wrote and performed a song to pitch his Reggae Reggae Sauce. He wanted £50,000 for 20%, half of which would go immediately on renting a bigger space and buying the equipment needed to mass-produce the sauce in the necessary volumes – since until then, he’d actually been making it in his kitchen for years. He had to give 40% of the company away to Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh in the end, but it was well worth it; Reggae Reggae Sauce is a widely-sold household name in the UK now, selling millions of bottles a year.