“5-4-3-2-Marco we are live… GO.” Down the stairs, don’t trip, turn right and walk through the 3 circles of light on the floor, hit your mark and don’t forget to SMILE”
“Hello Dragons, my name is Marco Longley, I am from Richmond, British Columbia and I am asking for a $25,000 investment for a 10% share of my business.” Wow, if you are an inventor or entrepreneur and that scenario doesn’t get your heart pounding, you don’t have a pulse.
May 10th 2012 was a day that will I will never forget as it was the day I ‘pitched’ my invention calledThe HEFT™ in Toronto for the CBC TV show, the Dragons' Den.
Just getting to the Dragon’s Den is the first half of the battle!
Every year the CBC sends out its team of producers across Canada for auditions. After an initial introduction of the procedure, the hopeful pitchers can wait up to several hours before getting to pitch for two minutes to the producers. Imagine a room of 100+ entrepreneurs complete with props and all rehearsing their pitches. The tension in the room is palpable. You are assigned a number and then wait to be called. As your number approaches you start to move closer to the ‘pitching room’ only to see the other pitchers walking out of the room either elated or dejected; mostly the later. Hopes and dreams are riding on the pitches!
“Number 89” is finally called and that’s me. With props in hand, I walk into the room and given a couple of minutes to set up. The producer I am working with smiles generically and asks, “Are you ready? Begin.” And then she drops her head and focuses on her laptop. No eye contact, none what so ever, my view is of the top of her head and she begins to rapidly type. I begin my pitch while looking at the top of the producers head. I think it’s going smoothly until she looks up and asks me to stop. I didn’t even make it to the end of my pitch.
Anxiety surges from head to toe. What did I do so wrong? She lifts her head and remarks, “This is one of the best inventions I’ve ever seen.”
The Call
My wife and I were giddy as we walked out the room. Then we had to wait for ‘the call’, where the producers invite you to pitch the Dragons and film the show. Everyone was told that if you didn’t hear from them by a certain date, you didn’t make the cut. After hearing the words “it is one of the best inventions I’ve ever seen” my wife and I were confident, however the cutoff date came and went. An email the week following the cutoff date confirmed the bad news. We didn’t get selected to be on the Dragons' Den.
What Now?
We wiped a tear or two and agreed there was always next year. The year in between actually became extremely valuable. We fine-tuned The HEFT™ and came back better prepared with the prototype design and the I.P. taken care of. So we were elated when the call came saying, “Marco, we want you on the show.”
