Dragons’ Den fans were left annoyed with the Dragons’ tonight after they supported a small business which they claimed was a “waste of plastic”.
Sisters Tori and Carrie entered the den to promote their business Nailpad and asked for an investment of £60,000 for a 35 per cent equity stake in the business.
Giving a rundown on what their business was about, Tori began: “We both love painting our nails and have done from a very young age.
“You might not be regular nail painters yourselves, so we want to give you an insight into the problem Nailpad solves and the gap in the market we have found.”
As Tori demonstrated the product, Carrie continued: “You’re at home, the TV’s on and you fancy painting your nails. You reach over for whatever might be on hand.
“A magazine, a book or towel, but nothing quite gives you what you want – a flat surface, even surface and somewhere to put your polish nearby.
“Introducing Nailpad. It’s a portable, compact manicure and pedicure accessory. It has a round, even surface. It has a polished potholder and fold-out fit.
“The flat surface keeps your hands steady and the fold-out fin goes between your knees to minimise movement and the polish goes in the well to help avoid spills.
“You can lay the Nailpad flat on your knees. You can also tilt it at an angle. Nailpad has been trading since October 2019 and we have made a turnover of approximately £7,000 to date.”
Despite the beginning of their pitch seemingly going well, the Dragons’ were left stunned when they realised the sisters hadn’t made much of a breakthrough in the market.
Peter Jones noted: “I just can’t grip it between my knees and my knees are closed, look,” and left Sara Davies to agree: “I did struggle a bit as well”
When asked why they had only made £7,000 after spending £90,000 to make the products and campaigns, the women admitted they were aware it was a new product going into a well-known market.
All five Dragons’ decided against helping the ladies with their business, with Deborah Meaden explaining that it would be difficult to push a product off their shelves to sell theirs as a one-product business.
Fans of the show however were left concerned with the amount of plastic they had used for the products and took to their X accounts to slam the Dragons for supporting it.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
One noted: “What a waste of money. Just more useless plastic crap to pollute the planet.”
“90k on a plastic tray,” another added before a third said: “It looks useful but is it particularly original? It looks very plastic. Is it recycled material?”
Another stated: “Such unnecessary plastic. Just sit at a table....”
“What a stupid product. Just a waste of resources,” a fifth penned. (sic)
