A local businessman says appearing on the hit CBC show, Dragons’ Den was the opportunity of a lifetime, but don’t expect him to reveal the show’s outcome until after the episode airs this Wednesday.
“It was exciting,” said Frank Campbell, president of AgriConnect.
“It was the experience of a lifetime.”
The company, which was started several years ago by Campbell and his business partner Jeff Schneider, provides free matching of available farmsitters to farmers and acreage owners through a database of more than 315 skilled and often local farmers.
Campbell said they continue to look for partners and entrepreneurs to help take the company to the next level.
“We’ve worked it hard for three years and it continues to grow but it’s not growing exponentially as it could if we had the right partnerships and the right people behind us, backing it and sponsoring it,” he said.
Before being selected to appear on the show, which has entrepreneurs from across Canada pitch ideas to a panel of successful tycoons, Campbell said he was already an avid fan.
“I know for some people that go in there and ask for ridiculous things or have really bad ideas, they either make fun of you and tear you to bits or they are a little easier on you,” he said.
Earlier this year, he was one of 4,000 people from across Canada to audition for Dragons’ Den. Of that number, only 300 people are flown in to Toronto to shoot a segment and only 160 make it to the air.
Several months before pitching his idea to the Dragons, Campbell said he and Schneider were assigned a producer to help prepare them for the big day.
“First and foremost it’s a TV show so they want to have it so it’s good entertainment value,” Campbell explained.
Because of the nature of his business, Campbell said his producer suggested they bring in some farm animals, which they did.
“We brought in some farm animals and that in itself made it TV-worthy, whether we get a deal or not,” he noted.
Campbell said businesses who do make the final cut appear in either one, three or 10 minute segments when the show airs.
He said he’s confident that his pitch will appear as a 10-minute segment.
“To even get one of those 10 minute segments is pretty special and I’m pretty sure that we’re going to be one of those longer segments,” he said.
If he had to do it all over again, Campbell said he would have taken more control over the presentation.
“It’s entertainment value and they all try and get their two cents in so they’re all trying to talk over one another. At one point, I had to stop and do a little bit of facilitating because there were three of them all trying to ask questions at the same time.”
Whether or not the Dragons accept his business proposal, Campbell said appearing on the show was a good move.
“There’s other benefits of being on the show than getting a deal from the Dragons.”
