People often ask me about what happens to the entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas on Dragons’ Den — who has been successful? Has their product taken off? Are the Dragons happy about the deals they did — or didn’t do?
Well good news: Tonight’s episode is an update show! Our producers travelled the country talking to people who have appeared on the program over the past three seasons. And it is indeed fascinating to hear what’s happened since they left the Den.
I find it equally interesting that people always want to know the rest of the story. We are an instinctively curious species it seems! And of course, those moments captured on tape for CBC Television’s popular reality show are just one short chapter in the ongoing saga of these entrepreneurs — one that started before they came to the Den, and one that continues, in one form or another, after they’ve left the CBC studio.
You, too, are living just one chapter in your professional life. Where’s your story headed?
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to know what’s coming next? But of course there’s never a way to know if we are on the brink of greater success, or if there’s disappointment ahead.
One thing that comes clear in tonight’s episode is that getting “No” for an answer doesn’t have to be discouraging. Among the updates are a number of business people who took serious heat from the Dragons — and didn’t get a deal — yet went on to make surprising achievements.
So often when a person experiences a disappointment, someone attempts to comfort them with that popular saying: “Whenever one door closes, another opens.” However, no one mentions that the door that opened could be the door to depression and possibly rehab!
But in learning about the fortunes of those people who’ve braved the Den, what strikes me is that with the right attitude, hard work and persistence, anything is possible.
A friend of mine has a catchphrase: “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” I like that — because it’s true, we can only control our own actions. And even though there are always external factors that play a role in our careers, this episode of Dragons’ Den proves that those who can maintain a positive outlook, and do all that they can to strive for success, are the most likely to enjoy their own happily ever after.
