When I was younger, I used to love watching wrestling on world of sport on a Saturday morning. You had characters like Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks who were personifications of good v evil in the wrestling ring. It was a family affair and when I learned it was all a fix – and it was simply play acting, I was truly upset and could not bring myself to tell my parents.
The same thing happened when I learned that the answers some of the contestants gave on Blind Date were scripted. There is a very thin line between reality and entertainment. One of my favourite reality shows is Wife Swap (I think it is a good experience for the contestants and most of them seem to take something very positive and life altering away from the experience). I did notice though that the US version does include a ‘warning’ that some scenes have been scripted to add dramatic effect.
I think Dragons Den should come with a similar warning. There is a book being published by one of the ‘success’ stories from Dragons Den. In her book, Sharon Wright claims that James Caan in particular treated her in a manner which was not an accurate reflection of what was agreed in the Den. In a nutshell, he wanted to change the terms of the investment from an equity investment to a loan investment and wanted to charge for his management services.
At least Sharon got to that stage.
I suspect that most of the ‘deals’ agreed in the Den never transpire. I also think that the BBC should add a warning sign at the start of the program. To appear on the program, Dragons need to give up an extraordinary amount of time to the program. They do not do this for business reasons. They want to have fame. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as everyone knows that this is the game being played.
Like The Apprentice, my problem with Dragons Den is that it creates an illusion that this is what business is like. People are not unpleasant or rude in business. Angels very much want to sell themselves as potential investors to attractive companies. There is a hierarchy of angels – well connected angels who are seen as adding value tend to get the best deals shown to them. I have noticed a massive change in the quality of deals I am getting to see now compared to six years ago when I first started.
So do enjoy Dragons Den – I love it and it has got people thinking about business models and business in general. But please remember it is just entertainment – and it is great at that. Sadly though, as much as he is trying, I don’t think Peter Jones will ever be funny.
This is probably one of the shortest blogs I am writing – but I hope it is a very enjoyable one. Regular readers will know my frustration with that great comedy show called The Apprentice. I love it – but as a comedy.
Well I saw this video on You Tube and I simply loved it. It is very, very funny. I love the way the humour builds up slowly. Please do watch the whole thing.
I am amazed both at the time people have and the creativity they have. It shows that this was painstakingly put together. I would love to have this team work with me on viral marketing campaigns!
One of my favourite comedy shows is back on TV. The Apprentice sees the return of 12 very brave contestants who have no fear about committing career suicide on TV. Mind you, with such grand titles as Global Strategist and Estate Agent, you feel that the economy will manage to somehow soldier on without their talents.
I have always had a problem with the way The Apprentice portrays business and what it takes to be successful. I do not claim to be an expert in business, but in my many years of being involved in business, I have yet to have the pleasure of working with these two-dimensional character types.
We had the one guy with the braces (don’t wear them until you are 35+ and by the way there is never a right age to wear elasticated trousers) who told us that for him “making money was better than sex”. The mind boggles with what kind of life he has led to make that comment, and I feel sorry for his entire ex’s. We had the guy who thought it was funny to say that in house, the women did all the cleaning. Wouldn’t half of the population just love to work for him?
But what really worries me is that these talentless self-obsessed bunch think they understand business. Business is about teamwork, collaboration, motivation, enthusiasm, being sharp and most importantly about being ethical. Other than wasted intelligence, can anyone see a difference between this group and the people who were running our banks?
Here are my top learning points from this weeks episode of The Apprentice;
Don’t spend too long on naming exercises; Calling yourself Team A or Team B will suffice
When meeting someone for the first time, don’t ask them if they have started anything (if you are both going for a job interview as an apprentice it is safe to assume that even if they did start something, it was not a huge roaring success)
Don’t call potential customers liars. (You may feel that my running a sales consultancy gives me an unfair advantage – but please trust me, it is something that I never got taught)
When negotiating – don’t talk over each other. Best still remember the golden rule of negotiating – silence is key!
When talking to men – don’t accuse all men of being stinky
I trust these pearls of wisdom are helpful. It is a shame I was not able to brief the candidates before the episode!
My name is Permjot and I am an early stage investor. Through this blog I hope to pass on my experiences in the world of early stage finance. Hopefully you will find it useful and maybe I'll even gain an investment or two.
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