Were you on the edge of your seat watching Scrumbles on Dragons’ Den when they turned down Deborah Meaden’s offer?
Husband and wife team Jack Walker, 32, and Aneisha Soobroyen, 31, were looking for £60,000 investment for a 10 per cent of their pet food brand.
It was sooooooo tense.
All the Dragons were fascinated in Scrumbles which aims to boost gut health for dogs and cats through their natural pet food and was inspired by their kitty Boo who had digestive problems.
She was constantly at the vet and it was when she was given probiotic paste that her pet parents saw a gap in the market for a food containing the ingredient had the idea to create their own to help her.
Deborah Meaden offered the investment they were looking for but wanted 20 per cent and in a nail biting finale on the hit BBC1 show, Jack turned them down.
Aneisha looked stunned.
Social media went crazy.
Their dog Smudge looked like she went in the lift on her own.
Fans feared it would split the couple.
And their website had such a surge in traffic it went down!
Was it a dream PR opportunity or an entrepreneurs worst nightmare?
I’ve known Jack and Aneisha since the launch of their brand a year ago and having met them regularly at dog events like Crufts, I wanted to find out.
You can watch this video of our interview below.
Aneisha gives so much valuable advice here about how to build a brand and I hope you find it helpful.
It’s also fascinating that just a year after launching it was Dragons’ Den who approached them to appear on the show.
I think we can safely say that Scrumbles are going to be huge after this opportunity.
As Aneisha says: “Not every dog and cat is the same and the key thing is that you buy into a product that you believe in, that you trust, and that works for your pet.
“We have been inundated with messages since the show. Our existing retailers have backed us and we’ve been approached by a lot of new retailers looking to list Scrumbles.”
I am so pleased for Jack and Aneisha as they have worked so hard to promote their brand and so much love goes into every meal and treat they create.
And if you’d like to find out more about Scrumbles, or if you run a pet shop and would like to stock their products, visit https://scrumbles.co.uk/.
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