Behind the scenes of our Dragons’ Den appearance

Antonia and I are so grateful for the support that has followed from our appearance on Dragons’ Den – from friends, family, and our wider community.

If you are new to our brand, welcome! You can learn all about the Nursem Promise, our story, advice on how to choose the right products for your skin, and other FAQs about Nursem here on our website. We also regularly post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with brand updates, news about the Nursem Promise, offers on our products and much more!

We’re so glad to be expanding our community, and we’re incredibly grateful to have gained so many amazing supporters since our appearance in the den. We've already many of our followers have been asking questions about our experience with the Dragons, and so we’ve answered all of them below in a little Dragons’ Den Q&A. 

Read on to discover what our experience really was like in the den, with some behind the scenes information!

How was your experience in the den? 

Being in the Den was such a huge cocktail of emotions – we were incredibly nervous but excited as there's a prolonged build up before you get to go in and pitch to the actual Dragons. I think we'd both ran out of adrenalin by that point, it was more of a relief!  There's something very strange about the lift doors opening and seeing the Dragons in real life, like old friends you know well (if you've been watching Dragons' Den over the years) so it felt familiar in a strange way. As the camera's start filming the whole studio becomes deadly silent and you can feel and hear your heart beating louder and louder. Then you realise you need to deliver your pitch, but by that time you're on auto-pilot and everything just unravels as it's meant to (hopefully!). Despite the Dragons coming across on TV as super scary they all seemed really nice. We were in the Den for two and a half hours which just flew past! 

Was there a Dragon you most apprehensive/worried about their questions?  

I know Deborah can ask some challenging questions now and again, so I was always worried she might ask something I wasn't sure about – but thankfully we were well prepared and know our business inside out. It was also a huge relief when Peter gave us our first offer, as you feel like you can relax slightly knowing we have at least one Dragon interested.  

How did you prepare for the pitch? 

We took about a month to prepare for the pitch, constantly practicing our lines and memorising the numbers behind the business – we even practiced on our kids while they were at the dinner table! I think they thought we had gone crazy!  We also stuck our notes to kitchen cupboard doors to make sure we didn't forget the most important things like our financials. I also read a great book called 'The Pressure Principle' by Dr Dave Alred MBE which was utterly brilliant, especially for all-or-nothing moments like Dragons' Den. As we got to Manchester we chose a hotel with a pool right next to the BBC studios, so at least we could try and relax as much as possible before filming!  

What happens after the show? 

We were lucky enough to get the chance to meet Tej after the show and say hello in person, and then we connected with Tej's team to continue the conversation from the Den. It's such an exciting opportunity, especially the possibility of growing the Nursem Promise and taking that to the next level.

Why did you choose Tej? Did you know you wanted Tej before you went in?  

We had a good idea of what every Dragons strengths were before going into the Den and knowing Tej's background with Vitabiotics, he seemed like an ideal fit for us.  He's also a really smart, yet personable entrepreneur!  

What did you discuss with the wall? 

When you go to the back of the room and 'talk to the wall' it genuinely feels like you're only given a few milliseconds to gather your thoughts.  For us, we wanted to make sure the valuation was acceptable and we were being honest with ourselves – so most of our whispering was around maths and trying to figure out the best offers on the table.  Not easy with just vague GCSE maths to guide you!

How long was the Dragons’ Den process? 

The whole process started back in early February 2020 when we applied for the show, we then took part in a mock-pitch down in Manchester in late February. Originally we were meant to film in the Den in April 2020 but due to the pandemic our final filming date was pushed back to September – which we didn't mind too much as it gave us a little more time to prepare. Once we were in the Den the pitch took just over two hours, which just flies by when you're in there. We've got a new found respect for the Dragons as they must be exhausted after a long day of filming with lots of different entrepreneurs.

Did you learn anything about yourself through the experience? 

As someone who's naturally quite introverted, the Dragons’ Den experience made me realise that saying 'yes' can lead to having some really fun experiences, even if at first they do seem scary! It's also made me realise that everyone is capable of so much if they're willing to keep pushing themselves – this is coming from someone who had to get my mum to make phone calls for me when I launched my very first business, I was so nervous of speaking on the phone! 

How did you celebrate? 

We went for a lovely dinner in Manchester after filming, which was a super treat!

What are you looking forward to for the next steps for Nursem? 

We're so excited to see how much further we can build upon the Nursem Promise. It's our ultimate focus and seeing and hearing the positive difference it provides to healthcare staff, it gives us the energy to keep pushing. This year we will also be launching our new hand sanitiser and body care products, with our first ever pop-up shop happening later in the year!  Beyond this, we'll be working hard to launch Nursem in other countries where we get to share this amazing brand with more and more people.