As owners of a personalized blanket company, we’ve seen just about everything where baby names are concerned, and there’s always a lot of talk about the latest and wildest celebrity baby names. Every prospective parent spends A LOT of time thinking about the perfect name for their impending bundle.
The main reason I love Dragons’ Den is because Canadian entrepreneurs offer us tangible business lessons week after week. After each episode this season, I have written about a lesson learned–for better or for worse–from an entrepreneur who pitched the Dragons.
We’ve long wondered about the economics of participating in daily deal sites, also known as group buying sites. You know—Groupon, WagJag, and the numerous other sites with the almost too-good-to-be-true bargains?
Walking through Ikea today reminded of the Dragons’ Den. This week’s episode touched on the concept of the loss leader, a strategy Ikea executes to perfection.
I love Dragons’ Den because of the stories you hear from some amazing Canadian entrepreneurs. But I also love the show because it’s great tv: dramatic, funny, occasionally over-the-top, sometimes sensationalistic. The stories on the show also happen to be true. Like the best reality tv, you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.
The take-away from this week’s episode of Dragons’ Den reinforces one of our long-held beliefs: There is nothing wrong with starting small. In business, starting small can mean flexibility, control and even freedom. One woman we interviewed for Mom Inc. told us, “I never wanted to be so tied to my business that I couldn’t walk away from it if I needed to.” For better or for worse, the benefits are starting small were evident in tonight’s show.
