Backyard business FLOORS the Dragons 🤯 🏕️ | Dragons’ Den – BBC

Backyard business FLOORS the Dragons 🤯 🏕️ | Dragons’ Den – BBC

My name is Derry green I’m the owner and founder of The Secret Garden glamping I’m here today to look for an investment of £100,000 for a 5% Equity stake in my business The Secret Garden glamping is a multi-award-winning five-star luxury glamping site based in a beautiful 4

Acre Woodland it all started in the first lockdown of 2020 stuck at home with my two young children and to come up with new and exciting ways each day to keep them entertained the first day we decided to have a camping trip in the

G it was great fun but waking up on the wet grass in the morning wasn’t very exciting that day I decided to build a deck to camp on for the evening as days turned into months I just kept building a bit more each day with the kids and by

The end of the first lockdown we created what I now know to be a glamping sight whilst on my journey I kept updating my own social media with what I was up to with the kids each day it went viral and I had people contacted me asking if they

Could book the unit for a holiday at the time it seemed crazy but with nothing to lose I thought why not list it online once listed within the first 3 days it was fully booked for 2 years in advance I’m quickly realized there was a gap in

The market for what I produced we now have nine bespoke units with planning permission for a further four we’ve had a 100% occupancy since the day we opened with the earliest available weekend being over 2 years in advance with your investment I’d like to open more sites

And make the secret garden glamping the go-to brand for luxury glamping in the UK and abroad Derry what a story yeah absolutely inspiring did you really build that yourself though everything you see there is is built by me yeah but then as it’s grown and the business has grown I’ve

Had to take on more people and is your background building no absolutely not and what did it cost to put that together so far uh I’ve invested just over half a million now in in building everything and that’s your money uh so that’s come from the the revenue from the business

Wow so give me an idea of the income now so for this year uh we’re going to do 1.1 million in Revenue with a gross of just under 880,000 and a net of around 470,000 God Dar this is outstanding I love this thank you honestly look I’ve actually gone quite

Clammy I almost don’t want to ask you any questions just go straight to an offer by all means do so that would be fine Derry hi hi der um you won’t be surprised I’ve got questions it’s an industry I spent my entire life in yep so what’s your season 365 days a year

Okay and you’ve got 100% occupancy for the year coming up at weekends and where are you at midweeks so our midweek occupancy is fully booked for the next 18 months in event oh my goodness well my next question is going to be tariffs yeah because the rule we always said is

If it’s booking too fast and too far in advance we’re probably not charging enough money so what do your tariffs look like so obviously they will fluctuate through the season uh so I don’t do that at the minut the reason being I set this up for

Me and my children um and it’s always graded on me that that people try and capitalize on on when children are off school so my rate is flat across the whole year whether it be someone holidays whether it be winter so for 2023 the average nightly rate is £225 a

Night and for 2024 the average nightly rate is £245 a night you must know that is way too cheap yeah you could double your prices and probably so and I guess you are making a conscious decision to have the prices where they are absolutely it just didn’t sit right with

Me Derry I I I think you’re great you got a a completely fresh set of eyes and there is a lot of complacency around the industry absolutely but it feels like an industry that gets dragged Kicking and Screaming doing the next thing you know it’s kind of guys get ahead of the

Customer you know do something exciting so I’m going to make you an offer and this doesn’t happen very often but I’m going to offer you all of the money at what you’ve asked for Wow for 5% of the business wow thank you I was going to

Make you an offer from the minute you walked in after you described the business and having met you and having listened to you I think you’d be a great person to work with you really would so I’m going to offer you all of the money for what you’ve asked

For so I’m going to offer you £100,000 for 5% thank you I I love this sort of stuff I take the kids camping I’m I’m watching that video thinking it just looks amazing and you I think you have such a vision of where you’re going to take this business and I would love

Nothing more to be involved so I’m also going to offer you all of the money at the rate that you’ve asked for the 5% thank you I may not be in the hospitality business but I’m in the property business and I think that’s where I can

Help and I’m going to make you an offer I’ll give you all of the money for 5% okay thank you for your Offer how you feeling honest I’m I’m trying to keep it together now genuinely it’s it’s okay to show how you feel about Derry I’m going to tell you where I am as well it’s funny because I’m like I’m I don’t want to say that but I feel

Really proud of you for some reason because like you’re such a decent bloke and for you to have created something so wonderful from such an an authentic story of trying to provide something for your children to the point where I think I’ve taken my dragon hat off a little bit

Here because obviously with her background and everything else Deborah is just perfect for this I just don’t think I’d be the right Dragon for you so with that I’m going to wish you the very very best but I’m going to say that I’m out thank

You thank you for all your time and and obviously for the offers Deborah when you started talking then what you said was exactly right it feels like sometimes it feels like I’m I’m insane I guess cuz I can see it so clearly and then for you to sit there

And just validate everything that I think in my head on a daily basis just yeah it got me there and how you just said is exactly how I think and if you’re thinking the same I’d love to accept your offer well done I am so pleased cuz I genuinely let’s do it well

Done you well done mate take care sorry are you crying cuz you’re happy with him or because you didn’t get the investment I’m just so happy for him pleas lovely

Wish our lockdown hobby was as profitable…

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