CENTRE WELLINGTON – Andy Speers has been sitting on a secret since May, when he and business partner Trevor Aitchison entered the Dragon’s Den and left with – well, Speers just won’t say.
But soon the cat will be out of the bag, as the episode is slated to air on Oct. 16.
Speers and his buddies, all originally from Centre Wellington, started manufacturing the tossing game Waddies during the COVID-19 pandemic and sales have grown in the past four years.
So has the annual tournament the creators started, as league play began to get traction too.
But a business doesn’t grow only by hard work and good connections alone. It takes money.
And so the team headed to CBC’s studio in Toronto to make their pitch to the “dragons.”
Dragon’s Den, now in its 20th season, features entrepreneurs making pitches for funding from a panel of wealthy businesspeople.
Contestants hope for an offer but many times no offer is made.
This season the show’s dragons include:
- Arlene Dickinson, owner of Venture, a marketing company with offices across Canada;
- Manjit Minhas, CEO of Minhas Craft Brewery;
- Michele Romanow, internet entrepreneur;
- Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK; and
- Wes Hall, founder and executive chair of Kingsdale Advisors.
Speers said it was intimidating staring them down.
“Those individuals are much better and bigger than me,” he said in a phone interview.
“It was a bit intimidating. But it was super cool. I’m so glad and proud we had the opportunity, and we did it.”
Speers said they applied to the show three or four years ago but were turned down.
“We got an interview on stage with the producers, and they liked our story. But we were so early with our business back then and it didn’t go further,” he said.
This time, they got a call from one of the producers who had gone to a party in North Bay where the game was played.
“He loved it and emailed us saying he thought it would be great for the show. He convinced us to apply,” said Speers.
They were invited to be filmed and Speers and Aitchison headed to Toronto on May 24.
It’s a different world behind the scenes.
Speers said they waited in an isolated room for four and a half hours before they met the dragons.
And when they did meet, it was on stage in front of the cameras.
“It was very intense. How it seems on the show is how it is. Those dragons don’t hold back,” Speers said with a chuckle.
They made their pitch and the dragons even played the game.
Andy Speers, left, and Trevor Aitchison are hoping for an offer after making their pitch to the “dragons.” Submitted photo
“It’s a beer-drinking kind of game so we played it with beer,” Speers said. “We wanted to give them a real experience.
“They had some fun with it. They are super competitive and that made for some interesting trash talk.
“But they were not overly successful at tossing.”
He added, “We like that about Waddies. It can be hard to toss a rubber puck into a hole.”
They were hoping Dickinson, with her background in marketing, would make an offer, but would have been happy with an offer from any of the panelists.
Being filmed was no assurance they’d make the program though. Even receiving an offer from one of the dragons didn’t assure the segment would be aired.
So learning the Waddies segment will hit the airwaves is already a big win, Speers said.
But did they get an offer?
They are sworn to secrecy and no amount of trickery could coax it out of Speers.
“Whether we got a deal or didn’t, I think everyone in Centre Wellington will get a kick out of the show. Two guys from Centre Wellington are on it,” he said.
“I think we represented our brand really well. There were some humorous moments.”
Speers said they were in front of the dragons for 45 minutes and that will be reduced to eight minutes of air time.
“I have no idea how it will look on TV. We signed a document; we have no say in how it will be spun,” he said.
“And I can’t share the results. But we had a really good time.”
Dragon’s Den season 20 episode 4 airs on Oct. 16 at 8pm on CBC or it can be streamed on CBC Gem.
The “dragons” take their best shot, “but they were not overly successful” at Waddies, says Andy Speers. Submitted photo
