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Local entrepreneur takes on Dragons Den
4 years ago
Mersey businessman Drew Cockton reveals what itâs like to feel the heat in the Dragonâs Den
Businessman Drew Cockton has revealed how facing the Dragons in their Den was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.
âIt was nerve-wracking and it was exhausting,â says Drew. âI was at the studios from 11am and they didnât film until 10 at night.
âThroughout the day there was no warning that you were going to be filming in, say, an hour, you just sat there waiting, knowing you could be next.
âItâs a once in a lifetime opportunity and when I got in front of the dragons I was so nervous, I had to keep stopping to ask for water because my mouth went so dry.â
But he smiles: âThey were kind to me and edited that out!â
As seen on BBC Oneâs broadcast last night Drew, 35, secured a ÂŁ50,000 investment from retail magnate Touker Suleyman in exchange for 30% of his luxury fragrance business, Owen Drew, which he runs from Birkenhead.
âI was delighted. So many people leave empty-handed but I had prepared and watched every clip of Dragonâs Den I could get my hands on, so I knew every question they might ask.
âAt one point it got so late that runners asked if I could go back the next day and said theyâd put me up in a hotel, but I said no because I didnât have a change of clothes and Iâd geared myself up for it then. I was grateful they stayed behind to film it.â
Drew says: âWhen you go on, you go up in the lift â just a pretend lift! â and then youâre in front of the dragons. It was the first time Iâd seen them and I was nervous, but having watched all the clips I felt like I knew them.
âIt took an hour and a half to film, edited to 10-15 minutes. Touker immediately made an offer but they showed it the other way round which is why, when the others said no, I didnât look disheartened. But they were all lovely.â
And former St Anselms Grammar School pupil Drew chuckles: âItâs filmed in the old Coronation Street studios and I was thrilled to be in Audrey Robertsâ (actress Sue Nichollâs) old dressing room. It was fab!â
The investment was a major achievement for Drew who was diagnosed as bi-polar as a young adult, and revealed how mental health issues had been the driving force behind his business, with the concept of wellness at the forefront of everything he does.
Having done a degree in German and politics and then a post-grad at Manchester Business School, Drew opened a hotel business on Manchesterâs trendy Canal Street at 22: âIt would have been a great business but I was totally inexperienced, and I was working so hard that I actually made myself quite ill and had a breakdown,â he says.
The budding entrepreneur went on to get a âreally goodâ job as business account manager for a financial services company, but five years ago started making candles from his kitchen.
Drew, whoâs originally from Liverpool but was brought up on Wirral, goes on: âI started making the candles as creative therapy to keep me sane, but I have always been entrepreneurial and I realised I was really onto something. Nowadays the world and his dog is making candles from home but then it was new, and I had people knocking on my front door as news got round by word of mouth.
âAnd I hated the drudgery of 9-5, the passive aggressive emails from middle managers and boring team meetings.â
Drew sold the candles under the name Owen Drew via social media. Since then the business has expanded from vegan soy wax candles into eau de parfum fragrances as well as a successful bath and body collection, all retailing via Owen Drewâs website and boutique in Birkenhead, from where he also makes the products and his offices are based.
Heâs had sales in excess of ÂŁ1m and gained endorsements from celebrities like Paris Hilton â but he was struggling to expand further â and that is where Dragonâs Den came in.
âI applied in January last year and, because of lockdown, I actually filmed last nightâs programme in October. I applied not because of the money but because thereâs only so far I can take the business. I have tried to get in front of buyers at stores like John Lewis and Harrods but itâs impossible. Itâs about the contacts – and thatâs where Touker can help to propel the business forward.â
Drew, who has also launched Heatherfield House, an intimate events venue in Wirral, and is set to bring out his own branded range of rosĂ© wine, says since Dragonâs Den was shown heâs had lots of phone calls congratulating him â and the website has exploded with orders.
His aim now, he says, is to take Owen Drew from being a well-known North West brand, to one thatâs known nationally and internationally.
He smiles again: âThe name Owen Drew came from Drew being my given name and my mumâs maiden name, and Owen was my nannaâs name before marriage.
âMy nanna joked that she hopes to see the name on lorries going up and down the country as the business grows â and Iâd like to achieve that for her while sheâs here.â
www.OwenDrew.com