Derry Green had no idea that an introduction to Boost at a business event in Lancashire would end up with an appearance on Dragons’ Den.
The father-of-three appeared on the hit BBC show to pitch his Lancashire-based business The Secret Garden Glamping.
He initially built a single glamping pod for his children during lockdown and quickly became a viral sensation after posting images on social media.
Green listed the pod on Airbnb and it became fully booked for more than two years in advance – prompting him to build two more.
However he realised he needed help so attended an event held by West Lancashire Borough Council in Ormskirk which was also attended by Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub as well as Access to Finance Lancashire.
Boost was founded in 2013 and BusinessCloud will be showcasing some of the thousands of businesses to have benefited from their help in the following decade
Following an initial conversation, Green worked with Cassim Patel from Access To Finance, who steered him through the range of different finance options.
Access to Finance team identified a loan from Lancashire County Council’s Rosebud Finance as the best option for the business and worked with Jonathan Nelson, senior loans manager at Rosebud to prepare The Secret Garden Glamping’s application.
Access to Finance Lancashire is available to Lancashire businesses and is operated by a team of former banking professionals and finance.
Green said Boost also introduced him to a brilliant mentor called Hayley Caine.
“She became my sounding board for what direction I took the business in – including my appearance on Dragons’ Den,” he said.
“I had no experience of growing a business from tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds and Hayley really helped.
“She was also able to prepare me for my appearance on Dragons’ Den to such an extent I was able to get investment offers from Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Sara Davies and Touker Suleyman.”
All four of the fearsome Dragons offered the full £100,000 asking price in exchange for 5 per cent equity in the luxury glamping startup.
Steven Bartlett was the only member of the panel not to make an offer after Green’s pitch, which reduced a number of his fellow Dragons to tears.
The Secret Garden Glamping recently acquired La Mancha Hall in Halsall, between Southport and Ormskirk, as part of its expansion plan and expects to turnover £2m this year.
Green said: “All the help I had from Boost was fully-funded and I can’t recommend them enough.
“It changed my life and led to my appearance on Dragons’ Den. Sara Davies has been a phenomenal support.”
Led by Lancashire County Council, supported by Government and 10 local authorities, Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, one of 37 Growth Hubs in the UK.Boost’s mission is to help Lancashire businesses thrive.Since 2013, Boost has supported over 14,000 businesses, helping create 3,500 jobs while adding £100m to the local economy.
From September 1, 2023, Boost is funded by Lancashire County Council, Department for Business & Trade (DBT), and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocations from 10 Lancashire local authorities (Boost local authorities partners).
Boost’s local authority partners are Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.
Boost offers six core services including:
• Business Support Helpdesk
• Business Advice Service
• Growth Catalyst
• Scale to Thrive
• Flying Start
• Access to Finance
The Business Support Helpdesk offers advice and guidance to anyone thinking of starting a business and all new and existing businesses in Lancashire.
Businesses located in the 10 Boost local authority partner areas are eligible for the Business Advice Service, Flying Start, Growth Catalyst, Scale to Thrive and Access to Finance.