Hogsback Brewing on Dragons Den

spinrsx · Post by **spinrsx** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:31 pm

Even though the dragons weren't interested, I bet they still see a small spike in sales due to viewers wanting to try the beer

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/Dr ... 433882653/

lister · Post by **lister** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:57 pm

That may have been the point. My girlfriend is involved in a company that's thinking about doing exactly that for free national exposure.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:18 pm

lister wrote:That may have been the point. My girlfriend is involved in a company that's thinking about doing exactly that for free national exposure.

Lots of companies do that. Free publicity is usually a much better deal for the companies than generally unfavourable investments. I get the feeling the Dragons tend to gouge the companies they invest in. It would make a lot of sense especially for a brewery like Snowman to get on, because they just need to get the word out to people who want gluten-free beers.

It does give an interesting perspective on the valuation of companies like this though. Even though Hogsback aren't a particularly large or popular brewery, they started at a valuation of only 1.6 million and couldn't even get an offer from there, which probably means none of the dragons would even consider them at a 1 million value for the company.

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:35 pm

It seems like the Dragons that want to be exposed to craft brewery scene already are, and those that aren't, wont. TBH I find it difficult to listen to more than 2 words out of O'Leary without wanting to punch him right in the face.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... /?page=all

As my old man used to say "I wouldn't stop to piss on him if he was on fire"

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 9:19 pm

^Your dad had a far nicer way of saying it than mine

Tapsucker · Post by **Tapsucker** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 4:26 pm

icemachine wrote:It seems like the Dragons that want to be exposed to craft brewery scene already are, and those that aren't, wont. TBH I find it difficult to listen to more than 2 words out of O'Leary without wanting to punch him right in the face.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... /?page=all

As my old man used to say "I wouldn't stop to piss on him if he was on fire"

The concept of Dragons Den is great for encouraging entrepreneurship, dishing a bit of reality to potential dreamers and helping promote lot's of small businesses.

It's the personality cults that need to be avoided, but that's a problem for too many people. They love their celebrities...

Heck I'd love to see Rob Ford pitch his budget on Dragons Den and watch even the hack panel tear it apart. It would be comic genius!

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:17 am

icemachine wrote:It seems like the Dragons that want to be exposed to craft brewery scene already are, and those that aren't, wont. TBH I find it difficult to listen to more than 2 words out of O'Leary without wanting to punch him right in the face.

Pretty much. He's playing a role to a certain extent but the times he is the most adamant are frequently the times he is the most wrong.

chris_schryer · Post by **chris_schryer** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:11 pm

A bit late to the dance, but here's some thoughts:

Within about an hour of the show airing, I saw an uptick in pageviews and search terms regarding Hogsback on my blog. It wasn't earth-shattering, but it was definitely notable. Lasted for about 3 days.

I have a friend who was legal counsel for a business that got "picked up" on Dragons Den. Apparently, the deal they strike on the show is rarely the actual deal, and it's not uncommon for the whole partnership to fall apart (once each side's lawyers get involved). Also, sometimes, a Dragon or a friend-of-a-dragon will approach the business after the fact with a proposal. The show is just that, a show. It's good for a business to be on it, even if their idea isn't a good investment. There is no doubt, it's like 8 minutes of prime-time advertising. Plus it makes everybody an arm-chair investment-expert

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:52 pm

I hope they looked better than Dead Frog from BC... I was left wondering how that business existed at all.

Rob Creighton · Post by **Rob Creighton** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:16 pm

Derek wrote:I hope they looked better than Dead Frog from BC... I was left wondering how that business existed at all.

It freaked me out as well. All you could feel afterwards was a notion that they were completely incompetent and had no clue.

cfrancis · Post by **cfrancis** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 12:20 am

As an accountant, it was appalling. They should have had their business pulled from them just on principle.

mistermurphy · Post by **mistermurphy** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:22 pm

cfrancis wrote:As an accountant, it was appalling. They should have had their business pulled from them just on principle.

Wondering how many accountants are on Bar Towel. I know of myself and TheSevenDuffs.... Good to hear of another

(and of course Ken the Assistant Grain Shoveller)