Dragons Den makes it to Uganda

Just over a year ago, as John Njendahayo and I were driving back from visiting the Missing Link Microfinance project that had been set up in conjunction with CRED Foundation, we chatted about possible ways to develop the programme further. One idea that John came up with was to run a ‘Dragons Den’ style event that would be open to any of the beneficiaries of the project. This week that dream came to fruition.

There were a few stages to the event, starting with John introducing the concept to the local project beneficiaries and encouraging them to think / dream / vision, call it what you will, and take the opportunity to think outside the box and come up with a proposal. The size of the pot of money wasn’t announced, so as not to hinder the dreaming, but there were three criteria that the participants had to fulfill with their ideas: to be innovative, to be of benefit to the community, and they had to be willing to do a presentation about it to the ‘dragons’.

The next stage of the process was the initial 5 minute pitch from participants (14 took part), and it was wonderful to see what a wide range of ideas there were; many of them really were ‘thinking outside the box’.

Initial pitch: photo by Annie Sanderson

initial pitch: photo by Annie Sanderson

The 14 were whittled down to a shortlist of 6 by the team of ‘dragons’ with local contextual insights from John and his dad. This was crucial as there is only so much you can pick up from a 5 minute presentation, especially when those doing the presentations have never done anything like that before, and so shyness and nerves were part of the process for some. But input from John and his dad ensured that the projects chosen were all ones that fulfilled the criteria and also had the required potential to go through to the final.

The following day we met with the shortlisted candidates and had some time chatting about how they could refine their presentation, what extra information to include, and just a chance to think the plans through more so they could have it all clearer in their minds when it came to making the final presentation. They also all attended the workshops in the afternoon, including those on business start up and book-keeping, both of which gave some useful extra input into their presentations.

One on one sessions: photo by Annie Sanderson

One on one sessions: photo by Annie Sanderson

One on one(ish) sessions: photo by Annie Sanderson

And then the day of the Dragon’s Den final dawned!!!

The event was opened with a prayer, the participants were reminded about the criteria and what we were looking for in their presentations, and then we sat back and listened, took notes, and delighted in seeing 6 individuals rising to the opportunity of having the chance to dream bigger than the reality that life currently gives them.

The presentations were varied, some more polished than others, but in all of them we could see how much the plans and thought processes had developed since their initial pitches two days earlier, and it was heartening to see how they had taken the skills learnt in the workshops and put them straight into practice with regard to working out budgets etc

Once all 6 participants had done their presentations we, the dragons, snuck off to discuss and decide on the winner. Making that decision was incredibly hard, as there were so many good ideas, and we knew that the money to be given as the prize was not an insignificant amount. So it had to be sure to go to the project that fulfilled the criteria, and that also was being put forwards by someone who had thought it all through enough to be able to put it into action. Like last time the decision was made not just by the team, but with input from John who brought local knowledge and insight which were so crucially needed.

Finally we concluded that we actually had enough money for two winners – and even better the winning projects were headed up by a man and by a woman. Feedback was given to all the participants, and encouragement was given for them to meet up together every couple of months to share the wealth of knowledge that they all have between them. And then the two winners were announced, and presented with a certificate each (thanks to the wonderful calligrapher Fiona Mitchell) and their money.

Fiona, certificate writer extraordinaire: photo by Annie Sanderson

Cosmos and Rose - the winners! photo by Annie Sanderson

The looks of delight and astonishment on the faces of the two winners were beautiful. Such humility, such grace, as well as such happiness at the realization that the dreams could actually become a reality and not just remain always slightly out of reach. Yes there was a tinge of sadness that not all the participants could win, but that’s the reality of competitions, and I rest in the knowledge that this was a competition designed not by westerners but by Ugandans, seeking to find new ways to encourage entrepreneurship and self-belief within rural Uganda.

And so to the winners:

Rose is looking to set up a food drying business using a solar dryer, so that she can dry food when there is a surplus of it, and make it available during the off-seasons. Neighbours will be able to use the drier themselves, or sell their surplus to Rose, and in so doing either be able to make some money, or make some nutritious food for themselves. It also reduces food wastage, and increases the range of foods available around the year – two more positives for the community and environment generally

Rose: photo by Annie Sanderson

Cosmas is looking to develop his small bee-keeping industry. He currently has 15 hives and sells the honey locally by going door-to-door with a bucket of the honey. Neighbours have already noticed that they have had better coffee crops etc due to the presence of the bees pollinating the plants, and Cosmas would like to increase his business. He will be training up others to help him, and will be using local people to help with transport and selling the honey at markets once he has progressed to packing the honey in small jars etc. So there will be employment, training, and the presence of even more bees will help farmers over a wider area.

Cosmas: photo by Annie Sanderson

Both really worthy winners, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to meet with them later in the year to see how they are progressing.

The event was definitely a big success. The positive impact on all the participants, and the wider community, of having this competition was very visible from watching the support and interaction throughout, as well as witnessing the development of business-style thinking that was taking place. John’s objectives for holding the event were certainly fulfilled, and there are already thoughts on how we can learn from this pilot and take it forward in some fashion.

To end: a brief mention of the other 4 finalists and their projects, just to show the diversity; and also a comment that if any reader would be interested in taking part in a future dragons den event, then please let me know as I’m already looking for the next team.

So, in alphabetical order, the other 4 finalists were:

Betty – making pig food from discarded maize cobs

Godfrey – fish farming in man-made pools rather than natural ponds

Gonzagas – expanding his oyster mushroom business

Sylvia – starting a small tailoring and crafts training school

Dragons and entrpreneurs: photo by Annie Sanderson