Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett has revealed his biggest regret of his time on the BBC show was not investing in the company Fussy which is now worth an estimated £40million
Dragon’s Den panellist Steven Bartlett has revealed that he regrets not investing in a company that is now worth an estimated £40million and shows signs of doubling its value in just one year. The investor, 33, who has been on the BBC show since 2021, sat back and refused to invest in a business pitch by Eddie Fisher and Matt Kennedy.
The duo were asking for £50,000 for a one per cent share in their company – a natural deodorant brand called Fussy. At the end of their pitch back in 2022, Steven ruled himself out of the race. But their pitch impressed Dragons Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones.
And in the end, the hopeful duo walked away with the requested amount but with a five per cent share in their company.
In a recent interview, Steven said: “I was sat in the chair, and I could see the regret. Sometimes you have that moment where you go, ‘I think I might regret this one’, but for whatever reason you choose not to [invest] and that was Fussy.”
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He told Metro: “I was sat in the Den thinking there’s so many reasons for me to invest in this, and I was on the fence and I fell over the other side of the fence and the minute when I got back to the green room, I was sat there thinking, ‘Jesus I should have done this’, and the business has absolutely done brilliantly.”
He went on to add to the publication that he “begrudgingly” uses the product because he believes in it, despite having moments of doubt as he failed to recognise the value in the product.
Fussy is now a well known brand among the personal hygiene industry and has amassed a following of 195,000 followers on Instagram. The product can be bought in many of the high street retailers around the United Kingdom.
Following Eddie and Matt’s appearance on the BBC show, the product reportedly sold an estimated 20,000 units and is still one of the most sought after products four years later.
Speaking about the success of the brand in a previous interview with the same publication, Eddie said: “To give you an idea of the journey we’ve gone on, in the last three years we’ve gone from 0 to £20,000,000 in revenue this year, and a valuation of around £40,000,000.”
But Fussy is not the only success story of the show. Back in 2024, The Secret Garden glamping company appeared on the BBC programme, owned by Derry Green. He was given investment offers from four of the Dragons including Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies and Touker Souleyman.
Each Dragon offered an investment of £100,000 for a five per cent share in the glamping business. In the end, after much deliberation, Derry went with Deborah.
Speaking about his time on the show and the impact it had on his budding company, he explained to Business Cloud: “Dragons Den was a huge moment in our journey and it’s been incredible to see how much the business has grown since the episode aired.”
He added: “Our episode aired on January 16 and by February 1 we had generated an additional £500,000 in bookings. The exposure introduced The Secret Garden Glamping to a national audience overnight and website traffic, enquiries and bookings all surged.”
He continued: “What’s been particularly powerful is that the impact wasn’t short term. Demand has remained consistently strong in the two years since the show aired and it helped accelerate the growth of the brand significantly.”
And with his evident success, Derry went on to give future hopefuls tips when considering entering the Dragon’s Den. He went on to explain: “The Dragons see hundreds of pitches, so they can quickly tell when something is over-rehearsed. Be clear about what problem your business solves, why you’re different and what you’re asking for.”
He added: “It also helps to have a tight pitch that explains the opportunity in simple terms. Investors respect founders who understand the risks as well as the potential.”
The Secret Garden glamping company started off as a lowly project during lockdown but has now become an internet sensation with a two year waiting list.
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