It's our time to shine! | Glaize featured on Dragons' Den

The time has finally come!!! I feel like I’ve been holding on to this secret for a long time (since May 2023 to be exact): GLAIZE IS GOING TO BE APPEARING ON DRAGONS’ DEN ON 28 MARCH! And I could not be more excited!

I know I’m not alone in saying that last year was one of the most brutal years ever for running a start-up, particularly if you’re in the consumer space. I feel like one of our biggest achievements was just keeping Glaize alive (and trust me when I say that we’ve had a couple of really close calls). But being someone who deeply believes that everything happens for a reason, I’m grateful for the hardships, because I know that we’ve become a better business because of our journey.

There were times when I felt like the pressure was too much - TMI maybe, but I even developed stress hives and was suffering from insomnia for a couple of really dark months (despite normally being a fantastic sleeper). But one of the few things that kept me going was knowing that Dragons’ Den was airing in Q1 2024. I knew that I owed it to Glaize, our customers, the team, our investors and myself to get Glaize to that point.

The journey into the Den:
The process was pretty intense and involved 100+ hours of work, as well as numerous calls and due diligence requests before we even got to the Den. Once we were given a filming date, I started prepping by watching lots of pitches from the show, understanding what entrepreneurs do right and wrong, preparing for all the Dragons’ potential questions and designing our set.

Then, in May 2023, it was finally time to go up to Manchester to film our episode. We of course created made-to-measure gels for each of the Dragons, and we particularly enjoyed pairing our Glaize colours with the Dragons’ personalities and looks (no spoilers here, but look out for Peter’s nails!).

The process inside the Den was quite excruciating and involved 2.5 hours of filming (of which we only get to see around 10-15 minutes). By the end of it, my legs felt pretty numb from all the standing but I remember thinking to myself “hmmm, how come I’m feeling pretty calm!?”. I have to admit that I wondered what was wrong with me for not “feeling more”. Upon reflection, I think that building Glaize has just made me very stoic. TBD if this is a good or a bad thing - I shall report back.

What happens next:
I have no clue how the pitch has been edited and I’m very eager to watch it soon (knowing that I will definitely cringe a couple of times seeing my face on camera). I’m very excited for the next chapter in Glaize’s life, but more importantly, as founders, I think we never really pause to “smell the roses”. So amidst the chaos, I am going to do just that:

We’ve grown A LOT since we filmed the episode, and regardless of what’s next, I am just really proud of how far we’ve come
As someone with a Lebanese passport who had to fight to stay in this country after quitting my job, it’s surreal that just a few short years later, I am pitching a business that I created from scratch to five of the most well-known business people in this country!
I am grateful for my team and investors for sticking with me and for their continuous trust and support
I truly appreciate every order and we wouldn't be here without our customers. I still do a little happy dance whenever I see an order from a repeat customer that I recognise the name of
Last but not least, I am BEYOND grateful for my husband (who is now also my co-founder), without whom I frankly wouldn’t have made it this far, and for our families for their unwavering support.

Gina Farran
Co-Founder & CEO