A single mother bagged a £50,000 investment and two millionaire entrepreneurs on Dragons’ Den for her portable kids toilet invention to the delight of viewers.
Zoe Chapman entered the arena last Thursday (February 16) looking for financial help to get her ‘Whizzer’ idea up and running. And although she had to give away 25 per cent of her business – 15 per cent more than she was hoping – she did at least attract Steven Bartlett and Sara Davies, who both put in £25,000 of their own cash.
It was Zoe’s heartfelt pitch that melted the Dragons’ hearts as she explained about her life and the death of her father that led to her inventing her unique product. Her emotional overtures won over the millionaire panel, as well as a horde of viewers, reports Birmingham Live.
She said: “I work day and night, 16-18 hours a day, so I live and breathe the business. I’m a single mother, proud to be one.
“It’s just me and my son, he’s 10 now. When he was born, I was looking after my dad as well who sadly passed away.
“So I launched the product in his honour. I know he’d be proud of me.
“Everything is going into this, and I’m doing it all for my son so I hope he’s proud as well.”
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Zoe explained to the Dragons how the struggles she faced while potty training her son had prompted her to invent the product. She went on: “I needed to find a product that was compact as a toilet that I could carry around for both of them.
“I searched, but couldn’t find anything so I decided to invent my own.”
Zoe impressed the potential investors with her business plan, while her likeable persona helped to win them over. And it seems their investment could already be paying off, as BBC viewers took to Twitter to say how much they needed a Whizzer in their lives.
“One person wrote: “Our three-year-old, newly potty trained boy, needs the Whizzer! What a product, game changing.”
And another added: “Bet they’re drowning in orders right now! Glad to get one – £0.99 shipping and 10 per cent off for signing up from their own site saves commission being paid to Amazon.”
Others shared how thrilled they were by Zoe’s success on the show, as one person tweeted: “First time Dragons Den has caused a tear in my eye The Whizzer is brilliant and so is the entrepreneur. Phenomenal.”
Another viewer wrote: “What a lovely lady on Dragons Den. Whizzer may all good things come your way.”
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