Dragon’s Den 

With a Dragon’s Den appearance being released the day before we release this podcast, we wanted our returning guest John McClarey on Business Fives’ to explain the process.

Summary of Podcast

Key Takeaways

• Dragon’s Den Appearance: Business Fives will appear on Dragon’s Den (Feb 19, BBC) after being scouted by producers. John McClary pitched for £50k for 5% equity to fund international expansion.
• Rigorous Vetting Process: The 5-month BBC vetting process was a “stress test” for the business, including deep financial due diligence and a psychological welfare check to ensure readiness for public scrutiny.
• Strategic Goal → Mentorship: The primary goal was mentorship from a Dragon, not just capital. The investment was earmarked for international research and a new CRM, not hiring, to protect the company’s personal service USP.
• Podcast Release Delayed: The episode release was moved to Feb 20, 2026, to comply with a BBC embargo that prevents pre-show publicity and protects the broadcast’s impact.

Business Fives Update

• Growth: Surpassed £1M revenue milestone.
• Operations: Delivers corporate charity sports events (football, rugby, golf) across the UK, Ireland, and Amsterdam.
• Charitable Impact: Raised nearly £1.4M for charity to date.
  • Example: A winning team from Stockton (MAP Group) recently raised £3k for Butterwick Hospice, which was doubled via the Big Give campaign.

Dragon’s Den Appearance

• Origin: Scouted directly by a BBC producer, not via application.
• Pitch: £50,000 for 5% equity.
• Process (Feb–June): A 5-month, highly confidential vetting process.
  • Due Diligence: Thorough financial review by the BBC to verify all claims.
  • Psychological Welfare Check: A call with a psychologist to assess mental readiness for public exposure.
  • Secrecy: The process was consuming, requiring John to internalize all details.

Strategic Rationale for Investment

• Primary Goal → Mentorship: To gain a strategic partner with a shared passion for the mission, not just capital.
• Investment Allocation:
  • International expansion research (e.g., Australia, Abu Dhabi, US).
  • New CRM implementation.
• Business Protection (Barriers to Entry):
  • Network: A community of 5,000+ companies.
  • Expertise: 10 years of perfected event management processes.
  • Brand: The “As Seen on TV” status from Dragon’s Den.

International Expansion Strategy

• Franchise Model: A key option for non-English speaking markets (e.g., Hungary, Georgia).
  • Rationale: Leverages local knowledge where the core team lacks it.
  • Challenge: Protecting the brand and ensuring partner alignment with the mission.
• Vision: A “World Business Fives” tournament, modeled on FIFCO’s international corporate leagues.

Clips from the Podcast

What do Business Fives Do?

 

John’s Strategy with Dragon’s Den

 

Really Exposed and Vulnerable

 

Put Your Mind in Their Shoes

 

Testimonial

The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled eleven years ago to help businesses market to affluent and high-net-worth customers.  He’s the founder of MicroYES, a Partner of MeclabsAI, providing AI Agents, Workflows and Phone to Agent delivery systems. Now, Graham offers Answer Engine Optimisation so you get found by LLM search and Enterprise-level AI Solutions.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He’s the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com