Entrepreneurs - Graham Downey and Phil Morris

Graham Downey and Phil Morris have invented products that can help DIYers and tradesmen with difficult home improvement problems. Can they build a case for investment in the Den?

Graham and Phil give a series of demonstrations to show the versaility of their products but when Duncan Bannatyne asks them which out of their range is the best seller and is very underwhelmed when he is told this is the ‘radclamp’ which has sold 5000 in roughly ten years.

Pressed further they concede they have made very little actual profit. Graham says this is because the business has been a part-time venture for them.

When James Caan asks how they would spend the money Phil replies that more than half will be spent on marketing and £36,000 on stock. James explains you need orders before you can create that much amount of stock and is unimpressed when he finds out the pair have never directly marketed to their customer base.

Theo Paphitis points out that the fundamental problem with the product is that people don’t realise they have the problems the tools solve and despite Graham's protests he sticks to his guns.

On hearing that one of their wholesale distributors told Graham to phone him back next year to discuss their products, Deborah Meaden declares this should have sounded alarm bells with the pair - she declares herself out.

The other Dragons all quickly follow suit, with Peter Jones borrowing from the duo's pitching style when he says "problem: does not make money - solution: I'm out".

Duncan is the last Dragon to declare himself out but offers one piece of advice - the pair should make an all-in-one product that could do all of the tasks they have demonstrated as this could make money and prove the Dragons wrong.

The deal done in the Den:

No Investment

Last updated: 16th August 2010