A successful Dundee businesswoman will this week be scrutinised by some of the nation’s most well known and fearsome business figures when she enters the Dragons’ Den.
Entrepreneur and mum Jenny McLaughlan’s teething jewellery business, Gumigem, has gone from strength to strength since the idea was first developed in 2010.
Jenny, 39, was inspired by her own experiences of being a mother to develop an aid for young children suffering from the pains of teething.
The idea behind Jenny’s brainchild is to give children a soothing, non-toxic appliance to chew on and relieve the discomfort caused by teething.
The jewellery is worn by the child’s parent, giving the child easy access.
Jenny, who appeared in front of the panel some weeks ago and is now ready to watch her performance back on television when the show is aired on Sunday, is remaining tight-lipped on whether she gained investment or heard the dreaded words … “I’m out”.
She said: “The process before you enter the den is quite intimidating.
“Before I did my pitch I was quite nervous, but once it was done, the dragons were all quite friendly and just really business-like. It was a lot more relaxed than I imagined.
“I’ve actually been asked on to the show for the past three years but always rejected the idea.
“My decision to appear this year was because other businesses are beginning to show an interest in the idea and I want to make sure they aren’t able to build on the concept.”
She and husband Stuart, who is now the director of the firm, are concentrating on expanding the business which has currently sold more than 100,000 units across the globe.