The fourth entrepreneur, Michael Ijegwua and his partner Idu Paul literally waltzed into the den, looking smart, and confident that they were going to secure an investment in a business they had tagged the “Mobile Aided Mail-Box”, which was ear-marked to provide a service that would replace the conventional Private Mail Box (PMB) addressing system with a subscriber’s mobile phone number. Wow! The idea sounded very brilliant, but at the same time very confusing for the dragons, who sought demonstrations form these entrepreneurs. The den for one second took on the traits of a blockbuster comedy show as the dragons volunteered to play-act the processes involved in using this service- John Momoh played the role of the ‘addresser’, while Alexander Amosu played the role of the expectant  ‘addressee’ who was a subscriber of this service- using his calculator as a make-shift mobile phone.  After this demonstration, the mystery and allure of the business ideas was demystified, as it was revealed that all the entrepreneurs wanted to offer to the public was a ‘mail-alert’ service, which will inform subscribers that they’ve got packages or mail at the post office. The dragons informed these entrepreneurs that their business was just a value added service which would prove profitable if only they made plans to work with the postal agency to introduce this concept to their subscribers.

At that, the dragons politely opted out.  

The fifth entrepreneur, Walter Asikaro, the chairman of Consolidated Gems Limited, came to expand his business of exporting rough and processed gem stones with a 6 million naira investment from the dragons. He claimed that he’d been doing this business profitably for the past 6 years, literally boasted of millions of naira in his bank account and assets. But he couldn’t convince the dragons about was the legality of the business. When the dragons cross-examined him after his presentation, he claimed to have documents that will prove that the business was legal, and very profitable, but when he was asked to present the document, he confessed to having left the paper-work at home.

“Like you, who’ve left your papers at home,” Alexander Amosu stated, “I’ve also left my money at home…I’m out”

And he lost all the dragons.

I welcome your comments…

–The Den Sweeper