The den comes alive with the aura of serious business, setting the tone for what is obtainable in the real business world; where business owners and entrepreneurs dare the tumultuous odds to succeed at what they do.

The walls remind one of charred bricks, glowing with fiery touches of yellow, red, and brown. The idea behind the design theme of the den was explained by Neil Oyenekan, the series producer of Dragons’ Den Nigeria; in his words: “the idea of using a den truly comes from the fact that people who are at top business positions tend to tell you that all the opulence, glitz, and glamour isn’t how it feels from the inside…you’re actually lonely, you’re on your own…everyone is coming to take something off you…so when they created the concept of the den, it was in a bid to use a scenario which best interprets the word ‘derelict’ to communicate to the pitchers how it feels ‘inside’ the real business world, and I’m sure the people who came up with the concept must have thought quite deeply before coming up with the den…to create an atmosphere that is intimidating for the pitchers”

Meaning, to get an investment deal off these dragons, the pitcher (the entrepreneur) must first of all overcome the fear of the environment, because once you step foot in the den, it tends to yawn, threatening to swallow you up even before you get the chance to ask the dragons for money!

And don’t forget that the Dragons Den format has been successfully packaged and broadcast in over 16 countries worldwide, including the U.K, Australia, and Canada. Currently one of the most successful business reality TV franchise in the world, Dragons Den Nigeria will make Nigeria  the 16^th host country of this robust business show; Phillip Livingstone, a representative of the format license owners SONY Pictures arrived Nigeria yesterday from the United Kingdom to provide supervisory advice to the producers of this fiery show.

I’m still in the den…and will keep you informed as the scorching events develop into volcanic drama.

–The Den Sweeper