The History of BLINDSINABOX
Simeone Salik and her husband built a new home for their retirement and Janice Dalton, an interior designer, helped her with the house. The curtains were the last thing on the agenda as the couple were unsure what they wanted. When Simeone tried to find some temporary blinds/curtains as an interim solution, none could be found in the UK and she felt that there was a definite gap in the market.
Janice and Simeone were introduced to Dominic Lawrence, who has an import business, to help find a suitable manufacturer for their blinds. He joined them as a third partner and in 2007 BLINDSINABOX Ltd started selling temporary instant blinds on their website, blindsinabox.co.uk.
Experience and expertise
Simeone had worked in PR many years ago and used her skills to obtain some fantastic press for the product. The blinds seemed to “hit the spot” and online sales were increasing on a daily basis. Feedback from customers was really encouraging. The trio realised that to grow the business, the company’s profile had to increase and a decision was made to try to get onto the BBC’s Dragons’ Den programme. If they secured investment, they could benefit from the expertise and contacts of whichever Dragon took an interest in BLINDSINABOX.
A good business opportunity
The team pitch to the Dragons
Nervous, but well-rehearsed, and with a sincere belief in their product, they hoped this would come over in their pitch. The Dragons can be hard and unkind, but certainly recognise a good business opportunity and they were delighted to gain investment from James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne.
The three partners thoroughly enjoy working with their new investors and their teams, and the business has already started to benefit greatly from their input.
