#23: How to Start Building a World-Class Network
“There’s never been a better opportunity to network digitally!” In this week’s solo episode, I’m going to share with you four very specific and actionable tips that I’ve used to […]
“Your customers are the best resource you have”
– Arminder Singh Dhillon
Arminder Singh Dhillon (@armindersinghdhillon01) is the inventor and co-founder of Boot Buddy: a cleaning product range for footwear which helps “leave the outdoors outside”.
In 2016, Arminder and his family sought investment on Dragons’ Den, and at age 15, Arminder became the youngest entrepreneur ever to secure backing from Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman!
The Boot Buddy story is a wonderful combination of hard work, faith and improvement as Arminder and his family have continued to build on the product’s success. They have recently released a range of shoe care sprays, as well as a brand-new product to help clean muddy dogs – Paw Buddy.
In our wide-ranging conversation, we unpick the process of Dragons’ Den and what it’s like to be on the show; how Arminder and his family manufacture Boot Buddies in China; his relationship with the 3 Dragons and how they can add value to a business; and so, SO much more!
You can find Arminder & Boot Buddy at the following:
- Bootbuddy Website: bootbuddy.com
- YouTube: The Boot Buddy
- Instagram: @bootbuddy
- Twitter: @thebootbuddy
- Facebook: thebootbuddy
- Tik Tok: @thebootbuddy
Extra links and resources we discuss during the episode:
- The Human Entrepreneur podcast: To complement this Entrepreneurs Can Party episode, Luke & Varun from The Human Entrepreneur talk to Arminder about the manufacturing process of Boot Buddy in even more detail.
- The original Boot Buddy pitch and negotiation on Dragons’ Den: Arminder shares so many fascinating insights about this pitch and how the producers of the show manage to squeeze a 2 and a half hours process into less than 15 minutes! It also features Arminder’s original prototype for the product which has come a long way!
Key Points:
- What is Boot Buddy (4:03)
- His experiences/insights on Dragons’ Den and being in the den for two and a half hours! (11:00)
- The process of taking the product from a prototype stage to being retail ready (20:33)
- Manufacturing in China and some of the obstacles they’ve had to overcome (27:47)
- Pitching to his parents for investment & how he arrived at a number (32:25)
- How Arminder juggles his time (41:33)
- Next steps with the Boot Buddy brand and introducing Paw Buddy (44:32)
- Working with 3 Dragons and the relationships he has with each (48:03)
- How the Dragons have brought value to Boot Buddy (51:53)
- Arminder’s top business advice to aspiring entrepreneurs (54:25)
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @entrepreneurscanparty
If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!
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