Later this month ITV will begin airing Tycoon a new series hosted by Peter Jones. Tycoon is a show that pits six entrepreneurs against each other to see who will be crowned Tycoon by Jones. In the programme the eager young entrepreneurs are all given an initial investment in their start-ups by Jones. The prize for winning is his sole attention and much, much more money.
The six entrepreneurs are:
- Justin Chieffo, a father of two who’s selling an environmentally friendly carrier bag dispenser.
- Elizabeth Hackford, who’s creating a natural fruit and alcoholic drink for women. She calls herself Elizabeth “Make It Happen” Hackford.
- Helen James and Cathy Caudwell-Todd, job-sharing mothers who are launching a range of gardening clothes.
- Iain Morgan, a carer who’s importing an indoor radio-controlled helicopter from China.
- Lauren Pope, a glamour model who’s selling clip-in extensions from real hair.
- Tom Thurlow, a confident 17-year-old who is launching a newspaper for teenagers.
Jones is also releasing a self-help book called Tycoon: How to Turn Dreams into Millions. The Telegraph tells us that he’s planning to pour millions into a project he calls ‘Tycoon Academy’, a university of entrepreneurship where young people will learn to become future entrepreneurs. Cool, it’s about time Britain started becoming a nation of entrepreneurs rather than a nation of shopkeepers!
Read my review of his book: Tycoon: How to Be REALLY Rich.
UPDATE: Tycoon has flopped it the ratings – read more about it on Peter Jones’ Tycoon – Peter You’re Fired!
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
From what I understand there was a huge selection process to get the very best 5 entrepreneurs in the UK. This was through an inventions business farye.
I just question if these contestants were chosen to make good TV as opposed to the very best ideas for business ventures.
I would have liked to see contestants from Dragons Den go through to this competition, people with genuinely new and fresh idea/inventions. Nothing on Tycoon is new or fresh.
Luke
Business ideas don’t have to be new or fresh, but a new twist certainly helps.
Unfortunately the business ideas on the show have very little to offer, not even a new twist on a proven idea.
I have an exellent idea, but I was reluctant to go in for this, because I felt it needed too much money thrown at it. Was i wrong to be so cautious.
Yes and no, turning an idea into a business will always involve some element of risk, the secret is to minimise the risk by doing your research and/or trialling your product or service on a small scale.
Feel free to email me (through the contact page on this site) a little bit about your idea and I’ve be more specific about how you can do this.
i have an idea about generators that dont need petrol,gas or other to run. now im a bit reluctant to say what “GIZMO”(MY NIKNAME FOR IT) runs on, im no einstein of course but, i would like to hear your thoughts on this issue, as well as pointing me in the right direction. thanks please return an email.
I applied for the Tycoon program, got through the various selection processes and was invited to the auditions alongside 50 or so others.
It was very chaotic dark dungeon near London Bridge with people running around bonding in group sessions with rapturous applause erupting spontaniousley from behind black curtains followed by quickfire interviews designed to determine your Psychological makeup topped off with a 3 minute egg timered interview with peter himself. Anyway I waited on the comfy sofa for around 1 1/2 hours talking to and watching people is various emotional states going from room to room and, suddenly, realised that my particular idea was in a completely different league financially to the others. So rather than allowing myself to become the ‘Gibbering Doofus’ nervously twitching as Peter shrieked “HOW MUCH?” at me on national TV, I made a quick exit out the fire escape and saved my sanity. I PJTV girls chased me up asking me to come back but I told them nerves had got the better of me, (which is also true), and that I would return the money that they gave me for post production checks, which I did.
They still put my idea on thier website though so if anyone out there wants to invest £300-400K the project is ready to go to prototype, concept proven and manufacturers lined up.
You can still see it here, unless they have removed it.
Cheers
Kenny
http://www.tycoon.com/tycoonTrader/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.invited&userId=891&ideaId=31
Ken,
It was still there when I looked just now, sounds like a good idea that solves a problem people have – certainly a problem I’ve faced in the past myself.
I fear that it will be difficult to find enough profit to make it and exciting business idea for an investor though.