Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge #363: What You Didn't Know About Dragons Den, Building Vitabiotics & Investment Success Rate with Tej Lalvani
From driving forklifts in his family’s warehouse to steering a billion-pound global business and captivating audiences as a Dragon on Dragons’ Den, this week’s guest, Tej Lalvani, is the meaning of entrepreneurial grit and innovation.
As CEO of Vitabiotics, the UK’s largest vitamin company, Tej has expanded the brand to over 100 countries, turning products like Wellwoman, Perfectil, and Pregnacare into household names. However it hasn’t been a straightforward journey and he even shares how, as a child, Tej moved around so much with schools that he couldn’t do basic maths - proof that early setbacks don’t define long-term success.
In this episode, Tej shares his journey from moving from India to the UK and adapting to a new culture, to working alongside his father and learning the lessons that helped build Vitabiotics into a global powerhouse. He reveals the true meaning of sales, what it really takes to be an entrepreneur and his path to becoming a Dragon - including what happens after the cameras stop rolling. Tej also explores the skills every founder needs, the three things a Dragon must hear before investing and why so many people are leaving the UK for Dubai now that he spends a lot of his time here.
Whether you’re building your first business or pitching for investment, this conversation is packed with insights, candid stories and practical wisdom from one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs.
3:30 Moving from India to UK
15:00 Being an entrepreneur and what sales is really about
20:48 Becoming a Dragon
31:50 What happens once you invest on Dragons Den?
40:55 Knowing your skills and what value you can bring
47:30 Vitabiotics products and the challenges with longevity medicine and treatments
54:00 Dubai vs UK - Why are people leaving the UK for Dubai
1:07:00 What 3 things does a dragon need to hear to invest
1:11:40 First thing you need to do to be an entrepreneur
Show Sponsors:
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