A Devon hypnobirthing teacher has secured £136,000 after pitching her business on BBC Dragons’ Den.
Mum-of-three Siobhan Miller, the founder of the Positive Birth Company, received three offers - from Touker Suleyman, Tej Lalvani and Sara Davies.
The Positive Birth Company was founded after Ms Miller’s own life-changing birth experience in 2014.
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After a “relatively difficult” birth with her first child, Ms Miller said she was determined to do what she could to make her second birth experience more positive.
The entrepreneur had an at-home birth with her second son and, afterwards, decided to set up a company to help other women.
She launched the Positive Birth Company in 2016, offering group classes and one-to-one coaching, and created a Hypnobirthing app called Freya to support expectant mothers through labour.
Last year, her company turned over more than £1m, with a gross profit of 95%.
Speaking on the show, which aired on Thursday (July 8), she said: “It’s definitely not been easy. I have made a lot of sacrifices (mainly sleep), social time and time with my family.
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“My mission is to make antenatal and postnatal support better for everyone.”
Ms Davies, founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, said she was “blown away” by the entrepreneur and offered her all the money for 7% of the business.
But Peter Jones questioned Ms Miller’s valuation of the company, which she said accountants had valued at £13.6m.
“This is where businesses make a mistake when they use advisors," he said.
"It is not just about the financial results of that business. They have forgotten about the very thing that is important. You are the business. If you are not there any more, the company is gone.”
Mr Jones declined to invest and so did Deborah Meaden, who was impressed with the “authenticity” of the firm, but felt the business “wasn’t her thing”.
“I haven’t got children, so it feels not authentic for me to get involved in a business that is deeply authentic,” she said.
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However, Mr Lalvani and Mr Suleyman made a joint offer - 5% each for all the money.
Ms Miller, who had offered just a 1% equity stake in her company at the outset, successfully negotiated the dragons down to a total of 6% split between both.
Speaking after her pitch, she said: “I can’t believe it. To come out with Tej and Touker, who both have experience in the industry, is amazing.”
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