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Campbell River woman to appear on Dragons' Den

A Campbell River mom, who took on a group of ruthless “dragons”, will appear next Wednesday on the hit Canadian TV show, Dragons’ Den.
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Business advisor Shannon Baikie and Elaine Popove

A Campbell River mom, who took on a group of ruthless “dragons”, will appear next Wednesday on the hit Canadian TV show, Dragons’ Den.

The episode, which airs at 8 p.m. on CBC, will feature Elaine Popove, president and founder of Miss Fix Fashion Products, a Campbell River-based fashion solutions company.

Popove, along with business advisor Shannon Baikie, presented her business proposal to the panel of five dragons in May and found out last week that her presentation will be aired on national television.

More than 3,000 businesses auditioned for the show.

“It’s exciting to learn that we were chosen to appear on television,” Baikie said. “Not all businesses that have their pitch filmed actually go to air so we are very excited and honoured to be one of them.”

Popove and Baikie pitched the company’s premiere product, Fashion-Aid, a roll-on adhesive, on Dragons’ Den in the hopes that one of the business moguls would invest in the product. The show gives aspiring businesspeople an opportunity to pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business gurus. The dragons will put their own personal money on the line if they feel a product will be successful, and in return earn shares in the business.

“We were confident with our answers and in the end we’re so glad we did it,” Popove said after filming her pitch. “It was quite the experience and you’re definitely out of your comfort zone, but when the opportunity comes knocking, you’ve got to take it. I would recommend this to any entrepreneur.”

Popove’s product is a liquid, roll-on adhesive designed to secure slipping bra straps, low necklines or strapless dresses. The product is also hypoallergenic, water-washable and approved by Health Canada.

The product first hit shelves in the spring of 2010 and since then, has retailed in more than 400 Canadian stores. Recently, the company struck a deal with London Drugs and Save-On Foods, where the product will be available as of Feb. 1.

Popove’s invention was born on her wedding day, while struggling with her strapless gown.

Her motivation for appearing on Dragons’ Den was to expand her business. Now, she’s excited to see what will appear on television.

“With over 45 minutes of footage and only three to five minutes shown, we can guarantee there will be some entertaining and nail-biting moments,” Popove said. “Although we know the final outcome, the actual pitch has been kept secret, even from us. We’re not very good at keeping secrets but we’ve succeeded at keeping our lips sealed this time and promise the community we won’t disappoint.”