Animal Innovations Pocket Money Pitch

Imagine a year's worth of pocket money up for grabs

just waiting for kids like you from across the UK

to come up with a winning business pitch.

-I live in Newcastle.

-..in Wallasey.

-I am from Sunderland.

Could you spot a gap in the market?

-Our business idea is...

-..specially made waffles.

What's your big idea?

Our idea is of a healthy fast-food restaurant.

Or are you the next Branson, Sugar or Dyson?

-Our business idea is...

-..a multicoloured icing pen.

Now budding entrepreneurs are entering the pocket money pitch-off.

All are hoping to secure that valuable pot of cash

and the priceless help of our top industry gurus

to kick-start their businesses.

They will have just one chance to call for help.

And this is it - the Pause My Pitch button.

One guru to impress, only one idea can come out on top.

This is Pocket Money Pitch.

Pocket money pitchers, it's time to go head-to-head.

Present your pitch.

-The pitcher...

-..I've chosen...

-..is...

We have searched the whole of the UK

to find the best young business talent.

And you didn't disappoint.

In each episode, six businesses will compete.

Today's young entrepreneurs

are trying to break into the pet industry,

a sector we spend nearly £6 billion on each year in the UK.

It's a huge market they want to get their paws on.

Only three businesses will get the chance to pitch in the vault

to today's guru, Claire Gavin.

Claire is head of innovation

at the UK's largest pet retailer

which has yearly profits of over £120 million.

Our pitchers can improve their chances

of impressing Claire,

by winning over the business buddies.

These guys are top entrepreneurs

who will be able to spot the ideas

that stand out from the herd.

So, they are our buddies. Here are our pitchers.

In our first head-to-head

are 14-year-old friends

Rebecca and Laura from South London.

-Laura is amazing at horse riding.

-And Becky's amazing at dancing.

And this is why we want to make a business together.

They're against Lauren, aged 13,

James, who's 12, and Ellen, who's 14.

They're from Leeds.

I've known James for 13 years and I've known Lauren for seven,

and since I've met Lauren, we've all been best friends.

The two teams will go head-to-head,

and whoever gets the most votes from our buddies

will go through to pitch to the guru.

First up, Rebecca and Laura.

Our product is cakes for horses,

and they come in all shapes, sizes and flavours.

We plan to handmake these products at home

and sell them in equestrian shops

and on the high streets and retailers in the UK. Also online.

Our business is about giving owners

a chance to personalise their horse's treat,

to make sure their horses and owners enjoy as much as they deserve,

and our biggest aim will be to give these beautiful animals

a personal, unique and enjoyable treat

their owners will know that they'll love.

We believe our product is unique and different,

cos from our research, it doesn't exist

in the current horse treat market.

So, we believe that this is a good thing

for all owners and riders to do.

Our cakes vary from a small cupcake to triple-layer large cakes -

it's down to the buyer.

-BOTH:

-Thank you for tacking the time to listen to our pitch.

Tasty. No long faces from the buddies after that pitch.

The girls will be hoping their horsing around

will keep them in the race.

Next up is Collarny.

We're here today to talk to you about our business

of personalised collars for cats and dogs.

It's very easy to make our products,

and we can make them in quick succession.

It's very simple.

By taken two lengths of elastic

and using a design pattern which we've made ourself,

not only do we have letters,

but we can go from the numbers one to ten,

full stops, exclamation marks and question marks.

To design your collar, you'll visit our website, collarny.co.uk,

where you'll be able to see our previous work

and then click on the order button to start designing.

On there there'll be four parts where you do the name you want,

the two colours, the type of collar

and then you put in your address so we know where to send it.

Our prices are really important to us.

Our large is £2.50, our medium is £2,

our sensitive is £1.75,

and our small/cat is £1.50.

They did it. Nice one, team.

But have they done enough to collar the buddies?

Only one business can go through -

Happy Horse Cakes or Collarny.

First to vote, Amber.

I'm going to be voting for Collarny.

Next up, Luke.

I will be voting for Collarny.

If Bianca also votes for Collarny,

then they will win this head-to-head.

I'm going for Happy Horse Cakes.

Next to vote, it's Suleman.

I'm going for Happy Horse Cakes.

Ah, they're neck-and-neck.

Collarny and Happy Horse Cakes now have two votes each.

Whoever Emma-Jayne votes for will go through.

I liked them both...

..but I'm going for Collarny.

So close, and such a tough decision for the buddies,

but it's Happy Horse Cakes who are going home.

I think that we still want to carry on with the business

cos I still believe it is a really good idea.

Collarny are now in control

and can choose from Amber, Luke and Emma-Jayne,

who all want to prove

that they can take their business to the next level.

You need to think about the margins in the product

and really be confident in what you're saying,

and I think I can probably help you formulate that.

With the website, I'd be looking at how to up-sell even further.

So they're coming onto the site to buy your product,

but what else could you potentially give around that?

I think the prices are probably the one area

that we could do some work on,

but I think you've got a fantastic product, fantastic idea,

and there's a lot of scope in it.

Now, it's crucial that Collarny choose the buddy

whose skills and experience will help them the most.

-Emma-Jayne.

-Emma-Jayne?

-Have you decided?

-Yeah.

-Go on. Tell us who you want.

We want Emma-Jayne.

Emma-Jayne heads off to work with Collarny.

Time for our next head-to-head.

Hoping to get the buddies' approval,

we've got ten-year-old Sami and nine-year-old Sana from East London.

We're cousins and we're best friends.

We love being together,

and we're always playing jokes on each other.

And they're going head-to-head with ten-year-old Laura from Surrey.

My mum and dad inspired me to start my own business

as they run their own business on the internet.

Digital dynamo Ben joins the buddy line-up.

First up to pitch, it's Sami and Sana with "Which Pet 4 U?"

Hi, my name's Samira, but you can call me Sami.

Hi, my name is Sana.

-BOTH:

-And together we run a business called "Which Pet 4 U?"

The main aim of "Which Pet 4 U?"

is to help people find the best pet suited to their personality.

We will start to help fund different animal shelters

such as RSPCA, cat shelters and dog shelters.

In the future, we hope to get lots of different animal products.

Whatever your pet needs, we will soon have.

-BOTH:

-You're never too old or too young to have a pet.

A purr-fect pitch there,

but will it match up to Laura and her idea for pet pressies?

Laura's Pet Prezzies is a fun idea of selling gifts for cats and dogs

such as treats, toys,

including Christmas stockings like this one.

The toys and the treats will be laid out as a pick and mix

so they can choose what and how much

they're going to fill their stockings.

If I received the pocket money,

I'd spend £100 on market stalls or fairs,

£25 would be spent on packaging,

£20 would be spent on change,

and I've also worked out that £48.48 is the value of 72 stockings.

After taking all that away from the £325,

£131.52 is left for the toys and the treats.

Thank you for listening.

A real treat of a pitch there,

but which idea do the buddies think would make it

in the rough-and-tumble business world?

First to vote, it's Ben.

Well done, Laura, for learning all of the numbers -

it was really great.

But I'm going to have to go with "Which Pet 4 U?"

Next, it's Suleman.

Laura, knowing your numbers in business is critical,

so I'm going to vote for you.

With one vote each, it's Bianca's turn.

I was really impressed with both of you,

I thought you did an amazing job,

but I'm going to go with Laura.

Laura now has two buddies.

If Luke votes for her, then she'll go through to pitch to the guru.

"Which Pets 4 U?" I absolutely love your product...

..but I'm going to go with Laura.

Laura, you've done it!

You are through to the next stage. Well done.

But we have still got another buddy there,

so we'll find out what they think.

Amber.

Fantastic ideas from both of you,

but my vote is with Laura.

So it's Laura who has won over the buddies.

But Sami and Sana aren't giving up on their idea.

We're still going to carry on with our business.

Yeah, because we've done so much of our business now,

there's no point letting it go,

and we've had fun - that's the main thing.

The tables have turned,

and Laura gets to choose who she wants to buddy up with.

It's a big decision.

She could choose Amber,

who has loads of experience selling products online,

Luke, who could really help her with her numbers,

Bianca, who's an expert in marketing and branding,

or Suleman, who knows all about selling to make a profit.

I think I'm going to go for Bianca.

Bianca is delighted,

and she's off to work on Laura's pitch.

Now it's time for

our final head-to-head.

First, we have 12-year-old Alice from Bedfordshire.

I already have experience of selling

because I really enjoy raising money on stalls

and selling things for my grandma's charity.

And she'll be up against

brother-and-sister duo,

11-year-old Freddie and eight-year-old Daisy from Eastbourne.

Our grandad inspires us cos he's a great entrepreneur

and he's done really well in clothing.

We have a new buddy on the panel. It's product designer Emily.

First to pitch is Alice.

My business idea is to create and sell

attractive, low-cost and environmentally friendly

cardboard cat beds.

The boxes can be decorated with my designs

or left blank and customisable

so that anybody can decorate them

and add their own pet's name.

Another unique idea is to have colouring-in patterns

printed onto them.

Children love colouring in,

and it is now very popular and relaxing

for adults colouring in as well.

Cats love cardboard, so cats will be happy,

they're low-cost and stylish, so owners will be happy

and they're recyclable, so the environment will be happy.

Thank you for listening.

Well done, Alice. That pitch had cat-itude.

Next up, it's Freddie and Daisy with Roll-It Dog Beds.

The Roll-It Dog Bed is a blanket that rolls into a dog bed.

At first, it's a blanket which will protect your sofa

from muddy paw prints, dog hair and scratches.

And when it is bedtime,

you just roll up the sides to make a nice, comfy bed.

Like this.

And when you want to go on holiday,

you just simply roll it up like a towel

so you can fit it into your suitcase,

unlike other dog beds where you can't fit it in.

The recommended retail price will be £22.

We hope you liked our product.

Well, I loved it, and those ideas are bound to get

the votes from the cats and dogs at home.

But who will the buddies go for?

First, Luke.

Guys, great job, but for me, Aleo Pet Products.

Next, it's Emily.

I am so impressed. Fantastic prototypes, guys.

But for me, it's Aleo Pet Products.

If Suleman votes for Alice, then she has won this head-to-head.

It's a difficult decision...

..but I think it's about profitability...

..therefore I'm going to go with Aleo Pet Products.

Aleo Pet Products, you've made it through to the next stage.

But there are still two buddies left here,

and we want to find out what they thought.

So, Ben.

I'm going to go with Aleo Pet Products.

-Amber.

-Fantastic job, both of you.

You're both solving problems within the market,

but I'm going to give my vote to Roll-It Dog Bed.

Freddie and Daisy did an excellent pitch

and won Amber's vote,

but they haven't made it through this time.

We'll carry on going to get...maybe add some more money and try again.

Now Alice can choose from the four buddies,

but who will she go for?

Well, I think that you're all very good

and you've all been very successful,

and it's a really hard decision...

..but I think that I will go with...

..Luke.

Hurray for Luke.

He will now help Alice prepare to face the guru.

So, six have become three.

Collarny, Laura's Pet Prezzies and Aleo Pet Products.

They need to now prepare ready to pitch to our guru.

Business guru Claire Gavin decides what gets sold

in the UK's biggest chain of pet shops.

I think I've been successful because I just love finding

new things to put on our shelves that excite customers,

and I never give up.

So, what will Claire be looking for in the vault?

I'm looking for somebody who really knows their numbers,

who has really great production knowledge

and as well as that has really great product passion.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Oh, let me take that for you. That looks heavy.

I thought your pitch was absolutely excellent,

and I'm very excited by your product.

Congratulations. You did a fantastic pitch. I was extremely impressed.

-Did you enjoy doing it?

-Yeah.

Only one business will win time with our guru

and get a year's worth of pocket money.

That's £322.40 to invest in their business.

What will be really useful for you is if we do maybe kind of

a who, a what, a where, when and why.

On the where, then, I'd like it to be a website online.

They need to get as much as they can from their buddies

if they want to take the lead in the vault.

The biggest part when you're pitching to people

who are interested in investing in your company or helping

is they want to know how you'll make money,

-and our prices are a bit too slim.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

So we need to be making more money.

So, we'd have five great events,

five great times of the year to sell it.

So, Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween, birthdays,

and all year round in store.

Now, while the pocket money pitchers get ready,

the vault is preparing for the final showdown -

the mission to win over the gurus.

But, if at any point the pitchers get stuck,

they can press this - the Pause My Pitch button.

The guru will be locked away,

and the buddy will be able to run on and help them.

But they need to choose their time wisely with this

because they can only pause my pitch once.

Claire is looking for entrepreneurs with bags of enthusiasm,

plus good knowledge of their market and numbers.

First is Collarny, with their buddy Emma-Jayne watching backstage

ready to run on if they need her.

Good luck. Present your pitch.

Hello, we're here today to talk about our business

of personalised collars for cats and dogs.

Later on in our business, we hope to be able to supply pet shops

and become a well-known brand.

Our sale routes are wholesale and retail.

Wholesale because we will be providing some of our products

to shops around England

and then retail because it's going from business to customer

through our website.

Speaking of website,

ours is called Collarny, collarny.co.uk.

On there you'll be able to click on an order button

where you'll be able to design it.

We know that there are 9 million dogs and 7.5 million cats in the UK.

This gives us a really big market,

and it helps that we can make these collars in under 15 minutes.

Thank you for listening.

We will be pleased to answer any questions.

Thank you very much for your pitch.

-Can I have a look at the collar, please?

-Yes.

They've managed to get loads of information out there,

but it's not over yet.

Time for questions.

Tell me a little bit about how you actually make it,

-because 15 minutes is pretty quick, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, basically, what you've got is two different colours of elastic,

and we've come up with a template, and using that,

you pull back a certain amount of strings out of the six you've got

and then wrap them round twice.

So, can I ask where you're going to buy all of these collars from?

HE GIGGLES NERVOUSLY Oh, it's getting hot

under the collar now.

And the team have paused their pitch,

locking away the guru so she can't hear anything.

Emma-Jayne to the rescue.

OK, ideally, if we're going to make this a bigger production,

we need to find a manufacturer we're going to source them from,

so we want to buy them wholesale.

What is probably the best answer is to say

from our research so far,

we have found a few wholesalers we're going to buy them from,

but we're still working on different pricings and things.

You guys are doing great. You've got this.

Thanks.

Well, we've found many wholesalers that could supply these collars,

but we haven't decided on one yet because we're still researching them

and making sure they are safe for pets' use.

That was a good answer. Thank you very much.

-Thank you for your pitch.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Nice work, team,

but there are still two businesses to pitch.

Next up in the vault, it's Laura.

Laura, good luck. Present your pitch.

Laura's Pet Prezzies is a fun idea of selling gifts for cats and dogs

such as treats, toys, including Christmas stockings.

The special offer -

if they wanted to buy two bags of treats,

one stocking and a toy,

it would be put on the Christmas special offer

which is a set price of £7.50, giving them £1 off.

And for different events or seasons,

such as Easter, Christmas, Halloween,

Valentine's Day and their birthdays,

there will be a range of different products for them to choose.

If I received the pocket money,

I'd spend £100 on the market stalls or fairs,

£25 would be spent on packaging,

£20 would be spent on change,

and I've worked out that £48.48 is the value of 72 stockings.

£131.52 is left for the toys and the treats,

and after splitting that equally,

£65.76 would be for the treats, and the same for the toys.

Thank you for listening. Do you have any questions?

Thank you, Laura. That was very, very good.

Really well thought through,

and I'm so impressed that you can remember all of those numbers.

Ah, well done. Laura is clearly barking up the right tree there.

Whereabouts are you going to have your market stall?

Well, perhaps in a town or food festivals and things like that.

And obviously the stocking is Christmassy,

so what happens when you get really close to Christmas

if you haven't sold all of your stockings?

What are you going to do then?

Erm...

Erm...

Ooh, Laura's not sure.

Time to lock away the guru and call on buddy Bianca for help.

So, I think the answer is you've got £4.80 profit per stocking,

so you can always reduce the cost a little bit, by maybe a pound,

so that you can kind of do a special offer,

and the stockings can be reused for the next Christmas.

Big smile. You can do it. OK.

So, we can either wait the next year

and sell it again for the next year

or we can reduce the...reduce the profit

cos the profit's £4.80

and we could probably make it £2.80.

Really good. Very well thought through.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Great answers there from Laura.

Last to face the guru is Alice.

My business idea is to create and sell

attractive, low-cost and environmentally friendly

cardboard cat beds.

The boxes can be decorated with my designs.

Or left blank and customisable

so that anybody can decorate them and add their own pet's name.

Another unique idea is to have colouring-in patterns

printed onto them.

Children love colouring in,

and it is now very popular and relaxing

for adults to colour in as well.

My market is both adults and children.

At the moment, in the UK, there are 7.9 million pet cats

and £590 million a year is spent on cat accessories.

To summarise, cats love cardboard, so cats will be happy,

they're low-cost and stylish, so owners will be happy

and they're recyclable, so the environment will be happy.

Thank you for listening.

But will the guru be happy? Time for questions.

Thank you very much, Alice.

And have you thought about maybe different animal types

that you could probably sell these for as well?

I've thought about that,

but I think that cats are most suitable

because some other animals either have chewing habits

or very sharp claws,

so this cardboard might not be as good for them.

And have you actually got some packaging?

Have you thought about how you're going to pull it together

so that it can sit on the shelf

and everyone knows what it is when it's flat?

I would make sure that the packaging that it came in

would all be fully recyclable

and wouldn't cost me that much,

and it would have my brand name across the top

so that everybody can instantly see, "Ooh, that's an Aleo Pet Product."

Thank you very much, Alice. That was really good.

Really well delivered, and you really know your market.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Nice one, Alice. The final pitch is done.

It's going to be a tough call for the guru.

'Our pocket money pitchers have done all they can,

'but Claire can only choose one to receive the pocket money.'

They were all fantastic.

Collarny, really great, really great piece of innovation.

Laura, you're all over your numbers.

Fantastic level of detail remembered.

And Alice, too, I loved your cat boxes - bang-on trend.

Really well done.

But, as you know, our guru can only choose one business.

Claire, who are you going for?

Well, the pitcher that I have chosen is...

..Laura.

-APPLAUSE

-Well done.

Laura's business idea has been the pet perfection

our guru was looking for.

I'm really, really happy,

and I'm really excited to go and start my business.

I was so impressed with Laura.

She just has a natural aptitude for business,

which is fantastic.

Great to see just a fledging entrepreneur there.

I'm really, really happy, and I'm really proud of myself.

I'm really gobsmacked, and all that hard work has paid off.

I'm really proud of you. I think you did an amazing job.

We think we did really well and come this far.

-A big achievement to get so far.

-Yeah, definitely.

I'm really proud of what I've just done.

Just hearing the comments from Claire

really made me believe in myself and think I can do it.

Now Laura has the year's worth of pocket money and time with Claire

to develop her idea and actually get selling.

-Welcome to your stall, Laura.

-I love it.

Are you interested in Laura's Pet Prezzies?

It's a pick and mix.

Oh, I like the stockings, actually. They're great.

I'm going to take two of those.

OK. That will be £4.80, please.

You can check out how Laura's Pet Prezzies gets on

in the What Happened Next show at the end of the series.