Hello to all! It's @misslasvegas this time, as I've been asked to write this post and something new every week from now on. I will explain it all in this post.

The ManCave & BROfund, is involved in some pretty cool projects, support quite a few others, and as you know, @raymondspeaks is always checking far and wide for new and exciting things and ideas. With the investor's interests at heart of course but that doesn't mean that we can't have some fun along the way, does it?

Isn't it what all BROs should be about, having fun while getting rich growing our investments at the same time?
So in this post, we thought we'd tell you a little bit about some history, as well as a new idea we've come up with.

Which history, and which idea, you ask?
Well let's find out!

The Dragons' Den

It's one of the newest things we've recently started that's both fun and interesting, and it opens new opportunities up to both investors as project owners. So far, there have been four editions, and from what @raymondspeaks has told me: three were authorised, and one unauthorised.
Whatever that means!

Just like with the famous Dragons' Den TV show, potential investors are there to ask burning and important questions, and probe the victims project owners as much as possible to get all the information needed.
As with any investments, they need to know if the project is viable, the roadwork ahead well thought-out, and last but not least: whether they'll be able to have a good return of investment.
Our dragons might be nice (which can be debated, just not by me hehe) but they don't run charities as far as I know.

Running your own business can be very rewarding but it's usually a tough road to success.
And since investors have earned their stripes in business already, they'll know that tough questioning, finding faults and flaws in a presentation, as well as opportunities is the key to judging whether a project or business can survive or not. They need to make sure that the project is solid, and all parties will be happy in the end.

But I'd like to take you a little bit further down the rabbit hole of what is the Dragon's Den, and in particular: where it came from.
Its history - and what a history it is!

Dragons, Tigers and Sharks

The Dragon's Den aired for the first time in the UK in 2005. Other European countries, like Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ireland etc. would soon follow using either the same name or names like "the Lion's mouth", "the Lion's cave" (both in Finland) or "Die Höhle der Löwen" (Lions' Cave) in Germany, and "Draknästet" (The Dragons' Nest) in Sweden. In France, their local show was known as: "Qui veut être mon associé?" (Who wants to be my business partner?).

A little later, the Dragons' Den moved into Northern American waters, and while Canada kept the name, others would go by the name "Shark Tank".
In Mexico the show is known under a more exotic title, namely "Negociando con Tiburones" which means: negotiating with sharks. Hmmm, not sure if that's a wise thing to do in real life but the viewers do think otherwise, as the show is a great success in Mexico.

However, neither the UK nor the US can claim the series as their own.
The original series was called "Manē no tora", meaning: The Tigers of Money, and its debut aired in 2001, in Japan.
It was created by Nippon TV, and distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

But the name is where it becomes really interesting, in my honest opinion. More about that later.

There aren't many countries with a business culture like in Japan. I am not the one to tell you whether that's good or bad. I've spent a few months of my life living and working in Japan a long time ago but even though it was short, I've grown to respect the Japanese work ethic. However, there is also a culture which I call the 'crab-culture', which means that an average worker will never speak to a manager in a higher position directly. It will always go through their direct supervisor first, then up.

The Japanese cultural standards are very much the same now, as they were 100 years ago, with very few exceptions. Once someone starts their career at a company, they stay with that company for life.
This can be great or it can be really bad.
Just imagine having to deal with a crazy manager every day for the rest of your life!

So you probably understand that in the TV show "The Tigers of Money" there was a little bit an 'All-or-nothing' vibe with the Tigers seeming to be much stricter, and digging deeper to find flaws in the businesses presented to them.
They also seem to be a bit harsher in their judgements.
In a way, that's to be respected, as it may have been a show for TV but also a real business investment.

If you're interested, check this fragment of the original Japanese series. If you take the time to read some of the comments below the video, you'll see that it's not always as straightforward as it has been presented. Some comments suggest that the way it's shown, doesn't actually portray what it's like in real-life in Japan. They're not that cut-throat after all!