Taxi Driver Online

In Glasgow, Nicholl said: "There is talk of it costing £700 to £800. If he has signed me up for finance of over three grand, what happened to the rest?"

with reference to the people signed up for finance, is it not the law in Scotland that once you have paid 50% of anything on a hire purchase agreement you can hand it back with no penalty,

Well let's hope so.

So if you signed up to a 5 year deal before christmas, you've only got 800 and odd days to go!

Because of the length of this article Susanna Freedmans response has been edited out.

Evidence of Cabtivates growth is visible in Manchester, however that is the limit of my knowledge on this enterprise. From recollection I seem to recall there was reference to Mr Mark Greenhalgh being a subscriber to the Fastblacks forum but I don't think this was ever substantiated, or was it?
....................................................

The Sunday Herald

August 13, 2006

HEADLINE: WATER COOLER DEBATE: IS ENTERING BBC TV'S DRAGONS' DEN GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

BYLINE: YES By Mark Greenhalgh NO By Susanna Freedman

YES By Mark Greenhalgh

IS it a good idea for businesses to appear on Dragons' Den? I'm not going to lie: the experience of facing the "dragons" was sheer hell.

In a single hour I was reduced to a sweating and stuttering wreck and felt as if my entire business plan had been unravelled and left in pieces on the studio floor. It was the fiercest questioning I've experienced; so serious that at one point I had a sickening moment where I even doubted the worth of my own idea.

You have to hand it to the dragons: they know how to make people squirm, and realise the sight of someone in extreme discomfort makes for great reality TV.

My 50-minute presentation was edited down to just six minutes. Predictably, those six minutes showed me in the worst possible light. The result was a highly memorable TV show for the BBC, and a lesson in public humiliation and ridicule for me.

I could easily have ended up on the other side of this debate urging business to steer clear of the fire-breathing panel of tycoons at all costs. The reason I'm not lies in one word: exposure.

The publicity afforded to Cabtivate as a result of the show was amazing. With the help of a good PR company, the exposure reached positive levels I could only have dreamed about.

It helped that during the four months between filming and the show being aired, Cabtivate had gone from strength to strength and secured all necessary funding without the help of the dragons. Indeed, when the show was broadcast I was even nicknamed "The Dragon Slayer" in the press. The TV appearance did wonders for the profile of the business and it felt like everybody knew about our taxi TV system.

Obviously I was "lucky" to have received such a memorable mauling as it stuck in viewers' minds. Importantly, I didn't let the experience damage faith in my own ability or the viability of the business. Cabtivate is now more successful than any of the dragons predicted and is continuing to grow in size and stature throughout the UK.

Anyone considering appearing on Dragons' Den shouldn't do so with the sole aim of securing funding or they will probably be left disappointed and disheartened. Those who do make it on to the show should have their eyes wide open and milk the experience for all it is worth.

Such exposure can make or break a fledgling company. The fact you might get to ride into the sunset with dragon's blood dripping from your sword is an added bonus.

Mark Greenhalgh is managing director of Cabtivate Media
...................................................................

So if you signed up to a 5 year deal before christmas, you've only got 800 and odd days to go!

CC

Are you naturally a total [edited by admin] or do you have to practice

Now that isnt a very nice answer, I am wishing cancer upon you , naaa lets make that a barrier system at york station complete with deregulation

CC