Seminars

Kirsty Henshaw – Dragon Slayer

1315 – 1400

Kirsty Henshaw delivered one of the best pitches ever seen on Dragons’ Den when she appeared on the Den with her passion, commitment and gritty determination to succeed. Kirsty became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to receive investment on the show when she secured a £65,000 investment from Dragons, Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne in return for a 30% stake in her healthy frozen dessert business - Worthenshaws.

The range of dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free frozen puddings has now been rebranded to Worthenshaws 'Freedom' and launched across the UK in all major supermarkets in September 2010. The rebranding will enable Kirsty to plan other healthy products to complement the dessert range. Peter Jones has staked his reputation on Kirsty going on to sell millions of her desserts each year. This looks highly probable because Kirsty's product is innovative and offers a solution to a clear niche in the food market.

Kirsty was inspired to create her range of frozen products by her 4 year old son Jacob who has a serious nut allergy and is intolerant to dairy and gluten. She began experimenting with a little ice cream maker from Argos in her tiny kitchen at home and convinced she had a recipe that children and adults would enjoy as a healthy alternative to ice cream she approached a local ice cream manufacturer to produce the products in larger quantities.

Kirsty’s knowledge of the health food industry comes from her parents who run a health food shop. Growing up in such an environment helped her devise her own strategy and gave her the confidence, drive and passion for hard work that is so important for any entrepreneur. In addition, Kirsty did performing arts at school and amateur dramatics although she maintains these skills could not prepare her for the ‘surreal’ experience of appearing on Dragon’s Den. An inspirational, confident and ‘can-do’ young woman, Kirsty talks about her entrepreneurial journey so far.

She emphasises the importance of building great relationships with the people around you and knowing your business model inside-out. Kirsty is currently focused on building the Worthenshaws Freedom brand and consolidating her position as one of the most inspirational young businesswomen in the country.

Follow Kirsty on Twitter here


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