Founder’s Story: How Rosebud support helped me face the Dragons’ Den

What began as a creative way to entertain his young children during lockdown has grown into one of the UK’s most sought-after glamping destinations. Today, Derry Green leads Secret Garden Glamping, a business that has captured national attention.

With an initial £250,000 loan and support from Rosebud, the venture quickly gained momentum, culminating in a standout appearance on Dragons’ Den, where Derry secured four offers, ultimately winning the backing of renowned entrepreneur Deborah Meaden.

Now, with plans underway to expand into Cornwall, we sat down with Derry to discuss his journey in scaling the business, how Rosebud helped him prepare for Dragons’ Den, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the advice he’d give to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Q: You’ve previously touched on how Rosebud helped to shape your business. How did the Rosebud process help you prepare for appearing on Dragons’ Den?

Even though Dragons’ Den is a TV show, at the end of the day, it’s still pitching to investors. Before you even get to stand in front of them, you go through months of due diligence with the BBC and they deep dive into every part of your business.

A lot of people struggle with that process, but for me, it was straightforward because I’d already been through it with Rosebud. I had all my financials, business plans and forecasts ready. I’ve spoken to other entrepreneurs from the show who had a nightmare because they’d never gone through that level of scrutiny before.

“Rosebud was preparing me for success in a way I didn’t even realise at the time.”

Q: What happened after your pitch aired? Did you see a big change in business?

Huge. We were already fully booked 18 months in advance, but after the episode aired on 16th January 2024, we did an extra £500,000 in bookings by the beginning of February.

And that was just the start, we launched new accommodation styles and offered single-night stays to meet with the demand we were getting. Our social media exploded even more than it had done before.

Q: Before Secret Garden Glamping, you ran several businesses. Did you always see yourself as an entrepreneur?

Yeah, I’ve always done loads of different things—transport, takeaways, car audio, bars, clubs. But before Secret Garden Glamping, all my businesses were about making money. I wasn’t passionate about them in the same way I am about this business.

This was the first time I built something purely because I loved it. I wasn’t thinking about ‘How do I make the most money?’, I was just creating something cool. Ironically, because I love it, I work harder than ever before, but it doesn’t feel like work.

Q: Many entrepreneurs struggle with imposter syndrome. How do you push past that and take big risks, like Dragons’ Den or expanding to Cornwall?

I keep busy. If I sit still, I start overthinking. But when you’re moving fast, making decisions and focusing on what’s next, you don’t have time for doubt – at least that’s what I’ve found.

“I’ve learned that when people tell me something won’t work, it actually fuels me.”

When I started a glamping site in Skelmersdale, people thought I was crazy, Skelmersdale isn’t exactly the first place you think of for luxury stays! The same thing happened before Dragons’ Den. People said, “Why risk embarrassing yourself when the business is already successful?” But to me that was a sign I needed to do it.

Q: You’ve built a brand known for being innovative and responsive to trends. How do you stay ahead of the competition?

Speed. If a major holiday park decides all glamping pods should be pink, they’d need months of meetings, approvals and corporate red tape. If I decide tomorrow that all our pods need to be pink, they’ll be pink tomorrow! That agility gives us a huge advantage.

Q: When people look back at what you’ve built, what do you hope your legacy will be?

I want to create something that genuinely benefits people. Some businesses exist just to make money, but I want to build things that make people happy.

At Secret Garden Glamping, we get stories all the time that remind me why we do this. One family was supposed to go to Disney but couldn’t afford it, so they came to our site instead. Their little boy sent us a drawing of Mickey Mouse at the glamping site and said he preferred our place over Disney. That’s what makes it worth it.

Q: Back in 2020 your transport business shut down due to the pandemic, looking back what advice would you give to your past self?

Look for help sooner!

For the first few years, I assumed I had to do it all by myself, fund it, grow it and figure everything out. Then I met with Access to Finance, who introduced me to Rosebud.

If I had known that there were resources like Rosebud that could help with funding and scaling, I would have grown 100 times faster. Instead, I spent years slowly reinvesting profits to expand. Learning how to access finance properly was a game-changer.

Q: What would you say to other entrepreneurs considering reaching out to Rosebud?

Do it. People think funding is just about the money, but the real value is in the process. Going through Rosebud made me understand my business better, prepared me for investors and gave me confidence. It laid the foundation for what my business has become.

For more information about how Rosebud could help your business and to see our T&Cs visit: https://www.rosebudfinance.co.uk/business-loans-lancashire/