Part 2: The preparation
It was January and I had just found out that I was going to be on the TV show The Lion's Den . Introducing FIVE to the lions, what an amazing opportunity! With an emphasis on madness, because I had two weeks to prepare.
So I locked myself at home and worked my way through. Towards the end you could enjoy the view of the mountains - not our beautiful Zurich Üetliberg, but mountains of coffee cups and ironing.
What did I need? As an attentive DHDL viewer, I knew that what the lions sense is a weak calculation. What are the manufacturing costs? Is the margin right? Is the sales plan realistic? Fortunately, I had been negotiating with my manufacturer and the packaging suppliers for some time, interviewing customers and evaluating key figures.
So the numbers were already there, I just needed to pull them together into a single plan . But, as is usual with young companies, it consisted largely of planning figures. If you turn a wheel, everything changes immediately. So the numbers kept changing, which didn't make memorizing them any easier.
In between, I spent a lot of time on my cell phone. There was a lot to talk about with the production manager, the editors, the props department, the press department and so on. Because they also worked flat out on my appearance. I really can't emphasize enough how nice I felt this cooperation. No matter who I dealt with from the production company, everyone was extremely friendly, helpful and just knew what they were doing.
Among other things, it was about the product presentation in the show. Well, I come from graphic design and had very specific ideas. I sketched the structure, the props made suggestions, said everything that had to be considered, back and forth like that. The result exceeded my expectations and fitted the brand perfectly. Puristic and natural.
Shooting day was approaching
I decided to take the train and had to pack everything in two suitcases as I would be carrying it myself. This included product dummies and flowers, because I wanted to choose them myself. It had to be eucalyptus, nothing should be left to chance! I got it at noon before the trip. Missed two trains. But the eucalyptus looked great. 🤓
Since I was traveling alone, the luggage had to be as light as possible. Instead of full product packs, empty ones came along. So I had to glue the bottles by hand – a real Sisyphean task. Have you tried something like this when you're in a hurry? Difficult. The labels rippled and resisted, but in the end everything was finished on time.
I then caught the third train and crammed numbers along the way like crazy. Capacities, costs, margins, EKs, VKs, I had calculated everything in francs - FIVE is based in Switzerland - and for the lions also in euros. All in all, a lot of numbers. My partner, Felix, interviewed me over the phone. I have to say that he is calm himself. The fact that he didn't stay that cool either wasn't exactly reassuring. And that one day before shooting.
It was long past midnight – my train was of course also late – when I finally arrived at my hotel somewhere in an industrial area near Cologne. It wasn't far from the recording studio, but otherwise the area was deserted at the time. Felix called again and gave me some last tips along the way. The most important: "Just walk in there with a smile and be yourself."
The light in hotel rooms is often unflattering. Have you noticed that too? When I tested in front of the mirror whether my smile was still working after a long day, I first noticed that I had turned very pale in the two weeks. Too little sleep showed its effects. And I pale Swiss cheese should present a beauty company the next day? That could be fun...
Could a nap fix it?
Did I have all the numbers on it? Find out in Part 3 of the Five Skincare blog series at Die Höhle der Löwen and in “Die Höhle der Löwen” at VOX. There you can follow my performance on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, from 8:15 p.m.
