Barenaked Foods Noodles, 6 x 380g

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How hard and competitive the food industry is and how difficult it is to create a recognised food brand. I still would have done it though! The tougher something is, the more I want it! Business book: Appearing on BBC2 Dragons’ Den seeking investment after my wife's third miscarriage. It was terribly emotional but I needed to seek investment to help grow my business. What was your biggest business mistake? He included a cooking demonstration of his noodles with the help of Dragon Kelly Hoppen which did not go as smoothly as he hoped.

I had no experience in the food sector, apart from being a foodie at home. Since my company’s incorporation, and with the help of thepeter Jones? team, I have learnt so much about this industry. I was extremely nervous standing in front of the Dragons' Den panel, presenting Bare Naked Noodles after working so hard to build the business that we started in 2011. It was great to get the expert business insight of the panel and now I'm looking forward to helping more health conscious people discover our fantastic range of noodles", Ross Mendham said. Bare Naked noodles are available to buy in Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsburys and many independent outlets www.barenakedfoods.co.uk.It's one of the hardest roads you can ever go down but the rewards are amazing and I’m not talking just financially – one year after I appeared on Dragons' Den, my son Oliver-Jude was born. Personal growth Biggest luxury: With the help of Peter Jones, who provided 60, 000 for a 50 per cent stake in Barenaked Foods, Mendham has launched Barenaked Rice which has only 16 calories per 100g. This product joins Barenaked Noodles and Barenaked Protein Noodles in a growing roster of sought-after products.

It was my girlfriend (now wife) that gave me the confidence and courage to construct a business plan and seek investment to start Bare Naked Foods. I can remember the pep talk! She told me to stop moaning about my current job and either carry on doing it, or write a business plan and go and start-up the low-carb pasta business I kept talking about.

Entrepreneurs are so eager to succeed that they sometimes have unrealistic expectations. I ALWAYS see entrepreneurs overvalue their business. It happens in the Den all the time! You must also be willing to listen to advice. How will your market look in three years? We have distribution in Dubai, Malta and recently South Africa. I would like to not only become an established healthy, gluten-free food brand in the UK but also internationally. The sky is the limit. Help with cash flow, to give the business the financial boost it needed to help market my new product and brand. The biggest contribution though is the knowledge and experience they offer. But you do have to have the drive and self belief, as it gets harder the bigger you get. You have to be able to climb any obstacle that you come up against. I needed investment and exposure to help my business grow. Dragons’ Den is an amazing platform to help people with great ideas turn them into reality. All of the Dragons areextremely clever people with a wealth of experience. The hard work really starts when you get the investment. The biggest tip I have for people is to learn.

The only downside is the chicanery around declared weights (common to all konyaku noodle suppliers), which makes price comparison treacherous; as the noodles must be delivered in liquid, the drained weight vs full weight is rather important. Barenaked seems to be delivered in a minimum amount of liquid (good) but the drained weight is 350g, not the 380g claimed.Barenaked Foods was founded in 2011 by Ross Mendham, who after years of dieting and worrying about the food he was eating, decided that ‘enough was enough.’ It was time to do something about it… It's expanding year on year. Consumers are always looking at healthy alternatives. In the future, there will be a healthy gluten-free alternative for every product. What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to a less experienced entrepreneur?

Although he admits to constantly working towards “world domination” with his business, the one thing Ross is most proud of is the birth of his son, Oliver-Jude. Bare Naked Foods specialises in low-carbohydrate, gluten-free noodles, pastas, rice and ready meals. Konyaku noodels are essential to my dietary plans, and the Barenaked brand is a significant technological advance; the noodles are white rather than clear, and in strands rather than bunches - so are superior to other brands. Set realistic goals and work hard to achieve each one. You are not a success because you have a great idea; even the best ideas fail because a founder has made a wrong decision. Be willing to learn, work hard and never give up.Since I first featured on Dragons’ Den it’s been an emotional roller-coaster and as with any business, it’s been challenging to get to the top. Even when you get investment, success is not guaranteed. But with hard work, we have managed to take Barenaked Foods to where it is today. Bare Naked Foods is a brand of plant-based noodles, protein noodles, and rice that are low-carb, low-calorie, and have zero fat in them. They are also 100% vegan friendly. We have a turnover of 600, 000 as of June 2015, a 110 per cent increase on the previous year. With our extended distribution, turnover for the next year will hit 1m. I started off by importing 3, 000 units of product, and now we import 80, 000 units every six weeks.