From Dragons’ Den to glittering success
Entrepreneur Laban
Roomes tells how going for gold paid off
By Janelle Oswald (Source: The Voice Feb 2009)
North LONDON-based entrepreneur Laban Roomes is celebrating after
winning a contract to design exclusive iPods for superstar Sir Elton John.
The
39-year-old founder of gold-plating company Goldgenie has signed a deal with
Sir Elton to design 900 Swarovski encrusted iPod Nanos, each with the star's
signature laser engraved on the back. The special iPods will be sold,
exclusively at Selfridges or directly from goldgenie.com.
"I'm
completely over the moon. At last all my hard work and commitment to my
business is paying off," Roomes told The Voice. Roomes' company
applies genuine 24-carat gold, silver, platinum, nickel and chrome to metallic
items.
MACHINE
The company developed a unique portable gold-plating
machine, which quickly allowed Roomes to establish a successful niche market in
the automobile industry gold plating car emblems for Lexus, Honda, and Toyota
dealerships across the UK.' Roomes then moved on to gold-plating items like jewellery,
golf clubs, and Nokia mobile phones, along with a variety of household objects,
including bath taps and fittings.
However,
it was not until he was invited to Hollywood
BACKING
After
appearing on the BBCs Dragons' Den in 2007, Roomes managed to secure
financial backing from entrepreneur James Caan. He was given £60,000 to take
his business to the next level. "I'd had the chance to go into the Den
twice before, but had lost my nerve both times at the last minute. It's an incredibly
daunting experience, and watching the programme on TV just can't prepare you
for how intense the pressure is in there.
NERVOUS
"Although
I was completely, nervous and messed up a few times, I managed to pull through.”I
was attracting interest, but within" no time at all, the 'Dragons'
declared themselves out one-by-one until only James Caan remained.“ To my
amazement, he said that he would give me the investment I needed to take my
business to the next level. "
"Since
appearing on Dragon's Den, my business has catapulted and I now have
exclusive deals with Harrods, Selfridges and HMV; where I designed gold-plated iPods,"
Roomes said. He has .been working on the iPod deal with Elton John for the past
six months. "Originally, I designed 12 iPods for him to auction at his
famous White Tie and Tiara (PWW), which wept down a storm.
"Denzel
Washington and Will Smith got word and placed an order, which I sold for £30,000
each, so l decided to strike a long-term deal with Elton because of the growing
demand, "the entrepreneur said.
LAUGHING
Roomes,
a father who has been married for seven years, is laughing now, but he didn't
always have the. Midas touch. Before hitting the jackpot, he would often travel
by foot to promote his business.
"Determination
is vital if you want success. You must keep focus. It's easy for others to look
at me now and say 'wow', but back in the days when I first started promoting
Goldgenie, nobody wanted to know. I used to walk to each shop one-by-one
because I did not have a car. It was extremely difficult, especially when I had
to carry the Goldgenie machine on my back.'
"But
God is good because look at me know. I'm making deal with Sir Elton John.” Money
from each iPod sold will go to Elton John’s Aids Foundation (EJAF), which was
set up in 1993 to help those living with, affected by, or at risk from HIV/Aids.
"I
am also extremely happy and proud that the iPods will raise money for those
suffering from HIV and Aids. Knowing that Aids is one of the world's biggest
killers, I am happy to be a part of the
fighting solution," said Roomes.
The
iPod Nanos will come in a variety of colours - black, blue, green, orange,
pink, purpIe, red, silver and yellow - and will have over 250 colour-coordinated
Swarovski crystals. "If you are buying for yourself or a loved one, we are
certain that you will be absolutely delighted with these fabulous Starburst iPods,"
said Roomes.
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