Shropshire inventor proves Dragons' Den stars wrong

A Shropshire entrepreneur has defied the Dragons' Den multi-millionaires who refused to invest in her invention by clinching a lucrative deal with an international supplier.

The panel refused to back Jacqueline Williams and her Baskit Geni invention fearing it would not be a big seller.

The device is a small lock for hanging baskets preventing them from being stolen or blowing off their hooks in the wind.

Now the businesswoman is having the last laugh after landing a deal with a supplier who wants 20,000 Baskit Geni's for garden centres in the UK and Europe.

The supplier, Solus, which supplies big names including Homebase and B&Q, has placed a huge order to appear in shops next year and is convinced it will be a hit.

Mrs Williams, 51, from Aqueduct in Telford, came up with the idea and started selling them online.

After getting excellent feedback from across the world, Mrs Williams decided to look for investment from the Dragons' Den entrepreneurs earlier this year.

But the investors said the product would not be a big enough seller for them to invest.

She said: "We have defied the Dragons and have just signed an exclusive deal with one of the largest leading garden distributors in the UK and Europe and have just received our first order of 20,000 units.

"Solus has advised us that there is every possibility they would be taking the product to Europe where there is an even bigger market.

"We are very excited about working with Solus and the future for the Baskit Geni. It is going to be a brilliant Christmas," Mrs Williams added.

Although not every Dragon was unimpressed with the idea.

Deborah Meaden, an investor on the hit show, e-mailed Mrs Williams and told her she thought the hanging basket lock was 'a revolution' for the gardening market.

Mrs Williams added: "This has been a fantastic journey. I must admit the e-mail from Deborah Meaden which I have on my office wall has given me huge inspiration to keep going.

"Our next up-and-coming unique and inspiring garden product, the Kleena-feeda, is being tested at the moment and we hope to introduce the product to the market in spring of 2012.

"I would like the opportunity to inspire people and say if you have a goal then go for it."