keeping in touch
Conquering the Dragons’ Den by Mallory O’Brien
To prepare for her appearance on the reality series Dragons’ Den, Agata Majerski (BSc ’99) rehearsed her pitch every day for two months, speaking to printouts of the “dragons” she had lined up on her sofa. On the CBC television show, entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of well-known venture capitalists who then decide if they will invest in the business. When Majerski’s time comes, she asks the panel for $100,000 for 10 per cent of her company, StrollAir, and then calmly runs through her pitch. The judges are impressed with her knowledge and composure, and she lands the deal with very little of the usual Dragons’ Den drama. Majerski’s company, which she runs with her husband Martin (both are 38), sells innovative, European-style baby strollers that she also designs. “Although it doesn’t look like it, the experience was very nervewracking,” she says of her television debut. She actually met panelist Kevin O’Leary at a seminar three weeks before her pitch. “I bought VIP tickets, met with him and we took pictures. As I stood for the picture with him, I remember sweating, and I said, ‘You know what, if I am so nervous standing beside you for the picture, I’m going to die in the den!’ “So I practised and practised and practised. I even practised walking down the stairs in the house.” It’s just one example of the dedication Majerski, who
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LAURIER CAMPUS Summer 2012
immigrated to Canada from Poland when she was 17, throws into every aspect of her life. “My dad wanted something better for us,” she says. “When we lived in Poland he worked in Germany and knew hard work could pay off in a democratic society — Poland at the time was communist.” As a teenager, her goal was to become a doctor, so she enrolled at Laurier for biology and chemistry. She became pregnant with her first child (David, now 15) in her second year. With support from her parents, she continued her schooling full-time and graduated on schedule. After David was born, the long hours of medical school didn’t seem feasible, so Majerski applied to the Government of Canada’s Canadian Food Inspection Agency. When she wasn’t immediately hired, she continued to apply — for a year. She was three months pregnant with her second child (Mark, now 11) when she was finally offered a job. The Majerski children (including their youngest son, five-yearold Alex) inspired her to start the stroller business while she was on maternity leave. The couple wanted a European-style stroller