After three seasons, one would think our pitchers would know the questions the Dragons will ask them. After all, they seem pretty straightforward and appear consistently on every episode. Questions include:

• What problem are you trying to solve?
• Why are you best suited to solve it?
• How do you make money?
• How much of my money do you need? What will you do with it? And what will that result in?
• What does your product retail for? Wholesale for? Cost to make?

Yet pitchers still attend auditions (click here for a full list of audition dates) without even thinking of answers to the above inquiries let alone the full list of questions all investors ask.

You can read/download the full list via these PDFs:
14 Questions Investors Will Ask: Part One
14 Questions Investors Will Ask: Part Two

Come on people, we want you to succeed. That’s why we tell you the questions in advance…

Guest post from producer Lindsey Neely

Salut from the Soo!

After a double-header audition weekend in Halifax and Toronto, the Dragons’ Den audition team headed north to find the best that Canadians entrepreneurs have to offer!

Our first stop this week was Sault Ste. Marie, and the city that brought us all-time classic pitches like Game Time Jerseys did not disappoint.

We saw original ideas running the gamut from garden products to online social networks and even a new way to enjoy campfire favorite S'mores.

This border town impressed – and if it’s any indication of things to come, the Dragons will have a hard time saying no this season!

Special thanks to Algoma’s Water Tower Inn for hosting us for the second year in a row.

And remember -- check out the audition schedule for a city near you!

If you're a former pitcher who's appeared on the show, the Dragons' Den team wants you to get in touch during this audition run for the street team! What's involved? Activities might include assisting the production team at a local audition, coaching pitchers, wranglin' -- whatever the team needs -- and helping to spread the word in your community that Dragons' Den is coming to town!

Former pitchers only, and please get in touch in advance of the tour stop in your city. Interested? Fit the bill? Contact Michelle MacMillan of the Dragons' Den team for more info and join the street team!

Guest post by producer Molly Duignan

The audition tour also launched Saturday in sunny Halifax, where I set up shop in the Halifax Centre shopping mall.

Dragons’ Den has a great audience in beautiful Halifax. From the hotel staff to the coffee shop barista to the ferry workers and even the man at the toll bridge -- everyone seems to know and love the show.

But a viewer does not an entrepreneur make. Only 18 entrepreneurs auditioned to brave the Den. But what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in diversity: Anyone need a Gayplanner to replace their day planner? Outdoor green gym equipment? A better-looking way to block your neighbours from spying? A solution to that pesky problem of lint clogging your septic system? An all-in-one toothbrush?

A fun fact about Halifax auditions is that almost all the pitches came from outside Halifax. Entrepreneurs came from North Sydney, Cape Breton, Dartmouth, Elmsdale, Bridgewater, Benacadie, Fall River, Kentville, Windsor Junction and Hammonds Plains -- thanks for making the trip!

If the wide range of ideas and products in Halifax is even a HINT of what the audition team will see this year, Season Four will be great!

Thanks to the wonderful staff at C.E.E.D. for all their help.

As you can see in the images above (from the Toronto auditions this weekend), auditions are now underway for Season Four. For a complete list of cities and dates, click here. If you can’t make it out in person, you can also audition online. All the info you need is here.

But remember, you need to come fully prepared, as there are simply too many amazing pitchers for us to allow you to pitch twice. To prepare we recommend you be ready to answer the 14 questions every investor asks (for the list click here -- watch for another refresher on this in an upcoming post.)

You must also be ready to deliver a strong elevator pitch. To help you develop your elevator pitch the CBC’s producer prodigy, Mike Armitage, created this short video:

Remember, “Be Prepared” isn’t just for boy scouts anymore.

See you at auditions!

Sean