A County Durham entrepreneur risked the wrath of TV’s most terrifying panel of judges in an effort to take the foreign languages business she started at home in Consett to a new international audience.

Lingotot, launched by Angela Sterling in 2010, offers a variety of language classes including French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin to pre-school and primary-age children across the UK. The business has grown rapidly in just seven years, developing from local community classes to reaching over 10,000 children every week through a UK network of 40 franchisees.

Angela Sterling appeared on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den earlier this month seeking investment to develop new opportunities overseas but shocked the prolific entrepreneurs with her plans to expand the foreign language business beyond the borders of the UK into the Middle East.

“To say they were not supportive of my plans to expand into Dubai is a bit of an understatement,” says Angela, who since filming the show opened the Lingotot Dubai office in January 2017. “Whilst I understood their concerns, they were focused on the figures I quoted in relation to the opportunities in Dubai which in hindsight were a little on the optimistic side. I have a great deal of experience working and teaching in Dubai and I decided to trust my own instincts before determining the time was right to use my connections and just go for it.”

The dragons declined the investment opportunity, suggesting that Angela was more than able to grow the business herself with the support of a mentor to offer guidance and support.

“In hindsight it was a great if nerve wracking experience,” Angela admits. “I feel more focused than ever that with the right support, Lingotot has even more opportunities to grow and develop and Dubai is one of the key markets we want to embrace.”

The palm trees and sandy beaches of Dubai are of course a long way from where the business began in 2010 in Consett, County Durham. Angela, then a mum of two young children was looking at ways to turn a passion for foreign languages and her extensive teaching experience, both in the UK and abroad, into a flexible business opportunity that would help support her home life and professional ambitions. The former head of primary languages came up with the idea of offering classes to pre-school children in nursery and community settings local to her home.

Angela comments: “Initially it was a way for me to use my teaching experience to create multi-sensory and child-centred classes to help children get comfortable with foreign languages. But as word spread and demand for more classes increased, I realized that I had stumbled across a real gap in the market for foreign language classes for younger children. I also knew the Government was planning on making primary languages compulsory so I was keen to get started sooner rather than later.”

Angela developed her class offering and developed new courses for older, primary school children. It turned out to be a well-timed moved, foreign languages became compulsory in the primary school curriculum in 2014 and the Lingotot brand of fun and engaging sessions led to the primary school course being accredited by NCFE in 2016.

Angela says: “Getting our primary school course accredited was a huge step to ensure our students’ achievements get the recognition they deserve but also gives schools the peace of mind that Lingotot can deliver their foreign language curriculum to students effectively. Entrusting foreign languages in primary schools to Lingotot has become a key part of our business model as we work hand in hand with teachers to ensure pupils receive quality foreign language teaching.”

Angela has grown the Lingotot business to reach over children in locations such as Yorkshire, Ireland, London and Manchester. Whilst expanding the UK operation through franchisees is still a key part of the business, Lingotot Dubai is the natural next stage in expansion plans to take the successful blend of unique foreign language teaching to children in other parts of the globe.

Angela continues: “It’s a cliché to say you are passionate about what you do when you’re a business owner but in all honesty, learning languages has taken me to places I could never have dreamed of. I feel so strongly about getting young children comfortable using foreign languages at as young an age as possible to help them with learning at an older age.

“I appreciate that Lingotot Dubai goes against the advice of the Dragon’s but having lived and worked in Dubai and spent many months fostering relationships with a range of schools in the area, we think it is a calculated business move and one we’re really confident will succeed. So watch this space!”