Red Letter Days sold experience gifts before Rachel Elnaugh appeared in Dragon's Den.
Red Letter Days was founded by Rachel Elnaugh and offered gift experiences rather than conventional physical presents. Customers could buy vouchers for activities and special occasions, creating a business model centred on memorable experiences.
Elnaugh's association with the company helped establish her reputation as an entrepreneur before she joined the original Dragon's Den panel. The business later encountered financial difficulties and entered administration in 2005, after which it was acquired and relaunched under new ownership.
This history explains why Red Letter Days is sometimes discussed in two different contexts: it was both Elnaugh's best-known pre-television business and a company whose collapse became an important part of her public business story.