What the Apprentices did next?

Apr 20 2008

Three Ex-Candidates Reveal Their Roads To Success

FORMER Apprentice contestant Ghazal Asif reckons this year's crop of TV wannabes aren't even fit to polish Sir Alan's shoes.

Glasgow-born Ghazal held off competition from more than 10,000 applicants to become the show's youngest contestant at the age of 23 last year.

She now reckons the experience will help her fulfil her ambition of making £1million by the time she is 30.

Since being kicked out of The Apprentice, she has landed a job with a global IT firm.

She writes a business column for an Asian women's magazine and is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

Next month she will launch her own fashion outlet, Ghazal's Couture, in Glasgow.

She said: "A good business person knows their strengths but is willing to take some risks. I loved my time on The Apprentice but in five years I expect to have proved Sir Alan wrong and achieved my goal of becoming a millionaire."

Ex-squaddie Simon Smith got his final marching orders from Sir Alan on last week's show.

And Ghazal doesn't hold out much hope for the remaining candidates.

She said: "They claim to be the best business people in Europe but they are coming across as idiots.

"No one is shining and I would like to know how they are backing up these claims."

The Apprentice remains an inspiration to thousands of young entrepreneurs and self-starters who dream of having their own business empire.

Auditions for series four of the hit BBC show attracted 20,000 hopefuls, desperate to prove they could be the next Apprentice and land the £100,000 salary.

Having survived until episode eight of last year's show, Ghazal has every sympathy with the candidates.

She said: "I feel sorry for them.

This lot are really being put through their paces and the tasks have been extremely tough.

"It is easy to criticise when you are on the outside looking in but you have no idea of the restrictions placed on the candidates. We were given a dossier full of rules and regulations.

You just cannot afford to slip up."

Ghazal's father owned a chain of shops but she was never businessminded as a child. Her desire to succeed was triggered when she fell on hard times after dropping out of a media studies course at Stirling University.

She said: "I was so skint, I needed to work. I was a timid, shy girl at school but something happened to me when I was at university.

"When I was exposed to the fast-changing world of business, I immediately got the buzz. To be on the show you have to have that special something the producers are looking for.

"We had to do four interviews, screen tests and even had interviews with a psychiatrist. You're up against competitive, aggressive people who will stop at nothing to get what they want and the pressure is intense."

Sir Alan's decision-making has been called into question in recent weeks, with critics suggesting he is favouring candidates who make good television over genuine business achievers.

Ghazal was kicked off the show after a boardroom bust-up with bitchy Katie Hopkins and Kristina Grimes.

But despite failing to get her former mentor's backing in the boardroom, she insists there are no hard feelings.

She said: "Katie was portrayed as an evil schemer but I don't have a bad word to say about her. I don't think Sir Alan has an agenda. It is the producers who decide to keep the most entertaining people."

This year's winner? Regional sales manager Alex Wotherspoon.

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THREE EX-CANDIDATES REVEAL THEIR ROADS TO SUCCESS:

ALL-ROUNDER TRE AZAM

WITH his sharp one-liners and foulmouthed rants Tre Azam was the undisputed star of the last series of The Apprentice.

Despite winning seven tasks in a row and having the best business brain of all the candidates he was fired for being too argumentative.

But Londoner Tre, 29, insists he didn't want a job with Alan Sugar because the £100,000 salary wouldn't be nearly enough.

The job: Since leaving the show last year I have set up my own management company with eight staff, I am opening a restaurant in the east end of London, I have a slot on LBC radio and I have my own cartoon series coming out.

How I did it: I have been working since I was 15 and I thought The Apprentice would be a good way to promote my business and give me a new challenge.

I didn't go in intending to win. I was told it would be the biggest business brains in Britain going head to head but that was b******s because there's no business sense in the whole show.

I think I came across as good entertainment. I have temper issues and get bored easily but I Iike to have fun. In the groups I was in I had the best business acumen but it was not what Sir Alan wanted. He was after someone who would shut up and do what they were told.

I'm a big believer in Andrew Carnegie's philosophy that a man who dies rich dies with disgrace. I don't want to be a talking head or a TV gimmick.

Five-year plan: My ultimate aim is to own land across the world and build up multiple revenue streams. I also do a lot of work with youngsters which I enjoy.

Tips: People say learn from your mistakes. I say learn from others' mistakes - why would you want to make your own?

This year's winner?: Lee might be one to look out for.

FASHIONISTA KAREN BREMNER

KAREN BREMNER says The Apprentice taught her nothing about business but she did learn money isn't everything.

Karen, 36, runs her own awardwinning clothing store but says this year's batch of hapless apprentices are almost too painful to watch.

The job: I own and run Karen B clothing store in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. It is high street prices with a unique twist. I won Enterprise Company of the Year and have been nominated Most Promising UK Company.

How I did it: Before appearing on The Apprentice I practised law and joined the RAF before having a family. When the opportunity arose to apply to join the company of one of the most successful businessmen in Britain, I jumped at the chance.

One of the big lessons I took from The Apprentice was that money does not necessarily make you happy - I know my family does it for me.

The Apprentice is nothing to do with the tasks but how you do in the boardroom. If you are aggressive and bad-mouth the people in line to be fired you will survive. The message that sends out to young entrepreneurs is all wrong.

Five-year plan: I plan to launch a menswear range and I won't be behind a counter all my life.

Tips: Go for it. There is nothing to lose but make sure you go in with your eyes open.

This year's winner? I think Lee might shock us.

BEAUTY FIRM BOSS TIM CAMPBELL

TIM CAMPBELL won the first series of The Apprentice and spent nearly two years working with Sir Alan.

The 28-year-old Londoner is widely regarded as the most deserving of Sir Alan's proteges and says that, behind the gruff exterior, the Amstrad boss is a bit of an office joker.

The job: Since working for Sir Alan, I have launched a male grooming firm and founded an initiative that gives £1million a year to young entrepreneurs.

How I did it: I worked as a graduate recruitment manager for London Underground on £35,000 a year.

When the opportunity came up to work with one of the most successful businessmen in the UK, I jumped at it. My 12-month contract was extended but once we had taken the health and beauty division of the firm to the international market, people started saying, "What shall we do with Tim?"

The time was right to move on. I didn't want to be 'The Apprentice guy'.

I love being my own boss and following my passion. I set up the Bright Ideas Trust to help young people get their ideas off the ground.

It is about taking their dreams to the next level. The trust has a full support network of experts to help them.

Five-year plan: By 2012 I want to have more than 200 businesses supported by the Bright Ideas Trust so it becomes a national beacon for entrepreneurs.

Tips: Being successful in business is all about the five Ps: Planning, passion, perseverance, partnership and planetary assistance - everyone needs a bit of luck.

This year's winner: I already know who has won. All I will say is look out for the quiet ones.

For help to get your business off the ground, see www.brightideastrust.com