Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Previously on The Apprentice...
00:12I want to see if you can grow a business from scratch in 48 hours.
00:17It was back to basics.
00:19Good luck, guys.
00:20And boys versus girls.
00:22I look like roadkill.
00:24Louisa had a head for low-cost fashion.
00:27Nice look, isn't it?
00:28While the boys took a punt on pricey ceramics.
00:31This is going to be a hard slog, you know.
00:33Jordan gambled on a piece of pottery...
00:35It's £76.
00:37..but failed to flog it.
00:39Maybe you should go to more crafty shops.
00:42In the boardroom...
00:43Very well done on this task.
00:45..finally an all-girl win.
00:48Jordan dropped a bombshell.
00:50Obviously, Lord Sugar, if you and I were to go into business,
00:52that's not me alone, there is another person.
00:54So there's three of you in this partnership? Yes.
00:56What bleak world do you live in?
00:58Neil found himself under fire...
01:00I do have this concern that your limitation is to sales.
01:04..but project manager Miles took a direct hit.
01:07Miles, this task, I'm not sure you got it, but you're fired.
01:12Thank you very much, guys. I've learned a lot. Thank you.
01:14And he became the 11th casualty of the boardroom.
01:18Now five remain to fight for the chance to become
01:22Lord Sugar's business partner.
01:27MUSIC PLAYS
01:328am.
01:37One week to go.
01:39And last chance to win a place in the final.
01:42The last boardroom, that was a close call.
01:44It was intense.
01:45I've got to admit, I've never felt as nervous as I did.
01:50You've proved your worth at this point. Five of us here,
01:52we've worked hard to get to this point.
01:54It really has stepped up another level.
01:57PHONE RINGS
02:09Hello?
02:10Neil, for the next stage of the process,
02:13you're going to be interviewed by my advisers.
02:16You've got 24 hours to brush up on your business plans
02:20and be prepared for your interviews tomorrow.
02:23OK, thank you, Lord Sugar. Bye-bye.
02:26Lord Sugar's aides will be interviewing us tomorrow.
02:29Then it's up to Lord Sugar to see who progresses any further.
02:32I'm not going to lie, I'm scared.
02:34Yeah, so am I. I'm absolutely dreading this.
02:36Up until now, we've been showing that we're capable
02:38and now we get to show how our business is also capable.
02:42For the final five, 24 hours to brush up on their business plans.
02:48With the best record in the process,
02:50but questions raised over his proposal,
02:53business analyst Jordan Poulton.
02:57I know Lord Sugar has some concerns and some confusion around my business,
03:00but I'm actually excited to get the opportunity
03:03to clarify exactly what I'm presenting.
03:05I'm not worried that anyone's better than me.
03:07I am by far the best investment opportunity there is in this group.
03:10Next, entertainment entrepreneur Francesca McDuff-Vargas.
03:16I've started three businesses from scratch.
03:19I think if you have even a shadow of doubt about what you're doing,
03:22you will crack at this point.
03:24On a winning team five times, she's played fair all the way.
03:28The time for game-playing is now done with
03:30and the people that are interviewing us, they know what they're talking about,
03:33so if you've been manipulating and playing games up to this point,
03:36good luck with them because they're going to see you straight through it.
03:39Never afraid to ruffle feathers,
03:42multiple business owner Louisa Zisman.
03:45I am used to ruling the roost
03:47and I really don't think being a strong woman is a bad thing at all,
03:51and I stand by that, and if you're weak, you know what?
03:54Yeah, I'll have you for dinner.
03:56Lord Sugar should invest in my business.
03:58I've two successful businesses in that industry
04:01and they're all working in profit.
04:03Regional sales manager Neil Clough,
04:06the only candidate to lead a team three times.
04:10From week one all the way through to where I am now,
04:13my objective has been to win, not to get to the final five,
04:16not to get to the final, I'm here to win.
04:19I'm really confident in my business plan, it's really thought through.
04:22I know that I'm going to drive a very successful business
04:25along with Lord Sugar.
04:27Doctor and emerging businesswoman Leah Totten.
04:31I'm very passionate about the business plan which I'll be pitching.
04:35The profit potential is phenomenal.
04:37I think of all the candidates remaining,
04:39I'm probably the one that has blossomed the most throughout the process.
04:43I came in with the least experience
04:45and I think I'm every bit as strong now as the other candidates.
05:028am.
05:08After ten gruelling tasks,
05:11today for the first time business plans will be dissected.
05:26The Institute of Directors.
05:29Meeting place for the bosses of British industry.
05:53Good morning.
05:56Good morning. Good morning, Lord Sugar.
05:59When I first met you at the beginning of the process,
06:02you gave me a brief idea of what your business plan was all about.
06:07They all sound reasonable ideas,
06:10but I'm not going into business with just anybody.
06:13You need a very, very good plan
06:16and I need to know you are the right calibre of person.
06:21So I'm going to put you in front of four of my very trusted advisors
06:27and trust me, there's no pulling the wool over their eyes.
06:32They will report back to me
06:34and two of you are going to go through to the final
06:38and three of you will be fired.
06:43Hand your business plans over to Nick and Karen and off you go.
06:51MUSIC PLAYS
06:59How's everyone feeling?
07:02I think we're all nervous.
07:04A true warrior wants a good fight. Yeah.
07:07This is our chance to showcase our business.
07:10Smile, walk out with head held high.
07:12If we all have that kind of attitude, we'll have a lovely day.
07:17Fran, you're quiet.
07:23Backgrounds are checked.
07:25Business plans analysed.
07:27Credentials scrutinised.
07:30Now, time to face four of Lord Sugar's toughest taskmasters.
07:35Claude Littner, Lord Sugar's former global troubleshooter.
07:41His job today, uncover the pitfalls in potential partners' plans.
07:46You say that you're a ruthless firer and hirer
07:50because one chance and you're out.
07:52Yeah, similar to Lord Sugar, really.
07:54No, no, don't compare yourself to Lord Sugar.
07:56Don't compare yourself ever to him.
08:00No-nonsense Margaret Mountford,
08:03long-standing advisor to Lord Sugar
08:06with a forensic skill for spotting genuine ability.
08:10You say I've experienced huge success and utter defeat
08:14because I know how it feels to fly in private jets
08:16and walk in the footstep of kings.
08:18Flying in private jets, that was the schools I've been to
08:21and the jobs that I've done.
08:22You studied the greats in human history
08:24and cherry-picked their knowledge
08:26and as a result of that, your role model is David Beckham.
08:29That's... I stand by that.
08:32Yes.
08:34Straight-talking Claudine Collins,
08:37running one of the UK's leading media agencies,
08:40her job today, expose the real people behind the self-promotion.
08:46Out of everybody's CV that I've read,
08:49you came across as a bit boring.
08:52There's no real kind of spark.
08:54Absolutely not.
08:56I've had some amazing experiences, I've travelled the world
08:59and I'm not boring, so...
09:04Returning to put the candidates through their paces, Mike Souter.
09:09How do I address you? Is it Dr Leah?
09:12You can call me Leah.
09:13Pioneer of Britain's free magazine industry.
09:16Tell me, then, about the business plan
09:18that you are presenting to Lord Sugar.
09:20I plan to open a string of medical cosmetic clinics.
09:23I will offer anti-wrinkle injections, facial fillers...
09:27And skin pills.
09:28What would you do with this?
09:30I would suggest that you have three areas of Botox.
09:33In your glabella area, your forehead and your crown lines.
09:38You could also have some filler to soften your nasolabial fold.
09:42That would cost you £300 plus just under £300 for the filler.
09:46I would imagine you would need over one syringe.
09:52I'm so pumped up that I just want to do them back-to-back
09:55and just go, boom, boom, boom, boom, because I'm ready for it.
09:59All right, guys, wish me luck.
10:01Knock, Neil.
10:04I think Neil will definitely be able to sell himself.
10:07Yeah.
10:09I think he'll do fine. He's great under pressure.
10:12So much self-belief.
10:14He does have a lot of self-belief.
10:16He's his own favourite product.
10:20My business plan is an online estate agency business
10:24where the vendors do their own viewings and it's all online-based.
10:27It would appear that it all stems back to when I finally sold my house
10:32after two years of being on the market.
10:34What I quickly realised was there's nobody better to sell your house than you.
10:38But I've got to challenge you on just that basic premise.
10:41You've been in sales, and so you probably can sell your house.
10:47Many people do not have that kind of skill.
10:49You've got to market it, you've got to set the price,
10:51you've got to negotiate afterwards.
10:53I really take on board what you're saying,
10:55but I have to challenge you.
10:58He has one mode, and it's Neil, and there's nothing else.
11:02And it's really off-putting, I find.
11:04But I really do think that could get him into the final, you know?
11:08I really, really do think.
11:10My business plan isn't just about selling your own house.
11:13My business plan is actually to compete as a national online estate agency
11:17and to get estate agents to advertise their properties on my website.
11:21Hang on a second.
11:22There are large, well-established companies in that space.
11:26Absolutely, yeah.
11:27They're going to go to the market leader.
11:29I'm going to compete with that.
11:31Yeah, but you've got no chance.
11:32I have.
11:33No, you don't.
11:34I definitely have.
11:35The market's full.
11:36I absolutely believe in my plan.
11:38I don't know whether I'm not explaining it very clearly,
11:40but I have thought this through.
11:41No, you're explaining it clearly.
11:42I hope I'm explaining it clearly, how just ludicrous the whole idea is.
11:45It's something that I know, so I know exactly how much you're...
11:48It's something you know.
11:49That's crap.
11:52Here he comes.
11:54I like being challenged on things and just defending myself.
11:57I absolutely love it. I thrive off it.
12:00I would love to go in there again.
12:06Oh, Oxford graduate.
12:09Good intellectual achievements.
12:11Tell me what you did at Oxford Entrepreneurs.
12:14I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and when I got to Oxford,
12:17I realised there was a very large and very successful entrepreneur society.
12:20I took on a number of roles, which led on to me being the president
12:23after I finished university.
12:24And that was a full-time job, being president?
12:26As the president of a full-time job, yes.
12:28It's like running your own business.
12:29If someone has an idea, I would kind of sit with them
12:31and work on strategy and work on marketing
12:33and kind of come up with a creative vision of what the company could become.
12:36A lot of success stories.
12:41What I'd like to do is just go through in a little bit more detail
12:44about your career progression.
12:46I started my first business with £5,000.
12:48I borrowed myself from a card because I had nothing.
12:50I made myself into a businesswoman.
12:52No-one taught me how to do it.
12:54But I don't think there's anything here that indicates to me
12:56that you can run a big business.
12:58You've been in this current business for some ten years,
13:00but you've still got a very small little business.
13:03Where are we on sort of turnover and profit?
13:07I don't know to split it up to you, but I...
13:09Is there some development where you can say, look, year one, I made X?
13:12Not to hand at the moment without looking at them, I'm afraid.
13:15I mean, you should know that.
13:17You should know your numbers.
13:20Let's... Don't let me down here,
13:22but on this business, which is this lookalike thing,
13:25you've been involved with that for ten years. Yes.
13:28You must be able to give me some numbers on that.
13:30Yeah, we turn over around £50,000, £60,000 profit.
13:33Hang on, you can't turn over profit.
13:39We make around £2,500, £3,000 in profit per month.
13:41So I take three and multiply it by 12. Yeah.
13:43I'm going to get £36,000 profit. Yeah.
13:47I have to say that these numbers don't quite stack up
13:50with your claim that you made as part of your application.
13:53Turn over £5 million.
13:58I...
14:00It was just a number that... Number five came into my head.
14:07It's just farcical.
14:11HE SIGHS
14:14Was it bad?
14:15It wasn't the highlight of my career.
14:19Was it as bad as you thought it would be, or was it worse?
14:23It was worse, wasn't it?
14:35It would appear that you've got some successful businesses,
14:38certainly the online one.
14:40£1.5 million turnover? Yes.
14:43Then we move on to the cupcake shop. Yeah.
14:46Have you got any profits?
14:47Last year, we turned over just over £100,000.
14:50And then you formed another company.
14:53Yeah, the online baking website.
14:55Turnover's £40,000 a month? Yeah.
14:57Very nice.
14:59So, why change your life? You've got it made.
15:02Cos I always want more.
15:05Have you found this process easy or hard?
15:08I've found this process a lot harder than I expected.
15:10It's been the game-playing on the personal levels
15:12that I've found the hardest in this. The tactics?
15:14It's the tactics I've felt the most unease with.
15:19Do you feel, like, ready to prove something now
15:21after your last boardroom? Absolutely.
15:23I'm looking forward to it.
15:24And I'm sure Lord Sugar's going to be watching very closely.
15:30If he doesn't deliver a good interview today, no-one's going to.
15:33He'll thrive off it.
15:35From the age I can remember,
15:37I've always felt like I was more intelligent than everyone else
15:40and I got things faster than everyone else.
15:42And I knew that there was something that I could do
15:45with that ability that would be meaningful.
15:47And I have this ability inside me that I don't even at times
15:50know what to do with, and so I figured, well,
15:52business is the way you get success in the modern world,
15:54so why don't I just try and learn as much about that?
15:56And I'm sure eventually I'll be able to do something
15:58that shows everyone that I'm able.
16:00I'm going to move on.
16:02You talk a lot about the Oxford entrepreneurs.
16:05You more or less say it was down to you
16:07that the first batch of businesses that came through the programme
16:10was acquired by Google.
16:12Yet one of the co-founders of the company said, and I quote,
16:16Jordan helped a lot with getting us office space
16:18and supported us through various events.
16:20I think I did a little bit more than just run a few events.
16:23I have to be honest, you talk about yourself a lot as an entrepreneur.
16:28Are you really?
16:29Because it comes across that you jump onto other people's ideas.
16:33No, that's unfair. That's unfair.
16:35So what have you started from nothing?
16:37The only real kind of business that I was running specifically
16:40for myself was trading on eBay when I was a teenager.
16:44OK, so trading on eBay. Yeah, for myself, I'll admit that.
16:49I think that the longer the day goes on,
16:52you've got to keep retaining your stamina.
16:54Yay, great, two under my belt, but I've got two more to go.
16:59I actually think it gets easier as it goes on.
17:04The lady with a brain like Einstein...
17:08..who got a C, D and E in her AS levels.
17:10Yeah, I flunked my AS levels.
17:13You said that people look at me and assume I'm a bimbo
17:16with hair extensions, fake boobs and nails.
17:19Yeah.
17:21Obviously, that comment was very tongue-in-cheek.
17:24Do you think it's sensible to put tongue-in-cheek comments
17:27when you're completing an application form with a view to someone
17:30making a quarter of a million pound investment?
17:32I don't think there's anything wrong with having a bit of personality
17:35in business.
17:43You've spent a couple of years working on this. Yeah.
17:45It's a bit perfunctory, isn't it?
17:47It's simple, but I believe it will be effective.
17:49And I'm really passionate about my plan and driving that business.
17:52The main gap that you think you've identified
17:54is that people actually want to pay less commission,
17:57and then they have all the hassle of doing the viewings themselves...
17:59They do the viewings themselves, yeah. ..and being there
18:01when the person comes round, which is, I think, a very bad idea.
18:08I'd like to have a nationwide fitness and dance environment
18:11for people to work out in.
18:12What's the most interesting thing about you?
18:15My shoe collection.
18:17I'm passionate about shoes...
18:20..and I think it's something that would pique someone's interest.
18:24Well, you can agree to differ on that one.
18:31You're working full-time as an NHS doctor in A&E. Yeah.
18:35So, why do you want to go into business with Lord Sugar?
18:38Well, first of all, I need the money.
18:41Does he have experience in anything to do with medicine?
18:43Well, I know he... No. No, he doesn't, but I do.
18:48Tell me, in a nutshell, really, your idea.
18:51Sure. It's an online platform,
18:53and the idea is that it will allow hobbyists and brands
18:56to create mobile games easily.
18:58You state in here that you're a business partner
19:00and you complement each other perfectly.
19:02Mm-hm.
19:03He focuses on the technology delivery
19:05and you on all commercial aspects.
19:07Are you talking about Lord Sugar doing the technology?
19:10No, I've been working with another person.
19:13He's the technologist... Right. ..and I'm the creative visionary
19:16and the person who's kind of worrying about strategy and sales
19:19and marketing and that sort of stuff.
19:23This process is to find Lord Sugar a business partner,
19:27but you already have a partner? Yes.
19:38OK, let's talk about your business.
19:40The business that I'm pitching to Lord Sugar
19:42is to create a new baking brand,
19:44selling baking products, cake tins, glitters, wrinkles.
19:47I'm confused.
19:48It talks about you being a manufacturer... Yeah.
19:51..as well as a wholesaler... Yeah, that doesn't make any sense.
19:54..as well as a retailer.
19:57Your business plan is half-baked.
20:00I think writing a business plan is definitely not one of my strong points,
20:03and face-to-face, I am a lot stronger.
20:05I do really feel there is a need for this,
20:07cos I've got first-hand experience of the issues in this industry.
20:11They're traditionally family-run businesses.
20:13They just don't have the knowledge or the expertise
20:16or the knowledge or the scope to expand and to modernise
20:19with regards to online stock ordering.
20:21That's why I'm pitching this business,
20:23because I'm saying, look, this is a problem and this is my solution.
20:27Louisa, I think you're crazy.
20:30You have experience of this marketplace. Yeah.
20:33You've got really good examples of how this works,
20:37and you haven't mentioned them in your business plan.
20:41Yeah.
20:46It wasn't great, your business plan. It wasn't.
20:50I'm the first to admit that I have much less business experience
20:53than the remaining candidates.
20:55So what is your anticipated profit year one, then?
20:57£265,000.
20:59You're never going to do that. I will.
21:01£260,000 in year one?
21:03My rent will be £30,000 a year for receptionists to begin with
21:06and £10,000 or £16,000 a year.
21:08I'll have a cleaner for £8,000.
21:09To tell you the truth, I'll probably do that myself for the first year,
21:12if need be.
21:14I was intrigued to see that you say you can solve a Rubik's Cube
21:20in under three minutes.
21:22Yes.
21:24Well, let's just see, Jordan, what you're made of.
21:30OK.
21:31Your time starts now.
21:44Which includes everything bio-electricity,
21:46will cost you maybe under £2,000 a year.
21:48Now I'm going to employ someone who will be probably a nurse practitioner
21:51trained in aesthetic medicine to come in as a clinical manager.
22:00That's two minutes.
22:05The pressure's got to me now. I've made a mistake.
22:07You've still got time.
22:14After the two-month shadowing period,
22:16which will be the end of my four-month period,
22:18I will then leave the clinic.
22:19She will also have doctors who are trained in aesthetic medicine
22:21or nurses who are trained in aesthetic medicine
22:23to come in and do one five-hour clinic per week.
22:25You speak very quickly, don't you? Sorry.
22:27God, you're a fast talker.
22:28No, I want to get everything in. I have so much to explain.
22:30Because I'm the combination of business flair
22:32with a really successful medical career.
22:35For a £300 treatment, you'll make approximately £149 gross profit.
22:42That's very interesting. Very interesting.
22:52That's your time up. I'm sorry.
22:54I made a mistake, I'll admit it. It was the pressure.
22:58It's not a problem sometimes to crumble under pressure.
23:03Let's move on to your business plan.
23:05You create software, you allow the advertisers to make games.
23:08On the basis that this is a technological platform,
23:11isn't your business partner the brains behind it?
23:13It sounds like he brings the real value to the business, no?
23:16He makes the product, but without Steve Jobs,
23:18there wouldn't have been a Steve Wozniak.
23:20So you are Steve Jobs?
23:21Steve Jobs managed to channel that ability to create products
23:24into an overarching company, and that's where I think I come in.
23:27But isn't it true that your business partner here
23:30already had this company?
23:32Yes, he started the company before he met me,
23:35and he has said to me, and I believe him,
23:37we haven't exchanged the actual equity documents,
23:40but he's agreed with me that he wants me to be an equal partner.
23:43In the business plan itself,
23:45you describe yourself as a core founder of the company.
23:48Mm-hm.
23:49The company's house lists two founders.
23:52Yeah. Neither of whom is you.
24:08You said, I will do anything to win. Yeah.
24:11You do seem obsessed with winning.
24:13Unfortunately, that is the way I go about things.
24:15In business, you know, if I have a bad period,
24:17I have to make sure the next period is better than any period I've had before.
24:22Where does this innate ambition and competitiveness come from?
24:26Because it's a huge amount of pressure on yourself.
24:29I think it is, and probably nobody puts more pressure on me than myself.
24:35When my father passed away, even though I was only 18,
24:38what I was doing, I didn't take a day off work.
24:40Because I saw that as weak.
24:42Maybe that's the type of person that I am.
24:46You also said that one of your biggest regrets
24:48was not making it as a professional footballer. Footballer, yeah.
24:51I think at the time, my dad was really kind of pushing me
24:54to be a football player.
24:57It's not a regret because you didn't make it?
25:00I thought I let my dad down, yeah.
25:03And I don't think I can ever change that.
25:05So that's my biggest regret, because I feel like I've failed
25:08for somebody that I've got the utmost respect for,
25:11that's not here today to be able to say,
25:13well done in what I'm doing.
25:15I'm sure he'd be very proud.
25:17I hope so.
25:23All right, mate?
25:26Is that really hard?
25:33Neil, you're quiet for once!
25:36I think she really wants to understand the person,
25:39because she questioned me on things, just cut the business,
25:42let's talk about you.
25:44God, she won't like me.
25:46When in doubt, smile, smile and pout.
25:58Your old boss, you said, was a total idiot.
26:01And taught you so much about how not to manage people.
26:05Well, yeah, she was an idiot.
26:08People have said that you're manipulative.
26:12Your husband even said that you can be very stubborn.
26:16I think there are worse traits I could have, to be honest with you.
26:20Being stubborn and having self-belief,
26:24I really don't think is a bad thing.
26:26I think if you ask any of the remaining candidates
26:29what one of my strongest points is, they'd all say,
26:32I get on with people actually really easily.
26:35But I have asked people, and the one thing that did come out
26:38was the manipulation, the game-playing, the unprofessional.
26:41You know, I'm not unprofessional, I have a big personality.
26:45It's not nice to be told,
26:47oh, you're this, you're that, you're manipulative,
26:49you're argumentative, you're intimidating.
26:51No-one wants to hear that.
26:53But I feel like I have changed throughout this process
26:56from the criticism that I have got.
26:59OK. That's good.
27:02It's tough.
27:04Like, you know, the candidates have said that you're manipulative,
27:07you're argumentative.
27:09Apparently it's been said that I'm a game-player.
27:11Things have been said in this process, and I think...
27:13No, I mean, obviously I know that you've said those things about me
27:17that she's said about me. Well, not all of those things.
27:19Not all of them, but they are points that you felt.
27:21But I hope that you've seen my change.
27:29I think you're in trouble with this business plan.
27:31You're not an estate agent,
27:33and your unique selling point is that you want people
27:37to sell their own homes. Yeah.
27:40But you expect estate agents to pay to go onto that website.
27:44I can't see it working like this.
27:46I believe it can work.
27:48I'm looking for evidence. I've heard already...
27:50Yeah, my evidence is there. I absolutely know that I can make it work.
27:55You do comment on your looks constantly.
27:58You've stated twice that you're more glamorous than all the other people
28:01and that your hair is more voluminous.
28:04When asked what's the worst lie you've ever told,
28:07it's that you're a dress size six.
28:10What do you think that says about you, though?
28:12I'm a 24-year-old woman.
28:14You know, of course my looks are important to me.
28:16Do I feel I'm obsessed with my own image? No.
28:20But your whole business is about people being judged on their looks.
28:25You're potentially going to make money out of maybe young girls
28:28not feeling good about themselves,
28:30so coming in thinking that they don't look good as they are
28:33and want to look like all the celebrities out there.
28:36Not at all.
28:38I am an extremely moral person.
28:40I'm very ethically aware and I would totally challenge that point.
28:43I think that if you're tiring me with an unethical brush,
28:46then you also need to tire every single cosmetic surgeon
28:48currently working in the UK.
28:50I think what I'm hearing is the guy who sits there
28:53who has no self-doubt, who has to believe that this will work.
28:56I know how to make it successful and I believe that I will
28:59and you're going to keep hearing me say it because I truly believe it.
29:03And you're going to keep hearing me say,
29:05I think you're in trouble with this business plan.
29:09Hello. I'm Jordan. I know you are.
29:15It transpires that actually this isn't your business.
29:19Mm-hm.
29:23Mm-hm? What does mm-hm mean?
29:25I... I don't know.
29:27I don't know what you're talking about.
29:29I don't know what you're talking about.
29:31I don't know what you're talking about.
29:33I don't know what you're talking about.
29:35Mm-hm? What does mm-hm mean?
29:37I... There's three parts to the answer, I think,
29:39cos there were a number of questions in that. Hang on a second.
29:41Hang on a second. You are not a shareholder in this business.
29:44Correct. Correct.
29:46Therefore, you've got no right to negotiate
29:49or to give away a part of a business that you do not own.
29:52Mm-hm.
29:54Furthermore, and this is what I am very upset about,
29:57having waded through these pages,
29:59when I got to page 45 in your 52-page diatribe here...
30:05..you're only prepared to yield 15.39% equity.
30:12That's not the deal.
30:14The deal is 50% for £250,000. Mm-hm.
30:16You've got no right to be here
30:18because you're feeding on somebody else's idea,
30:21somebody else's business.
30:23You're a parasite.
30:25Can I defend myself before I leave?
30:27Frankly, I think this interview is terminated.
30:30You can leave now.
30:36MUSIC PLAYS
30:46Is that one of the toughest interviews you've ever had?
30:49Mm, one of them.
30:52If Lord Sugar said that you can see
30:55the prototype entrepreneur inside you...
30:58Yeah. ..but didn't want to invest in this business...
31:01Yeah. ..how would you change the business plan?
31:03He will see that I can actually make this business a success.
31:06So what changes would you make? What's your plan B?
31:09This is the one I'm passionate about
31:11and this is the one that I'm going to invest in.
31:13I'm going to invest in this business.
31:15I'm going to invest in this business.
31:17I'm going to invest in this business.
31:19This is the one I'm passionate about
31:21and this is the one that I want him to invest in me.
31:33The more I think about it, the worse I think it's gone actually today.
31:36Don't you?
31:38After having been through what I think is by far
31:40the worst part of the entire process... Yeah.
31:42..I would be gutted if I didn't win.
31:45If I did the same again, I'd do it exactly the same way
31:48if I answered everything in the right way.
31:50Do you know what? I am more than happy for today to be over.
31:53I could do another one. You could?
31:56I'd rather give birth again than do this.
32:19MUSIC DROWNS OUT SPEECH
32:37Welcome again into the boardroom.
32:40And thanks for all the work and effort that you've put in
32:43in appraising these five people.
32:46I can't wait to hear what you've got to say about them
32:48because at the end of today, two of them,
32:50they're going to go forward into the final.
32:52So, where shall we start?
32:54What do you think about Louisa?
32:56Now, she has been a handful in the last ten weeks, I have to say,
33:02but she has pulled in some results
33:04and that's the reason why she's still here.
33:06She's very streetwise, she's very bright.
33:09I have no doubt that she'll make a success. Yeah.
33:13But there are spoilt child syndrome that come out sometimes.
33:18She called one of her old bosses a total idiot
33:21and I think you would have your hands full.
33:23Is this one too hot to handle, a little bit too sharp for her own good?
33:27I think she might be.
33:28The business plan is not really a fully formed plan in any way at all.
33:32But what she wants to do is create a brand.
33:34It's not a bad idea for any kind of baking.
33:37There's definitely a market for that.
33:39A one-stop shop for bakers.
33:41The fact is that the people who are delivering that at the moment
33:44are far too slow and therefore they're always out of stock.
33:47Her business is a viable business.
33:49Who's her customer, the small baker or the individual?
33:53Her main target is other retailers
33:55who want to stock this particular product.
33:58What she wants is your black book of contacts
34:01so that you can ring up supermarkets.
34:04Quite rightly so. Of course, I can pick the phone up.
34:06It's a cheque book she wants, I don't think your black book...
34:09Well, I'm not going to spend hundreds of thousands
34:11on hundreds of thousands, I can assure you.
34:13You may end up doing that.
34:15So, would you like to talk to me about Francesca?
34:19She wants to open these dance studios in the centre of towns
34:23and places like that.
34:24She's identifying what is a real craze at the moment.
34:27Yes, it is. It's not a daft idea.
34:29So I'd be lord of the dance, wouldn't I?
34:32She probably would need your help more than any of them, actually,
34:35to deliver this.
34:37But I had so much respect for her
34:39because I think she is a real self-starter.
34:42What's this figure on her CV here, Claude?
34:46It says turnover, five million.
34:48When I questioned her about that, she admitted that that was a number
34:51that's just plucked out of her head.
34:53If I can just say something about her, though... Yeah.
34:55..she has got experience in the area that she wants to go into.
34:58That's a very positive thing.
35:00But I'd be concerned about you investing
35:02a significant amount of money with her.
35:04I'm not sure she can scale it up.
35:06OK.
35:08Cluffy.
35:09Neil Cluff, who has been an exceptional candidate.
35:14Sadly, the business plan is inconsistent in many places
35:18and it's not really a fully formed plan in any way at all.
35:21Tell me what it is.
35:22He's going to have people who want to sell their houses by themselves.
35:26So they're going to do the viewings, they're going to do everything
35:29and he's going to manage to do this for a smaller percentage
35:32of the normal fee.
35:33In other words, he wants to deal directly with a vendor of the house.
35:36That's one of his areas.
35:38Alongside that, he wants to introduce estate agents into his business.
35:43There's a massive contradiction there.
35:45If he was an estate agent, why would you want to put your property
35:49on a website which is trying to actually stitch you up also?
35:52All it is is a website, an advertising website, it seemed to me.
35:55But he's spent ten weeks being, you know, very determined and forceful.
36:01You can see how intense the guy is, right?
36:04And yet he's going to let himself down, from what I'm hearing now,
36:07with this thing here.
36:08He wants it, I felt, more than anybody else.
36:11He was so passionate, so driven.
36:14I think his incredible amount of self-belief is the thing
36:18that gets in the way of him listening to advice.
36:21He can't, for a moment, feel that he is wrong.
36:25He can't retreat from any single part of his plan.
36:28This is utter naivety, and you're saying you all suggested to him
36:31that this is not acceptable, yeah?
36:33He seemed to be very, very wedded to his idea,
36:36and it would have been very nice if he'd taken counsel on this.
36:39This is disappointing. This is disappointing.
36:42This is naivety.
36:45Let's talk about our doctor, Leah.
36:48Leah aims to start up a string of facial aesthetics clinics,
36:53offering non-surgical treatment.
36:56Lunchtime facial fillers.
36:58Sounds like a big sandwich to me.
37:01And that's the business I'll be going into, yeah?
37:03Yes.
37:04Well, that's already raised some eyebrows, I would imagine.
37:07You can't raise eyebrows.
37:09That's the problem.
37:12I think, at the end of the day, the young girls and the young men
37:15that want it done will, first of all, go by recommendation.
37:20And then it's the price. Yeah.
37:22Well, she's very competitively priced,
37:24and she's really done her homework.
37:26I found her, out of everyone, probably the most cold.
37:29She wants to be taken seriously,
37:31so she feels she has to have this kind of, like, professional air.
37:35Leah is a really credible person
37:38to be suggesting this as a business.
37:41Not only has she got very, very good margins
37:43associated with what she's...
37:45You smoothed out the wrinkles in her business plan, did you?
37:47I tried to, I certainly did.
37:49I think, Alan, she's a super smart woman.
37:51It's obviously a fashionable business now.
37:53I'm concerned on the moral side of it.
37:55If I got involved in this business,
37:57doctors will have to be in charge, as far as I'm concerned.
38:00All right, what do you make of Jordan?
38:03His business plan has something to do with an immersive mobile experience.
38:07I thought that's when you dropped your phone in the loo or something.
38:11Sadly, I have to report to you, Alan, that I had to throw him out.
38:15Really? He doesn't own the business.
38:18He doesn't have any stake in the business.
38:20The company is already in existence
38:22and he is not one of the owners, directors, shareholders.
38:25I see his name nowhere.
38:27Last week in the boardroom here, he said to you
38:30that he had somebody who'd designed the technology.
38:32He implied that this person was a techie person.
38:34He didn't want to leg him over. That's right.
38:36If I was interested in this idea anymore,
38:38I would have to end up surely not talking to him
38:41but to the people that own the business. That makes sense.
38:43So how do I know what they're going to say?
38:45They might turn around and say to me,
38:48Jordan is a very driven individual, but he's not an entrepreneur.
38:52He takes credit for other people's successes.
38:55I find him in here, he talks sometimes.
38:58I mean, he saved his life last week.
39:00He's intelligent, he's articulated,
39:02so I would expect him to put up a good show.
39:07I've now got to get on and talk to these candidates myself,
39:10but you've been very helpful, so thanks a lot.
39:18HE SIGHS
39:32Well, it's been an interesting debate.
39:34What do you make of that, Jordan?
39:36His problem has actually been his problem throughout this whole process.
39:40He doesn't do anything on his own.
39:42He doesn't actually have a product of his own to offer you.
39:44Right.
39:48PHONE RINGS
39:50Could you send the fire department, please?
39:52Yes, Roger.
39:54You can go through to the boardroom now.
40:08Well, I have spoken to my advisers,
40:14and a lot of interesting stuff has come out.
40:19And some of you, as you know, are in the last chance saloon anyway, yeah?
40:24So I'll start with you, Jordan.
40:27The reason you are still sitting here is because I am a technology man, as you know.
40:32What I heard from the advisers was that your business plan
40:38is not really your business.
40:41That's not the case, Lord Sugar.
40:43Well, it is the case, isn't it?
40:44It's not. It's my vision.
40:46Claude told us that this business exists and you're not even a shareholder.
40:49I've had a gentleman's agreement since the day I met this person
40:52and told him what my vision was, that I would be part of this company.
40:55Cut the crap here.
40:57From what I can understand,
40:59you want me to invest in another business that's already been going,
41:02cos you don't even own yourself.
41:05I've got nowhere further to go, really,
41:08with this business plan of yours, Jordan.
41:12I've got nowhere else to go.
41:15Jordan, you're fired.
41:18OK, thank you for the opportunity, Lord Sugar.
41:21I...
41:24I think that shows you how serious I am here
41:29before I part with my money.
41:31You know, business is business.
41:36Now, Louisa, you're already successful.
41:39You've got a business plan.
41:41You've got a business plan.
41:43You've got a business plan.
41:45You've got a business plan.
41:47Now, Louisa, you're already successful.
41:50You've already got three businesses.
41:52Somebody who's got a mini-conglomerate,
41:54which is what you've got at the moment,
41:56you can't focus on four things at once.
41:59If we were to go into business together,
42:01I can guarantee I'll give you my 100% commitment.
42:03I don't want to hear any more about the 100%s and 110%s.
42:07I want a straight answer here.
42:09Because, trust me, right, trust me,
42:12there are people in this room that are hungry for this deal, OK?
42:16That are prepared to devote themselves to this new business, right?
42:20And not to be deflected with anything else.
42:23You've got to be brilliant for me to choose you
42:25if you think I'm going to allow you to mess about
42:28with three other businesses on the side.
42:30Me having three other businesses,
42:32especially in the industry sector that I'm proposing to go into,
42:35is only of benefit to you there.
42:37At the moment, the industry is made up of small, independent,
42:40predominantly family-run businesses
42:42that don't have the scope or the vision or the knowledge
42:45so that we can create a new brand
42:47that has a constant supply for the demand that's out there.
42:50Hmm.
42:52Now, Francesca, how do you think you've done in this process here?
42:56Because I tell you what, I haven't personally seen
43:00any sparks of brilliance from you.
43:02Out of the four of you sitting here now,
43:04you were the one which I would have thought played it the safest,
43:07so to speak. I don't feel like I play it safe.
43:09I just feel like my disposition is not to shout and jump up and down
43:12and be that person. No, I take that point. I take that point.
43:15There's, you know, shouting and screaming is not the be-all and end-all.
43:18Got it. But it's just the feeling that I have.
43:21Francesca, I've observed you closely for the past ten weeks.
43:25I think sometimes you've really struggled
43:27with the ruthlessness of the process,
43:29and I wonder whether you'd be able to carry that forward into business.
43:33I'm just a very fair person,
43:35and sometimes I've struggled with a few of those things,
43:37but I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of in business, to be fair.
43:40I feel like I've got to a point in my life,
43:42I know who I am, I know where I'm going,
43:44and I'm driven from something I think that not everyone has,
43:47and that is a survival instinct.
43:49Leah, normally scientists and doctors and boffins
43:54are the worst people in the world for business, right?
43:58Why am I to believe that you are unique
44:00in the sense that you're the first doctor
44:02that actually can turn their hand to business?
44:05Because I have already demonstrated that I can.
44:08I have trained privately in aesthetic medicine.
44:11Have you learnt a lot through this process, Leah?
44:13Because when we first met you in this process,
44:15you took a lot of time to come into your own and engage.
44:18I think we see someone a bit different in front of us today, don't we?
44:21Yeah, I have.
44:22I'm probably the person that has taken the most from it,
44:25that has learnt the most.
44:26I feel I've learnt loads about myself,
44:28and I think I have shown I do have a genuine ability in business.
44:32Where do we stand here?
44:33This is Lord Sugar here going in the face straightening business.
44:36Where do we stand here on the moral ground?
44:38This is something that's repeatedly come up,
44:40and I'm actually a bit confused by it.
44:42No, no, I don't know why you're confused.
44:44You might be young, but you're not stupid, right?
44:46We've seen some horror pictures of people that overindulge in this, right?
44:49Some professional somewhere has taken their money.
44:52But I am the most legit person you will ever meet.
44:55I genuinely care...
44:56So you turn people away?
44:57Of course I would turn people away.
44:59You would turn them away and say,
45:00you're not taking your money, don't care what you say?
45:02Yes, 100%.
45:04Neil.
45:05Neil, I'm going to be very, very honest with you here.
45:09Very, very honest,
45:10because I think you all deserve me to be honest with you
45:14at this late stage in the process.
45:16I am bitterly disappointed with your business proposal.
45:21Now, I know that 10 weeks ago, when I first met you,
45:24I think I just flipped through all of you very, very quickly.
45:27What's your idea? What's your idea? What's your idea?
45:29And you said something about estate agency.
45:33But it don't work.
45:35And I'm shocked.
45:36I tell you, I am totally, absolutely shocked.
45:40Because if I didn't care about you, if I didn't think you was any good,
45:43I couldn't care less, to be honest.
45:46Yeah?
45:47It don't work, it don't make sense.
45:50It does, it does make sense.
45:52This is a business plan that isn't just something
45:54off the back of a fag packet.
45:56I have thought this through and it's a simple plan.
45:58You have not thought it through.
46:00Don't dig yourself a bigger hole, mate.
46:02OK.
46:03Because that ain't been thought through.
46:05On the one hand, you're saying,
46:07what I'm going to do is allow individuals not to use estate agents
46:11and to actually sell through my website their property
46:14like I did on my own, right?
46:16If you'd have stopped there,
46:17at least I would have had a bit of respect for it.
46:19But on the other hand, you actually say,
46:21oh, and by the way, I also want estate agents to come on the website.
46:24The same guys I'm screwing over here,
46:26I want you to come on and spend some money with me.
46:28I don't get it.
46:29No, I take that on board.
46:30I believe in that business plan
46:32and I also believe in my self-ability
46:34that I can drive that to major success.
46:36It is a shame.
46:37It is a shame that you're still sitting here believing in it.
46:40I'm asking for the opportunity to do it.
46:42Yeah, I know, but I might as well put that £250,000 into a slot machine.
46:46Right?
46:47Might as well just stand on London Bridge
46:49and chuck it over London Bridge.
46:51Honestly, that's how bad it is.
46:53My advisers spoke to you about contingency plan
46:56and yet you are absolutely adamant that you want to go for this thing.
47:00I believe this is the one that I know I can make a success.
47:03No, you can't. No, no, no.
47:05So I would listen to that.
47:06No, stop saying that. You can't.
47:08You cannot. It does not work, mate.
47:11Me, I would have a bat in hell's chance
47:14of starting from scratch in this business.
47:17There, that's how good it is.
47:22It's sickening for me to sit here
47:24and think that someone that has been as powerful as you
47:28ends up the right man, you know, but the wrong plan.
47:35It's disheartening for me, yeah?
47:38And you won't move away from it, Neil.
47:40But I'm absolutely convinced that I can make a success of a business
47:43and I just wanted that opportunity.
47:45No. No.
47:47You can't, mate. I'm sorry.
47:50You can't.
47:52Neil, if this was all about giving someone a job,
47:55I'd give you a job tomorrow, right?
47:58But coming into business with me, I'm afraid not, my friend.
48:02I'm sorry. I'm disappointed,
48:04and I'm sure even Nick and Karen will be disappointed.
48:07But, Neil...
48:10..it is with regret that I have to say to you that you're fired.
48:15Thank you for the opportunity.
48:39What I'd like to do now, actually,
48:42is to have a final chat with Karen and Nick
48:48and I'm going to come to some conclusions
48:50and then I'll be, OK?
48:51All right, off you go. Thank you.
49:05It is a shame his business plan was flawed.
49:08Well, I'm sorry for you, Alan,
49:10cos I know you're genuinely disappointed.
49:15I feel like I've let not just Lord Sugar,
49:17but I've seen my family and my wife down.
49:19I'm absolutely heartbroken by it.
49:21You know, it's the first time I've ever had a tear in my eye
49:24and it's certainly probably not going to be the last one tonight
49:27because I put absolutely everything to trying to win this.
49:30I'm the right man, without a plan,
49:32and that is really gutting for me.
49:41The girls in the final three, very different characters,
49:44but what unites them is that they've each got a very credible business plan.
49:49That is true.
49:50Three bright businesswomen.
49:52Louisa's a clever lady.
49:54Three successful businesses. It's a good record.
49:57And as far as Francesca is concerned, she's a very stable person.
50:02She's very focused, very businesslike, very likeable person.
50:06Yeah, it's always the same.
50:08Late in the day, somebody comes streaking up on the rails
50:11and this year, her name is Leah.
50:14Extraordinary.
50:18Can you send the three of them in, please?
50:20Yes, Lord Sugar. Thank you.
50:23Lord Sugar will see you now.
50:42Well, ladies, you've all done extremely well to get this far.
50:47There's no question of that.
50:49But one of you has got to go today.
50:53Leah, where I'm really convincing,
50:56and I believe you when you say that you are
51:00a very ethical and responsible person,
51:03but do you understand the severity
51:07of something going wrong?
51:09I have huge professional integrity
51:11and I'm not just going to be trying to Botox
51:13any Tom, Dick and Harry to make a few quid.
51:15Why should I expose myself to this big risk?
51:18I'm being honest with you, it is a tremendous risk.
51:21I know. I do take that on board.
51:23I like a fight myself, you know.
51:25Yeah, I don't.
51:26I like a fight, but nevertheless, do I need the aggravation?
51:29No, you definitely don't.
51:31I can assure you, I have trained for far too long
51:34to risk my registration on, you know,
51:36making a quick buck off someone's face.
51:38Well, you can talk as fast as you want and as long as you want,
51:41as far as I'm concerned,
51:42but you can do far more damage than one of her cupcakes.
51:45That's all I can say.
51:46But I'll also make far more money
51:48than selling a few of her cupcakes.
51:50Well, agreed, agreed.
51:52Francesca, how do we scale this business up?
51:54How are you going to make this big?
51:56The dance fitness industry is booming.
51:58The likes of Zumba, Boca, Boogie Bounce,
52:00village halls are packed with people.
52:03There's a massive market of people that are willing to pay.
52:06It's not just one studio.
52:08It becomes a chain and it grows as a brand.
52:10That's how it scales up.
52:12Hmm.
52:13And, Louisa, my worry about you
52:16is that you're somebody who likes to get her own way
52:19and maybe is a little bit of a game player.
52:22What do you say about that?
52:23I think I'm very strong-willed, I'm a very strong woman
52:26and I know what I want in life.
52:28And when I want something, I will go for it.
52:30And this is why I'm sitting here in front of you now.
52:32I have proved to you that I can work well in a team.
52:35And I think if you were to ask the two ladies here,
52:37they'd say that I can work in a team.
52:39Can she work in a team? Yeah, 100%.
52:41Yeah. Yeah.
52:45I think at the beginning, I felt that Louisa was playing games.
52:49At this point, she certainly isn't playing games
52:51and she's here at this point now.
52:53Hmm.
52:54This is one of the most critical points in this process.
53:00Leah, you have got that unusual quality
53:03of being a good businessperson,
53:05but at the same time, a scientist and a doctor,
53:08which is a very unique combination, I have to say,
53:12on the moral aspects of the thing.
53:14You've done a good job explaining it to me.
53:16It's in my head now that I have to worry about
53:19how I was going to do it.
53:21It's in my head now that I have to worry about
53:23how I would handle it, OK?
53:25But it is a concern. It is a concern.
53:30Francesca, clearly, you've got the enthusiasm and the drive
53:35and the personality to run one of these places,
53:39but I haven't seen much inspiration and leadership skills.
53:44And Azmit explained to me how it can scale up.
53:48You didn't do that too well.
53:50And Luisa, there is a growing market for this.
53:55My worry with you is you.
53:57Do I need the aggravation of somebody who is not going to listen,
54:01doesn't like it when they're told to do something else?
54:05Not really.
54:07You know, not really.
54:11But he'll tell you, he knows me for a long, long time.
54:15He knows I'm a little bit of a devil,
54:17a little bit of a gambler and a risk-taker.
54:20And as a gambler, the challenge and the excitement of the prospects
54:25of what is being proposed to me by...
54:32..Lia...
54:34I'm going to say, Lia, that you're in the final, OK?
54:41Um...
54:45Um...
54:48Francesca...
54:51The...
54:53The dance studio...
54:56..has got legs.
54:59Um, Luisa...
55:02It's a consumer product
55:04and I've done a lot of work in the consumer industries.
55:09Difficult decision here, ladies.
55:13One which, you know, I might live to regret.
55:18But...
55:21..Francesca...
55:24..you're fired.
55:26Thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck.
55:36Oh, my God. I can't believe it.
55:39Ladies, congratulations, you're in the final.
55:42Off you go. Thank you so much.
55:47Oh!
55:55Well, interesting.
55:57Two very different characters.
55:59Both of those girls could make money for you.
56:01A good entrepreneur spots a gap in the market,
56:03that's what Luisa's done, or spots an emerging market,
56:06and that's what Lia has done.
56:08Both a very, very big risk for different reasons.
56:10But life's all about risks.
56:12Let's see how they do in the final.
56:15I can't tell you how pleased I am
56:17that your new business partner's going to be a woman.
56:22Obviously, gutted you didn't win,
56:24but final three, all girls.
56:27I'm really proud of myself.
56:30I literally can't believe it. Nor can I.
56:33Oh, my God!
56:35I love you.
56:37I can't believe it. Nor can I!
56:40May the best woman win.