Alana Spencer, winner of 2016 The Apprentice, gives her final words as the show comes to an end
We’ve now reached the final episode of The Apprentice and it’s an exciting one. Harpreet and Kathryn were given money to launch their ‘fake’ businesses, and in my opinion, this is the best episode because we actually what they decide to do with the money. The competition now moves from tasks to real-life situations, and how the contestants would move forward with their businesses. And it’s also really interesting to see whether the winner decides to keep the brand that they launch on the show.
This episode really tested the contestants on their business knowledge, incorporating elements of branding, pitching, gathering, market research. And also tested their overall knowledge of the business that they want to move forward with after the show. So, lots of their skills were tested. Not all of that was down to themselves entirely, as we see some candidates come back to the show to help them out.
The two finalists then got to choose who they wanted to have in their team. And I remember when I was in the final myself, I managed to get everyone I wanted on my team. It can really make a huge difference in getting the right people on board. It’s really different when it’s the final, because those contestants who might have been difficult throughout the process, aren’t really like that now. They’re not trying to prove themselves anymore and some bonds have been formed, so they really want to do the best for the finalist that they’re working with.
Both Harpreet and Kathryn did incredibly well in the finale. Kathryn had a few moments where I think the pressure got to her. The pressure is really high in the final and so it’s not surprising that there are moments where the contestants may just crack. But they both did incredibly well.
In terms of the business ideas that they were pitching, Kathryn had her pyjama business idea. She wants to create matching pyjama sets for families, including dogs, which I think is a really cute idea. I think it’s a business that will be predominantly seasonal in terms of buying for Christmas. Businesses can make good money doing that. You just have to be really ready to hit the ground running around October and November time for that business plan to work.
Then we have Harpreet who has a dessert parlour business choice. She currently has a branch already running and she wants to expand on that to an online store. I didn’t have an online part of my business before I went on The Apprentice but we set one up ready for the final. And I know from watching last night that her website crashed. I went on to have a look at her goodies and her site wasn’t working. So, I think there was a lot of people around the country ready to purchase some of her delicious cakes. I’m sure probably the same thing happened with Kathryn. The final is a crazy time and actually being ready to capitalise on that is actually really important.
When it came down to it in the boardroom, we saw both Harpreet and Kathryn go into further detail and persuade Lord Sugar why they should be his business partner. Ultimately, Harpreet’s business has real scalability. The margins are there and desserts are a growing market. I think Kathyrn’s business model was potentially just a little bit too niche and seasonal for Lord Sugar. But I think she’ll go on and be really successful. It was another great series and I’m looking forward to seeing what they both go on to do next.
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