View Full Version : The Apprentice 2011
parkerman
16-06-2011, 11:22
No-one seems to have posted anything about it this year. Is anyone watching?
I think Helen is going to take some beating though I do think Zoe's got her head screwed on right. Can't see Tom making it somehow, though he is slightly better than your usual run of Apprentice candidates. Outside bet, Leon.
I have been watching it .. but I didn't want to be yapping to myself about it on here hahahaha
Anyway.. I think Helen is very strong contender.. I want to see the end of Susie and Natasha... I love Tom.. he will probably never win but he is a joy to watch... Jedi Jim needs to take the lessons from Lord Sugar and apply them or he is on the chopping block...
I was surprised and shocked that Gavin went so earlier, he looked like he could have gone all the way!
moonstorm
16-06-2011, 13:00
Susie really gets up my nose!!! Not too sure who I want to win yet.
Can't stand Jim. We have a sweepstake in work and mine is Melody, who is OK but don't think she will win.
LostVoodoo
16-06-2011, 15:08
Melody seems to have a lot of potential actually, she was a bit scary week one but has done pretty well since then. Someone needs to remind Susie life isn't fair every time she whinges "That's not faaaaaair" every week.
Its her catch phrase, that and "I'm only 21".. and pout!! She annoys me so much and how stupid can one person be??
parkerman
16-06-2011, 16:00
Its her catch phrase, that and "I'm only 21"
A bit reminiscent of Stuart Baggs but without the memorable quotes.
A bit reminiscent of Stuart Baggs but without the memorable quotes.
At least Stuart was entertaining and spoke out
I have to agree Susan is awful, she needs to speak out during the tasks and not just in the boardroom. Last week her quote was, 'so, I"m not stupid!" Sorry dear, but yes you are.
Jedi Jim, love it! Cannot stand him, though.
This week I though that Zoe was very sensible.
Chloe O'brien
16-06-2011, 23:21
Jedi Jim. I love that name. I've hoping Susan to go for weeks ever since the beauty task when despite owning her own beauty business she only sold three bottles of lotion.
Would love to take credit for Jedi Jim but that pleasure goes to Dara O'brein on "you're fired" after Jim told Leon to pick again who he was taken to the boardroom.. one of the best I have seen in ages... Leon: "I am taken back Jim and blah".. Jim: "eh no, pick again".. Classic!!
Chloe O'brien
17-06-2011, 10:35
That name is going to stick with him for life. :lol:
Did anyone what to punch Melody last night? she just didn't listen (or read the subtitles cause her research said that chair rucksack was great idea).. she was selfish and hogged the meeting for herself and then said at boardroom Tom won't let her go to the pitch.. how did she think she could manage it all
How stupid is Susan??? "are the french fond of their children", "do the french drive cars".. she is a idiot
I watched the Apprentice for the first time last night. I really would like to punch Melody. Her arrogance and self promotion is unbelievable. Not only that but she speaks in a condescening manner to everyon and looks down her nose at them
Yeah.. the look on her face when Alan Sugar said she could stay... she had "who's the best one now" look
parkerman
23-06-2011, 11:38
Outside bet, Leon.
Oh well, shows you what I know!
Yes, I agree with the above comments, Melody was insufferable last night. She had already made up her mind that the teapot lamp was better than the car seat/rucksack and just twisted her so-called market research to fit her prejudice. As far as wanting to keep all the appointments she had made because she had done all the work how did she expect Tom and Natasha to make any as they were in London deciding on which two products to sell?
Still looking good for Helen....
Helen is looking great... like Liz last year, she is doing all the right things.. she is not forceful but is heard, she can sell and sell well.. hasn't lost a task yet..
Chloe O'brien
23-06-2011, 12:21
The men this year all all whoose one of them should tell Melody to shut up. I can't wait to get rid of her and Susan. The other girls were smiling through grittied teeth last night on how good Helen did on the task.
Helen is fantastic, calm under pressure, thinks on her feet and is perfectly poised to win this, I think
Melody has a 'global' ego, I find her dishonest, her market research was a joke. If she spent as much time promoting the products as she did promoting herself her team would have done a lot better.
Natasha is awful - I cannot forgive her for the lads mag, even though she won that task.
Tom is cool, but he needs to fight his corner, Lord Sugar doesn't want a wimp.
Jim, what can I say? He isn't as great as he thinks he is, and I don't think that the Jedi mind tricks will work on Lord Sugar.
Zoe, still has a lot to prove.
Helen, 'is the youngest there'. She is really, really thick and should have gone by now.
To me it is between Helen and Tom.
parkerman
24-06-2011, 15:29
Helen, 'is the youngest there'. She is really, really thick and should have gone by now.
To me it is between Helen and Tom.
I agree with your analysis, but I think you mean Susan not Helen!
Yep, you're right, sorry - typo!
I think that I am going loopy, I am off work with stress and can hardly remember the month let alone the day at the moment :(
DaVeyWaVey
25-06-2011, 16:50
loving the Apprentice as always this year... I really like Helen, but I think it's looking too perfect for her to win. She's always been on the winning team, she pitches well and sells well. She's good at communicating with other people. She is extremely polished but it's all looking too set up for her to win. I get the feeling that if she puts a foot wrong, Lord Sugar will have her fired... a bit like Liz last year. She was looking like she was gonna get hired, but then LS got rid of her.
I can't believe how dumb Susan is, Zoe is OK but she hasn't done anything special for her to stand out to me, I liked Jim at first but now I've gone off him, Melody has the potential but she needs to work on her people skills. Tom is sweet and is probably my favourite out of everyone that's left. He's intelligent and would make the perfect business partner I think, but he just needs to speak out more. I get the feeling that Natasha is pretty clueless and doesn't know what she's on about half the time... she just goes with the flow and hopes that it works out... I don't think she has much business sense, she just talks the biz hoping she's getting it all right. I laughed so much when Tom and Natasha did rock paper scissors to decide who would do the pitch! And Lord Sugar's bemused face in the boardroom was brilliant.... 'You tossed a coin?' 'No, actually we played rock paper scissors" Excellent lol!
I predict that it's going to be a Tom v Melody final.
parkerman
30-06-2011, 10:07
I do think Zoe's got her head screwed on right.
Oh well, another parkerman tip bites the dust!
Golden girl Helen triumphs again.
Somebody please slap Melody with a wet kipper.
One thing I don't understand about The Apprentice - can someone help me? - what happens about these 800,000 units that Asda have ordered because, of course, they are not a real biscuit manufacturing company?
Chloe O'brien
30-06-2011, 10:14
Jedi Jim the BBIW (Biggest bullsh1ter in the world) Classic Lord Sugar. Melody needs a good slap but she did have a point about having a target market she was just so negative against anyone else suggestions. Zoe told big fibs about not liking the biscuit she stood in the kitchen and said that's a proper biscuit the others should have pulled her up for that. I would have put out Susan last night for lack of work in the project and left Zoe & Melody in to keep fighting.
I don't need a wet kipper to slap her.. I am willing to fly to UK and smack her myself. She told Zoe not to go to the factory, she said that the package had to be done right.. She also last week did market research of about 5 people and was happy with it but when Swansea 10 said her biscuit was ****.. well what did they know.. she just switches off
Really thought Tom was gone this week.. But how amazing is Helen... workout that she earned Lord Alan 1.8 million in last 2 tasks, he will be mad to let her go.
OMG - I am visualising a Monty Python sketch, with the whole gang dancing around with kippers in their hands - slapping Melody in the face every time the music stops.
Helen was lucky this week, I thought that the slogan and marketing in general was rubbish - and if they really did sell 800,000 units to Asda how would they pay for all the airy fairy Harry Potter type advertising that Jimbo promised them. I really thought that that sale should have been disqualified due to his lies.
parkerman
30-06-2011, 10:43
That's what I mean, Trinity. Asda know it's not a real company and can't actually promise anything - not even the biscuits. Can someone help me!!!???
I have had a quick internet search and cannot find any official information, but there is no way that the orders for apprentice developed products could be fulfilled. They cannot manually make 800K packets of biscuits, there would be large set up costs for mechanising it all, the nutritional values would have to be evaluated and checked, the packaging redone to Asda's spec, the advertising etc that Jim promised would cost too much etc etc.
When they are selling on behalf of other people, e.g. ceramic teapot lights - I think that those are real sales, but then again for small manufacturers I don't know how they can guarantee the volumes required.
they have asked for exclusivity so it might be over a number of months/years...
parkerman
30-06-2011, 11:03
they have asked for exclusivity so it might be over a number of months/years...
Yes, but my point is - and reinforced by Trinity - that they are not a real company. Who is going to make these biscuits and carry out the advertising etc.?
Somebody please slap Melody with a wet kipper.
I don't need a wet kipper to slap her.. I am willing to fly to UK and smack her myself.
OMG - I am visualising a Monty Python sketch, with the whole gang dancing around with kippers in their hands - slapping Melody in the face every time the music stops.
.
http://youtu.be/i9SSOWORzw4
...
Yes, but my point is - and reinforced by Trinity - that they are not a real company. Who is going to make these biscuits and carry out the advertising etc.?
I assume the bakers they went to does the biscuits and as Asda has exclusvitiy they would be involved in the package and branding.. they would own it now... I don't know how is can be not real.. what is the point then?
Or is it just that this is what would be made if it was a real company???
DaVeyWaVey
30-06-2011, 16:30
The role play was so cringeworthy and awful... it killed each of their pitches stone dead I think, hence why Zoe's team got no orders at all. I don't know why they continued with a Zoe/Melody role play, after the Tom/Melody role play spectacularly failed.
LostVoodoo
01-07-2011, 16:35
you all seem to be assuming the Apprentice is based on actual business practice ;)
I can't believe Melody was not pulled up about that role play in the boardroom, she claims to be such a professional businesswoman and she can't even do a pitch without making it look like a drama class for 14 year olds. Sugar should have torn her to pieces for being such an embarrassment. Plus last week no one pulled her up on the fact that she was lying about what the French people had said to her.
This year's Apprentice will have a four-candidate final, it has been confirmed.
Jim Eastwood, Tom Pellereau, Melody Hossaini, Susan Ma, Helen Milligan and Natasha Scribbins are the remaining six contestants hoping to land a £250,000 business investment from Lord Alan Sugar.
"Instead of there just being two people in the final, there will be four - making the contest even tougher and more tense," an insider told The Sun. "No longer will they be able to rely on exploiting the weak points of just one rival."
The show previously had a four-person final in season four, which was won by Lee McQueen.
Remaining challenges for the candidates include a wholesale goods task this week and will be interviewed by Lord Sugar's close friends and associates in the final.
parkerman
05-07-2011, 11:06
So who will the four be?
I'll go for Jim, Tom, Melody and Helen.
But with my track record on predictions that's the kiss of death for all of them. So, well done Susan and Natasha!!!
Margaret Mountford will return for the interview stages of The Apprentice, it has been revealed.
Mountford, who served as Lord Sugar's aide for five series of the BBC One reality show, will be one of the four interviewers tasked with grilling the remaining candidates.
The corporate lawyer, who departed the show to study for a PhD in papyrology, will be joined in the task by Apprentice regular Claude Littner, Shortlist Media chief exec Mike Soutar and IT entrepreneur Matthew Riley.
Mountford returned for the Apprentice interview stage last year and famously lambasted Stuart Baggs for his informal approach to the challenge.
The interviews will take place in the show's final episode, which airs on July 20.
The Apprentice continues tomorrow night on BBC One with a wholesale goods task.
JustJodi
05-07-2011, 13:00
you all seem to be assuming the Apprentice is based on actual business practice ;)
I can't believe Melody was not pulled up about that role play in the boardroom, she claims to be such a professional businesswoman and she can't even do a pitch without making it look like a drama class for 14 year olds. Sugar should have torn her to pieces for being such an embarrassment. Plus last week no one pulled her up on the fact that she was lying about what the French people had said to her.
I still do not understand how she managed to squeak thru last week, she is HORRIBLE.. and yes an embarassment ..she has to go this week ffs !!!!!
JustJodi
05-07-2011, 13:01
I like Margaret.. she will tear those folks to shreds in the interview, now if Melody is still aboard, she will tear her up good,,
Chloe O'brien
05-07-2011, 14:50
Wait till she get's her hands on Jedi Jim if he survives to the interview stages. :lol:
JustJodi
05-07-2011, 22:17
Wait till she get's her hands on Jedi Jim if he survives to the interview stages. :lol:
Yep him too... again this guy is just squeaking by
Apprentice candidate Helen Milligan clashes with Melody Hossaini over her Project Manager skills on this week's show.
Milligan, who hasn't lost any of the nine previous tasks set by Lord Sugar, objects to Hossaini's leadership skills, claiming that her rival is "floundering".
Sugar takes the remaining candidates to Enfield this week and reveals that the task will involve selling £250 worth of wholesale goods and attempting to maximise the profit with reinvestment on what they consider the most profitable items.
Hossaini is quick to take control of the task, telling the cameras: "Lord Sugar seems to be passionate about this task, it seems to be close to his heart. So I wanted to put myself forward. Although I don't have direct expertise, it's about good management. I think I'm able to deliver on that."
However, she completely ignores the advice of her team member Tom Pellereau after he strikes success with sales of a nodding dog toy early on.
"I absolutely worked my socks off today working on that stand and I'm really pissed off that the money I created has been spent unwisely by Melody," moans Pellereau.
Milligan has similar fears, adding: "I feel like Melody isn't really taking charge at all. She doesn't seem to be organised or even seem to grasp the concept of what we're meant to be doing.
"I wish I had put myself forward as project manager. I want to keep a clean sheet and I think I at least would have had a strategy and been organised and got on with things, whereas at the moment we're just floundering."
When Milligan approaches Hossaini about taking over as PM, her rival declines the offer, defiantly proclaiming: "I'm Project Manager and I actually want to lead on this. I want to take responsibility because that's what I've put myself forward to do and that's it."
The Apprentice airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
JustJodi
06-07-2011, 07:57
Melody is digging her own grave...let her LOL
Fired Apprentice candidate Melody Hossaini has claimed that her confidence and arrogance on the BBC show stem from her insecurities.
Hossaini, who was axed by Lord Alan Sugar on this week's Apprentice, told You're Fired host Dara O'Briain that her perceived cockiness was what she had trained herself to do, because she didn't ever want to come across as weak in business.
"When I'm coming across as most confident and arrogant is when I'm feeling my most insecure and vulnerable," she said.
"It's my way of covering it up and that's me being completely honest. If you watch me in the last boardroom it's like all that's stripped away and I've got guns out and I'm just going at it because it was just pure passion left. It is when I'm extremely insecure as that's just my way of dealing with it."
Hossaini added: "It's because I'm trained in communication skills that I'm so aware of what weak body language looks like. That's one of the things I will be taking forward, that I don't have to appear so strong all the time. It's okay to appear a bit weak as that's what makes you human... it's okay to show a bit of vulnerability."
Global Youth Sector entrepreneur Hossaini has previously worked with 12 Nobel peace prize winners including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Sherin Ebadi and was trained on climate change by Al Gore.
You're Fired airs on Wednesdays at 10pm on BBC Two.
Melody Hossaini became the latest contestant to be axed from The Apprentice tonight, after overseeing a disastrous effort in an investment and sales task.
Lord Alan Sugar fumed at both teams' efforts and refused to give the winning team - Natasha Scribbins's Team Venture - their planned treat, despite their triumph.
Hossaini, Tom Pellereau and Helen Milligan's disappointing profit of only £728 meant that they had to return for a boardroom showdown.
Karren Brady helped Sugar come to his final verdict over who should be fired, arguing that Hossaini's talkative manner would be a nightmare in board meetings.
Sugar agreed with Brady, revealing that he had difficulty understanding what business he could ever go into with the 27-year-old.
Pellereau escaped the chop for another week, but continued to frustrate the multi-millionaire with his soft nature.
"I sound like a broken record now," he told the inventor, as he contemplated his final verdict.
Before axing, Hossaini, Sugar concluded: "The person going today doesn't necessary mean that they're a failure in any way or form. It means they're not made for me really and on that basis, I have to say that it is with regret that Melody - you're fired."
Speaking in the infamous black cab home, the axed Midlander said: "Lord Sugar and I won't be going into business right now but perhaps our paths will cross again and I can tell him what I do, which is more than just talking."
The Apprentice continues next Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One.
JustJodi
07-07-2011, 07:13
I for one was so glad to see Melody go,,, the next one getting the ax will probably be either Susan or Tom.. Jim will hang by his toe nails towards the end ....
Apprentice candidate Jim Eastwood learnt his powers of manipulation as a child, it has been revealed.
The candidate, who has shocked viewers and Lord Alan Sugar with his ability to change people's minds with his patter, developed his persuasion skills to ensure that he was heard in a busy family household.
On tonight's Final Five documentary show it is revealed that Eastwood grew up with five siblings and a strict matriarch mother. His parents divorced when he was still living at home, which inspired him to throw himself into sport and work to escape the family problems.
It is also revealed that Eastwood first met his wife when he was at school and kissed her outside a local leisure centre. The pair bumped into each at the same spot 16 years later and "have never looked back".
Meanwhile, rival candidate Helen Milligan apparently ditched a career in law after studying it at university because she couldn't face the prospect of defending guilty people. She opted to move away from legal work and became a waitress shortly after graduation.
The Apprentice - The Final Five airs on BBC One on Thursday July 7 at 9pm.
parkerman
07-07-2011, 09:54
I thought Jim came over really well last night. Natasha was just hopeless. She was so lucky that Jim was able to sell enough to stuff for her team to win. I think Alan Sugar should have let him go on the treat! Surely Natasha has to be the next to go!!!
Helen went down in my estimation last night, her strategy was wrong and she didn't get it. Melody was also wrong, however on the fired show she said that the nodding dogs were sold out in the wholesalers and that is why they did not get any more, so she didn't deliberately ignore Tom's advise.
Natasha, what a waste of space, and Suzie - selling cheap sheets door to door in KNIGHTSBRIDGE!? What a numpty! The people were not in because they were at work, dear.
Jim , Tom and Suzie (day 2 only, though) were the best. Jim is a great salesman, but is that what LS is looking for?
Chloe O'brien
07-07-2011, 10:04
Yep him too... again this guy is just squeaking by
But he's so funny Jodi. Melody was right to go last night. She's in her own little land she did not have a clue last night. Susan to go next week.
Was surprised with Helen last night.. she really didn't get it at all.. the only one who really got it was Tom and Jim.. both kept saying reinvest, reinvest.. Glad Melody is going.. Natasha definitely next to go as she doesn't have a clue... Susan has the ability to go far in this but she is so stupid at time and is very immature...
Natasha Scribbins missed out on a place in the Apprentice final after she was fired by Lord Sugar for her blunders in a fast food challenge.
Scribbins, Jim Eastwood and Susan Ma squared up in the boardroom after their restaurant Caracas flopped. The trio only secured an average mark of four from industry experts, who marked them on brand identity, customer experience, food quality and long-term viability.
"Can one of you at least tell me what the business plan was? Where was the margins? How many did you expect to serve per hour?" blasted an angry Lord Sugar.
Scribbins's background in hospitality was immediately brought up by her rivals, and Lord Sugar was unimpressed by her excuses for taking a backseat on the challenge.
"I did a degree in first aid, I didn't enjoy doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but I have to do it when it's needed to be done," complained the multi-millionaire.
Sugar also compared the team's food at Caracas to his son's "dog's puke".
Scribbins lashed out at project manager Jim Eastwood, describing him as "dark" and "underhand", but ultimately Sugar blamed the 31-year-old Taunton native for the team's defeat.
"Natasha, I can't reconcile some of the things that have happened today," he said.
"You started off like a house on fire but I have found you a little lacklustre in the last few weeks... you're fired!"
In the black cab home, Scribbins claimed that she was leaving the show with her "head held high".
"In this process, some of the characters will scream and shout and fight, and I'm not willing to lose my own dignity," she said.
Jim Eastwood, Susan Ma, Tom Pellereau and Helen Milligan will battle it out in the Apprentice final, airing on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.
parkerman
14-07-2011, 08:36
Definitely the right person went last night. She has been the right person to fire for the last four of five weeks in my opinion!
P.S. The general knowledge of all five candidates last night was something appalling!!!
Definitely the right person went last night. She has been the right person to fire for the last four of five weeks in my opinion!
P.S. The general knowledge of all five candidates last night was something appalling!!!
I know.. I was sitting there cringing... Colombus is not british nor did he discovery the potato.... Jim was hung last night with Natasha... herself and Susan could agree on anything and he was trying to do it all himself... Helen is still a very strong candidate.. I hope Susan doesn't win... She may have worked really hard to get where she is but as Karen said, you need a sieve with her to actually get something out of her conversation worth keeping. Tom's face when he was told he was in the final was priceless.. Really admired him last night.. he took his strenghts in branding and marketing and used it to help Helen, unlike Natasha who sat back and did nothing with her experience
The General knowledge was fantastic!!! and these are meant to be the brightest business people in the country!!
I liked the idea of MyPy, the name was catchy, it was a bit different and most importantly both the product and the money were spot on. I liked the way that Tom and Helen worked together, and also that they took the customer comments on board and changed the packaging. Good food, good margins and easy to serve quickly. I didn't like the, 'have you ever eaten 100% British before?' line - for goodness sake we all live in Britain!
Jim was a let down. When he was doing his market research the fast food mexican restaurant guy told him that they serve 90 odd customers every 15 minutes during the lunch period. Contrast that with the 60 over 2 hours that he told the industry experts, and the inability to multiply 60 by £7 was cringe-worthy. He should have gone for not having a plan and not knowing his margins.
Natasha had to go too - I would have fired them both.
The lack general knowledge was bizarre. Helen has a degree in law, I though that lawyers generally were quite good at things like history? She just blindly agreed with Tom's assumption that Christopher Columbus was British - and most 6 year olds would be able to tell you the Francis Drake brought the potato to England.
I don't know who will win, it shouldn't be Jim and tbh Helen would need an amazing business idea for me to support her - she is a fabulous asset as an employee though.
I don't particularly like Suzie, but she does have potential, however my instinct would be to go for Tom. You can employ salesmen and accountants but it takes something special to come up with ideas.
The lack general knowledge was bizarre. Helen has a degree in law, I though that lawyers generally were quite good at things like history? She just blindly agreed with Tom's assumption that Christopher Columbus was British - and most 6 year olds would be able to tell you the Francis Drake brought the potato to England.
now I am totally confused as I always thought it was Walter Raleigh
I also believe it was Sir Walter Raleigh who introduced tobacco and potatoes to England
"During her 15-year reign from 1558, Queen Elizabeth I of England encouraged explorers to travel and find new plants. Both Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh brought potatoes back from South America. Sir Walter Raleigh is commonly said to have been the first person to plant potatoes in Ireland, while Sir Francis Drake is said – according to a plaque on a statue of him at Offenburgh in Germany – to have introduced the plant to “Europe”."
http://growgreatpotatoes.com/2011/potato-greens-are-poisonous/ (accessed 14th July 2011)
We are all right!
parkerman
14-07-2011, 16:54
most 6 year olds would be able to tell you the Francis Drake brought the potato to England.
Well most six year olds would be wrong! Europe yes, but not England. Still, as they are only six, I'll forgive them!!! :D
Well most six year olds would be wrong! Europe yes, but not England. Still, as they are only six, I'll forgive them!!! :D
Awww, you are very kind, Sir :D
THE Apprentice finalists line up one last time as they prepare to do battle to become Lord Sugar's business partner.
Hopefuls Tom Pellereau, Helen Milligan, Susan Ma and "Jedi" Jim Eastwood go head to head tomorrow.
Up for grabs is £250,000 of Lord Sugar's cash, plus his advice on building a business.
But before then they face a series of job interviews from hell.
They will be grilled by four of Amstrad boss Lord Sugar's no-nonsense sidekicks.
Among those putting the quartet's business proposals through the mill will be Margaret Mountford - formerly Lord Sugar's aide on the BBC1 show.
Lord Sugar said: "Once my trusted colleagues get them under the microscope I have no doubt that flaws will be uncovered, and then we will see who truly warrants my investment."
Before then the foursome met up at the London Studios on the South Bank to enjoy the sun and prepare themselves. The final is screened at 9pm on BBC1.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3698356/Four-the-love-of-wad.html#ixzz1SEYaWcA0
I cannot wait till tonight for the final!
JustJodi
17-07-2011, 22:13
results were what I expected
Tom Pellereau has been crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2011.
The 31-year-old inventor was chosen by Lord Sugar to become his new business partner over Helen Milligan, while rival finalists Jim Eastwood and Susan Ma were fired earlier tonight after interviews with the entrepreneur's trusted colleagues Claude Littner, Margaret Mountford, Mike Soutar and Matthew Riley.
Sugar will now provide a £250,000 investment into Pellereau's business, which aims to reduce the financial and personal costs of employee back pain through specialist chairs.
In the final boardroom, Lord Sugar brushed off concerns from his advisors regarding Pellereau's "lack of focus" and "flawed" plan to offer posture checks to office workers, instead noting the potential in his invention of a chair to combat back pain.
"I would give up and emigrate if someone said to me now, 'What you've got to do is allow all your employees to have a desk chair check'," Sugar stated.
"Maybe there is some legs in offering the chair. [There is] some real USP, some real special reason as to why people buy it.
"Wasting time about going into companies and testing employees out, that ain't gonna work. The chair might work."
He added: "Tom, you've got the experience in actually making stuff, selling stuff, inventing stuff. The current business idea needs a lot of tweaking."
However, Sugar also shared his "disappointment" with Milligan's brainchild of an assistant service for the mass market, which was at odds with her background in the food and retail industry.
"Helen, you have been exceptional in that you've won so many tasks and understood the plot and shone through," he praised. "[But] you can see that I was not too happy with your business plan idea."
Despite considering Milligan's last-minute pitch of a bakery business, Sugar finally opted to go into partnership with Pellereau after being won over by his entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and past success at getting products into major retailers.
"No longer is Lord Sugar sitting on the opposite side of the table," Pellereau gushed after his win. "We're now on the same piece of paper. I just can't wait to open for business."
Eastwood was the first person axed in tonight's Apprentice final after his e-learning employability service to UK schools was deemed to be at odds with Sugar's desire to start a highly-profitable business.
21-year-old Ma was fired over her "naive" financial projections for her proposed range of natural skincare products, but was described by Sugar as a proven entrepreneur capable of achieving great things.
Lord Sugar has revealed that he will be remaining in contact with Apprentice finalist Susan Ma.
Sugar said that he was intrigued by Ma's cosmetic company plans, which she revealed in the final, and claimed that there was a possibility she could be reunited with the show's winner Tom Pellereau.
Pellereau won the £250,000 investment from Sugar, which the pair are expected to use in a curved nail file business.
"Susan, do you know what, I always wanted to be in the cosmetics industry and Susan's definitely got something about her," he said.
"All I can say is, I would like to keep in close contact there, because there may be some synergy there between the nail file. There could be a deal to be done."
Sugar also offered to praise to finalist Jim Eastwood, describing him as a great salesman.
"When it comes to salesmanship and his way with people, Jim may want to tackle the Irish debt," he joked.
"He might be able to sort it. If anyone ever needs a sales person, he is the man."
Helen's business plan was such a let down - no USP at all. I personally know two people who offer a similar service locally, and I cannot see a concierge business working on a national level. TBH, the idea of a franchise might have had legs if she already had a well known and successful brand in London - but she doesn't and she had no contacts at all. Around here house sitting, dog walking and waiting in for a tescos shopping doesn't make big bucks.
Jim, nice idea but not a business.
Susan, she was nearly there, she really was and to be honest I would say she is the one to watch.
Tom, ideas man, just what you need to start a business - but he needs a Helen to run it. Together they would be an unstoppable team, I think.
I don't know how this will all work out long term, but if LS is really going to add Susan to the mix it will be very interesting to see what happens.
Trinity.. it was the nail file idea and follow ups that clinched this for Tom.... The chair was terrible but Lord Sugar would have known about his previous ideas from his CV and to have it in Boots and Walmart, he was laughing.. it turned into a Dragon's den towards the end.. Susan has her own business but making a million in the 1st year was totally unrealistic... Jim's idea was brilliant but as you said, not a business and Helen let herself down..
Glad Tom won in the end.. one up for the Geeks!! they are the ones who generally come up with the ideas but don't see the profits from it...
parkerman
18-07-2011, 09:36
Yes, I agree with both of you. Helen let herself down really badly with her business plan, though, as it happens, she was probably not quite the type of person Lord Sugar was looking for in this new format.
I thought for a while that Susan might actually win it. Although her figures were unrealistic her business plan was much more of a business plan of the type required than the other three. I have not really liked Susan throughout the series, but I have to say I thought she came across much better in the final and there is a lot of potential there. It will be interesting to see what happens if Lord Sugar does rope her in to the new business...
Now then, Jim, without using any cliches sum yourself up.....
LostVoodoo
18-07-2011, 17:16
it's been a great series this year, but felt like in the final all the work of the 12 episodes didn't matter. poor Helen will be wondering what she put all that work in for.
RUNNER-UP Helen Milligan has been rewarded for her success in the show with a huge promotion.
Helen, 30, will be head of retail in the South East for bakery Greggs. She will run 200 shops and be in charge of 2,300 staff.
She told TV Biz she had "no regrets" at being pipped by Tom and has ditched plans to run her own business.
Helen said: "I am more suited to being an employee in the corporate world than an entrepreneur. I was very lucky that Greggs gave me time off to do The Apprentice.
"They are a really good company to work for."
Greggs finance director Richard Hutton said: "Helen has done fantastically well since joining us three years ago. Her dream job was to be head of retail."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3702033/Apprentice-runner-up-Helen-Milligan-receives-a-promotion-at-work.html#ixzz1SWVC2mOo
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