The Apprentice - 2015
Discussion
To be honest I don't think Sugar had much choice! All the ideas were complete rubbish! Especially Captain Bulls
t Bingo and his marketing nonsense, when in the end he could not even market himself reliably! As for Charlene why the hell would you want to start something like that in London where it already exists 200 times over! £250k will be gone in rent and rates within months anyway!
He will go with the Vana dating app as he is blinded by tech and easily convinced she has the next Tinder, even though as others have pointed out the money will be gone in a few months on development, and even if she did hit on something good, Tinder/Match will just stick one of their junior developers on it and replicate it in a few days, in fact if there was anything in it they'd have done it already. From what I've seen of the dating youth of today they are shallow as hell, they just want to swipe swipe swipe and get instant contact, not be made to play games first!
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Why do so many of them think franchising is the way to go?
t Bingo and his marketing nonsense, when in the end he could not even market himself reliably! As for Charlene why the hell would you want to start something like that in London where it already exists 200 times over! £250k will be gone in rent and rates within months anyway!He will go with the Vana dating app as he is blinded by tech and easily convinced she has the next Tinder, even though as others have pointed out the money will be gone in a few months on development, and even if she did hit on something good, Tinder/Match will just stick one of their junior developers on it and replicate it in a few days, in fact if there was anything in it they'd have done it already. From what I've seen of the dating youth of today they are shallow as hell, they just want to swipe swipe swipe and get instant contact, not be made to play games first!
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Why do so many of them think franchising is the way to go?
Whilst I liked all of the candidates in the final 5, all of their business ideas were pants. They all deluded themselves into thinking that because their business idea made perfect sense in their head, that it would actually work.
Gary's was almost comical, definitely the worst there, just... yeah... dreadful. Charlene and Joseph should stick to what they're doing and continue with natural progression and growth, not worry about large investments in an attempt to make their business something it isn't. Richard's was mainly bullst, he believes people enjoy listening to his condescending waffle and that's why it would be successful - when it's quite the contrary - ie we all know he's full of it! As for Vana, just because you have a quirky idea that hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's a good one (it probably hasn't been done for a reason). Seriously, who would ever want to play a game with someone just to see what they look like? It's tedious, childish and pointlessly boring. She seems smart enough to understand the market but not smart enough to think of a good idea to tap into it.
As far as I can remember, Worst group of candidates I've seen on The Apprentice.
Gary's was almost comical, definitely the worst there, just... yeah... dreadful. Charlene and Joseph should stick to what they're doing and continue with natural progression and growth, not worry about large investments in an attempt to make their business something it isn't. Richard's was mainly bulls
t, he believes people enjoy listening to his condescending waffle and that's why it would be successful - when it's quite the contrary - ie we all know he's full of it! As for Vana, just because you have a quirky idea that hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's a good one (it probably hasn't been done for a reason). Seriously, who would ever want to play a game with someone just to see what they look like? It's tedious, childish and pointlessly boring. She seems smart enough to understand the market but not smart enough to think of a good idea to tap into it.As far as I can remember, Worst group of candidates I've seen on The Apprentice.
kev1974 said:
To be honest I don't think Sugar had much choice! All the ideas were complete rubbish! Especially Captain Bullst Bingo and his marketing nonsense, when in the end he could not even market himself reliably! As for Charlene why the hell would you want to start something like that in London where it already exists 200 times over! £250k will be gone in rent and rates within months anyway!
He will go with the Vana dating app as he is blinded by tech and easily convinced she has the next Tinder, even though as others have pointed out the money will be gone in a few months on development, and even if she did hit on something good, Tinder/Match will just stick one of their junior developers on it and replicate it in a few days, in fact if there was anything in it they'd have done it already. From what I've seen of the dating youth of today they are shallow as hell, they just want to swipe swipe swipe and get instant contact, not be made to play games first!
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Why do so many of them think franchising is the way to go?
Why do you think franchising is not the way to go?t Bingo and his marketing nonsense, when in the end he could not even market himself reliably! As for Charlene why the hell would you want to start something like that in London where it already exists 200 times over! £250k will be gone in rent and rates within months anyway!He will go with the Vana dating app as he is blinded by tech and easily convinced she has the next Tinder, even though as others have pointed out the money will be gone in a few months on development, and even if she did hit on something good, Tinder/Match will just stick one of their junior developers on it and replicate it in a few days, in fact if there was anything in it they'd have done it already. From what I've seen of the dating youth of today they are shallow as hell, they just want to swipe swipe swipe and get instant contact, not be made to play games first!
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Why do so many of them think franchising is the way to go?
I thought Joseph's plans were changed in the boardroom, from franchising, to expanding; so is he just going to buy more vans and employ more people? While probably a smart business move for him, but hardly a new business idea that fits with the ethos of the programme.
Re. franchising: I thought the franchise root wasn't a goer for this lot because they have no brand/success for anyone to buy into. Why would you give any of them money to effectively buy their name, which no one knows? May as well buy your own van/shop, stick your own name on it, and save the £x k you would otherwise line their pockets with.
Vana's idea to combine games with internet dating i.e. play games all day before you can see someones photo, is a great example of a terrible idea. If she wins I'm sure she'll change it. Why oh why, would anyone want to play games all day to see someone's photo??? Click, correspond, date. Simple.
Re. franchising: I thought the franchise root wasn't a goer for this lot because they have no brand/success for anyone to buy into. Why would you give any of them money to effectively buy their name, which no one knows? May as well buy your own van/shop, stick your own name on it, and save the £x k you would otherwise line their pockets with.
Vana's idea to combine games with internet dating i.e. play games all day before you can see someones photo, is a great example of a terrible idea. If she wins I'm sure she'll change it. Why oh why, would anyone want to play games all day to see someone's photo??? Click, correspond, date. Simple.
The big sticking point for Richard was his current business being a partnership with his brother, why he said he wouldn't give up his 50% stake in it (although he did back track a few mins later but by then the boat had sailed) is beyond me. The others on there all wanted the cash for more or less the businesses they were already running, they just flowered it up with 'franchising' and 'training academies'. If Richard already owned his business outright and had come into the interviews with a flowered up business plan about franchising his marketing business then he'd have been taken a lot more seriously.
Had to laugh at Joseph's reaction when it was pointed out that asking for 10% of turnover from each of his franchisees would effectively mean they were running at a loss. They all like to talk about turnover, it gives an inflated sense of grandeur.
As others have said, I think all the ideas are either appalling or bland. Joseph just wants to expand his plumbing business, Charleine wanted the same for her hairdressing business, and the same again for Richard and his marketing company.
Vana's dating/game idea is a non starter and the less said about Garys the better really.
I wonder though if last years winner Mark Wright with his search engine optimization company might push Sugar more towards Vana's idea as he can really utilise Mark's company to get Vana's idea marketed ?
Had to laugh at Joseph's reaction when it was pointed out that asking for 10% of turnover from each of his franchisees would effectively mean they were running at a loss. They all like to talk about turnover, it gives an inflated sense of grandeur.
As others have said, I think all the ideas are either appalling or bland. Joseph just wants to expand his plumbing business, Charleine wanted the same for her hairdressing business, and the same again for Richard and his marketing company.
Vana's dating/game idea is a non starter and the less said about Garys the better really.
I wonder though if last years winner Mark Wright with his search engine optimization company might push Sugar more towards Vana's idea as he can really utilise Mark's company to get Vana's idea marketed ?
kev1974 said:
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Joseph didn't explain his business very well, he isn't a plumber he is a contract property management company working with landlords, letting agents and councils. Now say he lands FOXTONS or a national chain he couldn't cope, he thought his franchise model would be by postcode area and could cover the UK with franchisees (!) all working on one nationwide letting agent contract.We are awash with BTL indeed Shugs is a bit of a landlord himself and can see the value in this type of company hence Joseph is a easy winner though no doubt Vana will cream him in the final
Well I enjoyed that, I was sat there and being a flyby night contractor I now feel I need to up my game inline with the bullst. So as of today I am no longer a scummy contractor, who goes from job to job freelancing.
I am now an entrepreneur, company director, with a vision of a company mountain, pushing through the metaphorical cumulus clouds, striving to give my client the ultimate dynamic, streamlined article. Laying networking foundations outside of the box pushing industry blue sky thinking.
t. So as of today I am no longer a scummy contractor, who goes from job to job freelancing.I am now an entrepreneur, company director, with a vision of a company mountain, pushing through the metaphorical cumulus clouds, striving to give my client the ultimate dynamic, streamlined article. Laying networking foundations outside of the box pushing industry blue sky thinking.
DSLiverpool said:
kev1974 said:
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Joseph didn't explain his business very well, he isn't a plumber he is a contract property management company working with landlords, letting agents and councils. Now say he lands FOXTONS or a national chain he couldn't cope, he thought his franchise model would be by postcode area and could cover the UK with franchisees (!) all working on one nationwide letting agent contract.Most of them pitched their ideas wrong. Not to say that their plans were wrong, but they either went too far with it and deluded themselves or didnt think far enough.
No-one appeared to have a business that they hadnt already tested, ie they were bringing in either a replica or an offshoot of something they've already done.
Vana for example, isnt new to dating apps or meetup style apps. The problem she has is, £250k isnt enough. It'll need 4 times that. But she's not aiming at the youths of Wetherspoons, she's targetting city types in their down time to try and bring 2 areas together and make something out of it. I think it needs refining from what she presented, but that's where a mentor would come in handy. The problem for Shugs is that he wants something to invest in that no-one's heard of, thought of, is doing, will do and he only wants to put 1/4 mil into it. Unicorn stuff
Gary missed a trick on his entire plans, if he had the ability to think further he'd give up on parties and beaming people in and hit the sponsorship and events markets instead. As a technology company that takes on, rebrands and integrates holographics and other types of remote attendance, that'd be better suited to the sort of people who would use it and have the money to do it. Usually big events companies and corporates with the money to buy and support it as an internal meeting
Charleine - Claude gave her the best advice, it's a shame she had to wait til this far in to figure it out.
Richard - cocksocket who got rightly busted. Wonky editing or not, it was just a matter of time before he got his arse handed to him
For his own sake, it's a good job Brett went home earlier on because he'd have been destroyed by the interviewers. It'd have been fun to watch but I think it'd have got to the point where someone needed to throw a towel in to the interview room for him.
I'd like Joseph to win it because I think he'd do well, I wouldnt want to wish him into business with someone like Alan Sugar because I think he'll get eaten alive, but it sounds like he'd do the best return long term, but I think Vana will probably take it. It's a fairly typical thing for Lord Sugar to get into, not realise how deep he needs to go and then pull out of it after a year or so after making half of what they thought they might.
No-one appeared to have a business that they hadnt already tested, ie they were bringing in either a replica or an offshoot of something they've already done.
Vana for example, isnt new to dating apps or meetup style apps. The problem she has is, £250k isnt enough. It'll need 4 times that. But she's not aiming at the youths of Wetherspoons, she's targetting city types in their down time to try and bring 2 areas together and make something out of it. I think it needs refining from what she presented, but that's where a mentor would come in handy. The problem for Shugs is that he wants something to invest in that no-one's heard of, thought of, is doing, will do and he only wants to put 1/4 mil into it. Unicorn stuff
Gary missed a trick on his entire plans, if he had the ability to think further he'd give up on parties and beaming people in and hit the sponsorship and events markets instead. As a technology company that takes on, rebrands and integrates holographics and other types of remote attendance, that'd be better suited to the sort of people who would use it and have the money to do it. Usually big events companies and corporates with the money to buy and support it as an internal meeting
Charleine - Claude gave her the best advice, it's a shame she had to wait til this far in to figure it out.
Richard - cocksocket who got rightly busted. Wonky editing or not, it was just a matter of time before he got his arse handed to him
For his own sake, it's a good job Brett went home earlier on because he'd have been destroyed by the interviewers. It'd have been fun to watch but I think it'd have got to the point where someone needed to throw a towel in to the interview room for him.
I'd like Joseph to win it because I think he'd do well, I wouldnt want to wish him into business with someone like Alan Sugar because I think he'll get eaten alive, but it sounds like he'd do the best return long term, but I think Vana will probably take it. It's a fairly typical thing for Lord Sugar to get into, not realise how deep he needs to go and then pull out of it after a year or so after making half of what they thought they might.
blueg33 said:
DSLiverpool said:
kev1974 said:
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Joseph didn't explain his business very well, he isn't a plumber he is a contract property management company working with landlords, letting agents and councils. Now say he lands FOXTONS or a national chain he couldn't cope, he thought his franchise model would be by postcode area and could cover the UK with franchisees (!) all working on one nationwide letting agent contract.andy-xr said:
The problem for Shugs is that he wants something to invest in that no-one's heard of, thought of, is doing, will do and he only wants to put 1/4 mil into it. Unicorn stuff
Not really, going on previous years he has gone with people utilizing their skills and experience:Ricky Martin - Job agent, started a job agency
Mark Wright - Digital search engine bloke, started a company specialising in SEO
Leah Totton (genuinely don't remember her, although not sure how?!!) - Qualified dr, cosmetic surgeon - opens a skin clinic
Love the interview round, always the highlight of the series and with some good new interviewers to freshen it up.
It must be flipping stressful doing four of those in a row and seeing your delusional vision of yourself torn apart piece by piece. I thought Joseph did astonishingly well to keep his cool (particularly given his background) and turn around any difficult questions. Fair play to Richard in fessing up when caught out (he was good on you're fired too).
Given the last 5 must be chosen based on their business plans (and the earlier firings planned accordingly) they were spectacularly poor (none would last a minute on Dragon's Den). It would be a realistic twist for SirAlan to not invest in either. Sure Vana's area is exploding but she has next to no chance of breaking into it and it will be a swift £250k down the plughole. He obviously empathises with Joseph but does he really want to run a load of maintenance vans.
Re the app, has anyone played QuizUp? I got in the top 10 on some random category then noticed I had a load of messages directly to me. "Hey great game, you beat me easily there". "Look forward to playing again". Eerily scary as I didn't realise it had that capability. Even scarier when I checked who they were from and saw pictures of 50-y-o Pleasure Gelfs from America.
So is the deal a dating app where you use games to break the ice (non-starter, Tinder works BECAUSE of its shallowness) or a gaming app where you can attract a bit on the side (already done by the look of it)?
It must be flipping stressful doing four of those in a row and seeing your delusional vision of yourself torn apart piece by piece. I thought Joseph did astonishingly well to keep his cool (particularly given his background) and turn around any difficult questions. Fair play to Richard in fessing up when caught out (he was good on you're fired too).
Given the last 5 must be chosen based on their business plans (and the earlier firings planned accordingly) they were spectacularly poor (none would last a minute on Dragon's Den). It would be a realistic twist for SirAlan to not invest in either. Sure Vana's area is exploding but she has next to no chance of breaking into it and it will be a swift £250k down the plughole. He obviously empathises with Joseph but does he really want to run a load of maintenance vans.
Re the app, has anyone played QuizUp? I got in the top 10 on some random category then noticed I had a load of messages directly to me. "Hey great game, you beat me easily there". "Look forward to playing again". Eerily scary as I didn't realise it had that capability. Even scarier when I checked who they were from and saw pictures of 50-y-o Pleasure Gelfs from America.
So is the deal a dating app where you use games to break the ice (non-starter, Tinder works BECAUSE of its shallowness) or a gaming app where you can attract a bit on the side (already done by the look of it)?
moanthebairns said:
I am now an entrepreneur, company director, with a vision of a company mountain, pushing through the metaphorical cumulus clouds, striving to give my client the ultimate dynamic, streamlined article. Laying networking foundations outside of the box pushing industry blue sky thinking.
You might struggle to fit that on a business card though.DSLiverpool said:
blueg33 said:
DSLiverpool said:
kev1974 said:
What does the spiv boy need £250k for? To open a new branch of his plumbers he just needs to buy someone a van and some tools surely? Hardly massive investment?
Joseph didn't explain his business very well, he isn't a plumber he is a contract property management company working with landlords, letting agents and councils. Now say he lands FOXTONS or a national chain he couldn't cope, he thought his franchise model would be by postcode area and could cover the UK with franchisees (!) all working on one nationwide letting agent contract.Langweilig said:
Mastodon2 said:
Richard has just realised he is an idiot.
For the illegal and improper use of managerial buzzwords on his CV, Richard should've been executed immediately.My job next year is to "establish a new platform in the northern space whilst growing the existing platform into a non refutable exemplar in the space we currently occupy"
We don't make platforms, so I am as confused as f
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