The Apprentice - 2015
Discussion
Neither would get a cent of my cash.
£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
drdel said:
Neither would get a cent of my cash.
£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
1. With the right team you could easily prototype Vana's idea, see if there is traction and get it to a level where you could monetise it in the same way many games are. Whether you'd be profitable before the £250k ran out is a different matter, but £250k is more than enough to get version 1 done.£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
2. Dyno-rod are massively successful, in exactly the same way that a franchised, national plumbing business could be.
drdel said:
Neither would get a cent of my cash.
£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
Erm. The VAT threshold is £82k turnover. He claims current T/O of c. £300k and GP of £60k£250k wouldn't pay for the software programming let alone any marketing etc. The 'idea' would be difficult to protect so within months of going live the competition will move into the same space and with a track record eat up the business. The best bet would be to get it established and try and sell the idea as a 'going concern' with the IPR to one of the bigger businesses in the field.
Franchised plumbing, give me strength why would any plumber stump up cash for a franchise? plumbing is a trade where a good tradesman can do very well start adding management costs and suddenly you need at least a team of 10 plumbers working to pay the management overhead. This guy ain't even broken through the VaT ceiling.
I'd say that's reasonably impressive for yr2 figures in any service business
Edited by schmalex on Thursday 17th December 22:56
Bluedot said:
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
Don't forget Inventor Tom. Did well with Stylefile, came to Sugar with plans to invent something else....several years later he's...flogging Stylefiles.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
Clearly Sugar is teeing Joseph up to go down the expansion, not franchise route. Which is why I think he'll win.
rubystone said:
Don't forget Inventor Tom. Did well with Stylefile, came to Sugar with plans to invent something else....several years later he's...flogging Stylefiles.
Clearly Sugar is teeing Joseph up to go down the expansion, not franchise route. Which is why I think he'll win.
Tom must be really, really busy as he hasn't updated his blog in 18 months. Clearly Sugar is teeing Joseph up to go down the expansion, not franchise route. Which is why I think he'll win.
rubystone said:
Don't forget Inventor Tom. Did well with Stylefile, came to Sugar with plans to invent something else....several years later he's...flogging Stylefiles.
Now I remember his original business plan centered on an office chair to help alleviate backpain or something ? Sugar at the time, seemed to dismiss the business plan but he clearly liked Tom as a person, which more or less makes a mockery of these business proposals they come up with. Am I remembering that correctly ?Bluedot said:
Now I remember his original business plan centered on an office chair to help alleviate backpain or something ? Sugar at the time, seemed to dismiss the business plan but he clearly liked Tom as a person, which more or less makes a mockery of these business proposals they come up with. Am I remembering that correctly ?
I think you're correct. rubystone said:
Clearly Sugar is teeing Joseph up to go down the expansion, not franchise route. Which is why I think he'll win.
Seems that way doesn't it. But then what's so special about him? I'm sure there are many, many successful businesses out there that would benefit from 250k expansion money, the difference being that they haven't wasted 12 weeks trying to push a business plan for another method.I do feel this program has lost it's way somewhat, and I hope they go back to the job rather than investment theme.
andy_s said:
Utter pish ideas, especially considering they all thought they were gods gift to business.
I do wonder just how many of them actually think that. They're clearly made by the production staff to come up with the cringeworthy self-aggrandising "straplines", and the candidates know that it's epected of them. Do they actually believe it though....? Some of the more delusional ones, perhaps, but I suspect that most of them just play the game and do it because they have to.I do agree though - this year's business propositions are all pretty unappealing.
smithyithy said:
Seems that way doesn't it. But then what's so special about him? I'm sure there are many, many successful businesses out there that would benefit from 250k expansion money, the difference being that they haven't wasted 12 weeks trying to push a business plan for another method.
I do feel this program has lost it's way somewhat, and I hope they go back to the job rather than investment theme.
It used to be the case that the winner would get their own special corner at Viglen (that AMS owned, Claude ran and they sold to XMA) but now that's not there anymore, other than for taxi shots, I don't know what company he's actually got a hold over that could take in any of the Apprentices. I do feel this program has lost it's way somewhat, and I hope they go back to the job rather than investment theme.
It seemed to me that half of them would have been better seeking out that 18 foot guy from Jessops and pitching their ideas to him instead.
andy-xr said:
smithyithy said:
Seems that way doesn't it. But then what's so special about him? I'm sure there are many, many successful businesses out there that would benefit from 250k expansion money, the difference being that they haven't wasted 12 weeks trying to push a business plan for another method.
I do feel this program has lost it's way somewhat, and I hope they go back to the job rather than investment theme.
It used to be the case that the winner would get their own special corner at Viglen (that AMS owned, Claude ran and they sold to XMA) but now that's not there anymore, other than for taxi shots, I don't know what company he's actually got a hold over that could take in any of the Apprentices. I do feel this program has lost it's way somewhat, and I hope they go back to the job rather than investment theme.
It seemed to me that half of them would have been better seeking out that 18 foot guy from Jessops and pitching their ideas to him instead.
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