The Apprentice is a reality TV show based over here in the UK. It allows candidates the chance to win an investment from Lord Sugar himself, into a business plan they have previously created. Since the most recent series has just finished, I thought that this would be the perfect time to have a look over the past female winners and find out what they’re actually up to right now, in the hopes to get a little inspired.

 

First up is series two winner, Michelle Dewberry who went on to launch Xenon Green, a computer equipment disposal project with Lord Sugar. Today, she works with Sky News, runs her own online shopping website, called Daily Chic and has her own autobiography; Anything is Possible.

 

Yasmina Siadatan won series five and landed a job at Amscreen Healthcare. She fell pregnant after 12 months and took time off to raise her children. Afterwards, she did what women do best and went straight back to work. This time as a Creative Director for Start Up Loans, followed by a Marketing professional at Dynamic Planner.

 

Series six winner, Stella English is probably best known for attempting to sue Lord Sugar for constructive dismal. She was unsuccessful in the process but didn’t let that stop her. She is now a host for Crowd Box, a TV channel that helps entrepreneurs raise money through crowd funding and works as a management consultant.  

 

Dr Leah Totton, the series nine winner, is arguably one of the most successful candidates to have won The Apprentice. She went on to set up a Botox Clinic in Central London and now owns several cosmetic surgery clinics across the UK.  Over on social media, Leah tweeted “forming Dr Leah Clinics with Lord Sugar was a life changing experience and four years on we have an award winning, thriving chain of clinics.” That sounds like a job well done to me, especially as many famous faces regularly visit. 

 

Last years winner was Alana Spencer, the cake queen herself. She used Lord Sugar’s investment to work on her own brand, Ridiculously Rich, which provides luxury, hand-crafted cakes across the UK. The business is doing so well that Alana is now hiring people who are looking to run a business, “we’re building an army of cake-loving ambassadors to join us on our cakepreneurial journey.” She thinks this is a great opportunity for people who want to run a business but don't know where to start.

 

Last but by no means least is Sarah Lynn, who won this year series alongside James White. Her business is called, Sweets in The City and focuses on providing customers with a 'premium sweet experience'. Each item is “hand-picked and hand-packed” with the aim to be the everyone's favourite sweet gifting service, which I hope she achieves.

 

Although The Apprentice can be seen as a bit of a joke, it can help to make business dreams come true. If there's anything you should take from this, it's that your business idea needs to fill a gap in the market. Make sure you know your target market before anything else and always make as many connections as possible. The name of your business must be memorable and then after that it's all down to you to get noticed, because if you're really passionate about something then the only thing that's stopping you from achieving it, is yourself.