The Apprentice 2015 So Far: Our Thoughts

Here at Pure Commercial Finance we live and breathe all things business and finance related, so it’ll come as no surprise that The Apprentice is a firm viewing favourite among our staff.

We’re now a month into the eleventh series of the popular television show; what have been the best and worst business decisions made so far? And who do we think could win? Let’s find out:

Meet the Candidates

 

The contestants are made up of business professionals from varying backgrounds including a sports marketer and a Jamaican boutique owner, a hair extension specialist and a builder. There is a candidate who currently runs a business in Dubai and another who has studied in Spain, France and China, as well as living in both Shanghai and London.

But have their backgrounds helped them to perform and impress Lord Sugar so far?

The Series So Far

The first few episodes of The Apprentice saw the candidates get fishy to create and sell their own fish dishes, design and market a cactus shampoo, complete cross-channel discount buying and sell products at a national pet show.

And despite there being just a few episodes aired to date, there have already been some glaring mistakes made. The first was the calamari being left out in the sun, so it was no longer edible. Another was using a cactus flower rather than the whole plant (or, as Lord Sugar so eloquently put it: “It looks like someone has sneezed with a raspberry in their mouth!”)

However, there have been, what we believe to be, great examples of business acumen too. In the buying challenge one team cleverly bought a children’s dinghy rather than an expensive inflatable rescue boat. And the smart, yet simple, design of the boys’ shampoo bottle was deemed ‘one of the best’ examples of product advertising ever seen on the show.

With a children’s book task aired this week and activities such as selling property and designing a new health food snack to come, we’re sure there will be plenty more to learn from the candidates decisions.

Who Do We Think Will Win?

We can’t quite decide who we think will be the winner; however, we predict the final three will include Joseph Valente, Scott Saunders and David Stevenson.

Why? Well, despite being the losing Project Manager in episode 4, Scott is a good salesman and is always happy to help his fellow teammates. 25 year old David may be young, but he is already a successful business owner who had the business sense to show his enthusiasm for the sellers’ products in the pet show sales challenge. Whereas we think Lord Alan Sugar sees a little bit of himself in the confident geezer that is Joseph.

Have you been watching The Apprentice series 11? Then tweet us who you think will win @PureCommFinance

 

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