0:00:02 > 0:00:05This is not about a job any more.
0:00:05 > 0:00:11This is about me investing £250,000 into a business with one of you.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Heading to London, 16 potential business partners,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19all keen to kick-start a company.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Don't try and hide. We're not playing "Where's Wally?" here!
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I'm not looking for Lord Lucan.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I'm looking for somebody who's going to show me
0:00:27 > 0:00:31that they have the got the business acumen to be my partner.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36On offer, a 50/50 deal with the nation's most demanding investor.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41I put you into a little piddly little business and you made a complete mess of the figures.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Willing to bankroll new business in tough times,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Lord Sugar is on the hunt for one winning partnership.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Basic business principles went right down the drain on this thing!
0:00:52 > 0:00:54You should've all known better!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57- Start the car! - It's a deal worth fighting for.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59- It's the same thing again!- No!
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We have an opinion and you don't like it!
0:01:01 > 0:01:05- 16 candidates...- So, basically, we've invented the bin!
0:01:05 > 0:01:06LAUGHTER
0:01:06 > 0:01:09- ..12 tough weeks... - Where am I going?
0:01:10 > 0:01:14- Bloody hell! - ..one life-changing opportunity.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16You're fired! You're fired!
0:01:16 > 0:01:19This is my boardroom and, by the way, this is my money.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20You're fired!
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Previously on The Apprentice...
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Your task is to create an affordable luxury product range.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38..Tom and Ricky went for male grooming.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41It's going to be too fruity for a masculine product.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44..while Adam's team cooked up confectionary.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Mmm! That is good!
0:01:46 > 0:01:48The tasty treats were a hit.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52This is very, very nice. I could gobble it all up all day!
0:01:52 > 0:01:54- But at the pitches... - Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57..the boys nailed the numbers...
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The UK's market is 862 million right now and growing.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03..while Adam faltered.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Ideal for Christmas...
0:02:05 > 0:02:08er, birthdays...
0:02:08 > 0:02:10or just for a girly night in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13For Ricky and Tom, the sweet smell of success.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Sterling, yours was the better business proposition.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Jade fought her way into the final.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I came up with ideas and you all said, yes, yes, yes.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So if you're such leaders in business, why would not say,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- "Actually, we'll do this"? - Nick came under fire.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35I'm still at sea as to why you didn't step in and assert some authority.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37But for Adam, it was the end of the road.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40When you opened your mouths, you threw it all away.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43He became the 12th casualty of the boardroom.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Adam, you're fired.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46Thank you, Lord Sugar.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Now, four remain to fight for the chance
0:02:49 > 0:02:52to become Lord Sugar's business partner.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Oh, here we go. ..Oh? >
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- NICK: Hello. Look what you've done for us! Aw! - How you doing? Congratulations.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07NICK GIGGLES
0:03:07 > 0:03:11I think it's all down to our business plans, us individually.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Now we are purely on our own.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- To finalists.- To finalists!
0:03:14 > 0:03:15TELEPHONE RINGS
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Hello?
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Yes, it's Lord Sugar here.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Oh, hi, Lord Sugar.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31In the next 48 hours, I want you to familiarise yourselves
0:03:31 > 0:03:35with the business plans and, er, I'll see you
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- in two days' time, OK? - OK, brilliant. Thanks very much.
0:03:38 > 0:03:4148 hours to get to know our business plans.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45I've almost forgotten that it's £250,000 we're going for until now.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- It's a huge, huge life-changing moment.- It is.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Let the best - not man, woman - the best person win.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Just two days for the final four to perfect their business plans.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14With the best record, winning eight tasks and losing just three,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18technology entrepreneur Nick Holzherr.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19I feel great about my business plan
0:04:19 > 0:04:22as an idea. I think it's a fantastic concept and it'll definitely be
0:04:22 > 0:04:25a business that could make millions and millions.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I think I am a very, very strong contender.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Next, with seven wins, the youngest survivor.
0:04:35 > 0:04:3823, and running a fine wine investment company
0:04:38 > 0:04:42with a multi-million pound turnover, Tom Gearing.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47As a project manager, I've shown clear strategy, I've taken risks, I've taken responsibility,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51and this is a business plan that's an extension of what I currently do
0:04:51 > 0:04:54every day, so to convince people it's a good idea will be easy for me.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I'm not worried about the other candidates. Now this is really between me and Lord Sugar.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Number three, business development manager Jade.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05The last woman standing.
0:05:05 > 0:05:12She's fought hard to get this far, losing six tasks, but winning five.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I think it's irrelevant that I'm the last female here.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Business is business at the end of the day.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20I'm motivated, I'm really happy with my business plan.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21I know it will make money
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and I know that's what Lord Sugar's interested in.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Fighting all the way, recruitment manager Ricky Martin,
0:05:32 > 0:05:38losing five tasks and four times in the final boardroom facing failure.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I think Lord Sugar is looking for somebody who is not only
0:05:41 > 0:05:44at the top of their game, but somebody who's got so much potential.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I think he'll find my business plan has something
0:05:46 > 0:05:49that'll pretty much guarantee a return of his investment.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Everything that I've done in my career,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56in fact, my life to date, is resting on this final.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Today, last chance for the candidates to prove
0:06:11 > 0:06:13they're the best to invest in.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I think it's always daunting getting the scrutiny of the business plan,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21but I've got to put forward the best impression of myself as I can.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25I think today's going to be extremely testing.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29I'll be honest and say I am feeling a bit nervous. Nerves will get the best out of me.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Armed with their business plans, it's off to the City.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Millions of pounds there.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57New Broad Street House.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Meeting place for the big guns in British business.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Good morning. - ALL: Good morning, Lord Sugar.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25We're here today in the Institute of Directors.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28One of you will end up being a director
0:07:28 > 0:07:32in a company that I'm going to invest £250,000 in.
0:07:32 > 0:07:38So, today is all about convincing me on your business ideas.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I know the area of business that you all want to go into,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44but your competition doesn't.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49So now, I want you to pitch to me your ideas in simple terms.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53What is your business idea, Nick?
0:07:53 > 0:07:57It's an online platform that will revolutionise the online grocery market.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01It allows anybody to purchase ingredients for any recipe with a single click.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07My online brain at the moment is ticking over already,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09so I'll be interested to hear how that's going to work.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- And Tom?- My idea is a hedge fund that allows people
0:08:14 > 0:08:16to make use of fine wine as an asset class.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- Hedge fund for wines?- Yeah, pretty much. Collective investment.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- Jade?- Mine is to open the UK's
0:08:24 > 0:08:28largest telemarketing call centre, where consumers will be
0:08:28 > 0:08:32contacted, sold on as leads at a premium rate to the service provider.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- Does that exist already? - There are some existing, but not of this volume and size.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Right.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40And finally, Ricky.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I'm proposing an ethical and niche recruitment organisation
0:08:43 > 0:08:46looking at areas of therapeutics, new and existing drugs on the market.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- I'm looking at consumer products, which focus...- I beg your pardon?
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- Say that again. - An ethical and professional recruitment organisation.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58I'm looking at sustainability, making sure that people's usage of the environment is reduced.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Sorry to disappoint you,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02but I haven't understood a word that you've said.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- Recruitment is all about finding personnel to work for companies.- It is.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08So just cut the crap and tell me,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11is it a recruitment agency for technical people?
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- Yes, Lord Sugar.- OK, that's good. That's good.- Sorry.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Now, you're going to meet four colleagues of mine.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22They will be studying your business plan
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and talking to you in great detail.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28And tomorrow, they're going to feed that information back to me
0:09:28 > 0:09:33and, based on that information, I will be deciding which one of you
0:09:33 > 0:09:35will be my business partner.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Hand over your business plans to Nick and Karren
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and I'll see you tomorrow in the boardroom, OK? Off you go.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56This is it, last chance. Just got to stay focused, haven't we?
0:09:56 > 0:09:57HE SIGHS LOUDLY
0:09:59 > 0:10:01It's huge, this. They've never met us before.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- You don't have that long to make that impression.- No!
0:10:04 > 0:10:06No pressure to any of us(!)
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I want this money. I want this investment.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Personal details checked.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Business plans analysed.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Career backgrounds scrutinised.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Time to face four of Lord Sugar's toughest task masters.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- DOOR OPENS > Hi.- How are you, Tom?
0:10:33 > 0:10:34- Take a seat.- Thank you.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Award-winning Mike Soutar, pioneer of Britain's free magazine industry.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45His job today - seek out the skills to run a cutting-edge company.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- So, these are pretty serious interviews, aren't they?- Very.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- There's a huge amount at stake, isn't there?- Yeah, that's true.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- Would you say that you were an experienced interviewee?- No.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I've never had an interview before, er, so this is
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- my first day of...- You've never had a job interview?- No, I haven't.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Sharing Lord Sugar's passion for backing new business,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11no-nonsense Margaret Mountford.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- Margaret, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. Take a seat.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20She's here to spot a candidate's strengths and weed out weaknesses.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Let's have a look at your CV,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24because intelligence is one of the characteristics
0:11:24 > 0:11:26on which you pride yourself, I think.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30"My intelligence makes my thinking better, my decisions wiser.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33"My intelligence makes people more receptive
0:11:33 > 0:11:34"to the communication of my ideas."
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- I think that is true. - Modesty becomes SOME people.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Former Young Entrepreneur Of The Year, Matthew Riley.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- Nice to meet you. - Take a seat.- Thank you.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55Having built a telecoms company worth 350 million,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59he knows what it takes to get to the top.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- So, if you imagine there's £250,000 sat behind me.- OK.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05That's Lord Sugar's money and his reputation. My job is to make sure
0:12:05 > 0:12:07he goes into business with someone who'll be successful,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- hence why I thought I'd say I opened your application.- Yes.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14There were just so many things in there that basically made me want to be sick.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Finally, Lord Sugar's former global trouble-shooter, Claude Littner.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- Take a seat. - King of the killer question
0:12:27 > 0:12:32and here to find pitfalls in potential partners' plans.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I have got to say that, um, I'm pretty underwhelmed
0:12:35 > 0:12:39by both your CV and your business plan.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44Frankly, er, it's a pretty grubby little business you're proposing.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- A grubby business? - Well, it is, really, isn't it?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- Explain the business to me, then. - The call centre will phone people with a very easy script.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54So it's a high-volume business where you can make a lot of money
0:12:54 > 0:12:57if you're putting premiums on just passing over a lead.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00The large sectors that want these qualified leads
0:13:00 > 0:13:04are in solar panels, mobile phones and also in debt.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07But you're trying to sort of capture people who,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09um, really don't want to hear from you.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12In the evening, when I'm at home, I don't want cold calls
0:13:12 > 0:13:14telling me about the fact I can save on my energy bill.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17You've got people who perhaps have fallen into debt
0:13:17 > 0:13:21and you're going to get leads, try and sell those leads on, um, it's...
0:13:21 > 0:13:24It's a bit...unsavoury.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- How do you reckon Jade's will be on a scale of one to ten?- Two.- Three.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Two, three! RICKY LAUGHS
0:13:30 > 0:13:32LAUGHTER
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Looking at some of the numbers here,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42you haven't provided in your business plan a cash flow.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45That's pretty important. There's not a balance sheet here either.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- That's quite useful.- Unfortunately, what's included is included.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57What it shows is that you haven't really got a proper business plan. It's a fact. It's a fact.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- The other thing that I'm perplexed about...- Yeah?- ..is that, um...
0:14:00 > 0:14:03month one, you're showing a particular turnover.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- Yeah.- That's lovely. The trouble is that you have got no costs.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- What I've done... - You've got no costs.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14How do you produce...? I'd like to know, cos this is a real money-winner! Zero overheads!
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- You haven't got a telephone!- Yeah.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The overheads have been paid for, there obviously are overheads there.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23But that's... That is part of the £250,000 investment.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Oh, look, honestly, that's absurd! I've never seen anything like that.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- It's not the way to do it. - OK.- It isn't.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35- 250,000 will pay for all data, all employment, all salaries... - How much have you got left?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- Nothing. It's £259,000. - No, no, no!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40In six months, you've blown it?! You've blown it in six months?
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- RICKY: She's out. - How did it go?
0:14:45 > 0:14:47I got absolutely slaughtered!
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I'd quite like a drink.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Well, here you are now in the final four, um...
0:14:56 > 0:15:01classifying yourself as Thor in the Nordic Pantheon.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Is that right?- I did, yes.- Um...
0:15:04 > 0:15:08"Lord Sugar is already a business god, but call me Thor -
0:15:08 > 0:15:12"I am the next generation who, with the backing of the Godfather of business,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- "I will take over his empire." - It's an extremely bold statement
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and the point I was trying to put across is, first of all,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21to differentiate myself to other people applying in this process.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23They're not all gods, you mean?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25No, they're not, but what I was trying to say is that
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I think Thor's somebody who is, er,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30a descendant of God, descended from the heavens.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34My point I was trying to put across is I'm somebody who can bring a new dimension to the marketplace.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37You're a reincarnation of Lord Sugar, are you?
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Not a direct reincarnation, but the elements of his career I think I've replicated.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46When I read this business plan - and I read it a few times...
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Yeah.- ..it looked to me like an academic exercise.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53A very good piece of work you do for an MBA or something like that.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- OK.- It didn't look like it was a really good
0:15:55 > 0:15:58piece of work for really starting a business.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03- So tell me in plain English...- Sure. - ..what the point of the business is.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Any recipe on the internet or on television, or in a recipe book,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11my system would automatically allow you to purchase
0:16:11 > 0:16:13all the ingredients for that recipe with a single click.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17So, when you click, it would say, "Would you like to buy it from supermarket A, B or C?"
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Give you all the prices for the cumulative sum of all the different ingredients in there.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24It knows what combinations you buy from different websites,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29so you add five different recipes from five different websites to the same shopping basket.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- It shows you best price combination of ingredients.- Do I care?
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I don't think anyone's going to be bothered.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Life is too short. Life is too short.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43- I do think Nick might have a bit of an uphill struggle with his business plan.- Quite big.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- Quite ambitious, yeah. - Complicated.- A big challenge.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Nick needs to be careful he's not patronising, careful he's...
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Listening. - ..exploring what they say to him.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It's not an essential. It's an irrelevance. It's irrelevant!
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- I think you're not the target market.- No, I'm not.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- The target market would say it is a useful tool.- I wonder about that.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I struggle. I struggle to know whether that's the case.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06This could become one of the big global players, I do believe that.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- It's not worth the effort.- That's not a fair comment, I don't think.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Every household in the UK would want to use this system.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- Not just the UK, but internationally. - Not every household.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It's a Google or a Facebook, it's got potential to be.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Dream on.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24RICKY LAUGHS He looks like he's been dragged through a hedge.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26He pulled you through a hedge backwards?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28It's like being under fire.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It's like being in a war zone.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35I've a glowing employment reference here.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- I'm going to read it to you.- OK. - It says, "What is very evident
0:17:38 > 0:17:41"is Tom's natural ability to focus on the challenge
0:17:41 > 0:17:44"and develop an approach which delivers results."
0:17:44 > 0:17:48It goes on. "I do firmly believe you have
0:17:48 > 0:17:52"an excellent apprentice who truly has the skill sets to deliver."
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- That's pretty good stuff, isn't it? - Yeah, I'm happy about that.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- Who do you think said that? - Um...I'm not sure.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I'm not sure at all.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- Actually, it was your father.- Oh, OK, yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Your father is an investment banker and the wine company that you run
0:18:08 > 0:18:11is also owned by your father as well as yourself.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15So, how much of your business plan did your father write?
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Er, he didn't write any of it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- None of it at all?- No.- OK.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22So it would be unfair to characterise you as a daddy's boy?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I feel so, yeah.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29In this new business, you're selling wine as an investment for people
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- who won't actually ever drink it.- Yeah, yeah.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34It's a very sophisticated business plan.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- I've never written anything as sophisticated as this.- Really? It's actually all my work.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41The investment strategy is what I currently use within my business.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44We have 300 product clients in 21 different countries
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and my father only joined the company after
0:18:46 > 0:18:49we'd already posted revenues of 1.25 million.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Tonight, I'm want to make shepherd's pie, so I go onto your website,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I see the recipe, I don't care where I get the ingredients from. I just want to buy them.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01In reality, Joe Bloggs likes to go to maybe a celebrity chef website,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- get one recipe from there... - Yeah.- ..get another
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- from another website, another one from website C.- Who does that?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10- You do purchase four or five recipes at once.- Who does? - If you look at young families,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- there are many...- Who has time to plan out what they're going to eat?
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Monday's lasagne, Tues... Who does that?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Lots of families do that. - Are there?- Yes.- I just don't see it.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22They're busy, they've got two kids or something.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26They want to come in, make a quick meal, get the kids bathed and to bed.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I agree it's a complex business model, but 52% of people
0:19:29 > 0:19:32use online recipes, so there is a big market for it.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34So your previous business partner,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38we spoke to him and he said your big sort of downfall is focus.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- Did he say that?- Yeah.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I think the key is not focus, it's about success in a business.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- If it...- I disagree with you. It's always about focus. It's always about the detail.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I'm 100% aware that focus is something that
0:19:50 > 0:19:53I need to fo... you know, focus on!
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Your real name is Richard Martin.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- It is Richard, yes.- But you call yourself Ricky Martin.- I do, yes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02The same as the famous Latino pop star.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Why is that? Do you really like his music?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08To be brutally honest, using the name Ricky Martin worked
0:20:08 > 0:20:11exceptionally well in sales, people remember the name.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I'm trying to use any ability I can to get people to remember me.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You've also got other names as well. You've got Ricky Hype.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22- I have.- The Superstar Ricky Hype. The Fitness Ricky Hype.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24- Why?- Outside of business, I've got a hobby,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26which is professional wrestling.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28That's the character I portray in wrestling.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It all sounds a bit more show business than real business.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- Yeah.- Do you think people take you less seriously in business
0:20:35 > 0:20:39because they can't stop imagining you in a pair of Lycra pants?
0:20:41 > 0:20:45You say one of the most interesting thing about you is your upbringing.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47It wasn't conventional.
0:20:47 > 0:20:53Being half-Swiss, I was brought up very focused on outdoor activities.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Building camps in the forest, woodworking, sewing.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00So, I didn't have a TV.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04So, as soon as you got a computer at 16, you became obsessed with it?
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Yeah, I think not having had it made me want it more.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And when I did get one, I did spend a lot of time with it.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16So, one could say obsessed - I did turn into a bit of a geek.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Probably still am a bit of a geek now.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22In your application form,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25you say that you're an incredible businesswoman.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Did you do any business studies at all at university or college?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32When I was at university, I did graphic design,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34but we did business practice within that.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38But it wasn't business plan writing, it was more just dealing with
0:21:38 > 0:21:40the business side when designing for people.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- Are you sure about that? - Well, we did some business modules.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Nothing else to tell me?- No.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51You didn't do a business A-level and get an N? For business?
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- Oh, my business...!- Oh! THAT little bit of information!- You know what?
0:21:57 > 0:22:01- For some reason, that's been taken out of my mind for now.- Seriously?!
0:22:03 > 0:22:09I was known as a BNOC - big name on campus - at university.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10What's that about?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I was just trying to say that whatever area that I'm in,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15I obviously try and make myself well known.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- I wondered if you were sure that N stood for name? - HE LAUGHS
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I'd like to examine in great detail some of the points
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- you make in your business plan. You want to launch a fund...- Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33..and raise £25 million to invest in the wine industry.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36£25 million is a hell of a sum to raise with a company that is
0:22:36 > 0:22:40untested with a young guy who hasn't really got a long track record.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- It's a big leap, I know. - That's my problem.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46It's my chance to take what I have now and grow it. I can do it.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48I've proved it over the last two years.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Why deal with you as opposed to dealing with someone more
0:22:51 > 0:22:54established, who perhaps I've dealt with for 20 years?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The reason I want to do this is because I've had demand for it,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I've had people read our articles and go, do you know what?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- I want to come to you guys.- It would appear that at the tender age of...
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- How old are you?- 23.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09..23. You claim on your personal statement,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I am entirely well-rounded.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- I've learned a lot of business skills...- You may well have done,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but that doesn't mean to say you are entirely well-rounded.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I'm self-assured, confident in my abilities,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and hopefully I can take that further in life.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27The problem is, you haven't got enough experience and you're 23.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- Can you raise the money? I say you can't.- Yeah...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So, the business concept falls apart before you even start, because I don't think you can raise the money.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- I think I can sell it, I honestly do.- I honestly think you can't.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- OK.- You can't, because £25 million, that's a fortune.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45He's out.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50- God, you were in there for ages, mate.- Was I?- Yeah. How did it go?
0:23:51 > 0:23:56- Erm... Stressful.- Really? - Mmm. Tough, it was tough.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57It's tough.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- Out of ten?- Two.- Really?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- Mmm.- You look destroyed!
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I've no doubt you can do the recruitment you do every day.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11I don't get whether you've got the business skills to start a business.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14How will you react when the clients haven't come,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17you've employed three people and they're useless and it's all going
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- wrong and you've got Lord Sugar literally all over you like a Rottweiler?- Yeah.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24For me, I'm not somebody who buckles under pressure.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27The entire process so far has shown that, and I do appreciate that.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31You can't at the end of week say, sorry, Lord Sugar, I didn't hit my targets.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I've got the backing behind me both academically... My degree's in medical biochemistry,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38my five years in recruitment is in science.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It's a great story so I can launch that company and say, this is my background.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- This what I've done. You say there's a brick wall there.- Yep. - As cliched as it sounds,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49I feel I'll be the sledgehammer to go through it. I'm going to get to that money,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and make a success of this and I won't stop until I do that.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Explain to me your proposed business.
0:24:55 > 0:25:01My proposed business will grow to be the UK's largest telemarketing
0:25:01 > 0:25:04call centre and it will have a few sectors that it focuses on.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07One of them will be debt help, one will be mobile phones
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and one will be energy suppliers.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15In your business plan, you list four different website addresses
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- that you will use to gather data from.- Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- These are valuable assets, then.- Yeah.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24These are important things. But are these websites that you...?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26- I have purchased them. - You've purchased them all.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31- Yes, the websites are purchased. - So, chooseenergysupplier.co.uk.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Just to take that one, for example. You don't own that website.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- I've checked.- I do own four in that...out of those.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45- Chooseenergysupplier.co.uk, I own. - You own it?- I bought it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- I might have to buy it off you.- OK.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54The good news is, I'm an entrepreneur. Make me an offer.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Ooh!
0:26:03 > 0:26:06This quarter of a million pounds, I can see it on that table.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I don't want one of you three to get it. I want that to be mine.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Am I going to get a quarter of a million pounds injected into my business?
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Yes. So, I'm going to go in there fighting.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24I just hope he gets as good a grilling as I did.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I'll be happy then.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30Good morning.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Well, Ricky, I've been looking forward to this encounter,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40because you present something of an enigma to me.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- OK.- Let's start with your personal statement.- OK.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49Which, frankly, is probably the most crass, obnoxious,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53infantile personal statement that I've had the...
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Not really a pleasure - I've had the opportunity of reading.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Quite clearly,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02some of the statements you've made are completely ludicrous.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- Perhaps you would like to comment on them.- No problem at all.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08You're the best business partner on the planet...
0:27:11 > 0:27:12You stick by that, do you?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I think I'm an exceptionally good business partner.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- I think I'm a good potential for the future.- Hang on a second.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21The best business partner on the PLANET, OK?
0:27:22 > 0:27:24How do you think Ricky's getting on?
0:27:24 > 0:27:28He'll be getting an absolute battering.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33You talk about your possible future business partner
0:27:33 > 0:27:38and you say that you will teach an old dog new tricks.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Now, I don't really think that's the way you should be speaking about
0:27:43 > 0:27:46a business partner and certainly not somebody like Lord Sugar.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And I completely agree. It's an immature statement to make
0:27:50 > 0:27:52and one which I regret putting in there.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57The problem is that you're an arrogant fool.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02However, I read your business plan and I was quite impressed.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06- Thank you.- It was interesting, I think it was well written
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and you've done very well in your career.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13So, I find it a bit puzzling as to why you chose to just write
0:28:13 > 0:28:16such rubbish, such nonsense in your personal statement.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20When I turned up to this process, I had a lot of bravado about me.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24I was happy to say these bold statements to get noticed and get myself heard,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and I'll be honest to say that throughout this process,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31I've realised a lot about myself and I'm a very different person now.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Let's move on from this. The economy is not in great shape at the moment.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- It's not.- And therefore, to me, it would seem that this is not
0:28:38 > 0:28:43- a great time to start this kind of business. - I disagree with you entirely.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Looking at all the research I put within the business plan,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48the economy is showing that recruitment
0:28:48 > 0:28:51is picking up substantially. On the permanent side,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53the confidence in recruitment is growing.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58In the private sector, over the next year, 94% of businesses will either maintain head count or increase.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03The areas which I'm looking at to start with are areas where the economy isn't affected as much.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08- I do believe there's a big market still there. - OK, that sounds plausible to me.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13If Lord Sugar invested £250,000 today,
0:29:13 > 0:29:16what kind of return would he get at the end of year five?
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Year five, we're looking at £145 million return.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25So, you're saying that he would make £145 million?
0:29:25 > 0:29:28It's very difficult to put an actual figure on how
0:29:28 > 0:29:30we will be performing in three to five years.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34But my job is to try and figure out how realistic those projections are.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38So, you're saying £145 million. That's a decent return.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44- Have you any qualifications in...? - No, I don't have any qualifications.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- What experience have you got in hedge funds?- None in hedge funds.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50- But you're saying to me you're going to go and be a hedge fund.- Yes.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55- So, would you class yourself as a gambling man? - I do take a risk from time to time.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57The plan sounds like a pretty big risk to me.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01Rather than thinking we'll start small and grow gradually,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03you're going, bang, £25 million.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- Yeah.- The risk profile on this business is huge.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09In term of risk, this is an investment hedge fund, so there's
0:30:09 > 0:30:12going to be some degree of risk, but what better reputation to have
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Lord Sugar as one of the 50% stakeholders in the hedge fund manager?
0:30:15 > 0:30:21I don't think anyone would question whether I could do it, if Lord Sugar backs me.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24You haven't stuck at any job for very long, have you?
0:30:24 > 0:30:27In not a short space of time, you've had six jobs?
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Well, at the end of the day, it is, for me,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33about getting experience and earning more money.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37My business plan is about what I do and the contacts that I have.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39You're right to plan based on something you know about.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43So, I think being successful in business is about people with
0:30:43 > 0:30:47common sense, people getting on with people and relationship building,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50and all of that has taken me to the end of the process.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53It is a very simple business model.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55It's finding new people for new jobs.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58If I start in one area and excel, start niche,
0:30:58 > 0:31:02and this business can think big and we start going throughout the UK, throughout Europe.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05That's where I think Lord Sugar can show me how to do that.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08I've got to say that you actually come across as somebody who's
0:31:08 > 0:31:12thought very hard about the business that you want to pursue.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17So, I've created a prototype and I've integrated it into publishers, into supermarkets.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23So, I've tested the model there. I now want to scale it and I need money to make it work for millions.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27If I get this quarter of a million pounds investment, I can do it.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29I have managed to build up the strategic links,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32I have the expertise and I won't let anyone down.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37- I haven't let anyone down in my life and I won't start doing it now. - Thank you.- OK, thanks. Cheers.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43I felt quite emotional at the end of that one.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- Because it was like putting everything out there.- Yeah.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52I was almost across the table, like, please believe in me, sort of thing.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58- That's all our interviews done, guys.- All done.- That's it.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00There's no affecting it now.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05I think I've got a good chance, but I don't think it's definite at all.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07I don't care if some people bring out a few bad points.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Nobody's perfect. Much as I'd have said 11 weeks ago,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14I'm the perfect person, whatever, nobody's perfect.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Getting this investment would be life changing.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03I do have a 100% unique business plan.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06It is something new, something different.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08But if it works, it could be huge.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11I think I'm in pole position at the moment.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Everyone who's left knows they have to be on the top of their game.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17But am I being too ambitious and a bit too risky?
0:33:17 > 0:33:21If Lord Sugar can look past that then I've got a very good chance of being his business partner.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27I'm adamant that I am a strong enough candidate to be here in
0:33:27 > 0:33:31the final and I know that the business I'm putting forward will make money.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I've always felt destined to set up my own business,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41so there's no way that I'm going to be a shrinking violet.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43I'm going to fight.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Well, good afternoon and welcome back to the boardroom again.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11You're here to find me the right partner,
0:34:11 > 0:34:16and the thing is, I'm a pensioner now and I don't want too much
0:34:16 > 0:34:20hard work, I don't want to be in there, in the trenches.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23So, with that in mind, Margaret, where shall we start?
0:34:23 > 0:34:25OK. Start with Jade.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30Basically, what she wants to do is set up a call centre and buy leads.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Her callers will follow up those leads and then
0:34:33 > 0:34:36when somebody says, I'm interested, she will
0:34:36 > 0:34:39pass them as a sort of qualified lead and get a payment for that.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43My concern on that is, is this something anyone wants any more?
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Do you want disturbing at home with countless phone calls?
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- I certainly don't want to be disturbed at home.- And I don't.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54I thought one of the biggest flaws within the whole thing was when you look at her business plan,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58you will see that she has bought four different web addresses.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03What I found was, that one of the web addresses was still available for anyone to go and buy.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04So I did.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07HE LAUGHS You bought it, did you?
0:35:07 > 0:35:11I thought perhaps she had a lesson to learn.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- Mmm.- I got the idea she's a good salesperson,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18but her business plan demonstrates that in month one, with no staff,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22no office, no nothing, she's making a turnover of £80,000.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26So, I said to her, how do you do it? How? We'd all like to do that.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27She had no answer for it.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30She is sticking to a business she knows a lot about
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and one she's been successful in.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I asked her about why she had so many jobs in a relatively
0:35:35 > 0:35:38short space of time and she showed, quite rightly, that each time
0:35:38 > 0:35:41she was promoted and then she'd moved on to higher things.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45She's relying on her ability to be persuasive face to face,
0:35:45 > 0:35:50but when she's running a business, she'll not be doing any selling face to face.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53- Claude, talk to me about Ricky? - I'd love to talk to you about Ricky,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56because his personal statement and application form is just
0:35:56 > 0:35:59so ludicrous and not very respectful to yourself.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03For example, apart from taking over your empire very shortly, he's also
0:36:03 > 0:36:07going to teach an old dog - which I presume he means you - new tricks.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09- Really? Woof, woof! - That wasn't great.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13He likened himself to the god Thor. He calls you the Godfather.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Is it now in this modern day and age -
0:36:16 > 0:36:19we might learn something here, Claude - that one has to come
0:36:19 > 0:36:22out with a load of waffle, rather than getting to the point?
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Is it necessary in this day and age, or what?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27In order for people to think they're going to pitch something credibly,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30they think that they have to fill it
0:36:30 > 0:36:34full of big words, and the irony is that his business plan is
0:36:34 > 0:36:38probably the most simple and straightforward of everybody's.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Right! Simple, straightforward - that's what I'm looking for.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44It's a recruitment business in a niche sector in which
0:36:44 > 0:36:46he is really passionate about.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Before I met him, I spent a sleepless night with
0:36:49 > 0:36:53excitement at how I was going to rip him apart.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57However, in truth, I'm mesmerised by the guy.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01I believe the real man is the one who has put forward a very good,
0:37:01 > 0:37:06sensible business plan and it's very much akin to what he's been doing.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- He's the one that has changed the most through the process.- Yeah.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13I worry that he has a streak in his character that when he's
0:37:13 > 0:37:16in a business situation, he is going to come out with something silly.
0:37:16 > 0:37:23- Shall we move on? Let's talk about Nick.- He is an entrepreneur.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Straight from university, he's set up three businesses.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30He's obsessed with this idea that he's had this unconventional
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- background, no television, outdoors a lot.- Where was he living, a nunnery, then?!
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- I think he lived in Switzerland. - Is he a monk?!
0:37:37 > 0:37:40This is a guy who's very bright,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43but his business plan looks like an MBA project.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45I don't know how clever it is, how worthwhile it is.
0:37:45 > 0:37:51His idea is an automated website that if you put your recipe in,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55it will place the order online at a supermarket, is that right?
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- That's right.- He's aiming at people who watch a cookery programme
0:37:58 > 0:38:01on television, will go straight to the internet to download the recipe.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04You've seen these social networking sites and things like that,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07which, some of them are valued at billions.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12Recipes doesn't kind of ring the bells of the NASDAQ people.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17I asked him how much you would make if you invested £250,000.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He said after five years, we'd sell the company
0:38:20 > 0:38:22and Lord Sugar would have £145 million.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27Is that all? Oh, dear. Waste of time, isn't it, really(?)
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- Yeah, it's a bit optimistic, isn't it?- I think so.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33The one thing I would say is that whenever a task is
0:38:33 > 0:38:36centred around an internet site, he has excelled at that.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41Yes. So, anyway, Mike, what about Tom?
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Tom wants to start a fine wine investment fund.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50So, big risk, but potentially very big returns.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54- Does he like the prospect of being a bit of a gambler?- I think so.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59I think he's a real risk-taker. He's got a business at the moment that he started from scratch
0:38:59 > 0:39:03and he's been very successful. He has lived quite a charmed existence, I'd say.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Can't be that charmed, he's a West Ham supporter!
0:39:05 > 0:39:07THEY LAUGH
0:39:07 > 0:39:12- How many millions does he want?- 25 million.- And he's 23 years old?- Yep.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15He's only 23 years old, only got two years experience in this business.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19- That's not a lot.- I think it's very unfair that you say 23.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21At 23, I was running a football club.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24There are some very strong individuals who are young
0:39:24 > 0:39:27that understand the business and can make a success.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- OK, I got it. - Alan, you were one of them.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33When you were young, you went from hi-fi, into computers, into satellite, into football.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38- All risks.- Yes. But it was all a risk of my money.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41It's interesting, because when I read the business plan,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44which is one of best written business plans I've ever read...
0:39:44 > 0:39:46- Really?- He was very convincing.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49It has got the potential for earning a lot of money,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51becoming a very big business.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53But my point would be that this guy needs to
0:39:53 > 0:39:56kind of tone down his ambition somewhat.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Well, as ever, that's been very interesting.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I have got to speak to these people shortly
0:40:05 > 0:40:10and I'm going decide which one of them will be my business partner.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13So, thanks a lot for all the input you gave me.
0:40:13 > 0:40:14Thank you.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29PHONE RINGS
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- Can you send the four candidates in, please?- Yes, Lord Sugar.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- Thank you.- You can go through to the boardroom now.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Well, you had a busy day yesterday with my four advisors
0:40:53 > 0:40:58and I've had a chat with them and they've given me quite a lot of insight.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Now, Jade,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04this is a call centre with the sole purpose of raising leads.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07There's a lot of money to be made within that sector,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10if you buy the right data and sell them to the right people.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14There's me with the old Lord Sugar hat on. I'm in a business which phones people up
0:41:14 > 0:41:16at eight o'clock in the morning and annoys them...
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- 10:00.- ..and phones them on Sunday afternoon
0:41:19 > 0:41:22while they're relaxing and annoys them even more,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24and I'm sitting here like a dartboard, you know?
0:41:24 > 0:41:28I'm thinking, yes, this is great headlines for our newspaper.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- You tell me why it's nothing to do with that.- OK.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35People have to actually tick a box to say, I will hear from third parties.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39I'm legally allowed to phone it, because I'm the third party.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43So, it is regulated and you can make a lot of money from it,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46- and it's very simple.- Good, that's what it says in the rule book.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49I want to hear about how you go about doing it.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I know what data will work to get the highest conversion rates
0:41:52 > 0:41:55when people phone it. I've worked in a call centre environment
0:41:55 > 0:41:58- and I'm good at motivating. - I don't think anyone would doubt,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02having worked with you on task, that you've got plenty of enthusiasm.
0:42:02 > 0:42:08But one of the things that we heard from Lord Sugar's advisors was that the business plan just fell apart.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11You run out of money after six months.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Within six months' time, but within three months,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17money would start coming in. It's not glamorous,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- but it does make a lot of money. - All right, I'll move on a little.
0:42:20 > 0:42:27Tom, you are proposing to put my name, my association,
0:42:27 > 0:42:33and to go and ask external investors to invest up to £25 million in wine.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36How are you going to convince me that's the way it should be done?
0:42:36 > 0:42:38What I currently do, there's a saturation point,
0:42:38 > 0:42:40and I think we're very close to that point.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45- Your existing business is trading in wines.- That's correct.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Over the last two years, I have been approached by people who want to
0:42:49 > 0:42:52include fine wine investment within a self-investment pension plan.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- I've been in the property business for a few years.- Yeah.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58And I've had every fly boy on the planet come along to me
0:42:58 > 0:43:01saying, I'm going to start a fund up and I want to use
0:43:01 > 0:43:05your name in the fund. And suddenly, instinct said to me, no. Not really.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06But fine wine is different to that.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10It's all about the investment strategy, sourcing the wine, choosing the right vintages.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- But like everything in life, there's no guarantee.- Of course.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17At the moment, the Far East market is rampant.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20All it just needs is one day for some analyst to stand up
0:43:20 > 0:43:22and say, the Chinese are sick of wine now,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25and bang goes your Chateau Monchamp, or whatever it is,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28goes flying down from 200 quid a bottle, down to 50 quid
0:43:28 > 0:43:32- and then you're stuck with it. - But fine wine is a luxury good and all those companies
0:43:32 > 0:43:35are expanding into Asia, and they wouldn't be doing that unless
0:43:35 > 0:43:38they felt this market was robust enough in that region.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41- You've got a wine business at the moment which is making a bit of money.- Yeah.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45Don't you think your business plan is trying to run before you can walk?
0:43:45 > 0:43:49I would make big claims if I didn't think I could fulfil them and I wouldn't come here
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- unless I've had previous enquiries that I've had to turn down.- OK. Ricky.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59Now, I understand that you're going to teach an old dog some new tricks.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03I'm the old dog here, yeah? I'll get on my hind legs and listen.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08You say, "Lord Sugar is getting to the later stage in his career,
0:44:08 > 0:44:12"where he's going to start thinking about succession planning."
0:44:12 > 0:44:16Have I got to let my kids know about your new dadda coming, or what?
0:44:16 > 0:44:19If I'm very honest with you, Lord Sugar, what I've learned in
0:44:19 > 0:44:2311 weeks, in business, it's actions that speak volumes, not your mouth.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26- I should shut my trap a lot more. - I had comments from people saying,
0:44:26 > 0:44:31can we separate the showman from the real business man? But the one good thing going for you,
0:44:31 > 0:44:36when I've cut through all your waffle, is that you want to start a recruitment agency in what
0:44:36 > 0:44:41- I would call a niche market that specialises in scientific industry. - Yes, the market is huge.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45The pharmaceutical and biotechnology, and every other scientific industry in the UK,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49is much larger than what I deal with now. So, I'm looking at other organisations who know me
0:44:49 > 0:44:53- from my reputation, but don't deal with me...- They know you for you reputation already?
0:44:53 > 0:44:57- Yes, I've placed a number... - You're an icon in the pharmaceutical industry?
0:44:57 > 0:45:00I've placed several hundred people into professional jobs across the UK.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03I've got a large list of recommendations, testaments,
0:45:03 > 0:45:06based upon the experience they've had with me.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09You've gone to a lot of detail in this business model.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11I hope you're going to invite me along to
0:45:11 > 0:45:15the fourth year's Christmas party. You've got funds in there allocated
0:45:15 > 0:45:18for how much you're spending at the Christmas party.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19- Yeah!- Very forward thinking.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23- But I wanted it to be as detailed as possible.- Good.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26So, Nick, this business model of yours,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30which is effectively some kind of system of translating
0:45:30 > 0:45:34your menus into your purchasing list at an online grocer.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38- Exactly. - That is an enormous software task,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and I think I asked myself this - why?
0:45:41 > 0:45:45The amount of work and effort that's going to be involved in it.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48- Where am I missing the point? - I'm seeing two questions.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52First, it achievable? And second, is it useful if you do achieve it?
0:45:52 > 0:45:56It's achievable, I get that. But so's sending the man to the moon.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58What are we going to get out of it at the end?
0:45:58 > 0:46:00People currently go shopping for ingredients,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02but what they're looking for is recipes.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05- How do you know that?- It's what I do, it's what lot of friends do.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09- It's what I understood people do. - But who could be bothered with it?
0:46:09 > 0:46:12I'm thinking about, darling, get me a spaghetti carbonara tonight.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Get my programme out here and I'll go into that and order this,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18and it will go off like that. It's four quid of purchasing
0:46:18 > 0:46:23and this is like a trillion man-hours of software writing.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26By the time I've typed it all in there, I could've gone out
0:46:26 > 0:46:28to the local restaurant and picked it up myself.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32My only defence for that is that I have got a fully working prototype.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35I have got real publishers who have integrated this button, and it does
0:46:35 > 0:46:38work on their websites and it really could become a very big player.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Nick, why should I favour you over these other people?
0:46:42 > 0:46:46I think with the business plan, mine is a genuinely new idea.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Comparing it to everyone else, I don't think the ideas are that innovative.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54They're ordinary businesses that will make money, but probably not a huge amount.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57- Rick, you've got a smile on your face.- I've got a smile on my face
0:46:57 > 0:47:00because you think ours are quite ordinary. But your business plan might be innovative,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03but you haven't got experience in that industry.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06I have been running a software company for 18, 24 months, and that
0:47:06 > 0:47:09is essentially what I'm proposing here, is a software business.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11What happens when another great idea pops in your head
0:47:11 > 0:47:14- and you haven't made any more money? - So, Ricky, why should I choose you?
0:47:14 > 0:47:17You should choose me as your business partner,
0:47:17 > 0:47:20because I have extensive experience in exactly what I do.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23I think I've taken the most out of yourself, Nick and Karren.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25When you've told things to happen, I've made them happen.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28I don't want someone who's just a bit of a yes man.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30I'm going to be running this business, Lord Sugar.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33I don't think you need to tell me what to do.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39Four business plans and I do see
0:47:39 > 0:47:42some light at the end of the tunnel in all four of them, to be frank.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48I think I've got to kind of make some decisions now, really.
0:47:52 > 0:47:59Tom, I've got this worrying concern that
0:47:59 > 0:48:03someone of my position in society, so to speak,
0:48:03 > 0:48:08cannot afford to be involved in something that goes wrong.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12It's not as if everything I've done has gone right in my life.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15It hasn't. Trust me, I've made lots and lots of mistakes.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19But this could be a calamity with my name associated to it.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22- Do you understand what I mean?- Yes.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25And Nick, you know,
0:48:25 > 0:48:30I remember on one occasion that the team was asked, we need to
0:48:30 > 0:48:34take someone over to the team, and they all chose you straightaway.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37So, you've clearly got something there.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39You've clearly got something there.
0:48:39 > 0:48:45But I've just got to think about the viability of this business model of yours.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Ricky. Ricky Ratchet Jaws.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57- At the end of the day, your business plan is a recruitment agency.- It is.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00You've worked for someone for a long time in the field,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04you're an expert in the field. I can understand how yours can work.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11Jade, I reckon you are a great sales lady.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15I think I would be a good manager and motivator as well. To a tee.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19- I like your enthusiasm and all that stuff.- Thank you.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23But I'm not sure whether I want to put my name to something
0:49:23 > 0:49:27where perhaps I would be looked as disturbing people at home, really.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33So, I'm not going to mess around here, Jade.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37- I don't think that you are my business partner, to be honest.- OK.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42I have enjoyed your presence here.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46- Don't give up the dream of having your own business.- I won't.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48On this occasion, I've got to say to you with regret...
0:49:49 > 0:49:52..Jade, you're fired.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Thank you very much. OK. Good luck, guys.
0:50:11 > 0:50:17It's a tough one, because I've got three very bright fellas here.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23I think, on balance, Tom...
0:50:26 > 0:50:30£25 million.
0:50:30 > 0:50:36I might like to think about throttling back on your ambition.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Yep.
0:50:39 > 0:50:44Ricky, I've always got this underlying worry about this
0:50:44 > 0:50:47madness where you came into this process, telling me
0:50:47 > 0:50:52how great you was, going to teach the old dog new tricks and all that.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56You say you've learned to stop bigging yourself up.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59I wonder whether you have.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04I think, Nick, you're obviously a very intelligent fella.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06But I told you a long time ago
0:51:06 > 0:51:10when you came into this process that I ain't going to do any work here.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Yep.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15And I can already feel myself getting dragged into this thing
0:51:15 > 0:51:18in the sense of the enormity of this task.
0:51:19 > 0:51:24What I don't really understand is where the money is, to be honest.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30I ain't got it here on menus and recipes.
0:51:33 > 0:51:40And for that reason, Nick, I'm going to say on this occasion that...
0:51:41 > 0:51:45- ..you're fired. - Thanks for the experience.
0:51:47 > 0:51:48Good luck, guys.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Well, that just leaves me with you two. Big headache here.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09Big, big headache.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12I could do with some of your wine, maybe, to relax.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I'd like you to step outside.
0:52:16 > 0:52:22I'm going to have a final chat with Nick and Karren.
0:52:22 > 0:52:23And when you come back in here,
0:52:23 > 0:52:27I'm going to decide which one of you is going to be my business partner.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30- Off you go.- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:52:41 > 0:52:47These two guys actually want to be in the business that they've been in, which is very credible.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51Tom's business, you're quite right, is a risky business.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56If you just throttled him back on his first year ambitions,
0:52:56 > 0:53:00I think his business would be electrically exciting.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Fast-moving, tremendous returns to be made.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08But I have never done business with other people's money.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10That is the problem.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Do you really want a pedestrian recruitment business?
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Or do you want one last final hurrah?
0:53:17 > 0:53:22Ricky has great credibility in the field, he's got a degree in it,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25and you shouldn't rule out Ricky because he's safe.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27PHONE RINGS
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Lord Sugar will see you now.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Well, gentlemen, you are down to these last two.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49That in itself is an amazing achievement.
0:53:49 > 0:53:55I've had a chat with Nick and Karren.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58I mean, Tom, it says here that in your first full year of trading
0:53:58 > 0:54:03of this business of yours, you posted a turnover of £1.25 million.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06- Yeah.- Now, that's bloody good.- Yeah.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09And the thing is with this hedge fund and wine business,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14- I might not mind doing it once I have a comfort feel about you.- Yeah.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17And it's not until you get down and working with somebody that
0:54:17 > 0:54:21- you can say, you know what? Let's go to that next level.- OK.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26I did send out a little message to you about tailoring back your ambitions.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30My target would be 25 million. But it doesn't have to be that. We can tailor that back.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34If there was a proposal on the table, I'd be a fool not to listen to that.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39This could be a very exciting business, this wine business, but his proposition is much simpler.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43There's a man that's done it before. Already working for a firm.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46All he wants to do is do what I did when I was 17 years old,
0:54:46 > 0:54:50walk out of a firm that I worked for and start my own business.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- OK.- I think that's what you want to do.- I've always wanted my own organisation.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56I have experience at one of the best places in the country,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59and it's my time to set up my own and run forward a bit.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03- So, when you've made your millions...- Yes.- ..would you invest in his hedge fund?- Not at all.
0:55:03 > 0:55:09- I don't know anything about wine. It's nothing that interests me or excites me.- Me as a person?
0:55:09 > 0:55:12You as a person, I think you're fantastic. The wine industry isn't for me.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16So, tell me, why should I invest with you and not him?
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I'm a fantastic prospect for the future.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22I'm somebody who's channelled his own career to
0:55:22 > 0:55:24the point we're at, sitting opposite you now.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26With me, I'm not a risk for you.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30Tom, you know, do you think you're a bit of a risk-taker?
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Yes, I do like to take a risk,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36and if I think I'm right in something then I will back myself.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38The difference between myself and Ricky is, I've been there,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I've done it in terms of setting up a company and running one,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44and the risk with Ricky is that he hasn't actually been there.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47He may know his field very well, but I've proven I can be successful,
0:55:47 > 0:55:51it can be profitable, and I've shown I can grow my turnover year on year.
0:55:52 > 0:55:58It's a very, very difficult moment for me right now.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01I'll tell you where I am at.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07Yours is very straightforward and I am wondering...
0:56:07 > 0:56:10I'm not getting any younger, I suppose,
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and I'm here to give a bit of help to somebody.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18From time to time. A bit of guidance.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20Yours is the simpler business.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24He's known me a long time and he knows I've got
0:56:24 > 0:56:27a bit of a devil in me about wanting to have a little gamble here
0:56:27 > 0:56:31and there, go into something which I haven't done before.
0:56:31 > 0:56:37His business, it offers that kind of bit of devilment, this wine thing.
0:56:38 > 0:56:43A bit of safety over here, and there's a bit of devilment
0:56:43 > 0:56:49over there, and that's really where I'm stuck at the moment.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Because, to be honest with you,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54you're both credible people to invest the money in.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56So, is it the devil or is it the safety?
0:57:05 > 0:57:07I've got to make a decision.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18And I should keep to my ethos of keeping it simple,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22keeping it straightforward and so, Ricky,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25you're going to be my business partner.
0:57:25 > 0:57:26Ricky, you're hired.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30- Fantastic, thank you very much. Thank you.- Well done.
0:57:30 > 0:57:31Thanks a lot.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49Knowing that I've won this process,
0:57:49 > 0:57:52I can't formulate or articulate the words to say what it means.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57It's the recognition that everything that I've done has been worthwhile and it's important for me
0:57:57 > 0:58:01that people see that there's more to me than first meets the eye.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Lord Sugar and I will be a powerful force to reckon with.
0:58:05 > 0:58:0816 candidates, one winner.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14Lord Sugar's search for his business partner is over.
0:58:31 > 0:58:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd