Lessons we can learn from The Apprentice

By LBV

21 Mar 2012

The perfect moment in any football fan’s season is five minutes before kick-off on the day of the first game. The moment where anticipation, excitement and optimism come together.

With just hours before The Apprentice returns to our screens, this is not going to be one of those moments. Viewers may be excited and watch in anticipation, but the optimism is purely with the candidates. They have enough to go around.

So, the week after Inventor Tom, winner of last year’s series, launched his Stylfile Nail care range (or should that be re-launched) it is perhaps fitting, and absolutely no coincidence at all (does sarcasm work in writing?), that Lord Sugar’s show is back on our screens.

The Apprentice is back, retaining the same prize as last year, namely the opportunity to go into business with Lord Sugar and a £250,000 investment. It was, in my opinion, a huge improvement on the previous prize and brought a new dimension to the show. There was always a strange dynamic to the previous shows as the candidates completed task after task, many of which demonstrated their entrepreneurial flair, to ultimately win desk jobs.

It therefore came as no surprise when several winning candidates, complete with new-found confidence in skills they didn’t know they had, found the restriction of a role in one of Lord Sugar’s companies just too sour and left.

The winners must now demonstrate to Lord Sugar that they are not only capable of creating and running a business but, perhaps more importantly, they are capable of a working relationship with him. Tom fitted the bill perfectly last year, mirroring many of Lord Sugar’s business partners past and present.

Tom’s Apprentice experience is a mini case study in the rocky road that striking out on your own can be. Despite his best efforts he was on the losing side eight times, but he never gave up. He learnt from his mistakes, worked hard and had a keen sense of what changes needed to be made within tasks (even if he was ultimately ignored). He’s a man who tried to launch his business previously with limited success, in many peoples’ eyes failing. It doesn’t sound like a great track record does it?

It could say more about our British way of viewing entrepreneurs than Tom himself that he was labelled a failure. In American business terms that kind of track record is almost seen as a rite of passage, part of the process of becoming successful.

In preparing this article I reviewed my Apprentice blog from last year’s series and it makes for interesting reading. Who could forget Jedi Jim and his mind control techniques? Remember Leon and his finger hook? Who will be this year’s Melody or Natasha? And most importantly, will we get another Dogtanian like Vincent?

It’s a slightly older group of 16 candidates this year, though all would still qualify for a Young ‘Un’s award (although only Jenna Whittingham represents Lancashire). They make, as always, an eclectic bunch, ranging from a professional wrestler and a shark diver to a county Camogie player and former ice skater.

To save time I’ll just summarise by saying that they have all had their TV makeup applied with the ‘over-confidence in their own abilities’ brush.

It should make for fun viewing.

Some stats from last year:

  • Winner Tom Pellereau lost eight of the eleven tasks
  • Helen Louise Milligan was on the winning team in nine of the eleven tasks
  • The losing project manager was fired on six of eleven occasions

Simon Brooke is a director at Happy Creative. For a review of the latest Apprentice episode, to vote on your choice of winner and to join in the conversation during each episode, follow Simon on Twitter @simonbrooke
 

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes Royal Bowland Park street scene NEW.jpg.jpg

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes

29 Oct 2025

2

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth - Representatives from the University's Business School, local SMEs and the IOEE

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth

29 Oct 2025

3

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

4

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

5

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event
Holiday Inn Hotel
Networking
28 Oct 2025 - 18 Nov 2025

November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event

Holiday Inn, Blackpool

16:46 - 16:45

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

The AI Lab: E-commerce
Ai Lab ecommerce (1).png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
14 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

The AI Lab: E-commerce

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin