Linda Davies-Carr's The Apprentice Final Review Ep.12

Will it be bread on the High Street or a headhunting firm for women in business?

The Apprentice 2019 came to an end on BBC One last night as Lord Alan Sugar chose the winner and his new business partner as Carina Lepore.

Carina was not only crowned this year’s champion but also went down in history as the most successful candidate of all time. She's won nine times out of ten, is the only candidate in Apprentice history to win three tasks as a project manager and has never been brought back to the boardroom to face being fired - until the final. 

Maybe she wasn’t the most headline-grabbing candidate, but she demonstrated her consistent performance and reliability.

Scarlett Horton-Allen the other candidate was also impressive and excelled throughout the process. Her business idea was to create a high-end recruitment company that would actively seek to get more women into top jobs in the engineering and manufacturing sectors - both heavily male-dominated. She was clear, passionate and dedicated to her mission. 

Both candidates have established businesses - albeit small scale - Scarlett's already having a six-figure turnover. 

The three-day final challenge saw the ladies, with help,  create a new brand for their company, based on their business plan, produced a digital billboard and directed and edited a television advert.

The final task saw Carina reunite with axed candidates Pamela, 29, Ryan-Mark, 19, Jemelin Artigas, 28 and Thomas Skinner, 28 - with a stellar final advert depicting Ryan-Mark as a prisoner enjoying Lepore's Bakeries sourdough bread even raising a smile from Lord Sugar.

The other team's advert was poor and didn't say 'high end' to anyone however arguably Scarlett's presentation was better, more well thought out and direct. 

Although initially worried about how 'scale-able' Carina's family-run bakery would be when it expanded, Lord Sugar took the chance on the 'pocket-rocket’ baker who doesn’t bake and the new business venture after an impressive and robust presentation.

The final presentation started badly after Carina had to restart her presentation after she 'blanked out’, but again it demonstrates her determination and resilience - two essential and critical attributes for a modern business owner. 

Carina’s record on the winning team and leading as project manager made her stand out among the rest of the candidates, that alongside her winning mindset, her attitude and sheer determination meant she continued to consistently stand out throughout the series. 

She may be the strongest candidate, commended for an appealing plan and credible character, the risk free choice but is the investment in an Artisan bakery the wisest investment for Lord Sugar?

With only 50% of new businesses in the UK getting to 5 year (https://smallbusiness.co.uk), it seems somewhat naive that this year's winner is not worried or concerned about Greggs being a competition.

When high streets across the UK are failing and filled with charity shops and discount stores - are Artisan bakeries the answer? Let’s see if she can successfully scale Dough Bakehouse to other high streets.

So, was Carina Lepore a safe choice, the risk free choice, or simply the obvious choice, or a case of right person and wrong business - time will tell. 

As for Scarlett - keep your eye on her and her business Harper Fox Global, she's still around, passionate and following her dream. 

The programme ended with an appeal for candidates for the next series - so we'll be back with reviewers for the 2020 series! 

Pictures show Linda Davies Carr, the Master Fixer - more information here - https://www.themasterfixer.com

Also, the UK's only black woman to run her own engineering company in the UK, Roni Savage of Jomas Associates, who was one of the panels of experts with Lord Sugar in the final. 

My business takeaways from the final are:

• It’s ok to mess up a presentation, take a moment to compose yourself and carry on. Everyone is human, the audience will understand and you’ll get respect from getting the job done.
• Choose how to differentiate yourself and your business. People are attracted to and are curious by different.
• Demonstrating consistency and reliability is a key skill.
• You need to believe in yourself first and learn how to build your resilience in order to stay the distance.
• Building a successful business is a marathon not a sprint and you need to be able to play the long game.

Written by Linda Davies-Carr, a business coach known as The Master Fixer