Good evening and welcome to a blockbuster two-hour whopper
Apprentice final special. What a roller-coaster it's been,
18 plucky candidates battling it out
to have Lord Sugar's phone number on speed dial
and be his next business partner.
Within the hour, Alana or Courtney will win
his £250,000 investment, so join me here on You're Hired,
where we'll meet the winner, the runner-up and Lord Sugar himself.
But first, pop your Apprentice-watching socks on,
sit back and enjoy Alana versus Courtney
in the final of The Apprentice 2016.
MUSIC: Dance Of The Knights by Sergei Prokofiev
NARRATOR: 11 weeks ago...
I need to see who's got a good business brain.
..Lord Sugar began his search for a brand-new business partner.
I feel so angry that not one of you geniuses ran this thing properly.
18 hopefuls...
I'm not getting angry, I'm just telling you my point, cos you're not listening to my point.
Please, stop talking. Please, for the love of God.
11 testing tasks...
We're meant to be grown-up women, we're acting like little schoolgirls.
- That's not cool. That's not cool. - Now for one candidate...
Your best hope for 250 grand is to buy yourself a scratchcard.
- ..a quarter-of-a-million-pound investment. - You're fired.
You're fired. You are a loose cannon. You're fired.
Previously on The Apprentice...
You're going to present to my trusted advisors.
..business plans...
I have a lot more outgoings than ingoings.
I was a little bit spendy happy on that.
You can't be running a business and be spendy happy.
- ..and candidates... - When I've asked you just the simplest question,
- you don't know. - ..got picked apart.
I've wanted to smack you over the face to wake you up.
- Where's the passion? Come on! - This is actually worse than childbirth.
- In the boardroom... - I'm only interested in a big business.
- ..Grainne's make-up school... - Oh, you're not even qualified yet? - No.
- ..didn't make the grade... - I just can't see this. You're fired.
..Jessica's clothing company was out of fashion...
It's a very, very risky idea. You're fired.
- ..and Frances... - All your invoices and bills go into your handbag.
- ..ran out of chances. - You're fired.
Then there was two.
Now it's Alana versus Courtney.
You're the one person standing in my way of £250,000.
This investment is mine.
One will become Lord Sugar's business partner.
6am.
PHONE RINGS
- Good morning. - 'Lord Sugar will meet you at City Hall.
- 'The cars will be leaving in 20 minutes.' - Cheers, thank you.
- For the finalists... - We're going to City Hall. - ..it's head-to-head.
Quick slash and dash.
I'm slightly apprehensive going into the pitch.
It's something I do get nervous doing.
However, I want Lord Sugar to be my business partner because I
believe he can help take me to that next level.
Throughout the process
I've struggled because people have put me down.
This is all about me, and I know my stuff,
so I think it will be all right.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
City Hall...
London's political powerhouse
and location for Lord Sugar's final showdown.
- Good morning. - Good morning, Lord Sugar. - Good morning, Lord Sugar.
Welcome to City Hall.
As you are aware, a lot of big decisions are made in this hall.
I've got to make a very big decision.
I've got to decide which one of you
is going to win my £250,000 investment.
This is your last opportunity to convince me it should be you.
So for your final task, I want you to launch your businesses.
You need to brand your company and then in a few days' time
you're going to be coming back in here and you're going to be
pitching to me and 200 industry experts.
Now, we've got a lot to do,
so I've arranged a few people to come and help you.
So, ladies first.
Why don't you choose one of these ex-candidates?
I'd like Grainne, please.
- Er, Jessica, please. - JESSICA: - (Congratulations!)
Frances, please.
Karthik.
I'd like Rebecca, please.
Sofiane.
INDISTINCT WHISPERING
And Oliver, please.
Paul, I was going to choose you anyway, mate.
- LAUGHTER JESSICA: - Dream team!
Now, Alana, you already run a small bakery company.
Well, I will need convincing that your new business can grow
into a giant brand.
And, Courtney, you're going to need to convince me
that you can design and sell novelty stuff
in very big volume if you want me to invest £250,000.
So, I'll see you in a few days' time. Good luck and off you go.
Good luck, Alana.
Two days to prove plans can become profitable partnerships.
JESSICA SHRIEKS
- Congratulations! - Well done, you. You're in the final.
I'm so glad you guys are back.
- I'm so glad you chose us. - I'm so glad... Yeah!
OK, I am aware that I've chosen very big personalities
- and characters as well. - Yeah.
So I think that could play into my advantage if I can show
Lord Sugar that I can lead.
I'm just wondering how many people saw their friends
and just started picking their friends.
We know that Courtney and Jessica are quite close
and that was his first decision.
- Is that a business decision or is that a personal decision? - Yeah.
First for both finalists, put their plans to the troops.
For those of you who don't know, it's a cake manufacturing business.
- Where is it produced, Alana? - It's in West Wales. - OK.
So it's like very country kitchen.
- Can we taste them? - Help yourself, guys. - What would you recommend?
- Oh, my gosh. - Mm. - Alana, the quality of that chocolate.
- They're amazing, Alana. - Wow.
I feel like there's a lot to do
but I've managed to get everyone I wanted.
I've got branding,
I've got food, I've got organisation and I've got Grainne.
SHE LAUGHS
Briefing his team...
- So these are my own products. - Is this yours? - Oh, these are so cool.
..novelty-gift designer Courtney.
The ice-cream scoop was my first product.
This is the idea that it could, er,
yeah, melt hearts with ice cream on Valentine's Day.
So Lord Sugar's set me the task to show him I can sell huge volumes
of each product.
Do you want to set up your own online store?
That's definitely an area that we want to push.
Lord Sugar will want to be looking to make money fast and quickly.
- Next, a big company... - The brand name needs to be fun, cheeky...
- ..needs a bold new name. - I can give you some ideas that I've just had.
Bingo Bongo, or Ringo Dingo.
I mean, are these items all pocket-sized?
- Small... - Yeah... - Pocket Pleasers, or...? - Pocket Pleasures.
GENTLE LAUGHTER
I'm not feeling it. I'm like, I'm trying to listen to what's being said and I'm like,
I just don't like anything that's been said.
- I'm going to draw up some of the names... - Go on.
..and then we can try and brainstorm and...
- I just had the idea of Bonkers Conkers. - No.
I don't want to sound like the fun police,
but maybe I need to be a little bit...
Genuinely, I think Courtney really needs to up his game now.
Bingo Bongo, Billy Bingo, whatever...
They're rubbish, they're complete rubbish, and he really needs...
I want him... I want him to really grab a hold of it and win, I do. I do.
Do you honestly believe that there's a global brand
sitting on that wall? Because I don't.
Aiming for a distinctive brand name...
Gooey's a really nice word.
- It gets across the feeling you're getting when you're eating those cakes. - Mm. - ..Alana's team.
- The peanut butter's quite rich, isn't it? - It's ridiculously rich, yeah.
"Ridiculously rich." I quite like the way you said that.
- Ridiculously rich? - When you said it it sounded really cute.
Why would you want your brand to be "ridiculously"?
What about Oh, My Bake?
Oh, I like that!
You know when you're on your recipes,
that you are quality and luxury?
Ridiculously Rich has that in it.
Next, assign roles.
There's the logo.
- Obviously Rebecca's going to be coming on to that. - Absolutely.
- COURTNEY: - As regards to a sub team,
I'd want to put Jessica in charge of that,
and then Paul and Sofiane will be with you.
- OK, brilliant. - Are you happy to get on with that
and then call me when you've got some more information?
Courtney's put Jessica as sub-team leader
in charge of Paul and Sofiane.
Well, last time I saw them work together it was a disaster.
Neither would listen to the other and it ended up in a huge row.
Let's hope for Courtney's sake they don't play those games.
11am.
- Good luck. - See you later. - Good luck.
Half the team head off to create a digital sign.
We need to get this really, really eye-catching and different.
I think, you know, between me and you, we can be eye-catching.
Soho.
LIFT BELL RINGS
For Courtney's team, a novel approach.
This ten-second video needs to be really, really fun,
so you've got costumes,
banana costume, burger costume, there's sausage costume...
I think if we get dressed up in fancy dress it's going to be a joke.
- I think it's going too novelty. - Yeah, I do.
We should have us messing about with a lot of different things, give us the footage...
- Yeah, I agree. - So how's our messing around...?
Just... Just random, I don't want it to be constructive, cos then it looks wrong.
I don't like the idea of fancy dress.
- I understand, but we're not going for it. - No... - We've got limited time, let's just get on with it.
Obviously Paul and Sofiane, very big personalities,
they both like to bicker.
I've got vision, I'm visualising this as a video.
- Yeah, but... You've been asked to do something, you're not even doing that. - Yeah.
My strategy to manage Paul and Sofiane, I'm going to try to rein it in and...
- Oh, it's going to... - There you go...
Sorry, Sofiane, look, you're distracting, it's going off course.
I think I'm doing a good job of it. I'm managing two idiots, man! Of course I am!
OK, so cut.
I think we've made quite a vibrant, colourful video.
- You know the Alana me and you know? - Yeah.
How do you think she's going to get on with Rebecca?
Sometimes Rebecca's very good at going off track.
- And thinking something's great when it's not. - Yeah.
Back at base...
The way you go, "They're ridiculously rich, they're tasty,
"they're gooey," when you said it, I went, "Oh!"
..Alana's team cook up her cake brand.
- You were describing your cake. - Yeah.
And those are the kind of words that really engage people.
Ridiculously Rich is quite good.
I'm going to go with Ridiculously Rich.
The problem about the name they've chosen, Ridiculously Rich,
is it has no unique selling point.
What Lord Sugar is looking for is something that really stands out,
is going to make really big sales, and at the moment,
I can't see how Lord Sugar's going to be able to invest in her.
- ALANA: - Can we put the cake stand underneath the writing?
I think that looks really nice.
Mid-afternoon.
What time do you have to go home?
Still with no name for his novelty business, Courtney.
You know, I like the idea of Light Bulb.
Light Bulb sounds a bit obvious,
maybe Bright Bulb, or Bright Bulb Moments.
Bright Bulb Moments.
Courtney hasn't been particularly decisive.
He's very focused on the name.
He's not actually thinking about the overall task
and what needs to be done.
- KARTHIK: - Cheeky Moments?
Instead of saying the word cheeky, I'd rather use a character
- that is regarded as cheeky, like a monkey or a llama. - Ah.
- KARREN: - He needs to prove that he can design great products
and he can sell them in huge volumes,
or God help him at the presentation.
- What's your favourite animal? - Whale.
- And what's your favourite colour? - Purple. There we go.
Well, you decide, right?
Yeah. Purple Whale.
In a short space of time,
I don't know if you're able to draw, like, a little whale.
- Shouldn't be too ambitious. - Something like that?
You know what? I just have to go with it. It is what it is.
- Can you sell it? In your pitch? - I'm going to need to sell it. - OK.
Next into the studio...
- Hello. - Hiya. - How are you? - How are you doing? - I'm very well...
..Ridiculously Rich.
The main products are these.
Alana doesn't make cupcakes, so she's dressed as a cupcake.
Chef Grainne comes in and doesn't approve and I throw this over her.
Do I scream luxury?
Definitely not.
I know it's luxury, but we're trying to put a little bit of fun element into this.
Mm. No time for cupcakes. Come try our Ridiculously Rich cakes.
Mm...
6.30pm.
- Hiya. - Hi there.
To help pitch Purple Whale, Courtney seeks out coaching.
I'd say I'm a confident person.
However, when put in the limelight, I get a bit nervous.
So what we're going to do is try and get you to let go a little bit.
I've seen Courtney pitch and it's not a pretty sight because he's
incredibly nervous and he has no presence.
He really needs this coaching,
cos he really needs the pitch to go well.
We're going to do one thing now which, er...
which might be a bit weird.
Energetically, how does this change you?
- I feel more open, I feel... - Yeah?
- ..that I can see more. - So just explore a little humming sound.
THEY MAKE HUMMING NOISES
The worst thing for me to happen in that pitch is to get nervous
and start hesitating.
Just to warn you, I'm going to put my hands around your waist. Off you go.
Hopefully I can come across a lot better to the audience,
the business advisors and Lord Sugar.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Courtney Wood and I sell my product range
into 17 different countries through a network of five distributors.
OK, excellent. Go back to that point. Do it again.
Who wouldn't want to stop to see what's going on?
I'm throwing flour in your face, for God's sake.
- Finishing off their digital sign... - I like it. - I like it.
..Grainne and Frances.
- You've got the logos. - Yeah. - Can we have a look?
That is not Alana.
- Or... - I don't know who's come up with this.
- It looks like the Women's Institute or something. - Ridiculously shite.
Well, if they wanted to get "ridiculously" into it,
they've definitely done that. But this to me is Rebecca's influence,
this is not Alana's personality to me.
She is going to have to change this.
Phone her.
PHONE RINGS
- 'Hi, Alana!' - Hi, you all right?
'So, we've just seen your logo.'
What do you think, Alana? What do you think? What do YOU think?
- What do you mean, what do I think? It was my decision. - 'Do you? OK.
'We just...'
I just... I hope... I hope it does work out,
I just have me doubts about it, to be honest.
What are you feeling that you are going to achieve
by digging something out that we've already created?
What are you hoping to achieve?
This is why with the input in the past
things have failed, because people do not get behind something.
We've got to be behind Alana on this. This is her bread and butter of the business.
We just wanted to tell you. OK, you've gone with your brand. Fair enough, OK.
'What have you guys been up to?'
'We have come up with a concept on the interactive board.
'There is Frances standing in a cupcake outfit first of all, right?'
Did you say something about cupcakes?
No, we're saying we don't have time for cupcakes.
You don't have time for cupcakes?
'And then we're introducing your Ridiculously Rich...'
home-made luxury cakes.
So there's no-one in a cupcake outfit?
Fran is in a cupcake advert, but then she's put out of shot. We have to go.
- Bye, bye... - Bye, bye, bye...
- Well, she didn't take that well, did she? - No.
No, she didn't take that well at all.
She's going to hate this, you know. I have a feeling.
10pm.
- That's the logo. - Oh, I love the logo.
I think they've done a good job, haven't they?
Just 15 minutes before work must stop.
What was the strapline?
"Want a little gift? Make a big impression."
- Small, like small text. Yeah, let's go for that. - Yeah?
I look at that and I'm bored.
Right, you're really missing the point, Sofiane.
No, I think you're missing the point, trust me. Big time.
- I'm not, trust me... - We're going to place this in a shop...
- Do you know what? This is getting really, really childish now. - Yeah.
- I think we're overcomplicating... - I agree with Paul.
Is this campaign going to wow some people that really know what
- business is all about? - Oh, God, it just looks really bare.
It is what it is, innit?
God, I'm mortified.
I actually don't think we've helped him. I'm just pissed off.
Bottom line, I'm pissed off.
9am.
Good morning, guys. How did yesterday go?
Yeah, it went all right, didn't it?
Yeah, it was good.
Stressful, or...?
It was kind of, like, agree and disagree.
You know, we came up with something at the end.
- Do you want to show me it? - Let's have a look.
And that's the back.
You've just made it clear, clean,
simple, and I'm really pleased that you guys have done that.
I'm glad you like that.
Right, I really want to see what you've made.
'No time for cupcakes. Come try our Ridiculously Rich cakes.'
LAUGHTER
You goons! Oh, I like it, well done.
I'd just like to say,
if I came across like I wasn't keen yesterday,
uh...I'm very sorry, it's really good.
But when you're describing someone dressed in a cupcake suit
with flour being chucked in their face, your mind wanders a little.
Today, both teams must create TV ads.
Right, so, the advert is it's a lady coming into a cafe.
Every day she's buying one of my cakes.
But what we need to put across is
cakes that people come back for time and time again.
The TV advert needs to be fun, so it's all about keeping it cheeky.
Are you guys happy working together on the advert again?
- I'd like to swap, if I could. - OK. I'm cool with that.
Sofiane, I know you're good at directing.
So that's what I want you to focus on.
However, Jessica will be in charge and she has the final say on it.
It's happening again, he wants Jessica to lead the whole advert.
'So I'm going to make it very clear that today is my day,
'let me give you my best ideas and we need to use them.'
And it's for Courtney's best interests.
So, I'm excited to have the dream team!
I think we're going to have loads of fun today.
One thing I'm really conscious of,
we've literally got about three hours to shoot this video.
We've got plenty of time, we need to...
- But we don't... - We need to have the idea very straight.
I've got an idea and it won't take 20 minutes talking about it.
It wouldn't, it wouldn't. Let's try that, boom, done.
Do you know what, if you think we should do it
and it rolls off the camera easy, do it.
Farringdon.
- Hi, Maureen, lovely to see you... - Don't say Maureen. - Why?
It's totally unnecessary.
Bringing character to Alana's cakes...
Who do you know that is my age and called Maureen?
I know people your age, my age, they're called things like Carol.
..first-time director Frances.
It just sounds like we're making a joke of it.
This isn't a joke for Alana.
- Oh, my God, are we honestly standing here arguing over a name? - We are.
Be that Maureen.
Smile.
That's Maureen!
- Hi, Maureen. - Hey! - How are you?
- I'm here to collect the cakes. - And cut.
There's something missing compared to yesterday that we had
that you can't even word, you know?
Did you see it? You saw it on camera. Do you know what I mean?
Honestly, truly, I feel like her brief was
her cakes need to be luxury,
they need to be high-end and bring a story around it.
How do we make that story have more...?
We need to have more energy on camera, really more...huh!
Today, it seems any sort of cheesiness or funness we've tried to put into it,
it's very dampened by Rebecca.
Just because it's luxurious doesn't mean it has to be dull.
Right, I want personality. Be Maureen.
- I am Maureen. - Action!
- What do you fancy? - Can I have a quick rocky road, please?
- Course you can. - Thank you. - There you go, my dear.
- I'm sure I'll see you again soon. - You will, I'll be back next week.
- Thank you. - See you later, bye!
I loved that!
North London...
So, a husband and wife, it's their anniversary.
..location for Purple Whale's epic tale.
The husband's forgotten the anniversary.
What he does, he orders some love-heart ice-cream scoops,
then he presents them to his wife, everything's happy.
That's the basic concept.
So you walk in.
And you shut the door.
- So you just walked home. - That's it? - Yeah. - Cool, let's go with it, yeah.
- Do a few, go on. - It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.
Sof, remember what we said? Let's not get...
- Quickly, quickly, one second. - It's the second time.
Three, two, one, action.
Sofiane, I know, will think he's in charge of this TV advert.
However, I'm going to take charge and I'm going to make sure that
Courtney is going to be proud of the video.
All we want a shot of, Alex, is me passing Karthik the card.
- Do you want to say to him, "Do you know what day it is?"? - No, I don't.
He wants it to be cheeky, remember.
- I tell you what, I'll say it. I'll say it... - He wants it to be cheeky.
- What you do, you go from smiling... - Let's move.
..into, like, a shocked face. So...
- I think he knows what he's doing. - Yeah?
Happy anniversary, honeybun.
OK, right, next scene, Sofiane.
- Why doesn't he be on his phone ordering from Purple Whale? - Action.
Hello, Purple Whale? Could I order something really quickly, please?
- Action. - You melt my heart, just like this ice cream is melting.
Happy anniversary.
Lunchtime.
Packaging brainstorm.
We're lacking a little bit about your USP behind your brand.
What's going to really make you stand out?
For Alana, a branding rethink.
I'm trying to dig into something to make you different.
- Gluten-free, or it's... - It's not gluten-free.
I know it's not gluten-free,
- maybe have you looked at the Welsh flag or something? - I don't know.
All I'm suggesting is just about what is, yeah,
the uniqueness of you and your humble beginnings
and where it all began.
You could have on the box, you could have, like, my signature.
- It's your seal of approval. - Yeah. - Yeah. - I like that.
The penny has finally dropped,
and Alana has recognised that what is unique about her product
is her, it's Alana.
But given that the pitch is tomorrow,
they are beginning to run out of time.
They've got an awful lot of work to do today
in order to put it all together and make it great.
We want to redesign the logo.
Ridiculously Rich, by Alana.
Get rid of the cake stand and put in a bit of ownership.
God, it is a bit better, isn't it?
South London.
Aiming to pitch a new novelty gift tomorrow, Courtney.
The product that I'm thinking of doing is, like, a baby sippy cup,
a bit like a beaker but it's got two handles and it looks like
a little trophy or a cup, so the kid's a winner,
so it looks like he's lifting it up and going, "Yeah!"
- But then he can go... - I like it.
I feel like it has an underlying message
that maybe I'm wanting to be the winner.
Yeah, I'm a winner. Why not?
- I'm going to create a winning baby product. - Yeah.
Next up, a leading design and prototype agency.
Maybe we can have a little base
that you can store little snacks in there,
then we can also add it so that you can put football badges on that
and then we can sell them to football teams,
and just another commercial side of the product.
This prototype has to convince Alan that he has ideas that will sell.
But this is a flooded market.
He's come up with a sippy-cup idea. Is that original enough,
is that unique enough? Does it make this business investible enough?
I don't know.
That's looking great. I'm really pleased with how that's come out.
- What do you think, Paul? - Yeah, I like it, I like it.
1.30pm.
- Um... - Deadline for cake packaging looming...
Let's go with description,
chocolaty biscuit fudge filling and a chocolaty topping.
..a last-minute change of plan.
Going to leave it in Oliver's capable hands. Thank you very much.
- Oliver, is everything all right? - Only, just one quick question,
what do you think of the Welsh dragon with handmade?
No, because I'm putting some text on the back that says about it
being made in Wales.
- Anything with that... - No. - OK.
Packaging handed over, Alana's next stop, the TV advert.
I mean, it's a tough decision I need to make.
I was thinking,
the USP, I was thinking of having maybe the Welsh dragon on the back,
on the front with the dragon, then "Handmade in Wales" to the left,
if that could be encompassed on...
OK, I mean... Did she want that?
Well, I think if you have a customer, I'm just trying...
Because not all of the customers...
They'll see it, and if somebody sees "Handmade in Wales,"
it could go, you know, it's quite important.
- Well, we could go with that, then, if that's what you think. - Go with that.
4pm.
'"Happy anniversary, honeybun"?'
THEY ALL LAUGH
Editing their TV ad, Courtney's team.
'Hello, is that Purple Whale?
'I need something amazing for my anniversary right now.'
I thought Courtney's business was an online shop,
not a phone-up mail-order business.
Why isn't he ordering it online?
I think the thought process behind it,
a lot of people order things now on the phone rather than the laptop.
Really(?)
- 'Hello?' - Hi, Courtney, you OK?
Yeah, good, thank you, how's it going your end?
Yeah, it's going really good. Pretty much exactly what you wanted.
'Well, actually, it's, like, 95% exactly what you wanted.
'What's the other 5% that's different?'
I'm just going to put you on to Sofiane.
Courtney, so, basically, the initial idea was
'someone makes a phone call and he's talking to your company.'
There was no point where this was ever a mail-order,
phone-order product,
it's always been an online product, from the concept.
OK, can you just say "Order online," and then do it tapping the phone?
- All right, mate. - Perfect. - Thanks a lot.
- Cheers, bye. - 'Bye. - Bye.'
- I know. - You can't do nothing now, so, you know, don't focus on it.
But, obviously, you didn't need that.
I feel a bit for Courtney.
He's given complete trust to the sub team to produce the advert.
He's relied on them and I think in some respects they've let him down.
Show me typing into the phone and show me saying "Yes,"
so I've done it online.
- Perfect, yeah. - Movie magic.
Just one hour left...
- 'Hi, Maureen! - How are you?'
..to add Alana's signature approach to Ridiculously Rich.
Hello!
THEY ALL SCREAM
- Oh, my God! - OK, so, brand change, logo's changed.
I've put my name in it.
- Ridiculously Rich by Alana, and it's signed by me. - Well done, Alana.
- Right decision. - Well done.
We need to do a little bit of filming here now with me
and you need to edit that in. I know it's loads of stress.
Maybe have me at the beginning, as a voice-over,
and then at the end, me speaking straight into the camera.
- Right, so let's get this done, then. I need to shoot off. - OK, yeah.
- Go. - We can create cakes for your cafes and your delis.
We concentrate on making our products home-made and luxury,
and we use the finest Belgian chocolate in all our projects.
- Perfect. - Yes? OK, got to go. - Right, let's start editing.
- Bye! - Good luck. - Bye.
I'm so glad she's changed that logo,
me and you made it clear to her yesterday that we didn't like it.
8pm.
You think that would work, this sort of orangey?
Left in sole charge of Alana's packaging...
There's so much choice as well. Um...
..Oliver.
Um, right. I feel, Adam, that we should...um...
Yeah.
Let's see what we've got here.
Slight... I am, slightly, I'm not going to lie, I am a bit panicked.
You know, this is almost...my time, my time to shine.
But I'm also now on the centre stage,
and I'm feeling a little bit...
HE BREATHES IN HEAVILY
..a little bit concerned.
Here we go.
9am.
Wow, guys, here it is.
Today, the finalists present their companies to Lord Sugar.
Oh, my gosh! I love it!
That is incredible.
- I love it. - I love it.
- Works well with the orange tissue. - It's so good.
- I wanted to go for the provenance... - Overruled!
And I thought, you're from Wales, it's home, you know?
- That's what they love. Pretty, isn't it? - Well done.
I think you've done a really good job.
They're lovely, well done, Oliver.
But first, a chance to test their new brands on the public.
I want you to do the consumer testing
and then feed me back any information,
and then, yeah, I can try and put that into my pitch this afternoon.
And then, hopefully, be crowned the winner.
Teams dispatched...
Pitching has to be two things, it has to be educational
and it has to be entertaining.
..for the finalists, last-minute pitch preparation.
The only thing that makes me real nervous is that
I'm pitching 250 people and what is at stake.
- Talk as if you're talking to me. - OK. - Right. - 17 years... Hold on.
- OK. - Breathe. Start again.
Hello, everyone, I'm Alana and I'm the founder of Ridiculously Rich.
- It's so hard, it's so hard, it's so hard. - It's not, it's not.
Back to the start.
East London.
Oooh!
Time to see if Purple Whale makes a splash.
- What sort of company would you say this is? - Photographic company?
If you was to just see this on its own, does that pass the message?
- The actual name of it doesn't tell you what you do. - OK.
Purple Whale, I don't get it.
And then you have to read the small print.
I think it should be a little bit more bigger.
- What do you think of the colour? - It stands out. If you look around here,
- there's not much purple, so I'd say a good colour. - Thank you.
12 o'clock.
For the finalists, pitch pending.
The biggest worry for me is that I go on
in front of them all and just go blank.
No, you're not going to go blank.
- You're going to nail it. - Yeah. - You are.
- Aren't you? - I'm going to nail it.
You'll be fine, you'll be absolutely fine.
And you know what, I'm there next to you.
I may be on the laptop but at least you have a friend next to you.
You have already won this task by preparing that amazing product,
with your history, with your business plan,
and, you know, the video.
So I think you've already won it. This is just the culmination of it.
Go in with that and the fact that
you just have to be better than Alana, you'll get it.
You'll win it.
West London.
- Oh, that's amazing! - Guys, this is excellent. - So funny.
Alana's team seek feedback for the pitch.
- If there were two words to sum up how that looked? - Tasty. - Yeah.
- Perhaps expensive. - Oh, right.
- Rich stands out. - Yeah.
Busy, though. It's a lot on one circle.
- OK. - Could you see that on a supermarket shelf?
I can, but I wouldn't really look twice at that.
Right, guys, I think that that was really positive feedback,
there's been some good constructive criticism as well.
City Hall.
Landmark for London.
Today, pitch location for Lord Sugar's finalists.
This is where you're going to win it.
How are you feeling? Are you feeling nervous?
You wouldn't be human if you wasn't nervous
at the thought of giving a pitch...
- Remember, the fight's not won in the ring, it's won way before. - Yeah.
And you've won it.
My God, my heart's racing already.
Erm...
I am so passionate about the products that I create
that when people ask, "What's your USP?",
I say, "Me."
Erm...
I'm sorry, I'm really, like, getting overpanicky.
Here they are.
First, a chance to filter through the feedback.
- How are you? - I'm fully prepared,
I just want to try and get some information from you guys,
- see if I can add that in. - Yeah.
- Did you find out much this morning? - Yeah, we did.
We found out that everyone liked the colour purple.
They said it was different,
there's not really many brands out there using that colour, purple.
In terms of reading the logo, Purple Whale,
they didn't understand what it is, but then the tagline,
so, "Little gifts, big impressions", that kind of gives them
a little idea of what industry it's in.
But the only thing they said on that
is the tagline could have been slightly bigger.
With Purple Whale, you wanted to do something
that people don't really get, so they look into it more,
and I felt from today's research that's what you've done.
Well, thanks for the info.
That's what's hopefully going to win me the investment.
Is. Not hopefully - is.
I think what's really important is that we stress to her
that the core of the consumers loved it.
Obviously there were negatives in them,
but I just think it's just now about building her up.
- Hi. - Hi there. - Hi, you.
- How'd it go? - Loved it. - Top, fantastic. Really good.
- They loved it. They loved the packaging. - Really?
Yeah. And it hit the luxury market, so that's covered.
I know this sounds really bad, but anything bad?
It was just all positive.
4pm.
Settling in,
top names from British industry,
including experts from the worlds of giftware...
..and baking.
- WHISPERING: - I started in my parents' little country kitchen
in West Wales.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Courtney Wood,
- and today I'd like to present to you... - Louder.
..Purple Whale.
Good.
We're in place.
Hoping to treat the experts to a tasty pitch...
APPLAUSE
..Alana Spencer.
'This literally means everything to me, now.
'Everything I've done since I was 17
'has been leading up to this one huge moment.'
Hello, everyone.
I'd like to introduce you to my brand, Ridiculously Rich.
I started when I was 17 years old
in my parents' little country kitchen in Wales...
..but this business can be a huge, nationwide business.
I've got six, six core, erm, products...
..that you've all... I think you've all had a selection,
a selection to taste, so these aren't, these are...
in no way limiting us, limiting me,
but, erm, these are the ones that I've worked on
and absolutely perfected.
They are luxury, and they're home-made,
and my secret recipes are...
Well, they're just that, they're secret recipes.
LAUGHTER
So, what makes me different to all of the other people out there?
And I genuinely believe that that is... That's me.
So, how do I see the business growing?
It's a three-pronged attack, essentially.
There's the food festival and event side,
which is the side of my business that I know
like the back of my hand.
Then, there is the cafes, delis, anywhere that sells a coffee
will also be selling Ridiculously Rich cakes.
Finally, I propose the same products to go into retail
in individual portions,
and this is what you've got in front of you here.
So, how do I see the growth of production itself?
I propose to outsource the production of my products.
OK, so I'd like to show you the little ad that I've worked on, now.
'I'm Alana, and I established my company, Ridiculously Rich.
'We concentrate on making our products home-made and luxury,
'and we use the finest Belgian chocolate in all our products.
'Ridiculously Rich.
'Cake so good they'll keep your customers coming back for more.'
# I said, hey, I put some new shoes on
# And everybody's smiling and it's so inviting, oh
# Short on money but long on time... #
I'd just like to say
this is something that I know 100% I can make a success.
Thank you for listening to me,
and I would like to open the floor to questions.
As an owner of a retail outlet, what's very important to me
is to understand the price that I can buy these things for,
- and the price that I can sell them for. - They would be a pound per unit.
You know, they retail at three pounds a slice,
so it's a nice bit of money to be made.
How will your brownies stand out from the crowd?
The personal touch, you know.
I think if I can grow this brand so people know the brand as me,
you stand out amongst the competition.
The packaging is obviously very important because they need to...
they need to be instantly grabbed by that.
Alana, you take great pride in saying that you're made in Wales.
So would this manufacturing plant be in Wales,
and will Wales still be part of your selling point?
I mean, the Welsh thing, it's so important.
And I would propose to keep the production in Wales.
Thank you all so much for your time. Thank you.
APPLAUSE
- You've done it! - You were brilliant!
Buzzing. Buzzing!
- You were amazing. - Yeah!
For Lord Sugar, expert feedback.
I think artisan, handmade, luxury, Wales,
I think it's a terrific story.
But if you went to outsourcing,
you lose a sense of the personality behind it all,
and the personality also sells stuff.
They tasted really nice.
You know, it's nice with the kind of handmade in Wales bit,
but is she going to be able to find someone that can do it in Wales?
As long as she can prove that the quality is maintained,
I don't think there is a major issue,
in fact I think it's probably more of a positive from my side.
With designs on giving the perfect pitch...
..Courtney Wood.
'Lord Sugar's posed the question, "can I build a scalable business?"
'I hope that I can eliminate all doubt from his mind.
'You don't get many opportunities in life to shine,
'and I feel that I've got this opportunity
'to show Lord Sugar what I'm made of.'
Well... Er...
Well...
So, hello, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm here today to present to you a new brand of novelty gifts,
Purple Whale.
I chose the name as I wanted to stand out from the crowd,
and I wanted to make it sound a little random.
The tagline, "Little gifts, big impressions",
that relates to the unique and quirky gifts that I've created.
We've also created a television advert.
'Happy anniversary!
'"Happy anniversary, honeybun."
'Honey, I'm just going to get changed, all right?
'I'll just order something online.
'(Oh, yes!)
- 'Hi, honey. - Hi!
'This ice cream is melting. Just like you melt my heart.
- 'Happy anniversary.' - LAUGHTER
'Purple Whale.
'Little gifts, big impressions.'
Well, I'm pleased to hear that some of you enjoyed that.
LAUGHTER
The pricing for the products that I create
is usually between the £5 and £15 mark.
Now, I can achieve high volumes of sales
by successfully getting my products in with high-street retailers,
and I'd be very confident I could sell 10,000 units.
I also need to sell through my own website.
As I am the manufacturer of my products,
I will earn very large profit margins.
I believe the key to the success of me moving forward
is building great products,
and I've been busy over the past 24 hours
creating a trophy baby beaker that was...
well, created since yesterday morning.
It's designed so babies can take a sip of success with each mouthful, really.
LAUGHTER
There are many options we're
looking to do with this product.
Now, I know there's a few football fans in the room here today.
I've put one of the beakers in claret and blue, of West Ham,
for Karren.
And then the other one
we've got in blue and white for... who I think are the best team,
Southend United.
LAUGHTER
As you can see, that's a product that I've been able to create
in a short amount of time,
but I believe I've got the potential to create an even bigger range.
Is there any questions anyone would like to ask?
How do you plan to stop other people copying your products
and taking away your identity?
That is a concern,
but the way to eliminate that is to actually successfully
make that product for a good price.
Being a product designer but also managing this company,
that's a lot of hats to wear.
How are you going to manage that?
I would always be open to the idea of having
someone running the business side of things for me,
cos I do know that my core strength is actually on the creative side.
Courtney, high volume comes through big retailers.
I'm just wondering as to why they would be buying off of you.
Retailers will be buying into the brand.
They'll be buying into a trusted brand
that they know create quality products
and continue to bring out good, innovative ideas.
I believe that's the main key to my success,
is that I build unique and original products.
Thank you.
APPLAUSE
CHEERING
APPLAUSE
Well done, dude, well done.
Thanks so much.
My concerns are he's talking about £10 items.
You've got to sell a hell of a load of those to run a business.
The particular product he showed us was great, it was terrific,
it was really well thought through.
He needs a lot more of those, because it's a horribly competitive,
very fickle market.
Novelty gifts already is anchoring yourself
in a throwaway, niche market.
His ideas are the currency of what he trades in, clearly,
his ideas are fantastic.
I think he's a really exciting talent.
You know, he needs a guiding hand.
Yeah.
After pitching to 250 people and the pressures of today,
I'm feeling good, to be honest, yeah. I'm...
It went well.
I'm thinking, going to that boardroom,
I've got a very good chance of being Lord Sugar's business partner.
I've shown Lord Sugar, if he goes into business with me,
what I have to offer.
I think it could make us both potentially...
- ridiculously rich! - SHE CHUCKLES
Tonight, there's nothing more the candidates can do.
Tomorrow,
the final boardroom.
You can go through to the boardroom now.
Well, past candidates, welcome back.
Thank you for assisting the two finalists,
I'm sure that you're happy to see them through to the final.
We'll start off with Courtney's team.
As a matter of interest,
it's always intriguing for me to understand
why you chose this particular team.
Yeah, I wanted everyone in my team to have strong personalities.
- Ooh, you got that! - Yeah!
I chose Karthik due to his pitching capabilities.
I felt he could help me.
Also Paul brings that kind of devil's advocate, he's critical,
but it's constructive criticism.
We don't charge for smiling in here, Paul. You know?
CHUCKLING
- So, the first thing you had to do was come up with a name. - Yeah.
We came up with quite a few names.
I just wanted it to be different and sound random,
so it would stand out cos I make quirky, unusual gifts.
Mm-hm. Bingo Bongo. Ringo Dingo. Bonkers.
Is that yours, Karthik, Bonkers?
- At one point we had Pocket Pleasures... - Pocket Pleasures.
..which would have conjured up a whole different type of business.
- LAUGHTER - Yeah. And you ended up with...
- Purple Whale. - Purple Whale.
OK. So we've got our name. I asked you to produce billboards.
Yeah, I sent the sub team off to create the digital screen.
Jessica was in charge of Paul and Sofiane.
So, Paul and Sofiane.
It's not a sub team, then, more like a rematch
of Rumble in the Jungle with you two, wasn't it?
- I think all three of us, it was... - Yeah, it was an interesting day.
It was quite interesting.
To be fair, I think we all pulled together and we managed to get
lots of different small video clips,
and then we had a puppet in there
- just to make it a little bit more fun. - OK.
Did the actual screen itself show your products?
- No, it didn't. - No, it didn't. - No. - Right.
This reminds me sometimes of when
creative people get carried away making television adverts
and we watch them, and my wife turns to me and says,
- "What was that about?" - Mmm. - "What are they selling?"
So, go on, we've got this Purple Whale, yeah?
So with the tagline, what we make is little products for around £10,
so "Little gifts, big impressions", being that
if you give someone a small gift
we want it to have a big impression in their life.
It's a shame you couldn't read that strapline on the billboard
- very well. It was quite small, wasn't it? - Um, yeah.
OK, so we move on to the television advert.
I wanted to make sure that Karthik was in that,
and so as well as his acting skills,
- that's why I wanted to... - His acting skills!
- Might be a new career. - Yeah.
I wouldn't hold your breath, son.
ALL CHUCKLE
He'd forgotten the anniversary. To be honest,
she probably doesn't want to be reminded of being married to you,
I have no doubt, but you were happy with it being a bit cheesy.
Yeah, I thought that would help follow the brand
- and what we're trying to create. - Yeah. What did we do after that?
On the second day, me and Paul went to a design studio
to create an idea I had for a new product,
which was a trophy baby beaker,
so kids can pick it up and look like a winner.
I wanted to show you that we can create a product that
we could sell to a high-street retailer.
I mean, that product there is...
made in 12 hours, that's just stunning
and I could see that selling straightaway.
It would, I agree. Let's move on to the presentation.
How do you think you did?
It seemed like the presentation went really well.
- The evening before, I went and met a pitching expert and he... - Yeah.
- ..gave me some advice. - Really helped you, didn't it? - It looked good.
Yeah, looked all right to me.
You didn't see Courtney when he presented the Astro Badger
when he stood on stage looking like he was about to be sick,
and the difference between that and your pitch at the final,
- I thought, was remarkable, so very well done. - Thank you.
So, you were very pleased to help represent him, yeah?
- Definitely. - 100%. - Surprised that he's got this far?
- Not surprised. - Not surprised at all?
- Not too much. - Not too much?
ALL LAUGH
- By a little. - Well, I'm not there, am I? He is.
No, no. We know you're not there, that's for sure. Blatantly clear.
Now, Alana, why did you choose this group of people?
I got everyone I wanted in my team.
Rebecca is in marketing and I needed someone that did that on my team.
The two ladies, Frances and Grainne, they're just strong women,
and Oliver is in the food industry,
which is exactly what I want to go into.
- So that's a good choice, right? - Absolute wealth of knowledge, yeah.
So we've got Ridiculously Rich...
- Yeah. - ..by Alana.
That's your brand name.
Yeah, we went to create the first logo after that and...
Yeah, it was... It wasn't amazing.
Um...
But we decided to change it the next day, so everything was OK. Um...
- You just brushed over that. - Yeah... - Why did you change it the next day?
Because I realised I wanted to be the driving force of my brand,
- so I wanted to actually put my name on it, and that name... - Good idea.
- ..also is the assurance to the customer. - Yeah, I like that.
- And, Lord Sugar, I wanted... - KARREN: Which includes Alan. - Yeah.
That's my cross-dressing alter ego, I think.
- Really? - Yeah.
Right. Good. So let's move on to the television advert.
- Can I perhaps just introduce you to... - Maureen? - ..Maureen? - Right.
That was not on my instruction.
- That was something they took upon themselves to do. - Yeah.
The advert concept that we came up with was
if you take our cakes on board in your cafe, you'll get repeat custom,
so that's why we had the same person coming back a few times.
- OK, so it was deliberate, then, was it? - Yes.
Then, halfway through the day, when that brand got changed, put my name
in it, I thought it was really important that I move myself over.
I saw you featuring quite a lot in the advert,
to show that, "It's my company," and I think it was a good idea.
OK, so, while all this was going on,
- you trusted young Oliver here to deal with the packaging. - Yeah.
I told Oliver, "Don't make any drastic changes besides the colouring..."
You informed him, "Don't talk about Wales,"
but he couldn't resist it and he put the dragon on there.
I wanted a strong marketing message for Alana
and I think we should concentrate on the provenance of her brand.
- He did a good job. - Done a good job, didn't he? - A very good job, yeah.
OK, so, presentation-wise, was you nervous?
Yeah, I was incredibly nervous. It's the longest walk down those steps.
Do you think you did OK?
Yeah, I do, and I think all the questions that got thrown at me
I managed to answer well.
Credible winner?
- Yes, definitely. - Definitely. - Yeah.
You can see the difference in Alana from the whole process,
you know, from week one to now,
and I think a lot of people would probably be shocked at the fact
that she's in it, but she deserves to be here.
- When she started off, she was very, very quiet. - Yes.
If I didn't know better, I'd have thought someone had taken a super-injunction out, but...
Good. Well, look, thanks a lot.
You've been very, very helpful to me
and obviously been very helpful to the two finalists, so thanks a lot,
and, well, good luck to you all.
Thank you very much.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
- Good luck, yeah? - Thank you.
All the best, mate.
Keep your chin up, OK? Good luck.
So I'd now like to talk to you a little bit more
about your individual businesses.
Alana, it's day one, you've got my £250,000,
- you're working in your little kitchen there... - Yeah.
How are you going to scale that up for me?
I would take myself out of the kitchen and I would be going
and visiting not just the independents
- but larger retailers... - Right. - ..and cafes.
Right, so I'm Mr Cafe Owner. Why am I not going to say to you,
"Well, you know, I can get these brownies from anybody"?
Yeah, I would absolutely try and grow the brand,
the brand recognition.
With the retail packs which are for snacking, they're the...
Yeah, they're the ones that you would grab with your sandwich
- and they're just... - So you pack them up singly like that. - Yeah.
And that, in my view, is how you would get your brand across,
if they were drop-dead delicious and someone came in and bought one,
goes back to the office and said,
"You've got to try these, they're great." I understand that.
What I don't understand is when this is wide open sitting in a cafe
somewhere, how do I know it's Ridiculously Rich by Alana?
I would absolutely make sure that they had things to,
you know, the product list, so that they can have that on their display
to get the brand out there...
A cake's a cake, isn't it? A brownie is a brownie, it's a bit of a cake.
It is, but the brand that I want to put forward is exciting cakes,
they're different cakes. I will be at the forefront of my brand
and people will want to buy into my brand
because they like what it's about.
All right, well, Courtney, I heard you tell people yesterday
that your pricing is between the £5 to £10 to £15, yeah?
You ain't half got to sell a lot of items
to turn this into a big business.
Yeah, it's about getting that one killer product
- to really bring in that money. - Well... - And I think
this new product I've created has the potential to be
- a killer product. - Yeah. I think this is very good.
I think you'd have six months at this, right,
before someone else knocks them off.
I've never been short of ideas.
I've got ten ideas ready for next year.
I've got that planned out because I know that's what my time constraints
and my money constraints can allow me to do.
Yeah, there was talk of you branding this in claret and blue,
for example, for West Ham, or blue and white for Spurs.
It might show a little bit of naivete.
Karren will tell you that if you went to West Ham and said to them,
"I want to make that in West Ham colours," the first thing
West Ham would say to you is, "Good, how much are YOU going to pay ME?"
I don't know, what would you say, Karren?
20 grand, upfront licensing fee?
Yeah. I mean, you get some cheap clubs like Spurs and then
you get some more expensive clubs like West Ham or Manchester United.
Your 250,000 wouldn't go very far.
OK. Well, what you've highlighted there is actually
having the official brand licences.
- Mm-hmm. - However, I could actually make that in claret and blue colours
- and then sell it as a generic trophy in their colour schemes. - Yeah.
OK, so... Listen...
This is a very, very important decision for me to make now,
so I'm going to ask you to step outside,
and when you come back in, you're going to be telling me
why I should be choosing you as my business partner, OK?
So, off you go. See you soon.
Well, I've got a difficult task there for myself now.
Both very credible candidates.
Both very similar dilemmas, really.
It's all to do with scaling up, isn't it?
I mean, what's true about Alana is she certainly knows her products.
Where she struggles, Alan, is understanding how to run a business.
You need a completely different skill set to running something in your mother's kitchen
to going out and being a big distributor,
but that's where you come in.
That's where you can really help her.
Courtney, I think he's got a particular skill and that is
in design. He might just hit on one product that just is a killer.
You ever come across a designer that's got any commercial sense?
Few.
He may be one of them.
Well, in my case, I was also a bit of a designer but fortunately
I could design them and then get them into the marketplace.
Perhaps he's someone else like me.
PHONE RINGS
Yes, Lord Sugar.
'OK, can you send the two of them in, please?'
Well, I had a talk with Karren and Claude.
It's a difficult decision for me to make
because it's such a valuable prize.
So, Courtney, I'd like you to tell me why you think
you should be my business partner.
I've met with the biggest high-street department store
and then they actually placed a big order with me last year.
- However, I was too small to actually fulfil that order. - Really?
I believe that my business now, it's just ready for that growth stage.
I believe with that £250,000 investment
I can make it a big success
and I think Alana, she's a very creative baker.
However, she's not a businesswoman.
To say I'm just a baker is absolutely a load of rubbish.
If you compare the two of our businesses,
I turn over, a year, less than you do.
However, my profits are much higher
and business, in my opinion,
is all about making as much profit as you can,
so to say I'm not a businesswoman is an absolute load of rubbish.
Well, I've already sold my products to five distributors
across the world. I've already got my products...
Five distributors across the world,
whereas I sell at events every weekend - literally just one event
a weekend - and I turn over a profit of way more than your company does,
and the margins on my products are far greater than
the margin on Courtney's products.
Yeah, maybe, but every time I make 3,000 products,
I break even with the cost of development of that product...
- You can recover your tooling costs. - Yeah. And so from that point on,
you've then got a lot higher gross profit margin than Alana.
He claims that my investment's going to aid him
to bring out more products and bigger volume and bigger customers.
It could potentially be bigger volume but how many times is
someone going to order a bunch of baby bottles? You might buy one.
His products are very niche, whereas cakes is something
that people buy as a treat, possibly every day.
20 million people in the UK do buy novelty items,
so I believe the market's there.
OK, listen...
This is a very unusual situation I have here at the moment.
You're both one-man bands. Your both products are very low price.
You've both got to kind of scale up, really.
I have a dilemma here at the moment. Um...
Alana...
I fully get it that you make some great stuff.
I know the margins are good
and I think this one's got a lot of potential, but having said that...
..Courtney, manufacturing and all that type of stuff that you do
is like nothing to me, I mean, I've done it all my life,
so I could certainly assist in your business, no question of it.
It's a tough one.
Alana...
The cakes - the advisors that I had yesterday said they were good stuff
and maybe you can convince people
that they've got to go and buy Ridiculously Rich by Alana.
But...
..people say to me, "Stick to what you know."
In fact, I'd go as far as to say
that when I didn't stick to what I know, I lost a lot of money,
and that's the gamble that I've got to take.
But I've got to make a decision and I've got to go with my gut feeling.
So...
..Alana,
you're going to be my business partner.
Oh, my God. I will work so hard.
I will, 100%, I'll make it work, make it happen.
Thank you.
(Well done.)
(Thank you.)
So, very well done. I'll catch up with you later.
Well, I've got myself a great winner,
but I think Courtney's a good lad
and I admire what he's achieved so far, but I think, you know,
Alana's business was interesting,
that she's grown throughout the process and I think that
with my backing we can turn this into a very big business.
Yeah!
I can't believe it. I can't... I can't believe I'm the winner.
It's mad.
This is definitely going to change my life.
If I can pull it off, it's going to be an incredible business.
The future is looking bright.
18 candidates.
One investment.
Lord Sugar's search for a new business partner is over.