Copper boilers, a builder that would put Del Boy to shame, and tears and tantrums, are there any more classic combinations for an Apprentice episode? Lord Sugar’s challenge of turning muck into brass (as long as it was copper) brought the first win for Team Logic and the loss of be-gloved Edna.
It was another task, as so many are, that was lost by Venture within the first throws. Zoe failed to see the merits in Susan’s spark of genius and was blown out of the water by a clever Logic move to not charge for waste removal and therefore win the three crucial commercial contracts. Less impressive was team Logics scout party led by Jedi Jim, the Norn Iron Obi Wan, and Tom berating hapless residents in their own homes in what must count as the most unlikely and scariest Rag and Bone combo since Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin popped to Alderaan for spare parts (Star Wars references for those not quite as sad as me!). In fact I’m still not sure why Jedi Jim felt he had to use the PA, surely he could’ve just used his powers to make them answer the door – he obviously didn’t want to show off.
Enough Star Wars references, this was waste wars and it did show with some hard physical graft, just what it takes some new businesses to get off the ground.
Unless you are lucky, in the early days of a business there is no one else to pack the rubbish, drive the van, do the negotiation, clean up after and then arrive home tired, hungry and dirty and have the bookkeeping and administration to do before a couple of hours sleep and doing it all over again. It may have been rubbish, but it could well have been any kind of business you’d like to mention.
Getting new businesses off the ground is a hard and often lonely task, and sometimes the rewards for a day of graft are as little as £6. It is these times that you really need the support of a network of colleagues, contacts, friends and mentors – as well as advisors and dare I say bankers (something that seems to be severely lacking for many at the moment). It is this network of people that every new business owner needs (indeed every owner/entrepreneur regardless of their business) and sometimes cannot find.
Back to the episode, and leading team Logic, Helen was clever enough to realise that the risky strategy of not charging could secure the contracts and win the task. Though it is worth pointing out this wouldn’t have worked as a long term business strategy, this was about winning an Apprentice task, and so needs must.
I’ve mentioned Helen in my previous blogs only once, and that is mainly due to the fact that up until this episode she has been anonymous. Her calm organisational skills certainly helped in leading Logic to the win, however it should be said that even with three commercial contracts they did only win by £6. So Helen’s skills really do still remain a mystery. On the other hand, the ‘flaky’ (as she has been described by her teammates) Susan yet again hit on a winning idea, but didn’t have the force of will to push against the increasingly bullish Zoe (who survived the boardroom again, largely due to Lord Sugars desire to oust Edna).
Where did this all leave us? The list of potential fits with Lord Sugar looks to be heading along the lines of that in my previous blog, and as we see more of the candidates personality, the easier it is to see just who Lord Sugar could work with.
I get the impression that Lord Sugar has already separated the copper boilers from the steel baths that scrapheap is about to get a lot fuller.
Star of the Week: Tom Pellereau I don't think there has been an Apprentice candidate more happy to win a task.
Got Lucky: Zoe Beresford. Does Lord Sugar have a soft spot for feisty Zoe, or has her choice of final 3 saved her.
Heading for a Fall: Helen Lousie Milligan. More as a question of whether she believes her own hype after what was a £6 win.
For Twitter updates on The Apprentice don't forget to follow me @simonbrooke
No comments:
Post a Comment