[Closed] The apprentice.

Toni and Guy dodged a bullet. 😆

[quote=wwaswas spake unto the masses, saying]he's got the option gambling on a big return from a potentially worldwide dating app.
He'll have to put a lot more than that in (or dilute his holding substantially) before he starts seeing a return - I think they'll struggle to get the platform written for that, let alone market it etc.

Do you imagine for a second that this is actually about starting a successful business? It's an ego trip and publicity stunt for lordsiralan.

I would have thought the date gaming app could be copied very quickly by one of the big established dating sites , but she'll do a very professional and structured pitch . Jo has a great work ethic but he's only suggesting a franchise opportunity built off very local success and isn't as business savy as Vana .

I find the show too embarrassing to watch; it's all about inflated egos and the "get rich quick" mentality. I would love to see an older, more mature person with genuine business experience dropped into the show as a wild card.

Jo has a great work ethic but he's only suggesting a franchise opportunity built off very local success and isn't as business savy as Vana

You do realise that it's not really a selection process for that tosspot to find a £250k investment opportunity?

I would guess his fees for appearing are way in excess of that.

I'm not a business person, but would a plumber really want to pay for a franchise, when there doesn't seem to be great difficulty starting out as a plumber by oneself (qualifications/knowledge/experience notwithstanding), wherever you are? There are successful plumbing businesses everywhere without having to pay someone else £30k a year for a company logo.

would a plumber really want to pay for a franchise,

I agree but there seems to be dozens out there.

[url= http://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/homeimprovement/your-plumber-franchise-07179/ ]http://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/homeimprovement/your-plumber-franchise-07179/[/url]

[url= http://www.ukgasfranchise.info/ ]http://www.ukgasfranchise.info/[/url]

[url= http://yourplumberfranchise.com/ ]http://yourplumberfranchise.com/[/url]

Have look at all the smart repair companies out there , most of those guys could manage on their own but still pay out for a franchise . Some people like the feeling of being part of an established company .

Are they dreaming this up on the spot? 12 weeks and now they're actually having to present their business plan they're still thinking up the name?

Why would competitors like British Gas or Match.com give advice if they thought Lord Sugar was serious about investing in either candidates.

Well well. Joseph is quite a character!

I'm really surprised that LS decided on Joseph. I really thought he would have gone with the dating app - she came across really well, was smart and knew her stuff - although I'm struggling to believe she waited until then to find the cost to develop the app, why not save a huge amount and have it created abroad?
Nice bloke aside, Joseph is a plumber with a big idea but not much more. He jumped on the smart tech idea quickly but had never even thought of it before then which shows a lack of knowledge/foresight.

Maybe LS had no option if he wanted to remain in [financial] control of the business.

Edit: I see that Vana has now ditched the dating app idea and has a wine business! Says something about her original idea I guess, maybe LS was right.

Re the dating app, without backing she wouldn't make it work, + the cat's out of the bag. I fully expect one of the big dating companies to do it under a different brand. I'm sure she'll make some pennies consulting on it or selling the idea. (Though I bet ls has the IP stitched up on that too)

Personally, I'm waiting impatiently for the moment I can first use the Amplumb app, which I see as a kind of Uber for plumbing.

Think she might have sold the idea to Match.com the amount of times the word match got used in the you're hired after show.

[i]He jumped on the smart tech idea quickly but had never even thought of it before then which shows a lack of knowledge/foresight.[/i]

I'm not sure any of them quite grasped the idea of what the industry people meant by smart technology. They were referring to a building management system type stuff, but the people making the video interpreted that as creating an app to book a plumber.