The Apprentice is back on BBC with plenty of larger than life characters hoping to impress Lord Alan Sugar with their business plans.
There are 18 new candidates fighting for Lord Sugar’s enviable £250,000 investment and his mentorship on their business plan. From a pizza company owner to hair transplant consultant, there are a whole host of characters who want to be Lord Sugar’s next business partner.
With the help of Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell MBE, Lord Alan Sugar will find his entrepreneur. From day one, the candidates are on a slippy slope where they start out in the Austrian Alps where they are selling tour packages.
Throughout the series, tasks include creating a virtual pop star to jetting off to Turkey for a corporate hospitality challenge and marketing Easter Eggs. Of course, the final five face the fire in the grilling interviews week.
Amber-Rose Badrudin
Occupation: Owner, Convenience Store
Location: London
Business plan: My first business, Oree Mart, sold bubble tea and it was a hit. We removed it from our store to streamline operations, shifting focus solely to the convenience store model. However, daily requests for the bubble tea’s return inspired: Oree Tea, which will be a separate bubble tea (boba tea) shop, showcasing the best of Taiwanese bubble teas, leveraging a pre-existing, keen customer base.
Anisa Khan
Occupation: Owner, Pizza Company
Location: London
Business plan: My plan is to expand my pizza business by opening more dark kitchens in high-demand areas. This will allow me to grow the business strategically, introduce our innovative menu to more customers, and build towards establishing a nationally recognised brand.
Aoibheann Walsh
Occupation: Owner, Hair & Beauty Salon
Location: County Donegal
Business plan: I have designed a unique patented utility belt specifically for hairdressers, makeup artists, and costume designers on the go. In my experience within the beauty and hair industry, I noticed a significant problem: the tools that artists typically wear are often not functional, ergonomic, or aesthetically appealing, nor was there any focus on hygiene. This realisation drove me to create a tool belt that is not only ergonomic but also enhances the entire creative process.
Carlo Brancati
Occupation: Hair Transplant Consultant
Location: Middlesborough
Business plan: My business plan is to develop a user-friendly online platform that connects patients with the most reputable hair transplant clinics worldwide. The platform will solve the challenge of navigating a crowded market, where many clinics claim to be the best, by providing a trusted, easy-to-use resource for comparing clinics, accessing expert advice, and making well-informed decisions about hair restoration.
Chisola Chitambala
Occupation: Owner, Virtual Assistant Company
Location: Essex
Business plan: Imagine a world where entrepreneurs no longer need to navigate the labyrinth of traditional networking events or plead their case to disinterested investors. Our platform revolutionises the way entrepreneurs connect with vetted investors, eliminating the need for tedious bank loans or endless presentations.
Dean Franklin
Occupation: Owner, Air Conditioning Company
Location: Essex
Business plan: My business plan is to grow and expand my current business, it’s an air conditioning company that supplies and installs air conditioning units in homes or commercial properties.
Emma Rothwell
Occupation: Owner, Online Gift Store
Location: Originally from Lancashire, now based in Essex
Business plan: To evolve my already successful business to the next level. To create an online platform where anyone can upload their designs onto gifts and earn passive income. Creating a community of creators and consumers. To empower people who struggle with or can’t work a 9-5 to earn an income on their own terms.
Emma Street
Occupation: Corporate Project Manager
Location: London
Business plan: My business plan sets out to redefine coffee culture for the next generation, blending functional health with takeaway coffee. As a coffee and fitness obsessed GenZ, the most apparent gap in the market to me is the accessibility to takeaway coffee that adds to your health, rather than detracts from it.
Frederick Afrifa
Occupation: Motivational Speaker & Former Athlete
Location: Milton Keynes
Business plan: To expand my communication skills company with the purpose to help more professionals and entrepreneurs with their confidence when speaking.
Dr. Jana Denzel
Occupation: Cosmetic Dentist
Location: London
Business plan: My business plan is clear: scale up into a national force in the dental industry, offering exceptional care and innovative products. We currently offer general and cosmetic dentistry services, and we’ve recently launched our own oral healthcare product line, starting with a premium teeth-whitening kit.
Jonny Heaver
Occupation: Owner, Tutoring Company
Location: Originally from Kent, now based in Liverpool
Business plan: My business plan is to scale my business by expanding into targeted locations across the country and appointing regional directors with local knowledge to oversee them. Many large tutoring companies are based in London and grow online, which results in an impersonal service with tutors who have no local knowledge. As a business whose only asset is people, Lord Sugar’s investment would be used for targeted marketing and training.
Jordan Dargan
Occupation: Animation Entrepreneur
Location: Dublin
Business plan: I want to turn my one-man band into an orchestra of the world’s most talented 3D artists to take my business to the next level.
Keir Shave
Occupation: Owner, Telemarketing Company
Location: Leeds
Business plan: My business plan is a complementary business to my main outsourced Sales/ Telemarketing business. An online tool that is designed to help sales staff at all levels throughout their sales conversations. The tool is designed to provide little but constant support in the form of a “chat-bot” where the user can input their issue and the tool responds with ideas/tips around the sales objection.
Liam Snellin
Occupation: Owner, Workwear Brand
Location: Essex
Business plan: My business plan is to continue developing our product portfolio and investing in marketing our fashionable and comfortable workwear. When trades try our products on, they are usually impressed by the quality and fit and join our Community.
Max England
Occupation: Senior Account Manager and Former Tennis Player
Location: Surrey
Business plan: Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, with over 25 million people now playing. The UK padel market however is still in its infancy and is only just starting its growth journey. My ambition is to open a series of premium, indoor padel centres that service not only the general public but provide a base for those looking for the highest-quality facilities and the best coaching.
Melica Moshiri
Occupation: Owner, Tech Recruitment Company
Location: West Sussex
Business plan: A Global AI Tech Recruitment company focusing mostly on embedded talent and executive/retained search.
Mia Collins
Occupation: Meal Prep Entrepreneur
Location: Originally from Cheltenham, currently based in London
Business plan: My business offers a fully catered meal prep service, freshly cooked every week and delivered straight to your door. It’s healthy, balanced food designed and prepared by a bodybuilder—ideal for those with fitness and nutrition goals.
Nadia Suliaman
Occupation: Owner, Knightsbridge Salon Chain
Location: Originally from Swansea, currently based in London
Business plan: Introducing a new luxury product range with a twist, which incorporates an online application and members club for hairdressers, barbers and customers to interact with each other. The idea is to take the customer on the full journey and to be recognised as a one-stop destination for all hair, beauty barbering and retail product needs. The second element of the business plan is to expand into more locations across the UK and globally.
The Apprentice Series 19 premieres 9pm on Thursday 30 January on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
