The Apprentice: LA FINALE. Tonight we finally find out who the producers chose to win.

[dillite]

Starting tonight's thread early before I forget all about it.

See you all at 8? 9?

I would have loved it if Sugar had told Mark he would have won, had it not been for his obvious sexism and outdated attitudes to the contribution women make to the workforce. ("Welcome to the team, we need a bit of beauty" Eh?!) YOU'RE FIRED!

The final is a big anti-climax. Neither of the propositions were particularly good. I'm bombarded with digital marketing companies trying to sell me a service, and on questioning, I find I know more myself just from being aware. Also, first thing I do if I'm considering a supplier is I google them as it's a fair expectation that anyone in that arena should do a good job on themselves. Mark didn't join Twitter until a few weeks ago. Yes, he talks a good game, but can he deliver? I fear not.

The business plans should be reviewed early on in the series, then at least there would be a chance there would be a decent business at the end of it.

And wouldn't it be nice if the plans were assessed on real value? i.e. what will this actually do for the world (other than make one or two individuals very rich).

@ larry

"What has happened to the businesses backed so far?"

All successful, bar Dr Leah's.

You can see their company accounts at companycheck.co.uk

Tom and the nail file is doing brilliant. Ricky's business is expanding and making a good profit.

Susan Ma did not win, but after the series LS went into business with her with the skin care products. She is doing the best out of all of them.

Dr Leah made a £50k loss in year one. A loss in year 1 can be expected in many businesses due to initial capital outlay, but 50k is a BIG loss.

I wonder what happens when LS backs a turkey. Will he just stop giving advice? With Dr Leah he is going to be waiting a LONG time to get a ROI.

Oh and I want CLAUDE to take over from Nick! That would be absolutely brilliant, he is scarier than Shuggs himself.

Yy to Claude replacing Nick. I luffs him.

Anyone else think sarah looks like she used to be a man??

Yes she does look like a man in drag.

I thought the Youre Fired with Sarah was the funniest of the whole series. Most candidates are a good sport and do not mind having a laugh at some of their stupid moments. Sarah looked genuinely offended by Dara's jokes.

I can't understand why Bianca did not go for an online product as the amount of stock needed for each department store to hold would have been enormous.

15 shades x matt or gloss, small, medium, large and extra large sizes equals a huge number which I think unmanageable, plus always ensuring there is a shade card available.

However on line volume isn't an issue. You can guarantee every product will be available. No rakeoff for the store so the price would be more reasonable. Very easy to put up a glossy website with the colour charts easily available. No negotiations with stores to take the product.

Really missed a trick imo.

destiny - as I said in my long ramble - the problem with that is you have to make all that stock and store it ...huge initial outlay.
Then how much hassle would it be for a factory to dye and package just a few pairs of tights....they could be turning out hundreds of thousands of pairs for primark in one colour ...they stop their machines and do you a hundred (say) of each colour/style/size (still 12,000 pairs of tights to shift!) That is going to cost a lot more to manufacture - you are never going to be able to compete on price ...

£250K would rent a large wRehouse and staff and pay for the initial stock and the magazine advertising. At least that would to me be a lot less than to rent warehouse and staff etc as above, but on top have to have suppliers to stores, liaise with the stores (hundreds) give the stockists a rakeoff.

It is a good idea but online is to me the only workable solution. Why on earth did she stick with department stores etc. the winner was an online business after all and she could have combined the two ideas and had a more viable idea.

I preferred the bloke actually much more of a team player who listened, which Bianca didn't!

I think you would struggle to make that business successful -even just online ...but I agree that would be the only way to have any chance of making it work...
And online only people would struggle to get the right shade for them without seeing it in the flesh ...you would need to send out samples or set up 'stalls' in a department store for people to choose and then order online...
And to get noticed - fantastic targeted advertising - which isn't cheap. You would need to get someone like Mark on board

yes, but the show itself is fantastic advertisement 'as seen on tv'

Mark is selling nonsense. In fact what is he selling? SEO aka emperors new clothes or a combined digital marketing service? And as a pp pointed out ges only just joined twitter which is a bit

I think The Apprentice has a problem. Throughout every series the people who sell the most are lauded. Most of the tasks come down to what team sold the most. The minute any of the candidates are asked to design anything it is often pretty poor, with a few notable exceptions. Sales people sell what other, more talented people, have designed. All of the winners of The Apprentice are selling services, they are not designing or creating anything.

There should be far more rigour applied when the candidates are selected. The problem then is that this would probably not result in a field of good looking, sales clones who all dress and look the same. We might even get a few people who are nudging 35 or don't look so good in swimwear! Heaven forbid!

Woohoo Mark. I do fancy him.

Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge (her proper title according to Private Eye) gives good frock.

Re tights: I once bought a very expensive pair of tights. I was on holiday in the States and got a huge hole in the heel of my tights and in a huge hurry I had to panic buy a pair. This was in 2009 (last holiday pre DC) and I still have them. Ladder free. True story.

Checks label on expensive tights

Calvin Klein.

I think the initial set up costs for Dr Leah's clinics would be enormous.I don't think her Y1 results in any way indicate failure.

Mark is selling nonsense
True but he is very successful at selling it!

Bianca has a brilliant image, but that's all she is.Absolutely no substance.

SkaterGrrrrl can I ask what you paid for them?

Anyone else think Katie or Roisin should have won based on their ideas?

All of the winners of The Apprentice are selling services, they are not designing or creating anything

Tom's a designer/inventor and from memory didn't he win on the basis of a product he'd designed before entering the competition? the curved nailfile?

Bianca had absolutely no business plan, she was making it up as she went along, the pricing was scattergun, the range likewise as she heard feedback and we never once heard anything about her costs.

This series was even more of a farce than usual. Why allow candidates to get so far when their dodgy CVs / business plans are available for scrutiny by Al & his sidekicks right at the start?

This show is not about business, it's about entertainment. They are all pantomime villains we love to boo and hiss at. If they are really as horrible in real life as they come across on the TV, then no one would in their right mind work with them.

My friend Jade made the final 4 last year and was booted out because Lord Sugar didn't think her business plan was valid as it was replicating the industry that she had been working in and it would be one of many similar businesses. She has just opened an overseas office and is going from strength to strength, all down to her own hard graft. Funnily enough she wasn't invited back to be in the audience for Your Hired

I did think that was odd... Roisin critised for not doing her market research and not being aware her product was already available and trying to go mass market...
Bianca not having a clue how much to charge for her tights (must have said £35 in her business plan!), knowing 'ethnic' tights are already available and then being told she needed to go mass market
It is just entertainment...but still compelling viewing...

She also secured her domain name prior to the show unlike Mark. www.climbonline.co.uk

Totally don't get the 'match your legwear to your legs' thing - I have spent my life trying to make my legs look as far from au naturelle (hairy spam) as possible.