Apprentice winners who ditched Lord Alan Sugar, but lived to regret it
Lord Alan Sugar has invested millions of pounds into winners of The Apprentice over the years - but not all of them have stayed loyal.
When the show started, the candidates were competing for a £100,000-a-year job in one of the tycoon's many companies. But now winning the BBC show comes with a whopping £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar himself. A handful of previous champions have used the opportunity to build money-making empires, but others have hit rock bottom.
As Series 18 continues on BBC One tonight, we take a look at what happened to some of the business partners who parted ways with Lord Sugar and why they lived to regret it...
Joseph Valente - Series 11 (2015)
Joseph received Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment in 2015 (PA)
He was forced to sell his business (Instagram)Joseph Valente split from Lord Sugar just two years after he invested £250,000 into his plumbing business. Joseph announced he would take full control of ImpraGas - but they parted on friendly terms. At the time, Lord Sugar said: "I'll still be on hand to offer any help and advice required. I wish Joseph and ImpraGas all the very best for the future and will follow their progress with much affection."
The Apprentice boss divested himself of his interest in the company, with Joseph acquiring his shareholding and taking full control of the business. Joseph added: "I am so grateful for everything Lord Sugar has done for me and I could not have asked for a better partner in the early stages of my business career. I owe him a great deal. I am confident that with the winning business model we created together, I can continue to grow the business successfully."
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In the summer of 2020, he was forced to sell his boiler installation business amid reports it owed almost £2million to creditors. ImpraGas was sold for an undisclosed sum, safeguarding jobs, but shell company VBH Assets, co-owned by Joseph, entered into voluntary liquidation, owing £1.9million to creditors.
Joseph - who became a father in 2021 - opened up on his battle with depression and public shaming after the failure of his company, but said it made him even more determined. "It hit me very hard, I was very depressed for a couple of months, and one day I woke up and thought, 'There is no way I am going to let this destroy me,'" Joseph told the Mirror.
"I had my credibility and my reputation to rebuild." He started from scratch and his course to support new and existing businesses on how to grow, Trade Mastermind and Power2Succeed, are going from strength to strength.
Alana Spencer - Series 12 (2016)
Alana Spencer won The Apprentice back in 2016 and bought Lord Sugar out (PA)Alana put the £250,000 into her baking business Ridiculously Rich, and set up an ambassador plan with Lord Sugar. She exclusively told the Mirror her turnover went from £100,000 to an expected £450,000 in a year thanks to winning The Apprentice. The queen of cake bought back Lord Sugar's shares and became the sole owner and director of the firm in 2019.
Alan said that the knowledge and advice he and his team have given her during the early stages had been 'invaluable'. "A little while ago I had the amazing opportunity to buy out Lord Sugar from Ridiculously Rich and take full control back of my business," she explained on social media. "It was an exciting, crazy, scary few months while the final details were being agreed and sorted, but something I am so grateful for."
She added: "Working with Lord Sugar has been an incredible experience and I have learned such a lot in such a short space of time. I am so grateful for his time in Ridiculously Rich by Alana." Wishing her luck, Lord Sugar said: "I will follow Alana's progress with much affection."
In 2020, Alana launched her first cafe in Aberystwyth, Wales, followed by a branch in Llandudno in 2021, a kiosk by a paddling pool. The eatery was closed over winter due to the weather, with Alana saying it had been a "tough year for businesses" and thanking customers for support, saying it was "goodbye from us until 2023." However, she confirmed that "unfortunately" she had to shut the cafe for good last April.
James White - Series 13 (2017)
James White and Sarah Lynn both won in 2017 - but it didn't work out too well for James (PA)Lord Sugar couldn't decide on a winner in 2017, so in an unprecedented move, he picked both James White and Sarah Lynn. Admitting he had always been a gambler in business, Lord Sugar said: "This particular year, I'm going to double my investment… I'm going to start a business with both of you."
He invested a combined £500,000 that year, with half going to James' IT recruitment firm and the other half into Sarah's confectionary company. It was a rocky road for self-proclaimed 'Del Boy' James who was said to have suffered a series of 'unfortunate setbacks' and lost £30,000 in the first six months in his IT recruitment company, Right Time Recruitment.
In December 2020, it was revealed that James and Lord Sugar had parted ways but The Apprentice boss was reportedly letting him keep the money he invested. "I wish James all the very best for the future and will follow his progress with interest," Lord Sugar said in a statement. James added: "I am very grateful for everything Lord Sugar has done for me. The knowledge and advice gained from Lord Sugar and his team has been invaluable."
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- The Apprentice airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tonight at 9pm on February 8.
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