Apprentice star signs up to inafishbowl
Former Apprentice star Claire Young has signed up to mentor fledgling businesses through East Midlands webumentary project inafishbowl.com. Young spoke to Insider about why she signed up to the project, and why she would “not aspire” to be on the latest series of the BBC reality TV show.
Young has signed up to mentor new companies across the Midlands through the inafishbowl.com ‘webumentary’. The entrepreneurs behind the business ideas are filmed for six months, ‘warts and all’.
She said that her reasons for signing up to the project, which was pioneered by East Midlands businessman Toby Reid, were simple.
“There are so many business websites, many of them with complicated jargon– this was a great, quirky idea, and such a simple concept. People can log onto the site, network and become part of a community.
“Starting a business is hard; starting a business in the aftermath of a recession is doubly hard.”
Young found fame on the 2008 series of The Apprentice – whereby serial entrepreneur Lord Alan Sugar whittles down 16 contestants to fins his next employee. Having finished in second place two years ago, Young said she “would not aspire” to be on the programme this year.
“A lot of people have been going through The Apprentice thinking that it’s a golden ticket to success – it’s not,” she said. “It’s a great platform, but you have to work really, really hard. Nothing is handed to you.
"A lot of the contestants in this series are quite contrived. The people who are fake and polished get found out, and won’t get anywhere. When you're constantly stressed and sleep deprived, your true colours really come out.”
Young will mentor several businesses through the project alongside Ben Way, star of Channel 4 reality TV show Secret Millionaire.
