So after weeks of anticipation the final of ‘The Apprentice’ hit our TV screens yesterday with all-female line up of candidates battling it out to secure the £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar.
Early this year key members of the business community attended the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London for the filming of the show. In-keeping with previous years the final candidates were pitching their business plans to Lord Sugar.
At the Quality Franchise Association, we are delighted to announce that our Chief Operating Officer, Ian Townsend was invited to sit on the panel of industry experts and quiz the candidates on their pitch, business plan, logo, branding and marketing.
The Quality Franchise Association is the leading ambassador for the promotion of ethical
franchising within the UK and offers support and guidance to best practice to franchise
businesses.
COO, Ian Townsend explains “I am delighted to have been invited to represent the Quality Franchise Association at the final of The Apprentice. Whilst in the past there seems to be a tendency to overlook the franchise sector as being an integral part of the business community, being asked to participate in such a great show demonstrates the increasing recognition that franchising now has within the UK economy.
I was genuinely pleased to have the opportunity to meet and speak to other members of commerce to discuss and promote franchising as a means of growth for business, in addition to having a great day with a diverse range of people.
As one of the industry experts Ian was invited to put questions to the finalists on their plans to grow and develop the business, specifically on the scalability of their business. Ian said “it was obviously from their replies that a significant amount of work had gone into the presentation and both candidates professionalism in presenting to a roomful of their peers was impressive.”
Overall on the day’s experience Ian commented:- “it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Whilst it is always interesting to see how the show is put together behind the scenes, the highlight of the day was really the opportunity to meet such a wide range of business owners from the different sectors and parts of the UK and the chance to compare notes on our respective experiences in business. I was also struck by the discussions and interest shown by businesses to the franchise model as an option for growth, which to me displays that franchising is most definitely coming out of the shadows to take a key place in the UK economy”.
Here at the Quality Franchise Association we would like to wish the winner the success in
their business and partnership with Lord Sugar, and look forward to seeing the growth of that
business and the launch of their first franchise!
