Columnist

What happens in life after The Apprentice?

Yorkshire Editor Clare Burnett speaks to new Bdaily columnist and former Apprentice star, Neil Clough on life after the show, new business ventures and what Alan Sugar is really like.

How’s life after The Apprentice?

Brilliant, it’s been quite overwhelming the response I had from the show. I’ve been getting involved in a number of businesses and in the process of setting up my own. I’ve also been doing a lot of professional speaking at different events.

So was it your experience on The Apprentice that made you want to go into motivational speaking? Well, there was a task on The Apprentice, the corporate away day task, where we delivered a motivational speech as part of the evening entertainment. I went head to head with a professional speaker on the other team, so all looking doom and gloom for me at this moment in time, I thought, “How am I going to be interesting to 35 or 40 Barclays bankers?” It turned out in the end that I delivered the speech and seemed to touch a lot of the people there with my story. It came from my Dad passing away from cancer when I was 18, and why I’m so driven to make him proud of me and how I applied to the The Apprentice to make a success of my career. We won the task. I got a lot of credit from Lord Sugar and Karren Brady, who said it was the motivational speaking that ensured we won the task, and it was a big turning point for me on the show.

Did you prepare that one?

I didn’t have anytime to prepare it, typical kind of Apprentice. Leah, the project manager, thought we’d have some time to prepare. Unfortunately we got there, I was given a microphone and put on the spot with no time to prepare and off I went. It was a little bit ‘off the cuff’ but it proved to be a success. I was nervous to start off with, but once I was up there to speak I found it really natural and really enjoyed it.

Where else have you visited to speak?

Since then, I’ve been invited to speak at loads of different events. Last week I was in Aberdeen speaking to over 600 people there which was quite nerve­wracking. I’ve been in schools, colleges, universities, business expos (where I met Bdaily in the North East) and companies. The motivational speaking side has really taken off, and I’m really grateful as I never expected it to go so well as it has. I really enjoy it so I’m looking forward to doing more of it in 2014.

Do you have any tips for fledgling public speakers?

I’ve always delivered presentations so I suppose it wasn’t entirely new to me in terms of speaking to large groups. It’s something I’ve done in the corporate world, as many Bdaily readers will do as well. You have to have enthusiasm and passion when you deliver speeches. I wasn’t a complete novice but at the same time, speaking to people about a story and being able to engage with the audience can be quite challenging.

…and do you still get nervous?

Every time I go to speak I’m always nervous for the few hours before it. I’m thinking “Am I going to fall over when I walk on stage? Am I going to get my words mixed up?” I get nervous, but only because I want to do a good job. I love to inspire people. If they say to me “You’ve inspired me to do something I wouldn’t have the courage to do before”, such as setting up a business. If I’ve inspired one person, then for me that’s definitely worthwhile.

Has your experience on The Apprentice inspired you to set up your own business?

Yeah absolutely, I’ve worked in the corporate world now for probably about 15 years. I got myself into a management position as a Regional Manager at Goals Soccer Centres. I have people reporting to me but I’ve never had that courage to step out of my salary job into the unknown as an entrepreneur and I think the longer the years went on, the less likely I was to take that risk. You get promotions, you get a pay rise, and then it becomes a bigger risk, turning your back on a salary for something that may not work at all.

It’s nerve­wracking, that’s why I have so much respect for entrepreneurs who sometimes risk a hell of a lot to set up their business, they have to really believe in their idea. The Apprentice was a win win situation, it could give me a business investment from Lord Sugar, with his network of people, and it would help project my career. I’d do well in it and come out with a good reputation. I could then look at going down other ways to set up my own business up, with less risk because I earned that reputation, got a better profile and people would be more likely to invest in me.

I’m really grateful that happened, I’m at the next stage of my career off the back of The Apprentice so that the time is right to look at different business opportunities.

So tell us about your new business venture?

I am in the procees of setting up my own sales training and consultancy business, because I’ve basically done that for 15 years. I went into The Apprentice with a business idea but came out of it thinking why didn’t I utilise what I knew. I’ve always done sales, sales training and marketing strategies. People come to me asking, can you help us with this in terms of sales and training? You listen and learn where your skill set is, so that’s what I’m looking at in terms of my own business.

The professional speaking is a business in itself and has taken off, as long as people are interested in my story I’m really keen to tell it. The story I’ve been telling is my motivation in life, why I want to be successful in business, and obviously Apprentice stories. Next year I want to evolve that into what I did next and the businesses I got involved in. I’m also getting involved in a couple of businesses which I will be excited to announce soon.

Tricky question, but what do you think when people say that shows like The Apprentice are just reality TV, and have no value?

It’s difficult because The Apprentice is a mixture between reality TV and business. I’d say there’s a 50/50 split, it is TV­orientated, it is about pulling in viewers. At the same time there’s some really credible people in there. From going through the process, I’ve seen how intense the process is, and how difficult it is. You’re expected to set up a business in a day, launch it the next. That would never happen in the real world, but you get expected to do it in a task. Mistakes are made, but the people that do well are the people that learn from their mistakes. You make a mistake, you deal with it, you don’t let it get you down, you learn from it, and you come back and you respond to it. They’re the people that do well in The Apprentice.

I’d agree though, its half and half. I’ve watched it year after year, shouting at the TV, but now I’ve done it, and I know people will be shouting at me on their TV screens.

Mistakes are made, that’s what makes good TV. It’s so intense when you’re in there, but it is a genuine investment. When you’re in that board room, it’s as real as anything. Lord Sugar is a businessman, he goes into detail, into the thick of it. Into who’s lost it and why, just like being in a really intense boardroom.

Are you still in contact with the other prospective Apprentices? Would you ever consider going into business with any of them? I’m in contact with many of the guys from the Apprentice, with Alex, Miles, Francesca, Leah and Louisa. When you’ve shared that experience, that once in a lifetime opportunity with people, you’re going to make some good friends. I wouldn’t count it out going into business with any of them but it’s not on the cards at the minute.

If you could pick one thing that you’ve learned from The Apprentice that you’d want to share with the business community, what would it be?

One thing I’ve really learned from The Apprentice, I don’t think I’ve paid enough attention to it before, is the power of networking. It’s always good to keep in contact with everyone you speak to, they can help open doors, give advice, coaching, support. If you don’t know something, find someone that does. There’s always someone out there who knows, probably better than you, so never be afraid to get their advice.

And finally, what’s Alan Sugar really like?

He’s got a massive presence about him. When you meet him, everybody’s so nervous because he’s so successful at business, and everyone knows him, he’s such a public figure. I’d say he’s firm, but he’s fair. There’s 100 hours filmed for every hour. You go through a lot of detail, but he gives everyone a fair opportunity to speak.

Have you got any ideas for your Bdaily column yet?

One thing that I’m really keen to do, and it’s not just for young entrepreneurs, I’ve done a lot of talks in universities, colleges, and different businesses. I know how hard it is to set up a business and go it alone, so I would like to share my experience of the corporate world with people who are potentially keen to set up their own businesses. I would also like to share updates with Bdaily readers on my journey into starting up my own business.

Neil can be followed on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/NeilWClough)

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .