Entrepreneur Alice in Sugar’s firing line
Alice Smith (centre) with two of her team mates in 1940s costume during their losing task.
YOUNG entrepreneur Alice Smith was fired from BBC prime-time show Young Apprentice last Thursday night after losing out in a task to organise the perfect tea party.
The 17-year-old, from the Harborough district, became the fourth candidate to be fired from the BBC series, which is the junior version of The Apprentice.
Alice volunteered to lead one of the two teams involved in last Thursday’s task – but her idea to create a 1940s-themed tea party failed to make the most money. While Alice’s team’s idea seemed sound, the high price put customers off and they struggled to attract sales – while their rivals’ idea for an Alice in Wonderland-inspired Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with a cheaper price, proved popular.
When the teams returned to the boardroom, the contestants were told that Alice’s team had made a profit of £91, while her opponents made more than £300.
Alice, who lives in Lutterworth, was criticised by team-mates for her lack of organisation and the boardroom debrief turned into a heated argument – after which Lord sugar reprimanded them for their unprofessional behaviour.
Lord Alan Sugar told her: “I don’t think you did get the business plot here to be perfectly frank. I think a lot of things ran away.
“I’ve decided that due to the poor business logic in this particular task, and the way it was conducted, it is with regret that, Alice – you’re fired.”
Speaking in the loser’s taxi afterwards, she said: “The other two girls maybe don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit within them, however they believed in themselves a lot more than I did.”
Prior to her appearance on the show, Alice made money selling free-range eggs. She also works part-time at Cosby Golf Club.
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Weather for Market Harborough
Tuesday 21 May 2013
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