The Apprentice Final 2023: 5 candidates who have made it to The Interview semi-final & their business plans

BBC The Apprentice candidates are gearing up for a grilling on tonight’s show (March 16) as the famous interview episode is set to air. In the penultimate episode of the series, some familiar faces return as the final five entrepreneurs and their business ideas are interrogated by Lord Sugar’s trusted advisers.

Business tycoon Linda Plant, Claude Littner and Mike Soutar deep dive into the candidate’s business plan to reveal fictitious figures, crazy concepts and absurd ambitions. And for one candidate, it’s the end of the road as Lord Sugar tells them ‘You’re fired’.

The hopefuls will share their business plan with Lord Sugar and his team before one of them is offered a hefty £250,000 investment to kick-start their business next week. This year it appears to be another all-girls final as Marnie, Rochelle, Victoria, Megan and Dani remain in the final five after showing what they’re made of in a range of tasks throughout the series.

In a preview of tonight’s show (March 16) the Lord Sugar’s team have doubts about the location of Marnie’s central London boxing gym, concerns over Dani’s salon ideas and the scalability of Rochelle’s salon.

In a clip, Dani explains the unique selling point of hair salons is the mermaid theme making people feel like they’re on holiday. But Linda Plant shuts her down, adding “be honest, it’s not really a USP is it?”

Marnie explains her business idea to Mike. She said: “My business is in boxing gyms, the name’s Bronx, the idea is to create a middle-market option between the high-end boutique gyms and the low-end spit and sawdust gyms.” But Mike tells her she is ‘ridiculous’ about the location as there are already 21 gyms within a mile radius.

We have taken a deep dive into what their business plans entail.

BBC The Apprentice - candidates’ business plans

Dani Donovan

Hertfordshire - Owner, Hair Salon

Dani wants to inspire would-be business owners and let them know that the industry is not just about “fancy words and suits.” Dani started her business as a teenager and is now doing “something she loves” for a living, showing that passion for what you do is the key to success in business. In a preview of tonight’s episode, it appears Dani wants to open a ‘mermaid-theme’ salon.

Megan Hornby

East Yorkshire - Owner, Sweet Shop and Cafe

Megan believes she has found success by identifying a gap in the market and running with it. Lord Sugar’s investment has the potential to kickstart a “massive national brand” and with Megan’s “innovative” approach to business, she has her sights set on some sweet success in the process.

Victoria Goulbourne

Merseyside - Owner, Online Sweet Business

Former flight attendant Victoria started her online sweet business during lockdown, which has since become a social media success. After finding a gap in the market, Victoria’s business took off quickly, and with Lord Sugar’s investment, it could fly.

Rochelle Raye Anthony

Bedfordshire - Owner, Hair Salon and Academy

“Tenacious” salon owner Rochelle prides herself on her great intuition. Happy to learn from her mistakes and return even stronger, she believes that her expertise in the hair industry and Lord Sugar’s business experience could make their partnership “an absolute force to be reckoned with.” Rochelle wants to expand her hair academy by opening locations in London and Manchester

Marnie Swindells

London - Court Advocate

Having fought “tooth and nail” to reach her current place in business, Marnie is a “headstrong” candidate who sees opportunity everywhere. A gold medal-winning boxer and imaginative businesswoman, she is ready to face off against her fellow candidates in the boardroom. It appears that Marnie wants to open a middle-market boxing gym near the Bank of England in London.

The Apprentice will be on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday, March 16 2023 at 9pm.