I think it was pretty clear in her own mind in her interview with Mike Soutar, only that she didn't articulate it well in her written plan. It's been pretty obvious from early on that she isn't stupid.

There is definitely scope for her idea to work, although as I've noted I would have concerns over thin profit margins. However, it's very possible that she could set up a large enough business to sustain which is just small enough for the big boys not to deem it worth going after her - plenty of niche businesses thrive like that. Better still, she might become just successful enough that a competitor decides to buy her out - a perfect exit for both Luisa and Sugar (should he invest in her). As part of my job, I've looked at plenty of potential acquisitions in the past of businesses of a similar scale to what Luisa is proposing.

There's plenty of possible scenarios, but no one - not even Luisa - can tell what will happen until she tries. If it was that black and white, it would be easy!

Not necessarily. Luisa might be doing both ends of the supply chain a favour, and so be welcomed, provided she can make the necessary upfront investment.

Luisa said the sector is bedevilled by delays caused by small suppliers receiving intermittent orders. If Luisa can provide regular, guaranteed orders, she will be helping existing suppliers. Luisa then carries the stock (at least initially -- later on, averaging out multiple orders will mean she can reduce her own stocks) so she can supply the existing customers without delays.

Suppliers gain by guaranteed and regular orders, for which they may be prepared to drop their prices. Customers gain by immediate access to materials, for which they may be happy to pay more.

The risk is that Luisa needs to make that initial, expensive investment in storage and logistics, because the value she adds depends on scale. The danger is not from existing bakers but from established distributors in related sectors who might see their chance to expand sideways into this new niche.

Edit to add: as slouching notes, provided these distributors move into Luisa's niche by simply buying her out, rather than squeezing her out, everyone is happy and Luisa and Lord Sugar are quids in.

You know, after all the silliness we have seen in this series, I genuinely feel there are two good business ideas here - to the show's (and the finalists') credit.

I would imagine Michelle would have walked it even more under the current format. She had her own consultancy IIRC, and had set up on her own. Ruth was a straight-up saleswoman, and it showed.

I get really frustrated by this - this is the Apprentice and not Big Brother. Who cares if they're unlikable? They're both amazingly brilliant candidates!

Leah is like Stella almost - really organized, sensible and intelligent. And how is investing with her a huge risk? She's a doctor, she'll have a clue how facial ascetics works and what ethical implications it has (because ethics is always taught alongside the medical course, so we essentially have 6 years of it and is usually the biggest topic of discussion in med school). So basically, if she's as academic as everyone has been saying there's a good chance she'll be sensible about it if she cherishes her license.

Good final two with the best business plans I felt, but I just can't see Sugar taking the risk with Leah's plan and that's what will end up swinging it for Luisa IMO.

This.

Yes, but that's because Neil didnt bully anyone. Luisa bullied Jason and Leah opposed Zee's leadership on the Dubai task, such as her refusal to go to the souk

Some on here are saying Jason was the only likeable character...Myles seemed an ok bloke, and Francesca was pleasant enough (with a great bottom!)... not snidey, back-stabbing etc

Francesca, Jason, Natalie and Tim most likeable from my point of view.

Everyone else OKish apart from Jordan and Leah and to an extent Luisa and Alex.

Leah seems credible in every way. Smart, decisive and reliably right. If she makes consultant, she may even remember who her patients are. The legal reputational problem though is that things go wrong ,and subordinates make mistakes, and customers make uninformed, or unwise decisions. She can't say she will never make a mistake in who they treat, or how they treat them. And any mistake may become the headline Sugar ruined my face, or my depressed, or looks obsessed daugher spent the food money on wrinkle removal.

His bigger, other, problem is political/social/moral. He's a Labour- created Peer and strong supporter of the NHS. Cosmetic surgery raises all sorts of questions. Does he want to be seen encouraging more people to feel a need for it, is vanity an adequate reason for it to be offered, do the people who opt for it do so for psychological reasons that most would dismiss? Does he want to be seen to be making money from people who are obsessed by a wrinkle.

Then there's what message does it send out to the country if the best business he can find - from 10000 candidates - is wrinkle removal? Does that suggest a hopeful future for the counttry?

There's also the unresolved question of whether this is like normal private practice and will sit alongside a NHS medical career. If Lord Sugar is asking Luisa whether she can be his partner alongside running 3 companies, he has to ask if Leah will be giving this her full attention too. If the answer is no the strongest argument aginst Luisa falls. If its yes, he's effectively taken a real high flyer, who has trained to save lives, and redeployed her to deal with blemishes and wrinkles.It shows up the point that young doctors have been forced to acquire stupid levels of debt and get inadequate wages for their ability, and many are making money in similar ways, but does he want to deprive the NHS of a very good doctor?

Exactly, it's entirely hypocritical to criticize Leah and Luisa for "loving themselves" when Neil's been the most conceited, pompous candidate since Week 1. But per usual a half-decent looking guy can get away with murder while a half-decent looking girl can't even breath without being criticized.


Luisa didn't bully Jason and Leah rightfully opposed Zee's leadership. He was a shit PM and blatantly chauvinist, the only thing Leah did wrong was not go with her gut and eventually give in.

Not going to check up on it, but doesn't Luisa have (a) a rich husband and (b) the pair of them have about 8 failed businesses behind them?

It's a babe-off. I suspect not as unpopular in the male half of the viewing public.

I posted this in another thread - but it would be better here.

Luisa'a business is NOT stable or steady.

Bakery is in huge decline.

Cupcakes are a fashion item - overpriced - extremely high in fat - garish colours (most of which are artificial as the colours come in from USA and Asia)

The wholesalers have got the market sewn up - there is overcapacity if anything.
Home baking is similarly sewn up by huge conglomerates, who will step on Luisa like she doesn't even exist.

Very small operators - like she is now - are allowed to trade, but as soon as they get too big the competition eliminates them.

Thanks for posting it here. I have to fully agree with you. No one here seems to fully understand what her new brand is going to do. I have compared it to the Emperor's new clothes. We shall see more in the final but I doubt anyone will be much wiser.

Telling the competition in advance is the most silliest thing to do,

She has pulled the wool over LS and Karren. They seem to see in her something of themselves and therefore can do no wrong.

I think its really Karren to blame for this. Also she seems to have wanted an all female final and forced LS into it.

They should be asking someone like you who knows the state of the market and not relying on what Louisa tells them.

I, all the time, against everyone else have said Francesca is the winner with her simple and do-able plan and has been cheated out of it.

I should also say that although the 'big' boys sometimes allow small fry to enter part of a market in a small way usually where they dont consider it profitable, there is no way they will allow Louisa to do it knowing she has the backing to take over the whole of it.

I have to repeat she is getting to big for herself. She ought to have asked for a string of cup cake shops and a flag ship one in the West End to fleece the tourists.

Thanks for this - very interesting. I don't really understand what Luisa's idea is and I'd be grateful if you or anyone could explain it to me? Is she supplying to professional bakers everything they need as a wholesaler? Or is she aiming to sell to home bakers, so say I want to make some cakes for a child's party, I might use her paper cases and sprinkles etc instead of Dr Oetker? I've got all confused about it.

Karren quite clearly wanted Neil to win... The all-female final was forced onto LS by the fact that Jordan doesn't own the business he was offering and Neil had an awful business plan.

I don't like anything about Luisa and Leah, as one of the interviewers rightly said, is cold. It's a shame there has to be a winner.

I think they are both awful. Leah has a better business plan, but it is a risk. However, Luisa would be awful to work with and isn't particularly professional.

I Agree with OP that the finalists are poor this year.

Blonde woman has done nothing notable at all. I mean I cannot remember one episode where i thought wow. All she has done, is roll her eyes and some how she is just there. Honestly name me one moment she has been great.

Luisa I think has wormed her way to the final if I'm being honest

Take the last few weeks. She refused to go in the kitchen when she had kitchen skills; an extremely poor decision. And 2) she designed a dating website with absolutely nothing on it; again extremely poor.

And the clothes shop performance to me was pretty average. It's almost as if they were on a school trip just buying some clothes they like and selling them for a bit more ; again I saw absolutely nothing outstanding here at all

As for her business being the new amazon - amazon turned over a billion to make a profit of 1 million. So In the baking industry the margins just wont be there!.

That's honestly how I feel. Both of them are nothing special in my opinion.

Finally... All I can remember of Ruth the badger was she talked the usual talk 'I will work hard, I will do you a job, I will be fanraric' - when the reality is it was all just hot air.
I don't remember her doing anything outstanding either.

Tom pellereu was my favourite - he got his product into the worlds biggest retailer single handedly - now THAT is out standing

Is this a problem with the finalists, or this series in general? Because in my opinion, there are only two other people - Neil and Rebecca - who could legitimately have got to the final two. I don't think anyone else from this series was strong enough to get to this stage.

I have no idea either but the West end cupcake shop idea would be a much better bet.

I assume she has had trouble stocking her one shop operation so thinks she has spotted a gap in the market.
However, niche bakery wholesalers cannot supply very tiny operations, that do not use minimal quantities of ingredients. Most have a minimum order of £100, and carry quite a large stock of regular items.
However , extremely specialist (fasionable) decorations used by "upmarket" cupcake outfits are unlikely to be stocked by a general bakery wholesaler as there would not be enough demand.

However I have found perfectly acceptable (IMHO) decorations for cupcakes freely available from the largest bakery and confectioners wholesalers

http://www.callbakolondon.com/search....x=0&gobut.y=0

http://www.klumanandbalter.com/products-decor.html

http://www.keylink.org/productlistin...83&catCode=863

Unless LS is investing in warehousing and distribution, how is she going to be a "wholesaler". Wholesaling falls under "distribution" and is always big scale.
£250K is not going buy anything like the size of operation needed.

Absolutely. I posted on another thread that I actually think think the BBC would be embarrassed about the interview stage.

You've got a guy who doesn't even have a share of a company!
And a woman that literally plucked 5 million out of thin air.

How does some one get on the apprentice, a national tv series, when they've completely lied about their companies turn over and made it all up!

If anything I think a lot of them are not entrepreneurs at all. I think they're more people that are chancing it. I think most entrepreneurs are exactly that ; people that came make a successful business on their own.

I didn't watch last year, but I know tom pellereu from the year before has since brought put about 10 different products. And his one nail file sold out in 2 days.

Now he is a real inventor and entrepreneur.

Well considering the stuff you have said about Ruth - I consider what you are saying as blatantly ignoring facts. Ruth was the strongest saleswomen in that whole series. Every task she was breaking the previous task's sales figures - her sales were dominating over the other candidates's sales.

As for what you've said about Luisa, she pushed for a bike of which she sold more than the whole of the sales of the other team combined! She took all criticism on board for her final PMing and showed what a team player she was, even Fran admitted she had improved and led her team to a great victory! Luisa's branding of Oh My Pow was really creative and innovative showing she's really good too.

And the dating website? Seriously? You're talking about something which Jason was too indecisive in completing - no fault of Luisa if her PM can't make a bloody decision! That was no fault of Luisa's! Kitchen skills? What on earth are you talking about dear? That she knows that she has to taste the food before selling it? (sorry but that was by far the stupidest thing any person on any show has done - Francesca did it).