See you all next time, but CBB. I believe, is next to pop up, so there will be something to talk about again I expect DS will be closed on Christmas Day, so I hope you have a nice time

Oh just heard that Billie Whitelaw has just died, aged 82...R.I.P to her.
Last edited by Dix : 21-12-2014 at 23:11

Here's my review of the final, complete with an analysis of the pros and cons of the two business plans.

I thought it might be against the law or ethics but people often don't have them.

Never been to an auction, I may do one day I'd end up bidding on something by mistake

Right, I think it's BGT next for the next big meet up or is there a CBB? hmmmmm

DS open all year round.

They can't fix it. the problem isn't that there are too few decent proposals. Its that all but one most years have failed on his criteria of return for risk and effort. There's nothing to think the restaurants, services like dancing/swimming or fitness training or small shops/galleries are not viable - just not profitable enough. And the bigger ideas cost too much, need too much effort, or offer too much risk.

If he takes out the small entrepreneurs, and those with too large an ambition, and the ones he reject on personal grounds, there's only going to be a narrow range of people left. Most will be offering high mark up services, that many most people will necer use, and think pointless too.

Sorry but all you use this place for is advertising you blogs elsewhere.

THIS is the place for posting what you think, not self-advertising your own place.

It's all you seem to do here.

Obviously someone who thinks their opinions are greater than anyone else's.

Exactly, not everyone has even half that to loose and maybe, just maybe, more emphasis should be done on the real nitty gritty of a business plan and the risks involved.

We have to remember that not everyone who starts up self employed has investment anywhere near £250k.
The person looking for a way off benefit for example would be lucky to have a month work of benefit behind them but businesses have been born from this scenario.

Maybe the next series should only be open to people on benefit or unemployed people.
After all, LS is all about promoting self employment

It can be to some
I have worked with the average Jo on the street trying to find a way out of unemployment. They don't usually have much money to invest, have an idea, get a business plan and support and then try to make a go of it.
They know that the first year will be tough but are determined to give it a go.

This is what we should be discussed, who stands the loss? LS did say tonight, there will be no running to bank of sugar if they run out of money.....read into that what you will.

Unfortunately the average Jo doesn't have that money (40-50k)to fall back on, be it from a bank, investor or bank of parent

Well, I quite enjoyed this season.

Mark indeed took a slightly underhanded approach to reaching the final, but he's hardly the monster some people are painting him as. Overall, I think both him and Bianca will do well.

Question? Celebrity Apprentice UK? Will it ever happen? I think it could be very interesting.

There is only one rule for an Auction and you simply MUST stick to it: You view the item before hand and decide the absolute maximum that if that turns out to be what it goes to, you would be happy to pay. AND STICK TO THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. That way you leave satisfied, with or without the item.

Shill Bidding: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dic.../shill-bidding

Just finished reading it after some interruptions, and found we are like-minded.

There was one Christmas when it was closed, think due to wobbly staff.

Hope not as we have enough of them in CBB!

If it did happen, who would you suggest as potential Candidates, and would they want to take part?

Good to see Lea on the show, I honestly think that she is the precursor to Cassandra on DR. Who.

I have to admit, I'm deeply confused as to Bianca's presence in the Final now. It was already apparent that her idea was not quite as unique as she seemed to think, but last night really seemed to expose her BP as fantasy.

1) Tights will not sell at £35, at least not 'natural' ones. I accept Bianca was going for a high profit margin, but that only works if people actually buy the product. As evidenced by her later price drops, £35 was less 'Premium' and more 'Daylight Robbery', and to me at least it showed her in a very poor light.

2) The huge number of variations of the product would make them a nightmare for retailers to buy in, and the whole concept of perfect colour-matching is ill-suited to an online business. The whole USP is flawed IMO.

3) £250k was never, ever going to be enough investment for this BP - don't forget, Bianca had originally wanted even more products, but changed her mind after the interviews. Roisin was sacked partly because she would have run out of money very quickly - I honestly believe Bianca would have done the same just as quickly. The woman at the trade show was adamant that True Skin had to be a massive, international product - did LS really think that was achievable with a quarter million pound start-up?

I've nothing against Bianca personally - her pricing strategy apart, she comes across as a level-headed, pleasant woman and I hope she is very successful. I simply don't understand how her BP was considered suitable - although that could be more the fault of the show itself and its restrictions, rather than Bianca herself...

Yes, of course. I don't actually participate in any threads at all. And, to be honest, as someone who has worked in a variety of businesses for over 20 years, I do happen to think I have a valid opinion. Do jog on now.

Yeah me too. She just made up the entire show last night as she went along. Didn't her BP detail the costing structure? Hadn't she got her product range agreed? Lets be honest she's just winged the whole show and she'd be out of her depth in a 6th form college presentation!

In the Interviews show she decided mid way through to drop the 'shaping' line and stick to tights only, after that's what one of Sugar's aides said . Last night...well, she hadn't got a clue on price, width and depth of the product range, and in the dying minutes was happy to switch from a high-end product to the mass market. It was a complete and utter joke and poor Sugar had to pretend like it might have been a good idea to create some tension. Her idea literally boiled down to a colour of tights and that was it. A colour!!

Strange, because myself and my wife felt exactly the opposite. I thought she came across as a thoroughly obnoxious person; her putting down of the sub-team when she was looking at the video edit was rude in the extreme and gave an indication of the type of person she would be to work for.

Was just thinking, surely the "You're Hired" show should be renamed to "You're Gonna Be My Business Partner"

My opinion also. She was poor opposition for Mark in the final, so much so that he could have slept his way to the winning post.

It beggars me what she was doing in the final two as she made two massive business errors during the series that should have resulted in her being fired episodes ago.

Her idea to start a business selling tights was a non-starter. The opposition would have copied it and had it in store at an attractive price before Alan Sugar had written out the cheque for £250K.

As for her tights packaging.....it had Poundland written all over it.

Thought that Sanjay came alive last night. Maybe the pressure to perform was off and he felt more relaxed in front of the camera. Interesting seeing him and Mark get on so well in spite of the fact they slagged each other off in the boardroom.

Am I correct in thinking that a name suggested for Mark's company by Philippe was CimbMedia"?
If you say it quickly it sound like a STD. That's probably why it was rejected.

I've got to admit, I'd forgotten about that - I was thinking more of her performance on You're Hired than anything I suppose. You are quite right, Mark certainly showed her up in terms of team leadership last night, even with the bunch of halfwits he managed to saddle himself with.

Oh, and four posts in nine years?!? I'm a slow typist myself, but blimey...

I was expecting someone to burst out laughing onscreen at that point!

She was under pressure. Did she really want to listen to Daniel going on about Mark and the bloody hot tubs for the rest of the day.