The clocks have gone
back, Christmas still seems like ages away, and between weekends, what’s a girl
to do? Firstly, we love a catch up with The Apprentice every week, and
secondly, if you spend too much time wishing your life away you need to get
inspired and try something new. But more of that later. Team Fake Bake are
a bit obsessed with The Apprentice, and it has certainly come a long way
since 2005, when Sir Alan Sugar launched at us, with the legendary Nick
and Margaret as his crew. Fourteen seasons later, and it’s still amazing
TV. Now Sir Alan is a Lord, Nick has been replaced by Claude,
and the Ultimate Lady Judge role goes to Karren Brady, or Baroness
Karren Brady CBE, to give her the full title.
It might be about
business and feature a lot of clever people who have some of the worst taglines
in the genre’s history, but The Apprentice is still reality TV. There is
always a favourite, a bad guy, a geek and an annoying one. And it’s a show that
has given us some pretty inspiring candidates to some people named, well, you
know her name. Katie. Yes, her. We’ve seen some hugely impressive female
winners, from Michelle Dewbury to Leah Totton, and the show has
its tried-and-tested scenes we wait for. This year it’s all about the Sub Team,
wearing block colour dresses and that scenario in the greasy spoon cafe for the
losers. And you can’t have reality TV gold without a spray tan task and this
season’s is a belter.
Oh, how Team Fake
Bake sat back with the popcorn for this one. These were just some of the
comments for the contenders before they’d done any training or been near the
task…
“I think we could charge high prices and it’s simple.”
“It can’t be that difficult to spray evenly, right?”
“If we could just spray body parts we’ll get it done
quicker, we’ll make more money.”
We were with Karren
on this one. Anyone who thinks spray tanning is that easy clearly does not
know anything about spray tanning. Obvs.
But one thing we love
the programme for is shining a light on business. It gives young
women (and guys!) a chance to see their ideas spring to life. It gives us
an opportunity to shout about how we would do everything differently, and kick
about our own innovations. Google ‘young women in business UK’ and you will see
some surprising success stories in every field: furniture design, ethical snack
building, indie gaming, currency trading and jewellery design to name just a
few. Come on, you’ve got an idea haven’t you? But would you ever dream of
making it a reality?
Away
from our favourite business show, we don’t have to look far from home for
inspiration about being an Ultimate Girl Boss. Our Fake Bake MD in
the UK, Sandra Vaughan, is a brilliant example of how to shape your
future: grasp it, work it, and create your own success. Sandra already had a
successful business of her own when she spotted a gap in the market for a new
tanning product. Back in the day, she wasn’t too impressed with what was out
there, and Sandra was looking for an all-new formulation which was easy
to apply and lasted: Fake Bake was born.
Sandra had already learned from the best, having
trained with super hairdresser, Ian Carmichael, and she could have
settled where she was, but she knew she was destined for so much more. Since
then, Fake Bake has gone on to be the world’s leading independent
tanning brand, has become a celeb fave, a beauty ed must-have and a
blogger’s first choice. As well as winning so many awards with the brand, Sandra
has also been recognised for her own achievements, meeting Her Majesty at
Buckingham Palace to receive her Nat West Everywoman Award, as well as
being named as a business icon as a Modern Muse and an inspiration to
young women, which led to her being photographed by Mary McCartney - a big day
in the spotlight for our also Shy Boss! We caught up with Sandra to get her
ultimate tips. Here goes……
Sandra, what’s your
biggest tip for young women starting their own business or making their way in the
commercial world?
There is no one sure
fire way to success - there are many routes to get there, so keep your options
open! I loved school but I was so keen to get out into the world and work, and
it was a great choice for me. I picked up lots of inspiration along the way,
which allowed me to open my own businesses, and then start my journey with
Fake Bake. It’s important to get the best education you can, but you really
start to learn when you are out there in the real world. Get as much
experience as you can, and find a great mentor to support you.
What turns a
budding entrepreneur into an Ultimate Girl Boss?
I love that saying
that mentions the harder I work, the luckier I get! If you check out
social media you get the impression that success comes easily, and that you
suddenly end up by an infinity pool somewhere, living the luxury life. It
doesn’t work that way, and it takes a huge amount of dedication. I put
everything I had personally, and financially, into bringing Fake Bake to the
UK and I spent many hours driving up and down the country, meeting
prospective clients, and selling the idea of the brand. It can take a while to
turn a profit, even with a great product base, and it’s a risk that lands on
your shoulders. So I would say what you really need is an adventurous
spirit, and a sense of confidence. You have to believe in yourself, and your
brand.
About being an
actual Boss - what happens when your business takes off and it’s not just you?
I saw a great talk by psychotherapist
Esther Perel recently, and she said most business start-ups don't fail
because of finance, they falter because of poor communication skills. One thing
I worked out early on was what my own strengths were, and if a skill wasn’t on
my list, I needed to find the best people to bring their own skills set to the
table. Everyone who works for you represents the brand, so you need to
choose wisely. Another thing I learned was about being direct. As young
girls, we are often sold on the idea of being ‘nice’ but it often doesn’t work
in business. Being honest and straight is the best way to be, and is the
ultimate long term way of developing great relationships with people, as well
as giving them the opportunity to breathe, create and develop, too. That’s the
real route to creating a positive workplace.
Who is your
Ultimate Girl Boss?
I admire any woman who
is out there enjoying the hustle, whether they are in a boardroom somewhere,
or in their spare room starting out. I’ve always wanted Fake Bake to
be a democratic brand, and that inspiration comes from just one woman: my
mum, Louise! She was really ahead of her time, and she taught my sister and
I that if we wanted something, we had to work for it. Nothing was handed to us,
and that’s a lesson that has stayed with me, and that I pass down to my own
children. My mum was a multi-tasker and so am I - I am never one to sit
back and relax. I’m always about the next idea and a new innovation. I like to
think I get that drive from my mum.
Come on girls, what
are you waiting for? Even if it’s just a get together next Wednesday, make it
an midweek tanning fest. Get your team around, your Fake Bake on
and throw your new ideas into the mix. Don’t just watch the clock in college or
work. There’s a whole world out there waiting to be conquered, and it’s time to
put together a game plan. Got book smarts? Great. Street smarts? Brilliant.
Whatever you are smart at, that’s just the beginning. Wherever it takes you
next, that’s the best part.
And one day you could
be an Ultimate Girl Boss, a mentor, a Baroness and maybe even an
Apprentice Judge. To think, someone reading this could be the new Sandra
Vaughan or Karren Brady. Team Fake Bake would like to take the full
credit for inspiring you today. The champagne’s on you, right?
The Apprentice Season 14 is now available on BBC 1 and
BBC iPlayer
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