Today I caught up with Apprentice 2019 candidate Dean Ahmad to chat about his time in the show , the coin toss and what he’s up to now
So Dean tell about your education
I was born and bred in Essex where i also went to school. I did my GCSE’s and A levels but wanted to focus on my business so whilst i did my GCSE’s at the same time I was working on my business, my parents wanted me to concentrate on education University etc, but I knew what I wanted . I think it’s all about self awareness. I knew at an early age what I wanted, i was going to be a businessman I knew University would be a waste of time for me to learn about stuff that would never be useful .
Have they finished filming the apprentice 2019 now? …. yes
How did you get onto show ?
There are lots of pre-show interview auditions. 75, 000 people apply, it’s a very tense and testing time, different tests, your business accruement, your interaction and your personality is scrutinised, as is your character to make sure you stay cool under the pressures. After 4 or 5 auditions i was humbled to be selected.
So after 6 rounds, your still in there, keeping your cool and coming across pretty well
i was always going to be my confident self, I was never going to have a hidden agenda, like some I just wanted to be myself ….
This week I have a massive challenge as Lord Sugar has made me PM … time to step up and deliver …
Last week you had the extra pressure of THAT toss of a coin ….
That’s right, it’s never happened before that way, so very tense, I remember sitting on my chair, he had fired Iasha Masood and then he gets a coin out and I’m thinking … Lord Sugar surely isn’t going to chose to fire either Lottie or myself on the toss of a coin ? Fortunately though it was to decide who was to become PM next week …it was me, obviously the pressure is now on me , I have to show what I am made of, I have to step up….
Was it intimidating to film ? was Lord sugar intimidating ?
I wouldn’t say Lord Sugar was intimidating in a negative way , £250000 is a lot of money, if he’s going to be investing in someone, he wants to grill, roast, test and judge a person in every way , he certainly did this with me…. as the show pans out, people will see more of this.
In Episode 2 i think you can see the emotion in my face , it looks like I’m going to cry, it’s because the adrenalin levels are so high , no words can describe the atmosphere when your in the boardroom , some people say it must be fake, it must be staged, you must leave and rehearse lines…. but no it is shot in one take ..its all real and in the moment .. it is unbelievably intense . having now survived the boardroom 3 times i like to think Lord Sugar must see something in me…
How many episodes are filmed per week.? do you get much down time ?
It vary’s, for example Episode 1 involved a trip to South Africa , we walked into the boardroom, nobody knew each other or had spoken to each other ….Lord Sugar says you off to South Africa we thought Wow, amazing, What the viewers don’t see is we literally left the boardroom, pack your bags and off you go. You know nothing about any of the others, their strengths or weakness’s , you dont know what to expect , new surroundings , new environment, and what people don’t realise your in a totally isolated environment, you have no phone , you cant talk to friends or family, no internet. The challenges can take one day , some take a couple of days , you can film two episodes a week sometimes ….
Did you have much down time ?
No, you have very little downtime , up at 3 AM, going to bed 10ish, it’s such an intense procedure, it’s like your almost in a bubble.
Do you keep in contact with the others ?
For sure I made many lifelong friends in there, most people i got on with really well
You started your business when you were 15 what made you take this route?
Yes I did , i started my Sports management company when i was 15. I have always loved sport and business, for me it was the obvious path to go down. I guess I was a naive cheeky chap, which worked in my favour. The industry managers are usually 40-50 years old , they are often ex players or solicitors.
I went to a cricket tournament, where I met players and networked, things progressed from there. One of my first signings was Ian Pont , now we represent many of Crickets best players.
You must have been busy enjoying the Cricket World Cup
Absolutely to have it in our own backyard was amazing , it was so intense, as was the Ashes Series , its been great for the game, bought in so many new fans and What a way to win a final.
So how about this new format cricket that starts soon?
What the 100 ? yes I was on the preview on Sky Sport talking about it . what an exciting opportunity for English talent , what this will do is create a perfect pathway for English youngsters , out of this tournament there will be 4 or 5 players who will go on , play all round the world , and hopefully represent England . It will provide a great world platform for our players .
Would you consider another TV series ? I’m a Celebrity ?
It depends, if an opportunity presented itself, I’m sure i would be keen ….
Watch tomorrow nights Apprentice to see how Dean handles his roll as Project Manager ….. will he encounter another grilling in the boardroom or those feared words “Your Fired ” ? ….. to be continued