I was youngest ever The Apprentice winner… my business plummeted after I made huge mistake – but now I’m a millionaire
THE youngest ever Apprentice winner has bared all about her time on the show – and how it’s helped her pave the way towards running a £1.2million business.
Alana Spencer, 32, partnered up with Lord Alan Sugar after taking out the top spot in 2016 with her cake business Ridiculously Rich.
Eight years on the sweet firm is soaring, employs 22 staff and looking to turn over £2m through TikTok shop alone.
But Alana says it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, and told The Sun of her “highest highs and lowest lows”.
The 32-year-old said one of her lowest points came when she had to shut down all the cafes she’d opened as an extension of her business.
The star said she’d first applied to get on The Apprentice as a 16-year-old – and again at 19.
She said she’d always loved the idea of working alongside Lord Sugar.
But, it wasn’t until she was 24 that she actually got onto the show – and ended up becoming the youngest person to ever win.
The star told The Sun: “Being on the apprentice for me was very tough.
“It was an emotional roller coaster.
“My journey on there really was like very tough at the beginning, and then by the end, I was kind of like reborn this new woman with confidence.
“And it it really felt like that when I was in there I nearly quit on week two. I really struggled.
“You don’t get to talk to your family apart from like 10-minute phone call a week. And I spoke to them on the second week, and I was in floods of tears, and didn’t know if I could carry on.
“But it’s all broke me down and then rebuilt me.”
Alana said, explaining why she almost threw in the towel: “I had been in the boardroom twice in a row, and I was quite timid. I was readjusting to living with people working with people.
“Everyone is just out for blood on that show, you know, like that everyone just desperately wants to win. And so they’re throwing them under the bus anywhere they can.
“I just couldn’t take the pressure at the start. It was like, I wasn’t really sleeping very much. And it really got to me.
“And then I won a challenge in week three, and I started to be able to build myself back up.”
It’s all broke me down and then rebuilt me.
Alana Spencer
Alana ended up taking out the top spot and working alongside Lord Sugar for three years – until she bought him out in 2019.
She got a £250,000 cash injection for her business.
She continued: “The end goal for me was to always have sole control of the business.”
But, it’s always been a rollercoaster.
The 32-year-old said: “We had some crazy lows, some big highs from crazy highs.
“We opened loads of cafes. That was a failure for us.”
Alana's tips on how to become a millionaire
Alana told The Sun: “Just start, because when you start but in terms of like actual practical advice, you really do need to make sure that you’ve got a feasible business.
“And make sure that you know your numbers. That is key. It’s boring, but it’s key.
“But just make sure that before you start you’ve got a good ground for a business, because there is no point in being a busy fool, I’ve learned that.”
So, when she got back to basics – everything started moving nicely again.
Alana said with a smile: “We were like ‘right, let’s do what we do best, and let’s just get back in the bakery, focus on the cakes. Focus on selling.’
“We went on TikTok shop and started selling our cakes on there.
“In the first 12 months on the app, we turned over just under £1million.”
She said it had got to the point where she was going to go back to where she started out.
Alana continued: “I was considering bringing the production back into my home kitchen and going out and doing events again.
“TikTok was kind of like the last ‘let’s just give this a go’ and it’s just rocketed. It’s bonkers.”