Aslom Does The Apprentice/Dragon's Den

I recently entered a competition through Queen Mary entitled, XING 2009. It was a competition for business students, but I thought it looked quite fun. Despite having no real 'business acumin', whatever on earth that means, I submitted an application. The next thing I know, I was selected to represent Queen Mary at the competition, held in Goldsmith's University. Donning a suit, I faced entered through its doors.

Strangely, I found that I was actually at an incredible advantage to the other members on my team. Their knowledge of business was 'bookish', and I had the advantage of having had real experience of the business world, as well as the very real world of teaching. I was bringing ideas to the table which they said had not at all entered their minds. The competition was based very much like an Apprentice task: we were asked to brand a drink, and present it to a panel of judges for their consideration. Our presentation would need to include a 3 year plan, a five eyar plan, a strategy on funding, what our aims and goals were, how we wished to advertise ourselves, as well as our target market. All very business-like, but I did not let that deter me. Jumping in head first, I began startegising with my team. We came up with the brand name, 'Frushee', an organic juice drink, which was a luxury item, aimed at the health-conscious city workers who could afford it. I decided not to be Project Manager-I did not want to dominate, and gave the task to one of the girls in our group. I saw though, that as the day passed, she was losing control of the task more and more, and even gave up at one point and said the pressure was too much. I did not want to lose, especially after everyone had worked so hard, and therefore stepped in. Taking control, I made sure we finished on time, and that I was the one presenting our ideas. This decision was made not because I believed I was the most business-minded. On the contrary, all the members on my team had more business knowledge than I could ever hope to attain. They could speak about budgets and margins while I look around, quite lost. I, however, had the bliss of ignorance of all this jargon. I knew our ideas, aims, goals and, most importantly, our business plan like the back of my hand by the end time of the presentation. As a teacher, I had also been trained how to project my voice, how to present ideas in a clear, concise, and coherent way which engages my audience (usually teenagers) and I would therefore have no problem in presenting a business plan to a group of mature adults.

Using all my presentational skills, my knowledge of the Apprentice and, most importantly, genuine flair, I presented our plan. I was, as is evident from the pictures, careful to look thoughtful and engaged when they spoke, while being enthusiastic and seeming sure of what I was taking about when I spoke to them. We got through the First Stage of Eliminations, and got through to the Semin-Finals. Presenting again, I presented our modified plan, and took us through to the final. In the end, we did not win, we came Third Place in a competition that took in about 20 teams across many London universities. We got a £50 cash prize. Not bad for an ignorant English teacher with no knowledge of business! I loved the sense of teamwork, as well as the business style of the competition. I was asked for my number and email by some of the judges at the end of the competition, who were stunned I had not completed a degree in business, and told me I was, in teaching, in the wrong trade!

Knowledge of business, I have not, but I do believe I have some business acumin. Iasked, jokingly, if I should go on the Apprentice. One of the judges, smiling, said. 'I'd watch you, it would be interesting to see how you fare.' Alan Sugar, here I come.