{"id":32500,"date":"2019-11-13T13:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=32500"},"modified":"2019-11-13T13:00:23","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T13:00:23","slug":"if-i-was-myself-the-whole-time-i-knew-that-id-do-well-the-apprentices-dean-ahmad-on-being-a-young-entrepreneur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/if-i-was-myself-the-whole-time-i-knew-that-id-do-well-the-apprentices-dean-ahmad-on-being-a-young-entrepreneur\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf I was myself the whole time, I knew that I\u2019d do well\u201d: The Apprentice\u2019s Dean Ahmad on being a young entrepreneur"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Making a name for yourself as a young person is far from easy. But with a drop in university-goers and a growth in determination and hard work, young people are gradually taking the business world by storm.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If anyone can vouch for that, it is\u00a0Dean Ahmad, one of the youngest\u00a0candidates to appear on The Apprentice this year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sooo&#8230;The world\u2019s worst kept secret is officially out. I\u2019m ECSTATIC to finally announce I\u2019m one of the candidates on this year\u2019s The Apprentice. Make sure you tune in on Wednesday the 2nd of October on BBC 1 @ 9PM. It\u2019s a big one and you do NOT want to miss it \ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pSEFiiPwOJ\">pic.twitter.com\/pSEFiiPwOJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dean Ahmad (@DeanAhmad_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeanAhmad_\/status\/1176433417032015877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 24, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Essex boy runs a sports management company, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fineedgecricket.co.uk\/\">Fine Edge Cricket<\/a>, representing cricket players from across the world.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up, he was always very self-aware and knew that he wanted to create his own business: \u201cI remember selling cards at school, selling hats at one stage\u2026for me, I always knew I was an entrepreneur. In terms of my business in particular, I\u2019ve always loved sport and loved business, so what I do now is the perfect combination of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is something he highlights a lot for aspiring entrepreneurs &#8211; knowing who you are and where you want to go. That, along with loving what you do, is the key to making your business a success.<\/p>\n<p>But, of course, as a young person trying to make it big, there are always obstacles, as Ahmad explains:<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711103912&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Work ethic is the one thing that can get you through this, which is nicely explained in this analogy:<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711104449&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most successful people in this world are the people who can take those setbacks and losses every day and learn from them. On the route to the top you\u2019re always going to have loses and failure &#8211; it\u2019s just part of that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The Apprentice<\/h3>\n<p>Most known for being a candidate on The Apprentice, Ahmad says his \u2018game plan\u2019 throughout the show is, ultimately, to be himself.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Apprentice: Meet The Candidates 2019 with Matt Edmondson - BBC\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-9sEDe-eLvM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Still, the series hasn\u2019t come without its challenges as Dean of all people knows. The 20-year-old was in the bottom two for the first two weeks of the competition.<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711105067&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As Lord Sugar said in the boardroom: \u201c\u2026You\u2019re babies as far as I\u2019m concerned. But, I started when I was 17 or 18 years old and I remember doing some really stupid things. You\u2019ve got to grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So does that mean age can also work in your favour? Not necessarily. Dean believes Lord Sugar could see potential, too: \u201cI\u2019d like to think he saw something in me, a bit of a spark and thought it\u2019s worth giving me a chance and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>University<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_32507\" style=\"width: 654px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32507\" class=\"wp-image-32507\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Number-of-students-applying-for-degrees-in-the-UK-2015-2018-3-e1573484599558.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"644\" height=\"618\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32507\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graphic: Emma Soteriou<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The drop in applications to university is mostly down to people finding other routes that suit them and their career goals better.<\/p>\n<p>Dean learnt this during his short time at university.<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711107716&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are so many alternatives &#8211; from apprenticeships to joining the workforce &#8211; but it is down to the individual to decide what is right for them.<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711108535&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<h3>Influencers<\/h3>\n<p>Another route young people tend to be taking, instead of going into traditional businesses, is through social media.<\/p>\n<p>As Dean points out, it has become as important today as TV was for our parents. And for young people watching these influencers, it puts the industry and lifestyle on a pedestal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost cringe-worthy to me, the fake lifestyle and everyone promoting no work but you see all the rewards. It can be dangerous at times because people get jealous and aspire to the wrong things without realising the hard work behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Advice<\/h3>\n<p>For all of the young people out there trying to be entrepreneurs, here is Dean&#8217;s top tip on what to do.<\/p>\n<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/711109018&#8243; params=&#8221;color=#ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;166&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; \/]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Make sure you check out Dean as he continues his journey on BBC One\u2019s The Apprentice, Wednesday at 9pm.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/your-guide-to-employer-friendly-socials\/\">A guide to employer-friendly socials<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Words: Emma Soteriou<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subbing: Derrian Douglas<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo: Jodie Shepherd<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Making a name for yourself as a young person is far from easy. But with a drop in university-goers and a growth in determination and hard work, young people are gradually taking the business world&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":32591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,23,42],"tags":[1089,1765,2132,6161,6597],"class_list":["post-32500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-celebrity","category-entertainment","tag-business","tag-dean-ahmad","tag-entrepreneur","tag-the-apprentice","tag-university"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}