Joseph Valente, winner of BBC’s The Apprentice 2015, will be sharing the secrets behind his success at The British and International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia London on 20 and 21 January.
The 27-year-old entrepreneur, who transformed his small heating firm into a nationwide business after winning a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar, will deliver his 3-step philosophy for success keynote as part of the Growing Your Own Business conference.
Joseph will explore a number of topics on how to turn up the heat for your business, including, constantly reviewing your strategy, producing accurate budgets and avoiding distractions.
During his time onThe Apprentice, Joseph impressed with his natural business skills, ambition and plan for ImpraGas, a boiler and central heating specialist. A year on from Lord Sugar’s backing, the business is a roaring success thanks to small changes that have made a big difference.
Despite being expelled from school at the age of 15, within a decade Joseph had become a true success story. Always confident in his potential, he says: “I had many setbacks in life and was told I couldn’t do it, but I never doubted myself. Don’t be afraid of failure, learn from your mistakes and dream big. Self-belief is the key to ultimate success”.
Before appearing onThe Apprentice,Joseph, like many new business owners, was struggling to develop his company. He explains:“ImpraGas was a maintenance company before it became the UK’s leading boiler specialist. The business was struggling doing high volume but small transactional sales with low margins”.
Using the experience and mentorship of his idol Lord Sugar, Joseph learned to adapt and review his strategy. Recalling his first meeting with the entrepreneur, Joseph says:“We had to go slowly and be methodical in our planning. It’s important to check your strategy, contracts, and produce an accurate budget. There are lots of opportunities and distractions, which you have to learn to handle.”
Visitors to The British and International Franchise Exhibition will gain valuable insight from Joseph’s inspirational story of making a startup a success. He commented: “After receiving the backing from Lord Sugar, the first steps were refining the business and recognising our USP.The whole experience taught me how to present and defend yourself in front of influential businesspeople, handle big personalities and adapt to all situations to come out on top”.
As well as hosting the largest range of leading national and international brands, the exhibition will allow budding entrepreneurs to access expert advice from the British Franchise Association’s franchising seminars, along with several other professional advisors. Matched meeting services will also take place to connect franchisors with potential new franchisees.
Additionally, the McDonald’s Insight Sessions will give visitors a glimpse into the recruitment process of one of the world’s largest franchises. Attendees can address any questions they might have to the Real Franchise Stories panel, made up of current franchisees from a range of sectors. Having already gone through the process themselves, the panel will be able to assist those looking to start their franchising journey.
Keep up to date on the event by following @UKFranchising on Twitter and the hashtag #BIFE17. Visitors can also engage by liking the ‘FranchiseInfo’ Facebook page and joining The Franchise Exhibitions LinkedIn group. Tickets are available now athttps://www.franchiseinfo.co.uk/.