I’m going to be honest and say that this year’s UK Apprentice crop were not the best. My guilty pleasure, I was hooked from the start but I struggled to get behind one of the candidates and cheer them on. HOWEVER, a late bloomer but still a bloomer, Joseph Valente came to the forefront. With his comic moustache (which he later shaved), baby face and cheeky grin it was initially easy to dismiss him as someone contending for the “experience” but he soon proved us all wrong. Joseph had something that guarantees success in one form or another; Joseph had PASSION.

I’m not a plumber (I’m a lawyer as you may have guessed) but Joseph made me WANT to be a plumber! He made me believe that plumbing was the future, the only future. I began to think “hey maybe I could get a van and set up a plumbing business using his business model”. THAT is the POWER of passion. If you are passionate about your business you are always winning. You win investors, you win employees, you win customers, you WIN!

You also develop and push boundaries. Joseph grew his business over ten years, straight out of secondary school. Stopping and starting in reaction to every closed door and new direction. His passion gave him persistence to keep going, to keep trying  and eventually to succeed. But what is success when you have PASSION? Joseph was continuously being told that he already had a successful business so why did he need Lord Sugar’s investment? Joseph answered them with “I just want the world and everything in it”. What Joseph taught us is that success continuously changes when you have passion because as you begin to achieve your goals, your passion drives you forward to create and achieve new goals. It’s remarkable. Passion drives you to 1) achieve; 2) learn; and 3) grow continuously.

If you haven’t watched the UK Apprentice, just watch the penultimate episode in which Lord Sugar’s pals interrogate the candidates. What do you notice? Joseph isn’t scared and Joseph doesn’t have to lie. He knows his business inside out. Even when weaknesses are highlighted, he still leaves every interviewer BELIEVING in him. Whilst the other candidates appear flushed and annoyed, Joseph is EXCITED!

Now I’m not saying that the other candidates did not have passion, they did BUT it was not nearly as convincing as Joseph’s and that’s why he won!

So this was a different but essential post. As business owners you need to keep the fire burning. YOU are the fuel for the whole thing. It’s that age old saying, “if you don’t believe in yourself, no one will.” As a lawyer, I can tell you that it is so EASY working for the passionate ones. Often more demanding and involved they INSPIRE me and bring out some of my BEST work. Have you noticed what I’m passionate about? Read the “About” page.

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