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After a hard fought second place in the Apprentice, Ruth Badger has moved on and unleashed a new venture of her own. ‘The Badger’ is now offering her services as a consultant to companies who wish to boost their sales. She talks exclusively to Startups.co.uk.
“I am not an apprentice”, says Badger firmly, when asked why she thinks Sir Alan chose her counterpart Michelle Dewberry over her.
“He couldn’t teach me what he can teach her, because I already know a lot about business.”
Indeed, Badger, 27, had built for herself an impressive CV well before she applied for the BBC show.
Despite leaving school at 16 she soon learned the most important trick of all in business – making money.
Sales, as viewers of the show will recall, is her strength, and Badger won a series of promotions at major companies prior to her TV debut.
She feels, perhaps with some justification, that she was always too good to be anyone’s apprentice, even a tycoon like Sugar.
“I think I realised that shortly after filming began,” she says.
Nevertheless, she still managed to produce a stellar performance on the show and relished every selling opportunity that came her way, whether it was luxury apartments or fruit and vegetables.
Sugar clearly realised that letting her go would be a loss, so after filming he gave her a job at Viglen selling computers to primary schools.
However, the two equally combative personalities of Badger and Sugar were not destined to mix.
“I am a better manager than he is, and I told him that too,” chuckles Badger.
So, in January 2006, she registered her new business, Badger Consulting, at Companies House, providing herself with a nice safety net before the show’s result was announced.
She began trading in June that year and quickly began picking up clients.
Badger said: “We offer real live training for groups up to 30 and we deal with all levels of staff.”
The company offer a range of service including sales and motivational training, business performance, and company launches and rescues.
However, Badger is at pains to point out that the company isn’t just about her giving a client’s business some celebrity stardust.
She feels that her techniques and methods can be used taught by others - the Badger selling style, it would appear, can be imitated.
The company employs four consultants who are on a retainer basis, so that Badger doesn’t have to fork out for regular salaries and can use them when there is work to do.
Badger’s celebrity undoubtedly benefits her business and she is making the most of it.
Panasonic provided her with all her office equipment free of charge, realising the PR potential in attaching its name to a big name client.
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