This section is no longer in use, please click on the links below to view news and sport from:
Apprentice star to start her own firm
May 12 2006
The Midland woman beaten into second place in the final of The Apprentice has launched her own management consultancy.
Ruth Badger, from Wolverhampton, said she would not be taking up a permanent job with Sir Alan Sugar, even though she had spent the last six months secretly working for one of his companies.
Instead, she yesterday announced the launch of her new company - Ruth Badger Consultancy Limited.
Ruth said she had received 35 job offers since appearing on The Apprentice but had turned them all down.
She said: "I'm still under contract to Sir Alan, but I'm not going to be working for him. I know exactly what I'm going to do.
"I have got offers coming at me all over the place. I'm in a quite fortunate position because I have had 35 job offers, which I think is quite amazing, and that's since February, because people obviously contact you during the show.
"I did want to work for Sir Alan but if I can't do that I'm going to take the ultimate challenge, which is to start my own business.
"And as of today, Ruth Badger Consultancy Limited is live and ready to roll."
The company will work with firms in the UK, Europe and United States.
Ruth explained: "What I am going to do is to provide a different edge to normal management consultancy. I'm going to look at the 'no frills' approach."
Ex-check-out girl Michelle Dewberry beat Ruth to the £100,000-a-year job in the final. A peak audience of 6.6 million viewers tuned in to the The Apprentice final - a record for the BBC2 series.
The BBC plans a celebrity version for Comic Relief.
