I was on this year’s series of The Apprentice – being on the show made my five-figure salary drop to zero
A STAR of The Apprentice has revealed their five-figure salary dropped to zero after appearing on the show.
Fans of the BBC business show watched as Melica Moshiri became one of the candidates to be axed by Lord Sugar in a shock double elimination.
Following her dramatic exit from the boardroom, Melica has revealed she closed her business over her decision to appear on The Apprentice.
Accounts for the entrepreneur’s recruitment company in 2023 show she was making a healthy capital of £38,090.
However, filming for the Beeb series last year brought that figure to a halt.
Melica said she was warned prior to signing up to The Apprentice that she would need to close her business.
She was willing to the take the gamble in order to try her luck at impressing Lord Sugar and win his £250,000 investment.
The businesswoman said: “So I was prepared for that and I knew that was to come, but it wasn’t going to stop me.
“My belief is, you’ll only know if something goes wrong or doesn’t if you try it.”
She continued to Metro: “You’re shutting down the business, going from making five figures a month to then zero in one month.
“So my graph in terms of business performance has been [drastically up and down] in the last year.
“It’s because I’ve been on the show and they made that very clear when we applied that that is what’s going to happen and I knew to be prepared to either accept it or walk away.
“I’m sure people did drop out for those reasons, because it is going to impact you.
“But the way I looked at it is that in the long term, it’s going to give me a platform, it’s a lifetime experience that I don’t think everyone will get to experience, so I was very prepared to do that.”
Melica eventually reopened her business and insists Lord Sugar made a mistake by not investing.
During Thursday’s dramatic episode, Emma Clarke was also sacked by Lord Sugar and sent packing from the boardroom.
The Apprentice winners who have quit
By Conor O’Brien
Since The Apprentice launched in 2005, Lord Alan Sugar has crowned several winners.
In 2011, the prize changed from a job working under Lord Sugar to a £250,000 investment partnership.
While some past winners work with Lord Sugar to this day, other collaborations have long ended.
Here is a look at some of the winners who have quit working with the business giant.
- Tim Campbell: After winning the first series, Tim (who was 26 at the time) secured a position at Lord Sugar’s company Amstrad on a £100,000 salary. After two years, Tim left to start a perfume business – although this was later abandoned. Since 2022, he has been back on The Apprentice as one of Lord Sugar’s aides.
- Lee McQueen: Having won series four in 2008, 30-year-old Lee McQueen was assigned a position at Amscreen. He left the role after two years in July 2010.
- Yasmina Siadatan: Yasmina, who won The Apprentice in 2009, fell pregnant four months into her £100k-a-year role. She worked for Lord Sugar for 12 months but chose not to return after her maternity leave.
- Stella English: 2010 winner Stella English went on to work for Lord Sugar’s Viglen after time on the BBC show. However, she walked out after 13 months of employment when told her contract would not be renewed and claimed she was just an “overpaid lackey”.
- Mark Wright: Australian-born Mark won in 2014 and used the £250,000 investment to found digital marketing agency Climb Online. He parted ways with Lord Sugar in 2022, selling the business for an estimated £10million.
- Joseph Valente: Former plumber Joseph won the BBC show in 2015. However, he and Lord Sugar ultimately ended their working relationship after 18 months.
- Alana Spencer: Alana partnered up with Lord Sugar after winning in 2016. She claimed the top spot with her cake business Ridiculously Rich. The pair worked together for three years – until Alana ultimately bought out Lord Sugar.
- James White: In a one-time situation, James was one of two Apprentice winners in 2017. Three years after he won the show, Lord Sugar left the IT recruitment company, but reportedly let him keep the £250,000 investment.
- Sarah Lynn: Sweets delivery businesswoman Sarah was the other joint winner in 2017. She and Lord Sugar parted ways in September 2022.
- Carina Lepore: After winning The Apprentice in 2019, Lord Sugar put a £250,000 investment in Carina Lepore’s Dough Artisan Bakehouse business. However, the pair ended their partnership in 2023.