The Apprentice finalist ‘hit five-figure profit in 3 days’ after losing £250,000 investment

The Apprentice finalist Anisa Khan has revealed the incredible success she’s had despite losing out on Lord Alan Sugar’s investment.

After a tense final going head to head with air conditioning company owner Dean Franklin, the pizza restaurateur failed to secure the £250,000 investment, but has now revealed she’s received other offers instead.

Having competed over 12 weeks against 16 other ambitious entrepreneurs, the two contestants went head to head for one last time in the hope of becoming Lord Sugar’s next business partner.

Following the notoriously-difficult final five interviews stage, as well as tasks involving hot sauce, Easter eggs, and fashion shows, the pair were set one final challenge to bring their business plans to life before pitching to Lord Sugar one last time.

And though she was widely praised for her pitch, skills throughout the competition and her delicious pizzas, Anisa missed out on winning the life-changing opportunity.

However, the impact of The Apprentice has generated huge profits for the entrepreneur and her company Bombay Pizza, she revealed.

Speaking to Metro after the final, she recalled the ‘mental’ reaction to her pizzas, saying: ‘Over the last three days, we’ve hit five figures and that’s what I used to be doing in a whole month.

‘My business grew naturally and organically and then last Thursday happened [when the interviews episode aired] and it was just mental.

‘I was overwhelmed because I’d never experienced this before, it’s a big learning curve, and I felt so bad for the people who ordered because the weekend was a mess, it was chaos.

‘So many people were coming in and out and now the weekend has passed, I’ve not slept properly since then because I’m just trying to get in a good position for the final.’

Despite raking in profits from her success on The Apprentice, Anisa admitted she was somewhat ‘disappointed’ by Lord Sugar’s decision.

‘I truly believe my business is very scalable, so it was disappointing to not have won, but I’m also content with it now because I know I will be fine,’ she said.

‘I’ve already had people reach out who want to invest in me and in the business, and the great thing with the show is that it’s given me a platform.’

‘I’ve been set up in a good way,’ she added.

She continued: ‘I was in it to win it from the beginning, I was going to make sure I was noticed for the right reasons from the beginning to the end, I never once hid.

‘Also, being South Asian, I know how important representation is. So being on the show, I went in there for my business and to get investment, but I also wanted to make sure I was portraying South Asians well and that I showed that we can articulate, be confident and do all these things.’

Over 12 weeks and putting herself forward for project manager numerous times, Anisa had confidence in herself throughout the tasks, despite admitting the hot sauce week nearly made her fear she may not make it to the final.

‘But even then, I knew I would make it through because with the tasks I was never the failure, I knew you could never pin it on me. Going into the boardroom, I was never nervous because I was like, “It’s not me”.’

She added: ‘When it came to the final boardroom, I knew I was going to fight.

‘[In the episode they showed] 20 seconds of my speech where I said I’ve given my best, but what happened in real life was that I gave my whole life story to Lord Sugar.

‘I was like, “I’ve given my best, I’ve done leadership positions, I’ve done high sales, I’ve done this and that…” I remember with my speech at the time Lord Sugar, Baroness Brady and Tim were all blown away.

‘That was my final card when I was like, I know I have what it takes.’

Despite missing out on the £250,000 investment, Anisa and her pizzas were widely praised.

At one point, Tim told Lord Sugar: ‘Anisa is a wonderful candidate. She’s bright, really articulate and really clear about what she wants to create. The challenge is always going to be, is it big enough for you?’

Baroness Brady added: ‘Anisa, yes she has a business. It’s tiny but you’re really investing in her.’

Anisa started her business during Covid, initially as a hobby after graduating from LSE and postponing a corporate job in Japan by a year.

After eventually returning, her side-hustle just needed some investment to take it to the next step, leading her to apply for The Apprentice.

‘I was so lucky because I applied and got in straight away and that was this big platform, so it all worked out,’ she said.

And her risk of quitting a corporate life for her pizza restaurant has paid off, as she revealed her business has tripled in a year just through organic growth.

‘Because of the show it’s grown even more and since the interviews, the demand is so high right now!’ she said.

She’s also launched selling her pizza by post, for customers to bake at home, which has sold out three times despite an increase in volume each time.

Anisa said: ‘So it’s been really positive, I feel like I’m in a good position right now and I’m just trying to meet demand.’

The Apprentice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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