Former Apprentice candidate Kimberly Davis started her business Sarsaparilla Marketing seven years ago and is at this year’s Business Startup Show in London.
#bstartup Former Apprentice candidate Kimberly Davis started her business Sarsaparilla Marketing seven years ago and is at this year’s Business Startup Show in London.
She took time out at the event to speak to Growthbusiness.co.uk about being on the receiving end of Lord Alan Sugar, and how her business can help small and growing companies.
What gave you the inspiration to start your own business?
I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was very young. I’ve started several companies but back in the United States it’s a little bit more difficult. When I came over to England seven years ago the opportunity was right there. I found the East London Small Business Centre. They said, ‘Do you want to start a business? Do you want some help doing it?’ and I said, yes. They took me through the process here in the UK.
Why did you start a marketing company?
Marketing isn’t a regulated industry. There are a lot of people out there who pretend to be marketers and they’re not. As a result there are a lot of people taking a lot of money from small businesses, who are the most vulnerable, and giving them really bad information.
I thought I need to create an offering that protects them and allows them to learn what they really should be putting their marketing budget into.
Why did you decide to go on The Apprentice?
I’ve always been a fan of the Apprentice since I it first started with Donald Trump. Like everybody who watches it I would be screaming at the TV, saying ‘I could do that!”. But more importantly I thought it was a fantastic chess game for business. I really wanted to give it a go and see how well I do.
How did you find the experience?
First and foremost it’s a television show, not a true business opportunity so it depends what you want to get out of it. Unfortunately there are a lot of candidates on there who just want fame and if that’s what you’re looking for then you’ll get that 15 minutes and it’ll be over. But if you use it to your advantage, and I like to think I have, then it can be very good for your profile. It depends how they edit you. I know plenty of people from my series who were switched on, intelligent people and they did not come across as very intelligent at all. I felt really bad for them because it wasn’t an accurate representation of who they are.
