This week I’m delighted to have Apprentice winner and North Studio owner, Rachel Woolford as my guest. Rachel explains all about launching her boutique gym just weeks before lockdown and the stress it caused her, reveals the secrets from behind the scenes of The Apprentice, tells us all about her time on the show and shares what it's been like since she was announced as the winner. INTRODUCING RACHEL WOOLFORD Rachel Woolford is the owner and founder of boutique gym North Studio which has locations in North Leeds and Harrogate. She was the winner of the BBC's The Apprentice in 2024. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:30] How did North Studio start [00:05:00] How the studio dealt with the stop start of Covid [00:10:30] Marketing North Studio post-Covid [00:12:20] Expanding the business to Harrogate [00:14:00] The impact on the business of leaving for The Apprentice [00:17:00] I’m away but I don’t know when I’ll be back…. [00:20:30] Why apply to go on The Apprentice? [00:23:30] Day One on The Apprentice, the house and the tasks [00:30:00] Favourite tasks and being Project Manager [00:36:00] The interviews [00:42:00] The winner, and what happens next? [00:45:00] The media frenzy [00:50:00] Listeners questions [00:54:00] How to avoid complacency in business 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS • Remain calm & confident is much better than responding chaotically • Always be open and listen to suggestions from the team • The Apprentice was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Its way harder than it looks on tele 3 BEST MOMENTS “The thing people took away from Covid was supporting small businesses, which helped us” “I finished recording on Sunday night in London and was working in Roundhay at 07.00am the next day” “They sent a mystery visitor to the studio” VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/leeds-business-podcast/ Website: https://northstudioleeds.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-woolford-948528216/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/northstudioleeds/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelwoolford/ Shout out tags: https://www.stoneacreproperties.co.uk/ DON'T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’ My half of the agreement; Every week I bring you inspiring Leeds Business people FOR FREE. Your half of the deal has two simple steps; 1) Share this episode with just ONE person who you think will get value from it 2) Post a review of the show or give this episode a ’thumbs up’ YOU MAY ALSO LIKE https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/linda-plant https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/pop-up-shop/ https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/david-richmond/ https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/christine-yorath/ ABOUT YOUR HOST Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a