‘Sacked by Lord Sugar – but I’m doing great’
FOR some, being kicked out of Lord Sugar’s boardroom is something they will forever regret.
But for Apprentice star Iasha Masood, it has become a blessing in disguise as the first thing she did was to start afresh.
Growing up in Rochdale, the former Matthew Moss High School pupil says she always knew she wanted to be in business, and despite not always getting the best advice, she found her way to her dream industry.
“I was driven from a young age but was not encouraged to go into business because I was told it wasn’t something a woman did,” the 27-yearold said.
“That led me to divert and try medicine, which wasn’t for me.
“Then I did a fashion design degree, which took me to New York and that gave me a taste of sales, which is what I love.
“I knew there and then that was what I wanted to do.”
Since leaving the show and returning to her home in Media City, Salford, Iasha has launched her ‘revolutionary’ skin cleansing company, Insu Beauty, coinciding with the start of the series.
“When I got fired I ripped up my business plan and re-started the whole thing,” she said.
“I launched the business the day before the series started and it’s going really well. I’m blown away by how well.
“I have got about 50 orders just from when I was fired.
“It’s incredible just how much people love the product.
“Going on The Apprentice is a great way to launch a business.
“Just because you don’t get Lord Sugar’s investment doesn’t mean you can’t go on to be a success.”
Iasha was quietly doing well on the BBC One programme until Wednesday’s episode, in which she was branded as being ‘missing in action’ by Karren Brady.
She was let go by Lord Sugar after failing to impress in the theme park task - despite leading the team that brought the show’s first million pound sale to the boardroom just two weeks earlier. Iasha said: “It’s mad. “I went from being on top of the world with the show’s first million pound sales and saving the team on the toy task to being fired.
“To be honest a lot of what I did was cut out the episode.
“One of my flaws is that I might not have the kind of personality for it to be interesting on TV. “But I’m ok with that.” Moving forward from the TV show, Iasha is keen to forget the madness of the Apprentice house and focus on making a success of her brand.
“The house is so stressful, it was very different to the quiet I am used to at home,” she laughed.
“I’m used to enjoying lots of time to myself but that house was so chaotic, there were times following arguments in tasks that some people could not put their issues to bed.
“I’m just glad to be back home doing what I am doing.
“I’m so big on energising business in Greater Manchester.
“London gets too much attention but we have so much to offer here.”
To find out more about Insu Beauty, visit @insubeauty. The Apprentice continues Wednesdays from 9pm on BBC One.