What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur? Grit.

A version of this article was originally published by BBC Bitesize. According to Angela Duckworth, who catapulted to fame after delivering a TED talk which has been viewed over 18 million times, grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” and is a strong predictor of success in life. Whilst grit can help you become more successful in …

Don’t Let Uncertainty Stop You From Starting a Business or Launching a New Career

A version of this article was originally published by BBC Bitesize. Much like the true reality behind the lives of Insta-glam influencers, it is an entrepreneur’s livelihood to portray that they have it all figured out, otherwise why buy their autobiography. Don’t be fooled, more often then not, they are facing uncertainty just as much as you are – they …

The Widening Gender Investment Gap: British women invest just 59p for every £1 invested by men

New research released today has revealed that for every £1 invested by men in the UK, the average woman is investing just 59p – as the gender investment gap shows no sign of closing. Top entrepreneur, public speaker and former star of The Apprentice, Jackie Fast is today calling for British women to adopt a more fearless approach to managing …

Jackie Fast

Jackie Fast Announced as Board Director onto FinTech Disruptor The Money Platform

The Money Platform, a FinTech disruptor, following FCA approval today announced that BBC’s The Apprentice star Jackie Fast will be joining its Board of Directors. “Millennials are harshly treated by traditional credit providers, so we built a new system just for them. Our next stage is ensuring we scale quickly driving greater awareness of our ground-breaking Peer2Peer lending platform to …

What You Can Learn from Rescuing Baby Cheetahs in Somaliland.

I like going All In. That’s why I lose frequently in poker. However, I have found going ‘All In’ in life has its benefits and most recently saw me spending 9 days in Somaliland for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) which I am delighted to announce that I have become the Brand Ambassador of. As someone who has made a …

Start-up businesses aren’t built on Instagram

After her departure from the competition in Wednesday 28’s episode, Fast talks social media engagement – and her hacks for making sure you don’t waste all your time chasing likes and follows… I’m going to start with the caveat that some businesses do rely heavily on their social profile to build their brand. However, I’d argue that 99% of start-ups …

Being comfortable with being uncomfortable

Following on from her first blog on dealing with setbacks, this week Fast explains why focusing only on the tasks you love isn’t conducive to running a successful business… When you start up a new business there are a million things to do and very little time to do them in. As such, most people revert to what they are good …

Don’t expect setbacks, but expect to deal with them

In a three-part series, Reality Bites, Young Gun, Jackie Fast gives an exclusive insight into her experiences on the BBC’s hit-show The Apprentice, including the lessons she learned each week and how she has applied them in business.  For her first blog, Fast talks dealing with setbacks – from 4am wake-ups on the show to stress coping mechanisms… Far too often, people …

How to ‘Fake It Till You Make It’ in Sales

My time on The Apprentice has been spent primarily on selling.  This isn’t because this is my only area of strength in terms of business skills, it’s because most business is sales. Sadly, there is a stigmatism around salespeople and a reluctancy towards it as a profession – stemming from people being worried about being scammed or making misinformed purchases …