Carina Lepore plans to expand her business after winning ‘The Apprentice’.
Carina owns a bakery in London and is now hoping to open more sites, although she insists she will grow the business "slowly" after being hired by Lord Sugar in Wednesday’s (18.12.19) final.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, Carina said: "We have an established shop in Herne Hill. The plan for 2020 is to establish locations for a second or third shop. We are going to grow slowly."
Carina triumphed over Scarlett Allen-Horton in the final and her triumph was made even more poignant as Lord Sugar will invest in her family business.
She said: "I was over the moon. I was so happy. To get the ‘you’re going to be my business partner’ finger was incredible."
"My family are my driving force, they are the reason I work so hard. I’ve proved to them all that if you work hard you can get what you want."
The 30-year-old had to pitch to industry experts in the final and described the moment she walked out to face her audience.
Carina explained: "It was the walk of my life. It was so nervewracking. I’ve never done anything like that before. It sums up the whole experience though, you get thrown into things out of your comfort zone and to come out at the other end is euphoric."
The bakery owner, who only found about her triumph on Sunday (15.12.19), believes Lord Sugar will have plenty to offer her business.
Carina said: "It’s Lord Sugar. He’s going to bring all of his expertise from his years in business. He’s going to push me in the right direction and I’m really looking forward to it."
This has been a controversial series, of ‘The Apprentice’, as fellow contestant Lottie Lion criticised the BBC for their treatment of her during the process, but Carina insists that everybody is "supportive".
She commented: "I can’t speak for other candidates but everyone is so supportive. They said from the start that they are there if you need them. I found it quite hard to understand how anyone can say otherwise. If I needed help, I could have gone up to anyone."
Carina Lepore plans to expand business after winning The Apprentice
