Tom Bunday is one of 16 candidates who has stepped into the lion’s den to face Lord Alan Sugar in The Apprentice 2018.
Confident, calm and having graduated from Sugar’s favourite school, ‘the school of life’, Tom could be a surprise favourite to make the final.
So what is Tom’s business experience? And who is he in real life?
Tom Owns a Tree Surgery Business
Okay, so it’s not quite as glamorous as Sian Gabbidon’s swimwear company, but at least he owns his own business.
Tom’s successful arboricultural (tree care) business is called Tradescaler & Climbers Way Tree Care and has been running for more than eight years across Hampshire.
He Never Went to University
Just like Big Al Sugar, Tom dropped out of education at an early age.
Tom finished college at Sparsholt College Hampshire and gained a National Diploma in Arboriculture, although he then forged an unlikely path to launching his own business.
Tom Learnt His Trade in Scandinavia
Tom picked up a lot of his practical industry knowledge by working alongside people in the tree care business in Sweden and Norway.
He travelled to the Scandinavian countries for some hands-on work experience after leaving college.
On his return to the UK, Tom contested in the Tree Climbing European Championships before setting up his own company in Hampshire.
Now 28 years old, Tom was 20 at the time when his business started.
He Has Been to Jail
Tom’s time in Sweden wasn’t exactly all smooth sailing, however.
The Daily Mail reported that Tom was jailed for six months following a violent altercation outside of a nightclub in 2010.
The victim was attacked while on the way to a taxi rank and smashed over the head with a beer bottle.
Recalling of the incident, Tom said:
This incident is well in my past but I still feel a huge amount of regret for any distress caused. It was an extremely hard time for me and my family, but it made me realise I really wanted to give back to my family and society in general.
I have now created 23 full-time jobs through a company I started from scratch, which I’m extremely proud of, as well as being able to provide a stable income for my family.
Tom is Engaged
Tom proposed to his fiancé earlier this year.
He’s Published Two Books on Business
Few contestants in the history of The Apprentice can say that they entered the show having already published two business books.
Tom has two publications called Break It down, Start It Up and Scale It, Don’t Fail It.
One is about the fundamentals of a sole trader business while the other is on growing a successful one-man business.
Tom is a Gym Buff
It looks like Tom finds time to blow off all of that businessman steam by hitting the gym.
His Instagram account is full of early morning workout pics with a 6 am weights sessions considered the perfect start to the day.
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