Apprentice 2024 winner, Rachel Woolford - Owner of North Studio gyms

Leeds Business Podcast

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/

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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 PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.

As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.

As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.

Phil has appeared as a guest on over 60 podcasts, webinars and interviews, from around the whole globe, talking on a variety of business subjects. You can view them all at https://philfraser.co.uk/watch-hear-phil/.

LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST

Apprentice, Lord Sugar, You’re Hired, Leeds, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,

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