Peterborough’s TV Apprentice winner launches new venture

BBC Apprentice winner Joseph Valente is looking to recruit scores of staff as he expands his new Peterborough business.
Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.
Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.

Entrepreneur Mr Valente has just moved his mentoring academy for tradespeople into a new 2,000 sq ft office in the Brightfield Business Hub, in Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate.

He has already taken on 14 staff for the Trade Mastermind and Coaching Academy and hopes to recruit a further 50 people during the New Year.

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He is also preparing to launch his business in America, Canada and Australia.

Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.
Former Apprentice winner Joseph Valente launching his new construction mentoring business venture at Brightfield Business Hub, Orton Southgate.

Mr Valente, who shot to fame in 2015 when he won BBC’s The Apprentice, said: “We already have almost £1 million in sales and we are only just getting going.”

His academy and his Trade Accelerator University, which offers 24 hour online learning, are aimed at sole traders and small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction industry.

Mr Valente said: “This is about teaching business owners the skills they need to build up and grow their businesses.”

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The lessons are delivered in varied ways from large group webinars to online one-to-one tuition.

Mr Valente said his success and failure - he built up his boiler installation company ImpraGas, in Yaxley, from scratch into a £10 million turnover business over eight years only to see it close just months after selling it - were the strengths of his mentoring.

He said: “We are giving clients lessons in success and failure.

“We know what the up and downside looks like. We’ve failed so they don’t have to.”