The Apprentice ends up with two winners after huge Lord Sugar investment twist

There were TWO winners of this year - after a secret second business partner also hit the jackpot thanks to Lord Sugar.

Millions watched as Lord Sugar told Dean Franklin “You’re hired” tonight meaning he beat Anisa Khan in the final. It entitles Dean to a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar and invaluable advice from him too.

But Dean’s company, ADL Air Conditioning, is jointly owned by himself and close pal Alex Scott. He kept the firm going whilst Dean entered the series and now as payback he will equally benefit from Lord Sugar’s investment. It means Dean - and Alex - are set to become millionaires in the next few years.

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Laughing Dean, 35, from Essex said: “Alex has won The Apprentice! He is over the moon with it. You know, it's a massive opportunity for him. He's reaping the benefits from it, and he ain't even been on the show. So it was a win-win for Alex.”

On a more serious note, he added: “I started this company with him, and I'm going to finish it with him, we're going to do this all together. And I think you need someone who you can trust in business, and Alex is that person.

“I think he's always supported me. He's always pushed me to do more things. And he had to then run the business whilst I was away on The Apprentice, which he obviously struggled with, because it was a lot. He wasn't only dealing with his phone. He's dealing with my phone because I left him it and he's dealing with a lot. And it was a summer as well, so that didn't help!”

The partnership was mentioned briefly in the semi finals when it was explained Lord Sugar would get Dean and Alex’s wives’ stake in their company, and they would both keep their stakes and director roles.

The result may have surprised some viewers as in the semi final interview stage Dean made a series of blunders. He claimed that everyone needs air conditioning "now more than ever, especially with the increase in climate control” instead of climate change and later called it the climate zone. And business guru Mike Soutar then showed a picture Dean had posted on social media of a sex object stuck onto an air conditioning unit. A red-faced Dean explains that they had been working in a sex shop and he thought it would be "quite funny”. Soutar was not amused and said it did not show him a “trusted organisation”.

But Lord Sugar was not put off by these mistakes and Dean’s company already makes a substantial profit from its Essex base which they hope they can upscale to make millions.

Lord Sugar, who was chasing between Dean’s firm and Anisa’s pizza business, ended the show by saying: “This is the way I see it. Dean, through the process you’ve been quite good. There've been a few rocky moments where you remained in it by the skin of your teeth, but do I have the confidence in the residential market? 

"As opposed to food where everyone’s got to eat, and a £10, £12 pizza is affordable to most people. That’s where I am at the moment. Given it deep consideration. I’m going to say that, Dean you’re going to be my business partner.”

Since the filming of The Apprentice last year, Dean and Alex have already taken on new staff and have an office, something viewers saw Dean request in the final. And business is booming so they are close to outgrowing it.

Dean said: “There is a lot to do, and our roles are going to change, because we both used to be on the tools, we're both now off the tools. We've got engineers out doing the fitting, and we're out doing the quotes and running the operation really.

“I've currently got a hub and an office so but believe it or not, I think we have, we've outgrown this already, and we're going to be looking at somewhere else very soon.

“I don't think we'll be millionaires soon, but we will hopefully be turning over some big figures and earning a good, a good profit. Yeah, that's the goal.”

He added: “Now it comes to a point where the business is sort of bursting at the seams, as I said in the show, I do need a bit of help and guidance on how I can take it to the next level and what I can do, and Lord Sugar is the perfect man for that.”

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