EXCLUSIVE: Derby entrepreneur Dan Miller, 27, shares insights from appearing on The Apprentice series 20 with Lord Sugar, including how he built his business from his bedroom aged 17
Derby-born businessman Dan Miller is one of the brave contestants risking the wrath – and dubious jokes – of Lord Alan Sugar on this year’s The Apprentice.
This milestone 20th series has welcomed a motley crew of entrepreneurs competing for the big prize – Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment. And quietly spoken Dan, 27, is among those taking part under the watchful eye of formidable advisors Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell.
Here, the founder and CEO of Young Professionals – YPUK,, which helps young students find jobs, tells new how he set up his business aged just 17 from his bedroom. Dan also reveals how his Asperger’s has informed aspects of his life and shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into the hit BBC show…
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Hi, Dan! How does it feel to watch yourself on prime-time TV?
It’s weird watching yourself back – embarrassing, but also incredible. But look, some 80,000 people apply to be on The Apprentice. It’s a tough process and only 10 guys get chosen, so I’m really proud of myself to even have got on the show. But yeah, what a learning curve. I’d never done a TV show, I had no clue what to expect – like filming for hours for it to get cut down to an hour, or getting out of a car five, six times to get the perfect shot.
What did your family and friends say about you going on the show?
They were delighted – shocked, too! My parents were a little concerned, they were thinking, how do you leave your business for two, three months? It was a huge risk – I could have come back and found everything had gone under. I had to put a lot of trust in my team. But I learned that I can take a break. I came back and the business was still thriving.
Will you take your foot off the gas more often, now?
I travel a lot but I’m always working. So yeah, maybe. But as an entrepreneur it’s really hard to switch off. I’m going to Boston and then New York in a few weeks with my husband, so that will be fun. We’ve had a place in Malaga for a few years, and we always go there – but we decided this year we’d not lock ourselves into Spain and do some more adventures.
You actually went into business from your bedroom aged just 17, didn’t you?
I knew I didn’t want to go to uni. Every year I’d go to careers fairs full of unis but no employers offering advice on getting into work. So I had this idea – in my bedroom – to set up a business that worked with corporate employers, to get students into the world of work. I picked up the phone and a couple of big companies wrote me a cheque – Rolls-Royce gave me a few grand and Experian £12,000. I was 17, and in shock!
And it snowballed from there?
Yes, I made £30,000 at school, took a gap year, moved to London and just kept hustling. It grew and grew – I was on the property ladder by 21 and by 25 the business had turned over a million. But I was always an entrepreneur at heart – selling sweets out of my locker at school, doing car washes in my village. There were ups and downs. Being in London on your own aged 18, sharing a house with five random people wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.
You have Asperger’s, how was it being in a big, rowdy group on the show?
I was diagnosed at school, I was about 12. I’m severely dyslexic, too. I was always given extra time on the show to read the briefing documents we’re given explaining tasks. I was given a reader, too – the BBC really took care of me. With Asperger’s, it takes me time to warm up to new people and surroundings, so it was a process.
You went to Hong Kong in the first episode, how was that?
Yeah, Hong Kong with all these big personalities and we had no idea until the last minute where we were going. It was a bit much for me. I’m quite shy and I worry about putting my foot in it. But after the first episode I came out of my shell. I’ve learned to cope with my Asperger’s over the years. But we see things from different perspectives, which can be interesting in business. I have “blue sky thinking”.
How did you get on with the other candidates?
There are a lot of big characters. I get a bit reclusive around loud, boisterous people and let it all play out. But you’re with people potentially up to two months, so you have to settle in and get to know people. I was fairly friendly with everyone. I’m a listener, some talk for the sake of talking – so when I do say something, people listen I think.
Did you always get Lord Sugar’s humour in the boardroom?
No, ha-ha! A lot of the jokes go right over my head. I might catch on to them five minutes later, and have a little giggle to myself. I asked him to repeat the jokes a couple of times – he found that quite funny. But he’s great – a serious businessman who I could learn a lot from. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do the show, it was never about the money.
Did you miss your husband when you were filming?
I did. He works in my business too, so he was holding the fort running my company and it was stressful for him. I was so proud. Every week we’d get a 10-minute phone call back home. I’d call him, but after “How are you?” we had to talk business.
Has this given you the appetite to do more TV now?
I absolutely loved the experience but no, business comes first. But never say never!
The Apprentice continues on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One
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