Dragon's apprentice

DRAGONS' Den millionaire Shaf Rasul is searching for budding entrepreneurs.

The star of the online version of the hit BBC show will hire three apprentices for his Edinburgh-based empire E-Net.

Scottish Sun columnist Shaf has been inundated with over 2,000 applications, including one from MATT BENDORIS...

WEARING a sharp suit and spanking new wristwatch from Santa, I'm dressed to impress at Shaf's high-powered morning board meeting.

But the business leader from Alloa, Clacks - said to be worth £82million - barely casts me a glance.

OK, he's not as scary as Sir Alan Sugar, but my first day as Shaf's apprentice isn't going to be easy.

Especially when I see the competition - E-net's baby-faced golden boy Tom Mursell.

He was still at school when he founded notgoingtouni.co.uk, which he sold for a six-figure sum.

Now just 20, Tom, from Southampton, is the first to sign up to Shaf's new apprentice scheme and he'll head up bigoffers.co.uk, which flogs off goods at vast discounts.

He proudly reports it raked in £44,000 in its first week - the big show-off - and predicts he's looking at £1million profit in a year.

But Shaf isn't so sure.

He says: "If you can return £1million profit you're a better entrepreneur than I am. It's better to under-predict and over-deliver. If you bring in £200,000 I'd be happy."

I have to make coffee for the gaffer and his execs, then I'm dispatched for a shift in E-Net's massive distribution warehouse.

After lugging around air-con units I wonder who's going to buy them with snow on the ground?

Shaf says: "Me, at a vast discount. After a harsh winter a hot summer usually follows - you've got to speculate to accumulate."

By noon Shaf's feeling peckish, so will it be a power lunch? Nope. He pours me a bowl of homemade soup and boasts: "I've lost a stone in a month just drinking soup!"

Then it's back to business to listen to a pitch from Belinda Roberts of Winning Entrepreneurs for her new venture Secret Dinners.

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Out of the blue Shaf asks me whether he should offer a loan or an equity investment. Eh?

He explains: "Should I just write a cheque or take a share in them?"

Fed-up with my dithering, Shaf instructs me: "Offer Belinda £7,000 for a share. But I want my apprentices to help start it up."

Amazingly, Belinda shakes on it.

Shaf explains: "I want apprentices who aren't just hard workers but smart workers. Even if they don't end up working for me I want to make them great entrepreneurs, which will benefit the economy."

As for my business hopes... I got roasted in the Dragon's Den.