The Apprentice star Megan Hornby has closed her business just weeks after proclaiming that the “world is [her] oyster” following a brutal semi-final firing.
The 26-year-old entrepreneur came in third place on the hit BBC show but failed to get past the semi-final and was savagely dumped by Lord Alan Sugar.
The Hull native rose to fame and garnered the admiration of viewers with her savvy business skills on the show.
And after a successful appearance, Megan was due to return to running sweet-shop themed bar and restaurant Club Candy.
But the telly star has come to a heart-breaking decision over her venture, realising that she’s outgrown the business and has resolved to closing it down.
After going to head-to-head with other driven business-fanatics on The Apprentice, Megan was forced to reflect on why she didn’t share their drive for her Club Candy business.
Speaking to Hull Live, Megan explained: "I came out of The Apprentice house and obviously, it completely changed my life. It changed who I was as a person, it changed my perspective on business, on everything.
"And when I came out of it, and had that battle between me, Marnie and Rochelle, I realised I'm sitting with these two really wonderful, articulate, beautiful women, who are passionate about their businesses because it's what they absolutely love. I fought tooth and nail because that was my killer instinct and the competitiveness in me, but I wasn't fighting for it because it's my lifelong dream.
"It's not a dream come true for me, my business. It's something that I started during lockdown because I was smart, not because it was a dream come true.”
She started up her ‘The Candy Shop” business in 2020, making sweet boxes for loved ones while on furlough.
Megan took the venture online and the business boomed.
The business evolved into a dessert shop by day and cocktail bar by night which she aptly named Club Candy.
Despite the bar doing well, Megan told the publication she didn’t want to take the easy road for the sake of it as her heart wasn’t in the business.
"I got this beautiful cocktail bar and restaurant setup, which was something that I had wanted for years," she continued. "I grew up working in hospitality but what I realised was, the only reason I wanted it is because it was all I knew.
"And actually, it wasn't making me happy anymore. Even though I've done really well, and I'm so young to have achieved this, I am not happy and this is a really hard lifestyle and industry to choose if you're not absolutely 100% in it."
Megan quietly closed Club Candy two months ago and has recently publicly announced its closure after taking some time to make a decision on its future following her stint on the BBC show.
She’s dissolving the bar side of the business because “if she's not at the helm, nobody else will be either”.
While Club Candy has met its demise, Megan hasn’t left the sweet business as she’s now evolving her company into an online retailer, shipping boxes of candies across the UK.
And she’s perusing a new calling after The Apprentice opened doors for her to talk in schools and deliver career advice.
She found the experiences fulfilling and went on to team up with Lloyd Tidder from Language is Everything and decided to go into business with him.
"We're developing a motivational career company and already have dates booked in with local schools. I want to inspire people to be brave and offer advice on how to get into a job you enjoy," she told the publication.
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