EP 40: How Dean Franklin Went from Air Con Graft to The Apprentice Champion

🎙️ Interview with Dean Franklin — Winner of The Apprentice 2025 | Champ and Contender Podcast In this episode of The Champ and Contender Podcast, hosts Joseph J. Jones and Fabian Collymore sit down with Dean Franklin, the winner of The Apprentice 2025 🏆 From grafting in air conditioning to standing in the boardroom with Lord Alan Sugar, Dean breaks down his full journey — the grind, the mindset, and the madness behind winning one of the UK’s toughest business shows 💼🔥 He opens up about: 💨 Starting DL Air Conditioning from scratch during lockdown 💡 Lessons learned from The Apprentice boardroom 🤝 Working with Alan Sugar 🧠 Entrepreneur tips for anyone chasing success 🤣 Plus — the fan-favourite Shot Stopper game returns with a business twist: Steve Jobs vs Elon Musk, Walt Disney vs Bill Gates, and more! Real talk, pure banter, and serious insight into what it actually takes to win The Apprentice and build your own business empire 👊 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to the Champ and Contender Podcast 00:27 – Introducing Dean Franklin: The Apprentice Winner 01:11 – Dean’s Journey into Air Conditioning 02:18 – Starting a Business During Lockdown 03:42 – The Apprentice Experience05:33 – Challenges and Triumphs on The Apprentice 06:40 – Life After The Apprentice 16:14 – Dean’s Early Business Ventures 27:16 – The Essex Identity and Accents 32:03 – A Game of Shot Stopper 32:29 – Boxing and Entrepreneurs 32:54 – Steve Jobs vs Elon Musk 35:58 – Steve Jobs vs Jeff Bezos 36:25 – Alan Sugar vs Henry Ford 40:06 – Walt Disney vs Bill Gates 43:44 – Life After The Apprentice 57:46 – Final Thoughts and Advice ✨ Follow Us on Socials 📺 YouTube: @TheChampAndContenderPodcast 📸 Instagram: @fabsfitnessuk | @josephjjones