You're Hired! "The Apprentice" walked in an entrepreneur . . . and walked away a winner.
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After 13 riveting weeks, Donald Trump made his final decisionand chose entrepreneur Bill Rancic as "The Apprentice."Rancic, 33, who nine years ago started CigarsAroundtheWorld.com, an online purveyor ofpremium cigars (which he sold in 2003), has also run real estatedevelopment company Rancic Properties for the past three years. Nowhe will oversee construction of the Trump International Hotel &Tower in Chicago. I caught up with Rancic only days after theannouncement to learn more about his thrilling victory.
How do you think your entrepreneurial background gave you anedge over the competition?
Bill Rancic: Myinstincts were honed in business. You hone your instincts and yourability to adjust your style with each task. If you [watched] theshow, my management style changed with each task we had.
In one episode, another contender's Harvard MBA educationis compared to your entrepreneurial path. Was your pathbest?
Rancic: Manydifferent roads lead to the same destination. For me, that was thebest road. Is the entrepreneurial way of life for everyone? No, ofcourse not. Some people need to know that every Friday they'regoing to get their $800 or whatever, and it's going to be there52 weeks a year. I don't need that. I'm more about thethrill and the excitement. I like to hit the home runs; I want tobe the Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa. That's just my style and theway I operate best.
What was your first entrepreneurial inkling?
Rancic: When Iwas 10, my parents took me to my grandma's house for theweekend, and she taught me how to make pancakes. The next day, Iinvited all the old neighborhood ladies over for breakfast and [I]cooked pancakes. When they left, they all put $5 bills underneaththeir plates. So each week, I kept asking to go to mygrandma's. One afternoon, my mom found this stack of moneyunder my bed and was a little alarmed [that I] had all this money.Well, I had a major restaurant operating out of my grandma'shouse!
Will going from entrepreneur to employee bedifficult?
Rancic: I feelit's going to be very easy for me to integrate myself into thatorganization. I'm the president of the division, but the Trumporganization is very entrepreneurial. It's a great family-typeculture. I had a meeting yesterday, and it was Donald Trump, acouple of his advisors and myself. There were no committees andsubcommittees; decisions get made quickly.
Have you actually started your position yet?
Rancic: I startedthe minute [Trump] said I was hired. Donald Trump is the king ofpromotion, and he's teaching me the art of promotion right now.So I'm definitely on the clock.
Whom have you learned from so far from in thisexperience?
Rancic: I'velearned from the 15 other contestants I've worked with, Mr.Trump, his advisory board, and right now, the media and [its]power. As an entrepreneur, you always want to be learning,advancing and bettering yourself; and that's what I'mdoing. Had I not tried CigarsAroundtheWorld.com, I would have neverbeen here today. I will always be a part of [that company] inadvising them.
Several of your competitors have decided to start their ownventures. What do you think about the entrepreneurial spirit thathas resulted in the show?
Rancic: I thinkthe show has renewed the entrepreneurial spirit. It reallyrepresents the American Dream. People need to know the AmericanDream is still alive and well. You don't need a Harvard MBA,and you don't need a million dollars to be successful inAmerica. A guy like me can go out there and start a business, andnow I'm working with Donald Trump. How great is thiscountry?
