Was it unethical? When you’re desperate, you sometimes have to push the envelope. Kwame was on a desperately failing team. His judgment wasn’t admirable, but I don’t think he crossed the line: He was supporting his team members.
Amy Henry, 30, a manager at a high-tech start-up in Austin, Texas, who owned millions of dollars in options and lost it all in the dot-com bust. Amy is extremely bright and has great spirit, team and otherwise. I don’t think much can get her down, and she will excel.
Troy McClain, 32, a mortgage lender in the insurance business and a real estate developer, from Boise, Idaho. Troy is optimistic and realistic at the same time. It’s a great combination, and I expect him to do big things. Plus it takes a brave man to have his legs waxed. That showed me how much he really wanted the job.
Tammy Lee, 36, a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch in Seattle, Washington. Tammy’s experience gives her a realistic view of the world. She watches out for herself and keeps her goals clear. Her strength is one of her greatest attributes, and it will help her throughout her career.
Bill Rancic, 32, founder of cigarsaroundtheworld.com, which he started from his studio apartment in Chicago, Illinois, and turned into a multimillion-dollar business. Bill is a good guy with a great future and has already proven his entrepreneurial skills. He’s a careful thinker, serious about his endeavors, and a good bet to achieve the results he seeks.
Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, 29, a political consultant from Washington, D.C., who worked in the Clinton-Gore administration. Like Madonna, she needs only a first name. Omarosa is the most articulate of the group. She’s got a lot of fight in her and self-confidence that will serve her well. If she’d been working on Gore’s presidential campaign, he would have won.
Sam Solovey, 27, cofounder of an Internet media company, from Chevy Chase, Maryland. He lasted only until the third episode, but even that seemed like an eternity to some viewers. Sam was the smartest annoying character on TV since Howard Cosell. He is likely to either take a company down in flames or create an IBM. I think he’s got a lot of talent, and as long as he learns how to use it correctly he will do great things. I can’t believe he proposed marriage on TV. His future wife looks great, but he forgot to ask for the prenup, and I hope he won’t ever need one.
Ereka Vitrini, 27, a global marketing manager for Clinique, who learned her business skills working in her family’s pizzeria in New York City. Ereka has terrific spirit and a good amount of fortitude. She’s not afraid to voice her opinions, and that’s crucial.
Nick Warnock, 27, a salesman for Xerox who launched an Italian ice business in Bayonne, New Jersey, and now lives in Los Angeles. Nick is a savvy guy who tries to cover his bases. He is industrious but needs to focus on exactly what is going on around him. His tenacity will see him through.
They were all great, even Sam. What I found interesting was the shifting dynamic of the group and their interplay, with its changing patterns and alliances. That’s the way business teams function.
As everyone saw, the women dominated the men at first, and it made some people wonder whether women are superior at business. I believe we’re all equal, except in one respect: Women still have to try harder, and they know it. They will do what they have to do to get the job done and will not necessarily be demure about it.
A lot of people were surprised when I decided to lecture the women about the way they were using their sex appeal. They used it successfully at first, but I knew that would not always be the case. It works, and then it doesn’t, and I didn’t want them to fall into a trap.
All the women on The Apprentice flirted with me—consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected. A sexual dynamic is always pres-ent between people, unless you are asexual.
As a result of The Apprentice, several of my esteemed colleagues at The Trump Organization have become TV stars. I was joined in the boardroom every week by George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher. They did for The Apprentice what they do for me every day—pay attention to the details, see the big picture, and give me excellent advice. When I told them I wanted them to appear on the show with me, unscripted and unrehearsed, they approached it just like any other job assignment, with thorough professionalism and astute attention, and they came across as authentic because of that.
At Planet Hollywood in Times Square with George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher.
I chose Carolyn, an executive vice president and the director of one of my largest properties, because she’s shown a lot of smarts over the years. George, an executive vice president and senior counsel, is a shrewd, tough guy with brains—he doesn’t put up with nonsense from anyone.
My executive assistants Rhona Graff and Robin Himmler are also featured regularly, and even though they have high-stress jobs, I think you’ll agree they look anything but stressed on TV. My executives Allen Weisselberg, Charlie Reiss, Norma Foerderer, and Tom Downing also made appearances, and Bernie Diamond appears four times. Whenever I make a big hiring decision, these people are involved, so it was only natural for me to include them in choosing the apprentice.
The only person I had to coax into appearing was my vice president and personal assistant, Norma Foerderer. She prefers being the power behind the throne and didn’t want to be in the limelight, but I finally convinced her.
I’ve been asked how much the success of The Apprentice will mean to my business. My pay per episode, while substantial, does not, for me, mean very much. It is nowhere near what the stars of Friends rake in. The real value is in the free advertising and publicity The Trump Organization has been receiving. I can’t put a monetary value on that. Before The Apprentice, the use of my name on a building was worth untold millions of dollars. That value sure has not gone down. I’m told that The Apprentice is the highest-rated show featuring a nonacting businessman in the history of television. When TV viewers think of business in America, a lot of them are going to be thinking about The Trump Organization.
We’re already at work on the second season, to premiere in the fall of 2004. For those of you interested in applying and winning, here are the four essential qualities I’m looking for in an apprentice:
1. An outstanding personality.Someone who makes everyone feel comfortable. No matter what you’re doing in business—selling, buying, negotiating, analyzing, or managing—this may be the most essential trait. You’ve got to be able to connect with the people you encounter, every hour, every day.
2. Brains.Not book brains alone, but street smarts as well. That combination, properly used, is a winner.
3. Creativity.The ability to see beyond the obvious, to think unpredictably and imaginatively, to make connections others might not envision. This is perhaps the hardest quality to develop—you’ve either got it or you don’t. But you can be creative in different ways. Jeff Zucker is a creative TV executive. Derek Jeter is a creative shortstop. If they switched jobs, they might not be as creative in their various fields.
4. Loyalty and trust.Absolutely required traits. Unlike creativity and brains, any person can possess these qualities, so if you lack them, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Let’s suppose, out of the hundreds of thousands of applicants, you’re selected. Let’s suppose you actually win. You become famous for fifteen minutes (or perhaps more) and bag a $250,000-a-year job at The Trump Organization.
