young & ambitious
D
espite being dyslexic and emcee on pirate radio stations as you’re articulate and you prove
considered a lost cause at Lethal Lindi. I was really bad, but at your point and you make friends
school, Lindi Mngaza the time I thought it was really cool. with people they’ll never forget you.
managed to achieve NINE GCSEs, Because I was so preoccupied
start her own business at 17 and with my personal life, business Did you realise that your
was chosen out of OVER 20,000 and going on radio, all my teachers appearance on the show would
applicants to take part in the award predicted that I’d get Es and Us attract negative media attention?
winning series: The Apprentice. because my school work was the The Apprentice isn’t a get-famous
Once Sir Alan Sugar says his last thing on my mind. show, it’s a business show and
legendary phrase: ‘You’re fired’, I’ve always been focused on you’re competing for a job so it
what happens once you’re booted money and keeping myself busy. really is quite a serious concept
out the boardroom and the camera My mum was like ‘Oh my God and you don’t realise when you’re
stops rolling? Flavour caught up what am I going to tell my friends’ doing it that people are going to
with the vivacious 23-year-old from but I managed to get an A* and watch. You’re doing your tasks and
Birmingham to find out. Cs and Bs. I got nine GCSEs and you don’t realise what’s going to
What are you doing now?
At the moment I am a business
You need to aim unrealistically high. At least if
and development director for
an advertising and marketing you fall short, you’ve still got somewhere
full-service agency in Windsor
called Effective Marketing
Systems. I’m building up a field to this day I don’t know how I did happen after, so it is a shock when
sales team and bringing in a lot of it. I think they must have marked journalists are knocking your door,
big business. I’m also doing a BBC the wrong papers (laughs). I guess my mum’s door, my ex boyfriends
documentary on young money I knew I had to do well because I door and it’s really bizarre. I think
and how people make money. I’m couldn’t let my mum or my family it’s so character building.
doing one episode of the series down by failing and I just focused.
and they follow me around. I’m I think with vision and focus you How was your time on the show?
doing lot of magazine and radio, so can achieve nearly anything. It was a lot harder than I expected.
I’m very busy at the moment and I have watched it in previous years,
running around like a mad person. It seems like your life has and thought ‘what a load of
continued that way since. Muppets’. I’m going to go on there
You had your own business at 17. Yes, most definitely. My first job and smash those idiots but when
What kind of business was it? when I was 19, the job description you get there you work a lot harder.
An internet dating agency. was that you had to be over 25
and you had to have a degree. I Were you disappointed
How much money did you make? went to the interview at Caudwell to leave so early?
I don’t want to shout about figures, Communications. It’s owned by No not really. I think week five is
but for a 17-year-old I made John Caudwell’s Phones 4 U reasonable and I look on the bright
enough to buy a few designer Group.I went into that meeting and side. I got picked out of 20,000
handbags and I went to college I wouldn’t leave until I got the job. people to be in the show, I was the
in a brand new Fiesta and, at the At that age I managed to get a youngest contestant ever. I think I
time, that was really cool. company car, a decent salary and was meant to go when I did.
in my first three months I had to
Do you regret not doing to uni? prove myself because I was the What’s Sir Alan like?
Am I sad that I never went to uni? youngest person that they had ever I don’t know him anymore than you
No! All my friends that went to uni employed in the fields sales role. do. You really don’t get to talk to
are coming out of uni now and they In three months I smacked my him. What you see on TV is what
don’t own a house or a nice car targets, I was promoted and I was you get. He never spoke to me or
and they start jobs on 15 grand a managing a team of sales people said: ‘Lindi can I have a word’. He
year so I feel really sorry for them. some who were twice my age. So only talks to you when he’s telling
I think if you’re going to be a brain when you achieve things like that, you how bad you were or when
surgeon or a doctor then you need you realise that the word realistic he’s telling you you’re fired, so you
to go to university, but if all you is the worst word in the dictionary don’t get to build up a relationship.
care about is making money then ‘cos I think people who tell others He’s a cool guy. His achievements
university is not a good move. to be realistic are people who will speak for themselves.
If you’re competent and good at never be extreme achievers. I think
what you do and if you’re sure if you want to do anything in this Are your parents supportive?
of yourself then you can be world you need to be unrealistic, They’re very supportive of me.
successful at anything. and you need to aim ridiculously I’m somebody that always shocks
high and if you fall short, at least them. I’m like the devil child who
Where does the drive to do you’ve still got somewhere. is always doing something pretty
something like that come from? whacky. So if I go home and say:
When I was at school I was really Do you think it is harder for you ‘Mum, I’m moving to Dubai for six
naughty and my mum was a to succeed in business because months,’ she’ll say okay ‘cos she
teacher so I always had a lot of you’re black and a woman? knows I’m a free spirit. I like to
pressure to be successful at school I think the race argument is tired. live in the moment and make my
– but I was dyslexic so I really I think it helps me so much. As a dreams become a reality and
struggled and I was always the black person I stand out. People I’ve realised that I’m really the only
Interview by Annika Allen class clown. I also used to go and don’t forget me. If you’re black and person that can do that.
23
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40