Having started her dessert company, Oh So Yum six years ago, British Indian businesswoman Harpreet Kaur went on the televised national entrepreneurship competition, The Apprentice, hosted by Lord Sugar, this year and won. We sat down with the inspirational founder to find out what makes her tick, what she plans to do with her £250,000 investment prize money and her experience as a female south Asian entrepreneur.

BAWM: So, to begin with, what was your experience of being on The Apprentice like?

Harpreet: The apprentice was the most amazing experience ever. It was an opportunity that you just normally would not get in life. I mean, how many times can you get involved in various tasks in different industries, meet with like minded individuals? You just would never get that opportunity in normal life. So it was definitely an intense experience.

BAWM: So what was the hardest part?

Harpreet: The hardest part of being on The Apprentice, I think is just the resilience, and like, almost the stamina to keep going. Week after week, task after task, it's actually really tiring, emotionally, mentally, physically, you're actually just really tired, and you're constantly battling in your mind. On one hand, you just want to go home, because you've had enough. And on the other hand, you're really stressed because you want to keep going. So it's just the mental exhaustion, I would say, is a really difficult part of it.

BAWM: So how did you have that motivation to keep going? What was it that you sort of kept driving you?

Harpreet: I'm a really self motivated person. And I believe that if you start something, put 110% in. So I'd already decided I'm going to do these tasks. Yes, they were way harder than expected. But I wanted to win the investment. And that was my mindset the whole time. Just because things get tough, you can't then give up, you have to be able to work under pressure. So for me, the motivation was almost the amount of pressure motivated me further because, you know, if anything's worth doing, it's not going to be easy. So I think I'm just a very focused person, like if you've decided to do something, see it through, make sure you get to the end goal. And don't stop until you get there.

BAWM: I think that very much came across on screen. It's probably what you need as well to be an entrepreneur.

Harpreet: Yeah, you do, you have to be resilient, and you have to keep yourself going. Because you're not going to get a pat on the back every day. Even in the process, you know, you try so hard, but Lord Sugar isn't going to turn around and say, ‘Oh, well done, you are fantastic!’ They're going to test you, they're going to keep prodding you and you have to be able to take constructive criticism and use it to learn and to grow. So I think that is really tough as an entrepreneur, because you haven't got someone giving you a round of applause for every small thing that you do. But it doesn't mean that it doesn't matter, you just got to keep going until you get that sort of cumulative and golden end result.

BAWM: That's amazing. Did it take some time to kind of develop that resilience?

Harpreet: I think I've probably built up that resilience outside the process. I'm 30 now, and I've been running my business for six years. So I've almost got that about me. I guess it comes with time it comes with experience of owning and running your own business. But when I got into the process, it was definitely a bit of a shock. And I remember thinking, oh, like, my confidence was completely knocked, I kind of thought, I don't know how I'm gonna do this. Like, this is way tougher than I thought, what on earth have I signed up for? So yeah, I guess that's just life. Sometimes you just get thrown all these curveballs and you think, what have I done? What am I going to do? And I guess there's just two types of people, you can either just think, okay, I'm not going to bother. Or actually, I'm gonna make sure this is worth my while and I'm just gonna go for it.

BAWM: That's it. I'm really glad that you shared that. Because I think sometimes when we watch people that go on to become really successful, we think, gosh, they don't have hard days at all. So it's nice to know, it's comforting that everyone has hard days, but you can push through.

Harpreet: 100% You know, being an entrepreneur, being in business, you have, honestly, probably more harder days than good ones that are easy. You know, every day something crops up. You never finish your to do list. And even if you do, there's no one there to say well done, let's do drinks after on Friday with the team. You're the one that has to keep yourself motivated and everybody else motivated. When you own a business, it becomes a lifestyle. And everything else almost is on top. So you really have to learn how to juggle and manage multiple plates and trust me, it is hard. You wake up sometimes and you think, why am I doing this? And you don't see that success straightaway. You know, I think social media can sometimes give people the wrong impression that success can come overnight, or certain people are an overnight success. And I often find that's probably not the case, it often takes years of consistent hard work, overcoming the roller coasters, overcoming the hard times, losing money, making money, losing it, again, making silly mistakes, but just badgering on anyway.

BAWM: Yeah, showing up every day. I think

Harpreet: That's it. Yeah. No excuse. I think a lot of people think I can be quite harsh and tough, but it's because I don't really like using any excuses. Even for myself. Yes, you might be tired. Yes, you might be having a bad day. But it doesn't need to get in the way of your own goals, you can still keep going.

BAWM: That's very motivational. Thank you for sharing that. And can I ask what Lord Sugar is like off-camera?

Harpreet: Lord Sugar is exactly the same as what you see on television. He's very straight to the point, he's very direct. If he says something, he means that and he's he is very supportive. And in the know, him and his team have been there immediately, there hasn't been a wait for the support or anything. He's very involved with the business goals, and is very interested. He's a busy man, he has his own businesses, and he's invested in a number of businesses that he overseas. He's still there, he's still available. And he doesn't seem too busy, which is really nice.

BAWM: Yeah, that's amazing. It's a good role model for future. So do you have any regrets anything that you do differently?

Harpreet: Hindsight is an amazing thing. With everything, in our personal lives and our professional lives. There are always situations that you look back on, and you realise you could have dealt with better. You could have communicated in a better way. You know, you could have been a bit more aware of other people's opinions. But that's hindsight. And that's reflection. And you can only learn from that, you can only do your best in that moment. I would definitely say I don't have any regrets. Because if I did, or I did anything differently, I might not be sat here talking with you today. And I might not be the winner of The Apprentice. So I wouldn't do anything differently. But can I learn and kind of continue to grow as a person? Absolutely. I'm definitely not perfect. There's lots of things that I would love to do to work on myself. It's definitely quite tough watching yourself back. But I'm really proud of myself, I think my style works for me. And it's got me to this point. So I will definitely continue going.

BAWM: And you should be proud of yourself. I think one of the main things that people said was that they loved how you handled yourself, despite all of the tough situations. And you mentioned that you're still learning and growing, what was what would you say was the biggest lesson that you learned through this?

Harpreet: Well, I think I've actually grown in confidence. If someone said to me this person’s style is really direct, and very to the point, I will probably say, oh, that person maybe needs to soften up a little bit. But actually, you know, the other candidates on my team always seem to respect what I was trying to achieve. And I think if you're being direct, or you're on a power trip, that's a different story. And people recognise that and you lose respect. Whereas for myself, I think everyone that works with me, can always recognise I'm so desperate for the win. And I really want us to be successful. So people end up really wanting to be on that journey. There's actually really given me confidence in my abilities, in my capabilities, in my style, and that actually, I should just really go for it. Keep doing what I'm doing, because we'll probably get successful results.

BAWM: That's wonderful. You should definitely be confident in what you're trying to achieve. But women of colour are often told to kind of hold back or be less ambitious or, as you say, be a little softer. What's your experience been like as a woman of colour entrepreneur?

Harpreet: So obviously I'm Asian, I'm from an Indian background. In my head, I have always removed gender as a factor in what I want to achieve. I'm very headstrong, to me, it doesn't matter at all whether someone is male or female, whatever you want to do, go and do it. It shouldn't make a difference. However, I think our culture and society can sometimes dictate otherwise there are lots of stereotypes out there I think often when a woman sets up a business, it can be seen as a hobby, or something cute, or something she's doing on the side, like, bless her, you know, let her give it a go. And then she'll probably have children soon. And we can forget about that idea. Yeah, you definitely experience comments.

I remember when I first started the business years ago, an Asian man asked is this your business? And I said, well, yeah. And, he asked where my husband was, because someone else must have set it up for you. the said this is my business, there's no husband, there's no man in the background, I can stand on my own two feet. So there's definitely those sort of stereotypical mindsets out there, that you just have to decide whether you're going to let it get you down, let it hold you back and let it get in your head or you're just going to do what you're going to do anyway. There's always going to be someone that disagrees with what you're doing. But we have to break those boundaries. And if you're passionate about something, don't let gender, age, race or religion, get in your way. Just be yourself. And everyone that you know and who wants to support you, will. And if they don't, that's cool, too. You can't please everybody.

BAWM: Yeah, I suppose it makes the win that much sweeter than when it does.

Harpreet: I absolutely love that I'm able to represent British Asian women, and just Asians in general, because there are 1000s of Asian entrepreneurs in the UK. We have so many businesses that we run, and especially as women anyway, I'm all about girl power, and being surrounded by strong women in my life, and I would not be where I am without them today. So it’s just so nice that I can be one of one of the faces and hopefully many faces in the future.

BAWM: For sure. And you're very much an inspiration. So what does it feel like to kind of be a role model for young brown women?

Harpreet: Thank you, that's really sweet of you to say. I don't fully know how to take that just yet because this is really new to me. You know, I've been running my business for six years, and I just set out to go and get an investment. And never in a million years ever thought that I may be inspiring others or even trying to be a role model for others. I'm just 100% myself. And I think that in itself is probably what inspires other people because they know I'm just unapologetic, and I will go and get my goals. So if that's what's inspiring other girls, I absolutely love that. Because for me, success doesn't actually equal money, or, you know, even an investment success is where you are achieving your goals, whatever they might be. And if you're happy and you're fulfilled then you're content and you're growing. So if I'm an example of that, and I can inspire other women to do that, I will do that all day long.

BAWM: Oh, that is beautiful. That is really beautiful. And if you had one piece of advice that you could give, what would that be?

Harpreet: One is mindset. Something that I've been working on over the past few years that I think has really helped me and accelerated my life is ensuring that I have a positive mindset. No matter what things happen in life whether that's personal or professional, things don't always work out. But if you 100%, approach it with a positive mindset, keep moving yourself forward, see the positive in every single situation, learn and grow from it and don't allow anything to get you down, then you're only going to attract more to yourself. You know, there's so much negativity out there and life is actually like really difficult. We've just gone through a pandemic and sometimes life is really uncertain. But the sooner that you realise your life is in your own hands, and you can control the outcome and don't rely on anyone else then literally you can decide what your goals are. So for me, I never call what I want to do a dream. My dreams are my goals. And I'm gonna go and get them. So I need to start thinking of some new dreams slash goals because I achieved them and I'm so happy about it. And I really wish everyone would think that. A dream doesn't need to be a dream, you can make it your reality. Turn it into a goal, decide how you're going to get there and go and do it.

BAWM: And I think that's so important for South Asian women in particular to hear, we often need to be reminded that our lives are our own and that we are in control.

Harpreet: I agree. For women in general I feel that we have to juggle so much more. But as an Asian woman there are certain expectations or sometimes we limit ourselves because we don't want to let anybody down or be seen to be standing out or doing perhaps what society or sometimes our own family doesn't really want us to do. I've had those experiences where sometimes certain members of my family don't understand why I'm doing what I'm doing. But that's okay. The quicker you accept that, and you learn to live with that, and still decide that you still want to go and pursue that, good for you. Because the alternative is feeling dissatisfied discontent, and not actually living your true life. And life's too short. Go on, be yourself, go and live true to yourself, whatever your dreams are, even if they're small, big, whatever they are, just don't let anyone get in your way. And it's hard as an Asian woman to do - it's easier said than done. But the more you do it, trust me, you'll have a very good time.

BAWM: Wonderful to see what a good time you're having, actually. And I think the more that we see brilliant South Asian women like you breaking the mould and achieving your dreams, the more I think that the next generation, they will see that and kind of go off and be themselves as well.

Harpreet: We're all different. You know, for me, I'm very work focused, I love business. I've always been so ambitious in my career. But if your goals are to go and travel the world, or whatever it might be, just go and do it. Because what's the alternative? Usually if you look at it, that isn't that big of a risk, your family's gonna be okay with it. In the end, it's gonna be fine. They might have a problem. But it's okay, if you really want to do it, and you're not doing anything wrong, you're a good person, you have good morals, go and live out your dreams, because life's too short.

BAWM: It's amazing how much we need to hear that. But I think reinforcing that message was amazing. And obviously, your family are really happy now, like the videos of you celebrating afterwards are really wonderful to see.

Harpreet: Yeah, we had a really good time, my mom and dad are just so proud. And, you know, this is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me and to my family to go on a platform on that level. We've grown up watching that show as a family. And I dreamt of being on it. And then two years ago, I decided I was going to be on it. And I wrote it down, and then started working on it. And I made a plan to get myself onto the show. So again, it's just constantly proving to yourself that if you've got that itch, explore it, because it could bring amazing results.

BAWM: So what's next for you? You've got the £250,000 investment. It's amazing.

Harpreet: So my business, I have rebranded to Oh So Yum, which is the brand that people saw me create on the show. And we've launched the nationwide delivery service. So I created my own delicious range of cookie cups and cookie pies, which viewers saw me create on the show as well. And now across England, Northern Ireland, Wales, wherever you are, you can order my desserts and I will get them delivered to your door within hopefully the next day. I've had an amazing response. And I cannot thank people enough for their order. So far. Everyone seems to be loving the desserts. So if you haven't got your order in yet, make sure you order and watch this space, because we have lots of exciting plans to open more stores, and be in more places and make my desserts more accessible to everyone. So yeah, big things coming.

BAWM: I feel like you're kind of making small dreams come true everywhere by giving people dessert in their home as

Harpreet: Well, food brings us joy, right? I mean, everyone looks forward to a meal. And if you've got a sweet tooth, you're waiting for dessert. So I just love that my business is almost simple in a way - it makes people happy. Just enjoying them, whether that's part of an occasion like someone's birthday, or just hanging out because you want to, it's that feelgood factor. So I like that I'm helping make people feel good. I love that about it.

Harpreet and her sister with whom she started the business, from the Oh So Yum website.

BAWM: Is that why you started it?

Harpreet: I started it because I'm really greedy. And I love cake. Maybe I can make some money from this.

BAWM: Honestly, that's literally the best reason I've heard to start something. Wanting to eat cake all day, very relatable. Who would you say inspires you?

Harpreet: This is gonna sound very cringy. But so many people inspire me. It's even just everyday, that I meet people, because everyone is so unique. And I really feel that you can learn something from every single person you interact with, whether that's their kindness that's kind of touched you and then you become a little bit more kind. Or if you see someone stick up for themselves, and you think, ‘oh, well, I kind of like that about that person’. You know, there's lots of people like in the public eye that do inspire me. I love strong business women, obviously. You know, Kevin Brady on the show is an inspiration within herself. She broke a lot of barriers herself in the industry that she works in, which is football. And what I like about her is she's strong, she's powerful, and she's unapologetic about the way she is. And I do like that about people. Because it's really hard to be everything. We can’t all be kind and funny, and this and that but we can get a nice balance of it. So I think you've just got to be yourself. And I like it when people are unashamedly themselves, and don't compare themselves to others. Just do you and be the best.

BAWM: Yeah, and that's probably the best comparison - comparing yourself to your past self and seeing the progress that you've made. It's the best comparison.

Harpreet: Yeah, try and be the best version of yourself. Don't try and be someone else. Just better yourself every day.

BAWM: Definitely. Well, meeting you certainly been an inspiration for me. Oh. So my final question is what's your end goal or dream for Oh So Yum?

Harpreet: My dream is to be the number one dessert brand in the UK. So when you think of pizza, instantly you think of brands like Pizza Hut, Pizza Express, Domino's and Papa John's. Those four standout brands that everybody knows. If you think of burgers, you immediately think of McDonald's and KFC so when you think of desserts or sweet treat. I want the number one brand to be Oh So Yum.

Meet The Aprentice 2022 winner, Harpreet Kaur

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