From failed apprentice to burrito master with Tesco deal
When the infamous finger pointed his way, Tim Stillwell vowed he would prove Lord Sugar wrong.
And two years after being fired from The Apprentice, the former University of Birmingham student may have gone some way towards doing that.
Mr Stillwell has secured a deal with supermarket giant Tesco to operate his burrito business in its stores.
His chastening experience in the BBC boardroom certainly did not put him off pursuing his dreams of making it big in the world of business.
Long before attracting the attention of one of the biggest names business has to offer in Tesco, it was the university campus where it all began for Mr Stillwell and his burritos.
He set up a takeaway van at the university before opening his first outlet in the Merry Hill shopping centre.
The deal with Tesco will see fast-food stands operate initially from two stores in London, but he admits he has his eyes set on the Black Country, which he calls his adopted home.
He said: "We are starting off in London with Tesco but we will then be looking to expand into the West Midlands, hopefully Birmingham and the Black Country."
The 25-year-old's appearance on the popular show was so brief, many may struggle to recognise him.
He was blamed for the failure of the just the second task of that series, in which the candidates had to sell beer.
Afterwards in the famous black cab which disposes of losing contestants, a bullish Mr Stillwell insisted Lord Sugar hadn't seen the best of him.
But he now says he doesn't give the fiery businessman so much thought these days.
"Not really," he said when asked if he thought he had proved a point.
"I did The Apprentice a few years ago now. I always wanted to run my own business and when Lord Sugar said no it made me more determined."
Though he says he has moved on from failure on The Apprentice and Lord Sugar, there is perhaps a chance the two could meet again.
"One of the stores in London is on the same street as his office, so he might pop down," he said.
Mr Stillwell said he was 'over the moon' to have secured the deal with Tesco, who approached him out of the blue after being impressed with what he had to offer.
He said: "I'm so excited about it. It has taken a long time to get it moving, so to be finally opening is great."
