She may have been fired from TV3’s The Apprentice last week but life continues to be a roller coaster for former IT Sligo student Susanne Short.
Susanne applied for the daunting task of trying to win Bill Cullen’s approval as a future business partner while sitting her final exams at the Institute.
Having survived until the seventh week on the popular but demanding television show, she exited feeling “wiser and more confident” and full of plans for the future.
Next Friday (November 25th) Susanne (22) marries fiancé Richard Kerins, owner and manager of Tubberbride Stables in Collooney, County Sligo. After the rigors of trying to impress the demanding Cullen and his colleagues, she is looking forward to the wedding bash with friends and family at Kilronan Castle.
The wedding comes just two weeks after her graduation from IT Sligo with a Bachelor in Business Marketing degree.
“It was lovely to go back and see the lecturers again. I really loved my course at IT Sligo,” she said.
And will she be as anxious to meet up with The Apprentice judges? “Well Bill Cullen is a tough man but his criticism is always very constructive,” she said. “He comes across as the kind of boss who shouts and screams and throws chairs around the room but of course that does not work in business. A lot of it is for television”.
Susanne admitted that she was disappointed to have been kicked off after Bill questioned her leadership qualities. “I was disappointed because at this stage the final is in sight,” she said. She felt she put up a great fight on her last task. “Maybe I should have done that earlier but hindsight is a great thing”.
Susanne, a native of Co Louth, is an avid show jumper and has competed at Grand Prix level, most recently with her beloved stallion Varo whom she since sold to international show-jumper Darragh Kerins. She continues to compete on the show jumping circuit and is very involved with Richard at Tubberbride.
She has plenty of business ideas and has done a lot of research on a plan to set to a website aimed at the over 50 age group. In the meantime she hopes to get more experience under belt, preferably in the area of sales and marketing.
“I learned a lot from The Apprentice, she said. “I know I would feel much more confident now going for interviews.”
Not surprising after the rigors of the television show she is exhausted and looking forward to unwinding. “I can’t wait for the wedding and I can’t wait to get into that thermal spa in Kilronan Castle the next day”, she said.