My path from ARU to entrepreneurship and "The Apprentice" fame

Chisola appeared on BBC’s 'The Apprentice', where she stood out for her calm, direct leadership and clarity of thought. For ARU students, her story shows just how far a determined mindset and education can take you. This is Chisola’s journey from ARU to Entrepreneurship and 'The Apprentice' fame.

After a year in nursing, Chisola realised she wanted to shift from frontline healthcare into the strategic side of the industry. Her goal: to someday start a business. Enrolling in the MBA programme at ARU became a natural step.

“I needed to understand the fundamentals of business,” she explains. The MBA at ARU not only provided that foundation but also gave her the confidence and skills to navigate the transition. Courses in innovation and leadership, along with a dissertation focused on authentic leadership in healthcare, helped her apply academic theory to real-world contexts.

That foundation propelled her into a business development role in healthcare, her first step into the business world, and eventually laid the groundwork for launching her own company.

Sparking the entrepreneurial flame

One pivotal moment during her MBA was a module on innovation, which introduced her to the Business Model Canvas. “That was the moment for me,” Chisola says. “I had never really understood the practical steps to starting a business. That model just clicked.”

It wasn’t long before real-world events accelerated her plans. During COVID-19, many of her friends launched small businesses and began reaching out to her for help with everything from marketing to email management. These experiences uncovered a gap in the market: small businesses needed versatile support but couldn’t afford full-time staff.

That insight led her and a co-founder to create their Virtual Assistant company designed to provide flexible, generalist support to startups and entrepreneurs. “There was a clear need,” she says, “and we knew we could meet it.”

Turning down a major acquisition offer

Just six months into their business, Chisola and her co-founder received a tempting acquisition offer. Despite the excitement, they turned it down.

“We had to go back to our ‘why’,” she says. “We wanted to own our business. We didn’t leave our jobs to become employees again.” That clarity helped them stay true to their original vision, opting to take a risk and build the business on their own terms.

Starting lean, scaling smart

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, resource constraints feel like roadblocks. But for Chisola, starting small was an advantage. They registered the business, set up basic tools, built the website, and even designed their logo, entirely on their own.

“We didn’t have a lot of money, so we sacrificed nights out and focused on building,” she recalls. “It’s easy to think you need the perfect website or the best branding. But what you really need is to start.”

She also advises setting a clear budget early on to avoid runaway spending and suggests leveraging platforms like Fiverr for affordable services.

Facing the fear of failure

Every entrepreneur faces self-doubt. For Chisola, the biggest mental hurdle was overcoming the fear of failure.

“It stops so many people from starting,” she says. “But failing is a part of business. Most businesses don’t even turn a profit in the first few years. The key is resilience, the ability to get up when things go wrong and keep moving.”

Building the future: connecting startups with investors

Chisola’s vision extends beyond her Virtual Assistant company. She’s currently developing an app that aims to revolutionise how entrepreneurs connect with investors. The idea, which began by identifying a gap in the market while running CB Virtual Assistant and later taking it onto The Apprentice stage, is now gaining serious interest.

“I’m currently forming my founding team and preparing to build this full-time over the summer,” she reveals. “It’s exciting to see something go from paper to reality.”

Lessons from The Apprentice

Chisola appeared on the BBC’s The Apprentice, where she further enhanced her leadership skills. The experience reinforced a core lesson: clarity is key.

“In business and on the show, if you’re not clear with your team, things go wrong,” she says. “Now, I make sure my instructions are understood and agreed upon, so that expectations are aligned from the start.”

She attributes much of her success on the show to her grounding in authentic leadership skills she began developing during her MBA and continued refining through real-world experience.

Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs at ARU

For students unsure about where to start, Chisola offers practical advice: “Talk to your friends and family. Ask them about the challenges they face in everyday life. Many great businesses are born from solving simple, personal problems.”

She points to numerous entrepreneurs who created successful products or services based on issues affecting people close to them from skincare solutions to productivity tools. “If you listen closely, the ideas are all around you,” she says.

Conclusion

Chisola’s story is a testament to the power of purposeful pivots, practical learning, and unwavering self-belief. From her start in nursing to rejecting acquisition offers and building a company that meets a real market need, she exemplifies the kind of entrepreneurship that’s grounded in resilience, empathy, and clarity.

Her advice is clear: start where you are, use what you have, and don’t let fear stop you from trying.

ARU students and graduates can access a range of support programmes, activities and events to enhance entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, with Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA).