It’s Sunday afternoon, and I get a notification on my phone to say that I’ve been ‘mentioned in a comment’ on one of the many social media apps I have downloaded onto my Samsung.  Winner of The Apprentice 2015, Joseph Valente, has posted that he’s looking for a recommendation for a ghostwriter.  I don’t know him, I’m not connected or ‘friends’ with him, but thanks to the power of social media, I share mutual connections with him who have seen the post and happily put my name forward.  Lovely!

I respond politely and with a self-deprecating joke to the comment on the thread, which Joseph ‘likes’.  I request him as a connection and send him some info about me as well as some advice about choosing and working with a ghostwriter.  He accepts the request and acknowledges me for the input soon after.

I get momentarily excited, but then I watch and listen for the notifications buzzing through on my phone to state, as expected, that people are posting in their droves on the thread to push forward their own friends and connections for this exciting opportunity with the former Apprentice star.  Somebody even recommends the man who wrote Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography, and then the gent in question eagerly steps forward himself to offer his services.  Great.

I go about my business into Sunday evening, figuring that if a ghostwriting deal hasn’t been struck already with Branson’s best bud, then Mr Valente has picked somebody else from the still rapidly growing list because they’re more well-known, probably related to someone he already knows, or simply more prolific on the visual list of shout-outs.  It’s a tough gig to get in a competitive world of freelancers.

On the same social network 24 hours earlier, a connection of mine had absolutely panned me for my “direct” approach to my work, and I’d allowed my confidence to sink annoyingly low in response.  I refused to change, though, and as it turns out, Joseph Valente didn’t mind that direct approach at all.  He returned contact with me almost straight away to see how we might consider working together.  My spirits were lifted, and I was just genuinely pleased with the level of professionalism and courtesy I was being shown by somebody who was undoubtedly right now fielding a wealth of enquiries and offers in response to his original posting.

Joseph and I spent a couple of days chatting online, both fitting in our input to a conversation here and there around our existing workloads.  I remained sceptical about it coming to anything, and envisaged the fact that Joseph was probably in contact with a fair few potential writers – as I’d indeed advised him to be in order to get the relationship right.  Either that, or I felt the book writing idea was merely a fad and that he was no longer really interested in writing one at all – you get this a lot with clients once they find out how much work is involved.  I was so wrong.  Joseph Valente is nothing if not focussed, and knows exactly what he wants.  I shouldn’t have been surprised at this at all given his performance on The Apprentice back in 2015, where, for me, he made TV history by being the first candidate to actually back up the boasts he’d made on his application; remember that scene from the ‘Final Five’ episode where he could recite and recall sections from Lord Sugar’s autobiography?  Brilliant.  Joseph’s attitude, motivation and clear vision, first notable from his appearance on the hit BBC show, saw him secure a quarter of a million pounds of investment from Lord Sugar in one of the highest realms of business partnerships a 25 year old could dream of.  That’s not down to fluke or luck.

Whether it was my present view of myself or of the man in question, working with the impressive Mr Valente seemed like an unlikely partnership at first, but just as I was completely wrong two years ago when I thought Joseph would sadly “never win” The Apprentice because he was “too much of a nice guy”, I was completely wrong again about how he would present as a potential client – ironically because he really is so much of a nice guy.  He kept professional contact, he requested and took interest in my input, and he kept me in the loop with all of his plans and ideas.  He knew what he wanted and who would be right for the project, and despite the pair of us being very different to each other in many ways, we shared a sense of humour, and I cannot tell you how vital that is when you’re either a ghostwriter yourself – or you’re hiring one.

So, fast forward to ten days later over a relaxed lunch in a beautiful bar overlooking the inspirational and iconic St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and Joseph and I set to work immediately.  The conversation is both easy and natural.  Within the first hour I’m being teased for being “so northern”, but I refuse to apologise for this and laugh about how I embrace the things I say and how I say them.  Joseph is similarly straight-talking, no messing, and it would appear that this is why we’re easily beginning to work so well together.  He wants to motivate people with his story, and I want to make sure he does this with the passion, drive and integrity I can already see he possesses in abundance.  In true northern style, I tell him it’s a given right of my job to voice my opinion if I think there’s anything at all that runs a risk of making him “sound like an arrogant ****”.  In truth, Joseph Valente couldn’t be any further from the stereotype you may associate with the usual kind of Apprentice candidate we love – or love to hate – on TV.

When I ask Joseph why he’s writing this book, and why he’s wanting to write it at this particular time (ever the businessman he has a clear timescale in mind), he unveils something surprising.  He’s a little uneasy with the book being branded as an autobiography, as his main aim is not at all to talk all about himself from cover to cover, but instead to share the story of a journey that will engage, motivate and inspire ordinary young people, perhaps from a background just like his, to go on to do extraordinary things.  He wants to be a role model for those who want to get out into the world and run with a start-up business idea or entrepreneurial vision, no matter what the odds or circumstances.  From what I can see, and what I’m hearing as we talk, Joseph Valente is certainly a prize candidate for that role.

In the space of our first afternoon of many together, I’ve thrown a million questions at Joseph (both for the book and for my own curiosity at this stage), and he’s answered them all honestly and openly.  I’m surprised, intrigued and excited by his responses, and by the story that begins to unfold… and when you come to read his fascinating first book, due for release alongside the new series of The Apprentice on BBC1 this September, I know that you will be fascinated, too.