Follow me on Twitter Carolyn Kepcher, who helped Donald Trump fire corporate trainees on "The Apprentice" reality TV show, has a new job helping Microsoft find the best small-business idea in America.
Microsoft is launching the "Ultimate Challenge" contest. The winner will receive $100,000 in seed money, a storefront or office in Manhattan rent-free for a year, and of course Microsoft software to get their business running. Kepcher is one of three contest judges who will pick four finalists. The judges and the voting public will then choose the winner. "It takes a big idea to create a big business," Kepcher said. "And I’ve seen some big ideas before."
No doubt, given that Carolyn worked for Trump for over a decade and was his right-hand woman on "The Apprentice" until he fired her in August. "She became a prima donna," said one insider. "Being on ‘The Apprentice’ went to her head. She was no longer focused on business. She was giving speeches for $25,000 and doing endorsements."
So Trump fired Carolyn for shameless self-promotion? Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Even so, Trump is cool. He’s like a modern American cowboy, riding choppers instead of horses and rustling money instead of cattle.
But I’ll miss Carolyn on "The Apprentice". She always had a knack for cutting through the typical corporate BS to focus on the critical issue of every problem. I’ve worked in corporate America, and Carolyn’s honesty and insight is hard to find in an environment dominated by pointy-haired bosses and corporate lemmings. Surely Carolyn will succeed at whatever she decides to do next.
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