Saira Khan Balances Business With Babies

18 February 2009

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Saira Khan may well be known for her fierce reputation in business, in addition to being 'that gobby one' off The Apprentice, but in reality she's a big softie!

Seeing as we'd only really witnessed the scary side of Saira before our chat, we were understandably apprehensive, but we needn't of been because as it turns out, her passion for working mums to succeed in business, is what seems to be the driving force behind her campaign, and that can sometimes comes across as aggression.

FemaleFirst sat down with Saira for a chat about being a working mum, hosting a kids TV show, and just why she's working with Kodak for her latest business venture...

Hiya how are you?
I'm fine darling, how are you doing over there?

Great thanks, what have you been up to recently?
Well, so many things I have been starting filming beat the boss, I've just finished doing a programme for the money programme that's coming out in march, which is to do with the franchising of curry, so if you like curry then it's a good programme to watch.

I'm the face of a new charity called action medical research, I'm doing an appeal for them and it's about saving little lives. I've been working on my own business too, I've been doing by range of natural skin care products for children, so I've just been developing that and getting it into Waitrose, John Lewis and places like that. So I've been busy busy busy. [FF: that's a lot to fit in, in the space of twelve months!] Yeah, oh god! And I've got a baby too, I've got a little baby. He's coming up to ten months and he keeps me busy too.

You've done so much since The Apprentice, what's been your highlight?
Oh, that's so hard. I've done so many amazing things and met so many people, but I have to say my highlight was, really... erm, oh god, well if I say it's starting my business, then it implies I'm putting my child in second place, but I started my business before I had my baby, but I think for me, starting my business and having my products be on the shelves at supermarkets has been amazing and the fact that I've been working from home, you know I've got a small little offspring at home, and then to see my products out there is just the biggest achievement, it's been my dream.

People obviously know you from The Apprentice, do you think people's perceptions of you have changed since then? I mean, you may have come across as a little aggressive initially...
Oh bless you, you're very kind by calling me aggressive, people have called me 'mouth of the south' and 'very gobby' but I think for me The Apprentice was an amazing experience and you saw aspects of me that you know when I'm in a business environment I can get gobby, but I'd like to say I'm passionate too.

Since then, you know in the four of five years gone by I've been able to portray me other characteristics to the public. Look at Beat the boss for example, I get to work with children and people can see how I interact with them and I did a documentary where I went to Pakistan , so you got to see a bit more about me and my personal life and I think just doing all of those different things and talking to the press about my interests, may make people forget that I was kind of annoying on The Apprentice!

What job title would you give yourself now, because obviously you're involved with so many different things?
I think it would be a mumentrepreneur, that would be my title because being a mum is number one, but I run a business from home and I'm in business too. All of my media work is a business, I have to balance work with looking after my child. A lot of women are finding that now, you know to be a good mum and succeed in business, it's about balancing everything together. You know you can set up work from home, make some extra money and look after your child too.

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