![\"TX](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_280659671-c7bc.jpg\")
\n\t\tDragons\u2019 Den has returned to the BBC with some special guests (Picture: BBC Studios\/Simon Pantling)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tDragons\u2019 Den has returned to the BBC with some special guests (Picture: BBC Studios\/Simon Pantling)<\/p>\n
For most hopefuls on BBC<\/a>\u2019s The Apprentice<\/a>, having the opportunity to one day buy Lord Alan Sugar<\/a> out of your multi-million-pound company might seem like a distant dream. <\/p>\n But for Susie Ma, who went from selling home-made body scrubs in a market stall at the age of 15 to helming health brand Tropic Skincare that has an annual turnover of roughly \u00a368million, this became a reality.<\/p>\n The 37-year-old managed to strike a deal with the business tycoon despite losing to winner Tom Pellereau as one of the final three contestants.<\/p>\n However, speaking to Metro ahead of her appearance on Dragons\u2019 Den<\/a> as a guest Dragon, Susie revealed how she and Lord Sugar \u2018never saw eye to eye\u2019 as partners.<\/p>\n \u2018Lord Sugar and I reached an amicable decision a few years back and it has felt really liberating because he was an investor, that\u2019s all he did,\u2019 Susie told us.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tGet personalised updates on The Apprentice\t\t\t<\/p>\n Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro\u2019s TV Newsletter.<\/p>\n Sign up to our newsletter<\/a> and then select your show in the link we\u2019ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.<\/p>\n \u2018He invested money in lots of different companies, but he didn\u2019t have the heart for my business. He didn\u2019t wake up in the morning and think what moisturiser should I help Susie develop, or which ambassador should we celebrate? <\/p>\n \t\t \t\t \u2018He didn\u2019t care about any of that. He cared about the bottom line and how much dividend he could take from the business, and that doesn\u2019t resonate with founders or owners of businesses\u2026 we never really saw eye to eye at the end of each financial year.\u2019<\/p>\n In April 2023 Susie regained full ownership of Tropic Skincare, buying back Lord Sugar\u2019s shares in the business for an undisclosed sum, according to The Times<\/a>. She also paid herself \u00a320 million in dividends.<\/p>\n Discussing their relationship, she added: \u2018We got on fine as he had his fingers in so many pies with so many businesses, and I was just a small part of his empire. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCould you imagine handing back a Dragons’ investment?\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u2018So when we parted ways I bought him out fully and it just felt like how it should be. Me, the captain, steering the ship by myself, and it felt amazing not having to run decisions past somebody else. So, it does feel like a full circle moment.\u2019<\/p>\n On Thursday night\u2019s episode of Dragons\u2019 Den, Susie \u2013 who said being a mother is the \u2018hardest job she has ever had\u2019 \u2013 invested in a money-saving app for new parents which she claimed is \u2018offering a national service\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s so nice to invest in a mum-founded business that has real purpose and real heart,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t think there are enough businesses to help support mothers, and it\u2019s not until you give birth, that you realise how much your life changes.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t However, the businesswoman revealed that she is \u2018unlike\u2019 her fellow Dragons, Peter Jones<\/a>,\u00a0Deborah Meaden<\/a>,\u00a0Touker Suleyman<\/a>, and\u00a0Steven Bartlett<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018Prior to Dragons\u2019 Den, I had never invested in another business. My sole source of income is from Tropic, all the other Dragons are investors,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m not going into the show, thinking about how do I make money from these dragons. I\u2019m going and thinking, Do they have the same values as I do? Is their product something that is like something that I believe in? I don\u2019t want to judge a book by its cover.\u2019<\/p>\n Delving into her background and journey, the 37-year-old also explained how her mother invested \u00a3200 into her skincare brand when she was 15, and she has since been able to buy her three houses for her in return.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s crazy to think how far we\u2019ve come from those early days when my mum and I came over to the UK when I was 13 from Australia,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018By the time I was 17 I put a deposit down on a house for my mum and I to move into\u2026 Then when I was 21 I actually paid off my mum\u2019s mortgage.\u2019<\/p>\n Dragons Den is available to watch on Thursdays on BBC<\/a> One at 8pm.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"TX](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_284717771-1ff0.jpg\")
\n\t\tSusie Ma appeared on Thursday\u2019s episode of Dragons\u2019 Den (Picture: BBC Studios)<\/p>\n![\"Dragons'](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_284717594-23f2.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe 37-year-old was one of three finalists on The Apprentice, but still struck up a deal with Lord Sugar despite not winning (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n![\"Lord](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_281403665-958e-e1769599768515.jpg\")
\n\t\tIn 2023 Susie regained full ownership of her company, buying back Lord Sugar\u2019s shares (Picture: Ray Burminston\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_284717767-4bbb-e1770915803842.jpg\")
\n\t\tToday, Susie\u2019s company has an annual turnover of roughly \u00a368million (Picture: Nic Serpell-Rand\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
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