Man's business worth millions after teaming up with former Apprentice winner

Laurie Stone
·4-min read
Chris Sadler (bottom left and right) has teamed up with Joseph Valente (top left), who won the Apprentice in 2015 <i>(Image: NA)</i>
Chris Sadler (bottom left and right) has teamed up with Joseph Valente (top left), who won the Apprentice in 2015 (Image: NA)

A DJ from near High Wycombe has teamed up with a former Apprentice winner.

Chris Sadler used to work as an electrician by day, and when he wasn’t rewiring properties, he got wired for sound, hosting club nights, weddings and parties.

But his life changed dramatically when he teamed up with Joseph Valente, who won the BBC TV show in 2015.

Chris Sadler has teamed up with Joseph Valente (Image: NA)

Chris, 40, of Tylers Green, signed up to Joseph’s Trade Mastermind mentoring programme in 2022 and the results have been astonishing.

Inspired by Joseph, Chris got business savvy and moved into renewable energy, fitting solar panels.

Turnover has gone from £300,000-a-year to a predicted chart-topping £5million - £6million for this financial year.

His firm, Kimble Solar, in High Wycombe, keeps expanding, having chalked up a turnover of close to £3million in 2023-24.

Chris Sadler can now focus as a DJ (Image: NA)

Married Chris, a dad-of-two, said: "It’s been a massive transition for me from being a tradesperson to being a businessman, and Joe’s help has been huge.

"He is phenomenal. It’s not just a façade with him, the guy is incredible.

"Joe is so driven and I get so much inspiration from him.’’

Chris enjoyed being a DJ but his events work was mainly in the summer and did not take off beyond the local area.

And although the electrical business had eight staff and ‘’we were known for our quality of work’’, he was left scratching his head because ‘’the more staff I had, the less money I made’’.

‘’I loved being a DJ and I’d always wanted to run my own business so I had my two passions. The trouble was, it just wasn’t happening,’’ Chris explained.

All that changed when he spotted adverts for Trade Mastermind.

Joseph Valentine's success is now helping other entrepreneurs (Image: NA)

Chris took his first course in January 2022 and later signed up to Joseph’s ‘Legacy Package’, offering him long-term advice and support.

He would drive to the Peterborough headquarters once-a-month for training sessions and still has regular business meetings with the Apprentice star.

"Joe taught me how to sell,” he said.

"After doing the course, I began analysing all my jobs.

"We realised straight away, we were under pricing.

"We were doing a quality job but we were not charging enough."

The training immediately led to a revamp of Chris’s firm.

Within a month or two the company’s cash flow problems became a thing of the past, he started creating brochures, and had the confidence to charge more for his work.

But the really big change came when Joseph ‘’made it obvious’’ to Chris that he should move into solar panels.

"He showed us the financial mechanics of how a solar company could work.

"We were told to ‘pick a date’ when we would stop doing the electrical work and become only a renewables installation firm," Chris revealed.

The first solar panels the firm fitted were on Chris’s own house.

And as the business took off, Chris gave up the DJ work.

Kimble Solar has quickly gone from strength to strength.

There are now 20 people in the organisation with Chris as the CEO and his sister Rebecca effectively managing director.

The company’s target is to do seven solar panel jobs a week, 25-28 every month.

The firm now covers Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Kent.

They also branch out into parts of Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire.

Joseph Valentine won the Apprentice in 2015 (Image: NA)

Chris praised Joseph Valente and the course for leading to his 'total mindset change'.

"It taught you everything you need to run a successful business.

"Joe is so good at motivating a team and that’s something I try to do. He’s really on it.’

"Joe is a unique person and I could see what he could do for my business.’’

Last year Chris went with Joseph and other firms on a business retreat in Marbella, and he now does coaching sessions at Trade Mastermind.

"It’s brilliant to be involved with him.

"I give back the advice and tips that got me success."

Who is Chris Sadler?

  • He is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Nottingham University

  • He worked for Aston Martin for four years before becoming a fully qualified electrician

  • He switched to a vegan diet in 2018 as part of my commitment to sustainability

  • The charity work that he he does, as chairman of our local village fun run, and my successes as a DJ, including a 24-hour live-stream set in 2020 that raised £7,500 for Carers Bucks

  • Up next
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