HE HAS been on the losing team just once and is yet

to face the dreaded

“boardroom”.

Now Richard Woods is one of the favourites to win The Apprentice and scoop a £250,000 investment from business mogul Alan Sugar.

Richard, 32, a Southampton Solent University graduate, has so far shown his skills selling fish, creating an advertising campaign, on a cross-channel buying challenge, working at a pet show, writing a children’s book, “ice-skating” through a shopping mall to attract discount shoppers and organising a £2,000 children’s party.

The marketing agency director, who cites Sir Richard Branson as one of his inspirations, has been dubbed a “breath of fresh air” but has not always been popular with teammates who have objected to his “pushy” and “arrogant” behaviour.

Perhaps his most memorable quote so far is: “I’m a Swiss army knife of bouncy skills, business skills, and enthusiasm. I’ve got everything highly tuned and highly chiselled.”

Tomorrow night, millions of TV viewers will watch him and the other seven remaining candidates taking on the latest challenge in episode nine, where contestants have to sell property in Clapham, south London.

Richard graduated in 2005 from Southampton Solent University with a 2:1 BA (Hons) Business and Entrepreneurship degree.

He has said his favourite memories of his university days included captaining Team Solent’s rugby side and meeting his soon-to-be wife on his first day as she lived opposite him in Deanery halls.

He has also spoken openly about suffering from dyslexia and even wrote his final dissertation on the links between the condition and entrepreneurship, like thinking outside of the box, creativity, problem solving and verbal communication skills.

Since leaving Southampton, Richard has set up four businesses, his first just six months after he left university, as well as starting a family with his fiancee, with whom he has son Mylo and another baby on the way this month.

But his inspiration and business nous all comes from his father.

He said: “My father, Dennis Woods, grew his oil business with his brother. They started with a small paraffin delivery job selling the bottles door-to-door, like a milkman. He went from selling door-to-door to growing his company to become the largest independent home heating oil distributor in the UK, turning over half a billion pounds per annum.

“His story was the typical humble-beginning-to-riches story and it was impossible not to be inspired by his drive and talents. He would always push my brother, sister and me to take our own initiative and would make us work for everything.”

So far Richard, who lives in Surrey, said he brings sales and marketing strategy as well as confidence and experience to The Apprentice and he said he joined the show because he was ready to test himself against the best in business, in the eyes of one of his idols.

Offering advice to budding entrepreneurs Richard, whose book Digital Trailblazer is out this month, said: “There is never a perfect time to take the leap into running your own business. But in the global connected economy we all find ourselves in, there has never been a better time. If you have the desire and you like hard work, jump in with both feet.”

Hampshire candidates from Hampshire have twice won The Apprentice. Inventor Tom Pellereau, from Alresford, near Winchester, in 2011 champion and former wrestler Ricky Martin, from Stubbington, in 2012tasted success in 2012.