Peter Jones, 43, founder of telecommunications company Phones International Group and one of the stars of TV show Dragons’ Den, was born in Langley, Berkshire. He now lives in Buckinghamshire.

My parents

My mum and dad encouraged me to follow my dream of running my own business from when I was young. All the other kids were doing a paper round, but I wasn’t interested in waking up at 6am for £4 an hour. So, at 16, I started my own tennis-coaching academy. They have been so supportive – when I lost everything at 28, had nowhere to live, no car, no money and I had to move back into their home, they built me back up. I’ll always be grateful for that.

My partner

Tara is stunningly attractive in mind and body, and very strong emotionally. She has to put up with a lot – I’m here one minute, gone the next and work 18-hour days. She’s caring, supportive, makes compromises and – the one quality that annoys me above all – always right. It just takes me a disappointingly long time to realise it.

My ankle-biters

I have five children – Annabel and William [who live in Salisbury with their mother, his ex-wife], and Natalia, Isabella and Tallulah. All my kids are particularly wily and determined. They don’t just ask for things, they pitch for them. They definitely get that from me. It works every time.

My board of directors

Most of my team have been with me for the past ten years and the members of the board all started out in more junior positions and worked their way up. I’d like to say their success is all down to them, but I have to take the credit for it. Although I couldn’t have done a lot of what I’ve done without them, I’ve really pushed them to get where they are.

My chief financial officer

Some people save money to buy nice clothes; I save money to buy nice companies. Occasionally, I get over-excited, but Stephen Vincent encourages me to be cautious. There are companies he was right to advise me against, so he has definitely saved me money. I’d prefer him not to know that, though – he’ll ask for a pay rise.

The guys

I have eight close school friends I’m still in touch with. We live near each other, so, every Sunday, we meet up at one of our homes, have a big roast and a few glasses of wine and the kids run around causing havoc.

Peter Jones will be offering advice at the BT Business Experience, a free event in London EC1 for small businesses, June 29 to July 3 (www.btbusinessexperience.com)

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