brand that had been around for 100 years. Consistent tracking of the market ensures you stay ahead of the game, but Kodak let the mobile phone operators take it out. Kodak should have licensed its technology to mobile phone operators. That's an example of not following the market. You didn't have any formal qualifications when you started. How did you learn how to run a business? On-the-job learning - learning by my mistakes and surrounding myself with people who were better than me! Most of my senior managers are Oxbridge-educated and have MBAs and PhDs. They're academically bright and I'm in a position now to recognise that to build success you have to have people better than yourself. You have said that you've learned more from your mistakes than your successes. What mistakes in particular? I've made all the mistakes! To this day I can't create a spreadsheet because I don't know how to use Excel. I've also made lots of mistakes with financial issues because I didn't have the financial or accounting background. I met obstacles pretty much every step of the way. When technology came in, I wasn't computer literate and spent fortunes implementing systems because I didn't understand them. I can't say that any aspects of business came naturally to me! You get better because you make mistakes - they cost money and you become more aware, you hire better people and you evolve over time. I'm still learning every day because there are new challenges. Who were your role models when you first started? My father was my main role model - he was the closest person to me who had started his own business. Watching his commitment, drive, determination, tenacity and work ethic was incredible. All those attributes are crucial to be a successful entrepreneur. You still run private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw. What do you enjoy most about that business? We back 23 different businesses, from marketing and property development to interior design. I love the diversity and variety of being involved in so many sectors. Every day is different and that keeps me on my toes. Which entrepreneurs have impressed you the most? Richard Branson is very impressive - he was one of the first entrepreneurs who realised the power of brand. He actually created a brand out of himself. He has millions of followers and has written successful books. He attracts business opportunities to his own brand - people want him to invest and he's involved with more than 200 "I met obstacles pretty much every step of the way. I can't say that any aspects of business came naturally to me!" 32