"So I went and got my first job at 28, trying to think what I am going to do, I've never worked for anybody, so I decided to go and write and send my CV off to everyone."
"The first thing I think, I was building computers, I started to build a computer when I was 17 or 18 at home, an IBM compatible computer, and then I started to sell computers, and when I sold a computer to a company called Ligo I think, and they were selling systems which became blockbuster."
"I've got my own businesses I run every day and I like to think I'm a nurturer rather than a firer, but the reality is, if somebody continues not to succeed and do the right thing for the business they lose the job because they are affecting the livelihoods of others."
"My kids certainly aren't going to have the money. They don't need it."
"We've all seen those spoiled little brats that end up being given everything and on their 17th birthday get a Ferrari. That whole thing I just can't bear it."
"Business is about making money but it is also about having fun, so get your character across."
"If someone comes onto 'Dragons' Den' and annoys me, I'm going to tell them exactly what I think."
"I'm not a guy who plays political games, and I believe absolutely in one method, which is directness."
"Being an entrepreneur is probably the most lonely thing you can do."
"I always substitute the word 'feedback' for 'failure.'"
"When people pitch me their ideas in a T-shirt and jeans it shows they can't be bothered."
"I never thought I'd be a TV entrepreneur."
"One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs don't succeed is because they have too many chiefs. You've got to bring in the right people to make the right decisions."
"When you do make losses, or you have businesses that don't succeed, it's about knowing when to stop and do something else."
"One of the things that slightly annoys me in business is that we use words like innovation. Young people often think innovation is about doing something new, but actually it's not. It's about doing something better than your competition."
"There are lots of people who say you are born an entrepreneur - you either have that gene or not. I really disagree with that."
"I've certainly learnt there's nothing more important than cash - cash flow issues are one of the biggest causes of company failures."
"I lost my computer business when I was 29 because I gave credit to firms I didn't investigate. I lost my house and had to move back in with my parents and then I lived in an office for six months."
"My father was an air conditioning engineer and we lived in a three-bedroom terraced house in Langley before moving to a four-bedroom house in Maidenhead, where my parents still live."
"I have seen celebrities whose friends change as they become more successful, but my friends haven't changed over 30 years. I've still got some of the friends I had when I was 14 and I see them regularly with their families."
"I want my kids to be polite and respectful, stand on their own two feet."
"I find it very, very difficult to watch myself on TV."
"I think a lot of people are getting bored of audition-based shows, along the lines of 'Strictly Come Dancing' or 'The X-Factor'. I know I am. But 'Dragons' Den' will have a longer shelf-life than all of them because it's fundamentally real in a way that other shows aren't."
"People have dreams, don't they? Young people have enormous vision for their futures. I think a lot of them are realising that they won't necessarily be Robbie Williams but they might be brilliant businessmen and businesswomen."
"I've played a massive and growing part in making business glamorous and even, yes, sexy."
