Theo Paphitis

“The decisions you make when you leave school define the rest of your life. So, in terms of making the right choices for your financial security as you get older, my best advice is to do something you have an interest in and are passionate about, as you'll be working for a long time.”

“I am for a transactional tax at the point of purchase for both online and physical retail.”

“I was absolutely astonished and could not believe my eyes at the outrageous interest rates that people in need have to pay to get loans.”

“The high streets I remember best were Seven Sisters Road in north London and then sunny Peckham in south London after we moved there. They were where my parents used to shop. They were great, part of being a teenager.”

“There are huge misconceptions about people on benefits. They are labelled scroungers or cheats. The reality is that many who need that level of support are working, but their income is not enough to get out of debt or pay for basics like food and household bills. It's so close to the way I grew up.”

“I'm not massively academic. I'm a commonsense person.”

“I liked Tom Bower's biography of Bernie Ecclestone, the former Formula 1 boss.”

“Without hope, the very fabric of our society will fall apart.”

“Both my sons are dyslexic, and so, too, in a much milder form, is one of my daughters.”

“We survived for hundreds of years under the old banking structure. You'd have clearing banks, then merchant banks doing the racy stuff, and then building societies where you'd join a waiting list for a mortgage. But then banks started buying stockbrokers, doing mortgages, and you ended up with these big banking groups doing everything.”

“For me, the high street is a key part of how we live, what sort of community we are, how we get our news, and how we get our gossip.”

“I'd rather be rich and miserable than poor and miserable.”

“It's called common sense, but it's not common. Most people don't have it.”

“If the cash runs out, it's like a heart attack for you and your business. Keep that front and centre of your mind, and you will have financial security and not be struggling to pay the bills.”

“I'm an avid sailor, and my first time exploring the Dalmatian Coast and the Croatian islands was very special.”

“I've always maintained the basic business principles of keeping it simple, doing your homework, hard work, and common sense.”

“I started work at 13, had three or four part-time jobs, and learnt very quickly the values of work.”

“I know I have been lucky in business, and I am keen now to spread goodwill to others, of course not forgetting that very often, you make your own luck by making use of every opportunity.”

“Wherever I go in the world, I put aside several days to go visit the stores.”

“Making the first million is hard; making the next 100 million is easy.”