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James Averdieck |
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 Averdieck has successfully targeted the luxury pudding market with his tasty Gu treats. They look and taste expensive, an approach that notched up £11m in sales for Averdieck in his second year of trading. |
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Charles Dunstone |
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 Since ditching his job as a salesman to start up the Carphone Warehouse at the age of 25 in 1989, Charles has built the company into a pan-European business with over 400 stores in the UK alone. With annual turnover in excess of £2 billion last year, Charles is admired as one of the leading entrepreneurs in the country. |
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Liz Jackson |
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 At the age of 25, Jackson launched Great Guns Marketing, despite having little education, no funds and no property to secure a loan. On top of that, she was rapidly losing her eyesight, a condition that has since resulted in total blindness. |
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Jacqueline Gold |
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 Jacqueline Gold, Chief Executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, is one of Britain's most successful businesswomen and an inspiration to thousands of women. With a gross annual sales turnover at over £155 million, Ann Summers ranks as one of the most successful and profitable private companies in the UK. |
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Sam Gyimah |
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 Gyimah teamed up with fellow entrepreneur Chris Philp to set up Clearstone, an HGV training provider, in 2003. The firm trained over 2,000 drivers in 2005, with turnover soaring to £5m. Gyimah is aiming for further success in 2006, predicting revenues will double. |
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Peter Jones |
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 Peter is by far the most superannuated of all the Dragons that appear on the hit BBC2 show. A serial entrepreneur since setting up a tennis academy at the age of 16, his Phones International business has a turnover of £150 million, with a personal wealth exceeding £100 million |
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James Murray Wells |
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 The astounding success of James Murray Wells’ Glasses Direct was the small business story of 2005. Unsure why a pair of glasses could cost £250, Murray Wells researched the optical market and found that he could make them for a fraction of the price. In just a year, he’d sold 50,000 pairs of glasses online, saving UK consumers £5m, while amassing a £1.6m turnover. Even legal threats from the 'big four' high street opticians couldn't knock him off his stride. |
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Alan Sugar |
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 Having started life in a council flat in Hackney, Sir Alan started his entrepreneurial career at 16 selling aerials out the back of a van. Having set up Amstrad aged 21, Sugar made his fortune selling computer technology. He bought Tottenham Hotspur FC in 1990, before selling it on for a small fortune. Knighted in 1999, Sir Alan is one of the UK's wealthiest individuals and has become a household name through his hit TV show, The Apprentice. |
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Julian Richer |
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 Julian Richer, founder and owner of Richer Sounds, opened his first store in 1978, aged just 19. He now has over 50 of the hi-fi outlets across the UK and has been hailed as one of the brightest entrepreneurs of his generation. |
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Richard Branson |
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 Since launching Virgin Records back in 1972, Richard has extended the brand to encompass everything from mobile phones to trains, amassing himself a huge fortune. Famed for his informality, the hot air balloon enthusiast is refusing to rest on his laurels, with ambitious plans to launch tourists into space. |
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Nick Robertson |
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 Robertson’s ASOS.com (As Seen On Screen), a website selling fashion inspired by celebrities, lost 45% of its stock in the Hemel Hempstead oil depot explosion last December and was forced to suspend trading. Before that event the business turned over £8.3m in the six months to September – but Robertson insists that it is now stronger than ever |
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Anita Roddick |
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 Anita Roddick opened the first Body Shop in Brighton thirty years ago to create a livelihood for herself. The Body Shop is now has over 2,000 stores serving over 77 million customers across the world. Having recently sold the business off, Anita is seen as one of the shrewdest, and ethical, entrepreneurs in the UK today. |
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Sahar Hashemi |
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 Despite vowing that she would never start another business after Coffee Republic, the entrepreneurial bug has bitten Hashemi again. Clearly, a best-selling book and countless speaking engagements weren’t enough; she’s just launched Skinny Candy, a range of sugar-free sweets. |
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Al Gosling |
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 Gosling is perhaps the most hyperactive entrepreneur of his generation. His Extreme Group has branched into so many different areas, it’s hard to keep track. There’s Extreme Sport Channel, Extreme range of clothes and Extreme Drinks – making it one of the world’s top 10 sports brands, alongside Manchester United and the New York Yankees. |
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James Dyson |
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 James came up with the idea of a bagless vacuum cleaner while renovating his country home in 1978. After five years of development, James finally launched the product and hasn’t looked back since. Further expansion into the US market has elevated him to billionaire status. |
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Tamara Hill-Norton |
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 A year of frenzied growth for Hill-Norton’s leisure wear chain sweatyBetty has seen it expand from five to 20 stores and double turnover to £9m. Started in 1998 after Hill-Norton recognised the lack of specialist sports and leisurewear shops for women, the company grew organically before refinancing early in 2004. |
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Stelios Haji-Ioannou |
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 Stelios continues to stretch the easy brand across a mind-boggling array of sectors, following the stunning success of easyJet, a concept credited with revolutionising air travel. His easyCruises are expanding their routes across the globe, while the first easyHotel opened in London last year |
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Andrew Michael |
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 In 2000, at the tender age of 19, Micheal realised how hard it was to find online hosting services for a small business – so he decided to start one himself. Fasthosts now has approaching 1m clients and a turnover of £16m. Even more unusual – Michael owns 100% of the business. |
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Phillip Green |
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 Philip enjoyed an extremely lucrative 2005 on a personal level. He awarded a £1.3 billion dividend payout to Arcadia shareholders, of which he pocketed 92% - a tidy profit on the £850 million he paid for the retail group just three years ago. Philip is credited with turning around the ailing BhS and is a commanding figure in high street retailing. |
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Other |
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