The Covid-19 pandemic has been great for the bosses, by which I mean the CEOs, the senior lawyers, the bankers and the top civil servants. They have been able to work from home - or from their holiday retreats - increasing their quality of life and saving a fortune on commuting and all its associated costs.Collection: Home
My parents came from northern Cyprus in 1959 to the U.K. and they started a restaurant. I saw how hard they worked.
I want to support people with the guts to pursue their dreams and provide the financial backing, opportunities and support that will ease their path to success.
Dreams and big ideas are plentiful, but few people have the courage to realise their ambitions.
There's a lot of talk about sustainability; being a manufacturer I've seen a lot. You can't really be totally sustainable if you're making new clothing. You can use recycled polyester, but you've still got to dye it and finish it. Some brands say they are totally sustainable, but they're not.
Cash is king, and the bloodline of any business. I believe that any business should have sufficient cash flow.
I had to lie there for ages in a hospital bed, with plastic drains fitted. Three fingers stopped growing and I lost a year's education. Imagine what that was like: 10 years old and living in fear of amputation. As I lay there, I made my mind up: I was going to go my own way, do my own thing. I wasn't going to work for anyone else.
I believe in the importance of driving sustainability within the fashion industry, and part of that is recycling luxury and pre-loved clothing.
I know precisely what it takes to become a business success and I will certainly draw upon my own experiences when considering whether to invest.
It is a privilege to join the panel of 'Dragons' Den' and support the next generation of U.K. entrepreneurs.
I am a people's person and especially with my position on 'Dragons' Den' I think it is best to stay apolitical.
I don't want my staff staring at a screen, while surreptitiously checking out the view of their back garden, pretending they are fully engaged with the matter in hand. Entrepreneurial businesses, which are the backbone of the British economy, do not work like that. You sort things out there and then, face-to-face.
There is no room for fashionable corporate blather about showing you care for your staff by letting them sit at home.
We have created a new culture of partial workers, with horrendous consequences for our national productivity. It's a phenomenon I see at first-hand when I conduct job interviews. All too often, applicants make clear they expect to be able to work three or four days a week from home.
The Government has done a terrific job of supporting households and business during the Covid crisis, with innovative solutions such as the furlough scheme and bounce-back loans.
The Government does not have direct control over rising energy and fuel costs or on global inflation or transport costs. But it does have direct control over tax and the timing of tax rises.
When the average person is being financially squeezed, they cut back on spending, demand goes down and businesses have to lay people off. That's how recession starts.
I think I always had it in my blood to be an entrepreneur at a very young age.
When I was 19 or 20 I was an accountant earning 5 a week for a company called Ridley & Co.
I made my first million very young, in the fashion business. By my mid-20s I was the chairman of two public companies, way out of my depth, when I lost everything.
At school I was a bit of a loner, but I always had a dream that I would do more than just normal.
In many cases being a multimillionaire is not a question of money, but being happy with yourself, and I am a workaholic.
I love my work.
I was always into shirts.
For some reason shirts are very addictive.
I love brands. If something is branded, it has legs that can grow.
When you're that young, 26 or 27, you think you can walk on water.
I have to like people. I have to have trust in them; I have to see they've got the passion for what they're doing. Then I will invest and give them 'Touker Time.'
My dream investment would be one where I put the least amount of money in but make the most amount of profit.
I'm very wide open for the right investment.
If you're considering coming onto 'Dragons' Den' the first thing is believe in yourself. Believe in what you're offering. The most important thing is get your numbers right, get your pitch right and be confident.
When we're in the Den each Dragon is out for themselves, we will fight over a deal. However, when we're out of the Den we're great friends. We go for dinner together all the time when we're filming.
With smaller brands often the problem is sourcing; you can't source the product at the right price, or they haven't got the minimum quantities. Then at the other end of the high street, you've got the bigger brands that are so obsessed with margins and profit that they take their eye off the product.
I've been asked for a few selfies.
I've been recognised a few times but I'm not a celebrity, I'm a businessman.