Seriously Business - Entrepreneur, Business, and Inventions Blog

News that a user of the increasingly-popular online Second Life environment has become a millionaire through trading virtual property on the site has sparked huge interest about the entrepreneurial possibilities of such virtual trading.

German schoolteacher Ailin Graef, who goes by the avatar name of Anshe Chung on the meta-environment of Second Life, has become a millionaire by investing a mere US$9.95 a month in virtual real estate and then selling it on. She now has a net worth of over $1 million. It may seem nigh-on implausible that selling something which does not physically exist can lead to such riches being gained, but people with a keen eye for business are increasingly becoming drawn to an environment in which sufficient hours and canny acquisitions have shown they can reap rewards. (more…)

Mini CV

- Founded a tennis academy at age 16
- Ran Siemens Nixdorf’s UK computer business
- Started Phones International Group in 1998
- Appears regularly on television and owns a portfolio of assets

Millionaire Peter Jones is one of the business minds on BBC television show Dragon’s Den and has interests in the mobile telecommunications, leisure, media and property sectors. (more…)

Mini CV

- From a poor background
- Started in the ice cream van business at 31
- Built up The Bannatyne Group from scratch
- Has an OBE and appears on BBC show Dragon’s Den

Duncan Bannatyne is one of the judges on BBC television series Dragon’s Den and owns a string of health clubs, casinos, housing developments, hotels and bars across the UK.

The stern Scot comes from a poor background in Clydebank, but has worked his way up to become on of the UK’s top business leaders. (more…)

Mini CV

- Studied at business college and set up glass and ceramics export company after leaving
- Started one of the UK’s first Stefanel franchises.
- Managed family’s holiday mark business, Weststar Holidays, before selling it for £33 million
- Appears on Dragon’s Den in order to identify new investment opportunities

Deborah Meaden is a British millionairess and appears as one of the straight-talking Dragon in BBC television series Dragon’s Den. (more…)

Mini CV

- Born in Australia
- Years working in the financial and derivatives market
- One of the world’s top private investors
- Has owned a stake in numerous technology start-ups

Australian-born entrepreneur Richard Farleigh is one of the eponymous Dragons, in the BBC television series Dragon’s Den.

The 45-year-old was born in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia, as one of 11 children of an alcoholic sheep shearer. He was fostered at the age of three and had a tough upbringing. (more…)

Mini CV

- Came to the UK from Cyprus in 1966 aged six
- Started as a tea boy at Lloyds of London
- Purchased the Ryman stationery chain from receivers in 1995 for £5 million
- Has turned around Millwall Football Club, La Senza, Contessa, Ryman and Partners the Stationers

Theo Paphitis is a 47-year-old Greek Cypriot millionaire who has made his huge fortune through turning around companies in the UK.

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Mini CV

- Began his career as a stage designer for rock concerts
- Moved into television production
- Set up first YO! Sushi restaurant in 1997
- Sold controlling stake for £10 million in 2003 Awarded OBE in 2006

Is there a less typical millionaire business entrepreneur than Simon Woodroffe? The former rock concert stage designer and current owner of multimillion restaurant chain YO! Sushi only started up his business career proper after he turned 40. As one of the most charismatic and slightly off-the-wall dragons in the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, he is always ready to speak his mind, but also the willingness to give a good idea a try. (more…)

Dragon’s Den is a BBC series that seeks to find the next big entrepreneur. The lucky - or sometimes unlucky - individual must face five ‘dragons’ in a room whereby they pitch an idea in order to hopefully gain the desired investment for their business venture.

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Mini-CV:

- Born to working class parents in the East End
- Began his career as a civil service statistician
- Started up on his own selling everything from vegetables to computer aerials
- Launched Amstrad aged 21

Sir Alan Sugar, the multimillionaire and star of TV show The Apprentice, is perhaps the classic example of how an entrepreneurial spirit combined with a lot of hard work can bring you success.

His humble origins are in London’s East End, where he was born in Hackney in 1947 as the son of a tailor. Now he is believed to be worth around �800 million, making him one of the richest businessmen in the country, so how did he get there? (more…)

Blazing a trail for female entrepreneurs everywhere, Dame Anita Roddick proves a shining example of someone who has built up a small local enterprise into a major, sustainable high street brand through pure hard work and innovation.

A former UN employee, she initially set up the Body Shop in a bid to provide herself and her children with sufficient funds when her husband was away in the US - and from a small store in Littlehampton selling just 15 product lines she has now created a world-recognised company with over 300 products on its shelves and, by 2004, 1,980 stores in 41 countries. (more…)