Peter Jones Meets... has given me the privilege of meeting some of the UK's top entrepreneurs to discover their individual paths to business victory and learn whether there is a blueprint for success.
It's been interesting to get under their skin. My focus was to draw out their individuality and their journey.
I think you'll get to see lots of amazing traits and original ideas, all of which makes for insightful viewing. I hope that it inspires our next generation to give it a shot.
How do you start from nothing? Key lessons from some of the country's smartest entrepreneurs
When I met with Lord Bilimoria, I learnt that he started Cobra Beer in a recession. That's a huge boost to the confidence of any budding entrepreneurs out there, and drives home the point that now is as good a time as any to get your ideas off the ground.
As you might expect, all of the entrepreneurs that I met shared some common characteristics – they were extremely driven, willing to take a risk and passionate about their ideas.
Laura Tenison of JoJo Maman Bébé and Judy Naake of St Tropez self-tan both described how they felt that they weren't good enough for their parents and how this inspired their ambition.
I do think this can underpin an entrepreneur's hunger. Entrepreneurs are focused on doing and that means proving to themselves and others that they can be successful.
Facing big challenges: Judy Naake confesses she was so busy she neglected her health
Many of us are motivated by self-doubt and on a mission to achieve our goals - while recognising that we are also our worst critics.
However, speaking to John Timpson of Timpson's, a close-knit, family run business demonstrated that family tensions are not always at the heart of an entrepreneur's drive.
At one stage or another, every one of the entrepreneurs had received help and advice from a mentor which allowed them to develop their commercial skills and play to their strengths. This cements my view that entrepreneurism can and should be taught.
Every entrepreneur had their own style and way of working. Laura said I was simplistic in looking only at the figures and not the emotional team spirit.
Different styles: Laura Tenison, founder and managing director of JoJo Maman Bébé with Peter Jones
I say the first rule in business is to remember that cash is king. Without keeping on top of your finances you can easily lose money.
Lose too much and your team's spirit will soon drop when you have to make them redundant. That doesn't mean team spirit isn't vital - of course it is.
One thing entrepreneurs realise is that it's all about hiring the right management team to grow your organisation.
While team spirit is vitally important you can't lose sight of the financial management of your business. The two go hand in hand.
Ultimately every one of these entrepreneurs has seen huge success, which I think has been down to a combination of determination, vision, luck and sheer hard work.
The right people are essential for businesses to succeed, so how do you find a winning team?
That said, I'd like to make changes to all the companies I looked at in this series. Doesn't matter who owns them, there's always ways to make them better.
The entrepreneurs I spent time with could all give me some great pointers I'm sure, if they spent time with some of my businesses. Nothing is perfect in any firm.
Would I say there are there any flaws in the entrepreneurial spirit? Of course not!
Yes, you need to be driven and single-minded - but these are qualities that are crucial to success and no entrepreneur would get where they were without them. And of course, the rewards are worth it.
Peter Jones is an entrepreneur, a Dragon on Dragons' Den and the presenter of Peter Jones Meets...
Peter Jones Meets... begins on Sunday, 2 June at 6pm on BBC Two Scotland and 7pm in the rest of the UK on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
