In the digital age of "overnight" success stories such as Facebook, the hard slog is easily overlooked.

What I've learned from running is that the time to push hard is when you're hurting like crazy and you want to give up. Success is often just around the corner.

After the idea, there is plenty of time to learn the technology

When I started off, I was working in a shed behind my house. All I had was a drill, an electric drill. That was the only machine I had.

If you invent something, you're doing a creative act. It's like writing a novel or composing music. You put your heart and soul into it, and money. It's years of your life, it's your house remortgaged, huge emotional investment and financial investment.

Cordless vacuums are designed for quick jobs, but you need enough power to do the job; you don't want the power waning over time.

Design and technology should be the subject where mathematical brainboxes and science whizzkids turn their bright ideas into useful products.