I am convinced that companies should put staff first, customers second and shareholders third - ultimately that's in the best interest of customers and shareholders.

We're going where no one has gone before. There's no model to follow, nothing to copy. That is what makes this so exciting.

Perhaps, therefore, it is odd that if there is any one phrase that is guaranteed to set me off it's when someone says to me, 'OK, fine. You're the boss!' What irks me is that in 90% of such instances what that person is really saying is, 'OK, then, I don't agree with you, but I'll roll over and do it because you're telling me to. But if it doesn't work out I'll be the first to remind everyone that it wasn't my idea.'

What matters is working with a few close friends, people you respect, knowing that if times did turn bad these people would hold together.

I have always been a huge believer in the inestimable value good mentoring can contribute to any nascent business

Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.

Breaking the rules and challenging convention is in the DNA of every successful entrepreneur.