Today we’re joined by Touker Suleyman, fashion retail entrepreneur, investor, business owner and of course one of the highly respected moguls on hit television programme, ‘Dragons’ Den’.

From a young age, Touker explains that he was always ambitious. After leaving the world of accountancy in his late teens, he asked himself two questions; ‘how am I going to be successful?’ and ‘how am I going to be recognised?’. From there, Touker embarked on a journey comprising of successes, challenges and above all, opportunities to learn.

In his twenties, Touker was the chairman of two public companies and as the youngest in this role at the time, would regularly be referred to as a ‘tycoon’ by the press. However, after investing into a business that went bust, Touker lost everything. In his own words, he had to start again, but with a very important lesson under his belt – always do due diligence.

Looking back, Touker still has a deep appreciation for the lessons he learned from loss. When offering advice to others, he says that listening to your gut is paramount, and that taking risk is a must in business, but not until you’ve done your research. In Touker’s eyes, the importance of having passion and wanting to add value is high on the priority list, and this paired with hard work and an all-important mentor, is a winning combination.

From earning £5 a week in his teens, to being the owner of a multi-million pound empire, Touker’s business acumen, approach to leadership and positive energy, makes this a must listen episode for all. Are you in?