To get anywhere in the world of work, you’ve got to rely on yourself to drive you forward. We all need someone around who motivates us, but if you don’t motivate yourself then you’re never going to get there. Nothing is ever going to be easy – or everyone would be doing it. But you’ve got to have that passion and determination to start with.

Write down what you want to achieve in your life and in your career. Write down your goals and write down a plan of how you’re going to get there. Look at those notes every day. Remind yourself where you were when you wrote them down and take a picture in your mind.

When you fall down, you need to pick yourself back up quickly and have a smile on your face. I was made redundant from my first professional job and was devastated – but I turned the negative into a positive and decided to launch my own business, taking full control of my future.

When you put yourself out there, there’s always the risk of doubters and those who are hyper-critical to become obstacles in your path. At times like these, you’ve got to muster up all the confidence you’ve got and develop thick skin. As long as you’re a good person and you do good things, then you shouldn’t care about anyone else’s opinion of you.

I left school at fifteen with no qualifications – not that education doesn’t matter, of course it matters – but I’ve worked my way up from nothing to where I am today through hard work and determination. Everyone is capable of being a winner if you put your mind to it; you don’t have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to succeed in business.

The best thing to do is to dream. Go where it really motivates you and dream. It’s amazing what you can do once you get in the zone and get your mind sorted. It's incredible what you can achieve.