The 5-Minute Interview: Peter Jones, Entrepreneur

'People mistakenly think I'm incredibly intelligent'

Peter Jones, 40, business entrepreneur, appears on BBC 2's 'Dragon's Den'. The programme, in which Jones and five other top executives grill the would-be entrepreneurs of tomorrow, is now in its fourth series and returns next year

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Speaking to someone on the phone about a business opportunity. I'm constantly on my mobile.

A phrase I use far too often is...

"That's brilliant!"

I wish people would take far more notice of...

The way they present themselves. When people pitch me their ideas in a T-shirt and jeans it shows they can't be bothered.

The most surprising thing that ever happened to me was...

Getting asked to appear on TV. I never thought I'd be a TV entrepreneur.

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm incredibly intelligent. What I am is honest and straight-talking.

I'm not a politician but...

If I were I would create a syllabus in schools to help our kids think about starting a business.

I'm good at...

Being honest with people who pitch me their ideas.

But I'm very bad at...

Taking time off.

My ideal night out is...

Going out in London with six or eight of my closest friends, drinking lovely red wine and getting home in the early hours.

You know me as an entrepreneur but in a truer life I'd have been a...

A knight of the Round Table. All that courting, action and excitement - you'd never have had a dull day!

The best age to be is...

Forty. That's how old I am.

In a nutshell my philosophy is this:

If you dream, dream big.

Jo Barrett