World of Peter Jones, entrepreneur

Peter Jones, 45, is an investor on the BBC's Dragons' Den and one of Britain's bestknown business entrepreneurs. In 2009 he was awarded a CBE for services to business, entrepreneurship and young people in the New Year's Honours List. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his partner, Tara, and has five children. Dragons' Den is on Sundays on BBC Two at 8pm.

Routine I'm woken at about 6.15 when the kids bound in to say good morning. I shave, shower, get dressed and shovel down a bowl of Frosties, all in the space of 20 minutes. Then I head to the car, cappuccino in hand, where my driver takes me to my head office in Marlow. I have 16 investments and check the latest sales figures online on my way into work. I work long hours, usually clocking off at around 8pm, when I'll often go on to a dinner lasting until midnight. If I'm filming Dragons' Den, we work flat out until 8pm, although I love seeing the weird, wonderful and plain delusional.

Schooling I grew up in Langley, Buckinghamshire, before moving to Maidenhead when I was seven. Dad was a self–employed air–conditioning engineer, Mum worked as a receptionist. When I was eight, my parents saved up to send me to private school, but I found it so tough that I often escaped through the back fence to walk the four miles to my father's office in Windsor. I only lasted a few terms, but it didn't curb my ambition. I had decided I was going to be a millionaire by the time I was a teenager, mainly after seeing how hard my parents worked for little financial return.

Tennis This is my favourite tennis racket (pictured). It's made by Wilson and it's the same one used by Roger Federer. I was always lobbing a ball against the side of the house as a kid, imagining I was beating Bjõrn Borg or John McEnroe. I'm 6ft 7in and I was a bit like a giraffe on the tennis court, though I did play at county level. It was tennis that got me started in business. When I was 16 and about to embark on my A–levels, I set up a tennis academy and became one of the youngest qualified tennis coaches in the country. It did well; by the time I was 19 I was able to buy my first house.

Business collapse I started my first major business when I was 21, providing computers and services to corporate clients. I had a comfortable lifestyle, but lost everything during the 1990s recession when several customers who owed me money went bust. I briefly moved back in with my parents, but I've never been one for crying into my soup. By 1998 I'd got enough money together to launch a telecommunications firm. When I told my bank manager I intended turning over £2 million pounds, he looked at me in disbelief, but we generated £14 million worth of sales in the first year.

Dragons' Den Appearing as an investor on Dragons' Den in 2005 changed my life overnight. I was incredibly proud, particularly with my parents looking on. It felt good to be appreciated, because it can be a lonely existence being an entrepreneur. You're always congratulating others, but never get a pat on the back yourself. I'm very close to fellow 'dragons' Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden. But Duncan Bannatyne and I disliked each other so much at the start that sometimes we didn't even speak on set. Weirdly, he's become one of my closest friends over the past two years, which probably doesn't work as well for the BBC because I think they quite liked the edge.

Coat of arms When I was included in Who's Who for the first time, I received a letter informing me that I'd been selected to have my own coat of arms (pictured). I designed it myself and it hangs in my library. The five tennis balls inside the shield represent my five children and love of tennis. The dragon is a nod to Dragons' Den and it's pictured clasping a lightning bolt, symbolising my protective stance towards my family, as well as my links to the telecoms industry. The Latin inscription translates as 'Make your dreams a reality'.

Painting My good friend Robbie Williams gave me this oil painting (pictured) last Christmas. It's the T–shirt design he created for Take That's latest tour and on the back he wrote a touching inscription, which I will cherish for ever. Robbie is a big fan of Dragons' Den and a friend of a friend suggested I pop round to his house to say 'hi'. We hit it off from the start. He's quite different from his public persona. He's a very astute businessman, though he keeps his projects close to his chest.

Flaming cucumber I rarely do television for television's sake, but was delighted when Shooting Stars invited me to appear on their special anniversary edition in 2009, because it's an iconic quiz show. Bob Mortimer pitched all kinds of wacky ideas to me, including this 'flaming cucumber' (pictured), which is a cucumber that's also a lighter. Wherever I go, people pitch ideas.

Stripy socks I've always worn stripy socks (pictured) and they've become a trademark, even though my staff think they're the height of bad taste. In fact, I seem to have started a craze since wearing them on television and sell 30,000 pairs a month for charity through my shopping site, peterjonescollection.tv. When I met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Kensington Palace, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to show them off. Much to my surprise, Prince Philip lifted his trouser legs to reveal his own pair.