About Peter Jones

PETER JONES' BIOGRAPHY

EARLY YEARS

I was born in 1966 and raised in Berkshire. When I was seven, I often went to my father's office in Windsor because I loved sitting in his big chair and pretending to be in charge of a big company, even though it was a small office and just him.

My parents wanted the best for me and sent me for a couple of terms to private school. It was financially crippling for them to send me there - and, moreover, I didn't like it, finding it very different from what I was used to. So at the age of eight I left, spending the rest of my school years in state schools.

Both my parents worked full-time for over 50 years to provide the family with as much as they could. We never went without, but I always yearned for more. I wanted to do the best I could, knowing that one day I was going to be a multi-millionaire.

Every year, the Royal College of Arms issues coats of arms to a small number of individuals who are judged to have been "a benefit to the community." I was surprised, delighted and honoured to discover I numbered among them.

In early 2006, I was asked to design my own arms. Every aspect of the heraldry reflects something that is very close to my heart.

My personal and private lives are united in the heraldry and underline my ethos that perseverance and passion are the keys to success.

The red dragon depicted within the arms is perhaps the most obvious of visual references that relates to my life.

My role on Dragons' Den since 2005 has been a very important part of my life and has helped me achieve a number of personal goals, not least the creation of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy.

There are actually four further dragons depicted in the arms, making a total of five dragons overall, just as there are on the actual BBC show itself.

In the left hand of the dragon there is a tennis ball. This represents not just my life-long love of the sport of tennis, but also the very first business that started me on my entrepreneurial journey.

In the right hand of the dragon is a bolt of lightning. While lightning can be destructive, in this instance it represents a positive power, the spark of an idea with a real force behind it to make it happen. You really do need a special energy to see your ideas through to completion.

Finally, the five yellow dots on the red cross within the arms represent my five children. There is, of course, room for more should this ever change! The Latin motto, emblazoned under the badge, translates as "Make your dreams reality".