With a net worth of 402 million pounds, the businessman Peter Jones achieved his childhood dream of having a multi-million pound company. Today he is the Chairman and CEO of several businesses and is also a prominent television personality.
Peter Jones was born on 18th March 1966 in Berkshire, England. As a teenager he earned money from his two passions, tennis and business. He gave tennis lessons, being a good player himself. By 21, he got married and had his own house. He tried various ventures; Jones started manufacturing PCs in his mid-twenties. He then opened a cocktail bar after being inspired by Tom Cruise’s movie ‘Cocktail’. That however did not go well in fact Jones went through a series of losses during this time. His computer business was not a success either and he had to sell it at a loss. Consequently he had to let go of his house as well. At 28, Jones then started working at Siemens Nixdorf that was a British computer business.
Jones founded his telecom business in 1998. The company comprised of four operating parts grew immensely in its first year gaining a profit of 14 million pounds which rose to 44 million the next year. ‘Phones International Group’ was among the leading businesses in the United Kingdom. According to the Sunday Times/Virgin Atlantic UK Fast Track League Table it is the 13th fastest growing company of the UK. Jones is the owner of many businesses now making more than 250 million pounds. He has invested in more than twenty five companies. He also runs an academy called ‘Peter Jones Enterprise Academy’, teaching tricks of the trade to youngsters who wish to be successful entrepreneurs.
The year 2005 was quite an important one for Jones. He became a well-recognized television star most known for his appearance on the show ‘Dragons Den’ in 2005. Peter Jones was part of the panel of entrepreneurs that decided whether an idea presented by the contestants was worth investing in. His portfolio includes shows such as ‘American Inventor’, ‘James Cordon’s World Cup Live’, ‘The Magicians’, ‘ITV’s Celebrity Juice’, ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ and ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’. The same year he purchased the gift experience company ‘Red Letter Days’ along with his co-star in Dragon’s Dens, Theo Paphitis.
Jones started many other ventures from 2004 to 2008 such as Wines4Business.com. His participation in ‘Dragon’s Den’ led to many investments including ones in ‘Wonderland Magazine’, ‘Square Mile International’, ‘The Generating Company’, ‘iTeddy and Reggae Reggae Sauce’ and ‘Concentrate Designs’. He owns ‘Peter Jones TV’, which is a production company. He has also made many other property investments. In 2008 he gave the Business Studies A-level exam as a challenge. He passed it with an A grade.
Jones currently resides in Beaconsfield with his long term girlfriend Tara and three children and two children from his previous wife. He was selected as the CBE that is the ‘Commander of the Order of the British Empire’ in 2009 New Year Honors.
