An entrepreneur can come in the form of a self made millionaire with a ‘rags to riches’ story or a slightly less dramatic but still highly respectable form of a driven individual at the top of their game pushing the boundaries and excelling in the world of business.

Name: Jason Dainter

Role: Managing Director

Company: Big Brain Ltd

Tell us 5 important factors that have contributed to where you are today:

1. Being pragmatic and being a do-er rather than a dreamer

2. Having common sense (its not common!)

3. Not taking failure as a bad thing, but instead taking the feedback gained and putting it into practise

4. Freeing up the time as much possible to work on the business instead of working in it

5. Being realistic and admitting defeat where necessary!

Define an entrepreneur in one sentence…

Someone who can’t help but look for business opportunities 24 hours a day, but is also pragmatic and competent enough to turn those opportunities into something successful.

We consider you to be successful, what lessons have you learnt along the way?

Too many to list! Probably the biggest lesson though has been to realise the very small (and often seemingly boring) day-to-day decisions are actually the most important. Creating a business that makes money, in my opinion, isn’t actually difficult, it simply involves making the right small and seemingly insignificant decisions over a decent period of time. Have you replied to that email from a potential client waiting to hear from you? Have you made that vital update to your website that you have been putting off? Have you gone to that networking meeting in the evening that you were planning to attend? All seemingly mundane and insignificant decisions, but take those right decisions over time and hey presto, you have success!

What do you believe are the key qualities in a successful entrepreneur?

I’ve been lucky enough to mingle with quite a lot of entrepreneurs though a networking group I help to run called UK Inventure (www.ukinventure.com). It’s certainly true that those who have businesses that work, often share similar qualities. They are do-ers and never put things off. They see solutions rather than hunting for problems. They have the ability to admit when they are wrong, or when someone has more skills or knowledge in an area that they don’t. Most important though the majority of people I have met who run a successful businesses are likeable. Of course there is a time and a place for your “dragon-esque” business persona when the foot has to come down and you have to make your opinion known, but ultimately if you aren’t likeable, approachable, or easy to get along with, chances are you are going to struggle when starting a business.

When did you last feel brilliant at work?

Today! (and most days come to that!). I’m passionate about all the businesses I’m involved in and the fact that I get to do what I enjoy every day (when so many people spend their lives doing jobs that don’t make them happy) makes me feel brilliant most days!

When did you last feel terrible at work?

Probably a couple of weeks back when a project for my web development business designerisland.com started to go off course and cause a lot of stress for both parties. There’s no way to avoid feeling terrible now and again, it’s going to happen whether you like it or not. Richard Wilkins, a fantastic motivational speaker I had the pleasure of meeting described this dilemma using the example of electricity. Electricity does wonderful things when its on, but to get it turned on, you need two things, a positive, and a negative. You need them both equally! For me It’s the same in business (and in day-to-day life come to that!) The people who seem to have it sussed out not only accept and embrace those terrible feelings, but then use them in their favour to create something even bigger and better.

Name entrepreneurs you look up to?

Ray Kroc – Walked into a burger joint one day as a salesman for vending machines, spotted an opportunity and started one of the biggest companies on the planet, McDonalds

Michael Gerber – A childhood hero of mine after I read his book the E-Myth, taught me the skill of working on a business and not in it.

Ben Way – IN 1995 became the youngest ever UK company director, and in 2001 was reportedly worth 18.3 million quid. You’d be stupid not to look up to that!

Where will you be in:

•    5 years?

Probably still running the businesses I do now on a larger scale, and no doubt be involved in quite a lot more!

•    10 years?

My goal by ten years (where I would be 34) would be to be financially free.

•    At the peak of career?

Hopefully on a nice yacht in a sunny place somewhere!

•    When you retire?

Im not sure people classed as “entrepreneurs” really ever retire, but no doubt if all the previous things happen for me I’d like the idea of stepping back before I was too old to enjoy life and spend time family and probably kids! (scary thought!).

Tell us what drives you…

Money is certainly a factor, but I see money a bit like a tool. It doesnt make you happy on its own, but it gives you tools to go places, meet people, and do things that could help to make you happy. Other things that drive me is having a load of fun, which I currently do in the businesses I’m involved with, and meeting great people.

What are your passions?

I love travelling, and I love meeting new and interesting people so they are certainly passions. I also love the concept of starting something from scratch right from the creative stage of coming up with an idea, through to the execution of making it happen, that’s something I’m passionate about for sure.

What’s your favourite quote?

There’s no such thing as failure... only feedback – Peter Jones

Give us three tips in anything you want…

1) Always answer your telephone! You never know what opportunity might be waiting on the other end of that call.

2) Go “networking”. The statement “its not what you know, its who you know” is 100% true! If you don’t like the idea of your typical boring stuffy networking do’s then visit www.ukinventure.com

3) Whatever stage of business you are at have loads of fun by injecting as much humour, creativity, and positive thinking into your daily routine... otherwise what’s the point in striving to be successful?