Peter Jones has always had an eye for business and started his first at age 16, setting up a tennis coaching school. However, the road to success hasn’t always been easy; at one point, he had to move back in with his parents after a deal went wrong.
By the time he’d turned 28, Peter was forced to start from scratch and decided to join a large corporation. By the end of the year, he was running the business in the UK. In 1998, Peter founded Phones International Group – now known as Data Select – which scored £14 million in sales after the first year of trading, and an eye-watering £44 million in its second.
Nowadays, Peter works closely with his investment group, PGI, contributing to 100 businesses across publishing, media, television & entertainment, technology, food products, retail and the environment. He’s also established the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy – a flagship program designed to nurture aspiring entrepreneurs in schools and colleges.
The business mogul was one of the original dragons on the show when it first aired in 2005. He has previously spoken about the important impact being part of the show has had on his 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,” he penned on his official website.
The fearless dragon boasts an estimated net worth of £1.286 billion as of 2024, putting him at spot 133 in The Sunday Times Rich List.
