I suppose you would call me an entrepreneur as I have my fingers in a lot of pies, but I have always been aware of the fact that ‘Entrepreneur’ does not necessarily mean ‘Person With Loads of Dosh’.

So what does being an entrepreneur really mean? Well, I have just finished reading ‘Anyone Can Do It’ by Sahar Hashemi and her brother Bobby. They brought the coffee craze to the UK in the mid 90s with Coffee Republic. Throughout the book they refer to themselves as ‘entrepreneurs’ but I disagree. They are not entrepreneurs in my book, they are just very bright, organised, successful business people.

Entrepreneurs risk everything. They bore easily. They have on average one idea an hour and spend a lot of time day dreaming. They are passionate, visionary creatures with boundless energy and have the ability to spot an opportunity 300 miles away. They are excitable and find it difficult to switch off. They drive their friends and family insane and the general public think they quite obviously have a screw loose! Yes, I am an entrepreneur.

So, I hear you say, how come Richard Branson has done so well. He is definitely the archetypal entrepreneur. The answer is simple – he hangs out with people who are NOT entrepreneurs. He mixes with strategists, marketeers, financial dudes and those who understand people. They systematically take his ideas and either fling them out of the window or put a detailed plan in place to make sure the ideas turn into something tangible. They also make sure the right people are doing the right jobs and so on. Easy!

Some time ago, my good friend and fellow Business Adviser Nick Weavis said to me ‘Jill, you are a charasmatic leader but you lack detail’. Somewhat of a back handed compliment you may say, but pretty spot on! I have always remembered this and tried to tie myself into the detail. Disappointingly, it really doesn’t always work. I am not too good on detail but at least I am aware of my shortcomings, which is half the battle.

I do, however, have my friend Jo Dodds. In her own way she is also an entrepreneur but weirdly, she is able to be my strategist. We are working on several projects together and I say to her ‘Jo, you tell me what needs to be done when and I will make sure it happens’. That works well for us. The strange thing is that she thinks I am the organised one!