That's the advice of Richard Harpin, the man behind insurer Homeserve, which he has built up into a £1 billion market-leading business in just 12 years. He claims his approach to forming partnerships and marketing the business were among the key success factors.

He reckons having a shaky start shouldn't put off new business owners.

He told icBirmingham:

"I would advise any entrepreneurs to be persistent in their ideas, maintain attention to detail in all areas and to think big."