Hello and welcome to Ways to Change the World and I'm Christian Gary Murphy and this

is the podcast in which we talk to extraordinary people about the big ideas in their lives

and the events that have helped shape them. My guest this week is very famous and best

known to us all as a dragon. When I was at school nobody even considered the option

of me going into business or anybody else going into business now really you know

the seven or eight-year-olds are going yeah what my own business and I think

dragons has just un you know unpeeled the lid it's shown them that we're not a

bunch of stuffy you know gray-suited boring you know it's it's a very creative

thing to do. She's a hugely successful business woman and entrepreneur Debra

Meaton has got a fascinating life story and I'm really delighted she's joining us

on the podcast hello Debra. Hello you've got a way we're calling me a dragon how about that.

So look I mean how how involved in the day-to-day running of the businesses you're involved

in are you now because I don't understand how you have enough hours in the day. Well it's a

good question I actually don't and I'm not involved in any business on a day-to-day hands-on basis

neither should I be when I'm investing in a business I'm investing in people to run those

businesses with guidance from me and the amount of guidance depends entirely on where the

business is really and what it what it needs so everybody has my phone number everybody knows when

to call me and if they need my help then then I'm there or if I feel there's an issue coming up if

I think I can help in some way you know that's that's about having a good nose for it then then

I will sort of spend a little bit more time with the business but I can't you know the worst thing

you can do with a business is dip in and dip out and as you rightly say I don't actually have

enough time to spend enough time with the businesses to actually get involved in the day-to-day running.

...