coming up on this episode of white wine question time i suffered so badly from imposter syndrome i mean

don't we all i would sit there in that chair thinking you know those other dragons are

smarter than i am they've got bigger businesses than i have got more experience than i have

and then just assuming every entrepreneur walking through the door, well, if I make an offer and one of those other dragons makes an offer, why would they ever pick me? And I felt like going around and waving that bit of paper in the faces of all those tutors who said I shouldn't do it and I couldn't do it and thinking, I'll show you who can't do it yet.

Hello and welcome to White Wine Question Time, the podcast that asked its guest three thought-provoking questions over three glasses of wine. And my guest this week is a hugely

successful entrepreneur who started her business, which now

turns over £37 million a year from her bedroom on campus at university.

In fact, by the time she graduated, she was already turning over half a million pounds a year.

Born and raised in County Durham, her parents ran the local village paint and wallpaper shop,

and she headed off to university loosely with a plan of getting a business degree before returning to possibly work

in the family business. However, in a third year of study, she was required to get a work placement.

So for a year, she worked in a small local craft company and while she was there, spotted a gap in the

market for a tool that could create bespoke envelopes for those who made handmade cards. With the help

of a local carpenter and her dad, she designed a product called the Enveloper, which she launched

on a TV shopping channel after cold calling them for a spot, selling 30,000 units within six months.

Shopping television has been a huge part of her success. She's been selling her craft companion

wares on QVC and shopping networks the world over for more than 20 years now and has painstakingly

grown the business alongside her husband, Simon. They married in 2007 and she had two

children, Charlie and Oliver, who they raised in County Durham. And in 2016, she was awarded an MBE

for her services to the economy. She's been a dragon on Dragon's Den for four years now and also

host BBC 2's Ultimate Wedding Planner alongside first dates, Fred SyriX,

as well as having enjoyed a spin or two around the Strictly Dance Floor when she competed on the show two

...