Introduction Paphitis began his business carrier at the age of 16 as a tea boy at a Lloyd’s insurer. Two years later, he left the job to become a clerk in an insurance company in London. The need to acquire more money drove him to join Watches of Switzerland as a sales assistant in Bonds Street where he did not work for long as he later on went to sell commercial mortgages at Legal & General at the age of 21. It is in Legal & General that he learnt his business ideas. He could now read and understand most business transaction documents and reports. He set up his first major business at the age of 23 when he partnered with his friend, Mark Moran to established Surrey & Kent Associates, a property finance company. He maintained the business when the friend left and managed to partner with Hanover Druce, a property group. It was in this business that he made enough money to acquire capital to buy shares in NAG telecom (Paphitis 2009, 4-7). He later on ventured into business turnarounds on companies that were facing receivership. When Ryman Stationery Stores became bankrupt, he used the massive market shares he had gained in NAG to buy Ryman. He turned the company around by improving its management and business processes. Since then, he has been involved in turning failing business organisations into successful businesses. Acquisition of Ryman was followed by Partners & Stationery Box and then Contesa Patners and later on La Senza, a lingerie chain store among others. He has since then acquired many companies on his own and also co-owns many companies within the UK. Paphitis also managed Millwall Football Club between 1997 and 2006. He took over the club at the time when it was experiencing extreme financial problems and revived it financially and helped improve their performance. This saw the club reach the FA Cup Final in 2004 (Crimson Business n.d). Sources of his business finance Paphitis first entered business with venture capital that he had acquired through savings and from his previous jobs and loans from banks. His partnership with his close friend, Mark Moran helped boost the capital that they used to enter the property financial markets. When the friend left, he did a joint venture business with Hanover Druce which was also a property financial group. This helped him and the group acquire a joint venture capital so as to maintain and expand the capital that was needed to run the business. Joint ventures have helped him raise capital in most businesses that he co-owns such as Red Letter Days which they own with Peter Jones, a fellow Dragon’s Den businessman. Paphitis has also been able to acquire finances by trading in his ordinary shares in such companies that he owns shares. He sold his ordinary shares that he owned in NAG Telecoms to buy Ryman Stationery Stores. Paraphitis is able to identify particular business for investment and therefore buys large shares to enable him become the Chairman. In NAG Telecoms and in Millwall Football Club, he had substantial equity shares which he sold to enable him undertake more important acquisitions. In 2006, Paraphitis sold his equity stake in the global lingerie brand, La Senza, for £100 million. In his own his businesses such as