Simon Woodroffe - Dragon’s Den Special November 16

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Mini CV

- Began his career as a stage designer for rock concerts
- Moved into television production
- Set up first YO! Sushi restaurant in 1997
- Sold controlling stake for £10 million in 2003 Awarded OBE in 2006

Simon Woodroffe - Yo SushiIs there a less typical millionaire business entrepreneur than Simon Woodroffe? The former rock concert stage designer and current owner of multimillion restaurant chain YO! Sushi only started up his business career proper after he turned 40. As one of the most charismatic and slightly off-the-wall dragons in the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, he is always ready to speak his mind, but also the willingness to give a good idea a try.

Woodroffe started his career in the more dynamic entertainment business, designing the sets for music stars that included Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart. He then went on the work in television, sticking to his rock ‘n’ roll roots by pioneering the broadcast of large rock concerts and producing music shows for Japanese television.

This creative streak led him to set up YO! Sushi in 1997, importing the Japanese style of sushi restaurant to the UK with startling success. Spending the last of his saving on setting up a London-based restaurant, he brought a sense of fun to the dining experience, with robots serving drinks and food delivered to the customer on conveyor belts. Only a few years later, the company was worth millions and Woodroffe himself was able to sell his controlling stake for a cool �10 million. He has won restaurateur of the year and entrepreneur of the year, and earlier in 2006 he was honoured with an OBE.

Now he’s set about expanding the YO! brand, including hotels (YOtel!), and regularly appears on Dragon’s Den, hoping to find the next big idea to invest his now considerable wealth in.

So what can the contestants, and indeed budding entrepreneurs everywhere, learn from this side-burned sushi king? Probably the most important thing from Woodroffe’s point of view seems to be that business should be fun, exciting and creative, not just about turning over the biggest profit you can.

“Business has been so drab, all grey suits and cufflinks, but there’s a whole new generation of entrepreneurs starting to make it fun,” he once said.

“Most entrepreneurs I know do it because they want to, not just to get rich.”

But don’t let this enthusiasm and desire for fun fool you too much. It’s clear that the reason Woodroffe is such a successful businessman is because he combines that enthusiasm and commitment with a pretty keen business mind. He is often noted for being one of the most cautious dragons in Dragon’s Den, only choosing to invest his money if he really believes that it will be a sound investment. But equally, he also seems unwilling to invest if the idea just doesn’t excite him enough.

And maybe, for young entrepreneurs, the best thing about Woodroffe is that excitement, and the excitement he wants others to have about creative business ideas.

As he says himself: “I want kids to think: when I grow up, shall I be a pop star, a footballer, or an entrepreneur?”

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