John Caudwell
John Caudwell
John David Caudwellis an English businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of mobile phone retailer Phones 4u. He also invests in fashion, real estate and other industries, and chairs Caudwell Children, a charity which benefits ill or disabled children and their families. He is also known for being the UK's biggest taxpayer...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth7 October 1952
business came early feeling impact last mobile phone quite took
When I came into the mobile phone business, I was really the upstart who pretty much took the business, not quite by storm, but really made an impact on it quite early on. But it was from a position, really, of feeling that I was a last mover.
people
People can come to me, and no matter how expert they are, I can virtually always see a way of doing something better.
borrowing bought detached family financial house huge life money outside status taking
I was only 21 when I bought a five-bedroom detached house in Stoke-on-Trent that was way outside of my financial status in life. I did it by borrowing money from my family and the bank, taking out a huge mortgage.
burning crude early lad success
In the early days, I had everything to prove. A very working class lad with a burning ambition. A very crude way of measuring success is how much you are worth.
I really do feel guilty that I don't visit me mum enough.
biggest business low lowest primarily risky
In any business opportunity, you'd be looking, probably, primarily at the risk and return. Some business can be very risky with a low return; what you want is the lowest risk with the biggest return.
I just wasn't academic. I wanted to be in the real world.
born brought careful definitely factor family frugal known money success value
I'm known for value for money. I was brought up to be frugal, and it's definitely a factor in my success. I was born in the Fifties, which was a frugal era, and my family had to be very careful with money out of necessity.
amount freedom great huge lucky position privilege
I'm in the lucky position that I can help a huge amount of people. It's a great privilege and freedom to have.
good overcome
I had challenges to overcome as a child, and that was good.
coming design ideas quite realised
I realised I've got quite a talent for coming up with ideas for design. I've got so many ideas about fashion.
albeit assets interested money quite saving spend work
I'm a wealth creator. I'm not interested in saving in the least. While I do spend a lot, I don't spend money like other billionaires. I'm probably quite unusual, albeit I do have some of the significant trappings. But I always try to make my assets work for a living.
becomes money
If you throw money around like confetti, it just becomes shallow and meaningless.
die element panic running time until
I don't think I'm going to live until I'm 70, no; I could die tomorrow. So there isn't a panic that time is running out, but there is an element that anything could happen.