"Fear, 59, first went into business at the age 15 after reading an article in a local paper on his paper-round about a new legislation that would affect the way industrial ovens were cleaned. Stephen, MD and founder of The Fear Group, is now a hugely successfully self-made multimillionaire and entrepreneur who runs over 70 companies with his son, Leon Fear. His investments cross multiple sectors, including property, green technology, IT, care homes, hotels and manufacturing. Fear is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at the British Library, a highly respected position which was previously held by the late Dame Anita Roddick and more recently the former Dragon's Den panellist Rachel Elnaugh. Stephen Fear is also very active in charity work, including being a patron for the organisation Heropreneurs."

Mindy Gibbins-Klein MBA FRSA is founder of The Book Midwife® and Ecademy Press. Her clients have published over 300 books and consistently gain recognition by the media and the market as the top experts in their field

Chris Barling co-founded ecommerce software supplier, SellerDeck (formerly Actinic Software) in 1996. He has over 30 years’ experience at the corporate end of the IT industry. He is a prolific writer for a large range of small business media and has also published three books on ecommerce.

David Hathiramani is the co-founder of A Suit That Fits, which started as the world's first online tailoring company – now with 25 locations nationwide. In 2006, David and schoolfriend Warren Bennett combined their love of bespoke suits and passion for business to reinvent way the retail experience for suit lovers.

Laura Rigney is co-founder of Mumpreneur UK, the UK's leading support organisation for mums in business. She's a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship and works tirelessly to promote the mumpreneur cause. Laura is a published author and mother of three boys.

A one-time ‘Secret Millionaire’, Carl Hopkins is a Yorkshire entrepreneur and marketing ‘guru'. Since selling his marketing agency JDA in 2007, Carl has invested in, and launched, a variety of businesses including Joblink solutions; a CIC that supports organisations that train people for work. He is also one of 30 entrepreneurs handpicked to attend Vince Cable’s Entrepreneurs’ Forum. You can talk to Carl by visiting www.kloog.co.uk

Phil Orford is chief executive of the Forum of Private Business – a not-for-profit SME support organisation which was founded in 1977. Phil was involved with a number of start-ups and small companies before joining the Forum in February 2008. The FPB is one of the country's leading business organisations, providing business owners with the support, protection and reassurance they need in difficult times and of the UK's foremost small business lobbyists.

Peter Jones is one of the UK’s most sought-after divorce lawyers, founder of Jones Myers in 1992, first qualified arbitrator in Leeds and expert in mediation. Former national chair of Resolution, an organisation of over 6,000 lawyers which believes in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family law matters. He has experience at the highest level in all aspects of financial disputes and is an expert on issues relating to small family businesses

Following the sale of a regional media company and online recruitment company, Richard founded a private equity company which has gone on to own The Capital Business Media Group of companies (owners of Business Matters) and is regarded as one of the leading experts of the UK SME sector and speaks across Europe and the US about business management. A keen angel investor and advisor to new start companies also a StartUp Britain local Champion.

Through her career Cat has worked across a broad range of sectors including manufacturing, engineering and media, and now as Co Director of Threedom Solutions Ltd she works with both large plcs & smaller local concerns specialising in Human Resources service provision and development of training solutions. Additionally as a working parent she is particularly passionate about supporting parents in the workplace and is Next Generation Coaching Licensed Trainer.

Richard Bosworth, facilitates What If Forums, has boosted the growth of national and international businesses of all sizes by robustly challenging them. In the last decade alone he has played a key role in adding £110m of wealth to the bottom lines of a select group of business owners. A strong advocate of the often illusive work/ life balance, at the age of 62 Richard cycled 3,500km in seven weeks from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico - and came within 30 feet of a formidable grizzly bear!

Paul Gibbons, Chairman of Leaderboard Golf, the holding company for four of southern England’s top golf clubs – Chart Hills (Kent), Sandford Springs (Hampshire), Dale Hill (Sussex) and The Oxfordshire (near Thame); as well as two four star hotels; and state-of-the-art driving range in Reading. The company began with the purchase of Sandford Springs Golf club in 1998, the year Paul sold his management stake in Hurst Publishing – the publisher of Autotrader, which he had set up and grown since the late Seventies alongside business partner John Madejski.