Top 101 Quotes & Sayings by Deborah Meaden
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an English businesswoman Deborah Meaden.
Last updated on September 20, 2024.
I don't think I'm ruthless, but I'm very driven, irritatingly so.
When I concentrate, my face is deadpan and I can see there is a coldness there - when I'm making business decisions I know I can be quite dispassionate.
I love the ingenuity of British entrepreneurs.
Playing the piano was what I loved doing for myself, but as soon as it became a 'thing' that I was being pushed to pursue by my teachers, I rebelled.
I started off in the leisure industry and now I find myself as the DIY queen - I'm not quite sure how that happened!
To be honest, I've made a lot mistakes and I quite like making them because you learn from them.
I use my clothes to make my day better - for example, if it's a dull day, I'll wear something bright to cheer myself up.
If you're looking for investment you've got to think about what the investor gets from being involved with your business. A lot of people think about what they're getting from their point of view but not about what the investor gets out of a deal.
I am not just sitting in my office making deals all the time.
A lot of people on holiday get very intolerant of things that go wrong, but getting wound up about the plane being late won't make it come any sooner.
I have no problem paying taxes. It doesn't bother me, because I want to live in a society that's happy.
I'm very direct, I don't believe in wasting time, in wasting words.
I consider my position in the business world not as a woman but as a person.
I feel like the luckiest person alive. I spend my life doing the stuff I love. I'm surrounded by inventive people who are full of energy and life.
I am not intimidating, I am forthright!
I hardly ever swear. So when I do, my husband knows it's extremely serious.
Feminism doesn't have a particularly constructive image, although I think there was time when it was relevant.
I'm quite a restless holidaymaker - I can't lie down on the sand and don't like too much heat.
Dragons' Den' is about as close to real business as you can get on television.
I had my first flower stall when I was seven, at the end of the drive in Minehead, Somerset. Nobody was stopping so I moved it to my neighbour's drive, because I thought: 'Location, location, location.' It worked.
I love the full-on Hollywood glamour of the 1930s and '40s.
People have to understand that they're not good at everything.
If someone needs help, I don't do tea and sympathy, but I'm honest and practical - that's how I was brought up.
My friends would say I'm not the person to go to for tea, a cuddle and sympathy, because I can't deliver. But if you want something sorted out and need a champion who will stand by your side, that is me.
I need quite a lot going on, so a perfect holiday for me is one in a cooler climate with wonderful scenery, animals or great architecture.
I'm not great at taking compliments because I always find the thing I could do better.
I think Cate Blanchett always gets it right. She seems very natural and wears interesting but not ridiculous clothes - she seems to push the boundaries just enough.
I suffer from reverse body dysmorphia. When I look in the mirror I see somebody slimmer. It's quite a shock to see myself on TV, especially on widescreen.
You can't beat a bar of chocolate between cheap white bread - there is nothing like it.
Loving something doesn't make it a good investment.
I have definitely learnt in business that when you have a smart, engaged entrepreneur with good judgement they can really drive even a mediocre business forward so to me the entrepreneur is very important.
My parents are not nurturers. They're a bit like me: do a good job and move on.
I form opinions quickly.
I'm not scared of many sectors, so if you look at my investment portfolio, it is pretty wide. I've invested in anything from market research firms to fashion houses and textile companies.
I don't look for praise.
You don't have to start with your dream job, and your idea of what the dream job might be will change during a working life that will have its share of ups and downs, setbacks and advances.
I hate getting things wrong and I hate failing.
Money is not the ultimate point, but it remains the actual measure of success.
If people have got an amazing opportunity such as on 'Dragons' Den' and they mess it up by being lazy with their presentation it does make me a bit cross.
I'm impervious to charm. I can see through it.
Much as I'm loving the 'Strictly' experience, I'm sure I'll always be better known for my business career and my appearances on 'Dragons' Den' than I will for my cha-cha-cha or Viennese waltz.
You need to tell people where they stand. If someone's done a good job, you should tell them they've done damn well. But if they haven't, you should take the same attitude.
As an entrepreneur and employer, in the fairly recent past I have been astonished at how difficult it has been to get young people to take the idea of getting a job seriously.
People shouldn't choose their careers on whether it's cool or not. They should choose their careers on, 'Are they good at it, do they love it, is it going to give them a good life?'
You need emotional intelligence; to be happy to take risks; to be competitive and to look forward not backwards.
People can call me what they like - fat, ugly, sour - but tell me I'm not fair, tell me I'm not ethical, those are the things that bother me.
Provided someone can persuade me, I will invest in anything.
Nobody is like the person I am on TV, surely, only Cruella de Vil, or the wicked witch from Snow White.
I've got a lot of laughter lines. You don't get laughter lines on your face without having a lot of fun in your life.
Sometimes, lovely surprises come out of things going wrong.
Retirement has never, ever crossed my mind. And I honestly can't imagine when or why it would. If you're doing the thing you love, why on earth would you want to stop doing it?
I'm not a feminist.
I don't like shopping and I'm lucky enough to have a stylist to do it for me.
I'm not a fearful person, I have no phobias of rats, snakes, spiders, nothing. I'm lucky in that sense.
I'm not going to be told that I shouldn't be doing anything, or behaving in any particular way at any age of my life.
People think I am a workaholic but I just love business.
My first paid job was leading pony rides along Minehead seafront when I was eight. I probably got paid sixpence - not much but I loved horses and it gave me a great chance to be near them.
People who buy your product or use your service don't care how tall or short you are, or what gender you are, or your age. It is irrelevant. That is not the basis on which your product is judged.
I think I've got more humour than comes across.
You give power to issues if you pay a lot of attention to them. The more attention you give them the more power they have. So the most powerful thing you can do is just get on and ignore it.
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