From Broke Dropout to Millionaire: Dragons' Den Star Steven Bartlett, 29, Credits 'Parental Failure' for His Success trucc

Dragons' Den's newest investor Steven Bartlett has said his success of building a £300 million pound business is partly thanks to 'parental failures', like his mother and father always being at work.

Social media marketing CEO Steven, who at just 29 is the youngest Dragon the BBC programme has ever seen, appeared on ITV's Loose Women today.

The young entrepreneur discussed how his independence at a young age helped him succeed in life - with Steven explaining how his 'hardest-working' mother would sleep at her store, while he was left to fend largely for himself while growing up in Plymouth.

He previously described how he feared he'd never make a success of his life after quitting his course at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Steven, who's currently single, wrote in his book Happy Sexy Millionaire, which was published earlier this year, that at the time he was a 'broke, lonely, insecure university drop-out from a bankrupt family' before founding his multi-million pound business.

Social media marketing CEO Steven (pictured), who at just 29 is the youngest Dragon the BBC programme has ever seen, appeared on ITV's Loose Women today

The young entrepreneur (pictured with his family) discussed how his independence at a young age helped him succeed in life - with Steven explaining how his 'hardest-working' mother would sleep at her store, while he was left to fend largely for himself while growing up in Plymouth

He previously described how he feared he'd never make a success of his life after quitting his course at Manchester Metropolitan University. Pictured, Steven as a child

Speaking on the show today, he said: 'Actually the reason why I'm sat here today, I am 100 per cent sure, is because of things you would consider parental failures. 

'It's because my parents weren't around, it's because I didn't have all the nice gifts and presents, there wasn't Christmas presents you know as I got older, there wasn't birthday presents.

'So what that meant was, on one hand, because my parents were so busy working, and my mum is the most hardest working person I've ever met. 

'She would sleep in her office on the floor, in her shop on the floor, wake up and run the shop and then go back to sleep on the floor in the back room on a bag of rice in Plymouth. 

'Because they weren't around, I learned this very important lesson that if I am to have anything it doesn't appear on the kitchen counter or under the tree. It's of my own doing.'

Steven (pictured right), who's currently single, wrote in his book Happy Sexy Millionaire, which was published earlier this year, that at the time he was a 'broke, lonely, insecure university drop-out from a bankrupt family' before founding his multi-million pound business

Steven (pictured) replaced Tej Lalvani on the latest series of Dragon's Den, which arrived back on screens on January 6

This series of Dragon's Den, Steven joined Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies on the panel of the business reality show, which sees entrepreneurs decide whether to invest or not in ideas pitched to them. 

His place in the lair is a far cry from his first brush with the programme, shortly after he dropped out of university ten years ago, when he applied to pitch to the dragons but was turned down.

The young entrepreneur, born in Botswana and brought up in Plymouth, has replaced Tej Lalvani, 46, on the show. 

After quitting university, Bartlett, now CEO of social media marketing agency The Social Chain - currently valued at £300million - started Wallpark, a platform for students before setting up Social Chain and Media Chain - brands that have worked with names including Apple, Amazon and Coca-Cola. 

Ahead of filming, he told BBC Radio 1Xtra’s If You Don’t Know podcast, that he was determined to join the panel as there 'has not been a young, black man on the show' and he wanted to be a role model for others. 

Steven (pictured) is driven by a desire to appeal to the 'underrepresented' and encourage and enable people to thrive in the business world 
 

The businessman, who admits he felt like a 'broke, lonely drop-out' after quitting university aged 18 joins, from left, Touker Suleyman,  Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones on the latest series 

He said: 'Much of the reason for me wanting to be a Dragon and wanting to do the show is because I know the show is a big platform and I am not represented on that show as an entrepreneur. There's not been a young, black man on that show.

'I feel like I have a responsibility to do this because it will show 12-year-old Steve, or other 12 year old Steve's, that they too can be business people.

'To see someone like me on the show as well that's not going to wear a suit, and that is into all the same things you're into - like hip-hop music, jollof rice, Manchester United and whatever else it is - I think is an enabler. 

'Because role models are most powerful when you can relate to the path they've walked.'

Steven is also driven by a desire to appeal to the 'underrepresented' and encourage and enable people to thrive in the business world.

He said: 'If you type in "CEO" on Google, what you see is white men in suits. I'm not against white men in suits, but I am against leaving talent off the field because they don't feel included. 

Bartlett, pictured on This Morning earlier this year, says his success is down to a positive confidence cycle - where trying something new propels you to keep going

'And so by being a black man in a snapback, I will appeal to other black men, and women, in snapbacks. Or anybody that comes from an underrepresented background, and I will let them know that they can sit at the table. 

'That's why I felt a sense of responsibility. It felt like this wasn't really about me, it was about enabling a lot of people like me. You don't have to wear a suit, you don't have to pretend to be someone else, you can just be yourself and sit there.

'I've never worn a suit in business. There's not been a day at Social Chain where I wore a suit, not one day in almost a decade, where I went to a meeting, a pitch, to meet an investor, where I wore a suit. 

'So why would I then change for TV? I'm trying to represent the real modern world of business and the real world of entrepreneurs and that's not suited and booted for the majority. 

'It's the internet, social media, it's wearing whatever you want. Right now it's like working at home. Imagining going on Dragon's Den wearing a suit when 80% of the world are remote working in their boxer shorts.'