Creative director, Theo Fennell

What was your first job in retailing?

A part-time salesman in my own shop. I had no idea what I was doing.

Which retail company do you admire most and why?

Peter Jones/John Lewis. I never fail to get a feeling of decency and good service, like being in a really good English film.

What is the trait you least like in yourself and why?

My impatience. It is almost always directed at my own shortcomings but doesn’t look that way.

Who have you learnt most from in your retail career?

I know from every shop I go into that staff are the most important thing.

What advice would you give someone starting out in retail?

It is a terrifying business but be incredibly nice to any client and be an entrepreneur. Shopping should be a joy not a battleground.

What keeps you awake at night?

Not much keeps me awake but all sorts of things wake me up, from strange ideas and designs through to inexplicable and petty frets.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

Designing something that turns out exactly the way I wanted.

What’s your proudest achievement?

In a personal sense, my family. But holding a quirky and under-funded business together for nearly 30 years in a tough world would rate pretty high as well.

What job would you have done if you hadn’t become a retailer?

A careers adviser concluded, after much questioning, that I should be a seaside pier entertainer. So that would have suited me.

What’s your favourite shop and why?

John Sandoe book shop off the King’s Road in Chelsea, London. I love book shops and that is my favourite.

What was your last purchase?

A pair of cheap, yellow beach shoes that don’t fit.