How did you get started in business?

I spotted a gap in the market; the need to have Caribbean sauce on a table next to tomato sauce, brown sauce and the rest. I know about Caribbean food and thought there should be one.

I did my market research selling at [Notting Hill] carnival, trying to perfect the sauce. I started there in the early 1990s. In August 2006 I started using branded bottles for the first time. Six months later, in February 2007, I appeared on Dragons’ Den. But by then I had enough customer interest; people were writing to me saying they didn’t want to wait until carnival came around to get my sauce, they wanted it now.

Spotting that gap is perhaps the smartest thing that I did. It’s not about finding some absolutely new type of business. It’s about finding something and putting your take on it.

It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week (14 - 19 November) this week, which aims to encourage and celebrate entrepreneurship across the world. Why do you think entrepreneurship is important?

Without entrepreneurs we would make little headway in product development and innovation, both of which benefit us as individuals and the world we live in.

Your big break was on Dragons’ Den in 2007, where Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh each bought 20% of your business for £25,000. What was it like being on the show?

I was terrified. There is a reason they’re called dragons. They don’t give their money up easily, and when they do give their money away, they want to make sure it’s to a good salesperson. The product has to be great, yes, but I think what they are looking for is someone who will be able to sell it.

I think Peter saw the fact that I was a bit different from people who had been on the show up until that point. There was this man in front of them singing a song on his guitar and saying he was passionate about Caribbean food, I had a backstory.

How did you feel your appearance went?

I was absolutely rubbish. I put passion in front of style or anything else, otherwise I would have left the guitar at home. But [the dragons] are looking for a rough diamond, for somebody who they can give a little bit of a polish. I think Peter and Richard saw that. They polished me up and turned me into the entrepreneur I am now.

Has your personality been important in business?

Absolutely, personality is key in most aspects of business. My personality has been helpful; people are investing in it when they buy my product. They link it to me in the back of their mind and perhaps feel they are part of the whole story [of my business].

What’s been your proudest moment?

I think [launching] my restaurant [a Caribbean smokehouse in Stratford, east London] is my proudest moment because it’s something I have brought myself. It’s something that has come [entirely] from me.

What’s been most challenging?

When I got sued right after Dragons’ Den. You have to get the legal arm of your business sorted out. It cost me approximately £1m in total, to the company and myself, to defend myself [in that case]. The case lasted the best part of two years.

Being in the media made it tougher. Being [in the public eye] is a double-edged sword. It opens doors, but you’ve put yourself out there and people can say what they want about you – and you have to grin and bear it. But I’ve always had thick skin, I think my musical career before Dragons’ Den helped me to deal with it.

What advice do you give to people who want to start a business?

Surround yourself with like-minded people, there’s nothing better in business than that. Perhaps first look for someone to be a mentor. For me, it wasn’t about getting the money on Dragons’ Den, what I really needed was someone to help me out with what to spend the money on or how to retain money. You need someone who’s willing to put the time in to give you a leg up, to help you reach the next level.

What are your plans for the future?

I think finding things you are passionate about really helps you for longevity in business. You always need to plan long-term. For me it’s all about that, the music has come full circle now after taking nearly 10 years out of my musical career to build the brand, I think going back is the right thing to do. I have a new album out now called Rise Above, which I recorded in Jamaica. I run an independent record label, Soundbox Media, on which the current album was released.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

When I was growing up in Brixton [south London], I wanted everything straight away. I would never think about waiting around for five years until making a profit. Once I got into business, I got to know that a business plan has a start, middle and end and you’ve got to wait until it comes to the end to make the profit. If I understood that a bit earlier in my life, perhaps I would have been a success before.

Was your upbringing important for giving you drive in business? [Roots has spoken about his family having little money while he was growing up]

Yeah, you are a product of where you are from, your environment and the people around you. I never saw a Levi Roots-type character who was a success when I was growing up in Brixton, someone who looked and spoke like me so I could identify with them. I guess that’s one of the reasons I still live in Brixton now. I do want the next potential Levi Roots, the next struggling young kid from this area – black or white – to see me and say: ‘Look y’know Levi’s still here and if I can focus a little bit like he focused there is a chance for me as well.’

Levi Roots took part in the Virgin Trains Business Clinic onboard a London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley service, providing advice and guidance to budding entrepreneurs.

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