James is the founder and CEO of the Partyman Group of companies – a £40m turnover business which – includes soft play centres, day nurseries, farm park attractions, a teddy bear business, a kid’s arts and crafts manufacturer, an ice cream company, as well as a grade 2 listed hotel and an established party supplies business. Starting out at 16 as Jimbo the Partyman, James initially built an entertainment agency. He set himself the goal of earning £40,000 a year and owning a house by the time he was 20.

By the time he was 17, he was already fully booked every weekend for a year ahead and was turning over £500 – £1000 a week. At age 20, he secured £700,000 from 21 separate lenders to buy and set up his first soft play centre in Basildon. Within a year he was turning over £1 million. James then quickly established a complimentary chain of day nurseries to generate term time income and grow the business.