I’m always intrigued by how small start-ups evolve into big business. Let’s face it, most of us will harbour ambitions of being our own boss and growing it into a successful entity. I follow #womeninbiz and various other Twitter chats daily, there are so many lovely small businesses out there that have the potential to make it big. They just need a big break.

Love him or hate him, Charlie Mullins has done exactly that. Mullins, who is reportedly worth around £60m (with his business, Pimlico Plumbers, now employing 220 people and boasting an impressive £20m turnover) is one of those outspoken and controversial types that will often wade his way into topical discussions with all the grace and style of Miley Cyrus at an awards ceremony. Yet there can be no denying that he displays some enviable business savviness.

So just how did this qualification-less secondary school drop-out become a multimillionaire and business guru worthy of coveted guest spots on Question Time and Benefits Britain: The Debate?

It seems it all started with a phone call…

I find this video almost as irksome as the gallery on his about page showing pictures of him posing with a bevvy of beauties including Stacey Solomon and Lisa Snowdon, juxtaposed with some handshaking with Prince Charles and David Cameron; there is definitely of stench of desperation for fame and celebrity. After all here stands a man with a thick London accent decrying the need for schooling and education. But he’s not immune to the odd bit of charitable work too:

He is strongly focused on apprenticeships and is a firm believer in giving young people a chance to develop their skills, in order that they reach their true potential.

He has a work placement programme in place for The Prince’s Trust’s youngsters, carries out mentoring and gives inspirational talks.

Let’s just hope his inspirational talks don’t suggest our children should “bunk off school” to hang around with strange men and aspire to achieve a “motorbike and a car… ‘Olidays… a nice ‘Ouse, nice clothes and bundles of money”, like our Charlie did…

Nevertheless the sentiment behind this video is a good one. He received a phone call from an estate agent asking him to do an emergency plumbing job. Having done a good job he was invited back time and time again. The estate agency then rang Mullins and asked him if he’d like to rent an office in their basement. Mullins mulled over the proposition “Why would a plumber need an office?” he asked himself. Unable to get the thought out of his mind, he eventually said yes and moved his operations into an office.

It was this “opportunity” (as Mullins calls it) that gave him a dream far beyond that of a plumber. He found that he liked sitting behind a desk and set about masterminding a plumbing empire sat in that very modest basement. He dared to think big, and ended up achieving a great deal more than anyone would ever have thought possible.

So this brings up to today and our pocket-sized Rod Stewart is now gazing out from his penthouse suite in a white fluffy bathrobe appearing in adverts such as this one. He might be an irritant but he’s definitely an interesting case study. Just use the platform you’ve been given wisely Charlie.