AN ENTREPRENEUR has revealed how he went from borrowing money from his mum to buy deodorant to becoming a millionaire.
Darren Briggs was aged 38 when his mum gave him £2.50 for antiperspirant before claiming benefits.
But now he is director of a company raking in £200million and spends his Fridays learning how to pilot helicopters.
He lost his job, business and relationship just 15 years ago, having taken up a career as a civil engineer after leaving college in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
His dad was a roofer and mum ran a small paper shop, where he first started out doing a paper round.
Darren travelled around the UK in his role, but returned home to Pembrokeshire following the death of his dad from cancer aged 55.
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It led to his introduction to the oil industry, obtaining a role with Elf Oil and Total UK.
The experience led to the lightbulb moment spotting a gap in the market for providing oil price data to independent petrol stations.
Darren created BigOil.net, which provides data to help petrol retailersget the best deal for their supplies.
The business generated enough interest to secure a deal with BP, before selling it to the Petrol Retailers Association in 2007, WalesOnline reports.
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He then focused his attention on digital advertising firm Big Media Group Ltd, but the firm did not hit anywhere near the level of success.
Instead, the company racked up hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of debt.
Darren took eight years to pay back what was owed and, at 38, he signed up to receive benefit payments.
He began working as a consultant and slowly rebuilt his credit rating, before purchasing the first petrol station of his newly-formed Ascona Group. It was followed by a second forecourt shortly after.
The firm now has a network of 64 sites across the UK and served more than 300,000 customers each week.
He faced further financial meltdown when he was sued by a major PLC, but the case was dropped before reaching court after a two-year battle between lawyers.
Darren said: "It's about the right product at the right time at the right price.
"If you do that, then you're halfway there."
He also purchased Cornwall Garages for £13m, adding to his forecourt empire.
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Darren added: "We look for an unloved forecourt. Sixty per cent of independent garages are owned by families and there comes a time they want to sell or retire.
"There's plenty out there. The challenge is having the money to spend."
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