Richard Branson or Del Boy ... Who am I?

To be perfectly frank ... It isn't a long debate whether I am more a Bransaon or Del Boy; my bank account supplies concrete evidence that I am the latter!
Some people are born entrepreneurs,  which I always think sounds like a compliment, but the reality is that not all entrepreneurs make a penny, but most of us have a lovely time trying to get there!
I shall share some of my past enthusiasms which haven't made me rich in cash but have provided a wealth of entertainment and fun. Starting from the beginning ... Here goes with my first money spinning experience ...

Business 1  - Penny's for Pickles Pony rides - age 10 . I was lucky enough to have a shaggy Dartmoor pony when I was a child. And also lucky enough to live within riding distance of Ashridge Monument. As anyone local knows ... Ashridge Monument, on a sunny day, is a business opportunity waiting to happen. And so, my first business was born...
 With a hastily knocked up, hand painted sign tucked under my arm, I rode Pickles through Ashridge and set up base right next to the monument. Within minutes I had a queue of small people (some were not so small as I was pretty small myself) all desperate to do their circuit of the site on the back of Pickles. Within an hour I was cash rich to the tune of £3, which at 10p a ride I was pretty chuffed with.
Sadly the business met its demise shortly after that when Pickles was spooked by a rat on a lead ( i think it was a chiwawa) The rat took a dislike to Pickles receiving more attention than it from its young owner and decided to nip Pickles tail while its owner, a pretty little 6 year old girl called Crystal, was beaming a toothless smile on his back. Crystals doting father, somewhat oblivious to the rats antics, called Crystals name constantly and took enough photos to wall paper an entire lounge during her short experience on Pickles back.
Pickles finally lost his cool with the rat, the camera and the over enthusiastic father and decided to dispose of the rat and abandon the rest of the party. With one mighty buck of the back legs, Pickles successfully sent the rat into a double back flip that even Beth Tweedle would have been proud of and took off down monument drive with Crystal doing a cracking job of assuming the jockey position.
Being just 10 at the time, I could only look at the positives when we finally caught up with Pickles who stopped at the sight of a particularly juice clump of fern. Looking back now, through the eyes of a parent, I can see that my positivity was somewhat misplaced when doting dad had feared for his daughters life.

Top tip for any entrepreneurs embarking on a business with horses... If your horse bolts with a young child attached, it is not a good thing to site any of the following to the parents:

1. It's a good job he spotted that fern or he could have run for miles.
2. Wow - she's going to be a good rider - I would never have been able to hold on for that long.
3. Your dog needs shooting, upsetting my pony like that.... Is its still alive?
4. Can I have my 10 p now

So Doting dad decided to share the tale with the lovely people from the National Trust and hence my first business closed down as quickly as it started and Pickles and I were banned from the area.

Elsie is a breeze compared to Penny's for Pickles Pony Rides ... I still may be working with children, but at least Elsie doesn't start her own engine and do a runner if a dog decides to use her tyres as a toilet.