The journey's more important than money - Poundland founder

Steven Smith founded Poundland in 1990 with the help of his father, Kevin Smith

Steven Smith, who founded Poundland, remembers sharing one portion of fish and chips between his family of four when he was growing up.

The 63-year-old entrepreneur said his grandad's mantra, "if you don't work, you don't eat", has stuck with him throughout his life.

During his childhood, Mr Smith's family lived with his grandparents until they were able to afford a flat in Willenhall, in the West Midlands.

Now, having made his fortune, he's the owner of a £10m home and is searching for the next family to live in it.

From a young age, Mr Smith worked on market stalls around the Midlands with his father Kevin Smith who went on to set up a cash and carry called Hooty's.

Mr Smith credits his humble beginnings for helping to keep him grounded and "not take anything for granted".

"Nothing is easy, it's only easy if you enjoy doing it," he said.

"We used to love to go on the market, we used to love to give value for money and meet lots of people."

Mr Smith sold the company in 2006 for £250m

It was in 1990 that his father, who was now in a position to support Mr Smith's business ventures, suggested he tried selling his stock for just £1.

His parents loaned him £50,000 to open the first Poundland shop on 13 December 1990 in Burton-upon-Trent.

In its first day, the store turned over £13,000.

Mr Smith and his wife Tracey owned the company for 16 years and employed more than 8,000 people but the pressure of running a multi-million pound business took its toll.

"I used to get up in the morning, my daughter was asleep, I used to get back home and she was asleep, before I knew it she was 16," he said.

"I remember my dad asking me, 'How much is enough?'".

'We knew everybody's name'

In 2006 Mr Smith decided the time had come and he sold his final shares in the business for £250m but said it was a very tough decision.

"It was as though somebody had died when we sold," he said.

"We used to know everybody's name, we still had the first branch manager.

"The end result is money, but what's more important is the journey you've been on and all the things you've done with different people."

Mr Smith described how strange it felt to suddenly return to day-to-day life, where it was just him and his wife, without hundreds of staff to manage.

"I did retire for about two weeks, but within that two weeks, I was trying to tell my wife how to cook an egg and she was saying 'I've cooked eggs all this time without you'."

It was then that his wife told him to "get another job", prompting him to set up his next company, a mortgage business.

The home of Mr Smith's parents - Ludstone Hall in Claverley - is on the market for more than £10m

When he sold the business in 2006, he had not forgotten the initial loan from his parents - so much so, he gave them half the money from the sale.

His late parents used some of their profits to purchase Ludstone Hall, a Grade I-listed building that was built in 1807, near Claverley in Shropshire.

Mr Smith said it was an "amazing moment" when his family were able to purchase their dream home, but sadly the home is now up for sale.

"It's very difficult, I've lost my parents in the last couple of years, my children have moved out... This is a house that could do with a younger family," he said.

"If I could think of a use for it then we'd keep it.

"It's over 400 years old and it's only ever had six or seven families live here, so whoever has lived here has really enjoyed it.

"It would be nice to find who is going to be the next family."