Former student Darren Pegram returned to Bedale High School to talk to year ten pupils about his business career.

The 43-year-old told the group about his days as a "bad lad" at school and the lightbulb moment when he was invited to join the school football team, a decision that changed his life.

From that moment he focused on having the courage to experience failure, the commitment to carry on despite setbacks and the compassion to treat others with respect.

Leaving school with good GCSE grades, he studied at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington then went onto Manchester Metropolitan University between 1997 and 2002. In his second year he came up with the idea to supply ink cartridges and toner to businesses, individuals, charities and schools via a website he designed himself.

Using 30-day credit to pay his suppliers, INKredible.co.uk was founded and is now one of the leading consumables suppliers on the web. His business empire now includes a property portfolio and 4EV, a business specialising in the supply of highest quality electric vehicle charging accessories.

The advice Darren gave was for students to learn for learning's sake, to take big risks while young, to buy assets not liabilities, to live frugally until they don’t have to and to create systems to enable them to achieve their goals. He suggested entrepreneurs don’t need to invent a unique idea but can instead identify a better way of doing things or improve on what is already in the marketplace.