From the Dyson hoover to the Dyson Airwrap, British inventor James Dyson is behind some of the hottest products of the past few decades. However, he suffered a series of setbacks while attempting to get his flagship product to market. Forced to set up his own manufacturing company, Dyson Ltd, as no other manufacturer would produce his dual cyclone vacuum cleaner, Dyson was 46 before he opened his first UK factory.

The Dyson Dual Cyclone became the fastest-selling vacuum cleaner in the country, and the rest is history. The inventor and his family claimed the fifth spot on last year's Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of over £20 billion ($27bn).