I OWE my tenacity to my family especially my late father, who was an inspiration all round.

My mother is now very hands-on in the business, and its great having her around.

I know tenacity is one of those assets that every entrepreneur needs and Im happy to be referred to as one.

But, for me, its just about fulfilling a business ambition.

I became aware of what it took to run a business when I was growing up even though you werent referred to as an entrepreneur in the early 1990s.

From our family and my own experience working in the licensed and leisure sectors, I think I was destined to run a restaurant group, albeit for as long as I retain the stamina and enthusiasm.

Seriously, I love the satisfaction of seeing both of our venues in Bold Street full to the brim with guests.

The group has taken on a new momentum since we expanded our first venture and Im looking at how we can continue to grow.

To any aspiring entrepreneur (who probably already knows this), its amazing what you learn about yourself running several businesses and its better than any studying that could prepare you for the daily outcomes.

Im very fortunate to have good people around me, too always have had and having a good team is the main reason for our success.

My partner in the business is also my real-life partner, Maurizio, and we make a good partnership the test of any good relationship is surely being able to work together.

It has been well documented that when you run a restaurant you are operating in one of the most competitive sectors and I would also argue that it is possibly unlike any other.

After all, food and drink is at the heart of our daily lives and hence interests so everybody has an opinion.

If youre a highly sensitive type, probably stay clear of the industry.

Being able to delegate so that I can work on the business has also been key not easy when you have a maternal instinct and need to be on control of so many facets of the businesses. But experience is a great teacher and you learn very quickly.

ROSARIA CROLLA, managing director of The Italian Club Group