I was born on the side of the road and am now Britain’s richest gypsy worth £740million – this is the secret of my success, says Alfie Best

Britain’s richest gypsy Alfie Best is worth £740million, has a fleet of enviable supercars, his own private helicopter and a swanky Mediterranean yacht.

But his enormous wealth didn’t come out of nowhere.

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The millionaire, who is set to be crowned the world’s first Gypsy billionaire next year if all goes according to plan, was born in a caravan at a Leicester rest area.

Alfie was raised by his mother and father in the ten-foot-long RV.

But his childhood was happy, he tells The Sun.

Alfie said: “There was nothing wrong with the way I lived – if I’m being honest with you.

“I hear all these sad stories about how people had hard lives.

“But they never fail to tell you they knew otherwise.

“I saw nothing wrong with my upbringing.

“Our kitchen was a cooking pan and pot outside on an open fire. That was our stove.

“I thought there was nothing wrong with that. People pay to go camping. That’s what you’re used to.

“We lived in a small trailer, me, my father and my mother. There were three of us. With small I speak ten feet long.

“We always had food in the cupboard – but we would go out with our Lurcher dog and what we killed we ate.

“I’m talking about pheasants, rabbits, hares. I’ll be honest with you – it seems like forever since nothing happened.

“This is going to be real and this is going to be surreal. You have to be careful with that.”

Alfie lived in the same trailer for the first 15 years of his life.

From the age of eight, he worked door-to-door with his father — also known as Alfie — offering service to homeowners’ paved driveways.

At the age of 13, he laid the asphalt on the mile-long driveway that led to the mansion of a member of the Hambro banking family.

His first solo venture was buying and selling an escort van, on which he made a profit of £150.

From then on, the budding businessman was hooked.

He managed to buy his first house for £63,000 aged just 17 while also starting a business selling vans in East London.

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He now runs a residential car park empire, Wyldecrest Parks, which raised £32million last year alone.

And the secret of its rapid rise to number 230 on the Sunday Times Rich List?

“If an idiot like me can slowly achieve his goals, anyone can. Because I’m not a talented person.

“Persistence and hard work have enabled me to master every step to success. am i successful Absolutely not. Success is a journey.

“My top tips. Start, start, start. Be consistent, persistent and believe in what you are doing.

“Make sure you’re your best customer. Because if you’re not, how can you expect other customers to be?

“Never give up. I’m still working like I’m bankrupt. I’m working like it’s all going to end tomorrow.”

The millionaire’s ethos is simple: he wants to provide affordable housing for as many people as possible.

He says: “What we are doing as a company is groundbreaking. What we do is create a better life for people. Do we always get it right? No.

“Are we satisfied with each of our customers? No.

“But if I can get more than 90 percent satisfaction, I’m happy with that.

“Living in the park is not for everyone. But I feel like I’ve been blessed with something that can really change people’s lives.

“And we’re changing lives – 16,000 residents can’t be wrong.”

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