Ido whatever the f–k I want.” This is a remark by the world’s richest restaurateur, a billionaire called Tilman Fertitta, as quoted in Forbes magazine recently. Does it reflect a widespread belief among successful entrepreneurs?

Unquestionably, self-determination matters a lot to them. At a recent gathering of business high-flyers, I conducted a survey of their chief motivations. Rather than wealth, power or fame, the most important driver among these self-made men and women was almost uniformly the desire for autonomy.

Certainly if you are your own boss, no one can fire you. For plenty of entrepreneurs, from Michael Bloomberg down, getting the sack was the spark to start their own show: they all vow that being given the boot will never happen to them again.