The United Kingdom has been one of the most successful countries in terms of entrepreneurship. Hundreds of thousands of English citizens have achieved financial independence and career freedom by starting their own businesses. Due to the fact the U.K. has done a great job promoting entrepreneurship within its borders, a few English entrepreneurs have risen to the top to become some of the most successful businessmen and businesswomen in the world. The following are the top six most successful English entrepreneurs.

1. David and Simon Reuben

David and Simon Reuben are self-made billionaires from several diversified industries, and come in as the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the U.K. The two brothers were actually born in India in abject poverty before immigrating to London in 1950. The move sparked an entrepreneurial spirit in the brothers, with each of them starting businesses independent of each other. David started out in the scrap metal business while his brother Simon bought out England's oldest carpet company. They both used the money earned from these individual ventures to invest together in property and other raw materials businesses. Thanks to savvy business sense and solid investment strategies, the brothers have a combined net worth of $5.53 billion.

2. Philip Green

Philip Green is the CEO of Arcadia Group, a conglomerate that owns various retail companies including British Home Stores, Topshop and Dorothy Perkins. In true entrepreneurial fashion, Green quit school at the age of 15 to begin working as a shoe importer. His real-world experience gave him a personal advantage in the international trade service industry, and he started various ventures such as a jeans importing business in which he worked with major London retailers to sell his products.

Green used his early success to purchase a variety of clothing and chain retail stores, which prompted him to incorporate them all under the conglomerate group Arcadia. Thanks to Arcadia Group, Green has a net worth of $5 billion.

3. Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is arguably the U.K.'s most well-known entrepreneur. A London native, Branson is the founder and CEO of the Virgin Group, a conglomerate of companies that includes Virgin Mobile, Virgin Airways and Virgin Megastores.

The Virgin Group started out as a record company and achieved success through the signing of big-name artists such as The Rolling Stones. Branson used the money earned from Virgin Records to start various companies in different industries, the most well-known being Virgin Airways.

Branson is known for his eccentric personality and his need for thrills as much as he is known for his massive wealth. Along with his wealth and extravagant lifestyle, he is an amazing philanthropist, donating hundreds of millions of dollars to multiple charities and causes. Branson has a net worth of $4.6 billion.

4. James Dyson

As maybe the United Kingdom's second most well-known entrepreneur, James Dyson is an engineer and inventor who achieved success through the vacuum cleaner company that bears his name. Through this company, Dyson has pioneered innovative creations such as the Dual Cyclone and Dyson Ball vacuum cleaners.

Since his first vacuum cleaner design, Dyson has expanded his business to include the bladeless fan and the HEPA-filtered hand dryers found in restaurants and airports. Considering himself more of an engineer than an entrepreneur, Dyson is the wealthiest engineer in the U.K. He has a net worth of $4.5 billion.

5. Laurence Graff

Laurence Graff is an entrepreneur who founded the world-famous diamond jewelry business Graff Jewelry in 1960. Implementing a savvy business model, Graff built his company to own the entire value chain and supply chain, involving Graff Jewelry in every phase of the diamond industry. The company sources raw materials, cuts the diamonds, polishes them, and then markets and sells them on the open market. Graff has a net worth of $4.3 billion.