Every day is different and can start in various ways sometimes an early doors tanker which BP prefers to deliver first drop out to our rural and coastal locations. Or in school term time our children Jemma (10) and William (8) have long days leaving home before 8am and returning at 6pm, so I try to see them at one end of day. Plus my wife Charlie insists on one family supper during the week.

My typical day starts with me heading straight for my Blackberry, which is certainly both the best and worst thing in my life! The office is less than 10 minutes drive from home, which is incredibly convenient on what seem to be the rare occasions that I am there!

I get an alarm call at 6.30am as I am heading to London again, with a 45-minute train journey from Kent into Victoria. I have a breakfast meeting at Simpson's in the Strand with the CEO of a fast-growing, independent fuel supplier who is going to be one of my panelists at PetroForum 2010 in Marbella, which I am chairing. We plan to discuss the downstream retreat of the major oil companies (MOCs) in the UK.

A typical working day starts at around 5.30am, when I get up to get ready for my journey from Breedon on the Hill, where I live, to Banbury home of Kärcher's UK HQ. I normally arrive at the office at about 7.30am and plan my schedule and activities for the day before our staff start to arrive at about 8am.

My working day normally begins with the school run at just after 8am. My wife Rebecca waves us off before we make the short, but picturesque, journey to Ely. We have to pass the two other Ely petrol stations on our way to school and the children automatically shout out the prices off the pole signs in order to allow me to keep my eye on the road!

My day starts with my husband Marcus' alarm going off at 4.55am. He works in London and leaves at 5.30am every morning. I normally lie in bed watching the news to find out what has happened in the markets overnight until he leaves and then I get up and get ready.

My brothers and I operate six filling stations in the Lake District and we wouldn't want them anywhere else. We work from our HQ in Fleetwood, dealing with the accounting functions, and are supported by our office manageress, Helen, based at Prizet Services near Kendal. She makes our lives much easier and her organisational skills and happy approach to life make her indispensable but don't tell her that! Our three site managers are likewise indispensable and we have three of the best they keep the show on the road. They order fuel and shop products, staff the tills and deal with all the day-to-day issues of a typical forecourt. Mel, our maintenance man, keeps the sites looking neat and tidy, the jet washes and site services fully operational. He loves a chat on his daily rounds and tells me he likes to 'keep everybody happy'. Our staff are indeed our biggest asset.

When I get up at around 6.30am each weekday morning I can be sure of one thing that the working day ahead will bring a whole range of new challenges and opportunities.

I have worked for Mace Approach, a BP site in Andover, Hampshire, for six years and I love it. I was extremely chuffed last year to win the forecourt category of the Sales Assistant of the Year awards run by Forecourt Trader's sister publication Convenience Store. The judges said really nice things about me such as how hardworking, dependable and helpful I am and it really meant a lot. It's great that there is recognition of the key role that sales assistants play. I had a great time at the awards presentation and won £500 which I will put towards driving lessons. But I really want to win the overall top prize next time!

Joe and I get to the office for about 8.45 am. Joe is my eldest son and has been working with me for about 10 years. I have never worked long hours. I finish about 5.30pm and never work at the weekends. I suppose if I had been driven in the way of, say, Gerald Ronson and worked most of the time I would have been more successful. That was never an option. I earn money to have a good family life and have enough leisure time for my interests which are Manchester United, bridge, wine, travel, good food, antiques, holidays in France and, of course, my wife, four children, and five grandchildren (that list is not necessarily in any order of priority!).

I wake up every weekday morning with Sarah Kennedy my wife Stella doesn't mind as she quite likes her. My Blackberry and my wife rule my life, but only because I let them. The Blackberry alarm is set for 6.30am, seven days a week. Monday to Friday are school-run days. Not quite like Groundhog Day, but similar.

I'm normally on the road by 6am, with a mug of tea by my side for the journey ahead - apart from Mondays when I tend to work from home, tidying up paperwork and resolving outstanding queries. I am away at least two nights a week. I know the work-life balance is not ideal, or the 50,000 miles a year I clock up, but I still have the same drive and enthusiasm now that I had when I joined Gulf Oil (GB) Ltd in the '80s, just a lot more Best Western loyalty points!

First I check the emails. We are on daily Platts now, and the price seems to move with the stock market at the moment. BigOil is my first reference as to how prices will change today. And Total's email will come in shortly.