Adam Afriyie has urged coalition ministers to "wholeheartedly love" business rather than view it in a "suspicious fashion".
Speaking to the Huffington Post UK on Thursday night, the Tory MP said: "We have got to wholeheartedly love wealth creation, we have got to celebrate when profits are made rather than look at businesses in a suspicious fashion because it's those profits that generate the taxes that make for a good society."
"I think what could be added is more from the top of the political hierarchy in constantly sending the message that making money, wealth creation and competition in particular are good things."
Afriyie told HuffPost UK that he welcomed David Cameron's "wonderful" speech at the Conservative Party's annual conference in September in which he said "profit is not a dirty word".
"It's a good start and I hope we push on that in that direction. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our Lib Dem colleagues did the same thing?," he added.
"Certainly the image provided by some of these programmes is not entirely accurate. It raises the subject that there are thousands of people desperate to get into business, so I think that's a positive overall. We can't have perfection, we can have second best."
Afriyie dismissed calls to make enterprise skills part of the core curriculumn as a "distraction" but told HuffPostUK: "They certainly need to be part of the curtilage of the education system."
Speaking at the Young Enterprise event, Afriyie told his audience: "If we have businesses thriving and we feel comfortable with enterprise and competition, that actually lifts all businesses and not just the yachts."
Successful Businesspeople Who Don't Have A-Levels
Sir Richard Branson (01 of10)
Open Image ModalBranson left Stowe School at the age of 16 to start his first magazine, later opening a mail-order record business.That ambition has now ballooned into a full Virgin Group empire, with Branson founding and running over 400 companies under the Virgin title.Now the Virgin boss is worth £4.6 billion - making him one of the richest people in the United Kingdom.
Sir Philip Green(02 of10)
Open Image ModalFashion mogul Philip Green started his first business after leaving school at 15.Nowadays, he is CEO of the Arcadia Group empire, which owns chains like TopShop, Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge.He's also worth £3.3 billion.
John Caudwell (03 of10)
Open Image ModalJohn Caudwell left school without finishing his A-levels to work as an apprentice at Michelin, then sweeping floors in a pottery factory.However, Caudwell hit the big time after launching his mobile phone distribution business in 1987. By 2003, the Caudwell Group employed over 8,000 worldwide and was selling 26 phones every minute, being known on the high street as 'Phones4U'. Nowadays, Caudwell is worth £2.6 billion.
Duncan Bannatyne(04 of10)
Open Image ModalDuncan Bannatyne left school at 15 to join the Royal Navy.After serving a few years at sea, Bannatyne was dishonourably discharged for throwing an officer overboard, and so spent time in jail.However, after getting his hands on an ice cream truck for £450, Bannatyne grew a business empire that has propelled him onto our TV screens for Dragons Den and left him with a net worth of £110 million.
Lord Sugar(05 of10)
Open Image ModalLord Sugar left school at 16 and worked selling electrical equipment out of a back of a van. Years later his persistence paid off as he rose from the east end of London to hosting the Apprentice and building a fortune of £770 million.
Simon Cowell (06 of10)
Open Image ModalMusic mogul and notorious svengali responsible for X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, Cowell took his O levels and then began working in menial jobs at the age of 17.One of these posts, in EMI Music Publishing's mailroom, started him off on a music career which would push him to TV stardom.His music business Syco Entertainment has more than 30 offices in London and LA, while Cowell has a personal fortune of over £220 million.
Hilary Devey(07 of10)
Open Image ModalEx-Dragons Den star and freight boss Hilary Devey left school at 16 to work in the Women's Royal Air Force in air traffic control and supply accounts.Later on, she built up 'Pall-ex', a palletised freight company into a company with annual revenues of over £75 million. Meanwhile, her net worth is estimated to be over £100 million.
Kelly Hoppen(08 of10)
Open Image ModalNew Dragons Den star Kelly Hoppen left school at 16 to start working and building a multi-million pound career in interior design.Her clients include Victoria and David Beckham and decorated the interior of the Beckhams' London home.
Josephine Fairley(09 of10)
Open Image ModalJo Fairley left school at the age of 16 to go into journalism, became a magazine editor at the age of 23 and made millions. How so?She, with her partner, founded Green & Black's Chocolate, which was later bought by Cadbury's for an estimated £20 million.
Jacqueline Gold(10 of10)
Open Image ModalJacqueline Gold left school before dong A-levels to start in the world of work.Her career took off after she got a work experience stint at her father's saucy lingerie shop, which he ran alongside his property investments, Ann Summers.As Chief Executive of the 'Gold Group International' companies Ann Summers and Knickerbox, Jacqueline is estimated to be worth over £530 million and has been ranked as the 16th richest woman in Britain.