 The ZX81 had an immediate impact on the fortunes of Sinclair Research and Clive Sinclair himself . The company 's profitability rose enormously , from a <unk> profit of £ 818 @,@ 000 on a turnover of £ 4 @.@ 6 million in 1980 – 81 to £ 8 @.@ 55 million on a turnover of £ 27 @.@ 17 million in 1981 – 82 . Clive Sinclair became one of the UK 's highest @-@ profile businessmen and a millionaire , receiving a £ 1 million bonus on top of a salary of £ 13 @,@ 000 . He received a knighthood in the Queen 's Birthday Honours and the Young Businessman of the Year award in 1983 . 
