In for a Penny
A Business Adventure
By Peter Hargreaves
Jacket text
Plain speaking has never held Peter Hargreaves back. In this candid and outspoken book, the multi-millionaire founder of investment company Hargreaves Lansdown tells the story behind its extraordinary success and gives his forthright views on what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur and as an investor.
Starting from his spare bedroom with a single phone and borrowed office equipment, Peter and his business partner Stephen Lansdown set out to build a business that would consciously be different from that of all their competitors. They have held fast to their unconventional ways ever since, regularly turning the company’s strategy and business model upside down in their relentless effort to give their clients the best information, the best prices and the best service.
Widely recognised as the number one firm in their business, Hargreaves Lansdown was floated on the London stock market in 2007, valued at £800 million. In For A Penny is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how the investment business works, what’s wrong with conventional management wisdom and what’s right about the true meaning of entrepreneurship.
About the author
Peter Hargreaves has over twenty-five years experience in investment having co-founded Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the UK’s leading independent financial service providers, in 1981. Previously, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked for KPMG, Unisys Group and Whitbread Plc. Peter is a non-executive director of ITM Power Plc. and a Member of the Securities & Investment Institute.
Reviews
“Unaffected, down to earth, supremely practical and blessedly free of business school drivel”
“…In for a Penny is both an adventure story and a primer on how to grow a business from scratch. …Every chapter is laced with humorous anecdotes and valuable business lessons.”
“I have long been an admirer of the very successful firm that Peter Hargreaves has built up through hard work, very high standards and exceptional vision.”
Media coverage
From bristol247.com:
Hargreaves Lansdown enters FTSE 100 four years after first listing- Bristol 24-711th March 2011
From timesonline.co.uk:
Founder of Hargreaves Lansdown and author of new business advice book invests in pensions and unit trusts, not property- The Times22nd March 2009
From business.timesonline.co.uk:
Peter Hargreaves is #176 in The Sunday Times Rich List 2009- The Sunday Times26th April 2009
From dailymail.co.uk:
CITY INTERVIEW: I’m not going just yet, says Peter Hargreaves- The Daily Mail7th May 2009
From bbc.co.uk:
Peter was interviewed by BBC Bristol- 25th May 2009
From ft.com:
I would recommend Peter Hargreaves’ book, In For a Penny, to anyone who wants to know how all this works- Merryn Somerset Webb, FT5th June 2009
From news.bbc.co.uk:
Peter was interviewed by Kate Silverton on BBC Breakfast10th June 2009
From ft.com:
Tips from an amiable curmudgeon- Financial Times11th June 2009
From Media Review:
How ‘real education’ helped Peter amass £310m fortune- Lancashire Evening Post16th June 2009
Contents
Author's Note
Preface By Jim Slater
Prologue: The Little Man in Times Square
PART ONE: The Making of a Business
The Bake House and Beyond
The Money's in the Post
Enter the Rochdale Cowboy
Where are the Customers' Yachts?
The Crash of '87 and Other Headaches
Fighting the PEP Wars
The Tesco of the Retail Investment World
Fearlessly to Market
PART TWO: What I Have Learned (So Far)
Finding Your Customers
Making Your Organisation Work
Making Sense of Investment
Epilogue: The Simple Pleasures in Life
Acknowledgements
Published: | 25/05/2009 |
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Edition: | 1st |
Pages: | 253 |
Formats: | paperback - ISBN 9781905641949 ebook - ISBN 9781906659417 |
If you’d like to get in touch with the author for interview or comment, or you’d like a review copy of this book, please contact us at pr@harriman-house.com or call +44 (0)1730 233870.
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