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In for a Penny

A Business Adventure

By Peter Hargreaves

Paperback £9.99 / $16.99
eBook £8.99 / $10.99
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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”

– Drayton Bird

“…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.”

– from the preface by Jim Slater

“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.”

– Anthony Bolton, President of Investment, Fidelity International

Media coverage

From citywire.co.uk:

Discussing his new book, In For a Penny, the co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown addresses the flaws in life office and IFA business models, and argues that advisers should wean their clients off advice.- CityWire23rd June 2009

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From spectator.co.uk:

In for a Penny is one of Spectator Business’s Best Books of 2009.

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From citywire.co.uk:

there is a lot of valuable business intelligence here- CityWire7th September 2009

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From accountancyage.com:

Profile: Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown- Accountancy Age23rd July 2009

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From thisismoney.co.uk:

Hargreaves: How I turned investing into big money- This is Money22nd July 2009

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From irishtimes.com:

offers genuine insight into life in the money game- The Irish Times20th July 2009

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From citywire.co.uk:

Face to face: Peter Hargreaves of Hargreaves Lansdown- CityWire3rd July 2009

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From fool.co.uk:

Peter Hargreaves discusses his book “In for a Penny” with David Kuo and Maynard Paton. The trio trace beginnings of Hargreaves Lansdown from a room in Peter’s house to the £1b business it has grown to today. They also discuss the UK economy and where investors should be putting money to achieve the best returns.-… Read more »

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From telegraph.co.uk:

Raising tax is economic madness. Slash the public sector instead- Peter Hargreaves, Telegraph30th June 2009

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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
Edition: 1st
Pages: 253
Formats: paperback - ISBN 9781905641949
ebook - ISBN 9781906659417
Media enquiries

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.

Rights

For information on available rights, please contact rights@harriman-house.com

Bulk purchases

We offer discounts for bulk purchases. Please contact specialsales@harriman-house.com for a quote.