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:
In for a Penny ? Peter Hargreaves Book Review and Video- Millionaire Case Studies23rd May 2011
From bristol247.com:
Hargreaves Lansdown enters FTSE 100 four years after first listing- Bristol 24-711th March 2011
From investorschronicle.co.uk:
Peter Hargreaves and In for a Penny featured in Taking a back seat– Investors Chronicle 20th September 2010
From moneymarketing.co.uk:
“If you are yet to read Peter Hargreaves? book, In for a Penny, I urge you to do so.”- Money Marketing13th September 2010
From moneyweek.com:
One of MoneyWeek’s “best business books of 2009”.December 2009
From investorschronicle.co.uk:
an excellent book for your Christmas wish list- Alistair Blair, Investors Chronicle9th December 2009
From spectator.co.uk:
In for a Penny is one of Spectator Business’s Best Books of 2009.
From citywire.co.uk:
there is a lot of valuable business intelligence here- CityWire7th September 2009
From accountancyage.com:
Profile: Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown- Accountancy Age23rd July 2009
From thisismoney.co.uk:
Hargreaves: How I turned investing into big money- This is Money22nd July 2009
From irishtimes.com:
offers genuine insight into life in the money game- The Irish Times20th July 2009
From citywire.co.uk:
Face to face: Peter Hargreaves of Hargreaves Lansdown- CityWire3rd July 2009
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 »
From telegraph.co.uk:
Raising tax is economic madness. Slash the public sector instead- Peter Hargreaves, Telegraph30th June 2009
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
From Media Review:
How ‘real education’ helped Peter amass £310m fortune- Lancashire Evening Post16th June 2009
From ft.com:
Tips from an amiable curmudgeon- Financial Times11th June 2009
From news.bbc.co.uk:
Peter was interviewed by Kate Silverton on BBC Breakfast10th June 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 bbc.co.uk:
Peter was interviewed by BBC Bristol- 25th May 2009
From dailymail.co.uk:
CITY INTERVIEW: I’m not going just yet, says Peter Hargreaves- The Daily Mail7th May 2009
From business.timesonline.co.uk:
Peter Hargreaves is #176 in The Sunday Times Rich List 2009- The Sunday Times26th April 2009
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 MoneyWeek:
…So that’s your taxes. But where do your savings go? For that answer, turn to Peter Hargreaves’ In For A Penny, A Business Adventure, a plain-speaking run-down of the creation of investment giant Hargreaves Lansdown ? from its start in a spare bedroom to its 2007 float. Read this one for two reasons ? to… Read more »
From Spectator Business:
In for a Penny: A Business Adventure Peter Hargreaves Harriman House £9.99 244 pages ISBN 9781905641949 Few financial advisors are as outspoken or as loved and loathed as Peter Hargreaves. But backing him has generally been the way to bet for more than 20 years. His unflinching opinions have often proved right, such as when… Read more »
From My Wonderful Life Coach:
In for a Penny says ?Plain speaking has never held Peter Hargreaves back?. It?s true, now a multi-millionaire, Peter built his investment company Hargreaves Lansdown with Stephen Lansdown, in the most savvy, practical and cost-effective ways possible and was never afraid to ask for what he wanted, especially if it did not already exist! He… Read more »
From The Irish Times:
BOOK REVIEW: RICHARD GILLIS In for a Penny: A Business Adventure by Peter Hargreaves; Harriman House; £9.99 (?11.50) PETER HARGREAVES is a very rich and successful financial adviser who you?ve probably never have heard of, which one suspects is why he has written a book. When you get to be worth in the region of… Read more »
From City Wire:
Face to face: Peter Hargreaves of Hargreaves Lansdown By Richard Harris Peter Hargreaves, chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown, talks about the phenomenal growth of his company while pointing out the limitations that hold back many other businesses in the IFA sector. Meeting Peter Hargreaves face to face is a disconcerting experience. Famed for his tirades… Read more »
From The Daily Telegraph:
‘Raising tax is economic madness. Slash the public sector instead’ Fundamentalist view: A 50pc rate will not increase the tax take but will drive wealth creators abroad, says one of the City’s most successful entrepreneurs. By Peter Hargreaves Published: 30 Jun 2009 There is unsurprising public apathy about the proposed 50pc tax band (or 51.5pc… Read more »
From City Wire:
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.
From Financial Times:
Tips from an amiable curmudgeon By Jonathan Guthrie Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of the wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown, recently threatened to quit the UK in protest at the 50 per cent tax rate proposed by the chancellor. His outburst is, however, undermined by his new biography In for a Penny, in which he says: ?I couldn?t… Read more »
From Financial Times:
‘(I would recommend Peter Hargreaves? book, In For a Penny, to anyone who wants to know how all this works).’
From Financial Times:
‘(I would recommend Peter Hargreaves? book, In For a Penny, to anyone who wants to know how all this works).’
From Daily Mail:
City Interview: I’m not going just yet, says Peter Hargreaves By Ian Lyall Peter Hargreaves is riled. And he doesn’t hold back. The Chancellor bears the brunt of his ire, but there are digs at the Financial Services Authority, ‘useless’ bankers, ‘ overpaid’ bureaucrats – and he even has a sly swipe at James Caan,… Read more »
From The Sunday Times:
Fame and Fortune: Peter Hargreaves Founder of Hargreaves Lansdown and author of new business advice book invests in pensions and unit trusts, not property
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 |
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