Book Review: Happy Sexy Millionaire by Steven Bartlett, published by Yellow Kite 2021.
This was the Fabulous Networking Book Club’s book of the month in October 2022, and we agreed it was one of our favourites. It’s well written, insightful, and wise. It’s the book we wish we’d had in our youth.
The book was not what we were expecting. I think it’s fair to say we were all expecting a rather self-congratulatory autobiography. Whilst there is some biographical content the book is much more than a life story. Bartlett’s tone is modest, and he readily admits to the mistakes he’s made. He owns up to shoplifting to eat, to scrabbling down the back of sofas for loose change and to mistakes in his relationships.
It is clear that Bartlett is well read and well informed, but he doesn’t ram it down the reader’s throat as some authors do. He challenges norms and thinks outside the box. These attributes have clearly contributed to his success at such a young age.
He is also an excellent communicator which makes the book very readable and engaging. We all read it in quick time. That is partly helped by the devices used to highlight key points in the text… illustrations, diagrams, key text highlighted in large fonts on a separate page etc.
The content follows in a logical sequence and points made earlier are referred to in later chapters where relevant. The language used is very accessible and Bartlett doesn’t hold back from the odd swear word. You can hear the same man that appears on Dragons’ Den or the Diary of a CEO in the writing style.
My key takeaways
- The book has certainly encouraged me to be more curious, to think outside the box and to challenge traditional ideas or ways of doing things.
- I loved the analogy of compound interest as a way of demonstrating the power of consistency.
- The concept of skill stacking as a way of differentiating me or my business from the competition made a great deal of sense and contrasts with some of the advice about becoming really specialised.
- I am enough!
Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely! It’s an inspiring read. My copy is now with my son.
I think the book should be recommended reading for any young person starting out in adult life. I think Steven Bartlett has earned the right to advise us all to be ourselves for the sake of our mental health if nothing else.
The book is also excellent reading for any aspiring entrepreneur. Whilst it’s certainly not a ‘how to do business’ book there are plenty of useful insights for the business leader including how to respond in a crisis.
I hope this won’t be Steven Bartlett’s only contribution to the literary world.
