How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps: INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

by Sir Richard Harpin

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**

'Richard is the real deal . . . If you don't believe simple steps can deliver a business worth billions, read this, and then think again.'
JAKE HUMPHREY, author of High Performance

'How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps is a blueprint for success, full of practical strategies that actually work.'
SARA DAVIES, TV Dragon and author of The Six-Minute Entrepreneur

'There's nothing that entrepreneurs need more than inspiration and practical advice . . . Richard's book has this in bucketloads . . . This is a crucial toolkit.'
THEO PAPHITIS, TV Dragon & Retail Entrepreneur
_____________________________________________

Richard Harpin became an entrepreneur at the age of just seven when he started selling conkers to his school friends. Fifty years later he sold a company he founded, HomeServe, for over £4 billion.

In How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps, Harpin shares the lessons he learned along the way, and the things he wishes he had known that could have got him to a billion-pound valuation faster.

He reveals his uncomplicated, grounded and honest approach to business, showing that start-up success is not rocket science. And he shares his practical wisdom for building a company from the ground up, identifying opportunities, creating effective marketing, planning for future growth, hiring brilliant people and developing the key qualities of a great leader.

It will inspire a new generation of CEOs, fitting them for a world of ever-evolving challenges, and revealing the path to extraordinary success.

Richard Harpin's book 'How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2025-07-14.

Genres: Business, Money, Self Help

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2025

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit hyped, just like "How to make a few billion dollars" by Brad Jacobs.

The book is not too bad but as with all books, they're trying to be a lead magnet (in this case for his investment firm) and as such you need to take everything with a pinch of salt. That being said, there is some valuable stuff in there. I especially enjoyed the trials and tribulations of trying to establish an overseas subsidiary, especially the US. Lots of companies have failed there.

I don't entirely believe he knew nothing about some of the sales malpractices his company was guilty of. It's a bit like he's trying to distance himself from this period in the company's history.

[Savannah Fischl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really one to leave a review but this book was deserving of it! Simple steps on how to build a business - no fluff and actually actionable/ practical.

[Richard Beaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but couldn’t help thinking about ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ movie. Never really like the tired format of steps but there is a lot of fabulous advice in here for both the budding and exiting entrepreneurs.

[Alex Pal. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant read about business. More specifically the experiences and lessons that Richard learnt while building his business.

[Callum Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poor read. Author comes across as incredibly pretentious and patronising.

[Eriq Beoku-Betts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook: 3.5/5

[Emily Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book from an entrepreneur where work is life, which makes me realise that the ‘always on’ & ‘family second’ life just isn’t for me 😅
If you were already ON the journey to building a small to medium-sized business in the UK, then this book is for you. And I did take down some interesting excerpts on productivity and what it means to be a good leader.