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Anyone Can Do It: My Story

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At 30, Duncan Bannatyne had no money and was enjoying life on the beaches of Jersey. He saw a story of someone who had made himself a millionaire, and decided to do the same. Five years later he had done it, and now he is worth 168 million. In this remarkable book, Bannatyne relives his colourful path to riches, from ice cream salesman to multi-millionaire, explaining how anyone could take the same route as he did - if they really want to. Hugely articulate, and with numerous fascinating and revealing stories to tell, this is an autobiography and a business book unlike any other - but then Bannatyne isn't like any other businessman, either.

Hardcover

First published October 12, 2006

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Duncan Bannatyne

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
Profile Image for Christopher Lewis Kozoriz.
827 reviews272 followers
May 29, 2020
"...whatever you do, and no matter how much money you make, it's not really worth it if you don't have fun." (Duncan Bannatyne, Anyone Can Do It, Page 287)

Written by multimillionaire, Duncan Bannayne. He grew up poor to a working class family where his father worked at the local foundry. He never thought in his wildest dreams that he would accomplish so much with his life in that he had no family connections, no money, and no education. He says near the end of his book "I have such a great life that some days I have to pinch myself. Am I really that scruffy kid from Clydebank? Of course I am; and if I can do it, then anyone else can do it, too."

He starts this book off by telling of his family history of having to share a house with other families, his father was in world war II, and after the war, he started a family, which was his major accomplishment. He then relates how he realized he was poor when he would see other kids going on holidays with their families or them having a bike and he didn't have one. He determined as a kid that he was going to be rich. He then tells of his sister dying out of no where and then inheriting the role in his family of being the oldest child. He went to the army and was dishonourably discharged for throwing his commanding officer overboard. He then worked at odd jobs and fixed up cars in his spare time. While he was at an auction, he saw an ice-cream truck for sale, and bought it and started a successful ice cream business. He then tells of how he heard the government was giving money for businesses to take care of elderly in care homes. He and a partner started one, and then two and then three. He then floated or listed this company on the stock exchange and then became very wealthy. He got out of this business and started fitness facilities, a hotel, and he had some stints in some other businesses, but his most lucrative one was his fitness businesses.

Throughout this he tells of his divorce with his first wife, and then his relationship with his second wife who he met in one of his home care businesses. Then he tells of his dream of becoming an actor or someone famous, and went to acting school in London. He got some acting parts, and then how he became famous on the show Dragon's Den and the inner workings of the same.

My favourite parts of this book are when he talks about his philanthropic endeavors in Romania. I won't lie, some of his stories made me cry. During all this he even tells of an encounter he felt with God. He says, "I felt that I had been consumed by this presence, that something had completely shrouded and taken hold of me. It was unmistakable: I knew who had come and I also knew why. It wasn't a spiritual thing, it was a Christian thing, and I felt I was being told, 'You've arrived, join the faith, be a Christian, this is it.' It was profound, and I stood there, stunned, considering the offer and building up my businesses and I wanted to keep on making money, and I also knew I wanted to carry on doing the things I wasn't proud of - I knew I was never going to be this totally Christian guy going to church on Sundays. So I said, 'No, I'm not ready.' And God said, 'OK,' and disappeared."

Business lessons were also weaved throughout this book. I'll leave this review with a few I highlighted:

"Life is too fragile and valuable to be spent doing something you hate."

"...you can run a business any way you want to, but to be successful you must recognise your weaknesses and employ people with complementary skills."

"In business, it doesn't matter if you come late to the market: if you can do it better than your competitors, you can still make money."

"I've learned early on that you do better deals when both parties get something out of it, and it helps when both partners are motivated by more than money."

"You can run your business any way you like, but you'll run it better if you build it around your strengths and delegation is one of mine."

"Being free to look to the future and work out how to grow is key to building a business: it's what a chief executive is there to do."

"I believe we're all in the right place at the right time at some point in our lives: success depends on recognising when your moment has come."

"A motivated seller, like a motivated buyer, is an opportunity not to be missed in business."
Profile Image for Evelyn.
692 reviews62 followers
June 10, 2020
No, Duncan Bannatyne, not everyone can make £100 million so easy anymore! Whilst I admire his strong work ethic and have no doubt that his confidence and ambition were the key factors to his enormous success, it's worth noting that this classic rags-to-riches story is just a snapshot of a time when such opportunities were available to mostly white, boomer age men and Bannatyne was able to make the most out of them to create his fortune.

Perhaps sadly for the rest of us, the world has since moved on and a strong work ethic can simply lead to a miserable life on a zero-hour contract :( Aside from the obvious points here, I struggled with the overall smugness of this book.

I really need to stop reading biographies of the rich who were born in 1949!
Profile Image for Maria del Pilar.
170 reviews12 followers
October 19, 2011
His villa in Cannes an excellent reward for all his work. The conversation with God is a similitude of any of religious characters who found it a church or monastery. Lengthy data about Dragons' Den programme. From investing in pieces of land to inserting his companies into the stock market, a detailed job following all the process, oustanding.
Profile Image for Evren.
3 reviews4 followers
September 8, 2013
Decent and inspiring book on entrepreneurship. Sometimes gets a bit over "I donate!" however contains really useful information and insight. A must read for anyone interested in starting a business.
Profile Image for Tomid Tomid.
Author 2 books2 followers
January 10, 2010
I did not think I would see the day that I would read the biography of a celebrity, let alone love it. I spied it on my brother-in-law's bookshelf and picked it up for some reason. After reading the back cover I just knew I wanted to read the whole book. I read it all inside a few weeks (which is good for me). Duncan wasn't my favourite dragon before I read his story, but now I am a fan.

This isn't a criticism, or at least I don't intend it to be, but in places he surprises me with how freely he talks about the private details of his love-life. The bigger surprise, however, was on page 231. I was not expecting that sort of thing from somebody who has everything. It was a revelation.

I would take issue with him on one front, however. That 'anyone can do it'? Even before I was half-way through, I had been convinced that his life is not the life for me. The risks he took to get his businesses off the ground, and the people he had to deal with (including turf wars and extortionists). Not anyone can do what he did, and I give him full kudos for having dragon-sized balls. I would like to believe that when he began his quest to become a millionaire businessman, there were 99 other people in the same situation, with the same talents and vision. But one-by-one they fell by the wayside as the risks they took ended in bankruptcy. 1 of those 100 entrepreneurs survived to tell the story. Here it is. Enjoy.

(Duncan, do you know what happened to all the baddies? Did the extortionist end up in jail? Is Paddy still selling ice-cream from a van? Did your Navy superior get his comeuppance? I'd really like to know.)
Profile Image for Val Penny.
Author 20 books110 followers
May 15, 2014
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE, is a Scottish entrepreneur, television presenter, philanthropist and author. He was born in Clydebank on the West Coast of Scotland on 2 February 1949. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. His OBE was awarded for his contributions to charity.

Banntyne has written seven books. Anyone Can Do It was his first.

Bannatyne's father,Bill, was a most interesting man. He served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment during the second World War. He survived working on the Burma Railway after being captured by the Japanese following the Fall of Singapore. This must be the tenacity Duncan Bannatyne inherited. As a child Duncan lived in one room with his parents and siblings. Six other families shared the large house . He attended Dalmuir Primary School where he displayed a talent for arithmetic. From there he won a place at Clydebank High School after he passed the eleven plus exam.

Most pupils owned a bicycle so the young Duncan resolved to earn the money to buy one for himself. However, the local newsagent would not automatically employ him but challenged him to find 100 new customers in return for a paper round. He called her bluff by doing just that. He later commented that it would have been more entrepreneurial to have sold the list!

I found this book is truly inspiring and insightful. I learned a great deal about the psyche of an entrepreneur by reading it. I have also come to the realisation that I was never ruthless enough to have a future as such! Duncan Bannatyne's journey is interesting because he worked relentlessly on opportunities: he sold ice creams because it was popular in the summer, he started Quality Care Homes because the turnover was guaranteed money from the British Government. He then reinvested his money but did not always work in businesses that were of personal interest to him. He was purely money oriented. That would never work for me.

I have gained more appreciation and respect for him as a businessman, but I doubt we would get along personally. I was not surprised to learn about his failed marriages.

Can anyone do it? Personally, I doubt it. You would have to have a lot of luck and good sense of business and ruthless determination to succeed. That being said, this is a great read and is definitely worthwhile for all would-be entrepreneurs starting from the bottom.
Profile Image for Dawn Bates.
Author 15 books19 followers
March 23, 2009
I liked Duncan's approach to writing this book and related to him on quite a few levels.

Coming from a working class background, I was often told by my mother and step father not to get ideas above my station and received constant digs about them never being good enough all because I wanted more from my life. It was comforting and inspiring to read Duncan's journey. I could see where my desire to be in charge of my life came from, although I had seen it before on other levels, reading Duncan's story only confirmed what I already knew about myself. I want more for my family and I than my parents gave me, which does not imply that what they gave wasn't good enough, I just want more and different.

I loved the man's principles and his straight talking way of going about things.

I was slightly bemused by how he is very keen to invest in businesses yet did not seem to want to invest in trying to save his marriage to Gail. He states that when he meets entrepreneurs if they are not prepared to invest in themselves, he will not invest in them, maybe Gail didn't want to invest in him (although he did say she did not want to get divorced, and for a perceptive guy, you'd hoped he would have done some kind of therapy to get the marriage back on track)

Other than this, he is an inspiration to everyone. or at least he should be!
Profile Image for Just Another Reader.
34 reviews20 followers
Read
February 26, 2018
Anyone Can Do It is an inspiring read for all entrepreneurs—newcomers and veterans who yet have to earn their first million. Duncan Bannatyne didn’t make his first million until he was past 30. In fact, he did not decide to become a millionaire until he was 30, although he has already shown an entrepreneurial drive when he was young. Anyone thinking they’re already too old to pursue that dream of wealth and freedom can learn from this guy.

There’s a lot to learn from this book about how businesses are run. However, you must get past the me, me, me and I, I, I writing style. Though it’s normal because it’s a memoir, some people might not like the many glaring proclamations of “Here’s what I’ve done. Isn’t it awesome?” It distracted me at some point, but later realized that it’s just how Mr. Bannatyne naturally is. His personality is so strong that you can feel it in the book.

I’m giving this book three stars because I like it, but admittedly I’m a little bias when it comes entrepreneurial, business, self-help, and success stories books because I get strongly inspired and motivated by other people’s success.
Profile Image for Cooper.
8 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2008
I like biographies, and although I am not as big a fan of Duncan Bannatyne as I am of other entrepreneurs the way he made himself by starting with nothing and reinvesting each time he made money is how he has got where he is, and while I don't think 'anyone' can do it, a lot of people could follow his example. He has inspired me further still.

I have always found him a little rough, and his bio seems to back that up. I am not at all a fan of the way he justified his first divorce nor overall how he treated his current wife before finally marrying her ... he is far too much of a player.

I was very impressed with what he has done in Romania on a charity level, and that also has inspired me more also to try and help where I can as there are so many in the world much worse off than we could imagine. It makes our life problems seem very trivial.

If you want to know how others have made it, this kind of book will appeal to you. If you are content in your own life it probably won't.
Profile Image for Seemy.
909 reviews9 followers
December 21, 2023
excellent book from a fellow scot...true inspirational stuff how he went from selling ice creams to a multi millionaire...makes it seem so simple and straight forward - but he had big balls! Respect !

To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog

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Profile Image for Richard Tubb.
Author 5 books30 followers
September 21, 2014
Best known for his role in BBC's "Dragon's Den", entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne tells his story from his childhood in Scotland up to 2006 and the fifth season of Dragon's Den.

The book is a fairly open and honest accounts of Bannatyne's success - and failures - moving from running an Ice-Cream Van to launching his care home business, gyms and even a short-lived acting career before joining the cast of Dragon's Den where he became a household name.

Bannatyne's drive in business and his commitment to the Charities he supports is evident throughout, and he is frank about his personal relationships. With that said, the book felt as though it was missing "something". In the end it felt like a lightweight read that contained some useful learning for any aspiring entrepreneur who was reading, but not really enough to be of consequence.

With that said, the book is a Biography and not a business tome - and I enjoyed it for what it is.
Profile Image for Mohammad Ali Abedi.
433 reviews43 followers
July 15, 2014
[Audiobook Review]

I think the audio book was an abridged version, because it was so short, and might actually be interesting in reading the author’s full book. Duncan Bannatyne was late at the getting rich game. He started at 30, and a few years later he became a millionaire, which makes his book somewhat more interesting to someone in my position, who is 31.

I think what makes Duncan interesting is that he just DID things, he didn’t seem to overthink them, didn’t make tons of business plans, just went out and took the risks, tried to be better than others, and it seemed to have worked out for him.
Profile Image for Clicky Steve.
162 reviews1 follower
September 10, 2025
I recently fell down a rabbit hole of watching Dragon’s Den clips on YouTube, which was addicting in a manner that watching full episodes never was. As a result, I found myself curious about the backgrounds of some of the characters they have on there, and picked this up. While I definitely don’t align with some of the values or positions Duncan takes (anti-Union for a start), and felt like some of the focus on his own charity work was laid on a bit thick, this was never the less a fairly interesting read about the upbringing and not-so-glamorous way that he became rich - and provided an insight into how he views the world.
Profile Image for LeikHong Leow.
171 reviews4 followers
August 11, 2015
Duncan Bannatyne is the second biography of a British entrepreneur I read about (after Richard Branson).

Mr. Bannathyne has an interesting story to share, he started he entrepreneurship career by selling ice-cream in the summer, venture into health care homes, fitness clubs and others businesses making him a multi-millionaire.

He indeed is a very inspired business person, especially toward the end of the book, he shared about his involvement as one of the panel investor in the TV reality show - Dragon's Den. Sharing many stories behind the screen.

Lovely read.
Profile Image for Richard Flewitt.
25 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2010
Once you can wade through the me, me, me aspects of this book it is a good read. It's an empowering story for would-be entrepreneurs and there are some sound business tips hidden in there too. Don't take no for an answer from planning authorities and banks, build a strong team who you can really trust - then delagate!

Duncan Bannatyne went up in my estimations with the amount of good charity work he does too. He's a no-nonsense guy with a big heart - and possibly an ego to match
46 reviews
December 26, 2014
This is an interesting book. Duncan was/is certainly very gutsy and developed his companies at a rapid rate, but he had a good head to work out the mathematics on each company. At different times in the book the word 'ruthless' crossed my mind, but in the last chapter he described how he wasn't ruthless in his approach. He was a tough negotiator and walked out on several big deals based on principle (but they came crawling back to him). Interesting insight into his world.
Profile Image for Yves.
515 reviews10 followers
December 28, 2016
"Anyone can make a million" is not something said lightly but here, he backs it up with the facts and a take-no-prisoners attitude towards business waste, which is (if solved) more profit. I started a business from scratch that went national and now international ... I can say this guy is the real deal. Well-written but glosses a little on the shear amount of work needed to build a company but it is not that hard, just dedicated, non-stop work.
Profile Image for Simon.
14 reviews
May 23, 2007
I only read this book because I'd seen the bloke on TV and thought he came across as someone with a story to tell - I was proved right with this book - he had absolutley nothing to start with so to have achieved what he has done completely from scratch was bound to be a story - well worth reading and what I would call 'an easy to read' book.
Profile Image for Andy Whyte.
5 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2010
Duncan Bannatyne has been there, done it and got the t-shirt. A natural entrepreneur. The book is well written and takes you on a journey of business knowledge and personal endeavor. It's a good book well worth a read.

Although my own dealings with Bannatyne have lead me to question his business sense entirely!
Profile Image for Louise.
578 reviews8 followers
November 18, 2012
I absolutely love Dragons' Den so when I saw this for 2 quid in a charity shop I just had to snap it up. Fair to say it was very enjoyable and enlightening on his business career. Definitely not someone I would want to work for- he'd scare me silly, but I do admire how he made something so big with no links or head starts.
36 reviews
January 28, 2014
This is a great book. Like any autobiography, you have the impression that the author might be hiding some of the more troublesome parts of his business. However, this self-made millionaire tell his story, where he comes from, and how his life experiences led to the way he is. This book gives you courage, that you too can also become successful.
Profile Image for Maddy Saint.
8 reviews1 follower
October 12, 2010
A really interesting read and a great insight into how Duncan became so sucessful. Whilst he maintains that anyone can do it, not everyone has his eye for a deal or the courage to take the (calculated) risks he's taken. Really inspring and moving (especially his charity work).
Profile Image for Claire Boynton.
25 reviews
January 23, 2011
I absolutely loved this book, despite not being especially endeared to the dour Scotsman beforehand. The business information was useful; what was more engaging was the story of Duncan's life, especially how he did not let adversity define him.
Profile Image for Alastair Findlay.
6 reviews
May 31, 2011
I enjoyed this. Interesting to see how a Glasgow lad had made the best of opportunities he saw. A good insight into the mind of an entrepreneur. Should be called "Anyone can do it (but most people can't be bothered)".
Profile Image for Yong-Gu Bae.
16 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2012
I hadn't known Duncan Bannatyne before I read the book. It's a pity that he went through a costing divorce, but his book gave me many insights for business that I hadn't realized. I wish I had read this several years earlier. I highly recommend the book.
Profile Image for Elka Milla Torres.
23 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2012
I am really enjoying this book of this self-made millionaire ans self-taught business man. A natural entrepreneur! Can't wait to finish this book...
Very interesting book! I must admit he has an eye for business...
3 reviews
June 4, 2013
Duncan Bannatyne shows us how he acquired his millions. From Ice-cream man to owning his own Fitness branches. Duncan shows you that anyone can do it and what he's done is nothing out of the ordinary, just commonsense and the will to take risks.

A must read for anyone wannabe entrepreneurs.

2 reviews
January 24, 2016
Great read, I can do it!

Whilst this book is a fascinating story about Duncan bannatynes life, it also gives you valuable business advice using scenarios he has encountered on his journey and gives you confidence in starting your own business.10/10.
Profile Image for Anthony Randall.
Author 14 books17 followers
May 13, 2017
Interesting, informative, helpful to read how he made a mint, although I think the title is wrong, not everyone has Duncan's tenacity, drive and ambition, and neither his head for figures. It should be called 'Anyone has the opportunity to do it'.
12 reviews
July 30, 2007
Really interesting read, I enjoyed reading about Duncan's background as well as the insights into Dragon's Den.
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