If your only experience of Lord Alan Sugar is on The Apprentice you may think that he’s a curmudgeonly millionaire who takes no guff. And you’d be absolutely right. But if you’ve ever caught a rare appearance of him on a chat show sofa you’ll also know he’s quite a witty raconteur. Both sides are on show in The Way I See It: Rants, Revelations And Rules For Life.
This is a book that lives up to its title – especially the Rants part – and as such it’s not something to read in large sittings. It’s best tackled in small digestible morsels and requires Shugsy’s own ‘Tiny Fork’ approach to fully appreciate, else you’ll be smothered by the velocity of his amusing ire.
The first chapter is a bit of an aggravated ramble; a whiplash tour round the numerous pet hates of Lord Sugar’s life, which may remind you of an old man in the pub, as he pours his aggravation on topics as diverse as health and safety brigade and asylum seekers. Things soon become more structured, and chapters that focus on a particular topic such as banking or lazy youths feel less hollow and pack more punch. His opinions are so honest and untainted by schmooze that it’s refreshing, and though he gets a bit personal at times, he’s a man who’s been there, done that, and so has the right to rant about it.
Unsurprisingly the strongest sections are those where he talks on business, specifically his chapter on ‘What makes an entrepreneur?’, which is a must-read for every wannabe tycoon/Apprentice candidate, and his views about The Apprentice, television advertising and the decline of the high-street are (as you’d expect) well-informed and fascinating.
Whether ranting, analysing or discussing his passions in life – cycling, flying light aircraft, hating The Daily Mail – his writing style is down to earth and conversational. He has a good ear for an anecdote; even a story about him buying a $26 million jet is oddly charming, told in the same manner you’d use when recounting the purchase of a second hand motor.
The little snapshots of his life such as his recipe for ‘Alan’s Power Drink’, a photo of him and his dieter’s tiny fork, and how he likes to leave messages in sauce on plates, are pleasant reminders that beneath the business and bluster there’s a man just as exasperated as the rest of us. You wouldn’t want to face him in the boardroom, but there’s much here to endear you to Baron Sugar of Clapton and the way he sees the world.
Published on 29th September 2011 by Macmillan.
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