Book Review: Theo Paphitis Enter The Dragon

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love to read business books. Theo Paphitis: Enter The Dragon was the only one in the library (it was a tiny library ) that looked like it may be interesting. I usually watch Dragons’ Den and thought that this could be a good read and if not, it was going to be a quick one.

I enjoyed reading Theo’s book and quite liked how it shows that you don’t have to begin with a start up to end up owning a selection of very big companies. Theo took companies which were having problems and turned them around. I also enjoyed reading about the jobs Theo had before he made the Ryman step. The book made you feel as though you were having a drink with Theo and he was telling you a story. When he was making the deal with Ryman (in the book) it really felt like you were there.If you’re not a fan of Theo Paphitis then I doubt you will be interested in the book, if you are and you happen to come across it in the library or a charity shop then give it a read. I wouldn’t suggest going out and buying it full price, It’s no Business Stripped Bare.

After reading this book I didn’t have an new exciting outlook on business but my trust in working hard was confirmed, once again. A few things I did take away from reading this book came within the last chapter and I have taken a few photos so you can get some motivation form them too and also see why I like them.

Theo says: Turn your dreams into reality. 

I say : This is something I believe very much, I personally set goals for myself and not dreams. I like to do things and not just talk about doing them.

Theo says: Embrace change. 

I say: I always embrace change, it’s a very exciting thing to make sure you have change in your life. Don’t let people hold you back and make sure you don’t hold others back. You can even make small changes in your life which will bring you a new outlook on things. Changing the layout of your bedroom is a good example, you can give it a new look (without spending money) and it will make you see things in a new light as well as think about your daily routine differently. I could go on talking about change for a long time, in business, personal life or maybe in hair colour. It’s always going to be a good thing.

Theo says: Know that cash is king – Cash flow is king. Profit is sanity. Turnover is vanity. 

I say: Not only is this true for business but also in your personal life. Why is cash king ? Well, we all have fixed costs each month and these fixed costs will vary from person to person. We all have mobile phone bills to pay, some of us have rent to pay and then of course we need to buy food for the month. These fixed costs, whatever they may be are something which you need cash for, you need some form of income to cover those fixed costs. Your variable costs are things such as clothes, makeup, records, books, computer games and anything else which is something you buy that you don’t need. In a non business way of looking at things you need extra income ( profit ) to pay for these things. Money makes life much easier, it let’s us pay bills and have fun but that doesn’t mean that it should be your only aim in life. Some people are more than happy to just have a little income so they can pay off their fixed costs, they don’t want holidays and extra clothes.

Oh and to relate this to business is very similar, but you can just read what Theo says below.

Theo says: Use common sense. 

I say: Use it in business and your personal life. I am once again applying this to personal life and leaving it to Theo to tell you about business. Having a bit of common sense in any decision you make is the best thing, look at the pros and cons of something and then come to your decision. If we are talking about money then just spend what you have, don’t live on credit cards because in the long term this wont work out for the best. I know thats a little controversial for me to say, but if I can’t afford something then I don’t get it.

I hope you enjoyed my mini review of Theo Paphitis: Enter the Dragon, my overall verdict is that if this happens to pop into your life then give it a read, if not then don’t rush out to buy it. The best business book I have read is still Richard Branson: Business Stripped Bare and you can apply everything in it to life and business.

This is what I am reading now. I have a long train journey today so I am pretty sure I will have another book review for you soon.

What are you reading at the moment ?