November 22, 2010
By Khalid
Posted In
Previous
Next
Alan Michael Sugar’s Book – What You See is What You Get
After leisurely reading through Sugar’s biography, I sadly managed to finish it. The memoirs of a electronics mogul provided me with an endless amount of laughs and I was upset it didn’t go on further when I turned the last few pages.
I’ve read books by Theo, Peter, Duncan and Richard, yet none contained the same in-depth memories like Sugar’s did. I suspect because he wrote it by himself without any assistance, such as the use of a ghost writer. Thumbs up Alan!
I was surprised at the audacity of some of his suppliers, particularly Seagate, for supplying Amstrad with faulty hard drives. It seems that no matter how far up the ladder you go, people are always willing to screw you, or at least try. Note to self – being a millionaire comes with its downfalls!
We all know scary “Sir Alan” (now “Lord Sugar”) from the boardroom and how intimidating he can be. But, when you read the tales of his youth and early ventures, it is hard to think it is the same man who wrote the autiobiography. He often refers to his cold nature and how he is aware of it; I think there’s a beating heart in there somewhere.
I was surprised at how little I knew of Amstrad. I certainly didn’t realise they were behind the unsightly 9 million sky dishes (Guardian, 2008) that line the outside of houses across the UK. And I didn’t know Amstrad is a name no longer owned by Lord Sugar. The book contains more than a few things I didn’t know, and it added to the great read.
I’m not going to review every chapter of the book and give my thoughts, but let’s just say it was £10 well spent!
Good luck with your pursuits,
Khalid.
