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How I Made It Again
Duncan Bannatyne has made millions and through BBC's Dragons' Den inspired even more. But behind the success is a story of post-war poverty mixed with working-class ambition. Liz Bolshaw catches up with his latest £98 million Livingwell deal
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Duncan Bannatyne is for many the archetypal serial entrepreneur: a man who was born into poverty, fell behind at school and left without qualifications. Yet at 30 he decided to change his life. His business career started with the purchase of a second hand ice cream van for £450 and has culminated in the last few months with the purchase of livingwell heath clubs for a cool £98 million. But Bannatyne is best known for his inimitable one-liners on Dragons' Den. He consistently asserts that far from having exceptional talents, "anyone can do it" - and it is the phrase that sits on his autobiography, out now (see p96 for special offer) and riding high on Amazon's bestsellers' list.
He asked to meet early, with back-to-back meetings stretching ahead of him, so at 10am on a crisp autumn morning I find myself taking tea with the most impatient of dragons. I arrived early at the opulent environs of London's Home House knowing that one of Bannatyne's absolute no nos is a late show. Formerly the London address of the Countess of Home, the Grade 1-listed private club is the perfect setting to see just how far Bannatyne has come from his working-class roots.
Around us the well-heeled are breakfasting, enveloped in a relaxed buzz. Sitting opposite in his signature dark shirt and jeans, looking stylish and quietly confident Bannatyne seems strikingly at odds with his TV persona. "Sour faced and constantly impatient" is one of the more printable comments reviewers have made since series one started in 2004. Yet he seems open and happy to talk with me about how he sat on a Jersey beach all those years ago and decided - just like that - to become a millionaire. 
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