- published: 10 Aug 2009
- views: 99673
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE (born 2 February 1949) is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He has written five books; Anyone Can Do It, which sold more than 250,000 copies, was followed by Wake Up and Change Your Life, How to be Smart With Your Money, How to be Smart With Your Time, then by 43 Mistakes Businesses Make. He was appointed as an OBE for his contribution to charity.
Bannatyne was told by his mother that, because of the family's lack of money, he could not have a bicycle. To amend the problem he asked the local newsagents if he could have a paper round job and was told he could have one if he could get a list of 100 interested people. Bannatyne knocked on 151 doors exactly to create that list of one hundred customers. Armed with this list, he received the job and, months later, a second-hand bike.