One suspects that Felix Dennis is uncomfortable writing a book on how to get rich. As if he might feel a little above the herd of motivational authors and sales gurus who write for the insatiable appetites of those seeking wealth.
So why did he write “How to Get Rich” and is it good?
Well, the answer is begrudgingly and yes, it is very good, in its own way.
This is an irreverent take on a perennial theme with Felix injecting his own brand of wit, sarcasm, and instruction in a way that suggests he’s probably a little drunk. While I’m not an advocate of drinking on the job, this fitness means you get ‘unrestricted’ instructions on what to do and what not to do in order to be successful.
And what better authority than Mr. Dennis, owner of a yacht, a stable of exotic cars, and a Caribbean home built especially for writing, overlooking the Mustique boat harbor.
He is also the owner of a collection of very successful computer and men’s magazines and is worth several hundred million at last count.
So why would such a rich man waste his time writing about how to increase wealth? As he admits, you won’t get rich writing books unless it’s related to some toy or movie franchise. Well, his answer is that he likes to write about what he knows. And yes, he knows a thing or two about achieving exceptional wealth. The other reason is that someone bet that he couldn’t do it. And so he did.
If you want to get rich, don’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. Take care of getting rich. This is just one of her warnings that she gives as a slap on the side of the head. He also defines what he feels are the various levels of being rich, starting from the “comfortably poor” with assets between £50 and £200k, to the “filthy rich and super rich” with assets in excess of £100 million. . And this makes reading interesting, since many writers of these types of books avoid this fundamental point.
But what is as interesting as his take on the different layers of wealth is his personal experience and one feels that, like sex, he thought of nothing but money until he got it regularly. And having had it, he admits the wine and narcotics purveyors did exceptionally well. Really very sincere.
To read Felix’s book is to gain an intimate insight into what it really takes to be rich and what it’s like to live rich, and would serve as a counterpoint to the more popular business literature in his collection.
