BOOK REVIEWS

Duffy (Want to be an Entrepreneur?), a determined Irish entrepreneur, shares his attempts to make a name for himself in business while contending with ongoing tumult in his native country. With enthusiasm and warmth, he details his upbringing in Ireland during World War II, his early life as a radio operator, and his sales career at Shell. But Duffy’s high-paying job and occasional misadventure couldn’t satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit, and the narrative soon finds him embarking on a number of business endeavors — house flipping, tomato farming, oil recycling and health care — in search of existential meaning. In the background, the tense political situation in Ireland comes to a head, causing mounting impediments to Duffy’s business growth. After losing a large chunk of money on unwise investments, he must prove that his early success was not a fluke, as he builds another business from the ground up.

Although this is the memoir of a serial entrepreneur, entrepreneurship only gets thoroughly explored about halfway through, and the delicate balance between personal narrative, historical exploration, and business how-to is never perfectly struck. However, Duffy is a natural storyteller with plenty of material, and the wide-ranging anecdotes peppered throughout are the most intriguing parts of the book: a case of mistaken identity in a Liverpool police station, a competitor engaging in scare tactics, and pro-bono stints as an on-call scuba diver.

Duffy’s account spans decades, jumping back and forth in time with occasional repetition and confusion, as he doesn’t always specify years. Readers may struggle to keep track of his personal life, but for the most part this in-depth look at starting a business in a challenging environment is a story of perseverance, cunning, and ingenuity. Filled with the day-to-day realities of entrepreneurship, and interspersed with historical events, personal failures, and bits of advice, Adventures stands as an exciting, fast-paced memoir.

Takeaway: This adventurous memoir of an Irish businessman is perfect for young entrepreneurs or history buffs.

Great for fans of: Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, Richard Branson’s Losing My Virginity

This book packs in so much. 

A fascinating history of growing up in rural Ireland in the 30s and 40s; some interesting and, at times, terrifying, insights into the Northern Ireland conflict; but mostly this is the story of Fred Duffy’s adventures as an entrepreneur, before the word was really in mainstream use. 

Fred has an uncanny knack of spotting a good business opportunity, and the endless enthusiasm and energy needed to turn a good idea into a successful business. He does a great job of bringing us along with him through the ups and downs of running his various businesses; the ‘downs’ never keep him down for long. 

Fred’s wife, Helen, is the other hero of the book. Helen accompanies Fred throughout all his adventures and at times plays a key role in supporting his new business ideas, including getting up in the middle of the night to light the boiler in the glass house of their tomato farm, and training as a technician to ‘remanufacture’ toner cartridges for a toner recycling business. A wonderful team. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it’s a must read for anyone interested in starting their own business. 

Great fun and truly inspirational.