Gerald Ratner: The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again

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Gerald Ratner: The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again

By: Gerald Ratner

Narrated by: Gerald Ratner

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About this listen

In 1991, Gerald Ratner was booked to make what should have been an everyday speech at the Institute of Directors. Should have been. When the word "crap" came out of his mouth in connection with a decanter and a glasses set sold by his company, H. Samuel, it all turned out slightly different.

The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again tells the full story, in Gerald Ratner's own words, of what lead him to that point at the IoD, the horror of what happened in the immediate aftermath, the fallout, and the comeback. This is the first time Gerald Ratner has given his side of the story. And what a story it is. You'll find out:

How he wiped £500 million off the value of his own company virtually overnight
All the details about the initial gaffe and how he compounded it by remarking that some of the earrings were cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long
How "doing a Ratner" has entered into the vocabulary of British business
The wilderness years sitting glued to the sofa in front of Countdown
How he has bounced back, rediscovering his entrepreneurial spark by building up a health club business and, more recently, the immensely successful online jewelry retailer Geraldonline.com
The story's not over yet....

Business

Professionals & Academics

Inspiring

Thought-Provoking

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Where does Gerald Ratner: The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A brilliant listen and read compellingly by Mr. Ratner himself, a man I've admired for a long time (since one of my mate's Mum's worked in the Dunfermline store until the early 1990's).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gerald Ratner: The Rise and Fall...and Rise Again?

The takeaway at the end about failure is absolutely true. It's like grieving for what could have been and it takes someone mentally tough to come back from any failure, never mind a loss of this magnitude.

Have you listened to any of Gerald Ratner’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I made an emotional connection having also experienced a great loss in my (relatively humble) business life.

Any additional comments?

Hugely inspirational and highly recommended. If you are in business in anyway you need to hear this.