Are you appalled by your behaviour?

->->I’m thoroughly ashamed of mine

Frankly, this may not interest you.

That’s because it’s not all about marketing or copy, though much of it is.

You see, I’m writing my autobiography – and I’m 82 years old.

That means two things.

First, I’ve lived long enough to make some ghastly mistakes.

Not just in business, but also personally..

Second, writing it’s a nightmare. 

Every now and then I draft something and shudder at my behaviour.

And every other now and then I just can’t remember what I did.

That’s because between 1967 and 2004 I was drunk most days.

The only reason I am not dead as a result is because of two people I’ve worked with.

One was an Italian philosophy student; the other a Polish Count who charged the German tanks on horseback in 1939.

I’ve been very lucky to meet some remarkable people.

One I’m sure you know of is David Ogilvy.

 And though he was the most famous person I ever met in the advertising business, he is by no means the only interesting one I knew.

For example, I worked with a man who was on the central committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain – I still have a tattered paper back he gave me 58 years ago on my bookshelf here in Bristol.

Inside the cover he wrote “Remember, pal, no man is an island ….”.

 I’ve worked in 55 countries, and had some riveting experiences – for example nearly dying in a mangrove swamp in Australia.

I’ve inflicted myself on 7 partners. 3 of whom I married, and 4 of whom were too smart to make that error. 

 I’ve helped bring up 9 children, none of whom to my astonishment have landed in jail, despite my poor parenting talents.

 If you haven’t stopped reading you’re probably interested

 If so I’ll be writing to you regularly about this lunatic project.

 And I’ll probably have a special offer for you later.

 It won’t be one of those phoney deals where I offer my book free so as to to sell you a course guaranteed to make you filthy rich in six weeks even if you’re as thick as two planks.

 But it will cost you less than other people.

The book will be featured in (believe it or not) Gdansk, Poland, on my birthday in late August.

What’s more, believe it or not, Gdansk is a special place for me.

 Keep your eye open if this interests you, and I’ll tell you some stories as we go along.

 I’ll also be posting videos and blogs about it. 

 Let me know what you think. I’d appreciate it.

Oh, and please tell your friends if you think they’d be interested.