Speaking Business Podcast

My guest this week is a British household name, he took over his family’s jewellery business in 1984.  By 1990 he had grown it from 130 stores to 2500. But everything changed overnight in 1991 when, during a speech for the Institute of Directors, he described a Ratner’s sherry decanter as ‘total crap’. In December 2020, he published his latest book called Reinvent Yourself co-authored with Rob Moore.  It shows you how to embrace change, take the unpopular path and become a business chameleon. Voted as one of the top 10 best public speakers, Gerald Ratner will share his story and the rollercoaster ride that he experienced when he had nothing else to lose. Bio Gerald Ratner is best known as the former millionaire chief executive of the major British jewellery chain Ratners Jewellery, when he achieved notoriety after making a speech which caused the company’s bankruptcy. Gerald Ratner based his philosophy of business on his experiences as a boy in Petticoat Lane Market. He observed that “the people who shouted t