Ronnie Apteker's Funny Business

The Secrets of an Accidental Entrepreneur

Why does an entrepreneur, like a comedian, need to close a deal every 15 seconds? It is said that inside every successful entrepreneur there is a stand-up comic struggling to get out. Well, meet one who managed to escape. His name is Ronnie Apteker, and no, he’s not an apteker. He’s the high-energy, high-tech founder of South Africa’s first internet service provider, Internet Solutions, and a number of other innovative online ventures. But his real business is getting a laugh out of people, whether it’s in a boardroom, on a stage or on a movie set. As a storyteller, moviemaker and creative spirit, Ronnie takes business seriously enough to know that you don’t need to take yourself too seriously to succeed. Funny Business is a seriously funny and comically serious look at the arcane art and science of entrepreneurship, in which Ronnie reveals why it helps, as an entrepreneur, to have a nice Jewish mother; why being a waiter is the best training for an entrepreneur, especially if you’re serving steak tartare; why you sometimes need to slow down to move fast in a world where progress is a paradox; and why some mistakes are too good to make only once Much more than a business book, this book is everyone’s business. It’s about the way the world works; it’s about living your life with grace and purpose; it’s about learning to love what you do for a living. And it might help you to make it as an entrepreneur … not to mention a stand-up comic.