Ask John: Straight-talking, Common Sense from the Front Line of Management

John Timpson, CBE, is one of the United Kingdom's most successful businessmen. His eponymous high street chain has almost 1,400 branches and a turnover of $300 million.

John's column in the Daily Telegraph (UK), "Ask John," has been dispensing straight-talking, no-nonsense business advice for more than five years. This book collects and expands the very best from that column, from why low cost will never be a real substitute for proper customer service to the etiquette of employing interns.

Timpson offers practical business advice for CEOs of multinationals and independent family businesses alike.

John Timpson CBE was born in 1943 and educated at Oundle and Nottingham University. In 1975 he became Managing Director of William Timpson Ltd, the business that had borne his family name since 1865, and he is now sole owner of the company, which has a turnover in the UK of £180m per year.

His last book, Upside Down Management (Wiley, 2010) was described by the Financial Times as ‘A practical and inspirational manual for anyone who runs a business’. Timpson and his wife Alex have been foster carers for 31 years, during which time they have fostered 90 children. He lives in Cheshire.