A cutesy guide to investing

published 21 April 2017

Published by Penguin Books, £9.99

Over the last decade there has been a big move towards a more analytical, impersonal approach to management. Indeed, the rise of "big data" is based around the idea that hard numbers are superior to feelings, instinct and creativity. Paul Lindley, the founder of the Ella's Kitchen range of baby food, disagrees with this, and in Little Wins he advocates almost the complete opposite approach. Based on his own experience, he argues that successful entrepreneurs must unleash their inner child, and learn to be more experimental, social and playful.

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This may seem counterintuitive, but Lindley cites research showing that young children are better than adults at certain tasks. This includes making basic decisions, something many entrepreneurs struggle with. Toddlers are also superior at lateral thinking, which can be useful when trying to reinvent a process or industry from scratch.

They also show enthusiasm more readily, something that can be extremely useful when trying to persuade an investor to provide funding, or a supplier to stock your product. While an adult approach is often more appropriate, there are still things that even the most experienced entrepreneur can learn or re-learn.

At just over 200 pages, this clearlyisn't intended to be a comprehensive guide to entrepreneurship. With illustrations scattered throughout,and exhortations to "commit over the next month to striking up a conversation with someone you don't know", some people may find it too cutesy to take seriously. However, this is the sort of book that you can skim through in an afternoon and pick up some useful ideas inthe process.

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri