Alfie
I was born in a caravan on the side of a road just
outside Leicester. My family are Gypsies and we spent
a lot of time travelling. I’ve got pictures of me as a kid,
playing next to the caravan in the lay-by of a dual
carriageway. Not really the safest place for children, but
I loved my childhood. OK, Dad used to give me a clump
round the ear every now and then. Same as all the dads
did. That’s life. How else is a kid going to learn the
difference between right and wrong?
Mum and Dad were up at the crack of dawn every
day, working hard, setting an example for the rest of us.
By the age of eight I was laying tarmac with my dad and
I made my first business deal at 11 — an Escort van for
£1,100, with £150 profit. At 17 I bought my first house
for £63,000. In my twenties I had a string of phone
shops, then I bought my first mobile home park in
Essex. By the age of 30 I was worth five million. It
wasn’t all plain sailing. I went bankrupt at 20, lost
everything and ended up getting divorced.
I got married to [his second wife] Emily Jane in 1993
and became a dad when I was 23. That was my daughter,
Elizabeth, and Alfie Jr came along a few years later. You
might think 23 is too young, but it’s not young in Gypsy
terms. We have kids early. The main thing I worried
about was being able to provide for them.
Was I tough on my children? Yes, they got a clump
same as I did. That wasn’t easy for me. The easy route
would have been me being a laid-back father who gave
them everything they wanted. But if you, as a parent,
are not firm with your children, there are lots of other
people out there who will be. It’s a cruel world and I
wanted my kids to be prepared for every eventuality.
Children are what they see. I wanted my kids to see
me going to work every morning. They’re both making
their own way in the world, and Alfie Jr runs his own
mobile home park, so I reckon I set them on the right
path. Forget all the money ... that’s what I would
consider my greatest success.
The way Alfie Jr shows the world he’s working hard
is via social media — very different to my day. People
ask me if I think he’s being a bit lairy with all those
photos of cars and watches. Not at all. No one should
be ashamed if they’ve worked hard and made money.
I’m not a fan of social media, but it has changed things.
Yes, a lot of it is bullshit, but it allows people to dream.
The businessman I most admire is [Jeff ] Bezos
relAtive vAlues
Alfie Best and Alfie Best Jr
The father and son investors on tough love, hard work and a roaming Romany childhood
because he took a simple f***ing idea and he did it.
“Here’s a book. I’m going to sell it on the internet.” He’s
not like [Elon] Musk or any of them other tech boffins.
He didn’t invent anything. He did something that you,
me and anyone else in this country could have done.
In many ways the business world is all a bit ... Walter
Mitty. It’s bonkers. On paper I’m a billionaire. I never
buy into my own hype, though. My company’s assets
are worth about £700 million. But if the shit really hits
the fan I might walk away with nothing. Look at
[Roman] Abramovich. I don’t agree with the way people
like Abramovich have been treated. They chose to bring
their business to this country. If we kick them out,
all they’ll do is take their money elsewhere.
Class is still an issue when it comes to business, and
so much of this world is still controlled by the old
school tie. You’ve only got to look at that picture of
Boris, Cameron and their mates. But things are
changing and the UK is learning to embrace the
entrepreneurial spirit. I’m proof of that.
There are moments when I do relax and allow myself
a big smile. It happened the other day. My company,
Wyldecrest, has just bought a box at the O2 Arena. It
cost me £350,000 and it’s the best box in the whole
building, right up by the stage. As you approach my box,Main: Alfie Best
Jr, 25, left, and
Alfie Best, 52.
Right: father and
eight-year-old
son, c 2004“I know sections of society have a
problem with Gypsies but who I am
has always been something positive”
Rich List 2022
230= ALFIE BEST AND FAMILY
£700m New entry ★
Property and caravan parks
44 • The Sunday Times Magazine