Author Guide · Business & Self-Help
Books Written by
At eighteen, broke and a university drop-out after a single lecture, Steven Bartlett wrote in his diary that he wanted to be a “Happy Sexy Millionaire” by the age of 25. He co-founded the social media marketing company Social Chain in 2014, left it in 2020, started the podcast The Diary of a CEO in 2017 and in 2022 became the youngest Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den. His books come out of those two stories: the first unpicks the goal he set himself, the second turns the podcast’s interviews into rules. This guide covers his two key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2021–2023 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Steven Bartlett has published two books: Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021), about what reaching his teenage goal of money and status did and did not give him, and The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life (2023), drawn from his podcast. Start with The Diary of a CEO; read Happy Sexy Millionaire if you want the personal story behind it.
Where to Start with Steven Bartlett
If you want practical rules for work and life
→ The Diary of a CEO (2023) — 33 laws drawn from the podcast’s guests and his own companies.
If you want his own story
→ Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021) — the goal he set at eighteen, and what reaching it taught him.
If you listen to the podcast already
→ The Diary of a CEO (2023) — the book shares its name and its material.
2 Steven Bartlett Books, in Order
Happy Sexy Millionaire
At eighteen Bartlett was, in the book’s own words, broke, lonely and insecure, a university drop-out from a bankrupt family, and he wrote in his diary that he wanted to be a “Happy Sexy Millionaire” by 25. By 25 he had built a business worth more than 300 million dollars. The book argues that reaching that goal showed him he had been wrong about fulfilment, love and success, and sets out what he thinks works instead. It was published by Yellow Kite in March 2021.
The Diary of a CEO
Thirty-three principles for business and life, drawn from the guests on his podcast of the same name, his own companies and surveys of tens of thousands of people. Each law is short and argued with examples and research from psychology and behavioural science; the publisher stresses it is “not a book about business strategy”. It was published by Ebury Edge, part of Penguin Random House, in 2023.
Just F*cking Do It: 24 Principles to Help You Get Out of Your Own Way
Due in hardback on 7 September 2027 from Ebury, according to Penguin UK and Waterstones. The publisher describes it in one line: “Steven Bartlett, creator of The Diary of a CEO, returns with his most unique and uncompromising book yet.”
In What Order to Read Steven Bartlett
The two books do not depend on each other, so the order is a matter of what you want. Happy Sexy Millionaire is the more personal one: it is built around Bartlett’s own life, from the diary entry at eighteen to the company he left. The Diary of a CEO is closer to a manual, with each of its 33 laws standing on its own.
Reading them in publication order shows the shift from his own story to other people’s: between the two books the podcast grew into his main work, and the second book is built on its interviews.
A reading path
1. The Diary of a CEO (2023)
2. Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021)
The years · 1992–2023
Quick facts about Steven Bartlett
- Known for
- He is known above all as the host of the podcast The Diary of a CEO and as the youngest Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, after co-founding the marketing company Social Chain.
- 1992
- Born in Gaborone, Botswana
- 2014
- Co-founds Social Chain
- 2017
- Starts The Diary of a CEO podcast
- Born
- 26 August 1992, Gaborone, Botswana; grew up in Plymouth, England
- Education
- Enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University and left after one lecture
- Companies
- Co-founded Social Chain with Dominic McGregor in 2014, left in 2020; founded Flight Story; co-founded thirdweb
- Podcast
- The Diary of a CEO, since 2017
- Television
- Dragons’ Den (BBC), from series 19 in 2022, as its youngest Dragon
- Publishers
- Yellow Kite (2021); Ebury Edge, Penguin Random House (2023)
The red mark is 2023: The Diary of a CEO, the book named after his podcast.
How Steven Bartlett Writes: Lessons as Laws
Bartlett writes from his own experience first. Happy Sexy Millionaire opens with the diary entry he wrote at eighteen and uses the distance between that goal and how reaching it felt as the frame for the whole book: each chapter takes a common belief about success, love or happiness and argues against it.
The Diary of a CEO works the other way round. Instead of one life, it collects lessons from the people he has interviewed and from running his companies, and states each one as a numbered law. The chapters are short, and each law is backed by an anecdote and a piece of research from psychology or behavioural science, so the book can be read in any order.
In both books the tone is that of the podcast: direct, conversational and personal, with the author’s own mistakes used as evidence. Readers who want rigorous business strategy will find the publisher’s own warning accurate; this is a book about habits and mindset.
Watch
Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO with Chris Evans
Steven Bartlett talks with Chris Evans on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show in August 2023 about his book The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life. From the official Virgin Radio UK channel.
Frequently asked questions about Steven Bartlett’s books
How many books has Steven Bartlett written?
Two: Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021) and The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life (2023).
What are Steven Bartlett’s books in order?
Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021), then The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life (2023).
Where should I start with Steven Bartlett?
With The Diary of a CEO (2023) if you want practical lessons you can dip into. If you are more interested in his own story, start with Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021).
What is Steven Bartlett’s most famous book?
The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life (2023), named after his podcast and built on its interviews.
Is Happy Sexy Millionaire a business book?
Not really. It is closer to a personal memoir and self-help book: Bartlett uses his own route to becoming a millionaire by 25 to argue that money and status alone did not make him fulfilled. For lessons about work and companies, The Diary of a CEO is the better fit.
Is The Diary of a CEO book the same as the podcast?
No. The book shares the podcast’s name and draws on what its guests said, but it is organised as 33 separate laws, each with its own argument and examples, rather than as interviews.
Does Steven Bartlett have a new book coming out?
Yes. A third book, Just F*cking Do It: 24 Principles to Help You Get Out of Your Own Way, has been announced by Ebury. Penguin UK and Waterstones list the hardback for 7 September 2027.
What controversy has The Diary of a CEO podcast faced?
In December 2024 the BBC World Service reviewed 15 health episodes of the podcast and reported an average of 14 harmful health claims per episode that went against scientific evidence. Bartlett’s company Flight Studio said each episode was researched, that the show aims to hear a range of voices, and called the reporting misleading. The criticism concerned the podcast, not his books.
Where was Steven Bartlett born?
In Gaborone, Botswana, on 26 August 1992. His family moved to Plymouth, England, when he was a small child.
Is Steven Bartlett on Dragons’ Den?
He joined BBC’s Dragons’ Den from series 19 in 2022 and was the youngest Dragon in the show’s history.
Footnotes
- Happy Sexy Millionaire — Penguin Random House
- Happy Sexy Millionaire — Hachette New Zealand
- The Diary of a CEO — Penguin UK
- Just F*cking Do It — Penguin UK
- Steven Bartlett faces questions over hit Diary of a CEO podcast — City AM, 2024
- Steven Bartlett — Black History Wales
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“I learnt that I was wrong about almost everything.”
— Steven Bartlett, Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021)
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations