Cover Entrepreneur, investor and host of the podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’, Steven Bartlett (Photo: Tatler / Jason Hetherington)
Entrepreneur, investor and host of the podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’, Steven Bartlett (Photo: Tatler / Jason Hetherington)
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As Steven Bartlett graces Tatler’s cover ahead of his Asia tour in September, we share some outtakes from our encounter with the entrepreneur, investor and podcaster that offer a little more insight into his personality and philosophies
For the first time, Steven Bartlett, founder of Social Chain, Thirdweb and FlightStory, the youngest ever Dragon on reality television show Dragons’ Den and host of the world’s fastest growing podcast The Diary of a CEO, is bringing his live speaking tour to Asia, with shows in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bali and Jakarta.
As Bartlett graces Tatler’s cover, we share six outtakes from our interview with the inspirational entrepreneur and global digital leader that offer additional insights into his personality and philosophies—as well as which he guests he’s still dying to host on his podcast.
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On the privilege of youth
“At 18, you should have a really high risk appetite. It’s one of the great privileges of being young—you can roll the dice and if you get a bad hand, you’re exactly where you were when you rolled the dice. You lose nothing. And so, logically, in such a situation, you should be rolling every single day as much as you possibly can.”
His favourite quote
“Those who think they can and those who think they can’t are both usually right.”
On managing it all
“The real game of business is to realise that you're in the recruitment business and to spend as much time as you possibly can finding exceptional people and having the confidence to let them tell you what to do.”
On the person who has most impacted his life lately
“My girlfriend. On a daily basis, I’m reminded of the profound impact making a good romantic choice can have on every aspect of your life.”
On happiness
“[Former Google X chief business officer] Mo Gawdat told me that happiness is when your expectations of how your life is supposed to be going are met. And through that lens, I’ve understood why some people are miserable and why other people, who are in objectively worse situations, seem to be happy.”
On his dream guest list
“Barack Obama. Oprah Winfrey. And one which is more controversial: Elon Musk.”
Steven Bartlett presents The Business & Life Speaking Tour takes place across Asia in September 2025; for more details and tickets visit: https://www.forthecurious.asia/
About
Rachel Duffell is regional content director for Power & Purpose, including Front & Female, and former regional content director for Tatler Dining. She is a journalist and editor who has been covering people, gender, impact, leadership, culture and lifestyle for more than 15 years.
