The Dealmaker is a book I came across by accident. I was watching a YouTube video series from Tom Hartley Jnr all about the development of their impressive new premises where they sell classic and performance cars.
I had heard of Tom Hartley Jnr’s dad, Tom Hartley Senior, and had assumed they worked together, but that was not the case. They are both major players in the sales of high-end cars, but both have their own separate businesses.
I watched a video interview with Tom senior and then came across his autobiography called ‘The Dealmaker’ and with a few very long car journeys coming up, I decided to listen to the audiobook, which was a good idea as Tom Senior narrates the book himself and so brings it to life more.
The book is less a conventional autobiography and more a raw, high-energy account of instinctive entrepreneurship at its most unpolished and relentless. It tells the story of a man who didn’t just break the rules, he ignored them entirely and built a multi-million-pound luxury car empire on instinct, resilience, and an almost obsessive belief in his own ability.
Hartley’s background is one of the most compelling elements of the book. Born into a traditional Romany family and raised in Scotland, he left school at just 11 years old, unable to read or write. Instead of education, he entered the brutal, fast-moving world of car auctions. By 12, he had already sold his first car, and by 17 he had made his first million. This unconventional start shapes the entire tone of the book. Everything he learns comes from doing, failing, and doing again.
What stands out most is his mindset. Hartley operates with an unshakeable self-belief that borders on stubbornness. He doesn’t wait for permission, qualifications, or perfect conditions. He acts. That belief carries him through extreme highs and devastating lows. One of the most powerful sections of the book details how he lost everything when his business collapsed, and he faced serious health issues that threatened his eyesight. He went from millionaire to living in a mobile home, rebuilding from scratch with his wife. That arc is central to his philosophy: setbacks are temporary, but mindset is permanent.
His beliefs around business and life are simple but brutally effective. First, he believes in speed, decisions made quickly, deals done immediately. Second, he believes in presence, being physically there, shaking hands, reading people. And third, he believes in relationships, particularly family.
The book is packed with stories that bring these principles to life. Hartley’s deal-making is almost legendary in its spontaneity, including:
The Swimming Pool Deal
One of the most famous stories in the book involves Hartley closing a deal while literally standing in a swimming pool. He spots an opportunity to buy a car and, rather than waiting or arranging a formal meeting, he conducts the negotiation there and then. The lesson is clear that environment doesn’t matter, urgency does. Hartley believes that if a deal is there to be done, you do it immediately. Waiting introduces risk, competition, and doubt. It’s a perfect example of his ‘always be closing’ mentality.
Buying a Car in a Traffic Jam
Hartley recounts spotting a desirable car while stuck in motorway traffic. Most people would ignore it, but not him. He gets out, approaches the driver, and negotiates a deal on the spot. This story captures his opportunistic mindset. He is constantly ‘on’ always scanning for opportunities. It also shows his comfort with approaching strangers and his belief that deals are fundamentally human interactions, not processes.
Another recurring theme is risk. Hartley takes enormous risks, financial, reputational, even legal in his early years (such as driving underage). Yet he frames risk not as recklessness, but as a necessary condition of progress. He backs his judgment repeatedly, often with everything on the line.
There are also moments of humility and reflection. Despite his success, Hartley acknowledges mistakes openly. He doesn’t position himself as infallible, rather, as someone who simply refuses to stay down.
I really enjoyed the book, its refreshing honesty, and certainly would recommend it.
