The Adventure Capitalist

Conor Woodman may be that rare thing - a likable city boy. A former market analyst, Woodman wants to see if he can make his dosh by doing business the old way: face to face, haggling, buying and selling. He sets off for Africa with no small aim in mind: to buy camels in Sudan, and double his money selling in Egypt. Enjoyable stuff, in amazing locations. --The Guardian

Economist Conor Woodman travels around the world discovering eighty trades.

Economist Conor Woodman has decided to test his negotiating skills, charm and eye for a bargain against some of the world's oldest trading cultures.

He's sold his house to finance the trip, but if his hunches are right - trading Sudanese camels for Zambian coffee, coffee for South African red wine and then off to China to buy jade with the proceeds - he'll return six months later with a lot of money, some new friends and a whole raft of brilliant tall tales. Whether trading teak or tea, surfboards or seafood, Conor goes head-to-head with the best operators in the world's most hotly-contested markets. But will years of experience as a business analyst mean anything when he is suspected of being a spy? And can London's financial bear pit prepare him for a horde of vodka-fuelled horse traders on the plains of central Asia?

Part Undercover Economist, part Apprentice challenge, The Adventure Capitalist offers an exciting insight into the human story behind the money in our pockets, and reminds us that making a living is about exactly that - living.