A new book of ego-massaging interviews with a cross section of leading business personalities, modestly entitled Ireland's Entrepreneurial Elite, hit the bookstands this week and, in Dublin 4 at least, should fly off the shelves. Here's one reminiscence which escaped its pages, a salutatory entrepreneurial tale of how to fail in business without really trying.

An eager, but less than bright, young entrepreneur decided to go into the speculative painting and decorating business. Paint brush in hand he wanders around Foxrock eventually knocking at the door of one of the barrios more imposing mansions. "Good day, sir. May I be of service?" The owner, a rich man by any standard, perceives a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, reminding him of his earlier thirst for success. " Hmmm, well, yes, I think my porch needs a coat or two of white paint." The eager young painter rushes off around the side of the house. Several hours later he returns, dripping paint, and knocks again. "I've finished. But I have to tell you, that wasn't a porch, it was a Ferrari". Boom . . . boom!