Adventurer, author and TV presenter Bear Grylls made a name for himself as someone willing to go to extremes, writes Dan Moore.
A former SAS trooper, he retired from the unit after surviving a 16,000ft fall when his parachute failed to open.
Despite breaking three vertebrae, just 18 months later he became one of the youngest people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Other adventures followed, including crossing the North Atlantic in an open rigid inflatable boat and leading a team of five on a 5,700-nautical-mile expedition through the Northwest Passage.
These and other endeavours led to a successful career in TV and as a writer of numerous books.
Bear, 51, lives with his wife Shara and their three boys on a farm in Wiltshire.
Wild life: Bear Grylls, who made a name for himself as someone willing to go to extremes, on Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt
What did your parents teach you about money?
My parents ran a wine bar when I was a kid, and I always remember my dad saying he saw a lot of money but never made much money. That stuck with me.
I always tried to think smarter and build things that return an enduring income.
This is why I was so determined when I was younger to own our TV shows and understand the power of royalties over just fees.
Do you remember when you started saving?
When I was eight, my parents opened a kid’s NatWest bank account for me.
It came with a little piggy ornament to save into, which I loved.
I would do paper rounds and other odd jobs to earn money to tip into my little pig! It helped me learn about savings.
My older sister always said I was smart with money, and I felt proud of that as her much younger sibling. She was a spender, and I was a saver.
I also read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki, when I was young and that helped me get educated about seeing life in terms of assets and liabilities.
I’ve followed those principles ever since: build assets that bring in income rather than spend money on things that drain.
Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?
Yes, when Shara and I got married both our fathers died in our first year together.
Neither of us had much income; Shara was a primary school teacher and I had just left the military and was trying to start out as an adventurer raising sponsorship and doing talks.
It was a stressful time, especially as we also had to look after our two mothers.
But we didn’t have many costs and lived on an old houseboat.
We just started to build a future inch by inch with many failures along the way. It was often one step forward, two steps back.
But we could afford to take some risks and fail a bit as we didn’t yet have mortgages or children. It’s why I encourage young people to take their risks early.
Risk-taker: Bear rides a motorbike through the wilderness
What was your first job?
I sold water filters door-to-door and ran several martial arts clubs in London in the year after I finished school.
I saved around £10,000, which funded my early travels.
It’s ironic that one of our most successful companies now is called Water2 and sells water filters. I was ahead of my time!
Did you ever think you would be able to earn a living as an adventurer?
As a young man I really tried to heed my late father’s advice, which was not to compromise on seeking out what you really love and are good at.
Be cautious of drifting into a conventional job and taking on debt, as those things can be a trap.
He always encouraged me to be a risk-taker and control my own destiny as much as I could.
I didn’t earn much to start with in TV, but I have followed my heart and been determined, and slowly I have built something great that will outlast me and be there for my family in the future.
What has been your best financial decision?
Selling our first production company just before the pandemic for a high eight-figure sum.
We got very lucky really with the timing and we were brave and ambitious at just the right time. I don’t think we’d ever be able to do such a good deal nowadays! So much has changed in TV since 2020, and I’m aware of how much of life is luck and timing.
Having said that, we risked a lot and never gave up – and if you do that long enough, then the luck tends to come around.
What was your biggest financial mistake?
Letting one of my first ever agents take almost all my money when we parted ways.
I was just starting to earn well, and decided to not have an agent as such, and I wanted to build my own team. But he didn’t react or behave well.
I didn’t want to fight him as he had been a friend, so I let him take all I had. I don’t think I’d be so nice now.
What’s the most expensive thing you bought for fun?
An apocalypse escape yacht, although I’m not saying what I paid! It is a steel-hull, ice-capable sailing boat for all the family that has almost zero electronics and is manual operation throughout – armed with an array of weaponry.
It means that we can simply sail away whenever we want.
Where do you live?
In a beautiful farm in rural Wiltshire, where we have a wonderful community of good people around us.
We have a river nearby to swim in and hills and woods to fly over in my powered paraglider. We love it there.
Do you have a second home?
Yes, on St Tudwal’s Island West, a 20-acre private island off the coast of the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales, complete with an old lighthouse and two lightkeeper cottages that we’ve converted into a family home.
We also have a place in Switzerland. Both are spectacular locations.
We use them a lot, and they’ve been central to our family as the boys have grown up. They’ve helped to keep them rooted in the outdoors.
How did you find heading up the Scout Movement?
One of the great privileges of my life. To oversee such a period of huge global growth over 15 years.
Young people – 55 million of them – hungry for adventures, connection, purpose and a sense of belonging. It reminded me every day of the power of young people to make a difference.
What one thing would you do if you were Chancellor?
Focus on creating an environment where people can start businesses and be rewarded for their courage and hard work.
Penalising effort and risk-taking is a sure-fire way to crush the spirit in people.
● Bear Grylls’s latest series, Wild Reckoning, is on BBC One every Monday from February 23 for 16 weeks.
