Though every entrepreneur walks alone on their journeys, the common thing they share is their struggles. They empathize with each other and understand the efforts it takes to build an enterprise. Ups and downs come and go, but when the road is murky and one has no clue, we all need some push.
How did successful entrepreneurs do it? Did they ever feel so stuck?
Yes! They have faced what you’re facing now. The only thing that kept them going is Faith.
If they can, so can you! For aspiring entrepreneurs or already onboard — we give you a list of the top 10 books of Indian entrepreneurs to find out how they did it and so can you.
1. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish
Rashmi Bansal excerpted the famous quote of Steve Jobs, “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish,” as the title for her book in which she penned down 25 inspiring stories of IIM graduates who chose to create their entrepreneurial journeys rather than fitting into well-paid regular jobs.
It shares the stories of IIM Ahemadabad pass outs who believed in their vision and were ready to take the risk.
Their stories list out the purposes that push them to become successful entrepreneurs; Passion, philanthropism, care, opportunities, and connections fueled them to make a difference on a larger scale.
To read or purchase this book, click here
2. Bhujia Barons: The Untold Story of How Haldiram Built a 5000 Crore Empire
Pavitra Kumar beautifully narrates the story of India-based sweets, snacks, and restaurant company — Haldiram’s. The story dates back to 1937 when Shri Ganga Bhishen Agarwal started what today Haldirm’s is, as a retail sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan
Bhujia Barons tells the struggle of a family business mingled with overflowing family drama, prolonged court battles, a delicate secret of the famous bhujia, and how they built up a Rs 5000 Crore Empire from Rs 100.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
3. Dream with your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey
For over 25 years of his entrepreneurship career, Ronnie Screwwala has run many successful and unsuccessful businesses. In his book, “Dream with your eyes open: An Entrepreneurial Journey,” he shares his two-decade-long experiences as an entrepreneur.
Ronnie had plunged into many businesses ranging from building a toothbrush company to producing films and movies. With the help of this book, he motivates his readers to dream big.
Each chapter in the book narrates an anecdote and how the lessons learned from those incidents connected to provide meaning to his entrepreneurial journey. He quotes, “Entrepreneurship is a journey, not an outing.” And the failures learned from this journey make success more rewarding in the end.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
4. Connect The Dots
Rashmi Bansal’s “connects the dots,” tells the story of 20 entrepreneurs, who didn’t attend B-schools, yet they become successful business leaders. The stories give insights into their entrepreneurial journeys, and it shows how an MBA degree is not a requirement to get started with a business.
The 20 stories fall into three categories: Jugaad, Junoon, and Zubaan.
Juggad covers stories of business leaders who build up their business by observing and experimenting.
On the other hand, Junoon has a collection of seven entrepreneurs and how their ideas and vision kept them going.
Zubaan reminisces the stories of creative people, and it was art that made them successful entrepreneurs.
In her book, the author highlights the shared quality among all the 20 entrepreneurs — In the end, it is hard work that decides how good of an entrepreneur you become, not a degree.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
5. The Golden Tap: The Inside Story of Hyper Funded Indian Startups
In his book — The Golden Tap: The Inside Story of Hyper Funded Indian Startups — Kashyap Deborah gives insights into the start-up revolutions since the day the Internet started. The book provides brief information about start-up investors globally, their mindset, and how they process.
The book has three parts: Internet wave, Globalization wave, and Smartphone wave. The author discusses the three waves in detail since he had separate businesses in the three waves.
The book fulfills the need for a self-guide for someone who wants to understand emerging markets or get into investment or start their business.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
6. Young Turks: Inspiring Stories of Tech Entrepreneurs
Shreen Bhan has interviewed many entrepreneurs in her famous talk show, Young Turks, and her book revolves around the 13 inspiring stories of tech entrepreneurs that she had interviewed. Syna Dehnugara and Shreen wrote the book to formulate what it takes to build a profitable and sustainable business.
You can find stories of business leaders like Naveen Tewari of InMobi; Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal of Flipkart; Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal of Snapdeal; and Murugavel Janakiraman of BharatMatrimony. Stories brief about their struggles and challenges and how did they build a multi-million dollar business.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
7. It happened in India
“It happened in India” is the story of an Indian businessman, Kishore Biyani, the founder of Future groups and clothing brands like Big Bazaar, Central, and Pantaloons. In the book, the authors detail the reasons behind the success of their shopping brands in India.
Kishore Biyani describes that they sell feelings and happiness in their clothing, and they determine the psychology of customers based on factors like greed, altruism, fear, and envy.
After they understood what the customer looks when they buy, they launched their products based on their shopping behavior. The authors of the book have also covered some tips that can make an entrepreneur a better seller.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
8. Dhirubhai Ambani: Against All Odds: A Story of Courage, Perseverance, and Hope
The book depicts the hardships and challenges that Reliance’s founder, Dhirubhai Ambani, faced in his life. The author gives more insights into his life and how difficult it was back in the 80s to do dream big.
But it was his years of hard work, Today, the world knows about his battles, failures, and success. The purpose of the book is to tell our youth to never give up. Learn from his hardships and never lose faith
To read or purchase this book, click here.
9. Whatever the Odds: The Incredible Story Behind DLF
Whatever the odds is an autobiography of K.P Singh, who is a self-made millionaire. Though he started his career as an Army officer, he left it to start a business.
The book shares his journey as an entrepreneur and how he saved DLF Ltd from getting bankrupt. Without coming from a management background, he experimented and taught himself the rules that define entrepreneurs. His story is an inspiration to us.
To read or purchase this book, click here
10. Havells: The Untold Story of Qimat Rai Gupta
Havells narrates the story of Qimat Rai Gupta, founder of Havells, an Indian electrical equipment company. In 1958, Qimat Rai decided to quit his studies and started an electrical trading shop. He began from INR 10,000, and today, Havells is worth US$1.3 billion.
He did not attend any business school or know stocks, yet he managed to set up a $2 billion enterprise. His story is a reminder to people who think only MBAs are successful entrepreneurs. His son, Anil Rai Gupta, has written this book and combined the ideas, beliefs, and strategies of his late father in this inspiring book.
To read or purchase this book, click here.
