THE LEGENDS OF A STARTUP GUY
by PRACHI GARG
One does not look to find an entertainer in a Business Book; this
category is usually reserved, analytical factual, in depth, serious – several of
these, or indeed all of these. But here, this current book – is an out-and-out
entertainer. This isn’t a criticism; it is an excellent book indeed, serious,
with deep lessons and learnings. But at the same time, it is also an
entertainer from page 1, making it a unique book, easily rated 5 stars, a must
read book. And not only for Startups; the book
has lessons for all Business.
THE BOOK
The Book is the story of a fictional startup, told in a indirect implied
{not quite so “implied” either, come to think of it!} backdrop of the Sanaatani
pantheon of Gods. Yes – you read that right. It has Shiv, Ganesh, Kailash,
Srujan, Chintan and more… a complete package. What do they have to do with
Startups and/or Business? I shant tell you. Get the book – Sorry! Suffice it to
state they all come together to make a complete package, with deep
interconnected learnings to be had.
This isn’t a book of success; if you are looking for a success story, look
elsewhere. This is a book of mistakes, of errors, of compromises, of false
starts, of wrong turns, of blind alleys and of overconfidence. It is a book of
courage, of a will, of misdirected youth, and of unplanned business strategy
& tactics used by a youngster who grows up in the crucible of business the
hard way – and ultimately makes it to some place, after a lot of effort,
self-recrimination, disasters and hard effort. And it is in these struggles,
these wrong turns, that we – the business readers, get our biggest lessons.
THE ANALYSIS
This is the story of a Startup created by Ganesh, and his partners –
Srujan and Chintan. Now these two {three including Ganesha} are themselves
lessons; Srujan means creation, and Chintan {nearest meaning – contemplation,
or reflection}. Ganesh stands for Courage, remover of obstacles. Put it all
together – and you get some of the most essential qualities a Business Leader
must have – Courage, Managing obstacles, Creativity, Contemplation and more. A
complete package, as it were. Add the other symbolism – Parvati, Nandi,
Kailash, Shiv – and a strong case of qualities can be made. Suggest you read
the book to get the implied symbolism. Just a thought : Prachiji, I wonder why
you didn’t make this symbolism specific, worth a thought, isn’t it?
There are two ways you can approach any business scenario – one is the
straightforward analytical method, as in the book I am now reading {Arun
Maira: Redesigning The Aeroplane While Flying – Reforming Institutions}; the other is the case study
method. This is a third method – case study intertwined with symbolism to
create a complete business package
learning. Kudos to the imagination, depth perception, spiritual
knowledge, and business acumen / understanding of the author!
Despite being a Business Manager myself, I will not delve on the core business
story it contains; that is not relevant insofaras a review is concerned. The
key question is, is there a lesson / lessons that can be learnt? If so, what
are these? The answer to these questions is, quite simply – yes, there are a
multitude of lessons to be learnt from this book. And ALL of them are concerned
with Business Basics, the absolute nuts n bolts of how to run a business. And
it is these lessons that make this book a superb one; the backdrop of the solid
case study, intertwined with engaging symbolism make for entertaining reading
while also adding to your learnings, making for a complete learning package.
What are these lessons? For starters – Recognition of and Testing Assumptions.
Any Business plan rests on a few assumptions, which may or may not be accurate
or warranted. Second, The Business Plan and the Marketing Plan, and its {Marketing}
place in the overall Business Plan – when, how to advertise, when and how to launch
your GTM Strategy, the tacticalisation of the plan, choice of target market and
audience, and more. Third, how to tackle
situations where things don’t go as planned; how to correct the method, tactic,
strategy adopted. Fourth, Perseverance. Fifth, cash flow in the overall
perspective of the Business Plan. And much more – this is a review, not a
summary.
IN CONCLUSION
This is a highly engaging book, written in a free-flowing fluid style
of writing, in a riveting fashion. The backdrop, and core story and the
Business aspects all come together in one complete package. The
key to really getting the maximum from this book is to rise above the visible
externalities, and get absorbed into its atmosphere, put yourself in that
environment, and visualize your business or job in it. The lessons you can learn are
many, varied – divese and deep. Don’t expect a DIY book – or a set of steps.
This is a deeply conceptual book, and the concepts it contains will go a long
way in improving your business understanding, while entertaining you.
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