Books on the Trade by Indian Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs do it all; they learn while they impart lessons, entertain their consumer base while managing finances and so much more. And one thing that many entrepreneurs do is write about their experiences in the form of a book. So on World Entrepreneurs’ Day, Local Samosa brings you a list of the top-selling books by Indian entrepreneurs.

1. Doglapan: The Hard Truth about Life and Start-Ups by Ashneer Grover

Dogpapan is a book written by Ashneer Grover. Ashneer is a businessman and the former co-founder and managing director of the Indian fintech company BharatPe.

The term ‘Doglapan’ has its origin in the Hindi language which means having double standards. This witty-sarcastic remark became a part of several memes that were made along with Ashneer Grover’s picture from Shark Tank India. The book is the author’s life journey in his own words.

2. I Too Had a Dream by Verghese Kurien

I Too Had A Dream is a true story, narrated by Dr. Verghese Kurien. He was the revolutionary man behind the milk revolution in India and the founder and Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board from 1965 to 1998.

The book talks about how farmers were empowered to build strong co-operatives and increase the production of milk, which ultimately resulted in India becoming the highest milk producer in the world.

3. The Making of Hero: Four Brothers, Two Wheels and a Revolution that Shaped India by Sunil K. Munjal

Sunil Kant Munjal is the youngest son of Brijmohan Lall Munjal, the Founder of the Hero Group - the motorcycle and scooter manufacturing firm.

This book states how 4 brothers started the firm ’Hero’ after escaping the partition-ravaged cities of Amritsar, Agra, Delhi and finally settled in Ludhiana with little more than the shirts on their backs.

4. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish by Rashmi Bansal

Rashmi Bansal is the founder of JAM (Just Another Magazine). This magazine later went on to become India’s most popular youth magazine.

The book is based on the story of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose the rough road of entrepreneurship. They are diverse in age, in outlook and the industries they made a mark in. But they have one thing in common: they believe in the power of their dreams.

5. Dream with Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey by Ronnie Screwvala

The author has been named on Esquire's List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century in 2008 and ranked 78 among the 100 most influential people in the world on the Time 100. Ronnie Screwvala is a first-generation entrepreneur, UTV-founder, investor and film producer.

In his writing, he details his vast experiences and the various lessons learnt from more than two decades of building some successful and some failed businesses. It delves into the quickly changing business landscape yet makes a compelling case for the role of entrepreneurship in India's future.

6. The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time by Subhash Chandra Goenka

Subhash Chandra Goenka, the Indian billionaire media baron, wrote The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time. He is the chairman of the Essel Group and founded Zee TV in 1992.

This book is a unique memoir of a self-made Indian businessman. He came to Delhi at age twenty with seventeen rupees in his pocket and went on to have a net worth of $6.3 billion today. The writing is about how he gate-crashed his way to the top.

7. The High-Performance Entrepreneur by Subroto Bagchi

Subroto Bagchi, the co-founder of Mindtree, draws from his own experiences to offer guidance for his book The High-Performance Entrepreneur.

In the book, he talks about it all; from the idea stage to the initial public offering level. He shares knowledge on deciding when one is ready to launch an enterprise, selecting a team, defining the values and objectives of the company, writing the business plan, choosing the right investors, managing adversity and building the brand.