Business Is In Their Veins

Title: Rokda: How Baniyas Do Business

Author: Nikhil Inamdar

Pages: 242

Price: Rs. 199

Published by: Random House, India

“The companies I have chosen not only represent different sectors of the Indian economy, but also the changing landscape of doing business in India.” Nikhil Inamdar, Author

Whenever we hear the term ‘Baniya’, we are conditioned to think that the person being referred to as Baniya (the term comes from the Sanskrit word Vanij, which is synonymous with India’s trader class) has a business of his own. Historically, too, the Baniya cast has been known to be moneylenders and merchants. Written by a senior journalist in Mumbai, Nikhil Inamdar, who is currently a special correspondent with the Business Standard, Rokda: How Baniyas Do Business tries to talk about the business acumen the popular Indian trader class has in abundance. It does so by not only interviewing the entrepreneurs themselves – from the Agarwals of Emami to Rohit Bansal of Snapdeal, to the Guptas of Meru cabs, to RK Somany of Hindware – but their families and friends too, which takes the readers a little closer to their private lives. Most importantly, the interviews help us understand the qualities which make these highly motivated individuals running multi-million dollar companies so successful. Published by Random House India, it takes six such Baniya entrepreneurs and talks about their exceptionally successful ventures.

The book starts with demystifying the perception everybody seemed to have formed of this caste over the years. It says that Baniya is a loosely used expression. It helps further the belief that they are a community that only knows money making. Although when the current business ecosystem is talked about and discussed, the organisations run by their clan, ranging from internet enabled retail, mobile telephone, and oil and gas exploration, form the core of the modern economy.

The interviews are extensive and the book inspires and gives business insights in equal measure. One inspiring story in Rokda is that of Radheyshyam Agarwal and Radhyshyam Goenka, founders of the cosmetic company Emami, of how they started the company in just twenty thousand rupees and turned it into a conglomerate worth Rs. 8,000 crore. The writing connects the early days of these businesses with their present, the conditions that prevailed then and now, the opportunities and pitfalls, and many more of such themes. The book can be of interest to anyone from budding entrepreneurs to business journalists, to anyone who is interested in business and entrepreneurship.

Author: Rakesh Godhwani

Pages: 240

Price: Rs. 299

Published by: Random House India

So you are a student or an entrepreneur wanting to become a persuasive communicator, a quality which, among other things, is the key to a successful business/personal relationship? What to Say and When to Shut Up is a rather fancy title of Rakesh Godhwani’s highly researched book, offering invaluable advice to become compelling to others with your language. Not only does it make your work simpler by offering advice in easy-to-remember and comprehensive pointers, it also makes you test your skill-set improve by way of exercises at the end of every chapter.

Although a quick browse through the book’s contents doesn’t make it any interesting than countless books on communication, but five minutes into the book and you know you are investing your time wisely. It covers topics such as motivating audiences to action, nailing the interview for your dream job, making impressive business presentations, pitching to investors to raise money, selling product to a client, negotiating a win-win, networking professionally and socially, resolving conflicts, etc. It is a must have for corporate, students, entrepreneurs and anybody who is wanting to make a permanent impression on their audience.

“Ability to communicate well not only resolves conflicts but also makes life much pleasurable.” Rakesh Godhwani, Author

Lean In

How to unlock the potential of women entrepreneurs

Author Sheryl Sandberg

Publisher W H Allen

Price: 499

Pages: 232

A recent survey reveals that even though India has a higher percentage of entrepreneurs than most developed economies, the percentage of women entrepreneurs is lower than the global average. Women entrepreneurship thus holds tremendous unlock potential for new enterprises in India. But what is holding women back?

The chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, has followed up her 2010 Ted Talk on “Why we have too few women leaders” with a book that explores this question in greater depth. This book is a must read for both men and women. Some truths are difficult for men to understand as they live in a different world from that inhabited by women. For many women, the extent to which the world of men has been accepted as the norm, places on them success criteria that is not only difficult to achieve, but the very achievement is also a form of discredit. Sheryl talks about how success and likeability go hand in hand for men, but in the case of women more often than not success leads to dislike.

While acknowledging the great progress made for women’s equality, Sheryl goes through statistics and examples to show how much more needs to be done across the globe. Drawing examples from her own life and from the lives of other women, Sheryl shares the challenges that women face in the world of business and simultaneously talks about strategies that can help overcome them.

The title of the book Lean In is a message to women to work against the characteristic response to “hold back” that they have been conditioned by society to have, and to actually lean in and make themselves counted in all situations. While most of the advice is relevant for men and women, the crucial issues of childcare is dealt with forthrightly.  Sheryl urges women to creatively explore possibilities of combining the responsibilities of raising a family with running a challenging business assignment. The book has received a negative response from many people who see Sheryl’s “solutions” as simplistic and placing too much of the onus to change on individual women. But as a book, Lean In has succeeded even if its only achievement is starting a conversation on the issue of how to unlock the true potential of women.

In India we are blessed with relatively inexpensive childcare services, but women still need to make their “Partner and Real Partner.” The saying is true across both sexes – behind every successful person is a supportive partner!

Team Small Medium Entrepreneur