The Underage CEOs – a book review

A better-late-than-never moment again, thank you Ganesh for an opportunity to read your well written book – The Underage CEOs and the honor of writing about it – and the patience, since I took more than a month to complete reading it.

Inside the Rabbit hole

It’s not always intentional, but life throws varied experiences right at you. You either cower with discomfort or your eyes widen with wonder – and you start exploring. From movies which discussed hacking to dabbling with seminars and tasting money for the first time – Sourav’s story is the one which displays dogged will to keep at it. He pursued knowledge in addition to the academic curriculum, achieved tremendous depth and carved out a sustainable business.

Priyadeep, on the other hand, carefully identified the rabbit hole, did his homework well and took the plunge. You cannot control what happens once you fall – but initial planning, setting up a strong platform and taking care of compliance goes a long way. Priyadeep comes across as a suave hustler who knows what he’s doing – again, an inspiration.

Explorers Persist

The GharPay story gives you goosebumps – from raising $300k from (arguably) the best VC firm out there to struggling for months till end. Uncertainty has killed individuals and entire companies before. However, as Stephen Hawking puts it, “Where there is life, there is hope.” Ganesh subtly and aptly conveys how the team stayed strong, persisted and reaped the sweet fruits.

Prevailing against external forces of nature is one thing, prevailing against opposing mindsets takes rare self belief. Priyanka’s conviction in iKheti (kitchen gardens) helped her go beyond usual constraints, pitch to the right people and build a sustainable enterprise. She made it happen by staying put, talking to the right people and being sincere at customer service.

Providence Shines Upon the Hustlers

From running a setup similar to a cottage industry out of sheer kindness to being involved in the home automation industry – the Tech Innovance story is a fun read. The founders met by accident, became friends over a business, understood the importance of communication in simple English (as opposed to tech jargon) and displayed guts in a seemingly fledgeling sector.

Biosyl Technologies grew out of the sleepy city of Hubli, when two classmates realized that they had to figure out a way to suck oxygen out of glass chambers so bacteria ( which doesn’t need oxygen) can be grown and studied. What’s delightful about Sarah’s and Amit’s persistence is that they cared about something when no one else around them really even thought twice about it. They clearly built a door where there was none.

More than just musketeers?

iGenero’s story is close to my heart, because they built our latest website. The founders are not musketeers, but “General D’Armee” – both of them. They built a brilliant enterprise out of right choices and sheer hard work; And are going from strength to strength. Working with them has been a fresh change from working with most digital companies – iGenero is pleasantly prompt, sharp and professional. Aditya and Karan clearly mean business.

Swati who leads Om Shanti Traders paid attention to what most of us ignore – the living conditions of the underprivileged and decided to do something about it. Charity only helps to a certain extent, but helping them be self reliant helps them for a lifetime. Swati persevered in face of arrogance, appealed to a customer’s conscience and stayed grounded in reality. Quite a queen.

Fascinating Stories Indeed

Ganesh profiles 11 companies, the entrepreneurs leading them and insights on startup funding from none other than Sanjay Anandram. While the book makes for an easy read, You can feel how the roller coaster ride built the founders you’re reading about. The amount of focus and dedication on Ganesh’s part to put these inspiring stories together is commendable. We understand each better thanks to his side notes which share individual quirks – and takeaways we can glean from each story.

One crucial thing to remember that all of us can be heroes for a day. Being successful is boring – requires you to put your head down and work, keep trying in face of all odds and it’s anything but glamorous. Stories can only inspire you but the takeaways need to be implemented in your life, in your world view. Nothing wil happen till you step out of your comfort zone, shiver and leap. This book introduces you to delightful entrepreneurs, people you’d be fond of even before you meet them. That’s probably the author’s admiration for them all showing through. Grab a copy when you can!

🙂