I am reading a book by Subroto Bagchi, one of the founders of Mindtree. So far I like what I have read. It is called “The High Performance Entrepreneur”. A quote follows:
In the Hindu pantheon , wealth is granted by a goddess named Lakshmi. She is extremely jealous and possessive.She does not come to those who treat her as if she is incidental. Even if you manage to bring her in on some pretext, mythology has it that she flees at the smallest act of neglect. So, if someone says money is not my prime motivator, know that the goddess is listening.
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Hi Deepak,
Yes, I read it in November. Sure, let me know …what’s bugging you.
regards,
Prash.
Looking at the horrible way in which he is running MindTree…. I dont think he is practicing what he preaches.
MindTree has been a loss making entity till now (I think they just turned a small profit this year). In this age where software service companies are growing by leaps and bounds, MindTree has been languishing and that too with heavy hitters like himself and Soota.
Looks like it is a very top heavy company with no one doing the actual work.
For me the essence of this book is that an institution building mindset is essential, not optional, if one wants to create a truly global success story in today’s dynamic marketplace. It emphasizes making a choice, right at the beginning, about what kind of company building philosophy you should embrace. Subroto argues that the success of many Indian companies like Wipro, Infosys, Cafe Coffee Day and Devi Shetty’s Narayana Hrudayalaya is as much to do with an institution building mindset as it is to do with spotting the right opportunity. Also implicit in the book is a notion that institutions are built in times of scarcity. Adversity provides a “rite of passage” that helps crystallize the basic beliefs that underpin the DNA of the new company.
Subroto’s book covers a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship. It talks of the founding team, the business plan, hiring of the early stage employees, and dealing with investors, building a brand, avoiding common startup pitfalls, etc. Yet, as Subroto himself acknowledges, this is not a “how-to” book. While it may do justice to somebody looking for step-by-step guidance to setup a services company, it’s unlikely to answer the many questions that a product company entrepreneur has to worry about. For instance, there is no mention of the big bets that need to be made about business models, product architectures and bowling pin market segments. Nor does it cover the inherently difficult challenge of creating demand versus servicing demand.
Check out my review of the book on my blog: http://orbitchange.com/blog/2006/11/25/bagchi-book-review/
Picked it up over the weekend, am one of those at the crossroads, with an idea, trying to put things together and wondering whether this is the right time ( more like am i ready for it?? ) ….. thought it is quite educative. Captures all the things that go through the mind very effectively….. Although Some of the things I would like to debate with others, most of them seemed truths you can believe and assume will happen….. anyways, anyone who has read through and wants to have a chat over few things that are bugging me ( itching to debate!!) pl let me know, maybe we can use this forum if others are interested…..
I have been a great fan of Bagchi’s writings. His articles used to appear in Times of India, Business World, etc. As soon as I heard about this book of his, I picked it up asap (there’s a story on how challenging it got, to find this book – makes for a possible business opportunity – but will leave that for some other time!).
It is indeed a good book. More like an Entrepreneurship 1.0 course, but very real, sincere and from his own experience. Those who have been through the journey can find so many things to identify with, so indeed, its not just theory from a consultant, but close to the ground reality. Don’t expect profoundity, more of home truths here..
Highly recommended..