Lean, Mean and Profitable: Success Stories of Self-made Entrepreneurs

by Diksha Dutta

I can feel the difference in the air. Within five minutes of entering a start-up's office, I know if it is funded by a VC firm or built brick by brick with its own funding...'Lean, Mean and Profitable provides insights into the world of start-ups in India, specifically those that are self-funded. It begins by exploring the advantages and challenges of bootstrapping a start-up and why it is a viable option for new entrepreneurs. The book provides real-life examples of bootstrapped start-ups in India, sharing the stories of companies such as Zoho, Wingify and Zerodha, which began with very little capital but grew into successful businesses. It also offers learnings from the founders of Info Edge and MakeMyTrip, who were judicious in using capital.The verdict on heavily VC-funded start-ups in India isn't out yet. Is funding the magical ingredient for success? The answer is no. Funded or non-funded, a start-up has the potential to conquer great heights and top the charts based on its performance, grit and integrity. This book dissects businesses whose verdict is out – businesses that scaled up, made it through thick and thin, and eventually earned profits. It brings insights from entrepreneurs and businesses who ran profitable, successful companies and scaled up their self-funded businesses. It dissects businesses whose verdict is out - who scaled up, made it through thick &thin, and eventually did earn profits.

165 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2023

About the author

Diksha Dutta is a business author and workplace facilitator/coach. Based in Berlin (Germany), she writes regularly for the Entrepreneur Magazine among other publications. At present, she is also working on her first book on the startup ecosystem with Bloomsbury Publishing. Starting her career as a feature writer, she gradually stepped into hard-core news reporting and has closely tracked the private equity/venture capital/startup space. She has worked with organisations like The Financial Express and VCCircle (a part of NewsCorp India) during her six-year long stint in the media industry as a full-time business journalist.