I really wanted to like Zero To Scale. I didn't. Will the internet forgive me?
I was fully excited for it - from pinging my friends at Atomberg to hounding the publishers at Wyzr (on a side note, their book with Mayank, a real estate influencer is amazing) to discussing this with my book club.
Arindam himself is beyond gracious and a true giver, and we are all fans, pun intended.
But then I got my hardcover, finished reading it, and was disappointed.
This book in my (humble) opinion as a prolific reader, is what I would consider a 1st or 2nd draft.
Look, it's still useful to startup bros and founder girlies, (so yes I am not asking you to not buy it) but so would have a website with all of this information collated in one place. Because, it reads like strings of web pages put together very often.
A medium is often the message, and a book has to be a little extra, given the aim is often, posterity and legacy.
Kinda like Shoe Dog was, which by the way was ghostwritten for the great Phil Knight.
So here's my (honest) review:
- What's good about this book is that it fills a gap that other books in this genre or niche don't have within the Indian context. If I were to look at this as a knowledge product, it is a welcome addition.
- The hardcover version I have is nice, doesn't feel 'indie' at all.
- Unfortunately, I think the book works best if it were printed en masse and circulated for a closed group of insiders.
Like how brands give away coffee table books.
It also works better as a textbook that can be updated edition over edition with specific channel information. As a general non-fiction read, it falters many times over.
- The writing and flow was extremely choppy for me. Now, if you read Arindam's posts one by one - they work. I often do as well.
But if you slap them into a book in the way they have been slapped in this one - they seem brusque or abrupt.
- Right at the beginning of the book, you will find 4-5 back to back opinions about India that just don't read well together. A stronger edit and re-edit would benefit the book.
- Also, the density of the book is high. I often found myself thinking in portions that this section should have been 3 chapters instead of one, explained more lucidly with a better narrative style.
I (personally) find it easy to navigate the phrases but it often speaks from a level of maturity that only in-circle readers would truly appreciate.
It has high praise from industry leaders in the form of blurbs. But, is pretty much for newbie founders, junior marketing folks, or generalists if it were to be read as a playbook.
The book would be so so so much better if it had the more insights, stories about Atomberg and who Arindam is and who the Indian consumer is.
For me, it was a complete case of reading a book that felt 'Tell, Don't Show'
PS: Please do still buy it - I am keeping mine - just as a thank you to Arindam for sharing his time with all of us on the internet so consistently.