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The Underage CEOs: Fascinating Stories of Young Indians Who Became CEOs in their Twenties
When will you take the plunge? As an ethical hacker, SOURAV KARMAKAR helps protect priceless online data. SHADAB HASSAN is transforming the lives of underprivileged children in Jharkhand. PRIYANKA AMAR is introducing the concept of home farms to the cramped houses of Mumbai. AVIK BHATTACHARYA has channelled his passion for dance into a profitable business. The Underage CEOs is about the wave of youth entrepreneurship sweeping through India. It tells the stories of eleven youngsters who have set up their own ventures right after college, thereby becoming CEOs in their twenties. They have rejected conventional career paths, fought pressures from society, peers and parents, and are now in charge of their own destinies. They have changed the lives of thousands of people through their businesses. What's more, they are having a lot of fun too! These young men and women are not exceptions. Today, the business climate in India offers multiple opportunities to those with good ideas. If you have a strong vision and drive, there are investors willing to back you with funds. The Underage CEOs is a call to action to take a leap of faith and rewrite your destiny for a brighter tomorrow!
- GenresEntrepreneurshipBusiness
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2015
23 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 20, 2017
Nice struggling stories of entrepreneurs who started very early. Nice thing about this book is that none of the founder is from premiere institute which clearly shows that anybody can do anything.
October 6, 2016
The book is 'monochromatic' in expressions. The whole book continues on a single string with no ups and downs, no feelings and no curiosity. It seems like reading a newspaper with information of these CEOs. The author picked up good entrepreneurs and the stories could have been more interesting had there been more stress on making it readable. The book appears to have been written in a hurry where all the stories just follow a pattern with no excitement left to the reader to know what happened next. It was not at all inspirational! Could have been better even if the author had only given links to the entrepreneurs' online websites.
Totally disappointed with the book!
Totally disappointed with the book!
February 8, 2018
Good Encouraging Food for the Entrepreneurial Thoughts!
This book has all the things that an Entrepreneur mind, money, minutes goes thru!
It has few sources for you to get connected to investors, mentors and very importantly to your ideas. All stories are interesting, writing style is good but in few places I felt draggy.. but thats okay!
Overall a Goodread!
Few catchy lines from the book are:
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not her the music - Friedrich Nietzsche"
"What you learn through your passion are your real skills"
"entrepreneurship means doing something original and not following the herd.."
"when curiosity and imagination are lost, creativity is killed"
"Do not build companies for investors, build it for your customers"
"Finding people for a startup is always difficult. We can't offer much money, at least initially. Also, there are thousands of things to be done. the workload is very heavy.."
"If necessity is the mother of invention, I'd say desperation is the father.."
"once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur!"
"a pet on your lap and a plant on your windowsill are all you need to be happy"
"all the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come"
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door - Milton Berle"
"Forget the bad days, but at the same time, don't get carried away by the good days."
"A venture that does not make money helps nobody"
"dance itself is a very effective form of fitness training"
"...when your passion becomes your profession, your workstation becomes your playground"
"As an entrepreneur, you have to drive business development yourself"
"...liberation that comes with doing something on your own..."
"There was no point trying to feed someone else if one remained hungry oneself"
"If the chemistry isn't right, the arithmetic doesn't work"
"Ultra-lean-but-mean-team..."
"The aim should be to build a profitable, impactful and sustainable business, not just a fundable one"
This book has all the things that an Entrepreneur mind, money, minutes goes thru!
It has few sources for you to get connected to investors, mentors and very importantly to your ideas. All stories are interesting, writing style is good but in few places I felt draggy.. but thats okay!
Overall a Goodread!
Few catchy lines from the book are:
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not her the music - Friedrich Nietzsche"
"What you learn through your passion are your real skills"
"entrepreneurship means doing something original and not following the herd.."
"when curiosity and imagination are lost, creativity is killed"
"Do not build companies for investors, build it for your customers"
"Finding people for a startup is always difficult. We can't offer much money, at least initially. Also, there are thousands of things to be done. the workload is very heavy.."
"If necessity is the mother of invention, I'd say desperation is the father.."
"once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur!"
"a pet on your lap and a plant on your windowsill are all you need to be happy"
"all the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come"
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door - Milton Berle"
"Forget the bad days, but at the same time, don't get carried away by the good days."
"A venture that does not make money helps nobody"
"dance itself is a very effective form of fitness training"
"...when your passion becomes your profession, your workstation becomes your playground"
"As an entrepreneur, you have to drive business development yourself"
"...liberation that comes with doing something on your own..."
"There was no point trying to feed someone else if one remained hungry oneself"
"If the chemistry isn't right, the arithmetic doesn't work"
"Ultra-lean-but-mean-team..."
"The aim should be to build a profitable, impactful and sustainable business, not just a fundable one"
May 11, 2017
Refreshing read. Success stories from different different vertical would really open up your mind.
December 12, 2015
An 18 year old middle class Indian youth is often troubled by only two factors: Doctor Engineer Syndrome and What will Sharmaji say about his career decisions!
Doctor-Engineer Syndrome is the tragic, vehemently agreed view in India that only those who end up becoming an Engineer or Doctor can be considered as a success.
Sharmaji is that fictitious character, which bothers most of the parents in India: Almost all of their decisions are influenced by what Sharma ji may say after hearing a particular news about their family. So, if a 18 year old kid, straight out of school, wants to pursue an educational course which helps him realize his dreams, he is stopped by ‘Sharma ji’s’ fictional judgment. After all, if Sharma ji doesn’t approve this decision, how can it be legit? (or it can be Mr Aiyer in Tamil Nadu or Mr Patil in Maharashtra..)
‘The Underage CEOs’ : Introducing The Magic Of Entrepreneurship for Youth
Entrepreneurship is considered as a gamble by majority of parents in India; because of the high failure rate, absence of any assured income stream or salary and absence of any support system.
Yes, entrepreneurship is all about taking that leap of faith and doing what you believe in. But how can this mysterious yet enchanting endeavor explained to a parent of a teenager, who wants to become an entrepreneur?
‘The Underage CEOs’ by author Ganesh V. can be described as one of those references, which one needs while explaining the magic of entrepreneurship to the non-believers. In this non-fiction book published by Collins Business, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, Ganesh V. showcases 11 inspiring stories of student entrepreneurs, who resisted every form of pressure, challenges and disappointments to start their own ventures, and became entrepreneurs.
Targeted Reader: Both Parents and Aspiring Young Entrepreneurs
The best part of this book is that both parents and aspiring young entrepreneurs will find it interesting, full of hope and answers.
Some of the questions which this book attempt to answer: How does entrepreneurship work, what is risk, how funding works, how can an idea be commercialized for profits, what if the venture fails and more.
As per Ganesh, this book has been written for 20 something youth of the nation, who understand that entrepreneurship is rocking, but are afraid to take that final plunge, owning to less information about the whole deal.
In a non-biased way, the author takes us through the stories of these 11 youths, pokes the pros and cons, provides the reader with insightful thoughts and opinions, which can make motivate and inspire the reader to break all shackles.
Debunking the myth that entrepreneurship requires a special pedigree or location based advantage, the book covers fascinating stories from Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hubli, Delhi and even from a non-descript city called Brambe in Jharkhand. As if to reassure all budding entrepreneurs that technology and programming are not the ‘only’ niche to explore, the author has covered inspiring entrepreneurial stories of startups in educational sector, agricultural sector, biotech niche, social works & digital sector.
In the end, the author provides a ready-made, easy to understand ‘Fundas of Funding’, which provides the perspective of an investor and entrepreneur, an instant guide to create business plan and a treasure of resources which can help the new, young entrepreneur to kickstart his or her project.
‘The Underage CEOs’ can be summed up as an inspiring, motivating and useful reference guide for the young and restless brigade of entrepreneurs; and at the same time a factsheet for their parents as it unveils the magic of entrepreneurship in the most efficient manner.
Doctor-Engineer Syndrome is the tragic, vehemently agreed view in India that only those who end up becoming an Engineer or Doctor can be considered as a success.
Sharmaji is that fictitious character, which bothers most of the parents in India: Almost all of their decisions are influenced by what Sharma ji may say after hearing a particular news about their family. So, if a 18 year old kid, straight out of school, wants to pursue an educational course which helps him realize his dreams, he is stopped by ‘Sharma ji’s’ fictional judgment. After all, if Sharma ji doesn’t approve this decision, how can it be legit? (or it can be Mr Aiyer in Tamil Nadu or Mr Patil in Maharashtra..)
‘The Underage CEOs’ : Introducing The Magic Of Entrepreneurship for Youth
Entrepreneurship is considered as a gamble by majority of parents in India; because of the high failure rate, absence of any assured income stream or salary and absence of any support system.
Yes, entrepreneurship is all about taking that leap of faith and doing what you believe in. But how can this mysterious yet enchanting endeavor explained to a parent of a teenager, who wants to become an entrepreneur?
‘The Underage CEOs’ by author Ganesh V. can be described as one of those references, which one needs while explaining the magic of entrepreneurship to the non-believers. In this non-fiction book published by Collins Business, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, Ganesh V. showcases 11 inspiring stories of student entrepreneurs, who resisted every form of pressure, challenges and disappointments to start their own ventures, and became entrepreneurs.
Targeted Reader: Both Parents and Aspiring Young Entrepreneurs
The best part of this book is that both parents and aspiring young entrepreneurs will find it interesting, full of hope and answers.
Some of the questions which this book attempt to answer: How does entrepreneurship work, what is risk, how funding works, how can an idea be commercialized for profits, what if the venture fails and more.
As per Ganesh, this book has been written for 20 something youth of the nation, who understand that entrepreneurship is rocking, but are afraid to take that final plunge, owning to less information about the whole deal.
In a non-biased way, the author takes us through the stories of these 11 youths, pokes the pros and cons, provides the reader with insightful thoughts and opinions, which can make motivate and inspire the reader to break all shackles.
Debunking the myth that entrepreneurship requires a special pedigree or location based advantage, the book covers fascinating stories from Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hubli, Delhi and even from a non-descript city called Brambe in Jharkhand. As if to reassure all budding entrepreneurs that technology and programming are not the ‘only’ niche to explore, the author has covered inspiring entrepreneurial stories of startups in educational sector, agricultural sector, biotech niche, social works & digital sector.
In the end, the author provides a ready-made, easy to understand ‘Fundas of Funding’, which provides the perspective of an investor and entrepreneur, an instant guide to create business plan and a treasure of resources which can help the new, young entrepreneur to kickstart his or her project.
‘The Underage CEOs’ can be summed up as an inspiring, motivating and useful reference guide for the young and restless brigade of entrepreneurs; and at the same time a factsheet for their parents as it unveils the magic of entrepreneurship in the most efficient manner.
March 27, 2016
I was given this book by my friend to review.. My usual experience with these entrepreneur books in the past are motivating, but many would be about the prodigal sons & daughters, the college/school dropouts, who are smarter than Einstein and kick-ass... believe me I'm no where near those prodigies and only a very low percentage of the human population is prodigious. So I started on a low expectation for this book..
Day one i finished the first story, during my 45 min morning drive to office.. the first story left me thinking and my whole day at office was exciting,
Day 2 - story 2 ...I started making inroads into the wish list items that was on my todo list..
Day 3.. this book became an early morning exercise on my daily morning drive to office.
Everyday one small story of these unsung entrepreneurs, kept me going alive in the Corporate chaos and a week down the line there were sparks of entrepreneurism within my team.. where the junior folks were started talking on their passions..
By the time I finished this book, i learnt a new programming language, I have 4 things on my wishlist running as individual small scale projects within my corporate.
This book is not about building the next Apple n Microsoft, but it's all about trying to figure a solution about the everyday problems.. none of these entrepreneurs were prodigies..hence it best suites my case of igniting the sparks of entrepreneurial journey.
Day one i finished the first story, during my 45 min morning drive to office.. the first story left me thinking and my whole day at office was exciting,
Day 2 - story 2 ...I started making inroads into the wish list items that was on my todo list..
Day 3.. this book became an early morning exercise on my daily morning drive to office.
Everyday one small story of these unsung entrepreneurs, kept me going alive in the Corporate chaos and a week down the line there were sparks of entrepreneurism within my team.. where the junior folks were started talking on their passions..
By the time I finished this book, i learnt a new programming language, I have 4 things on my wishlist running as individual small scale projects within my corporate.
This book is not about building the next Apple n Microsoft, but it's all about trying to figure a solution about the everyday problems.. none of these entrepreneurs were prodigies..hence it best suites my case of igniting the sparks of entrepreneurial journey.
October 5, 2015
The Underage CEOs is a delectable melange of stories by young entrepreneurs who have trodden off the beaten path and carved a niche for themselves. The stories of young people starting up businesses while in college and braving the odds against family and society is quite inspiring to the readers. The story of Shadab Hassan who set up a school to educate the kids in rural Jharkand as a way of giving back to the society is a commendable effort Or the story of Priyanka Amar who has introduced the concept of home farms in crowded Mumbai apartments while still in college shows that women are no less when it comes to following their dreams.
In a country like India where a stable job is preferred, it is quite heartening to see the change in mindset in the young population. The research the author has put in making this book clearly shows in the journey of each of the entrepreneur. Their beginning, their struggles and their takeaways have been beautifully captured. The story telling is so simple and effective that my dad picked up this book after I finished and is reading it non- stop! This book is not just for the entrepreneurs and wantrapreneurs. It is for anyone who needs that extra push to go after their dreams.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
In a country like India where a stable job is preferred, it is quite heartening to see the change in mindset in the young population. The research the author has put in making this book clearly shows in the journey of each of the entrepreneur. Their beginning, their struggles and their takeaways have been beautifully captured. The story telling is so simple and effective that my dad picked up this book after I finished and is reading it non- stop! This book is not just for the entrepreneurs and wantrapreneurs. It is for anyone who needs that extra push to go after their dreams.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
November 17, 2015
I purchased this book at one of the networking event in which author(Ganesh. V) was himself present. Yes, I have his autograph on the book as well. When he gave 10 minutes talk about his new book, I thought what is so different in this book from other books written on startups and entrepreneurship and why should anyone read this book. But after he finished his talk, I was totally convinced to buy this book and read it.
Let me tell you that this book is very different from other ones in the ways it targets startups which are not mainstream but are focusing on solving very different kinds of problems which may not yet be so profitable but are worth to be taken up. It is after reading this book I came to understand the true sense of what an entrepreneur is and what should be his prime objective of opening a startup.
Thanks Ganesh for writing this book. Hope to meet you again someday. Keep writing books like these as they act as eye-openers for guys like us.
Let me tell you that this book is very different from other ones in the ways it targets startups which are not mainstream but are focusing on solving very different kinds of problems which may not yet be so profitable but are worth to be taken up. It is after reading this book I came to understand the true sense of what an entrepreneur is and what should be his prime objective of opening a startup.
Thanks Ganesh for writing this book. Hope to meet you again someday. Keep writing books like these as they act as eye-openers for guys like us.
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November 25, 2015clear n cut stories of fourteen start-ups were they have started from almost nothing...except loads of enthusiasm and confidence on their skills and journey which led them to an early mid-sized company. Out of all the start-up stories, I-kethi catched my eye. I-kethi is a startup by a yound married woman, the functioning of the business is to establish home gardens in balconies at low cost. Overall, best book to enjoy the start-up culture in india.
April 18, 2016
The stories in the book not only inspire but also are relate-able as these come from common boys and girls who built a business all by themselves starting early in their twenties. This book teaches several lessons of dedication, commitment, hard-work, entrepreneurial attitude, willing to do a business, building something from the scratch and so on. A must read for sure !! Read more at http://ideasthroughwords.com/the-unde...
March 31, 2016
I loved the flow of how each entreprenuer faced drawbacks and had a never quit attitude towards their venture! And the little note by the author on what they could have done better. Although I may be partial to say that it was a fresh new take on enterprenurial stories as I am one of the stories in the book. Ganesh you've done a great job!
May 2, 2022
I bought this book because of its premise. I was super disappointed by the clichéd narration and glorification without proper research. Couldn't read even for 30 minutes and had to trash it. One of the worst books I have ever bought.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews