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THE BUCK STOPS HERE
In any business, it’s the entrepreneur where the proverbial ‘buck’ stops.
Yes, it’s a cliché, but that is what it boils down to. When things go wrong, it’s your responsibility; when they go well, you get to enjoy the benefits. Ashutosh Garg was a high-flying corporate honcho who decided to quit and pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. But just having a dream is not enough, he discovered; one needs to be resourceful, pragmatic, weigh the pros and cons and, most of all, have the will to keep going in the face of all odds.
In The Buck Stops Here, Garg compresses the key learnings and experiences from building Guardian Pharmacy, India’s second largest chain of wellness, health and beauty stores. He reveals the realities of running one’s own business and dispels some myths along the way. Learn how to source capital; get the best from your team—and yourself; manage costs; locate the perfect shop space; find the right partners to grow your business; and at the same time, manage your stress levels. These lessons will both inspire budding entrepreneurs to follow their dream as well as caution them about the challenges that lie ahead.
Written by someone who has actually experienced the highs and lows of being a #Startup Entrepreneur, The Buck Stops Here is essential reading for those who dream of running their own business.
Yes, it’s a cliché, but that is what it boils down to. When things go wrong, it’s your responsibility; when they go well, you get to enjoy the benefits. Ashutosh Garg was a high-flying corporate honcho who decided to quit and pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. But just having a dream is not enough, he discovered; one needs to be resourceful, pragmatic, weigh the pros and cons and, most of all, have the will to keep going in the face of all odds.
In The Buck Stops Here, Garg compresses the key learnings and experiences from building Guardian Pharmacy, India’s second largest chain of wellness, health and beauty stores. He reveals the realities of running one’s own business and dispels some myths along the way. Learn how to source capital; get the best from your team—and yourself; manage costs; locate the perfect shop space; find the right partners to grow your business; and at the same time, manage your stress levels. These lessons will both inspire budding entrepreneurs to follow their dream as well as caution them about the challenges that lie ahead.
Written by someone who has actually experienced the highs and lows of being a #Startup Entrepreneur, The Buck Stops Here is essential reading for those who dream of running their own business.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2014
54 people want to read
About the author
Ashutosh Garg
39 books15 followersAshutosh Garg, has worked in the corporate sector for 25 years. He worked for ITC Limited for 17 years, leaving in 1995 as Managing Director of one of the ITC group companies, based in Singapore. Thereafter he spent 8 years in the aerospace industry, four years each with Lockheed Martin and Hughes, running their satellite systems in Asia.
He founded Guardian Pharmacy in India in 2003 and grew it to the second largest pharmacy chain in India with over 200 stores. He also brought in GNC as a nutraceutical partner to India. Ashutosh exited from the company he founded in August 2016.
He is a certified Executive Coach and coaches / mentors several CEO’s in India on business matters, governance, strategic planning, personal accountability, people and culture issues.
He has served as a director of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance (www.gavi.org), headquartered in Geneva, for 8 years. He has also served as the Chairman of “Bizdome”, a Startup Incubator of the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak, and Member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Policy Research.
In January 1995, he was recognized as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, Switzerland. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and is the current Chairman for YPO Gold, South Asia. He is also a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).
He has written 6 highly acclaimed best sellers titled “The Buck Stops Here – my journey from manager to entrepreneur”; “The Corner Office"; "Reinvent Reboot Rewire. Managing Retirement in the 21st Century"; "The Buck Stops Here - Learnings of a Startup Entrepreneur" and "An Eye for an Eye" and “The Brand called You.”
He writes regularly for various online publications like Times of India, Business Insider, Inc., Entrepreneur, The Quint and Big Decisions and has a very significant presence on social media. He can be seen frequently on CNN News18 as a panelist commenting on various political affairs, current affairs and other subjects.
His wife Vera is a Historian and teaches at the American Embassy School, New Delhi. His older son, Varun works for American Express in Singapore as their Director Marketing and his younger son Ashwin works for Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati as their Senior Brand Manager.
A keen golfer, he plays the Indian flute and enjoys reading and listening to Indian classical and vocal music.
He founded Guardian Pharmacy in India in 2003 and grew it to the second largest pharmacy chain in India with over 200 stores. He also brought in GNC as a nutraceutical partner to India. Ashutosh exited from the company he founded in August 2016.
He is a certified Executive Coach and coaches / mentors several CEO’s in India on business matters, governance, strategic planning, personal accountability, people and culture issues.
He has served as a director of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance (www.gavi.org), headquartered in Geneva, for 8 years. He has also served as the Chairman of “Bizdome”, a Startup Incubator of the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak, and Member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Policy Research.
In January 1995, he was recognized as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, Switzerland. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and is the current Chairman for YPO Gold, South Asia. He is also a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).
He has written 6 highly acclaimed best sellers titled “The Buck Stops Here – my journey from manager to entrepreneur”; “The Corner Office"; "Reinvent Reboot Rewire. Managing Retirement in the 21st Century"; "The Buck Stops Here - Learnings of a Startup Entrepreneur" and "An Eye for an Eye" and “The Brand called You.”
He writes regularly for various online publications like Times of India, Business Insider, Inc., Entrepreneur, The Quint and Big Decisions and has a very significant presence on social media. He can be seen frequently on CNN News18 as a panelist commenting on various political affairs, current affairs and other subjects.
His wife Vera is a Historian and teaches at the American Embassy School, New Delhi. His older son, Varun works for American Express in Singapore as their Director Marketing and his younger son Ashwin works for Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati as their Senior Brand Manager.
A keen golfer, he plays the Indian flute and enjoys reading and listening to Indian classical and vocal music.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 27, 2015
This book is quite inspiring and tells about the founding & the story of ''Guardian Pharmacy''.The language is very simple and no heavy lingo is present at all which makes it swift to read.Being a Pharmacy grad after reading a few pages I was occupied with the book and finished reading it in a stretch.It feels like it is too obvious and there is nothing new that you didn't already know but it might help newbies maybe who want to enter healthcare sector.I honestly thought the title didn't suit the book.The music idea in Pharmacy stores is pretty dumb be it classical songs or whatever.The home delivery for medicines trend started only recently and I haven't tried it yet.Most of the products weren't available online and I find it easy to go a store nearby to buy rather than having to spend time in scanning prescriptions and uploading them online.Misuse of drugs can happen in 'n' number of ways.Online selling of drugs must be welcome by everyone.I cannot see a whole lot of products online which I can buy in a drug store and people don't buy half of their products requirements online and half at store so convenience is at play here.It is true that when you pay peanuts you get monkeys.And most of the things mentioned in the book are the same for any organization.''Everyone has some authority and he makes it a point to let this be known''; this is so very true in India and the corruption levels are becoming appalling and that is why everyone wants to live abroad where services can be availed smoothly without many hassles and meritocracy is a deciding factor for promotions.After reading the book I know why I don't find weighing scales at every store.The fact that they need a separate license for every individual piece is beyond logic.BTW the author is smart & tries to show that in his book.The problems like pilferage and other issues that the author mentions happens everywhere and it is because of the attitude, mindsets & upbringing of the people.This book gives you insight on various things about a startup.I end my review with a sentence from the book, ''Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.''
March 26, 2015
A really inspiring book....loved it and recommend all of u to read it.
April 6, 2025
Very ordinary book by an extraordinary gentleman with some mind-blowing achievements and accomplishments.
I have personally interviewed Ashu as part of my podcast and am simply awesome of his accomplishments.
But this book, is very ordinary and boring. The style of writing is too banal with a lot of unnecessary details.
Maybe my expectations wre misalligined and I should read some his other books!
I have personally interviewed Ashu as part of my podcast and am simply awesome of his accomplishments.
But this book, is very ordinary and boring. The style of writing is too banal with a lot of unnecessary details.
Maybe my expectations wre misalligined and I should read some his other books!
June 14, 2017
A must-read for budding entreprenuers. The books follows a no-nonsense, direct and detailed approach at explaining some of the most common problems that a new enterprise faces. The best part about this book is that there aren't any general in-the-air theories, but rather very practical pieces of advise, backed by solid examples. Would definitely recommend!
April 6, 2021
Honest reminiscings of a successful retail chain built from scratch.
May 9, 2016
The book cover put me off and I thought this is just another ecommerce book but I am happy I read this book about the founding and scaling of Guardian Pharmacy. What differentiates the book is the founder's age and background-An >40 corporate veteran who set up a pharmacy. The book dives into mistakes(franchising, consultants, employee theft), industry issues(Pharma industry where consumers are almost never the focal point-for eg bar code issues, ethics) and typical startup issues(employee perks, leasing/property/SCM fraud).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews