The Consolidators

by Prince Mathews Thomas

When we talk about great business empires, we often talk about the first generation entrepreneurs who found businesses or the third generation, which is commonly associated with the disintegration of family businesses. The consolidators are second-generation entrepreneurs who tend to be the most interesting and the ones who make or break a business. In this highly original book, Prince takes us through the stories of seven super successful second-generation entrepreneurs who showed imagination, gumption and foresight in turning around the companies they inherited from their fathers. Inspiring and revealing, these stories will propel you to dream big and show you how you can take your business to the next level.

Genres: Business, History, Nonfiction, Biography

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2017

Reviews

[Udit Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Consolidators is a nice read which covers the story of second generation entrepreneurs who were able to scale up and consolidate the businesses started by their previous generations. The book documents the journey of companies like PVR, Kalyan Jewellers, Radico Khaitan, V guard, Oberoi Realty, SiS Securities and Park Hotels. The challenges that the 'consolidators' faced and the journey is very well documented in the form of a story. The book is an engaging read. Personally, the best narrations were PVR, Radico and Park Hotels. Overall, an enjoyable read where you can learn a thing or two from the journey of these second generation entrepreneurs.
A decent read. 4/5

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title - The Consolidators

Author - Prince Mathews Thomas

Genre - Business

Publisher - Penguin India

ISBN - 978-0-143-42930-2



There is a saying that "Castles aren't built overnight". When I read this book, I couldn't disagree with it as it portrayed the journey of some of the known names in a very meticulous manner. This book is very different from others since you cannot shrug it off saying that it is an autobiography but at the same time, the book I think for the first time ever has captured the stories of entrepreneurs who made it real big. Yes, they did inherit the business empire from their parents but having said that, these Second Gen entrepreneurs has not only retained the empire but has expanded them manifold.



The book has the stories of:



1. Shri Ajay Bijli of PVR

2. Shri Abhishek Khaitan of Radico Khaitan

3. Shri Mithun Chittilappilly of V Guard

4. Shri T.S. Kalyanaraman of Kalyan Jewellwers

5. Shri Rituraj Sinha of SiS Group Enterprises

6. Shri Vikas Oberoi of Oberoi Realty and

7. Ms Priya Paul of Park Hotels



I am sure you wouldn't have come across all these names in a single book before though you would have heard about their life stories on individual occasions. I like the way author has written this book which is no less than a story but unlike the usual case, this isn't a fiction but based on real life incidents.



While I have liked the entire book as a whole, I have liked the story of Shri Rituraj Sinha of SiS Group Enterprises. There are few reasons behind it. Firstly there is a section called "My Learnings" in the end of each story which has the essence of what has made the life of these entrepreneurs a real successful one and to top it up, these were told by these eminent people themselves.



Secondly, there was this line which is a real effective one and if followed, can make anyone a successful entrepreneur. It says "Build the capability to ensure that each diversification also becomes a specialization". This is certainly an unique power phrase which you wouldn't have heard or come across before.



Rituraj Sinha was born in a affluent family. His father Shri R K Sinha who is addressed as RK in his circle is a First Gen entrepreneur who is also a BJP RS MP. He has built a business empire of Rs.25 Crore company but ever since Rituraj Sinha took over the reins from his father, the company had grown manifold that it touched the turnover of Rs.5,000 crore in just 15 years. This isn't a mean achievement. Similarly, his employee strength has also grown exponentially from 9,000 employees in 2002 to 150,000 employees in 2016.



I was really surprised that all these had happened by an accident. What started as a hobby became a full time profession. The company he founded SiS Group Enterprises went on to become India's 2nd biggest security company next only to G4S which is not an Indian company though. I liked the way as to how he transformed his failures into success. Not many would admit that they had faced failures but Rituraj Sinha was gracious enough to accept his failures which did not go as per his expectations but how he took it as a learning point and turned them to his advantage.



The chapter is exclusive since I remember seeing his company staffs (Dusters) work in an MNC BPO where I worked with such efficiency. I must admit that I have availed the services or product from all the above except of Oberoi realty and Radico Khaitan( I am a teetotaller but not my family)and now I understand as to what has gone into making these brands extremely successful and stand aside from its peers.



Give it a read. I am sure, you will not only fall in love with it but would surely recommend this book to your aspiring entrepreneur friends who can learn as to how they too can become successful without having to face the failures.....

[Aditya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly exceptional book I read in quite sometime. The greatness of this book comes from the fact that it breathes life into the corporations by telling the stories of the people who are instrumental in transforming these firm's existence and created something that is monumental. When we look at companies we look at them from the perspective of their industry dynamics,the return ratios and their profitability and the qualification of the team that runs these organizations but what Prince did is to unveil the real people and their workings, their struggles and visions that build the firms that became textbook case studies of India success stories

[Avadhoot Joshi]

‘Less than one-third of family businesses survive the transition from first to second generation ownership. Another 50 percent don’t survive the transition from second to the third generation.’

The seven second-generation entrepreneurs in this book—Ajay Bijli, Abhishek Khaitan, Priya Paul, Rituraj Sinha, Vikas Oberoi, T.S. Kalyanaraman, and Mithun Chittilappilly—have inspirational stories and career graphs.

There are few points on which these businessmen emphasize -
1. For scaling up the business, you need to have systems and processes in place.
2. The need for hiring right and relevant people and
3. Picking up things from different countries while traveling.

[Sahil Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this was a non-Indian author writing about non-Indian businesses/entrepreneurs, I'd have struck off a star. But given there are few books in the genre, I liked reading a bit more into the history and experiences that shaped the profiles.
The book is less critical and dwells more on the laurels of the entrepreneurs, but there are several provoking statements made by some of them that make the book a worthy read.
The author has done well to bring to the fore the rich histories of these business persons, despite the brevity of each story line.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has cherry picked some of the best stories about second generation entrepreneurs in the post liberalisation India. The author has done justice to each and every scion’s story of getting into their respective family businesses and taking them to new heights. Particularly loved the pieces about PVR’s Ajay Bijli and Park’s Priya Paul. Delightful read, very succinctly captures the founders’ beliefs, strugglers & aspirations.

[Vivek Vikram Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read if you are a second generation entrepreneur and are looking for some simple case studies. This surface level depth is also the book’s weakness. The book could have been better with a more nuanced approach and spent time on the negatives of these entrepreneurs rather than merely restricting itself to a panegyric.

[Jimmey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Chapters 1 and 2 are geeat, perfect examples of a turnaround by second generation. Chapter relating to voltas was most boring and I hate those people for promoting to killbstray dogs. Inclusion of this chaptervis the reason to give 1 star less. Last 2 chapters again perfect. Very good and quick read

[Vikas Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved each story of this book. This book tells how to grow your business and tackle risk at various steps

[Sid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and great stories.

I feel like a second generation entrepreneur and wanted to connect. Really good profiles.

[Deepak Kapur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief stories of 7 second generation entrepreneurs. Insights into Vivek Oberoi were great.

[Karan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book where you get know-how second-generation entrepreneurs grow their business and take it to next level. The best one is about Abhishek Khaitan (Radico Khaitan).

[Shripal Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, it can get a little boring at times

[Srinath · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delves into the life of a second gen entrepreneurs and how they break shackles of how business would run traditionally

[Shaleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book to show the second generation entrepreneurs and thought process. Persistent and implementation of process came out very clearly when you want to grow.

[Parikshit Singh Hada · Rating 4 out of 5]

The business Stories are good but the author has only glorified Entrepreneurs with no cons mentioned

[Shashank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series : In search of Yugpurush

[Tushar Mangl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book chronicles the life and business journeys of Ajay Bijli, Abhishek Khaitan, Priya Paul, Vikas Oberoi, T.S. Kalyanaraman, Mithun Chittilappily and Rituraj Sinha.

"True leadership is about transforming vision into reality and inspiring others to achieve their fullest potential."


 In "The Consolidators," Prince Mathew Thomas brings to life the inspiring journeys of seven second-generation entrepreneurs who have made an impact on the Indian business landscape.

Ajay Bijli's story, for instance, is a masterclass in resilience and vision as he revolutionized the Indian cinema experience with PVR Cinemas. Abhishek Khaitan's journey illustrates the power of strategic thinking in the highly competitive liquor industry. Priya Paul’s narrative is a beacon of innovation and creativity in the hospitality sector, while Vikas Oberoi’s tale is one of planning and execution in real estate.

"The Consolidators" is a valuable addition to the library of anyone keen on understanding the dynamics of family businesses and the critical role of leadership in driving business success.

Publisher - Penguin 🐧 Portfolio

Pages - 260

Cover design - Ishan Khosla Design 


Read the complete review at my blog.