By the time he was twenty, Alok Kejriwal had his life pre-planned for him. He would inherit the family’s socks manufacturing business and be the hard-working, money minting, quintessential Marwari businessman, forever.
Except that it didn’t turn out that way. A few years after surviving the family setup, something turned up that sent Alok on a completely different career the INTERNET!
A crazy business idea Alok had turned out to be a winner and contests2win.com was born. Soon, Alok was fighting and thriving in a world completely different from the one he had grown up in. A world where technology breakthroughs, VCs, and out-of-the-box thinking decided the real winners.
Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks is Alok’s real, life story of starting up and unadulterated entrepreneurship. It traces his roller-coaster ride as an aspiring entrepreneur; traversing through a variety of business ideas in the family business up to his big breakthrough as one of India’s first entrepreneurs to tap the power of the internet. It details the amazing success of contests2win.com and Mobile2win, a venture eventually acquired by The Walt Disney Company. The chapters in the book are actual stories, throbbing with memorable anecdotes that conclude with crisp learnings for the readers.
Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks is a deeply compelling story about beating the odds, staying motivated and gung-ho entrepreneurship. It is an inspiration as well as a practical guide to emerging a winner.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Alok Kejriwal is a serial digital entrepreneur and is currently the CEO and co-founder of Games2win.
His first two companies, contests2win.com and Mobile2win, pioneered digital gaming and promotions in the world. The Walt Disney Co later acquired Mobile2win.
Alok’s first book, Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks, was a best-seller and won the C.K. Prahalad Best Business Book prize at the Bangalore Business Literature Festival in 2019.
Besides being a businessperson, Alok is an Art of Living Teacher and regularly facilitates meditation and breath workshops. He has been meditating since the last thirty years.
Alok is also a motivational speaker and has spoken at various corporate conferences, and at Wharton, Harvard Business Schools and many of the IIMs and IITs.
Alok takes a keen interest in mentoring emerging entrepreneurs and writes a popular daily blog #dhandhekibaat on Facebook and LinkedIn.
This book is amazing. I don't know from where to start, this is a book in which author alok kejriwal has described his startup journey and the various challenges faced during that and the lessons learnt from it. Every page of this book is filled with nuggets of wisdom. Also the book is written in a very interesting manner and it feels like you are with author in his journey. Also I find that author didn't filled the book with unnecessary information which eventually makes the book boring. So it is must read, especially if you want to be an entrepreneur and have interest in business.
The biggest compliment I can give this book is that anyone can read it. It is written in simple, clear and mostly concise language. It took me 4 hours to finish the book. There is no intellectualization or theorems. It’s a person’s story and although Alok talks about his learning at the end of every chapter there is a lot that you can interpret and learn on your own as well. Of course, since I’m an entrepreneur myself it is even more relatable for someone like me. However, my sense is that most people who read it will enjoy it.
The best chapter in the book is the chapter on Sales.
What I would have liked?
- Not enough failure stories. Im sure Alok has failed many times but the book very briefly talks about it on the surface. I know Indian audience doesn’t like gloom but that side would have been interesting to know. Alok’s social media updates actually explore those more.
- More about games2win and how it is doing at this stage.
- More about his wife and environment at home. Did his wife work when he was trying things? Was she ok if he wasn’t making a lot of money? What was her role?
Lastly, one thing which many people may not relate to is that Alok was a South Bombay kid from a family that was relatively quite well to do. I’m not taking anything away from his success but other entrepreneurs shouldn’t blindly benchmark themselves with Alok because right from his school days he was blessed with a terrific network. Of course having a good network guarantees nothing and hats off to him for being able to positively and constructively use all the help that came his way. In many ways, I think that is Alok’s great gift - to give and receive openly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I came across this book sometime in 2019 and had added it to my reading list. I am glad that I finally went around and read it. Both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs will derive a lot of value from it. What stood out to me was the fact that even though it is a simple read, there is nothing but straight up wisdom on every page. As I went along reading the book, it was great to see some of my personal beliefs getting reaffirmed while learning so many new things. Highly highly recommend it.
My top 5 takeaways: 1. Importance of learning the "art of selling"- Knowing this art isn't just meant for people who have sales in their title, anyone who wants to be successful should know it. Alok helps you understand not only the "why" of sales but the "how" as well throughout the book (knowing your pitch, understanding your audience, objection handling, being a good listener to name a few).
2. Busiest and the most successful people are always ready to help- I have experienced this many times in my personal and professional life, so can vouch for it. All you have to do is ask. :)
3. Running a business ethically and truthfully- Contrary to popular opinion, businesses can be built on these principles (Alok's success and his multiple ventures are a testimony to it) and is something equally applicable in personal life.
4. Being patient- As they say, " patience is bitter and its fruit is sweet". A lot of backbreaking work, patience and persistence are required when you are trying to sell something. Even if you aren't selling anything, being patient pays off in the long run. One has to learn to wait and watch, the win will come in time.
5. Family first- Everything else can wait when it comes to one’s family and their happiness, so never trade that for anything.
A very interesting autobiography with loads of lessons and anecdotes for new and seasoned entrepreneurs. Also a great read for sales professionals.
Most important part of each chapter is the My Learnings section at the end - it not only validates what you've already learnt from a certain story in the chapter but also adds a new dimension to how Alok thought about that incident at the time it happened vs what he feels about it in hindsight.
This is a masterpiece. Author has presented his amazing journey so delightfully, I could not stop reading. I strongly recommend all entrepreneurs to read this book.
I have read many books by startup entrepreneurs from US and always wondered how much of those learnings are really relevant in the Indian Context where the business culture and context is very different .
this is one book which details the journey of the Indian Startup entrepreneur and found it very relevant and Inspiring .
Must read for those who are entrepreneurs or planning to start on their own .
Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks - Alok Kejriwal A quick easy read, yet full of magic for Entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, also connects with a lot of youngsters who struggle with the issue of generation gap, mindset gap, thinking patterns in family businesses. Short, real stories of Alok with valuable lessons in his journey of #Entrepreneurship #BookLovers #LoveToRead
A lovely book... rare occasion where from downloading the sample of a book to writing this review time elapsed is < 24 hours Alok what a simple, humble and honest account of your entrepreneurial journey... rare degree of transparency.
Entrepreneurs must read this... so also those who have buried their entrepreneurial streak within.
Sample some excerpts here --
"...process of sales must be experienced first-hand by an entrepreneur, and not delegated to someone else... "...even though fame, fortune and glory are important, it is utterly futile and silly for an entrepreneur to sacrifice precious personal moments to chase transient business events... "...a person’s highest success is best demonstrated by the happiness of the people closest to him... "...the best-laid plans could go up in smoke when the wind changes direction. Nothing was certain in business and a hero today could quickly become a zero tomorrow... "...a founder must roll up his sleeves and jump straight into the heart of the business problem. Sitting on the sidelines giving instructions to the teams doesn’t help... "...‘creativity of naivety’ -- when your mind is pure and not clouded by any preconceived notions, you have amazing clarity and breakthrough ideas emerge... "...For those who may not be familiar with startups and their funding agreements, most entrepreneurs sign mountains of complex, draconian contracts when they raise money. Embedded inside these documents are deadly clauses, such as the one called the ‘drag out’ provision that allows the investors to literally drag out the founder-promoter in the event of a sale or change in management of the startup. In my particular case, it was this clause that was being invoked. I was being offered a very handsome sum of money to walk out of my own company forcibly. The harsh reality of the situation began to sink in. Here I was—someone who had founded a great company that was wonderfully positioned in the perfect storm of the lucrative Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) explosion in India. Just when my fortunes were about to start looking up, I was being forced to walk out of my own company with just a few million dollars. This was the greatest ironies of them all... "...there is also a chance you will meet a kind of sadistic buyer—someone who gets pleasure from troubling you, without any intention of actually doing business... I met one such client in a multinational paints company... This man would keep accepting my meeting requests and ask me to come to meet him in his office. There, he would keep me waiting for hours and later send me a message with the operator that he had become busy or that his boss had called him for an urgent meeting, etc. He did this with me three or four times. Nevertheless, I was relentless and kept visiting him. One day, after he had called me and made me wait for about forty minutes, he came to meet me personally and informed me that there was no vacant meeting room for us to meet! The multinational he worked in had a sprawling office, and I was sure this was just another trick of his, to torment me by calling me to his office and then asking me to leave. The lobby area I was sitting in was full of visitors, and when he mentioned that there was no meeting room available, I raised my voice slightly and said, ‘Sir, there is a room available! May I suggest it?’ This man looked at me perplexed, gulped and said, ‘Hmmm . . . I’m not sure. Tell me, which room is available?’ I looked at him while others in the waiting room were carefully listening in and said, ‘Sir, the men’s toilet. There is a space for my laptop near the washbasins, and all I need is a few minutes. Can we go there together?’ The man’s face turned ashen and immediately apologetic. He had realised that his sadistic game was up... Five minutes later, I was sitting in the most gorgeous boardroom I have ever seen. The man was polite, repentant and gave me a good, substantial order!
Selected this book out of Amazon Prime's free monthly reading options.
It starts slow initially but the pace quickens the deeper into the book you go. The contents were quite insightful for someone like me, who in spite of access to media and people who were intensely aware of certain major events, grew up mostly tuned out when it came to a good chunk of Indian television like Jassi JKN, Indian Idol, KBC etc. Reality entertainment almost never caught on at home.
More about the beginning, the chapters about the inner workings of a socks company was also very interesting and is what kept me reading ahead. Wasn't nearly enough prepared for the level of intrigue contained within the following chapters. The learnings at the end of each chapter are also very useful.
Personally, what really stood out is how such simple language can tell such an engrossing story without being unnecessarily wordy or ornate. Plus, Alok made sure he was as equally honest as possible whether it was his wins or losses. If someone decides to turn this book into a movie, I'd watch it.
Recommended reading for business and lay people alike.
A decent book of how boy raised in a typical Marwadi setup and how business is ingrained in him since childhood. Just like other Marwari families, the young man faces a lot of difficulties as other family members are jealous of his success. He then, moves to the internet industry and makes a name for himself in the technology space, he is now known as Alok Kejriwal. There are a few interesting sales tips given by him in the book and a lot of focus on striving on hard work at all times which eventually will help you reach your destination. He also speaks on how connections can help you take your company forward and the importance of networking.
Although, I feel that money was never a major concern in his entrepreneurial journey which is the case in a lot of other entrepreneurs.
Great book which highlights practical challenges in business and learnings thereby
I liked this book, specially how Alok has gone about his struggles, challenges and how he overcome them one after another. He has distinctly mentioned solutions and learnings in each chapter. Book is inspiring and motivating and full of wisdom. Highly recommended for everyone
A concise pocket book kinds format on theearnings Kejriwal had over the years. It was a breezy read which would be helpful for first time entrepreneurs
The stories mentioned were intriguing and very inspiring for budding entrepreneurs. People should read this to get inspired and motivated to start their own journey.
I really loved the way Alok presented his entrepreneurial journey blended in short stories. The most interesting part for me is the learning notes at the end of each chapters. As a salesperson with a strong passion to become an entrepreneur once day, this book will be the best reference. I really inspired by the selling approach and passion of Alok towards opportunities. This is something I really wanted to admire in my career. Thank you for sharing your amazing rollercoaster entrepreneurship ride Alok. Highly recommended to read..
I started following Alok Sir on fb a year back and I become a fan of his posts and Dhande ki Baat tips, I am not a book reader at all but I love reading this one and being a small entrepreneur I can relate many things with myself also.
Determination, patience, hard work and sales are key take ways. Alok lucid writing style made me is fan. My learning section after each chapter is treasure.
Amazon prime (1book free we month) gave me an opportunity to download and read this book. Never had this book on my reading list, but thank goodness that I got to read this one. The book is a self account of Mr. Alok Kejriwal on his business upbringing, his tryst with his father's socks company and starting his own company. Alok has been quite modest in penning his accounts of his salu life ( read sales life).
He recounts his failures, his Eureka moments in the book. The book is motivating, inspiring and empowering for readers.
Effective learnings from someone who has done things first hand
Really loved the no-drama yet simply to the point focused learnings to ensure zero dilution of the concept Alok is trying to convey. Shorter chapter length makes it easier for you to correlate incidents and corresponding learning. Really enjoyed it reading in and out and totally recommended to everyone who wants to understand Indian startup struggles in most real sense.
Real life learnings. Must read book for every entrepreneur, sales and marketing professional & a common man as well. Thank you sir for sharing your valuable experience & knowledge with help of this wonderful book covering many important topics of startup & business life.
Remember 1. everything starts small so start and don’t wait 2. Practice makes a man perfect so keep practicing as an athlete or artist does it.
I used to follow Alok's blog probably since its early days (around '07 or so, if I remember right), and attended a bunch of his Rodinhood meetups and felt there was a little something that was off (not in a bad way, but just something seemed off). Reading his book in a personal record time of 2 days, I figured what that something off was. It was a child-like innocence that he has somehow managed to retain through years of surviving the ruthless business/entrepreneurial ecosystem. Something that a lot of us have either gotten rid of, or buried deep under worldly smarts. I have newfound respect for the man. His book is a wonderful journey filled with that child-like narrative which is interesting to read, reminds the reader the need to be humble, and is filled with highly useful learnings from his rather exciting entrepreneurial journey. I wish him continued success in his pursuits!
I appreciate Mr alok's effort in writing this book very precisely this book Is of a great help to young entrepreneurs. It was hard for me keeping this book aside .I must say after reading this book I am admiring your efforts,your luck and your potential, bravo !! For you sir