STOP PRESS!

In a country where 10,000 copies is considered a ‘bestseller’, 100,000 copies sold in just 9 months is astounding. And to celebrate this beautiful moment, friends, wellwishers, IIMA alumni, entrepreneurs, wannabe entrepreneurs – a hall full of wonderful people - gathered in Bangalore on 2nd July.

Rashmi Bansal speaks on staying hungry

Thoda speech veech hua. 

I spoke.

Pankaj Chandra (director, IIM Bangalore) and Rakesh Basant (Chairperson, IIMA CIIE) spoke.

Laura Parkin (director, NEN) and Prof B H Jajoo (Dean, IIM Ahmedabad) spoke.

Launch of SHSF in Kannada & 100,00th copy

We cut a ribbon and released the 100,000th copy as well as the Kannada edition.  

Shankar Maruwada and Chender Baljee (two of the entrepreneurs in the book launched a ‘mentor network’ to assist young entrepreneurs).

I signed many many books

You can read the complete report here:
http://www.iimaalumni.org/n/front/newsmakers/indexsub.asp?NMID=120

Readers blogged about it here:
Vamshiavk: http://www.consumerpsyche.com/2009/07/entrepreneurial-touch.html

Srikanth AP: http://srik-journey.blogspot.com/2009/07/stay-hungry-stay-foolish.html

Thank you, all for making it happen. And here’s to the next 100,000

Ek aur inspired soul

Dear Rashmi,

I recently bought your book “Stay Hungry! Stay Foolish!”. It is a commendable work by any standards.

I was working with XXX Retail Limited as Marketing Manager for the last one year post my MBA from VGSOM, IIT Kharagpur. After reading your work and “The Alchemist”, convinced that this is definitely not my kind of work, I recently resigned my job and is looking forward to start something on my own in educational sector. Yea it might sound foolish enough to leave a well paying job to pursue the dream even without having a single piece of code written. But the entrepreneurs you have listed have made a deep impact in my life.

Thanks to you and all the entrepreneurs for the same.
Thanks & Regards
SKS

Bahut acchha, shabaash, aagey badhte raho… May a thousand Santoshes bloom!

Critics have not been too kind to ‘Stay Hungry’. So I was pleasantly surprised to read this glowing review by Saaz Aggarwal in Sunday Midday dt May 24, 2009. 

Review of SHSF in Sunday Midday

Thank you Saaz, for capturing the spirit of the book and of its author so beautifully

Many of you write in to me after reading SHSF. You write about problems, about issues and dilemmas. The details are not important – underlying it all is the basic issue of self esteem. If you don’t love yourself, believe in yourself… then who will?  Sample this:

Hi Rashmi

Firstly, Congratulations for all the success you have achieved. You truly deserve it.

Well, I do not know how do I put this across your end.

I know you do not have time to read emails from strangers/unimportant people to you. (eh – why not, I do read emails from strangers and I don’t think of them as unimportant). But if you pay attention to what I am going to say here, you will realize that I am not a single entity. This is actually a voice of lot many people like me.

By cramming and not really understanding what it actually means, I did my engineering and like everybody I too started dreaming of going to US and making money in dollars, not realizing the effect of current market scenario and economy.Somehow I managed to take GRE and as expected I did not score exceptionally well majorly because of the reason A. (which I shall elaborate little later)

But, apart from my own willingness there, it was kinda social pressure on me to go to US as I am surrounded by people(someone of them are your fellow bloggers) who have made it to IIMs and/or Ivy Leagues of USA/Aus/Singapore. (Yes, there are few people who made it to both. IIM + Cornell. Great Na!?)

With all of that, I ended up coming to very average US university for my masters.
But performing ok-ish. Again reason A.

I screwd up in my marketing class as I could not deliver the presentation really well.
I could not speak. So audience(students + prof) couldn’t relate back to me. Reason A.

I avoid reading Blogs…. reason A.

I can’t blog even if I wish to… reason A.

I can’t write good document.. reason A.

I suck at project/other reports… reason A.

I cannnot participate in Case Studies….. reason A.

I sometimes cannot talk to local people here… reason A.

I avoid watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or Family Guy or even good popular english movies…. reason A.

I can’t read books even at the normal speed as others do…… reason A.

I can’t debate……reason A.

I don’t socialize with local people here….. reason A.

I dont get the jokes they say all the time…  reason A.

<List is endless>

I guess you would have understood what the reason A is.
If not, lemme help you.
“I do not understand english so well.
My Vocabulary is very poor. I suck.”
 
Having done my schooling in local medium disinterests me in english.
I can’t read yours/others blogs so easily as I have to keep referring to dictionary.
Even sometimes I don’t understand from the dictionary.

I understand without reading I cannot improve, but this humiliation keeps me away from reading/watching/listening. It’s a never ending loop.

During your achievement/journey of Sophia college and IIM A, you might not have faced such issues. But there exist tons of people like me, who are now affraid of dreaming about IIMs or making to the big positions in MNCs. Or let’s just say… making it big in life.

English is a must and You know it.
But I cannot do it. Period.
It shadows all other great things I have in me And It surely hurts my ego.

Lot many people do not even have such high aims or the vision but I have it. I wish to raise my standard/bar to a level so that I can walk beside you or may be Raghuram/Ranvijay of MTV Roadies or may be top level managers or special people(assets).

I do not want to end my life sitting on one computer lying in the corner, coding for some bug-free softwares and end life being mediocre/average.

During this email, you might not have felt that I am actually suffering from this syndrome.
But I am. It has become a mental block now and gradually I am accepting it.

It’s okay if you prefer not to comment on this. But in any case, if you feel like blogging on this and addressing lot many people like me, please do not reveal this email or my identity as your fellow bloggers and readers will catch me in no time as they know I possess all the guts to make this stupidity. It is just my faith in you, your achievements and maturity that would get me through.

I thought of writing this to you when I saw you at IIM A for ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’. But I am managing it now. Looking for to some positive response.
Take care!

Thank you.

Sincerely,
XXX
Just Another Reader.

My reply: Conclusion A: Your English is pretty good. It is the way you see yourself that is the problem
Skills can be learn, attitude can be changed. Do not be so harsh on yourself.

And on a general note: What can I say… except that any of you out there who feels like this, you need to look into the mirror and fall in love – with yourself. If that seems impossible and stupid, even, read a book called “You can Heal your life” by Louise Hays. I read it two years ago and, it changed me forever.

Nimesh from IIMA Class of 2006 writes with Qs that are on many a wannabe entrepreneur’s mind… My replies after each Q, in CAPS:

Dear Rashmi:

I have been reading your book – Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. I must admit it is quite engrossing and motivating. I did not take any job out of campus in 2006 and instead choose to join the startup – ValueFirst Messaging. Two years I spent in startup were quite fulfilling. After that I have joined XXX (a mobile gaming company) and looking after their India business. The work style here is like a large corporate and my mind always keeps on wandering on one killer idea !

Some queries from you :-
1. How do arrive at one idea which you need to start onto ? I keep on discussing tons of idea with my friends but till date we have not been able to settle to any one idea as the conviction is difficult to comeby. I have heard enterpreneurs sermon that don’t think too much and take a jump. I don’t buy that, we need to do a good analysis before venturing into anything ? But the big question is where to put the stop ? What is the litmus test of any idea you need to venture into ?

ANALYSIS CREATES PARALYSIS SEE, THE GENERAL PATH IS: START WITH AN IDEA, IT FAILS, YOU MODIFY OR CHANGE IT COMPLETELY, IT FAILS, REPEAT UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT

2.Three interesting trend I noted from the stories in the book :-
  a. Lot of people mentioned in the book are between 1988 – 1993 pass out. Second is around 1977 – 1982. This means that people who started in wrong times (or not in these good times) there failure rates were higher. Little more insight into that would help ?
A BOOK CALLED OUTLIERS BY MALCOLM GLADWELL WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!

  b. All most all mentioned on the book are men. This is quite interesting ? Not even one women candidate making it big starting her own ?
YES IT IS STILL A MAN MAN MAN MAN WORLD. HONESTLY ONLY IN 1991-93 FOR THE FIRST TIME THERE WERE 30 GIRLS IN AN IIMA BATCH (MINE). WITH THE SCANTY NOS BEFORE THAT IT WAS HARD TO FIND WOMEN TO FEATURE! 

  c. Most of the people actually worked for atleast 5-8 years before venturing on their own ? Is there a strong linkage between people having prior work experience and enterprises which scalled up above a level ?
NO. MANY START AFTER 0-2 YEARS EXPERIENCE ALSO. SOME WORKED IN SMEs OR SICK  COMPANIES, OR AS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE MD. THAT IS ALSO A GOOD ROUTE

Infact, a story on IIM Ahmedabad enterpreneurs who tried and could not make it big will have several pointers for wanna be enterpreneurs like me to learn from their mistakes.
LISTEN MANY MANY MANY PEOPLE DO NOT MAKE IT BIG. THE THING IS THEY STILL HAVE NO REGRETS. THIS IS WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO. THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS

A v touching email… the kind that I open up and read whenever I need an energy boost. To keep walking, keep writing..

Dear Rashmi

Rashmi, I want to congratulate you for your book “STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH”. Its an excellent book with  different and interesting experience from different IIM-A  graduate entrepreneurs. People who knew that entrepreneurship was their chosen path.
 
I personally have a library at my home for most of the business and success books. Several books changed my course of my life. “Good to great” and “Rich dad poor dad” are couple of it. As we as a company (I own a real estate company in Dubai)  deal with most of the international clients based, I have never read any  book authored by Indian author.  In last visit to  Mumbai I visited crosswords and bought your book as it says on cover that it’s a story of 25 IIM-A Graduates.

After graduation I have given CAT , as to graduate from IIM-A was always my dream. Also I was born and brought up in Ahmedabad. I was not selected by any IIMJ .In fact my general knowledge was very poor. I am talking about the year 1999. At present I am 31 years of age being born in 1978.
 
Your book is truly fascinating. You have presented the story and experience of different entrepreneurs from different field in a very lucid and interesting way. You wont believe I have read your book in 3 nights.. I slept couple of nights after 4.00 am.. I really cannot put your book down. The best thing about your book is your narration of the stories. You narrated story of different entrepreneur  and their “real life business facts” in their unique way. I really learnt a lot from this book.

The best section of the book is “Advice to young entrepreneurs”. Sometimes without reading the whole story I use to jump on this section to collect the Pearls of wisdom. You have truly written a classic. I have read  many international business books but after reading your book I felt that may be I have missed some good classics Indian business books.
 
I always want to come back to my roots to India, as from year 2000, I am in Dubai, immediately after my graduation. Your book made me took this decision now. Real Estate is totally crashed in Dubai and I have personally lost  Millions of dollars investing in real estate. As I have ample of time for last 6 months to think about my passion, I was always thinking to come back to india, especially in Bombay.

Infact after reading your book, I took this decision very firmly. Now I am closing my company in Dubai, I would have keep it open but I think I totally want to focus on doing my MBA and I want to permanently settle in India.
 
I really like to have advice/help and suggestion on one very important thing. I personally feel (and this is my personal view) that entrance test are not properly design. They are mostly loaded with quantitative, qualitative and verbal ability. They also stress much on General Knowledge.  I am very successful as an entrepreneur without an MBA. I have poor upbringing as my father was a “street hawker” and when I was 7 years, my father and his 3 brother family use to stay in one room, having curtains separating their family in night. I never had enough money to pay fees for my MBA as I use to earn on roads selling cutlery items on my father “Laari galla”.Infact in last couple of years I have earned millions of dollars but there is no “Real joy”. I always wanted to do something in my country and make a difference to my own people.
 
Further, I am doing research on several MBA institute nowadays and I am in Mumbai at present. Now I wanted to do an executive MBA which is full time for 1 year. I wanted your advice as to which business school should I prefer? (Thank god at age 31 I have that choice of preferring business school). I can also go for 2 years full time MBA if that is truly required. I can even continue on “payment seat” as I am well off now. Your suggestion will be highly appreciated as this stage of life I don’t want to make wrong choice.

Personally I am married and I am going to be proud father in September 2009.  I will surely complete my MBA now and then do something in India only and Rashmi I promise you that you will hear about me in next 3 to 4 years. I personally wanted to meet you but thought that email will be suffice for now..
 
Your earliest reply on business school advice/help will be highly appreciated
 
Best Regards
 
XX YY

My advice to XX YY: Personally I dont think you need an MBA degree,.. at all. All you need to learn you can, from life and many wonderful people, their thoughts, interactions, writings.  Here’s a recent blogpost by me on this subject which has some food for thought: http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2009/04/friends-romans-greedy-mbas.html. Wish you all the best in whatever you do!

Well that email came in April. I just touched base with Abby again (end July 2009) and he says:

Mumbai is treating me great. Made some investment which is already profitable. Also meeting some excellent people and learning from them. Planning to open my company operations in India soon.  At present roaming different cities in India, just to have a feel of india.

Wonderful – am sure great things lie ahead!

The Gujarati edition of Stay Hungry Stay Foolish was launched in Ahmedabad on April 11. 2009. It is one of the 8 language editions of SHSF which will be launched this year.

Stay Hungry Gujarati edition

The translation has been beautifully rendered by Sonal Modi, who had earlier translated Sudha Murty’s books. It is indeed an honour for me that she took up this project.

On her suggestion, the title ‘Stay Hungry’ has been changed to a Gujarati phrase which means roughly the same. Here is a picture of the book actually being released…

Gujarati SHSF released

Normally regional language editions take a first run of 1000 copies or 2000 copies, but with SHSF the publishers (IIMA CIIE) have taken the bold step of going in for a first run of 10,000 copies !

MRP is Rs 150 ( it’s a 367+ page book compared to the 325 page of English )

SHSF # 1 in India Today list

Ahead of ‘Imagining India’ AND Malcolm Gladwell

India Today – March 2009

An interesting email from someone who not only bought the book but went a step further…

Hi Rashmi
 
I am Parry; was studying in RV College of Engg in B’lore then and now working in B’lore. I was reading your book, “Stay hungry Stay foolish” and found it beautiful. The biographies on such determined people was a very nice concept.

In fact after reading about Info Edge and Educomp and going by Warren Buffets philosophy on considering the Management along with the financial nos of a Company, I ended up buying their stock the next day…

‘Parry Buffet’  ka portfolio zindabad!

I cannot imagine a life without books… So this email delighted me beyond words!

Dear Rashmi,
 
I am writing this to thank you for your remarkable efforts in writing the said book becoz…
 
This is the firstever book in my life which i have actually completed reading, it is my first love with world of books and i cherished every moment of it.
 
The narrative / story telling style of yours made me live thru most of the success stories of the entrepreneurs mentioned therein and helped me to gain valuable insights. You will not believe that this happened to me after 30 years of my landing on earth.
 
All thru my childhood i ran away from books because i felt as if the authors / institutions wanted to force their way of thinking or philosophy on me and which was not acceptable, i always preserved and nurtured the virginity of my thoughts, its only you who was accepted by my mind and heart especially.
 
It was one fine sunday afternoon that i was passing my time at Planet M, when i came across this marvellous effort of yours and life has been different since…
 
Thanks a ton
 
Paremvir Malik

May your romance with reading be a ‘happily ever after’ one…