Review by Bipul Barla -- Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
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Bipul Barla
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- Latest Review: Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
Review by Bipul Barla -- Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
[Following is a volunteer review of "Underdog Thinking" by Atul Vir.]
"An entrepreneur is like an artist painting a canvas that needs continuous improvement."
Underdog Thinking: A Bold Idea, A Business Adventure and 101 Lessons Learned Along the Way by Atul Vir. Though this book is all about entrepreneurship, the author has written this book as a story. This is the story of the author himself; who has completed his schooling in India, went to Europe in search of a job, joined an International Import and Export company as an accountant, Sent to Africa by the employer to save the company. He was contented with his job and earnings but as we all know times are not always the same. Due to a political situation, the company lost its business in Africa. And that was the end of the author's adventurous life in Africa. He moved to the United States of America and looked for a job to support his family. Despite all his efforts, he was rejected by every employer. And finally, he thought to do business. And that's the beginning of a new journey of Atul Vir and his company "Equator".
In this book, the author is talking about the lessons he learned in the fight to survive in the corporate world. The business theories taught within the four walls of a classroom or studied from the textbooks may not that easy to assimilate and relate them in the real world, because the problems an entrepreneur may face are never the same. Since entrepreneurs are the pioneers of a new way the problems they face are also new, they always have to find the solution by themselves. Every entrepreneur has to learn it the hard way the author has learned it as well. And besides the theories and business rules, there's something which has a great impact on business. And that is 'attitude'; which also includes trust, ethics, loyalty, accountability, persistency, etc.
I liked this book and I read this book in three layers: 1. As a story: good quality literature which can be seen in the writing style; business lessons are always tiresome but in this book, the author didn't allow to feel the pain of learning with his impressive storytelling skills. 2. Entrepreneurial lesson: Launching your business, Growing your business, Managing your business, Developing Relationships, Innovating, Never Accept Defeat, Excellence, Ethics, The Customer and Failure. These topics are covered in a simple manner. 3. A book for motivation: I am astounded by the author's patience, willpower and courage. When he was looking for a job in America he was rejected from everywhere in such a situation normally people get nervous, but he decided to start a business even though he had no idea about American business or how to start a business in America. Another instance when he was looking for a producer for his washer-dryer combo washing machine in Germany. It is pretty difficult and needs patience to wait till the last to hear the affirmative response. There are lot more instances where we can see the outstanding personality of Mr. Atul Vir.
From my point of view, this is a very good book, professionally edited with moderate vocabulary. The flow of writing is simple and attractive even if it seems a little bit tangled in the middle but I think that's alright. The author has described the incidents so beautifully that the reader won't have the slightest feeling that he/she is reading non-fiction. Entrepreneurial qualities, Principles of Management, Roles of a CEO are explained in a unique style. I would like to give this book a 4 out of 4-star rating. And I would like to recommend this book for teenagers and adults.
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Underdog Thinking
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
"An entrepreneur is like an artist painting a canvas that needs continuous improvement."
Underdog Thinking: A Bold Idea, A Business Adventure and 101 Lessons Learned Along the Way by Atul Vir. Though this book is all about entrepreneurship, the author has written this book as a story. This is the story of the author himself; who has completed his schooling in India, went to Europe in search of a job, joined an International Import and Export company as an accountant, Sent to Africa by the employer to save the company. He was contented with his job and earnings but as we all know times are not always the same. Due to a political situation, the company lost its business in Africa. And that was the end of the author's adventurous life in Africa. He moved to the United States of America and looked for a job to support his family. Despite all his efforts, he was rejected by every employer. And finally, he thought to do business. And that's the beginning of a new journey of Atul Vir and his company "Equator".
In this book, the author is talking about the lessons he learned in the fight to survive in the corporate world. The business theories taught within the four walls of a classroom or studied from the textbooks may not that easy to assimilate and relate them in the real world, because the problems an entrepreneur may face are never the same. Since entrepreneurs are the pioneers of a new way the problems they face are also new, they always have to find the solution by themselves. Every entrepreneur has to learn it the hard way the author has learned it as well. And besides the theories and business rules, there's something which has a great impact on business. And that is 'attitude'; which also includes trust, ethics, loyalty, accountability, persistency, etc.
I liked this book and I read this book in three layers: 1. As a story: good quality literature which can be seen in the writing style; business lessons are always tiresome but in this book, the author didn't allow to feel the pain of learning with his impressive storytelling skills. 2. Entrepreneurial lesson: Launching your business, Growing your business, Managing your business, Developing Relationships, Innovating, Never Accept Defeat, Excellence, Ethics, The Customer and Failure. These topics are covered in a simple manner. 3. A book for motivation: I am astounded by the author's patience, willpower and courage. When he was looking for a job in America he was rejected from everywhere in such a situation normally people get nervous, but he decided to start a business even though he had no idea about American business or how to start a business in America. Another instance when he was looking for a producer for his washer-dryer combo washing machine in Germany. It is pretty difficult and needs patience to wait till the last to hear the affirmative response. There are lot more instances where we can see the outstanding personality of Mr. Atul Vir.
From my point of view, this is a very good book, professionally edited with moderate vocabulary. The flow of writing is simple and attractive even if it seems a little bit tangled in the middle but I think that's alright. The author has described the incidents so beautifully that the reader won't have the slightest feeling that he/she is reading non-fiction. Entrepreneurial qualities, Principles of Management, Roles of a CEO are explained in a unique style. I would like to give this book a 4 out of 4-star rating. And I would like to recommend this book for teenagers and adults.
******
Underdog Thinking
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
