The Economy Class Founder by Manasij Ganguli
My take on the book:
Economy Class Founder — isn’t that an intriguing title for a book? How does a founder classify as Economy Class or otherwise? The Economy Class Founder by Manasij Ganguly tells the story of building his first startup ThreadSol. While the author narrates about his life beginning from his childhood days in Patna, the narration picks pace when the story reaches the point where the idea for the startup is finalized, and initial work is started by the co-founders.
I read couple of books by Startup founders but most of them are written in self-help format with lessons they learnt in their journey and tips on how entrepreneurs and enthusiasts can apply them to building their own startups. What sets this book apart is that the author does not explicitly mention what he learnt through his journey as lessons for budding entrepreneurs, instead lets the reader deduce from his story.
At the beginning of the book, the author mentions who should read this book; since I have an immediate family member who has been working for a startup from the first day, a lot of it felt personal. The lucid narration style by the author keeps the reader engaged all through, as it is generally difficult for non-fiction books to hold the reader’s attention. The interesting illustrations in the book also add to the story.
The challenges faced by the author and his team — how some promising ideas turned as dead-ends, but few unexpectedly helped them move forward, are very interesting to read. So is the case with the people he met along this journey — few who helped their startup immensely and few who disappointed. The way the author narrates everything real and raw without sugar-coating, is the USP of the book.
If building a startup into a multi-million company from an idea intrigues you, then pick this book to read about the author’s personal journey and you are sure to learn a lot of real life lessons in entrepreneurship.
My rating:
4.5/5.