God's Own Entrepreneurs (The Success Secrets of 21 Entrepreneurs from Kerala)

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R.Roshan is a business journalist with more than 15 years of experience, and is an author of several books. He began his business journalism career in 2004. Currently, he oversees the business news division of Mathrubhumi, a leading Malayalam daily.

He has authored Malayalam books titled 'Swarnathil Engane Nikshepikkam' (How to Invest in Gold), 'Ohari Nikshepar Ariyendathellam' (All You Need to Know About Investing in Stock Market), 'Startup: Thudangam Puthusamrambhangal' (Startup: Let's Start New Ventures), and Vijayapathakal (Success Paths).

He is also a startup evangelist, who is passionate about emerging businesses. Roshan was honoured by the Kerala Startup Mission in 2022. And in 2021, he received the Bisgate Excellence Award for the best business journalist.

Being a business journalist, I often get to closely interact with India's top industrialists and professionals. These interactions have always been exciting for two reasons: one, the possibility of landing a scoop, and second, I get a chance to learn new things from these great people who constantly inspire the wannabe entrepreneur in me to set my own moon shots.

My interest in journalism and entrepreneurship led me to opt for journalism for my higher studies as I believed it would help me understand both areas deeply. When I started my career as a business journalist, I paid special attention to preparing interviews and news that cater to aspiring entrepreneurs, which was a learning process for me too. Some years ago, I had the fortune of asking Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, when he was in Kochi, what are the must-have qualities for an aspiring entrepreneur. This is what he said: "Never take the entrepreneurial road half-heartedly. Try your best to turn your idea into a startup. You should also have deep knowledge about the area in which you are planning to launch your venture". Adi Godrej, head of the Godrej Group, one of the biggest business houses in India, also told me once about the importance of learning as you grow a business.

Later, close interactions with prominent Malayali businessmen further strengthened my belief in learning the ropes and preparing the ground before launching any business. Their journey to success was never a cakewalk as they had to overcome many challenges and setbacks on the path. I realised that their success stories needed to be celebrated along with the stories of startups the world looks up to for inspiration.

Kerala has a deep history of entrepreneurship that dates back to the time when this narrow strip of land on the west coast of India started trading in spices with Arabs and later with the Portuguese. Since time immemorial, it has produced some excellent and bold entrepreneurs, many of whose names are lost to the sands of time.

Today, we live in a world where becoming an entrepreneur is easier than it has ever been. Better access to capital, resources, exposure and to markets that are less constrained by boundaries, have made this a golden age of entrepreneurship.

We are also fortunate that today's entrepreneurial journeys are being increasingly well chronicled. Roshan in his fascinating book 'God's Own Entrepreneurs' writes about 21 entrepreneurs from Kerala who created large global businesses. He records their less-known stories, failures, and eventual triumphs in creating large conglomerates. While the reader will learn that they all come from different businesses ranging from construction, gold trading, hotels, healthcare, and retail to tech, there are some consistent themes that mark their rise- remarkable persistence, creativity, and a determined refusal to accept the status quo. Political or economic boundaries did not inhibit them as they conceived or ran their businesses.

Whether it's M.A.Yusuff Ali who built a giant retail business on foreign shores or Kris Gopalakrishnan and S.D.Shibulal, who built a tech conglomerate out of India taking on global giants, or Byju Raveendran's audacious journey of building the world's most valuable ed-tech company, each of these stories is unique.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages