The Entrepreneur (English) BY Sharad Tandale

The Entrepreneur is an account of a Pune-based businessman and entrepreneur Mr Sharad Tandale, who is the author himself, wrote this book within the larger framework of the ever-increasing universe of self-help books. This book takes the readers out of that frame enough to completely change the purpose and intent of such books. While many books might try to sell you success and prosperity, the author’s account of his journey is a guidebook through the dangers and risks of the world of the enterprise and only then does it talk of success. The author chronicles his 10 years as an aspirational youth, much like many others over the last decade or more, who have had the spark of entrepreneurship ignite within them and then soon after extinguished by the severe and steep struggle that one has to go in conditions like those in India.

He records himself with honesty, a quality missing from many of the ‘popular’ self-help books. His honesty is a reflection of his desires, aspirations and the decisions he took. The way he failed, and the mistakes he made, make this book connect with you on a personal level. It feels like your own story. What the author’s book does even more differently than the market-saturating guidebooks is to keep everything in perspective. Every mistake, every dream, every achievement and every reward, is seen in the context of the sacrifices and hardships that he had to go through to achieve them, the street smart wit he had to keep and the sheer risk embedded within the structure of businesses.

In a way, the author brings realism to success. This book is a refreshing breath of fresh air in a market with books that feed you dreams, aspirations and almost formulaic solutions and pathways to achieve them. The Entrepreneur, makes the reader realize that entrepreneurship is not a fairy tale of success.