10 must-have books to guide you through your entrepreneurial journey

The entrepreneurial journey isn’t easy. It can be daunting, intimidating, and challenging. But despite these, sometimes all you have to do - all you can do - is just take the leap of faith and go for your dreams. That’s exactly what many inspiring entrepreneurs have done. Let their stories inspire you, help you set goals, expectations, overcome challenges and truly thrive as a leader and as an entrepreneur.

We curated a list of 10 must-read entrepreneur books from HarperCollins, which not only motivates you but also gives you a fresh perspective.

1. How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas by Munaf Kapadia

At the peak of his career, Munaf Kapadia did the unthinkable. He quit his job as a consultant at Google to start a business venture with his mother. How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas is a story of adventure, passion and the delicious taste of success. In the book, Munaf shares his story of opening a Bohri food pop-up from his home in Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade, along with his mother. From sharing his big hits — such as citywide delivery kitchens, catering to Bollywood celebrities, winning a reality show — to giving readers a glimpse into those few misses too, the book is packed with ‘samosa gyan'. Let it inspire you to dream big and give you the courage to walk on your own path. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3iKARZw

2. The Nation’s Homeopath by Mukesh Batra

A journey that started with one homeopathy clinic in Mumbai’s Chowpatty in 1982 has led to an empire spanning seven countries, 150 cities and 200 clinics. And there’s no stopping. Today, Dr Batra’s name is synonymous with homeopathy. But the story behind the success documents challenges, determination, resilience and belief. It was this belief that made Dr Batra borrow money at a staggering interest rate of 36 percent per annum at a time when India was a decade away from liberalization and loans were not readily available. Today, Dr Batra’s clientele includes presidents, prime ministers, actors, sportsmen, artists as well as the common man. The book is an honest take on Dr Batra’s business and the milestones he achieved along the way, including heartaches and failures. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3oKtfdc

3. The Biography of a Failed Venture by Prashant Desai

When Prashant Desai founded the first truly Indian sports brand – D:FY – in 2017, he knew it would be successful. Rajiv Mehta, who started Puma India, joined him as a partner and together they opened 17 stores in seven cities. But the company ended up losing Rs 30 crore in 30 months, virtually wiping out all that Prashant had earned during these years. But when he actually tried to decode the reasons that led to the company’s failure, he realised that there was a treasure trove of success secrets. The Biography of a Failed Venture is a compilation of his learnings, secrets and how he thinks entrepreneurs can avoid the mistakes he committed. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3oFoams

4. 48-Hour Start-Up: From Idea to Launch in 1 Weekend by Fraser Doherty

Why do only some launch their business even though so many dream of it? In 48-Hour Start-Up, Fraser Doherty offers an essential cheat sheet for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business and uses his experience in building a multimillion-dollar company to offer advice. Starting with a blank piece of paper, he set out to start a profitable new business over a weekend, without relying on any technical ability whatsoever. The book chronicles his lessons and mistakes and teaches readers to come up with a business idea without the guesswork, create a kickass brand, website and online marketing campaign and promote their product. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3iGC2Jg

5. Baking a Dream by Tina and Kainaz Messman

How did a recipe born in a small Colaba kitchen on a neighbour's request become the nation’s favourite? Through the book, Theobroma founders Kainaz and Tina Messman share their story, how their ambitious and slightly eccentric Parsi family grew a home catering business into a multi-million business venture. What started with a single cafe has led to a chain of 50 outlets across India. Baking a Dream covers their stumbles and successes to give readers an idea into what truly went on behind the scenes. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3uUfx8B

6. Flight of the Unicorns by Soum Paul

New startups and unicorns are born every year. While startups have become the norm in the current ecosystem, 2015 and 2016 were the truly watershed years in the history of the Indian startup ecosystem. The years saw the word 'startup' enter common parlance, as large investments were made, and several firms achieved the fabled 'unicorn' status of billion-dollar valuation. But soon the bubble burst. In Flight of the Unicorns, Soum Paul takes a deep-dive into the trajectory of Indian startups, exploring what went into launching. The book sees him analyse the patterns in successes and discuss what works and what doesn’t. Buy it here - https://www.amazon.in/dp/9352644778

7. Connecting the Dots: Leadership Lessons in a Startup World by John Chambers

How did legendary Silicon Valley visionary and one of the world's greatest business leaders, John Chambers transform a company with 400 employees and one toaster-sized product (a router) into a tech giant? Through his book, John shares the playbook and philosophy that transformed Cisco into a global tech titan, and the journey along the way. He shares invaluable insights that helped him guide his company to success, not once, but repeatedly. After all, it is not the biggest or the richest players who win, but the ones who are able to stay ahead of the trend by connecting the dots. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3mR3RjB

8. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

Entrepreneurs often talk about how great it is to launch a business, but not many talk about how difficult it is to run a venture. As one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, Ben offers practical wisdom for overcoming challenges that aren't usually taught in business schools. The advice in the book, based on his popular blog, stems from the insights he has gained from his own experiences. Peppered with his trademark humour and favourite lyrics, Ben explains how it is to cultivate and maintain a CEO mentality to thrive. Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3aigUnY

9. The Ultimate Startup Guide: Marketing Lessons, War Stories, and Hard-Won Advice from Leading Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors by Tom Hogan and Carol Broadbent

It isn’t a surprise that while startups are regularly launched with a lot of hope, most of them fail. But why? What is the formula for success? How should first-time entrepreneurs and employees navigate their way around success? The Ultimate Startup Guide aims to answer these questions through its practical advice, insights, lessons, and understanding of the best practices from the world of startups. The book will cover strategies for hiring and building a team, how to pitch a company to secure funding, analysis of venture capitalist criterias and war stories and red flags from top VC partners and entrepreneurs. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3lmrtwL

10. From Startup to Exit: An Insider's Guide to Launching and Scaling by Shirish Nadkarni

India is currently seeing a huge surge in the number of new-age tech entrepreneurs. But how does one navigate through all phases of the tech startup journey? In From Startup to Exit, serial entrepreneur Shirish Nadkarni details out the practical aspects of startup formation from founding, funding, management, to finding an exit. Shirish shares the lessons he gained from over two decades of success in the hope that it'll help budding entrepreneurs in the tech sector. The book will help tech startups understand what they must do to succeed in all phases, from idea stage to IPO. It'll offer invaluable insights from the journeys of other successful tech founders that can be applied to your own situation and teach readers how to raise millions of dollars of funding from angels and VCs. Buy it here - https://amzn.to/3uSS4oa

All the above titles are available at HarperCollins.