#BookReview : The Inheritors by Sonu Bhasin
Title: The Inheritors
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Penguin
Author: Sonu Bhasin
Blurb:
Why did Harsh Mariwala leave his family business?
What made the entire Dabur management to quit one day?
How did Dhingra brothers turn a suffering business in to India’s second largest paints company?
This is a fascinating behind the scenes look into what goes behind brands like Marico, Dabar, Keventers, Berger Paints, Select Group, Max Group and many others.
The book focuses on the culture, family politics, business rivalries between and within families, ego battles and a lot more. Plus there are the inheritors themselves who sometimes take the business to great heights and during others, lead to its doom.
My review:
I’m not someone who reads a lot of non fiction books, but something about this book interested me and I wasn’t disappointed. The book deals with different family business and the how they have come up. It is easy to assume the road to success would have been a cakewalk for family run business but the book sheds light on reality. Pooja Jain of Luxor even questioned the author on why she was calling the book “The Inheritors” as she was of the opinion that the general opinion would be that they had it all easy! But the book delves not just into the history of the business but also about all the struggles both past and present and in parts even what awaits them in future.
Written from author’s point of view while she interviews the inheritors, the book explores their stories. It makes an interesting read as they are narrated as stories and its not facts. In the end of each story, there is a conclusion which summarizes how each business has grown and how the future looks for them. These stories are not just success stories – a lot of them deal with failures and a lot of other problems. Read these stories and you’ll be surprised. Running a family business definitely isn’t a bed of roses!
The stories are inspiring. Each business/brand has something to teach each one of us. This book may not tell you the steps you need to undertake to start your own business, but there’s definitely a lot to learn. One thing that impressed me is the amount of research the author has undertaken in writing this book. I only wished the author could add some pictures along with the stories. That would have made the book more interesting.
So if you are some who is interested in entrepreneurship or are simply interested in knowing more about some family run businesses in India, then this is for you.
My Rating : 4/5
I received a copy of the book from Writer’s Melon in exchange for an honest review.
I am not a person who is into non fiction reads…but after reading ur blog I guess I hv to read it
I like it how you have put it across
That’s the thing about nonfiction, it needs to inspire and keep the interest alive. Shall try reading it. Btw have you read any of Prachi Garg’s work? It is about entrepreneurs and it is interesting. She has a series.