The Buck Stops Here (Electronic book text)

Entrepreneurs are participants, not observers; players, not fans; leaders, not followers. This is the story of an entrepreneur who turned a one-store pharmacy into a 250-plus-store pharmacy retail chain, the second largest in India. The Buck Stops Here is an engaging account of the entrepreneurial journey of the author while building Guardian Pharmacy, India's fastest growing pharmacy retail chain, as well as the bold transition he made from being a top manager for twenty-five years to an entrepreneur. Ashutosh Garg provides a fascinating insight into how he became'The Professional Entrepreneur' by implementing the best practices he learnt as a manager while building Guardian as a strong organization. Garg's life epitomizes the phrase, 'The Buck Stops Here', made famous by former US president Harry S. Truman. At his first job as credit manager at ITC Maurya Sheraton, he shot off a 'pay up or else' reminder to a very important customer, since it was his responsibility to do so. It is another matter that he had to then camp outside the customer's house to prevent the postman from delivering the letter, or else he would have been fired from his job for having done his job. The book blends the rich and varied experience of the author, highlighting his joys, frustrations, successes and failures. From being chastised by his boss, 'When I call you, I expect you to drop all other calls and speak to me immediately', to his son asking him, 'How can you build a business waiting for people to fall sick?' The Buck Stops Here is full of anecdotes and lessons from real life that will guide and prepare the reader to recognize hidden opportunities and identify dead ends on the road to building a new business that can be scaled up into a nationwide business. The author hopes this book encourages and inspires 'budding' entrepreneurs to dream BIG and 'dormant' entrepreneurs to take the plunge.