The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions

by Gurbaksh Chahal

Book Overview

Gurbaksh Chahal started the Internet advertising company ClickAgents from his bedroom at the age of 16, having emigrated to the United States with his Sikh family from the small town of Tarn Taran,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0230610951
• ISBN13: 9780230610958
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Impatience Is a Virtue

... Impatience is a virtue, according to Gurbaksh Chahal, Indian-born entrepreneur, multi-millionaire, and author of The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions. In clear, quicksilver prose, Chahal captures the ups, downs, and eventual moonshot of a business deal that served as coda on his journey from outcast immigrant to rockstar Internet entrepreneur. Given the long odds of millionaire-dom most people are up against, Chahal writes convincingly that The Dream is within anyone's grasp if the person is willing to put in the work and withstand the pain of growth. Don't let the subtitle fool you. This book is completely the opposite of what you would expect a Trump or Kiyosaki to write. In lieu of the telltale bombast and self-promoting piffle of the insecure, Chahal delivers introspective and open snapshots of his life, adolescent awkwardness and all. As the other reviewers note, if you can at least fog a mirror, this book will motivate you. If an immigrant, Sikh, high school dropout can succeed wildly in this country, the reasoning goes, why can't you? But do note it was neither laziness nor intellectual inadequacy that prompted Chahal's departure from that rote facts factory that we know as high school. Instead, it was the realization that the keys to his success awaited beyond the confining wall of institutionalized education. He wanted in on this thing called the Internet that he saw minting overnight millionaires (much of the action takes place during and immediately after the 1998-2000 dotcom craze). And being locked in a classroom, force-fed an irrelevant curriculum was about as far from the action as you could get. His impatience got the best of him. And the rest, as they say, is history. Just in case you haven't read it, I won't spoil the plot for you here. But here are a few takeaways. 1) Chahal was no "luckier" than any of us privileged enough to live in the United States or other countries based on free enterprise. He did break rules (but besides purchasing a fake ID to appear older to potential investors, he says he always acted within the law), and his businesses broke or at least shifted paradigms. If you simply do what's expected and what you're told, your chances of breakout success like his are almost non-existent. Make your own luck by becoming the absolute best at what you love. Original? No. But ask how many people actually do it. 2) Persist and always, always get up after defeat. I can be a bit of a sentimental sap, so my reaction may be atypical, BUT, my corneas got quite damp when Chahal mentioned the example of dogged persistence set by his stern but quietly loving father. At one point, his non-demonstrative dad is practically destroyed and in tears after a stock market blip wipes out the family savings. Days later, the father recovers emotionally, and reaffirms as family patriarch his commitment to buy a proper house removed from the projects: The family must work even

Great Book

This is story of a Normal Dude who went from nothing to be a Millionaire. Before I read this book, I thought he must be a Excellent programmer to create two successful companies but I was wrong. G is a Sales guy with Excellent business mind. He learned from the mistakes and never repeated them. Throughout the book, he will point out the great lesson he learned from getting sued by a London Programmer to leaving Yahoo! corp. World. Good Luck 22. Great Book.

Just Fantastic

I'm truly impressed by what Gurbaksh has achieved. Being an Indian myself, i understand what it is like to have strict parents and go through some of the things he talks about in the book. He captured my attention completely from start to finish and i finished the book in one sitting (never been able to read that much at once before!). If you're passionate and want to make your mark in business, this book can show you what it takes. He achieved his potential against all odds and this is something that most of us fail to do. He did have a few things in his favour, but you get lucky only if you look. It's a story of blood, sweat, tears and sweet success in the end. I aspire to be like him one day. p.s. - Gurbaksh if you're reading this, I'm 19, born and raised in India and currently doing my undergrad in the UK. Please let me get an internship at Gwallet! I'd do anything to get that chance! Thank you. [..]

Very Impressed

I bought this book and then just saw the author on Oprah, what a story. It is inspiring and makes me believe that I can accomplish anything if I combine a good business plan and a passion for business.

Amazing Story! Dreams do come true...

What a great story! It's wonderful to read about someone living the American dream. From immigrating from India as a child to dropping out of high school to becoming a self-made millionaire while still a teenager, Gurbaksh's story is inspiring and motivational, as well as an excellent read.