If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, then here is a man offering to help solve your organisational problems by documenting his varied experiences in his book titled, “...and the Award for the Best SME goes to…” The book offers learning sessions for CEOs and senior staff of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on how they could drive their organisations towards the path of success.
Says Ajay Wahi, the book's author, “I've been working with SMEs for 10-15 years now. I felt that one of the major hurdles lies in the difficult task of retaining employees or workforce because they tend to leave such companies to join bigger organisations. I learnt it the hard way. But keeping in mind the future of this country and the immense contribution of SMEs in its growth, my book tries to give digestible and practical solutions to many of the problems faced by such organisations.”
Wahi says he did not find many useful books on the shelves discussing and trying to solve the problems of SMEs from a practical point of view. “Most of the books on management,” he says, “talk about theories, or largely, problems of loans and finances, but none talk about people. My book is practical and guides a CEO on how to create a vibrant organisation.” On whether his ideas would also be useful for entrepreneurs in the unorganised sector, he says he has attempted to cater primarily to “professionals who are knowledge seekers.”
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The book is divided into 101 chapters, each based on one problem Wahi faced over the years. The last chapter talks of why a reader mustn't apply all these ideas at the same time!
Asked to pick one chapter that he considers the most important learning experience for a CEO, Wahi picks the fourth, which instructs the reader to “task them (employees) ahead of their experience” while identifying the strategic business roles and practices they are capable of contributing to the organisation.
With two-page chapters and informal language, the book appears almost simplistic. The author asserts that in his attempt to reach out to everyone, he has used very basic language, avoiding technical jargon to make the book an “easy read”. Besides, he points out, the book is not based on research but his own work in the field.
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Wahi says he introspected and delved into the past while trying to list the problems he faced over the years working with SMEs. “Then,” he says, “I tried to elaborate on the reasons and chalked out various solutions to these problems which find a direct mention in my book. In terms of research, I would accept that it was nil. It is totally based on my experiences.”
With the book on SMEs now out in the market, Wahi is preparing for his next. It will be on management and he intends to use visuals along with the text “to make it more interactive and easy to understand.”