Making It Big by Binod Chaudhary ; Published by  Portfolio / Penguin ; Pages  411 ; Price Rs.399/-

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The book under review is the autobiography of the first  billionaire of Nepal Vinod Chaudhary. He  has built a billion-dollar empire under the Chaudhary Group and Cinnovation banners. The only  Forbes billionaire from the Himalayan nation, with a net worth of $1.16 billion recounts graphically how he reached this peak—the trials and tribulations.  “When I made up my mind to write this book, I also decided that I would not manipulate it,” he says. We have an honest account of his achievement.


 Prince Dhirendra to   protect Chaudhary  offered him  a majority stake in a new company and asked him to sign a paper that confirmed that the money he was investing for his share was a loan, What emerged was a company called Apollo Steel Industries. It gave Chaudhary considerable power flowing  from the governance structure: “In those days, all government ministries were divided among, and controlled by, the secretaries at the royal palace. However, these secretaries were subordinate to the King’s brothers, who had divided the ministries among themselves.” 

The details of the partnership and a subsequent standoff with the Prince’s wife reveal  an incredible show of power and corruption.  “There were also good souls in the royal family like  Prince Dhirendra, who was killed in a massacre in Kathmandu in 2001." 

 What are the motivating factors of this truly successful businessman?. Four  factors--High ambition, organisation building, market awareness and keeping oneself updated about trends .

The  Chaudhary Group (CG), a conglomerate of 122 companies  include banking, insurance, finance, hotels, food, real estate, retail and electronics and has collaboration among others with the Taj Group. CG  is famous  for  the Wai Wai brand of instant noodles, which has percolated  into India.

The story of Wai Wai,  began around 35 years ago when a friend noticed large quantities of the noodles arriving on the Bangkok-Kathmandu flights into a market that imported a large quantity of  Maggi. Chaudhary boldly entered  into the market and the  company  has "sold more than a billion packets in India" and sells in over 35 countries.

His  company has an annual turnover of Rs 250 crore.

We are given details of  his first multinational venture Taj Asia and the travails with  the Taj Group. 

 Chaudhary eloquently recapitulates his  family members , especially  his grandfather who was born in Shekhawati in Rajasthan and  moved to Nepal when he was less than 20 years old and  opened  a textile store. Chaudhary's father set up Nepal's first department store and Chaudhary joined the business at age 18.

 Chaudhary says , “You do not annoy the tiger if you want to survive in the jungle.” The tiger in this case was the royal family, which at the time governed the country. According to  Chaudhary , entrepreneurs have to cooperate with whoever is in charge, “be they royals, democrats or Maoists.”

He  candidly recounts  how he struck  alliances and deals over the years with his business interests in mind.  “You know relationships are important for making anything big in America, in Japan, anywhere in the world. I’ve never been shy about my relationships with anyone.”

 The book offers a surprisingly frank window into Nepal’s recent history complete with palace intrigue and behind-the-scene dealings.

 The earthquake in Nepal in 2015 killed 9,000 people, destroyed 700,000 homes and damaged 36,000 classrooms. The Chaudhary Foundation, led by his son Nirvana, who also runs several business lines,  donated $2.5 million directly, and co-invested with outside corporations to bring the total closer to $10 million, to construct 40 schools and 3,000 homes so far.  Chaudhury utilized this  opportunity  to put his  foundation to the center stage.

 Chaudhary remains ambitious, with plans to expand the company’s various interests throughout Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and China..

 Chaudhary’s  father used to say : “You have to sacrifice something to gain something.” The book is about a boy from a conservative Marwari family based in Nepal, who excelled in academics, sang for Radio Nepal, dabbled in movies, went on a hunger strike to get his parents to buy him a car, fought to marry the love of his life (and got his ex fiancee’s relatives to help organise his wedding!), ran some successful nightclubs dressed in bell bottoms, while sporting long hair, and successfully made his mark in the corporate world in his early 20s after his father’s illness, while taking on powerful enemies like the Nepal Royal family, politicians and business associates who wanted him out.

"I did not have a mentor. Neither did I go to a B School. Working in the family business involved travelling to Japan frequently and this has had the largest impact in my professional life. I learnt a lot by working with the Japanese and observing their ethics of team work, meticulousness and systematic efficiency, their tendency to finish all the day’s work and never keep anything pending. 

His formula for success . Be a dreamer. Know when to spend, how to spend and where to spend.

An anecdote from his early life illustrates his success aptly. Binod recalls being sixteen and visiting Mumbai for the first time. He stood in front of the Taj Mahal Hotel and was transfixed in awe of the grandeur before him. He wanted to go in but was intimidated. “We were not used to seeing five star hotels in Nepal.  I was intimidated but also curious. I wanted to walk in. But the gentleman friend who was escorting me was terrified. He said, ‘Don't go in. Tumko nikal dega ( they'll throw you out).’ So I didn't risk it.” The hospitality branch of his business has since partnered with Taj Hotel Resorts in a number of countries.

This is  the special story of a special man who worked with his every breath to make life better for his country and is a must for all budding businessmen.

P.P.Ramachandran.

16/ 10 / 2016