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The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions
One of America's most successful young internet entrepreneurs tells his unique and inspiring story, and reveals the risks and rewards behind the sky's-the-limit possibilities of internet entrepreneurship. 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, India. He dropped out of high school to pursue the venture full-time, and two years later sold ClickAgents for $40 million, making him one of the youngest self-made millionaires in history and allowing him and his entire family to realize their dreams. Chahal went on to become the youngest executive of a multi-billion dollar NASDAQ-listed company, and then sold his second company, BlueLithium, to Yahoo! for $300 million, turning many of his employees into multi-millionaires as well. In The Dream , Chahal's refreshing advice for entrepreneurs encourages them to embrace risk and to carve out new niches in the marketplace. He emphasizes the value of good business how to execute an idea and get it to the marketplace, how to create and maintain solid business relationships, how to stay grounded, and -- most importantly -- how to teach yourself that failure is not an option. Chahal's story not only shows how a 16-year-old immigrant overcame discrimination and adversity to fulfill his highest ambitions, but also provides aspiring entrepreneurs with valuable hands-on advice on how to achieve success.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 2008
27 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 17, 2012
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal
I got curious about Gurbaksh Chahal when I saw a photograph of him shaking hands with President Barack Obama. He was impeccably dressed and looked exceptionally smart. That lead me to Google him and when I found out he had a book about his life, I purchased it immediately.
Gurbaksh Chahal aka G was an Introvert belonging to a Conservative Indian Punjabi Family – all whom moved to US to start a new life. Typical of any foreign culture versus immigrants experience, Gurbaksh experienced racism and discrimination for his lifestyle and his appearance (those days he sported a turban).
Then from the Stock Market, to experiments with the dot.com era, and finally to his first major venture ClickAgents (got sold for $40 Million) and then moving on to BlueLithium (Got sold for $300 Million to Yahoo) – this book sums up his life to where he is now.
What I personally loved about the book was his Hunger, Honesty and Humility by which he communicated everything about him in a Helpful manner. Compared to what Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki or Dave Ramsey would do – G does use his memoir to beat his chest, advertise himself and make himself look larger than life. In fact he does just the opposite. He shows himself as he is – vulnerable, Scared and lacking in experience.
There are so many nuggets of wisdom hidden throughout the book in each and every chapter of his life that – though he didn’t say it explicitly, it came forth implicitly. The book is very easy to read and keeps your interest throughout.
The Final Chapter is where he summed up his whole life with his principles which I felt should be shared. He aptly titled "The Lessons of Entrepreneurship." Which I have mentioned alphabetically in 25 points.
1. Adjust your attitude
2. Always negotiate from a position of strength
3. Be fearless
4. Be frugal
5. Be nice to people on the way up
6. Do your homework
7. Don't do anything by half measures
8. Don't expect perfection, but strive for it
9. Don't get emotional
10. Don't procrastinate
11. Expect the unexpected
12. Figure out what you are good at
13. Forget noble motivations
14. Grow a thick skin
15. Hire the smartest people you can find
16. Learn to listen
17. Listen to your heart
18. Never compromise your morality
19. Never lose sight of the competition
20. Own your mistakes
21. Perception is reality
22. Pick your battles
23. Trust your gut
24. Watch your back
25. When it comes to staffing your company, don't be frugal
Here are some of the extras I learnt from his life-story.
1) G was not born lucky
2) G was not the poster boy for success
3) He broke rules (Fake ID)
4) He experimented with life
5) He went for his passion
6) He made sacrifices for his passion
7) He went against the grain and common thinking & practices (getting rid of the turban and dropping out of college)
8) He was persistent
9) He knew which battles to fight for and which battles to give in (Being sued and giving in)
10) He was imperfect (bad at attracting women)
11) Money changed him but not his value system (taking care of his parents)
12) He made business mistakes but recovered from them. (restaurant)
13) He did indulge in luxury but stayed aware at all times
14) He knew where to spend money and where to save
15) He was proactive
16) He stuck to what he was good at – Entrepreneurship.
17) He faced his critics
18) G employed the best brains and talent to make his dreams happen
19) G never made the same mistake twice
20) G always took Preventive Measures.
Overall Summary
I loved the book! Among all the so-called Motivational and Inspirational books – this one I rate among the top. And recommend it to anyone who has a dream. If you are looking for honest, sincere, heart-felt inspiration – this is your answer.
Overall Ratings
8 out of 10.
Loy Machedo
Loymachedo.com
I got curious about Gurbaksh Chahal when I saw a photograph of him shaking hands with President Barack Obama. He was impeccably dressed and looked exceptionally smart. That lead me to Google him and when I found out he had a book about his life, I purchased it immediately.
Gurbaksh Chahal aka G was an Introvert belonging to a Conservative Indian Punjabi Family – all whom moved to US to start a new life. Typical of any foreign culture versus immigrants experience, Gurbaksh experienced racism and discrimination for his lifestyle and his appearance (those days he sported a turban).
Then from the Stock Market, to experiments with the dot.com era, and finally to his first major venture ClickAgents (got sold for $40 Million) and then moving on to BlueLithium (Got sold for $300 Million to Yahoo) – this book sums up his life to where he is now.
What I personally loved about the book was his Hunger, Honesty and Humility by which he communicated everything about him in a Helpful manner. Compared to what Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki or Dave Ramsey would do – G does use his memoir to beat his chest, advertise himself and make himself look larger than life. In fact he does just the opposite. He shows himself as he is – vulnerable, Scared and lacking in experience.
There are so many nuggets of wisdom hidden throughout the book in each and every chapter of his life that – though he didn’t say it explicitly, it came forth implicitly. The book is very easy to read and keeps your interest throughout.
The Final Chapter is where he summed up his whole life with his principles which I felt should be shared. He aptly titled "The Lessons of Entrepreneurship." Which I have mentioned alphabetically in 25 points.
1. Adjust your attitude
2. Always negotiate from a position of strength
3. Be fearless
4. Be frugal
5. Be nice to people on the way up
6. Do your homework
7. Don't do anything by half measures
8. Don't expect perfection, but strive for it
9. Don't get emotional
10. Don't procrastinate
11. Expect the unexpected
12. Figure out what you are good at
13. Forget noble motivations
14. Grow a thick skin
15. Hire the smartest people you can find
16. Learn to listen
17. Listen to your heart
18. Never compromise your morality
19. Never lose sight of the competition
20. Own your mistakes
21. Perception is reality
22. Pick your battles
23. Trust your gut
24. Watch your back
25. When it comes to staffing your company, don't be frugal
Here are some of the extras I learnt from his life-story.
1) G was not born lucky
2) G was not the poster boy for success
3) He broke rules (Fake ID)
4) He experimented with life
5) He went for his passion
6) He made sacrifices for his passion
7) He went against the grain and common thinking & practices (getting rid of the turban and dropping out of college)
8) He was persistent
9) He knew which battles to fight for and which battles to give in (Being sued and giving in)
10) He was imperfect (bad at attracting women)
11) Money changed him but not his value system (taking care of his parents)
12) He made business mistakes but recovered from them. (restaurant)
13) He did indulge in luxury but stayed aware at all times
14) He knew where to spend money and where to save
15) He was proactive
16) He stuck to what he was good at – Entrepreneurship.
17) He faced his critics
18) G employed the best brains and talent to make his dreams happen
19) G never made the same mistake twice
20) G always took Preventive Measures.
Overall Summary
I loved the book! Among all the so-called Motivational and Inspirational books – this one I rate among the top. And recommend it to anyone who has a dream. If you are looking for honest, sincere, heart-felt inspiration – this is your answer.
Overall Ratings
8 out of 10.
Loy Machedo
Loymachedo.com
November 10, 2008
I finished this book in a day... I enjoyed the motivational & inspirational elements of this book!
The Main Message That I Took Home From This Book:
Never Give Up On Your Dreams...and Become Obsessed with your Passion!
Cheers,
James
The Main Message That I Took Home From This Book:
Never Give Up On Your Dreams...and Become Obsessed with your Passion!
Cheers,
James
January 6, 2013
One word. Terrific.
January 8, 2009
I had high hopes for this one but it fell flat. A few good morsels but way too many cliches and not enough substance. Gurbaksh is a successful guy but this book is worth passing on.
December 30, 2021
Easy read for a non fictional book. Simple but to be honest, as an entrepreneur, I can't do what he did, he has a drive that I don't have, a smart mind too. Reading this, It made me realize some business queues and how complicated it is to have a big business. I rather have a small one, without getting sued but he did it whatsoever
December 18, 2017
Great story, easy read. Chahal's tale is fascinating and his intelligence undeniable. A good reminder of how hard work pays off.
January 14, 2018
Must read for ALL entrepreneurs.
January 20, 2020
Decent book, inspirational and vunerable, writing style was a little amateur.
December 21, 2023
Great book from a fellow Asian/ Desi background entrepreneur , which made me relate to the author more in terms of when cultural obstacles or the expected status quo in the community can suppress entrepreneurial natural instincts... Or the guts to be different
Further than that inspirational story from a man with humble beginnings and a reminder that anyone make it
More books I read like this makes me think more the key is personal emotional traits vs opportunity, finance or contacts...
To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog
👆🏼 P.S -
If you found this review helpful - I’d like to invite you to discover more on our blog. Where the community share some of our most important insights to level up each others knowledge 💡- from experience in studying books like this, training programs, podcasts and much more - visit the blog link above to find out more.
P.P.S 😅 - You probably noticed from my profile that I’ve reviewed a LOT of books over many years now - if you love seeking knowledge like me I’d love to connect with you further as a like minded person (send me a friend invite! 😀) - Also if you are curious - here is my preferred and recommended resource for seeking timeless wisdom - Check it out via the website invite link below 👇🏼 (You’ll be able to claim some awesome books for free 📚)
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Further than that inspirational story from a man with humble beginnings and a reminder that anyone make it
More books I read like this makes me think more the key is personal emotional traits vs opportunity, finance or contacts...
To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog
👆🏼 P.S -
If you found this review helpful - I’d like to invite you to discover more on our blog. Where the community share some of our most important insights to level up each others knowledge 💡- from experience in studying books like this, training programs, podcasts and much more - visit the blog link above to find out more.
P.P.S 😅 - You probably noticed from my profile that I’ve reviewed a LOT of books over many years now - if you love seeking knowledge like me I’d love to connect with you further as a like minded person (send me a friend invite! 😀) - Also if you are curious - here is my preferred and recommended resource for seeking timeless wisdom - Check it out via the website invite link below 👇🏼 (You’ll be able to claim some awesome books for free 📚)
https://Waseem.tv/GoodReadsBookInvite
May 6, 2013
I'm giving this book 5 stars because of the story, what G did and how he did it. I am fascinated by success stories and am always interested in what people did, or what companies did, to succeed, and this one is no different - very interesting and educational.
This is a great backstory to ClickAgents - G starting that company when he's 16, dropping out of high school the following year, and then selling that company for $40 million at 18 to VCLK. (Clearly a late starter compared to Ben Casnocha, but he caught up quick :-).
You gotta admire his moxie and hustle and how he bootstraps the company with no money by buying software to manage online ads for $30k, paying it net 90, finds a bunch of companies to take his ads, and then finds that first customer who pays $30k up front for their first ad placement.
The cultural dissonance and evolution he describes (includes eventually cutting his hair!), after moving from India and growing up in the Silicon Valley as a sikh was interesting to me as well, as a fellow immigrant to the same region in the 1980s from Asia.
This is a great backstory to ClickAgents - G starting that company when he's 16, dropping out of high school the following year, and then selling that company for $40 million at 18 to VCLK. (Clearly a late starter compared to Ben Casnocha, but he caught up quick :-).
You gotta admire his moxie and hustle and how he bootstraps the company with no money by buying software to manage online ads for $30k, paying it net 90, finds a bunch of companies to take his ads, and then finds that first customer who pays $30k up front for their first ad placement.
The cultural dissonance and evolution he describes (includes eventually cutting his hair!), after moving from India and growing up in the Silicon Valley as a sikh was interesting to me as well, as a fellow immigrant to the same region in the 1980s from Asia.
August 15, 2013
When my cousin first introduced me to this book I was skeptical at first that this was just another one of those successful tycoons telling their life, but this one was different in a good way. The author and I had a lot of similarities starting with his parents came from
India just like mine and at the age of 16 he had a passion of doing something big just like me. Honestly this book relates to me so much because of how many similarities the author and I have. At the age of 16 I have a big passion to do something big like the author did and he showed me how and what it takes. This an inspiring book, if your young, into business, and want to do something big then read this book. The guy was just sixteen when he became the next big thing. Changed me in the way I look at things and making me want to do something big. Touching and inspiring.
India just like mine and at the age of 16 he had a passion of doing something big just like me. Honestly this book relates to me so much because of how many similarities the author and I have. At the age of 16 I have a big passion to do something big like the author did and he showed me how and what it takes. This an inspiring book, if your young, into business, and want to do something big then read this book. The guy was just sixteen when he became the next big thing. Changed me in the way I look at things and making me want to do something big. Touching and inspiring.
August 3, 2014
Everyone has a dream, but...
The dream of the author, a multi-millionaire has come true. Gurbaksh had effectively made millions by taking risks, built up marketing companies and have the luck of a few people on the planet can pretend to, to sell them for millions. Though, a man with a dream, at the right time and found a unique opportunity-at this time the marketing internet compares to the way it is today was in its infancy, which allow Gurbaksh to profit from with a natural flair and the gut to proceed through.
This is a good read that can inspire the reader, yet there's no relevant how to's or some steps highlited and discussed which anyone can map and follow in the author's path.
I wish I could find a 5 or 10 steps in the internet marketing world from the entrepreneur's author view point as principles or guidances inside of the book to comply by and implement in return.
The dream of the author, a multi-millionaire has come true. Gurbaksh had effectively made millions by taking risks, built up marketing companies and have the luck of a few people on the planet can pretend to, to sell them for millions. Though, a man with a dream, at the right time and found a unique opportunity-at this time the marketing internet compares to the way it is today was in its infancy, which allow Gurbaksh to profit from with a natural flair and the gut to proceed through.
This is a good read that can inspire the reader, yet there's no relevant how to's or some steps highlited and discussed which anyone can map and follow in the author's path.
I wish I could find a 5 or 10 steps in the internet marketing world from the entrepreneur's author view point as principles or guidances inside of the book to comply by and implement in return.
June 7, 2015
great story about entrepreneurship! makes me feel and know I can do anything I want to myself! reminds me of the stone soup story about entrepreneurship and how he didn't have the technology at first etc.
definitely G has a lot of character, feeling blessed to be able to learn about such great people. wonder what he'll do next! :)
the dream
- have an edge over the competition. Don't go in trying to be 10% better. He first developed the technology or aquired it only then started.
- spy a lot on the competition, know their every move.
- perception is reality
definitely G has a lot of character, feeling blessed to be able to learn about such great people. wonder what he'll do next! :)
the dream
- have an edge over the competition. Don't go in trying to be 10% better. He first developed the technology or aquired it only then started.
- spy a lot on the competition, know their every move.
- perception is reality
December 20, 2013
A very engaging read about a Sikh boy from India who came to America at a very young age, became interested in business and launched his first business that got sold for $40 million shortly after his 18th birthday.
He goes through the whole thing of starting a business again 3 years later and then sells that business for R300 million.
The book is littered with life and business lessons. I feel this book is going to be come a reference work for me in my business.
He goes through the whole thing of starting a business again 3 years later and then sells that business for R300 million.
The book is littered with life and business lessons. I feel this book is going to be come a reference work for me in my business.
July 15, 2011
One of my favorite books. An autobiography of a young teenager who became an entrepreneur and made millions. He gives specific details about how he did it which I found informative and amazing.
This book is funny, philosophical, and extremely well written. G has made me a fan of his and I hope he writes another book soon.
This book is funny, philosophical, and extremely well written. G has made me a fan of his and I hope he writes another book soon.
June 13, 2012
He is successful but the book itself fails to be more than a boastful story of his success. I read it primarily to know his story so I got what I wanted. Loads of Cliches but considering he is no literary genius, I guess I got what I expected.
December 16, 2015
Good rags to riches story and I love Gurbaksh. I wish there were more details of his business ventures. He was very vague and it was not written as a business lesson, more of an explanation of his life. Easy read, took me about 2 hours.
December 2, 2009
I Liked this book very much, coz he told everything a simple manner, he adds many things to our learning curve. It's not something great but something great. I treat him as an unseen guru ...
October 7, 2010
Very inspiring book and I love his life story. Gurbaksh is somebody I would recommend to everybody look into.
July 20, 2011
pretty inspirational. but he made it during a bubble. It is getting harder to spot the next one.
August 6, 2011
Great book. Explains how he came to American and lived the American dream!
September 6, 2011
Inspiring and motivational
January 5, 2012
Gurbaksh talks about his life story and risks he took as an entrepreneur at a very young age. Overall a good read.
June 8, 2012
Great book. Excellent inspiration for start ups.
November 7, 2012
startin it today..
November 14, 2014
easy read. couple of grammatical errors. all in all, an inspiring true story.
July 9, 2013
It's a very good book for aspiring entrepreneurs, it's basically state most of the facts, expectations, state of mind for successful entrepreneurs. It was worth my time in every way
February 21, 2014
Easy, interesting read about a very young, successful entrepreneur who comes from a very modest upbringing
April 19, 2014
Brilliant Book..
June 12, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a good a read for people who want to take a risk and are afraid of taking it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews