We all know Blinkit. I always feel that if you need something urgently, just BLINK and IT will be here. When we moved to Mumbai almost two years ago, I was not very familiar with this “ten-minute” livery system. For me, ordering groceries online meant waiting for it to reach to you. So, if i needed something fast I had to either run to the market myself or beg someone to go.
My first brush with online grocery delivery was Grofers which before reading this book I didn’t know was the erstwhile Blinkit. Grofers service helped me a lot when I was in Vadodara but once we moved from there I had forgotten all about it.
Coming to the book, Buildit – Building Blinkit in an Evolving India, written by Albinder Singh Dhindsa, CEO and co-founder of Blinkit. The book traces the time from student days of the founder, to inception of a delivery service to present day Blinkit.
He has written about the whole process of starting up a business in India and setting up roots. There were many setbacks and lack of support that he has mentioned.
“The underlying reason that the formal route is so difficult is due to the high rates caused by these bad actors in the local economies. These folks know that enforcement of penalties is nearly impossible, so they get loans approved with no intention of repaying them. For context, the amount owed by wilful defaulters to Indian banks was Rs. 23,000 crore in 2012. By 2022, this had jumped ten times to Rs. 2.4 lakh crore. The resultant impact of this on grassroots entrepreneurship is debilitating as the processes to curb these default rates also end up stifling reasonable terms of credit to honest businesses. In trying to stop small-scale defaults by bad actors, our formal credit system ends up leaving out the good businesses.”
I liked how the writing though talking about business and start ups, fundings and expenses is so easy to understand. He has written all about finding the right partners and managing a company that solely relies on services and gig workers.
There have been many upsets and problems in their way but the company and its founders persevered to make Blinkit what it is today.
The journey from Grofers to Blinkit has been very interestingly and transparently given by the writer and it is joyful to read. The changes in our country with regard to start ups and service providers can be seen vividly in this account of a successful businessman and founder.
Buildit is an interesting book and there is minimum business jargon used so it is easy to read too. I am sure everyone will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
My rating: 4.6/5
This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program.
Leave a Reply