Book Review – Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari

Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari is not just a book, it’s a journey – from being a rebel to an entrepreneur to the ‘turnaround expert’. Read the full book review of this highly personal book.

How do I know Jason Kothari? I read the news. I read about him first when he was the CEO of Housing.com after it had been going through a turmoil. The turnaround expert that he is, gave this company a 400% revenue growth. But do you know an interesting fact about this serial entrepreneur – he is in his thirties. He achieved success in mammoth proportions from a very young age. So when I got to know he’s coming out with his tell-all book Irrationally Passionate I had to pre-order it on Amazon. And now that we are all stuck to homes – thanks to COVID-19- what better way to utilize the time in something good. And dear readers read the full book review to know whether it was up to my expectations or not.

Book Review – Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari

This is not a ‘Gyan’ autography by an achiever – I read it as a memoir of his life and how that shaped him into what he is.

Born in Hong Kong to Gujarati parents, the younger sibling of the two, Jason was a rebel kid. While his brother was a straight-A student landing up in Stanford, Jason as a child was a decent student. Being brought up across Hong Kong, the USA means he was an outsider in any community of the school. We know how mean kids in schools can be. So a young Jason sees himself through getting beaten up, joining gangs, drinking and everything you would not want your child to go through. These experiences, however, can result in spiraling down of any individual but not when you have the will to do something big.

At 15 he landed a summer job as Jackie Chan’s assistant. He also worked towards turning him from a decent student to an Alumni of The Wharton School. But his negotiation skills started even at a younger age when on a trip to Agra he managed to bargain a marble chess board worth Rs. 500/- and got it at Rs. 30/-.

At Wharton, he collected funds along with his friend to save his favorite comic book company – Valiant from bankruptcy. In just a few years he turned it into the third-largest superhero entertainment company after Marvel and DC Comics! From then on he became the Turnaround Expert and went on to be named as one of the Top 10 CEOs of India while still being in his 30s.

My take on the Book Irrationally Passionate – My Turnaround from Rebel to Entrepreneur

You can read a book in two ways – a. read about the facts and stories b. taking the basics and reflecting it in your own life. I have this habit of putting myself in the place of the protagonist and visualize myself in the positions. There are things that you learn from this book as a parent.

Would I have been able to do a bargain from 500/- to 30/- as an eight-year-old? NO. Would my parents have allowed that to happen? NO. But what Mr. Kothari Sr did was to be the wind beneath his young son’s wings. He didn’t curb his penchant for the art of negotiation – something a lot of Indian parents don’t do.

The life of an entrepreneur is not easy. He is constantly faced with challenges. Even with the privileges that Jason has had, he had the courage to challenge the situations he found himself in from a very young age.

The book is intense and personal – written in simple lucid language making it easy to understand. I love the fact that it is not colored with business jargon – not something you would expect from a Wharton graduate. Perhaps he didn’t want to make a big deal about this degree in the book. What he did was shared his stories and stages in his life in order to inspire many young entrepreneurs.

A prominent lesson that you can find from the vicissitudes of his life is – Learn the art of rising even if you fail. Start from scratch. When your basics are right “you can avoid many dangers and defects” (in business).

If you are a young entrepreneur you want to read this book. Jason Kothari has not only shared his life stories he has also shared a blueprint to create business models.

I always say positive affirmations are very important to improve your state of mind. And I am happy to see Jason believing in them too.

“Do not Lose heart.

Believe in yourself.

Follow your passion.

Have confidence in your abilities.

Have faith in your vision.
Remain Humble.

Never Quit.

Resilience is essential.”

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About the Author: Who is Jason Kothari?

Jason was the former CEO of Housing.com and Freecharge. He was the Chief Strategy and Investment Officer of SnapDeal and saw through its turmoil times. He has also been a senior advisor to Softbank, a middle eastern e-commerce company Noon.com. He is also an executive producer of Bloodshot (starring Vin Diesel). He had envisioned bringing this Valiant Comics character in movies at the age of 12 and now he is the executive producer of it.

Currently, Jason is in the Board of Directors of Emaar India, a subsidiary of Dubai based Emaar Group who are known for developing Burj Khalifa.

Twinklingtina Rating – 4/5

One word about the book – Inspiring

Pages – 243

Price –  Rs. 599/- Hardcover, Kindle edition – Rs. 255/-

Genre – Self Help, Autobiography, Motivational

ISBN13 – 9789353572655

Edition Language – English

Did you like this in-depth book review? Let me know your thoughts about the book or Jason Kothari the turnaround man in the comments. I am reading more of non-fiction these days. Would you want me to review some more non-fiction books?  Let me know.

Until next time.

Cheers.

Xoxo

Tina.