"Every bit as good as the beer itself."
—SIR RICHARD BRANSON, Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group
So what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? There are many different answers, but according to Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, do the following and you won't go far wrong: be creative, go the extra mile, have confidence in yourself and your team, get lucky, be disciplined, take the long-term view, learn constantly and don't be afraid of serious amounts of hard work.
Bottled for Business gets to the heart of how and why Cobra Beer has developed into one of the world's best-loved brands. It is a story infused with the passion, belief, energy and vision of its founder and shares the ups and downs of how Cobra got to where it is today. But more than that, it is a story of inspiration for anyone who has dreams of running their own business.
PRAISE FOR BOTTLED FOR BUSINESS
"The inside scoop from one of the country's leading entrepreneurs—essential reading."
—Richard Reed, Co-founder, Innocent Drinks
"Inspiring! A fascinating story of one entrepreneur's journey, worth the cover price for the 'Financing Cobra' chapter alone. Bilimoria has learned every trick in the book about how to finance a growing business. If you're running a growing business, and don't want to give away the store, READ THIS BOOK!"
—John Mullins, Professor, London Business School and author, The New Business Road Test
"An inspirational story."
—Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP
"Bottled for Business is the extraordinary account of a Cambridge-educated Indian lawyer's dogged pursuit against the odds. The book is compelling, not least because it strikes at the Achilles heel of entrepreneurship in that it details the translation of a vision into reality. A clever and useful book."
—Dr Mark de Rond, University Senior Lecturer at Judge Business School and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge University
"Reflecting the enormous success of his business career, I have no doubt that Bottled for Business will be a bestseller."
—Lord Levene, Chairman, Lloyd's, and former Lord Mayor of London
"... part biography, part business masterclass, and the Cobra founder divulges an array of useful advice in a simple way." (Daily Telegraph, February 2007)
"Business tips from Lord B are dispersed within a biography" (Financial Times, February 2007)
"a very informative and refreshing book, if Carlsberg made a book, it wouldn't be as good as this one. (Beat Magazine, February 2007)
"As well as telling the stories behind Bilimoria and Cobra, the book offers business tips and interviews with key players at Cobra.” (Off Licence News, February 2007)
"Like Cobra itself, the book is refreshing, easily digestible, and won't leave you feeling bloated as many entrepreneurial books ..." ( City AM, 1ST March 07)
business master class called Bottled for Business" ( The Telegraph , February 2007)
"...advice for prospective business owners in (Bilimoria) own enthusiastic style".( Smallbusiness.co.uk, February 2007)
"Bilimoria's guide to help aspiring entrepreneurs make it in the branded world reads like a dream…engaging to the very end…" ( Start your business magazine, February 2007'
"The success of the brand and the lessons learned from it are the main thrust of an informative book.... " ( the Guardian, 23 February 2007)
"the book will help anyone interested in taking a good idea and turning it into a successful business." ( Redhotcurry.com)
"Like Cobra Beer itself, the book is refreshing, easily digestible, and won't leave you feeling bloated as many entrepreneurial text-books out there might..." (City Am, 1st March 2007)
"In his new book, Bottled for Business, which chronicles the Cobra story, Bilimoria predicts that by 2014, his beer will be a billion-dollar brand." (Director, March 2007)
"Bottled for Business tells the story of entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, and how he made Cobra one of the fastest growing beer brands in the UK and a successful global business in just 15 years." ( The Grocer, 3rd March 2007)
“It is honest about incipient mistakes and is imaginatively designed, with plenty of ‘top tips’…” (Professional Manager, May 2007)
“Every bit as good as the beer itself” (Sir Richard Branson) (Tandoori Magazine, March 2007)
‘If you read Bilimoria’s book – and you should – you can’t help but be struck by the influence of his father.’ (Edge Magazine, May 2007)
"…Karan shares his inspiring story of building an award-winning consumer brand from scratch." (First Voice, June/July 2007)
