In the midst of answering a barrage of questions from a starry-eyed audience comprising young working professionals at Ramanujan Intellion Park, entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo paused and said,” I like how practical Chennai is.”
Organised on the sidelines of Bookchor’s Lock the Box Book Fair hosted by Intellion, the audience could not have been more apt for Ankur’s ‘meet the author’ session. While some waited, clutching copies of his books in their hands, the others listened in rapt attention as the author and content creator discussed finance, investments, relationships, and how important it was to keep learning.
After two bestselling books Do Epic Shit, and Get Epic Shit Done, Ankur released his third book Make Epic Money earlier this year. “You are your most important asset,” he starts in the initial pages of the book, and this seems to be a common refrain in his writing — to take care of, and put oneself first. When asked if this is what has resonated with his readers, Ankur says he would like to believe so.
“What the Gen Z hates is being prescribed to, or being told there is only one right way. The biggest message I try to share is how everyone has their own journey. In my books, I talk about a set of principles that they can use to design their own journey and move forward,” he said. His upcoming books, he added, will be based on careers and relationships.
“I have a different persona on every platform. On YouTube, I am a teacher speaking about personal finance, on Instagram, I am a cool uncle or a friend speaking about relationships or careers, and on LinkedIn, I share stories about startups and building businesses,” he says. While it has been nearly twenty years since he started creating content, this is not something he wants to be solely identified by.
“When people say they recognise me from social media, my heart breaks a bit. I always say I am an entrepreneur who is just sharing information. I believe it is extremely important to share one’s life stories, and that this is very helpful,” Ankur said.
Three successful books later, Ankur says he never sets out specifically to write a book. “I love writing and have been doing this for the longest time. I do not sit to write a book, I sit to write, and a book comes out of it,” he laughs.
Ankur Warikoo(left) during the session | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Reflecting on a question asked during his session by an audience member about how he can encourage his parents to invest better, Ankur says it’s all about experience, and not knowledge.
“There is so much knowledge out there, encompassing brilliant books, content, and smart people. I would encourage people to learn through experience. Every new experience is challenging but it is important to introduce yourself to it. Start small, don’t take too many risks, and stay consistent,” he signs off.
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