“i,CEO ” is a true story of grit, determination, perseverance, a handbook for a thrilling journey in Entrepreneurship, especially for all budding Entrepreneurs as well as Startups. This book was released during the Members meet of Kanara Entrepreneurs, Bangalore.

“i,CEO ”, by Claudius Pereira, who is an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, Motivational Speaker & Author. He is also on the Board of Directors of several companies including Kanara Entrepreneurs, Bangalore. He had earlier authored the book “Echoes of Footprints”.

He says successful Entrepreneurs also make mistakes but they learn from it. They know the art of bouncing back and are defined by what they give back to the society.

The Chief Guest was Ivan Fernandes, Chairman of Kanara Entrepreneurs Global, who is a highly successful Entrepreneur himself.

Other dignitaries included Elisha Andrews, the Under-Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka; Peter Anil Rego, President of Kanara Entrepreneurs Bangalore, Nigel Fernandes, Managing Partner of ATC Publications, the Publishers of the book.

George Timothy, Master of Ceremonies conveyed how a good book can change one’s life. Knowing Claudius Pereira closely for several years, he introduced Claudius Pereira as a daring and caring person, who would whole heartedly immerse himself into anything that he takes up and would give his all for it.

Speaking on the occasion, Claudius Pereira recounted the huge challenges and setbacks he encountered in his life, right from his extremely tough childhood when his Family was dealt a bad blow with a series of misfortunes; then his arrival in Bangalore with just Rs. 10/- in his pocket; his first job where he virtually started from scratch doing even sundry jobs and then propelling himself to become the CEO of the Company in a very short span of time. The turning point was when he decided to become an Entrepreneur; the huge challenges of Entrepreneurship he faced, followed by the high successes and then the spiral downwards because of several wrong decisions. Claudius Pereira spoke about how he made failure work for him.

Narrating the incidents in his life, he emphasised that among the attributes that had helped him bounce back from failure each time, it was his attitude of never giving up even in the harshest of conditions and his undying passion for excellence in whatever he did, that had kept him in good stead.

He wanted to ensure that the travails of his journey should serve as a signpost for the future travellers on the journey of Entrepreneurship. This inspired him to put down his experiences in writing. All his experiences, whether positive or negative, have been a great source of learning for him which he has narrated and analysed in his book.

Right from the skills a person possesses to succeed or has to offer, which he termed as WORTH -“What you bring to the table!” to ‘hiring a person smarter than yourself to create a winning team”; or how integrity in his dealings has given him the confidence to stand up and face the storms in his life; or his lessons on how “the more you give, the more you receive ” and going from a ‘Go-getter’ to a ‘Go-giver ‘.

In addition to the lessons that he has learnt from the various experiences that he has encountered in his life,the book is loaded with business tips, struggles,exercises and victories of his own entrepreneurial journey.

The huge losses that he encountered early in his career on account of inadequate documentation has compelled him to dedicate a special section in his book - Chapter 10 titled i,CEO bonus. This contains 14 templates which are essential for a start-up, to help budding Entrepreneurs avoid the perils of inadequate or inappropriate documentation. On purchasing the book, buyers can avail freely downloadable soft copy formats which have been compiled through time-tested and practical experience.

Extolling the merits of family support and the huge role played by his Father, Siblings, his Wife and Children amongst his family members in his Success; he has dedicated the Book to them. He firmly believes that “Opportunities lies in the person and not in the job”

Nigel Fernandes, the publisher said - he was very closely involved in the evolution of the book right from the beginning. He confessed that it was a huge learning experience for him and there were several lessons that he took home during the whole process. He was particularly impressed by the meticulous planning in every activity connected with the publishing of the Book. Admiring Claudius’s leadership skills and qualities of a complete Team player, he appreciated the manner in which he motivated the entire team.

A Publisher, with experience of publishing several books over the last several decades, he urged everyone in the audience not to miss the uniqueness in the book and described that ethics and values that radiates from the book.

He thanked the Editor of the Book, Russell D’Silvaand the team of Berean Bay Media house for their support in bringing out this magnificent book .

Addressing the gathering, Ivan Fernandes said that Claudius Pereira should be appreciated for penning his thoughts & experiences during his tough journey of Entrepreneurship, as it would serve to be a guide for others. He urged all to read the book as they could avoid the pitfalls encountered by the Author during the extremely challenging journey that one would traverse.

Ivan Fernandes, a pioneer in introducing the concept & technology of Digital Signature and several mobile applications in the Banking Industry, narrated how on several occasions he had to say ‘no’ to the good things, so that he could say ‘yes ‘to the better things!. Coming from a community that then had a mindset not conducive to Entrepreneurship but to be content with a Government job, he had, on several occasions changed the course of his journey, much to the dismay and criticism of those close to him, venturing out to take risk leaving a comfortable job & position that paid him very well! Every decision he made was a turning point in his life!

Money and recognition he stressed, were only a by-product of success and should not be looked upon as the sole motive or else one would lose one’s way in the journey of Entrepreneurship. If a person would continue to develop his skill set, never say “No” and never give up until one makes a breakthrough, success would be eminent.