The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions (21 page)

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Authors: Gurbaksh Chahal

Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Business & Economics, #Business, #Entrepreneurship

BOOK: The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions
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Success is really about making it happen. It’s about dreaming. It’s about finding that one thing you love above all others and then figuring out how to do it better than anyone else. Remember, I didn’t reinvent the wheel. I simply found something that captured my imagination, and then I figured out how to do it better than the next guy.

Most important, I never stopped believing in myself. Business excited me, and I wanted to be good at it. I wanted to be better at it than anyone else. I wanted to win. And winning is about money, sure—but that’s only part of it. To me, winning is about leaping out of bed every morning, excited about the day ahead.

You will have bad days. There will be setbacks. You will have more than your fair share of failures. But at the end of the day, you pick yourself up and keep going. That’s the Big Secret of Life.

You fall down, you get up.

I know this to be true because it worked for me, and I’m just a guy like everybody else.

And that’s what
The Dream
is all about. It’s about reaching for the top without ever compromising your morals. Do the work. Keep your eye on the tiger. Fight like hell. Defy the odds. It’s worth it. Some people think success is the best revenge, and they may be right, but for me it’s much simpler than that:

Success is its own reward.

The Chahal family in California (2007).

Index

Accel Middle College,
31–2
,
43–4
,
46–7
,
68–9
,
156

Ad Revolver,
165–70
,
180
,
201–2

advertising agencies,
51
,
55–6
,
69–70
,
74
,
76
,
82
,
86
,
107

AlwaysOn,
192–3

American Idol,
144

The Apprentice,
157–9
,
208

Asman, David,
208

Baloca, Troy,
106–7
,
112
,
123–6
,
153–6

behavioral targeting,
159–60
,
162–4
,
166
,
180–1
,
190–2
,
224–5

Belarus,
165–9
,
173
,
180

Bentley,
139

BlueLithium,
162–70
,
173–202
,
207–8
,
215–18
,
226
governing board,
183–95
,
201
resignation from,
215–18
See
Ad Revolver; behavioral targeting; Yahoo!

bureaucracy,
116–17

Bollywood,
14–16
,
44
,
127–8
,
141

Brown, Tim,
217

Bush, George W.,
117

Cavuto, Neil,
210
,
228

Chahal, Arjinder (mother),
xv
,
3–8
,
11–14
,
16
,
32
,
38
,
41–2
,
47
,
53
,
68
,
71–1
,
78
,
96
,
98
,
110–12
,
114–16
,
118–19
,
129–30
,
143
,
148
,
152
,
214–15
,
236

Chahal, Avtar (father),
xiii–xv
,
3–7
,
9–16
,
18
,
20–1
,
23–5
,
32–8
,
41–2
,
44–5
,
52–3
,
58
,
68–73
,
78
,
80
,
94–8
,
101
,
110–12
,
114
,
116–20
,
129–30
,
135–6
,
143–4
,
148
,
151–2
,
202–3
,
214–15
,
236
character,
9–11
,
13–16
,
21
,
23–5
,
36–8
,
44–5
,
71
,
97
,
117
,
119–20
,
151
,
202–3
purchasing a home,
14–16
,
36–8
,
41–2

Chahal, Gurbaksh birth of,
5–6
as the boss,
76–7
,
85
,
96
,
105

character,
32
,
36
,
42–4
,
49–52
,
60
,
71–2
,
96–7
,
103–5
,
108
,
115–17
,
129–31
,
140
,
144–5
,
149–51
,
185
,
215–16
childhood,
8–25
on the corporate environment,
103
,
108
,
116–17
,
199–201
,
207–8
,
215–16

on criticism,
185
faith,
96

friendship,
153–4
giving,
129–30
,
151–2
,
212–15
,
219
haircut,
94–7

immigration to U.S.,
6–9
living
on his own,
110–16

millionaire,
101
nickname,
22

photographs of,
5
,
12
,
46
,
74
,
102
,
124
,
169
,
193
,
200
,
209
,
218
,
236
on public speaking,
43–5
,
155–6
relationship with father,
18
,
21
,
23
,
32–6
,
41
,
78
,
85–6
,
94–7
,
101
,
119–20
,
135–6
,
144
,
202–3

restaurateur,
141–50
teenage years,
29–86
,
90–109
and television,
210–15
,
219
,
223
,
227–8
trip to India,
21–4
and women,
76
,
107
,
123–8
,
142
,
153–7
,
213
work ethic,
77–8

See
BlueLithium; Click Agents; discrimination; education; entrepreneurialism; Internet advertising; noncompete agreements; success, lessons of; turban

Chahal, Kamal (sister),
4
,
8–9
,
12–13
,
41
,
68
,
74–7
,
94–5
,
104
,
131
,
134–5
,
160
,
178
,
208–9
,
218
,
236

Chahal, Nirmal (sister),
4
,
8–9
,
12
,
41
,
68
,
70–1
,
74
,
131
,
236

Chahal, Taj (brother),
5
,
8
,
18–19
,
30
,
52
,
54–5
,
58
,
63–4
,
68
,
70
,
72–5
,
77–8
,
98
,
104
,
112
,
114
,
127
,
131
,
141–2
,
144
,
146
,
152
,
155–6
,
160
,
162
,
178
,
203
,
218
,
236

Chandigarh, India,
21

chief technology officer (CTO),
83–4

Claman, Liz,
208

Click Agents,
49–86
,
90–6
,
99–107
,
116–18
,
142
,
148
,
157
,
173
,
176
,
180–1
,
192

beginning of,
49–55
offices,
72–4
,
91–2
restructuring of,
83–4
tracking software crisis,
78–83
viable business,
90–1
,
100
See
employees; tracking software; ValueClick

CNBC,
34–5
,
42
,
208–11

computer programmer,
51–5
,
78–84
,
108–9
,
177

contracts,
54
,
108–9
,
145–6
,
150–1
,
175

Cowell, Simon,
144

Darnell, Mike,
227–8

discrimination,
8–10
,
12
,
17–18
,
21
,
31
,
39–40
,
43
,
66
,
85–6
,
93
,
112–14
,
119–20

domain names,
47–8
,
161

dot-com boom,
xv
,
31
,
33–8
,
43
,
89–94
,
101–2

DoubleClick,
xv
,
33
,
36
,
47
,
49–50
,
91–3
,
192
,
198
,
224

earnings before income and tax depreciation of assets (EBITDA),
33

eBay,
48
,
53
,
132
,
138

education,
xiii–xvi
,
9–10
,
12–13
,
29–32
,
62
,
66
,
68–71
,
148–50
college,
148–50
See
Accel Middle College; high school

employees,
75–7
,
83–5
,
95
,
99
,
160
,
178
,
185–6
,
195–200
,
215–18
,
230–1

entrepreneurialism,
xiii–xvi
,
42–3
,
47–71
,
140
,
157–8
,
200–1
,
208
,
215
,
223
,
228
See
BlueLithium; Click Agents; Gary Singh; Internet advertising; perception; success, lessons of

Ferrari,
138–9

Fox Broadcasting Company,
212
,
227

Fox Business Network,
208
,
210

Fremont, California,
101–2
,
106
,
112–15
,
132
,
150

Frontier Global Center,
79–82

frugality,
11
,
14–16
,
38–41
,
72–4
,
83
,
108
,
115
,
151
,
160
,
226
,
230

Gandhi, Indira,
6

Gandhi, Mohandas,
9

Google,
56
,
166
,
192
,
198
,
224

gurdwara
(Sikh temple),
4
,
24–25
,
101

gWallet,
226–8

High Net Worth,
211

high school,
xiii–xvi
,
29–32
,
66
,
68–9
,
71
See
Accel Middle College

The Hollywood Reporter,
227

India,
3–6
,
10
,
21–4
,
164–5
visit to,
21–4
See
Chandigarh; Punjab; Uttar Pradesh

Infoseek,
56–7

Internet
See
domain names; dot com boom; eBay; Internet advertising; Web sites

Internet advertising,
xv
,
33
,
36
,
47
,
49–60
,
68–70
,
73–8
,
100
,
138
,
159
,
162–4
,
181
See
behavioral targeting; BlueLithium; Click Agents; DoubleClick; pay per click investors,
63–7
,
90
,
173–5
,
177
,
179–83
,
226

Islam,
119

Kauffman, Scott,
217

Kaur, Surjit (grandmother),
5
,
7
,
8
,
10
,
11
,
17–18
,
21
,
42
,
98–9
,
116
,
118–19
,
152

key performance indicators (KPIs),
62

Lamborghini,
132–9

Las Vegas, Nevada,
154–5
,
203

lawsuits,
108–10
,
145–6
,
150–1
,
175–80
,
186–90

LeftField Advertising,
56–8

Lexus,
72
,
94–5
,
129–30

London, England,
52–4
,
165–6
,
185
,
188

Lonergan, Bill,
189–90
,
217

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