Review: The Business Of Life: Answers To 101 Tough Questions By Vaibhav Maloo

Vaibhav Maloo’s The Business of Life: Answers to 101 Tough Questions could be a maverick’s guide to thinking, leading and living with curiosity and purpose. The world today offers several hyper-personalized business books, but unfortunately, they narrowly focus on self-help guides. A few titles attempt to address life and leadership with equal depth, and even fewer succeed in doing the same. However, Vaibhav Maloo’s The Business of Life: Answers to 101 Tough Questions manages to tick that box and stand apart to be a book that is A. engaging, B. thought-provoking, and C. clear and purpose-driven.

The book tries to blur the boundaries between ethics, sociology, personal philosophy and entrepreneurship. The book is structured around 101 crisp, conversational and compelling Q&As. It is less like a how-to manual and more like a mirror for reflection. Maloo has used his sharp insights, knowledge, expertise and experience as the MD of the Indian conglomerate Enso Group and has invited readers into a dialogue, spanning everything from branding, business ethics, to culture, religion, geopolitics, and human condition.

Very early while reading the book, one would know that at the core of it is a powerful belief that the most critical skill an entrepreneur or any leader can possess is curiosity. The author also demonstrates this through the scope and variety of questions he poses and answers. In the book, he explores the challenges that mankind faces, the ethos of building a brand, and how to filter noise from truth. He ensures his responses aren’t one-dimensional. Readers can gain grounded wisdom from his lived experiences in business and beyond, instead of any textbook theory.

In the book, the author has used a clear, accessible and often reflective tone that is less about telling you what to do and more about encouraging you to ask better questions and think for yourself. One of the primary factors that could make this book stand out is how effortlessly it moves beyond traditional business topics. There is plenty for entrepreneurs to learn about leadership, credibility, globalization, office dynamics, and more. The author ventures into territories that have rarely been tackled in business books, including regional identity, celebrity culture, religious coexistence, the government’s role in commerce, monogamy practices, and complex indicators such as the Gini coefficient.

The discussions that Maloo has in the book can provide readers with a holistic worldview that sees business not as an isolated domain but as intricately linked to politics, societal change and personal values. This can make the book an ideal read for those with interdisciplinary curiosity and those who believe that good leaders can also be thoughtful human beings. The author’s voice throughout the book feels pragmatic, self-aware and confident. Instead of offering motivational clichés, he has chosen to serve readers with measured insights that are practical and yet so philosophical. For example, in answering how to build brand ethos, he underlines the importance of credibility. In one more section, he writes about office politics, treating it not as a toxic minefield but as a strategic landscape, requiring emotional intelligence and trust-building.

Although readers looking out for quick hacks may be surprised that the book doesn’t serve formulaic answers, instead it delivers mental models and frameworks. This may help people approach complex, real-world situations with clarity and confidence. Each chapter of the book encourages readers to pause, reflect and apply the takeaways to their journey. The book also compares geopolitical strategies of the US, China and India, or questions the role of spirituality in business. His answers consistently challenge readers to help them build their nuanced understanding of the world.

Vaibhav Maloo’s The Business of Life: Answers to 101 Tough Questions will make you think deeply, act wisely and live purposefully. It’s a part guide, part conversation and part manifesto for a new kind of leadership. For those seeking not just success but significance, this compelling book is a must-read.