Why weekend is loved so much!

 

Isn't it is an amazing cycle?

You struggle, strive, keep running, and then comes Saturday.
What are you doing this weekend?

Relax, rejuvenate and rebound. Sometimes rest is needed. Ignore everything around you and try to catch some sleep and connect with your inner self, family, friends, and food :)

Tell me what you are doing this weekend?

For entrepreneurs, where does the sky end? Where does the sea begin?

This pic was taken somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
#talktotiger #PositivePsychologist #Weekendplans

Obsessive passion

Love something, learn till there is no more. Learn and do. Do like there is nothing else more important in your life. Follow your passion with obsession and do it every day till you reach your goal.

If you are a painter, learn more nuances of painting, framing, design, art, theories, color combinations and the literature behind the art. If you are a banker, learn all the policies and documentation techniques that would help you and your team to succeed. If you are a watchman, be the best you can be. If you are a sales person, learn everything you can and be the best in the field. If your job doesn't expect you to learn more, still learn. Have obsessive passion that no one can take away from you. Only then you an excel. It is not okay if you are just the best in your team, in your area or in your small world of competition. You need to excel and be the best. You are your own enemy and friend. You can choose if be average or be the best you can be.

Be the best you can be.

Monday Blues: 10 things you shouldn't do when you start a business

NIKKI BOWMAN came up with these wonderful things you shouldn't do if you are an entrepreneur. I am not a big fan of lists but here is an exception.

1. Launch a business without market research.
2. Start without a plan (but don’t spend years reworking it
3. Take no for an answer
4. Launch without a budget for marketing
5. Begin by focusing on making lots of money
6. Be indecisive
7. Be inflexible
8. Be cheapest on the market
9. Believe starting your own business will give you free time
10. Spend your early profits on prestige items

Brave your Anu aunty

Varun Agarwal is a celebrity and has been a wonderful motivator to the millions of young minds both by the example of his life and his cheeky book: How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company.

Here is he on stage after a couple of years. Work now, put in all the hours you need to and the stage will follow. For the book review: click here.

10 simple steps to great customer service

While there are many ways to improve service, here are the 10 simple ones on the top of my mind. Feel free to add on.

1. Deliver service on time
2. Respect the customer
3. Respect your team
4. Great service is service with a smile
5. Take a relatively broad approach, see the big picture
6. Recognize and embrace the relationship rather than the transaction
7. Great service is usually delivered as a team, not by an individual
8. Be the right person rather than saying I can't help you but someone else can
9. Non-verbal communication sometimes matters more than the verbal one
10. Build a blame free environment

One step...

Copied from Prem's blog.

It’s a daunting journey!
One that probably has no destination.
How the heck do you march ahead then?
One step at a time!

The Epic of Entrepreneurial Lessons from the Ramayana

Found an interesting article.. leadership lessons from the yore...

http://www.siliconindia.com/news/startups/Ramayana-The-Epic-of-Entrepreneurial-Lessons-nid-132864-cid-100.html

Bengaluru belebath

Local is the new style. Bengaluru belebath's mobile outlets reach out to several people who cannot get up in the morning and prepare boxes for their lunch, or would like to taste something outside.

This seems to be an excellent idea especially because of the price tag @ 25 INR for lunch. Moreover the cuisine is something that would remind you of traditional tastes of Karnataka, something you had taste3d from your granny's kitchen.

The success or failure of this venture might depend on several factors like the quality, cost and the quantity of the offering and how it would like to reach out to its customers in the longer run but one thing is for sure. It has got the takers from the huge working class who wouldn't mind shelling out the cost for what they have.

Brands can tap in to your space with an excellent offering anytime, only once. But if the offering is good and improves everyday with something or the other and keeps you engaged and smiling then that would be the path to success. Unfortunately, you don't find many such brands around. Here is wishing luck to Bengaluru Belebath's team

How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company - book review

Koyal Chengappa made this happen! Sorry for the delay in posting this up Koyal.

When I first saw the book and its cover, I was expecting a fun ride with a lot of gyan on how to start a company and why you need to be different in doing things to succeed. But let me tell you that I was surprised the way it was written. How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company is a wonderful read with very less gyan and more practical look at how a brilliant idea can be translated into a reality.

Every corner in your life you encounter naysayers, people who belittle your ideas, beliefs and your passion and try to make you fall in line with others. Varun takes us on a journey on how you can still be successful when you follow your heart and have a good sound idea. The book traces few points that make it a master piece.

1. Language: Written in a matter of fact style of reporting and being blunt and straight about what he feels about everything he has encountered in the process, Varun keeps the reality closer and cleaner. Here is a book for the new generation of readers and authors who matches their age group and hence the easy connect.
2. Life: Taking life as it comes and living life on facebook is very realistically put and with snippets and with info related to actualities make it a worthy read. Being a Bangalorean has its own advantages and this book finds out how you don't need a classy MBA to figure out life's secrets and lessons.
3. Friends & family: It is very important to have a good support system which primarily consists of your family and friends and the people you choose to surround yourself with. The decisions you take are mostly influenced by these people and they love you whatsoever. So build this network up before you look for something else.
4. Networking: If there is one thing you can learn from facebook is that it is important to have a good network and keep at it all the time. It is your network that makes you stronger, the power of your ideas and decisions multiply themselves with the no. of people in your network. Every business needs one strong network and Varun tells us how he would go on to build a strong network with the technology and a little passion.
5. Fun: Doing what you love is fun and this book tells you how to do it. Chase your dreams and do what you love. Simple solution to love.

Varun's book is a must read, especially if you are stuck doing what is not fun. It is more important if you are in the process of building your strengths to reality. Keep writing Varun. The journey has just begun and we really like to see how this goes forward. 

You can buy it here from flipkart!

Monday blues: Get online

Use the best weapon that is available to the best use. Unfortunately, we tend to use it for all the wrong or at least for purposes that aren't worthy. Check the time you spend online and see how much you waste. Can we be more productive?

"The fantastic thing about the web is that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can tap into a global market from day one."
--- Dan Cobley

Check out SMEs

Now that most of the corporate customers are in your kitty it is strategically wise to move towards SMEs. Banks do it, logistics providers do it and now Vodafone is doing it. Vodafone launched its Are You One Business User Group(RU1 BUG) offer aiming at servicing entrepreneurial ventures and SMEs. Consider this 0.02% of total firms in US are entrepreneurial in nature but contribute to almost 17% of the total output! The figures are similar around the world. Moreover the financial crisis has pushed many hesitants and dreamers to go on entrepreneurial voyage. Now considering this is a huge potential Vodafone's move is a great marketing and market share capturing idea. Good move Vodafone.

Christen it? Help recycle.

Hi, do you come here often? Sometime I feel like a stranger on my own blog. It's been a while since I've devoted some serious time to it. Too long in fact. Will make it up this week.

I had an interesting conversation with some friends the other night. We were talking about a business idea about making furniture out of bike parts and old items at your home. It would looks something like this. It sounds a good option as most of us and corporates have lot of old stuff stashed away in store rooms. The idea is to take up this old furniture and turn it to make a designer furniture item. She is coordinating with a few students from fashion designing school and architecture school to help her out. Operating purely as high end niche market she hopes to break even in 2 years while pursuing her DBA from US. Let see what happens.

By the way can use some names for the same. Can you suggest some?

Society before self

Madhura Chatrapathy was at Alliance today to address PGP students. I happened to meet her at Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal to participate in the International Conference on "Harnessing Entrepreneurial Potential of Women for Economic Growth" organized by Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal (Check that post here). Prof. Chowdari followed and ensured this was possible. She mesmerized the students and it was a rare honour to listen to her speak.

Here is a glimpse.


Will post about the whole event soon.