Business Lessons from the most unanticipated

Posts i never published in 2015 #1

I was once travelling by train and with lots of time left to oneself, i unconsciously started off my favorite pastime: Observing! A train journey is  very entertaining if you could observe a bit more that usual! 

You see a beggar ask you for some money: your mind quickly processes the incoming request! If it's a yes, you give'em some money and ignore and if it's a no, you just do the ignoring. But have you ever taken some time to observe the beggar's activities?

I know this sounds too weird but just read a bit more before you start judging! The beggars adopt many, oh so many ways to get money: 

1) Have a differentiator: Each beggar had a different story to tell, a different talent to deliver! One man whistled in multiple ways, to an extent that he even had a tune for the ones who did not give him money! There was a sister and brother duo who kept jumping in and out of a loop effortlessly as if they had no bones in them. While some were physically affected, some were portraying their singing talent! There were no two beggars who had a same reason to ask for money! That's the kind of effort they put in to be different and convincing!

2) You think begging is down marked and a poor man's activity! But have you ever taken the time to notice the kind of energy and effort they put into it? They are open to criticism,  insult and more importantly they never give up: no matter the response, they keep trying. Now how do you bounce back in life with full force, despite rejection, i think we ought to learn that from them.

3) How many times do you prefer to bounce back and do the same action that just got you embarrassed  Well for many, the answer is a clear NO MORE. But what if the situation demands? This may quite often happen at our colleges or work places, and that's when we start cursing life. Well then here are the people who have no option but to get back to their routine of getting embarrassed over and over again just so that they can earn their living. 


Some great man/woman said that the seriousness of an employee or employer is directly proportional to the kind of books one reads. Oh so are you saying that if i read all the great Business books in the world, i will become the next Bill gates? The point is we often invest a lot of time, effort and money into learning things in life the complicated way when they could easily come to us through one simple skill : observation! 

Irrelevance - a phenomenon going extinct?

No, i did not spell it wrong, Irrelevance is what i am talking about

Entrepreneurs, Companies, Organizations, Marketers and all those who identify themselves under the umbrella of business, have begun to swear by the importance of “relevance” lately! Buy a watch on Flipkart once and more and more watches are shown to you, calling it “Relevant” I read technology news for a day or two and all i will be updated about eventually is Technology. You look for a book online and you keep attracting similar books.

Even the Facebook feed for instance will only show me updates of profiles that I regularly click on. Well, that’s sad because the whole point of being updated on the people I have lost touch with (in the physical world) is dissolved in this process. So, how exactly is Facebook connecting the world again?

This in case of an offline setup may end up being quite different. Let’s assume I love science fiction as my favorite genre. If I end up buying that book online, the internet has the lovely habit of showing me books of the same genre over and over again! So, I might not even end up attempting to look for what’s new in other genres. The purchase happens and the story ends. But imagine I am in a book store (a physical one) despite the fact that my eyes may first look out for science fiction, I will not miss on the opportunity to eye other genres as well. You never know which book may just impress you and you buy it, read it and what next, it might just end up giving you the next big idea in life! Does this show irrelevance is important? Am I missing it online?

Steve Jobs as we all know is a great businessman, a charismatic leader and everything under the sun that we can take inspiration from. Think of him and Technology is what comes to your mind first. Well, he chose to learn Calligraphy back at college! How irrelevant right? But as we know this helped him design the world’s most awesome GUI feature, “The Fonts”. If only irrelevance was so irrelevant, how could Jobs connect those dots in his life? How could he end up being charismatic and legendary?

This is what uxmag.com talks about calling it Meaningful Serendipity, it's all about surprising customers/users with spontaneous results. This i assume will soon be a great part of our Digital World. Does it sound like dejavu? like good old times? Ofcourse yes! Well, I am not against the wonderful algorithms that tailor content to my taste, however what i am talking about is excessive personalization that's narrowing down my world, my knowledge in particular. Don't you think?

The Aam Aadmi Party Jhaadu!?

I totally understand the urge of businessmen to cash on every opportunity that comes their way. Sometimes they could say, "We bring light into your life", when all they are selling is a matchbox! Well, all is fair in business and the more creative you get, the better shall be your results. 

Opportunities are such a must-catch for them! Look at the Cycle Brand Agarbatti's ad, one would easily comprehend what I mean by saying "cashing-on-the-opportunity"

Also, let's not forget the Dhoom 3 special apparel and accessories that were up for sale on the Great Online Shopping Festival's website this December. Well, all of this put aside, here's something that tops the list unanimously!

The Aam Aadmi Jhadu! They are up for sale online!? What a smart move by Tradus.com to use the success of AAP to brand an un-branded good (simply meaning people don't really care which company makes them. It's a basic utility item) The AAP jhadus are being sold at a startling price of Rs. 5/-  The price holds for the first 1000 customers, post which they shall be charged Rs.19/-  Is this a one time stunt? or will we end up seeing this develop into a strong brand for broomsticks!? 

"Join Anti Corruption Campaign in Delhi. Pay Rs. 19 for this brand new Aam Aadmi ka Jhadu and celebrate the birth of corruption free NEW India." is what the website says. Converting a new political wave that's inspiring many into currency is ethical? funny? Well, that's pretty subjective. But, from the business viewpoint, I would call it a smart move! 

Many may mistake this for a fund-raising initiative, but it gets funny when you realize it is not! While the Aam Aadmi Party is busy raising funds from people by convincing them of their motives, here's Tradus.com investing in their fame. 

So, what are your opinions on this ? 

Check out the AAP Jhaadu here: http://www.tradus.com/campaign/aap-offers

Source of pictures and basic info: Tradus.com, http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/page/aap-mobilises-17-crore-in-funds, http://news.oneindia.in/new-delhi/aap-jhaadu-being-sold-at-rs-5-on-e-commerce-stores-1369964.html

P.S: All opinions are purely original and not intended to promote the product or Tradus.com

A world full of Jargon

Out of the many things that fascinate me about the world of business, usage of Jargon is one thing that takes a toll on me. It's not about the very existence of it, but my concern lies in the misuse of it. 

3 reasons why I strongly believe Jargon are a total no-no. 

1) The Vision and Mission statement mania: I do not know if it is just me, but I somehow land up not understanding the vision and mission statements of most companies. I'd rather skip it than try and understand something that totally makes me feel like a foreigner there! If mission and vision are things so vital for a company, why is it deliberately sentenced so against normal understanding? 

2) The Unwanted abbreviations: "The best way to get our customers to talk in this situation is by using the FGD mechanism", said my fellow student. FGD!? Oh a focus group discussion. right! Sorry that didn't strike me soon and certainly disrupted my flow of concentration. Now my question is,  how much time and energy did we actually save up by making an abbreviation of an otherwise easy to understand term? How much do I approve of the very "Focus Group Discussion" term will be a story I will save for another day.

3) If you can't convince, confuse : Sometimes people play around with jargon when they clearly cannot prove themselves. I once happened to read an undergrad college's educational brochure that says "We offer contemporary globally acceptable and holistic curriculum" There was another college that said, "We offer World class holistic global education" Ok! Now I don't really know or want to know how they differ from one one another. This is what I personally call a forceful usage of Jargon! 

Scientists say we practically use only 1% of our brain. I opine that it's not because we don't attempt to use the rest of it, but because half the things that interest us in the world are covered up under the necessity to understand the veil over them- the Jargon. Our interest soon dissolves much before we reach anywhere close to it. 

People say "It's easy, it's not Rocket Science" If not for the horrifying jargon around us, may be someday many of us will attempt to even understand Rocket science too!