Mindblog

Revisiting this web-page, writing this, seems different. Let me keep this brief. There was a time when we didn't care about format, formation, punctuation, creation. Now everything revolves around presentation, perception, perfection. The latter requires time, dedication, motivation. Former was the original. Thought flowed from mind to pen/keys. The problem is time, a lack thereof.  End of the written letter was spelled.   

Building out something can be one of the best experiences one can have. As kids, we took great pains building structures using Lego bricks, modelling clay into art which put renaissance sculptors to shame, or making barracks and castles of scale in sand where we were nothing less than kings. These activities gave us a sense of achievement and entitlement. These were some of our first products. Some of you would have gone on to build sand walls around those castles, and moats to fend off intruders. You were the consolidators, empire builders. If you build out that castle and kicked it to the ground to then make another masterpiece, you were in the true sense a serial entrepreneur. Sat on the sidelines and got the other kids to build stuff for you? No comments. Fast forward to today. Looking to be a pioneer and build out something, or provide a specialised service? Ever wonder what it would be like if everything you ever imagined went on to fruition the moment you thought it out? Woul

Working with a product company, one of the bigger dilemmas facing the Product team is what to build based on the backlog of product items. Listening to a Harvard lecture podcast online recently, I came across a concept which helped me clear this dilemma. It simply asks a question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform? Ideas for the product you are building can come through various routes. We're going to lose this customer if we don't incorporate this now, this is something the CEO really wants to see in the product, it's been sitting in the backlog forever etc. But a very good way to go about prioritizing what goes into the product is to find the answer to the question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform? Imagine the product to be an employee who is hired for a particular profile. Now there are certain roles and responsibilities or KPI's which will define whether this employee is fit for the post. The same logic will apply to the p

Keeping ahead of the competition is a key business growth metric. With constant innovation in sales tactics and dynamic pricing, it is essential for small businesses to match up and better their sales figures quarter on quarter. Gone are the days where your employee will open up his email to check who has submitted a form on the website and draw out a lovely looking template to welcome and thank the lead introducing it to the dreaded "Sales Funnel". Automation can fill this backlog and give you and your employees more breathing space to focus on other key business growth metrics. Automation at the turn of the 19th century was necessary for mass production to meet the demands of markets globally. It was coupled with rapid strides in transport and communication channels. What we need today is a way to achieve business success using the same tricks conceived back then. Businesses need to focus on what they do best, create fantastic products or services for the customer. Key r

Time flies, truly does. I don't think that this blog has seen this much of a gap between posts. Time to set things right? Updates updates- -Met my girl! Asked her out, got engaged, got married, the works! Life has been super awesome ever since. It does get a lot better post marriage, trust me! Seems like life has finally begun post the wedding. It's awesome to have a partner in crime, who you would want to go to jail with too! -Was in the States last year. Unique distinction was that I wasn't in our dear India for both its Republic and Independence days. Instead I was working on both said days resolving client concerns for my product sitting in Reston. Twice to California- Carlsbad, San Diego, LA. Missed flights and the jazz. NY is a super awesome place. -Ran into Ratan Tata at the NY Apple Store. Long story short, it was fantabulous! -Got promoted! Took time to sink in, still taking time. Also realized that titles are just titles, same workload, more responsibil

For a successful enterprise, there has to be a need for the service/product which they are providing to the audience. There has to be this gap which is being fulfilled. If not, the entity being provided has to be captivating enough to entice the user into buying it. It has to create its own vacuum. Over the years as a company, we have evolved to be leaders in the franchising domain. We know the pain points our customers face and what how we can alleviate them. I would like to take an example of a company by the name of 3M. Why I like citing examples of this company is because of its unique philosophy. Founded in the early 1900's dealing primarily as a mining firm they diversified, and how! They own 100,000 patents to their name across industries and roughly a third of their revenue is through products they've created over the last 5 years. They believe in innovation and one of their company policies is to allow employees to spend a day a week in self run projects fo