Things are changing!

I recently got a chance to attend FRO2009, India’s biggest multicity franchise and retail show at Nehru center, worli Mumbai. It was really a great experience to see so many new startups along with the established brands promoting their businesses and urging the young and enterprising to join them. There were many companies operating in education sector which looked very promising. I could also see big names like reliance venturing into this sector. This sector looks very promising especially at this time of economic slowdown when students/professionals are looking to upgrade their skills/knowledge. This is one of the sector which is recession proof. Also there were companies like BBX of Australian origin which is world’s largest trade exchange and has an interesting business model. Many eminent speakers also attended this show and gave talks on topics like how to start a franchisee etc. I feel that budding entrepreneurs and persons interested in starting their own businesses in future should make it a habit attend such seminars as he/she comes to know how other people are doing business, what is their revenue model?, what are their return on investments? Etc. Who knows what may click!

Recession Proof your hotel business

I was traveling from Mumbai to Delhi few weeks back when I met a businessman who was running a three star hotel. Out of curiosity I asked him how his business was doing these days and he told that though other hotels in most Indian cities are affected by this financial slowdown but his business is doing very good. He said that his hotel is in the holy city of Shirdi and in times like these most people come for the darshan of Shi Sai baba. He was even thinking of even expanding his hotel business when others are conservative in their approach! Would you have you have thought on these lines?

Meaning of life

You treasure some books throughout your life as they give you varied flavors as you read them for a second time or more. “Mans search for meaning” by Mr. Victor Frankl is one such book which offers you a much deeper advice every time you read it. The author tells us how he along with few others survived in Nazi concentration camps. He says that the people who survived in those camps still had something significant to do in their future and they believed in it also. He believes that people who can envision their future and can discover the meaning of their life will be future heroes and will survive the test. He gives it a scientific name called logotherapy. In these times when people are loosing jobs, coming under tremendous pressure and taking their life’s perhaps should take a cue from his life. Rather than belittling ourselves we should analyze ourselves and search for new meaning in his/her life. This is the time when you can think of pursuing your hobbies or can think of implementing a crazy idea! Who knows what might click!

When Going gets tough

I am writing this post because i feel that in everyone's life there comes a time when he/she feels that all the odds are against him. This is the time when your patience and your ability to fight back is tested. We should probably take cue from the life of those who have prooved themselves in such situations and should not stop. Following are few examples:-

1. The legendry " Beatles" who were turned down by many recording companies before Capitol took them as their clients. Their music has touched many.

2. "Albert Einstein" did not speak until he was four yeards old, and did not read until he was seven. His teacher described him as mentally slow but he still changed our perception of the universe.

3. " Abraham Lincoln" lost nine public elections, declared bankruptcy twice, weathered a nervous breakdown and the death of a fiance before he was elected for presidency.

4. Thomas Elva Edison tried a thousand difference materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none of them worked our his assistant complained, "All your work is in vain. we have learned nothing" To this Edison replied confidently, " Oh we have come a long way and we have learnt a lot. We now know that there are a thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb"

5. Walt disney was fired by a newspaper editor for his lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.

6. Colonel Sanders proposal to franchise his gradma's recipe was rejected several times before it lead to the creation of Kentucky Fried Chicken popularly known as KFC.

Well if these people can do wonders and can achieve what they wanted to achieve why cannot we?

Everyone sells

It would not be understatement to say that every person at some point in his or her life sells. Right from the day when we start demanding toys/eatables from our elders to the the day when we are presenting ourselves for an interview we are selling. There were times when we easily use to get our things of desire and times when everything we say would not be heard. Observing these small things can give you great insights. It is observed that we have succeeded in getting our things of desire only when our timing is right and we have spoken words which are music to the years of listener and also he had the money to buy that thing. To take an example of a family of two children. One stands first in his class and the other is average in studies. When the first child tells his parents to buy him/her a thing of his desire he is more likely to get it as his timing is right and has spoken words which convey his sense of achievement to his parents and probably money is of very less concern to them. The point I wanted to convey through this is that there are Parallels in the above example and sales. Three very important things to keep in mind while selling are as under:-

• Whether there is need or not should be confirmed.
• The timing of your pitch should be perfect.
• The buyer should have the money to buy.