Author Archive
Have you seen a Bodafone?
Ken Banks devotes himself to the application of mobile technology for positive social and environmental change in the developing world, and has spent the last 15 years working on projects in Africa.
In his essay, Mobiles in Africa: A Travellers Perspective, Ken Banks describes the entrepreneurial spirit thriving in Africa around the mobile industry,
“..Mobile phones are attached to bikes (two and three wheelers), and even boats, and taken to where the business is. In Uganda these bikes, known locally as boda boda’s, are hooked up with spare batteries and desktop mobile devices to create what are affectionately known as Bodafones”. Read the rest of this entry »
J. K. Rowling spins a different kind of magic
“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was and began directing all my energy into the only work that mattered to me. Had I already succeeded in anything else, I would have never found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I believed I truly belonged. I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized and I was still alive, I had a daughter who I adored, I had an old typewriter, and a big idea, and so, rock bottom became the foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”
– J. K. Rowling choses to talk about the benefits of failure and the power of imagination in her commencement speech at Harvard. Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t get paid for working hard.
I don’t get paid for working long hours. (I don’t even get a comforting “I appreciate how hard you worked” speech from a supervisor).
I don’t get paid for the million emails, thousand proposals, and hundred presentations I’ve produced.
I don’t get paid for saying no to short-term opportunities in the interest of focusing on the product.
I don’t get paid for the hours I spend building the company’s morale, the team morale, and later my own morale.
I don’t get paid unless a large portion of the market accepts my product.
Who am I?
An entrepreneur 
Read the rest of this entry »
Ideas are just a tiny multiplier
I happened to come across this relevant post on on the value of business ideas.
Quote for the day: The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20.
“Ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.
Explanation:
AWFUL IDEA = -1
WEAK IDEA = 1
SO-SO IDEA = 5
GOOD IDEA = 10
GREAT IDEA = 15
BRILLIANT IDEA = 20
The stuff that builds great careers
The exploding job market over the last 4 years has made many believe that the “resume-view” of their careers is the view that matters.
The resume-view has clear breaks with one paragraph dedicated to each employer and a defined period attached to each. The more employers on the resume, the longer it will be. The more skills on the resume, the longer the skills section will be. And, the greater the brand value of the employer, the better the resume.
Frankly, I’m not surprised why the resume dominates career thinking. Read the rest of this entry »
What was your last hyperlocal conversation?
As we go about our daily lives we all come across stuff that others may find useful or interesting. This hyperlocal information may range from a small local activity to a great find on the TV or even a rare opinion on a current topic. The way I look at it, if you think you’re witnessing something that holds relevance beyond your family and friends, it’s hyperlocal!
For example, here’s a peek at my last three hyperlocal conversations.
As I am writing this post, Ishan Sharma takes the wicket of Matthew Hayden in India’s ongoing Adelaide test match against Australia. This event instantly became the subject of conversation. (Relevance: india wide)
After TATA’s Nano for the masses, there’s now a laptop for the masses – HCL’s MiLeap at a price of Rs. 13,990. I hear it’s available at the local Croma electronics store in Pune. Do you think it will gain traction? (Relevance: india wide and local)
The Save Pune Traffic Movement (yahoo group: sptm-sunrise) has started an experiment with the Kothrud Traffic Police. They need volunteers to hold a “follow all rules” sign at Athavale Chowk near Nal Stop from 8:30 am to 8:45 am, for a week or so. My mother reports that last weekend the SPTM volunteers along with the police caught close to 150 violators over 2 hours! (Relevance: traffic fearing residents of Pune)
Well, that’s from me on one Saturday morning.
If you’re stopping by this page, give us a peek at your last hyperlocal conversation.
Cheers to the era of an hyperlocal Web!
