Customer Engagement

The Importance of Setting the Right Expectations

Let me start this with another Mulla Nasruddin tale: Mulla Nasruddin was walking by a market when his friend told him about the great fair happening in the city hall and how everyone is going to see it.. So, Mulla decided to join in.. It was a fashion show and beautiful models, all dressed up, were seen walking the ramp. Sometime later, a fuming Mulla stormed out of the city hall. When his friend saw him storming out, he followed Mulla and asked him what got him so angry and worked up? Mulla said – They show all these beautiful women walking […]

Ideas, Marketing

Story of the Shopping Cart and the Secret to Spreading Ideas

Have you ever thought of how and when the modern day shopping cart was created? The story of the creation of shopping carts starts with Walter Deubner. He was running an old-style  grocery store was looking for a way to increase his business and observed that his customers’ purchases were limited by what they could conveniently carry home. So he did what any creative business man do – he created a solution that consisted of a paper bag with a cord running through it for strength. He patented this in 1915.   The second step in the evolution of the shopping cart was an improvement on […]

Leadership

When Does True Learning Happen?

Imagine that you are a piano virtuoso and are  invited to play  in a series of live concerts all through summer in a different country. So, what do you do? You practice your part diligently and are excited and ready to perform your piece. Due to some reason, you have not been able to practice with the entire orchestra, but that doesn’t matter much as the orchestra and yourself are professionals and know your entry’s exits and more importantly, the conductor of the orchestra can take care of that. So, you go on stage all prepared and the orchestra starts… And […]

Entrepreneurship

What do Great Entrepreneurs do?

I was reading Seth’s new book – “What to do when its your turn [and its always your turn] and came across the section, where he writes – Great work is the result of seeking out tension and not avoiding it.. This got me thinking and I came to a slightly different realization than the one that Seth was alluding to in his book. I believe that this is exactly what entrepreneurship is all about. As entrepreneurs, we seek out tense situations and find creative ways to resolve the tension and make money in the process. I believe what separates […]

Ideas

First Step in Solving any Problem – A lesson delivered by Mulla Nasruddin

  Let me tell you one of the many inimitable stories of Mulla Nasruddin.. A man had fallen between the rails in an underground station and people were crowding around, all trying to get him to safety before the train came and crushed him. They were shouting “Give me your hand! Give me your hand!” But the man would not reach up. It so happened that Mulla Nasruddin was around there as well, watching from among the crowd. Seeing this, he elbowed his way to through the crowd and leant over to the man. “Friend,” he said, “what is your […]