Category Archives: Creativity

Importance of trying new things

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You are hungry, do you go to your favourite place to eat or try something new? You are meeting with friends, do you go to the regular pub or try a new pub?

Constantly, we get into the situation of having alternatives or just go with our comfort decision.

To develop creativity, one should definitely try new things.

In the most famous Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance, Robert Pirsig says, instead of the regular conversational opener “Whats new”, try “Whats best?” It’s not easy. You don’t have a best every day.

As an Entrepreneur and Ideator, how do you get ideas? in one word “by observing”. What do you observe and how do you observe? The more frequently you see and experience different things, the more regularly you keep thinking of doing something different. For instance, when we shift or build our own home, we have a lot of ideas. Once settled, the creative flow decreases and over the period of time just stick to cleaning the home. But, when we visit someone’s home and you see the beautification, again our creative juices flow and we get excited to do something new in our home. Why does this happen? What happens when we stick to a routine? There is nothing wrong in it, but neurons activity becomes monotonous.

I predominantly work alone (nature of my work) and I stick to a routine. Once a while, the routine gets boring and change places. When this happens, my brain starts working like a Ferrari.

It is very important to try something new every week, if not every day. Try to do something different in your routine each day to bring out your creativity or do it as frequently as you can and see the difference.

Transitioning to be an Entrepreneur

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Victor Hugo once said there is one thing stronger than all armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come. I believe in it.

Since my college days, I always wanted to do something on my own, I don’t know why. While in college I still remember selling Kirloskar UPS to companies from 3 PM – 7 PM as a part time job. Then I spent few months selling computer peripherals (Printer cartridges, print paper etc) on call. It started like that, but as life would make you change courses, I moved to the corporate world. Learnt a lot, met a lot of amazing and inspiring people who shaped my career and could see the world a bit too. All these taught me one new thing each day and helped me mould myself into a better person.

 

Three months ago, when I stepped out of my comfort zone of sitting in a wonderful office and doing the most passionate job I did for over 12 years, life came calling. I wanted to seriously focus and do something which will give me wings. Like everyone, I had quite a few ideas and I debated with myself wrote quite a few business plans, trashed a lot of paper, filled in few notepads with my scribblings, gulped quite a few beers unable to decide.

 

Then I decided to stop banging my head against the wall and wanted to start with one idea which came to me each day for at least two weeks. This happened to be ADURO.

 

ADURO in Spanish means to kindle, to set fire. The A in the logo is replaced by the ^ symbol. This represents the exponentiation. Why the ^ symbol? That is because at ADURO we believe in creating offerings which will help you achieve more for the efforts you put in. Who does not like it?

 

Website www.aduro.in

 

Join our mailing list (in the connect section on our website) through which we will share our stories.

Experience

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A very good friend of mine and I once walked into Audi showroom in Bangalore. We just wanted to inquire about their Q3 offering. We initially planned that we would go there, inquire and be back in 30 minutes. After we entered, we were greeted by a receptionist and she then put us to the Executive who was in-charge for Q3. Since the time he introduced himself and till the time we left the showroom after more than 2 hours, the complete experience was just impeccable. He ensured we test drove each of the cars available and during each of the drives he explained in detail as to how you would feel the difference and what should we look out for to understand what the car has to offer. Even after more than a year of visiting the showroom, I remember each detail he spoke and what we did each minute while we were in the showroom. If any day, I can afford a Audi, am sure going back to the very same showroom.

I guess this is what Experience is all about. Never judge your potential consumer of anything. Provide the best experience for each and every client of yours. This is what people look for. They do not buy your service for any other reason other than experience.

I do go through wonderful experiences in my grocery shop and barber shop and probably that is the reason I go back to the same shops again and again for anything I want.

While offering your service, consider yourself to be recieving the similar service. Give the same exact experience of how you would like to receive and am sure that will make all the difference.

Remember, people remember you and your service not because of Quality or superiority, but because of the experience you provide.

Why, What, How of Predictive Analysis in India 

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Enough is said about the Healthcare infrastructure in India. All what we have is problems. Doctor to Patient ratio is very less, Population to Hospital beds is less, Manpower is less. Everything is on a downward trend.

Healthcare startups are focusing on bridging various aspects in Healthcare – Delivering medicines, connecting Doctors, Virtual consultation, Telemedicine etc. However, there is one thing Startups are not focusing on – Preventive Care.

Why?

The answer is simple, for Preventive Care, we need data and in India, that is what we lack. We do not have historical data to predict the future. The other aspect which is worrysome is that, there are very few (countable on fingers) that are focusing on automating the care delivery. This can be attributed to not so strong Healthcare Management in India. 70% is private care and out of pocket expense and 30% is the Public model.

What?

I personally do not believe that Government has to do everything, but in the current context, Government has to focus on at least structuring the Healthcare laws and delivery model in the country. Startups should focus on data collection and developing algorithms for using this data to predict the future course of action.

How?

Hospitals are ready to work with Startups to provide the data. Initially, hospitals might not allow public sharing of the algorithms, but if the Quality of Care increases, more and more will be forced to adapt to the model.

What we need today is just one case study, which can use the existing data, utilize technology to design predictive analysis and then, the ball starts rolling.

Quality Vs Quantity

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You decided to take up running. When you start any running plan, the first thing you need to decide on is the Distance you run or the Timing. Any plan starts with the distance and over the period of time, you begin to start looking at the timing.

When you start working, you first begin by learning the work and over the period of time you become expert at what you do.

When I started this year, I have clearly determined that to improve my quality of writing, I need to start writing. When I started writing over ten years ago, I began by writing off and on. I practiced. Over the years, I realised that my Quality did not get to the level I anticipated. So, this year I thought I should write more frequently and focus and practice writing. I am still not where I want to be, but still I keep pushing myself. I am sure over the period of time, I will get the quality I am satisfied with.

When you begin any thing in life, focus on the practice, and over the period of time, you will meet the quality standards.

Is your idea ready for Market? 

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When ever you have an idea, the first question you get to hear Is if the Market Mature for this type of service?

It takes a lot of strength and energy for educating the consumer with the new idea. Many a times, the market might not be mature enough to accept a solution, but as Innovators, we need to push for market readiness.

Look at Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc. Is India a mature model for them to setup their shop? Rolls Royce has been in India for a very long time now.

When Starbucks entered the Chinese market, it took them a decade to be accepted into the tea drinking nation.

What we need as entrepreneurs is persistence and success comes to those who can articulate their idea to novices. That is the deal breaker.

Power of Idea

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This is one of the most sort of terminologies we hear. All of us have ideas – ideas in our daily life, work, home etc. Then what is “Power of an Idea?” When you read an interview of any successful businessman or when you talk to people who run companies (entrepreneurs), one thing which you commonly hear is the power of an idea. Many aspiring entrepreneurs ask this question in forums – What do VC’s look for? and again, the common answer is “The idea”.

Let us examine this term with few known examples which created history.

We all know that the first attempt to fly was made by Wright Brothers in 1903, and also, most of us think that an airplane was invented at that time. But actually, the first draft of an airplane was made by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15 Century. This was the time an idea was born. After that, after close to 400 years, Wright Brothers dreamed big and brought out the idea of flying and today, we just cannot live without an airplane.

To quote a more recent example, Ratan Tata dreamed of having a common man’s car. He noticed the family of four going on a 2 wheeler without any space to anyone. He wanted to transform the way we travel and today, we know what the answer is.  When compared to GE, HM, Honda, Hyundai etc etc, Tata Motors is a small automobile company. But, how could they change an idea of car?

The above two examples make us think. An ‘idea’ is the way you look at things. All of us have ideas, to change the way we live or to create something which can help solve an existing problem. However, the result of the idea is left to the individual who thinks through it. At times, an idea or thought process becomes bigger than the thinker himself.

Another example we can think of is of Mohammad Yunus of Grameen Bank. He started small around 25 years back to provide support to “Bottom of Pyramid” group to enable them to live for themselves. What we see today is a transformation in life-style. Today, many countries in the world would want to replicate the same model to improve living conditions in their region.

Idea is powerful and it can really create history. However, the main ingredient of the idea is the committment of the thinker. In our airplane example, probably Leonardo did not have access to all the information and material required to fly in his time, but when the time came, the idea was re-born. This is the power of an idea.

What VC’s look for in entrepreneurs is their committment to their idea. The idea might not create history, but will it solve a particular problem is what is evaluated.

The first thing you do when you have an idea, is to live it up!

Innovation Series #1

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Going forward, I would like to write on my learnings on Innovation, Strategy, interesting information on Entrepreneurship and introduce you to books and sites which can provide you with loads of information regarding these topics. I name this series as “Innovation Series #<No>” and you can filter all posts on this topic using tags – Innovation, Strategy.
Let me begin this week with some interesting information and links: Fidelity Ventures PresentationsVery interesting presentations available. Especially I like the presentation on “Positioning Technology Companies for Success” in which there is a very practical depiction of “Magic Quadrant” which is very important for any organization to showcase itself.
Building Teams is another good one where the speaker is concentrating on how do you build, recognize and manage teams which produce results.
The Joy of fund raising is a good point to start before you make your first investor pitch.
When you write your business plan, one key aspect which you cannot miss to pen down is “Exit Strategy”. You will need to have this section which brings clarity to yourself and your investors.
Managing Successful Exit gives you an insight into this.

State of Indian EntrepreneurshipSanjeev Bikchandani, on his blog wrote about State of Indian Entrepreneurship.
A nice read and this is what i have to say -” That was very thoughtful Sanjeev. Yes, as you mentioned there are various organizations who are promoting entrepreneurship. I just wanted to throw light on BarCamps which are fast becoming forums for like minded people which deserve a noble mentioning keeping the returns in mind. Likewise, we just concluded HeadStart yesterday which focused on showcasing entrepreneurial spirit and also brought investors, academicians, entrepreneurs together.Coming to the “slow down”, yes, we need to be worried, but IMHO a person who believes in his/her ideology and passion need not bother about it. However, one needs to assess risks and ensure there is always a risk mitigation plan in place. When you write your business plan, always has answer to the other side of your proposal – this would be a lot of help.”
Buy and Sell IdeasDid you know that there is a market for buying and selling ideas? Yes, there is. Visit Idea Pages and you will know. Idea Pages provides you a platform to list your idea and will link you and the party interested in your idea so that you can either sell/partnership with the prospect to bring your idea to life 🙂
Angel Group Financing has an interesting e-book on Venture Capital information for Entrepreneurs.
You will need to visit The Institute of Innovation and Information Productivity web site to get some interesting information on these topics. Read the IIIP Innovation confidence Index for 2007 which says Asia shows most enthusiasm for Innovation. Interesting data.
Blogs on Entrepreneurship – Sramana Mitra, Paul Graham have interesting writings on Entrepreneurship.
Forbes Midas list has the list of worlds top 25 Venture Capitalist’s and there are 3 Indian names with Ram Shriram at number 3.
Refresh yourself and smile, after you see this comic strip on Web 2.0.

Being more Creative

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Just got these points in an email chain and I found them very interesting read. Hope you enjoy too 🙂

1. Ignore everybody.

2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.

3. Put the hours in.

4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.

5. You are responsible for your own experience.

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.

7. Keep your day job.

8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.

9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.

13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.

14. Dying young is overrated.

15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

16. The world is changing.

17. Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.

18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.

19. Sing in your own voice.

20. The choice of media is irrelevant.

21. Selling out is harder than it looks.

22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.

23. Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.

24. Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.

25. You have to find your own schtick.

26. Write from the heart.

27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.

28. Power is never given. Power is taken.

29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.

30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

31. Remain frugal.