And some adjusted their sails – episode one

The winds of change have been prevalent since the beginning of human civilization. Perhaps at the beginning of the “Bronze Age”, the stone-crafters were super upset at the fear of losing their livelihood. Similar scenario must played out as the use of iron started to gain momentum and the bronze expert dudes must have put up great resistance!

But the change triumphed.

Today the wind of change is blowing faster & stronger or that our present perception. The only businesses that remained afloat are those who adjusted their sails in time. 

I contemplating to post a mini-series about The Ones who didn’t lose and start with the fantastic story about Netflix.

In 1997, American entrepreneurs Reed Hastings and March Rudolph founded Netflix as a video-rental company. The “dot com” revolution was then reaching its peak while a much bigger digital storm was brewing in the backdrop.  As the internet continued to grow more relevant, Netflix did not get into a denial mode and bury their head in the sand. Instead that faced the challenge and adjusted their sails.

By 2007 Netflix took advantage of the speed of the internet and began offering subscribers, the option to stream some movies and television shows directly to their homes. The popularity grew at a phenomenal speed and in 2016, their service streamed directly to  homes in more than 190 countries. By the end of 2018, the number of subscribers exceeded 130 million and generated bulk of their revenue.

Netflix decided to create variety of contents to satisfy the taste and need of their subscribers and developed complicated algorithm for predicting an individual’s movie preferences based on past choices. This further cemented the bond with their customers and made them what they are today.

Compare the Netflix story with the stories of hundreds video libraries & parlors that used to provide similar services in almost every neighborhood.

Innovation & Me Being Judgmental

I was once told that “the science of knowing what conventional logic is wrong about” is a great marketing strategy. But now I know that non-conventional logic is not necessarily always astounding.
  

Can a new Samsung TV idea which can turn from vertical to horizontal and back again be classified as an innovation? 

Haven’t we seen this happen before in our iPad and all other tablets! Agreed that millennial and gen z love their tablets but is that a good enough logic to assume that they will love to have their TV doing the same.

But why sweat about a TV after all? How many of the young people watch the box these days. TV does not provide the privacy of space and contents that is so dear to them.

I am certain that no theory of innovation can justify launching this creation of Samsung. We know that time will deliver the final verdict and rest assured that the wait will not be that long.

While this vertical TV doesn't excite me, I have seen a fantastic use for a vertical screen elsewhere that shakes the very foundation of innovation of use.

These are the the Smart mirrors, which are also called smart displays or MemoMi Labs Digital Mirrors that Neiman Marcus installed in 34 locations in 2017. 

This emerging technology which combines Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will definitely change of future of retail and makes the virtual shopping  experience I have been waiting for not so distant affair.Check here

The luxury retailer also installed MemoMi sun-glass mirrors in partnership with Luxottica, the eye-wear company.

Uberization is the new buzz word

A quick illustration created to support the post

Soon enough our lives and everything that we do are going to be uberized, but are we going to be ready when that happens. Let’s start at the beginning by asking what this new word is.

Uberization is the new buzz word, maybe not as new anymore.

I remember the day in New Delhi when the term “Uber” was introduced to the younger me for the first time during the early nineties. Back then it was not a complete word by itself but came as the first part of the phrase “uber-sexual” men. It was defined as a male who has traits similar to that of a “metrosexual” but also possessed the traditional manly qualities such as confidence, strength, and class.

A person who loves grooming but unlike metrosexual doesn’t leave a doubt as to his sexual orientation, an image so flaunt worthy for young men in those days!

Fast forward a couple of decades and we have a new buzz. Thanks to the disruptive nature of the mobile app that have changed the taxi industry forever. Uberization evolved as the act or process of changing the market for a service by introducing a different way especially using mobile technology.

Uber in the business world must be one of the striking examples of “Disruptive Innovation”, a term coined by Clayton Christensen. It describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors.

As we read this researchers are carrying out studies on the uberization phenomenon, while entrepreneurs are looking how even their restaurant reservations could be uberized.

We don’t have to worry about that the conversion of existing jobs and services into discrete tasks that can be requested on-demand via a mobile App. 

We need to be prepared for it, because the ball has already started to roll!

Are you willing to jump in the FIRE?

It’s not about getting annihilated. On the contrary this fire is about setting ourselves free.

FIRE as a movement has increasingly grown in popularity among the millennial of the west. FIRE is the abbreviation for “Financial Independence, Retire Early”.

This trend is gaining further traction because freedom from the shackles of “work for living” existence allows an individual to chase his/her passion. Who wouldn't agree that creativity and innovation blossoms where the mind is without fear and the time is our own.

But how to reach there?

The proponent of the FIRE movement suggest the “4% rule” as a guide. It is another name for “ Trinity study”, an influential 1998 paper submitted by three professors for finance at the Trinity University. The study was to determine the “safe withdrawal rates” from the retirement portfolios containing a mix of stocks and bonds.

The 4% refers to the portion of the portfolio that is withdrawn during the first year. If that amount cover the yearly expense of the retiree, it is assumed that the person has sufficient assets to last for 25 to 30 years. The market volatility and increase of the consumer price index (CPI) to keep pace with the cost of living has been factored in a reasonable way.

This was back-tested by the authors and several other researchers and found to be workable. However, we need to note that the tests has been conducted based on historical data and no one know how the markets are going to perform in the future.

Are you willing to take the plunge?

Metrics for life

 “Only thing certain about life is death” is undoubtedly a cliché that everyone has used one time or the other. As the departure date never gets added to our Google calendar, reminders are not generated and most do not consider it to be a serious reality. 

But life is different once the true meaning is understood and this reality sinks within our souls.

Human being makes circumstantial decisions in life based on that moment and at times makes a wrong choice. Not everyone can see the big picture all the time and I believe it’s perfectly normal. But once we realize that what we did was not appropriate, there should be no reason for not making up for it one way or the other.

Given the choice, how many would be willing to regret about their life during before the final adieu. Nobody ask this question to a dying person but researchers has been collecting this data about their regrets in life from old people.  I have shortlisted 10 diverse regrets for this post as a start.

• I wish I had worried less
• I wish I had expressed love more frequently
• I wish I had taken chances with my career
• I wish I had cared more about my body
• I wish I had spent more time with people I love
• I wish I had forgiven more
• I wish I cared less for what other people think
• I wish I had lived more in the moment
• I wish I had faced my fears
• I wish I was more honest

We have a choice here. Either forget about all these and keep going on with life or we take a pledge to execute a “no regret” plan. First we “Select & Prioritize”, then we “Measure & Review” our progress regularly to attain a life without regrets.

Why we buy What we buy

We have a friend who could not resist buying bigger sizes clothes for her children during the seasonal sales though it will take 2-3 years for them to catch up. The prices and deals are too irresistible for her.

Impulsive buyers do not limit themselves to the cash at hand but can access future income to spend today. Unfortunately most of it is spent buying stuff that were neither planned nor necessary. While some people love to brag about their ability to clinch a deal that no one could, other love to peel off the price tags to reveal the original price to make them feel good.

This picture was taken at home.

Deep inside, we are impulsive buyers like the child who cries for a toy in the display window. But is impulsive buying a problem?

The answer is yes even if one has infinite budget or unlimited space. This disrupts the budget and leave us with little money along with stuff that we never needed. This prevents the creation of good and lasting financial habits that would allow to save up for larger planned purchases.  If not controlled this to could lead to a much more serious condition known as compulsive buying disorder (CBD), or oniomania.

According to Wikipedia this is characterized by an obsession with shopping and buying behavior that causes adverse consequences. This "is experienced as an irresistible–uncontrollable urge, resulting in excessive, expensive and time-consuming retail activity [that is] typically prompted by negative affectivity".

Impulse buyers are not likely to consider the possible consequences of their spending. Some of the reasons are:

• Extreme urge to possess an object as the person In China who traded his kidney for an IPhone.

• The love of buying new things because of a temporary high we experience upon buying a new item.

• Fear of missing out (FOMO) and being left without something that friends already have.

• Because of Brand affinity and a discount sale appears irresistible.

• Want to save money and believe the more we buy the more you save.

• Have a notion that buying a particular item will make them happy and improve their mood.

It becomes difficult to resist a situation once we see something in a store that is a great deal, but the reality is that it will probably just sit around your house and gather dust.

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Disclaimer – Any Similarity with People, Leaders, Politicians was intended

This post is about life of antelope in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, one of the sprawling grassy plains in Africa. Because of its seasonal flooding it remains a lush animal habitat for all types of living species. Notable heavyweights among the 160 species of mammals that thrive there are the likes of hippos, elephants, crocodiles, lions, leopards, rhinos, giraffes.

Also found there are Lechwe, a species of antelope family that stand 90 to 100 cm at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kg. They dominate the marshy areas feeding on aquatic plants while staying within knee-deep water to avoid the predators. With legs covered in a water-repellent substance, they have the perfect tools to run off any big cat in the knee deep water chase.

The males have long spiral structured horns they use it for fighting over territory and females. The sound of one horn hitting another sends clear message to the lions that another territorial fight is in progress and they are quick to cash in on this opportunity. The Lechwes are so engrossed in their fight that don’t realize that a predator has sneaked in and when they does, it’s too late.

Whenever we as human has taken our guard off because of our in-fighting, we too have paid for it dearly. It always pays to be careful and remain vigilant from predators, who sometimes hide behind a mask.

The post has been inspired by this picture posted by Natgeo on the Instagram.