Category Archives: Business

You Are Either Problem Solver, Or Not Entrepreneur At All

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First time entrepreneurs or young one like me, or most of us often ask this question to themselves, and people we meet around.

In the picture above is ‘Sharo‘ who for the first time is going to start her company.

And when she puts her questions before people who claim to have good experience in business. They answer it like this.

Or worse, here she is again:

Everyone is answering entirely from his/her own experience.

In this picture, she wants to learn what possible challenges, opportunities, and environment she will encounter on the road of entrepreneurship. Or in other words what advice you have for someone who’s thinking to cross the wall.

For answers, she goes to Tom, Ravi and David, all three of them have some experience in their fields.

Their answers are: TREES, MOUNTAINS and WATER.

Which means, Tom thinks she should learn how to survive in forests.

While Ravi believes, she must learn mountain climbing and how to survive in extreme hot and cold temprature.

And David recommends to focus on swimming and boating, which can help her to cross streams and rivers on her way.

What you think? What should she learn? Three of these skills, or every possible thing she can learn?

Here is what I think.

As a human or more specifically as an entrepreneur, we never know what challenges we shall have behind the wall of our comfortzone. And successful people have this one habit, they go behind the wall with a problem solving mindset and face everything on the way.

They do not assume specific environment, conditions, or challenges. Though each of them is jack of some trades, and master of one or two.

But this is their mindset which matters the most.

Today, I briefly talked with my team that, do not assume that all the challenges and opportunties will be the same as we percieve them now. Things are changing all the time, so does the challenges and opportunities which it brings.

Just make sure, you’ve allingned yourself well with the changes and you have this confidence that you shall solve every problem which would come between you and your destination.

Got it! Have problem solving mind? Oh WOW!

Set for Shipping

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Just now when I was coming out of my washroom, I saw an ant moving on the sink. At first it did not look like an ant at all. I thought it is anyother comparatively bigger insect. But when I got closer, it was an ant holding a piece of food bigger then itself. I think we become what we carry.

We can carry anything, a camera, a hope, some anger, business idea, a flower, thoughts of revenge, a regret or anything out there. Some time you can even carry an idea which could connect 850 million people. In short, everyone of us is set to ship something.

I often whisper: “A lot gets changed, and it’ll be changed more by time.”

Lately I have been in lot of changes, mostly positives.

Now on this blog I want to talk about what I am doing, rather than what I or you should be trying becoming.

As some of you know, I am trying building a startup. A real business where I have to convince people to buy my product (mostly shoes). In fact I am learning how to make physical products from scratch. And how to ship when it is hard.

Now I am realising this more than ever that why someone like ‘Sheeda Dabay Wala’ (Sheeda box maker) is smarter than guys with an MBA from a leading business school.

Entrepreneurship is fun, but at the same time, probably the most sensitive fun one could ever have. For example, yesterday someone stole my motor bike from the parking. This bike was gifted by my brother to help me in my business. And now it is with me no more, but then no matter what, let’s keep shipping.

Let’s keep shipping for what we set overselves.

In coming days and months, I shall write how I am building the business and what is important which I am learning, relearning or unlearning.

My focus will be more on the business and workable side of the world rather than just preaching how to be a better human. Better human is important, but one can help more people if you have the idea of getting something physical out of that.

In short I am all set now. The site name is changed from ‘Waqas A Day’ in to Waqas Ali.

And yes, now we have a tagline/message:  “Set for Shipping.”

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Why ’15 Years of Experience’ is a Big Scam

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‘I applied at 18 different jobs in banks, but they all ask for 2+ years of experience. How the hell I can assure them that I have all what it takes to be for what I am applying for.’ <– Told a friend of mine, who was seeking for a job without any prior experience in bank industry.

What I want to say is this:

Many many times young people do not do something because they assume that, this work can only done by people with ‘15 years of experience‘ and newbie like us are not able to do it at all.

They unfollow their heart because of the initial hurdles which come in their way. Worse is that, we keep doing this. Even in our 70s.

I can not do this. <– Please make sure to say this after trying at least for 3 times with 3 different approaches.

15 Years of Experience is a tag, to keep creative people away and they do this to protect their jobs.

I think I have made my point, and it doesn’t need more words.

The idea of the post came into my mind, when I learned that my 24 old friend Bilal wants to design cars in next few years. He has no experience in designing cars, but he surely knows his passion “design.” Thankfully he is also helping us with the logo of Hometown, and I am amazed at what he has done so far.

This is probably the first time, he is doing and getting on his way to design cars. Incredible.

In the picture below is Max Wolff, the head designer for (Ford’s car) Lincoln, said, “Our goal is to make Lincoln look like nothing else that’s out there.”

The Ford guys knew that this 38 years guy will bring something which 58 can not.

I wish the very very best luck to my friend Bilal, who wants to do this before his 30 and to everyone of you who is not afraid of the tag ’15 years of experience’

Very related post:
Gen-Y Can Help You Re-invent Your Business

Those Who Knows, Make Money From Those Who Don’t

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Which is quite fair.

But sometime people pay, despite they know it all.

The point, is they don’t know, that what they know is the solution.

A football coach

So here comes the smart people, who help them re-understand the solution and encourage them to follow their heart.

They make money, and eventually who didn’t know also make money.

 

So if you know, go and make money.

And.. if you don’t know, go and make money. Now you know how!

We Can Not Help Ourselves For Free

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We can not help them for free.

We can not help ourselves for free.

Always seek for solid interests of yours, when you decide to work for someone. Your interests should be these.

  1. Money
  2. Comfort
  3. Health
  4. Reputation
  5. Strong Recommendation

In one word, you must be satisfied enough to work for someone.

I believe you’re in a condition, you can not afford to work for free. This is because every action generates a re-action, so get something valuable from your first action (work), which you can you use in re-action (life) practically sometime.

For more, You Should Hire Me

Groupbuying – Success Lies In Binding With New Customers

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Idea of group-buying was hot. Still hot, and will stay hot for people who are seeking for discounts.

But businesses are failed to get out of it. Here is a truth. For businesses, group-buying is hot because it attracts them new customers, and often a lot. For customers, is hot because it helps them buy something cheaper than usual. That’s it.

Customers will always look for a cheaper product, unless you create something like Mac. ;) On the other side, businesses can’t afford to give HOT-Discount for too long.

But here is how they can make use of it. Give a discount, a good one, then make them WOW!

Here is how:

  • with your WOW Customer Service
  • with your Great Product
  • by adding Humanity into Your Service
  • by showing them Some Art
  • and by these three from Seth Godin

In one sentence: Advertising or Groupbuying attracts customers for a very short period, it is up to you to do something else to keep them in a sustainable way.

If you’ll make them love you, they’ll love you and they will tell others that they love you. ;)

Got the point?  Hire Me, I can help you to make that real.

Note: thanks to Sebastian Sastre for some of the ideas that I’m using in this post. By the way, if you want better communication and management within your organization you should check out this amazing application he did: airflowing.

Turning Tragedy into a Motivation To Do Well

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But in Oct 2004, in a plane crash, he lost 10 people from his senior management group, including his 24 year old son and brother. They all were in the same plan, going for a business visit.

Rick said, “You don’t, you can’t prepare for anything like that.”

This is very true, life sometimes gets really very hard. Things can happen what even we are afraid to imagine, but it does.

How should we prepare for that? The answer is, we don’t. Yes it is about staying strong and getting up in a hard way.

2004 #25 Ditech/GMAC Monte Carlo. The hood des...

After the disaster, Rick Hendrick, addressed to his emlpoyees, they hired new people in top management. Set up offices a few steps apart to overcome the gaps in their knowldge. And after 40 days, they made to the next race.

Turning tragedy into a motivation tool is not easy, but this is what real leaders do.

And this is what you can do to motivate your team / family or yourself. No one born as a leader, you put yourself to lead the change and this is the moment when world demands you to lead.

None of us really knows, what has life for us, big success or a disaster or anything between. It is not important, the important is to believe that no matter how worse things get, you’ll stand up and stay stand.

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Why You Need to Paint Future Now

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Some of you might know, my business is to help businesses make meaning and money by building communities. Here is what I was suggesting to one of my team members Sidra today.

“Try to predict, by using your background knowledge, skills and common sense. If you will start predicting, then in coming days you’ll learn.”

1. Why you were wrong.
2. Why you were right.
3. Or anything in between.

But if you start waiting like everyone else out there in the industry, you’ll not learn anything at all. You’ll just be one who’ll be clapping by seeing others clapping.

What does it means to you? I mean to say that, even if you are not sure of exact impact or result of your actions, it doesn’t mean you should not take one.

Take action now, start making drawing picture of yourself or of your business, and tell us how it will look like.

Tell us, why it will look so in coming weeks and months.

You might get wrong, it doesn’t matter that much. My intentions is to encourage you, to teach to yourself, how to make things happen.

So no matter if you are one man show, or a large organization. Start making a drawing of, how you’ll look in next few months.

If you will get wrong, you’ll learn.

If you will get right, you’ll learn.

But if you’ll just wait, nothing is going to happen.

PS. If you’re interested to share your business plan or think I can help in any way, do not hesitate to catch me. ;)

Image from here

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New Era of Designing Consumers

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Yesterday I was learning about Philippe Starck, the best known designer in the New Design Style. Here is tiny example of his work.

Also we are seeing companies like Apple, IKEA, Zappos and many others, which are offering great services or products or both.

If companies like them can offer, why not everyone? Here is the point, Apple didn’t bring its products’ design from here or there, or even it wasn’t avilable before they created it. Similarly for Zappos, they had no such experience of Delivering Happiness before.

Also people like Seth Godin, Chris Anderson, or Martin Luther King did and doing what has never been done in the way.

Both companies and individuals, promised it to themselves, designed it, created it, delivered it.

Things did not ended over there, what we call now customers or fans loyalty is actually designing your unique consumer or fan.

This is what I call an era of designing consumers. Without it, it is impossible for good folks to make WOW. I strongly belive you know what you can do to design your own following of people or consumers.

Waiting of what? Go.. Design us.. We’re waiting of you dear Linchpin.

PS. The idea of this post was taken from Kenny East‘s comment on Mashable’s facebook status.

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