Free rider in simple terms is someone who benefits (takes) all the time without ever thinking of paying for what he or she is getting. In other words, free rider is someone who takes the giver for granted. Free riders are part of your life. You can’t avoid them but if you don’t spot them… Continue reading
Post Category → Think
Interview with Sramana Mitra on 1M/1M Program
1M/1M Program has a bold mission One Million by One Million is a global initiative that aims to nurture a million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars each in annual revenue and beyond by 2020, thereby creating a trillion dollars in global GDP and ten million jobs. This is an ambitious project and it’s not surprising… Continue reading
Creating a social object – ZooZoo Characters!
If you are following Indian Premier League (IPL) you might have heard about ZooZoo characters. In fact, you might be looking forward to the commercials that are featuring them. People young and old are fascinated by these cute little characters. Merchandise (Mugs, T-Shirts and Keychains to start with) are hot – showing the power of… Continue reading
What you say and what you mean…
I couldn’t help but smile at a new notice from Google as I was checking my email. The notice said that I should soon be expecting better ads in my email program. Interestingly, this is a paid gmail account. What Google really wants to say is that they have found an improved way of making… Continue reading
How to Make Your Customers Feel Good
This is the topic of my new article at AMEX OPEN Forum The first temptation is to cut prices – may be give them something of value at a bargain price and they will be happy. Well, may be a subset of your customers will be happy, yes. But if you do this mindlessly, you… Continue reading
What can you learn about marketing from Tapioca Express?
When my friend Kiruba was here for a few days last week, we went around several places that he wanted to see. At the end of the day, we wanted to stop for a drink. Kiruba does not drink coffee or tea and I don’t drink beer – so we had to settle for something… Continue reading
Is Twitter a waste of time?
That was one of the questions on Quora recently. Of course there were so many answers – for and against but the summary was the same – it all DEPENDS on how you use it. Rather than reiterating what has been said, I thought I will share my own journey with Twitter and how (accidentally)… Continue reading
Starbucks Auto Vending Machine and a note on Design
I am here at Washington DC at the beautiful Gaylords Hotel. On the 2nd floor, they have installed a vending machine from Starbucks. The automatic coffee vending machine is definitely cool. You swipe your credit card, follow 3 simple steps and then there you have it – your fix of Starbucks coffee. Interestingly, there is… Continue reading
As you walk the extra mile…
As you walk the extra mile, please ensure that you are not blocking somebody else in their journey. Sometimes people get so excited about over-achieving that they will step on the toes of other people who are just trying to get through their day. Today, there was a Budget truck in front of our gate…. Continue reading
A Heart Surgeon and an Internet Marketer: Interview with Dr. Mani
I am very inspired by the work of my friend Dr. Mani Sivasubramaniam. Dr. Mani is a heart surgeon. Dr. Mani is also an Internet Marketer. While I have not seen any other heart surgeon who is an Internet Marketer, Dr. Mani is more special than that. He sets aside part of the profits from… Continue reading