Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A BOOTSTRAPPER'S PLEDGE

A Bootstrapper's Pledge
I am a bootstrapper.
I have initiative and insight and guts, but not much money.
I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger and better-funded competitors.
I am fearless. I keep my focus on growing the business—not on politics, career advancement, or other wasteful distractions.
I will leverage my skills to become the key to every department of my company, yet realize that hiring experts can be the secret to my success.
I will be a fervent and intelligent user of technology, to conserve my two most precious assets: time and money.My secret weapon is knowing how to cut through bureaucracy. My size makes me faster and more nimble than any company could ever be.
I am a laser beam. Opportunities will try to cloud my focus, but I will not waver from my stated goal and plan—until I change it. And I know that plans were made to be changed.I’m in it for the long haul. Building a business that will last separates me from the opportunist, and is an investment in my brand and my future. Surviving is succeeding, and each day that goes by makes it easier still for me to reach my goals.
I pledge to know more about my field than anyone else. I will read and learn and teach.My greatest asset is the value I can add to my clients through my efforts.
I realize that treating people well on the way up will make it nicer for me on the way back down. I will be scrupulously honest and overt in my dealings, and won’t use my position as a fearless bootstrapper to gain unfair advantage. My reputation will follow me wherever I go, and I will invest in it daily and protect it fiercely.
I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed, and I will gratefully accept their help when offered.
I also understand the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can.I have less to lose than most -- a fact I can turn into a significant competitive advantage.I am a salesperson. Sooner or later, my income will depend on sales, and those sales can be made only by me, not by an emissary, not by a rep.
I will sell by helping others get what they want, by identifying needs and filling them.I am a guerrilla.
I will be persistent, consistent, and willing to invest in the marketing of myself and my business.
I will measure what I do, and won’t lie about it to myself or my spouse.
I will set strict financial goals and honestly evaluate my performance. I’ll set limits on time and money and won’t exceed either.Most of all, I’ll remember that the journey is the reward. I will learn and grow and enjoy every single day.

--The Bootstrapper's Bible 2004 by Seth Godin

Thanks to Sandeep for this wonderful piece of literature

-Andy

Friday, February 9, 2007

Gurus, lecturers and professors

Met my school teacher Mrs. Shaila yesterday. It was a pleasant shock 
to her, seeing the boy whom she taught suddenly standing in her office, tall 
but not  changed at all. 
It felt really nice when she pecked me with that motherly love that she always 
showered upon us in school. We chatted for the better part of an hour and when she told me of the present state of my alma mater, it really saddened me. all the stalwarts who brought us up as our parents have left and they have been replaced by the young and restless. There is no dedication it seems, not of the level and quality these people had. Maam said she was seeing the best students sllipping out of her hands into foolish things that had the potential of ruining thier lives.
i was wondering afterwards how much these people have contributed to what i am today...i learnt a lot of subject knowledge from some very good teachers in my college and engineering, but they all had that indifferent attitude towards students. They never cared for the other important things like self learning, language skills and what can every student contribute. In that respect, i'm thankful to God i received my first education from extremely capable and loving parents and some of the most dedicated teachers you'll ever come across.
the lecturers and professors i have in my B school sure have the knowledge it takes to teach an MBA student, but i'll always question their dedication to the teaching profession. All i saw in the last 6 months was favoritism, P.R. required to earn marks and no hint of anything related to performance measurement.
I think never met gurus after i left school...someone who'll show me the way...
God i miss school...
Andy
 

Thursday, February 8, 2007

hmmmm

got intimation from Cadburys ppl...got to meet them on the 22nd feb.... 1100 hrs at delhi office....well!! to be honest...i dont feel like working!! want to be at home...got a 50 grand offer a month to be a branch manager of PT Education.....i kno its neat....but i dont know wat to say!!! all i said was..lalalalalalalalalalala

wellllllll

heylooooooooooo
i am sorry for not putting up anyting in "our" pink blog.....lol
anyways....
oey i got a haircut..... :)
loads of weddings on....... hence its good to dress up at times.... :P {too girlie for Andy to understand}

anyways..... rest alls well at home...im a lil bored as most of my frens are busy and thay chose to carry on with their lives....its an easier option than keeping up friends i guess.....

chalo more later
byeee
love u andy
miss u

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Sunset golds...


this is about an amazing sunset i witnessed while returning home. The bus left pune at 2 p.m. and it was evening while we neared nasik. the whole atmosphere was charged up with a surreal feeling. thanks to the bus service guys, they were showing 'phir herapheri ' (the less said the better...)
and so i was able to witness the sunset. wanted to share some snaps i took... hope u like 'em...
Andy      
 




























home run...

so these girls have contributed but nominally i see...defeats the purpose of this blog doesnt it???
well i reached home on sunday n had the most delicious dinner in the whole world...bhindi sabji (lady fingers) and countless rotis...add to that kadhi and plain daal...n u have heaven right in your plate...
the folks are fine and my granny gota pleasant shock when she found out that the aple of her eyes had come home a day early. you see, i had informed them that i'll be reaching home on monday morning, and though taai got the news due to the stupidity of priya, i asked her not to say anything to aaji (granny) n she kept her word...
so i slept like a log ofr 2 days...i mean the whole of yesterday and today...still feeling like i need an year's sleep...
will keep posting (as always)
Andy

Saturday, February 3, 2007

fighting for a cause lost..

they say that a fight is worth winning if the cause is worth fighting for...
this exam the cause was totally lost on me and somehow all i could do was write the exam for the sake of it...i wont take any pride out of this performance because it will be a performance best forgotten.
the bottomline is..i screwed up this sem...wasnt active in the projects and group tasks...which i think i handled well last time around...lost an opportunity to become a C.R. as i slept for 99% of the entire sem. and i SUCK at P.R. so thats out of the equation...
in an ideal situation, i could have prepared for the externals in a way that would take the internal evaluations out of the equation but the system didnt allow me to. It was simply not possible....
so i guess what it came down to was that all i could do was damage control...and thats what i've been doing for the last 7 days, sleepin for 3-4 hrs a day and studying by guts out just to salvage something out of nothing...
I've virtually given up the ghost today. there is still the eco paper to take care of,and i really dont have the heart or will to study for it.
what this exam has done is that i havent been able to spend time with either su or pillu. I guess it was my choice not to study with them but to be honest that was more because i wasnt comfortable at all studying in the library....sorry for that girlsv ;)
Tomorrow will be a hectic day, with me n pillu n su packing things and in a hurry to leave, i dont think we'll find a few minutes to wish each other happy holidays...
but as Scarlett O' Hara says in 'Gone with the Wind' - Tomorrow is another day.
Andy