Month: July 2019
It’s the people
Once upon a time, I read somewhere “Most tourists come to Nepal for the first time to see the mountains, they return for the people.” People are what makes Nepal a country that tourists want to come back (again and again). If you talk to tourists who have traveled to Nepal, most of them talk…
Building the Nepali startup ecosystem
Since 2011, we have seen a lot of interest in young entrepreneurs to execute their idea and build their startup in Nepal. Now we are slowly seeing a few startups (Fusemachines, Grepsr, SastoDeal) that have scaled in that time period. There are obviously others who may be doing equally good or even better. To build…
Rising above the machines
There’s a lot of hype about AI and automation these days. The hype is real. It is reshaping companies, industries, communities, and even countries. Yes, countries as well. An opinion article on the Financial Times talks about China battles the US in the artificial intelligence arms race Understanding what AI is and how automation will…
The coach
All managers should, in part, be coaches. This is from the Picking up the Bill article on The Economist (May 25th 2019). Gallup, a polling organization cites research showing that when managers involved employees in setting their own work goals, the latter are four times more likely to report feeling engaged. Managers are responsible for…
The omnipresent school
The class is in session. We’ve gone from cave settings to our current access from anywhere online class settings. Schools, colleges and universities meant physical structures with classrooms, playing areas, and facilities designed to engage the students. Now the places to get education are omnipresent. The web has literally transformed how we gain, use, and…
Once upon a time…
Stories are powerful. Evolution has wired our brains for storytelling. We all love a great story. For over 27,000 years, since the first cave paintings were discovered, telling stories has been one of our most fundamental communication methods (Source). Stories help us connect with each other and are an important part of our existence. We…
apples to oranges to mangoes
The road to success is different for each individual. No one success story follows the same track. The fundamentals of becoming successful can be more similar. Hard work, focus, dedication, creativity, sacrifice, team work, vision and so many other components can be the ingredients of success. Comparing one individual’s success to another is like comparing…
First mover disadvantage
We’ve heard of first mover advantage where the first company to venture into the market benefits from an early entry, building a brand, creating customer loyalty and so forth. Is there also a first mover disadvantage? I believe so. Some markets are as adaptive as other markets and the factors could be culture, consumer lifestyle,…
Tools of happiness
Here are some ways that can make you happy. -Do things you love (even if you don’t get paid for them) -Spend time with your loved ones (family, friends, relatives) -Volunteer to a cause that you absolutely feel strongly about -Travel (does not have to be international, just travel to where you can) -Read books…
LinkedIn Speaker Series: Andre Iguodala
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner sits down with Andre Iguodala, three-time NBA champion to discuss insights from Iguodala’s new book, The Sixth Man.
Disconnect in weekends
Talent retention
Retaining the best talent in your company takes work-a lot of work. A competitive salary is just one part of the compensation package to keep the best talent within the company. Having a great company culture, a clear company mission and vision, challenging projects, mentorship culture, learning culture, making a social impact are some of…
Why The New York Knicks Are So Expensive
This Business Insider video provides insights on why The New York Knicks Are So Expensive ( valued at $3.6 billion) given that they have had a very poor performance on the basketball court in many years. Plus, the video also talks about the different NBA markets, TV deals, and TV market sizes etc.
Entrepreneurial
The entrepreneurial journey is not everyone’s cup of tea. A few individuals love the adventure, risk and everything else that comes with entrepreneurship yet most love what they do and live happily also. Each is a life choice we make. Yet entrepreneurial skills are something we can all strive to have. I believe you don’t…
Continuing education
The graduate is an obsolete word now. As technology changes industries, people and work, a degree will not be enough for you to sustain or stay competitive. With AI set to create jobs as well as replace mundane jobs, we need to stay on top of our game. This means colleges and universities cannot promise…
You’re a founder
A founder of ideas. A founder of a company. A founder of a movement. What will you create today?
the culture setters
There is always a culture-company culture. It’s there from day 1. As entrepreneurs build their businesses, their personalities shape the culture of the company. Founder(s) are the initial catalysts of the company. As the company becomes bigger, the culture is carried on by the employees who joined the company in its early stages and the…
Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight was a book on my Book bucket list for 2019. I wrote then “When I went to college, I wanted to work for one company after graduation and it was Nike. This was one of the reasons why I studied abroad in Amsterdam,…
Mentors in our lives
I strongly believe in mentorship. Mentors can play a crucial role in our personal and professional lives. No matter what stage we are in our lives, a mentor can have a tremendous impact. Just read a nice article on ideas.ted.com The 5 types of mentors you need in your life. –Mentor #1: The master of…