Nirmal Thapa

Why pay for it?

Posted on March 16, 2023March 16, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

There’s a big difference of results between doing it on your own (for something you’re not so good at) compared to hiring a professional to do it.

For tasks that you could kind of do it, have an idea about it or know a little bit, it’s better to go with a professional most times. There might be some exceptions here and there.

Recently we hired some professional movers for a few hours to load our belongings in a Pod.

Could we, ourselves have moved the belongings to a Pod? Perhaps yes.

Yet the time saved for the few hours, no physical or mental tiredness from moving, having the belongings efficiently put in a Pod and a general peace of mind made hiring professional help for moving totally worth it.

You actually don’t know the overall benefits of getting professional help until you get one.

What work/tasks can you do best and what can be outsourced to someone who can do it much better than you?

The best time to do a startup is…

Posted on March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

NOW.

Literally now.

If you are thinking about doing a startup, want to be an entrepreneur or create something of your own, there is no better time than RIGHT NOW.

There is no uniform age, timeline, state, region, phase, moment or any other factor that guarantees the best time to do a startup.

I like to watch this Ted talk by Bill Gross from time to time to remind myself why start-ups succeed.

I used to have an illusion/perception that I need to have a decent amount of money to start a business. Yet when I did start a business, it was more than just money that I needed. I learned about the importance of having a solid business and technical team members, balancing product development and marketing, public relations and network and countless other valuable lessons that I learned only because I started the business.

I believe that if you are thinking of doing a startup or want to go into entrepreneurship, the earlier the better.

For example, let’s say you are 25 now, have an idea and want to build your own company. If you wait 5 years (at 30 years old) to start implementing that idea, the market might have changed, other companies might implement similar idea(s) and you are late to the market, you have other priorities now (family, job etc) among others. On the flip side, if you wait you might be gaining experience in a particular domain that can help build your company or have more financial resources to venture on your own.

I strongly believe that if you have an idea and want to build a company, the best move you can make is to start it. The immediate benefit of starting now will give a lot of momentum to your idea/venture, you will learn tremendously by experimenting and getting feedback from the market/customers/non customers etc. The learnings from starting a business will be exponential. If you start as early as you can, you will gain experience that will be very valuable to the success of your idea/business and also as an entrepreneur.

Doing entrepreneurship is both an art and a science.

I can’t wait to see what you create in the world. Now.

What’s on your calendar?

Posted on March 1, 2023March 1, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

One way to identify what’s a priority for someone is to look at their calendars.

What’s there and what’s not there?

If your calendar does not have the activities/people/experiences that you value or are important to you, pretty soon it will start filling up with other people’s priorities.

Someone can tell you how much they want to be an entrepreneur and live the lifestyle they have always dreamed of. Yet when you see how that person spends their time, you will notice if they really mean it or are not focused on their personal/professional goals. If it’s not booked on your calendar (or time blocked off for it), then usually it will not happen for many reasons.

Usually the calendar is a good indicator of what’s a priority to someone.

Coffee Convoz

Posted on February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

There are many amazing coffeeshops located throughout Nepal. From the Himalayan Java outlets (15+) and Redmud Coffee (6+) that have opened up around the Kathmandu valley, there is a growing number of new coffeeshops that have now blossomed in Nepal.

Coffee Convoz, an Instagram page is visiting coffeeshops in Nepal and US and creating posts from their cafe visits.

Although tea culture is still omnipresent in Nepal, coffee culture has picked up a lot of steam in the last several years. These new coffeeshops offer very good coffee, food, and a lot of care has been given to its overall ambience as well. Coffeeshops won’t replace tea shops anytime soon nor completely. However, we will see a few more coffee franchises such as Himalayan Java and Redmud Coffee opening up outlets throughout Nepal and abroad. In fact, Himalayan Java already has opened outlets abroad in Toronto (Canada), Nebraska (US), Minnesota (US), and Seattle (US).

The future of Nepali coffee looks promising domestically and internationally.

Working those muscles

Posted on January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

Being more creative, more inquisitive, more evolved requires working with intention on those creative/curious/reflection muscles.

If you want to be more creative, keep challenging yourself to think outside the box, look for different ways to solve the same problem or spend time around “creative people.”

If you want to be more inquisitive, keep asking questions, look for follow up questions and learn from others who have the knack for asking good questions.

If you want to be more evolved as a person, invest in yourself and reflect on your emotions, feelings, and behaviors.

When you keeping working on the “muscle/craft” you want to become better at, you will be skilled in it overtime!

What’s your authentic greatness?

Posted on January 2, 2023January 2, 2023 by Nirmal Thapa

Authentic greatness is about realizing your individual uniqueness, purpose and living a fulfilling life daily.

Each of us is gifted with a talent and our purpose in life is to find that and live our life through it.

Some of us find our purpose early while others find it later. However, one of life’s goal should be to discover our purpose at our own pace.

imagine a world where each of us realizing our beautiful purpose and living life through it. The world would be even more amazing and lively.

Beyond the Comfort Zone

Posted on November 13, 2022November 13, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

In our comfort zones, we tend to feel at ease, almost no anxiety, stress free, and safe.

In the boundaries of our comfort zones, we tend to feel some or a lot of anxiety, stress, and get defensive.

Do we all have comfort zones? If so, do we stay in those zones or go beyond them?

Of course, we all have our comfort zones in different areas of our lives and activities that we do. As humans, we operate from a place where we make decisions from what we know, feel comfortable doing, and go about our personal and professional lives.

However, if those same comfort zones are limiting our own growth or from allowing us to reach our full potential, wouldn’t we want to go beyond them?

Imagine you have been selected as a member of your varsity basketball team. Your basketball coach sees a lot of potential in you and provides regular feedback. There are parts of your game that are already good and you capitalize on them. Then there are other parts of your game that you are not mostly aware of but your coach sees where and how you can improve on them. After each varsity practice, the coach comes up to you and gives you constructive feedback on your improvement areas. You listen to the coach but you are not REALLY LISTENING to your coach. You have a feeling that you are already good in certain areas and that’s the part the coach should praise you on. Yet here you are listening to the coach just talking about where you can be in the future and keeps going on and on the improvement areas, not so much your strength areas. After a few of these feedback sessions, you finally get the urge to just tell the coach that you are doing everything you can and get defensive because you don’t feel appreciated or valued by the coach. You have excuses and don’t take any responsibility or ownership.

Now what can happen next?

As a player, you can reframe the conversation with the coach as a way to see that the feedback is for your own growth and if you have want to reach the next level, you should do the activities the coach recommends you to do. Or you can stay defensive and feel entitled to think that you have already reached your potential and the coach doesn’t see that? Or just quit the varsity basketball team?

Comfort zones are there and will continue to be an integral part of each of us. Yet, if you want to live out your AUTHENTIC GREATNESS, how often will you push yourself out of your comfort?

A recommended read related to this topic “How to Leave Your Comfort Zone and Enter Your ‘Growth Zone“

Getting through the data noise

Posted on November 9, 2022November 9, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

An authentic brand story will help your company get through the data noise.

How much data noise is really out there?

Domo’s Data Never Sleeps 10.0 presents some numbers.

Some notes from Domo:

Over the last ten years, digital engagement through social media, streaming content, online purchasing, peer-to-peer payments and other activities has increased hundreds and even thousands of percentage points.

As of April 2022, the internet reaches 63% of the world’s population, representing roughly 5 billion.

According to Statista, the total amount of data predicted to be created, captured, copied and consumed globally in 2022 is 97 zettabytes, a number projected to grow to 181 zettabytes by 2025.

There will be more data generated in the coming days, months, and years. How will your startup or corporation get through the data noise? Will your company keep spending more money on ads, social media marketing , PR and others? Or will you invest in a long term strategy such as identifying your authentic brand story and leveraging it?

Will you have the audacity to wave ’em off?

Posted on November 2, 2022November 2, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks waved off his teammates to take the game winning shot in Toronto against the Toronto Raptors on February 14, 2012.

Why is this a big deal?

It’s a big deal because we witnessed an Asian man in the NBA have the confidence to say that I’ve got this and led his team to victory. We need to see more visible Asian role models in sports, media, colleges/universities and workplaces have the confidence to lead just like Jeremy did that night on February 14. These individuals have put in the work, earned it and now it’s time to take credit for it. It’s been long overdue.

I could think of few questions to start empowering the current and next generation of Asians to have the audacity to wave ’em off (said in positive sense) when the time comes.

Are we encouraging children to speak with confidence at home and at school?

What’s the mindset that the parents and culture are creating for their children?

Who are the kids’ current role models and why?

Are the children and youth able/given the opportunity to see more individuals that look like them in sports/media/colleges/universities and workplaces?

Are parents and mentors having meaningful conversations and discussions around documentaries such as 38 at the Garden?

I’d love to hear other thoughts and suggestions on how to empower the current and next generation of Asians.

Inspired to write this blog after reading Dave Lu’s The Audacity to Wave ‘Em Off and watching the documentary 38 at the Garden.

Sleep as your superpower

Posted on October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams packs a lot of insightful research and content in the sleep domain.

The World Health Organization and the National Sleep Foundation both stipulate an average of eight hours of sleep per night for adults.

Listed in the book’s Appendix are Twelve Tips for Healthy Sleep which I found very useful.

For an overview, they are sticking to a sleep schedule, getting good exercise, avoiding caffeine and nicotine, avoiding alcoholic drinks before bed and large meals and beverages late at night, if possible avoiding medicines that delay or disrupt sleep, avoiding naps after 3pm, relaxing before bed, taking a hot bath before bed, maintaining a dark, cool and gadget free bedroom, having the right amount of sunlight exposure, and not staying in bed awake for too long.

Appendix Twelve Tips for Healthy Sleep is from Why We Sleep Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.

Transitioning from an employee to an employer

Posted on October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Entrepreneurship can be a beautiful journey.

Many individuals enter the workforce and work for several years before striking out on their own. Some individuals go straight into entrepreneurship before working for anyone else. There are several questions/scenarios that an aspiring entrepreneur(s) considers when deciding to stay in the current job (if working) to going completely in on their business opportunity/venture.

Few of the questions that can come up during this transition phase are:

Is this the right time to quit the job and focus completely on the business opportunity/venture?

Do I really need to quit my job to work on this business opportunity? Can I do both at the same time if I prioritized my time better?

What is the minimum monthly revenue I should be earning from my business before leaving my job to do the venture full-time?

How will I manage my daily/monthly/yearly expenses before the business really takes off?

When will I realistically get my first customer?

At what point will I actually make more money from doing entrepreneurship than when I was working for someone else?

There’s no exact science or art in when the best time is to launch a business. People launch businesses at all different times/seasons/economic cycles etc. Companies have started in recessions, economic growth cycles, pre-Covid era, during Covid era, post-Covid era. Here are some numbers around Small-Business Statistics. Note that 4.3 million new business applications were filed in 2020.

more authentic, less perfect

Posted on October 1, 2022October 1, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

There’s been an idea or belief that has been with me for a while. It’s that for some reason, life has to be “perfect.” It could have started in childhood, school or just the culture I grew up in.

Not being able to achieve “perfection”, it created anxiety or stress for no reason. I could not define what a “perfect” life is or why I needed to live that way anyway.

Now I’m focusing towards living a more authentic life than a perfect one.

Is success really “self-made”?

Posted on September 18, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

We often see the below headline in the media (blogs, magazines, articles etc.) to describe an individual or founders’ success.

They were self-made billionaires. They were self-made entrepreneurs.

Then the rest of the media coverage goes something like this…

Person A’s company is now worth a billion dollars. Having started in her garage four years ago, Person A has disrupted the industry and won every industry award.

Person B had a dream to change the industry and with another co-founder, they developed a MVP over a weekend. Now their work has become an industry standard and they are pioneers in helping to move the industry forward.

Using the word “self-made” to describe individuals running successful organizations does not provide the full picture. We have fallen so much in love with the narrative of a solo entrepreneur or visionary who did it all. From having nothing at all to now running one of the biggest so and so company in the world. However, it’s rarely one individual who does everything and becomes successful. There is always a team who is helping to run the company and making sure everything is operating as smoothly as possible. That team could be a handful of individuals or a few hundred or thousand. Yet the credit or the media coverage usually goes to the founder(s) who took the risk, “sacrificed” almost everything, and made an impact.

Maybe it’s about time we find a different word to describe this type of success than calling them “self-made.”

What’s a word that celebrates the individual’s work plus highlights the contribution of the team?

the “perfect” work

Posted on August 30, 2022August 30, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Seth Godin’s blog today was Unbeatable vs Perfect. In it, he states that Google has killed more than 200 projects over the last few decades. They fail all the time. MORE THAN 200 PROJECTS!!!

Over the years, I knew Google discontinued a few products/services here and there but did not expect more than 200. Often we see a company, professional, or industry expert present an almost “flawless” or “perfect” product/service out in the world. We expect our work to be like theirs or close to it as possible. We forget that we are on our own journey to greatness. There is no need to compare, contrast, or feel deflated. What you can do from the work you see out there is to draw inspiration, motivation and keep going at your pace. There is “never” a perfect version of something and there is “always” room for improvement.

If Google waited for the “perfect” project/product/service to ship, we won’t be talking about them in 2022. They launched in 1998 and are still relevant to us more than ever before!

Also if I waited for the “perfect” blog to post, this post would be in my Drafts and you won’t be reading it at this moment. Thanks for reading my “not-so-perfect” blog.

Saved in my drafts

Posted on August 22, 2022August 22, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

How many thought-provoking and authentic stories end up just in the drafts section of your blog?

How many original ideas stay in your employees’ head instead of being shared with the team and the company?

How many times does an important question gets missed because the individual feels like she or he won’t be heard or acknowledged for having the courage to share?

What holds people back from sharing and publishing their work? Are they waiting for the “perfect” moment to share the blog or idea or question? There’s no one size fits all answer to these questions. Pondering upon these questions is in itself an important exercise and a good starting point. I do this often when I compose a blog and then save it as a draft. On my blog, there are way more drafts saved than published. I save them so I can go back and add more content to the blog later, or the blog idea just came in my head and want to note it down or most times I tend to overanalyze on the blog’s quality and make a decision not to publish it yet. I am working towards publishing more blogs than just saving them as drafts.

You’ll be the co-captain of the varsity team!

Posted on August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

That’s what my high school basketball coach told me after having joined the team just a few weeks ago. Basketball was still a new sport to me. I had not played much basketball growing up but fell in love with the sport instantly.

My coach knew my grades and wanted to set an example to the other teammates that academic excellence was equally important as your on court basketball excellence. She saw the potential in me and made me the co-captain of the team. She made our star varsity player the other co-caption of the team. In practice, I was paired with the best basketball player we had on the team and he taught me better techniques in dribbling, shooting free throws, and taking jump shots. During our lunch break, I would tutor our best basketball player in math. My coach had orchestrated a genius plan to harness our individual strengths and use that to help members of the team. Since I was new to the game of basketball, she encouraged me to pick up handball to improve my hand to eye coordination. She was always looking out for me and I thank her so much!

After my high school varsity team experience, I played intramural basketball in college, pick up games, and even annual basketball tournaments. The basketball court is where I belong. In a way, playing basketball is a language for me that enables me to connect with individuals from all walks of life, from various corners of the world, and feel a sense of belonging. My high school basketball coach helped me find a place where I felt a sense of belonging.

What will your Ted Talk be about?

Posted on August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Imagine receiving an invitation to give a Ted Talk. What will your Ted Talk be about?

Each of us have unique experiences in the world and these experiences shape our perspectives, thoughts, and behaviors. Each of us has an authentic story and it deserves to be heard. There are many platforms out there to share your story and Ted is one of them.

In your Ted Talk, what will you focus on? what stories will you share? what experiences have shaped who you are today? If you had only 15 minutes stage time, how will you use that time effectively? What is your gift to the world?

Handling dissatisfying situations

Posted on June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

In Albert Hirschman’s book “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States” he mentions that there are four different options for handling a dissatisfying situation.

Decades of research show that you have a choice between exit, voice, persistence, and neglect. Exit means removing yourself from the situation altogether. Voice involves actively trying to improve the situation. Persistence is gritting your teeth and bearing it. Neglect entails staying in the current situation but reducing your effort.

How do you respond to dissatisfying situations?

Text reference: Originals How non-conformists move the world by Adam Grant

Who’s the most valuable member of the company?

Posted on May 24, 2022May 24, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Since it was the founder/co-founders’ idea that led to the company’s start, is she/he/them the Most Valuable Member (MVM)?

Sales team brings in clients and revenue. Are they more valuable then?

How about the technology team that made the software which the sales team sold?

And the human resource team who found and hired the talent with the right attitude, education, and skillsets?

Let’s acknowledge the Training team who help employees to keep their skills and knowledge up to date as per company’s needs.

Getting the software in front of potential customers at the right place and time, isn’t the Marketing team deserving of applause and attention?

Client services team is communicating with the client and making sure they have an amazing experience. Don’t they receive credit on what they do to make the customers happy?

Author: Nirmal Thapa