Register

Category: strategy

More of us represented (Part 2)

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

In Silicon Alley, I’ve attended many business conferences and events. Many of these events used to lack diversity but are slowly seeing a growing number of diverse audience members and people on stage. Back in 2010, I attended several marketing conferences and met a handful of African American and Hispanic tech enthusiasts/entrepreneurs. I was invigorated and excited to hear their stories and perspectives.

Recently, I have been following Chamillionaire (Platinum & grammy award winning recording artist. EIR @ Upfront Ventures. Startup angel investor. Knowledge seeker. Boss.) On the many videos posted on YouTube, he has shared a lot of good insights and wisdom on early stage startups, diversity in the tech space, getting more minorities interested in tech and sharing his experiences/information with others.

Preparing for student/work life abroad

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

If you get the opportunity to study abroad or work abroad, it’s best to be prepared for that transition. Each transition brings with it excitement and anxiety. That’s part of the human experience.

Going from Nepal to somewhere abroad, there are many things an individual can do to be prepared and start with a solid foundation once reaching the destination. Here are a few things to pick up/hone/learn/experience while in Nepal (in no particular order) based on my experience and knowledge:

Language: One of the biggest things to adjust to when going abroad is the local language. One should be comfortable speaking in the local language to easily navigate around the area or go about his/her day. Taking even a basic level language course while in Nepal would prove to be extremely helpful later on.

Culture and traditions: From the web, one can easily find details on the local culture and traditions of the place you will be studying or working in. It’s important to understand and be aware of local cultural nuances and avoid chances of miscommunication, ignorance, or aloofness. Anyone going abroad from Nepal should research and learn the basics about the culture they are about to be a part of.

Driving: Although not as much a priority as other things when going abroad, having some driving experience can help you get a driver’s license or even a learner’s permit. As the person starts to settle in and become familiar with the environment abroad, he/she can look to get a car or a bike. Taking up driving classes once abroad can be expensive, time consuming or even a hassle. Getting some driving experience while in Nepal can be cheaper and easily manageable than abroad.

Cost of living: A major part to really understand and research is the cost of living of the area to which you are going to. Cost of living will directly impact your life on a daily basis so becoming familiar and prepared on how to manage it is critical. A little research on the web can make you ready for what’s about to come.

Internships/Jobs: An important topic to become familiar is the way to get a job/access to loans (if needed) while abroad. Again this is about researching what are the possibilities of finding an internship/part-time job/full time job, hours allowed to work per week and so forth. Understanding the details of job placement opportunities and working towards what is possible will make you a step ahead of other international students/expatriates. Plus, access to loans can be a bit tricky when abroad so learning about them beforehand will save you time, money and hassle later on.

More of us represented

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

There’s a growing feeling and need to see more of us to make it, to be represented, and to be empowered. This feeling is echoed from Kathmandu Valley to Silicon Valley.

In Kathmandu, I’ve attended many business conferences and events. Far too many events lack diversity. There’s a lack of diversity on the panels and speakers at the events. As an audience member, I would love to see more women, more new faces, more people from various backgrounds to be represented on stage. By having more diversity on the conferences and events, it would attract more people to attend these events and/or make them feel proud that “someone” like them is represented on the stage. It’s also the right thing to do. More to come…

Appreciation

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Appreciation is best when it is authentic, unexpected, and heartfelt.

When someone does good work, we should acknowledge their efforts and results. That acknowledgement can mean more to the person than anything else. A lot of times we are all craving to be noticed, to be seen and be heard. Just as it’s important to point out to our team members when they did not do something right, it’s equally important to point out to them when they did something right. Acknowledging their effort(s) means the team members feel that they are being trusted upon to deliver, are accountable for it, and recognized as important contributors to the goal.

What does success look like to you?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

A simple and powerful question to get answered before working on a project, major task, or organizing an event is to ask the client/supervisor/customer: what does success look like to you once this project/task/event is completed ?

Getting the above question answered is very important. I’m realizing that more these days. The project owner usually has an idea of how the project should turn out to be. He or she has a certain vision in mind. If we don’t take the time to understand that vision, then we are setting up ourselves to under deliver or even failure. If the expectations and outcome are not clear from the onset, then no matter how many hours or changes we make over the course of the project, we will still not meet the project owner’s expectations.

Once we understand what success would like when we work with a client/supervisor or customer on various projects, we can both be on the same page and deliver excellent results from our side.

Keep going

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

No matter what happens, keep going!

Gross National Happiness

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Moments that make you

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

One of the defining moments in our lives is when we get rejected: for a job that we really wanted, for a position that we really wanted or anything that we strived to get. There could be many reasons for why the rejection happened. However, we need to keep these moments in perspective, not let these moments define us completely, and become stronger.

Mentally strong people use the “rejection” situations as learning experiences. They become self reflective and assess what they could have done better next time. Instead of blaming others or even themselves, they acknowledge that “rejection” is just a part of life. Everyone faces rejection in one way or another. We all respond differently to rejections. Mentally strong people also don’t let the rejection define them entirely. Rejection does not mean someone is a complete failure or a complete loser. They become even more hungry, work towards improving themselves, and focus on what they can control. I personally try to laugh off “rejection” moments as much as I can and strive to get better next time.

Some productivity tips

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

A helpful video on how some past U.S presidents got things done while they were in The White House.

Decision memos

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I love this productivity tip.

A Fast Company article cited how former President Barack Obama made decisions when he was in the White House. The article stated how the former president preferred written advice to spoken ones and how “decision memos” get delivered to his desk with three checkboxes at the bottom:

  • agree 
  • disagree 
  • let’s discuss

This simplicity allowed the decision maker to make decisions easily while understanding the context. The decision maker can then spend more time solving the problem than spending time trying to understand the problem.

Nepal’s First and Biggest AI EXPO: AI Expo Nepal 2019

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

AI Expo Nepal 2019 is a joint initiation by Fusemachines and Artificial Intelligence for Development (AID) aimed to showcase the best AI projects/papers from academia and industry. The expo will be a platform that fosters active collaboration between experts and learners from industry and academia. The goal is to discuss opportunities and challenges in the industry, come up with practical/ethical solutions, and help Nepal’s AI ecosystem to grow.

Event Details: August 24, 2019 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza 

Sign up here for free registration: https://aiexponepal.com

#AIExpoNepal#ArtificialIntelligence#AI#AINation#EventsToAttend

Why go to college?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

At a time when technology has enabled most of us in the world to take online courses and workshops from anywhere plus colleges are an expensive investment, we need to reevaluate the importance of physical academic institutions.

For colleges, the questions to answer:

What is the value proposition of a college in a world where online courses and workshops have taken off and students have abundant resources (YouTube, learning platforms etc) to enhance their learning or increase their knowledge/skills?

How does a college justify that huge cost (or investment) for students to attend? What is the return for the students after 4 years of classes, late nights, weekend projects etc?

How can a college coexist with the growth of new and abundant online learning platforms?

For the US colleges that attract a lot of international students, how will they navigate the new landscape where domestic colleges start to offer quality, less expensive, and more industry driven education to its students?

As technology continues to make certain current courses outdated, how frequently will colleges update their course curriculum, keep teachers trained, and stay competitive with other colleges?

For prospective students, the questions to answer:

Why is attending college important?

What value will the college degree have once I graduate or if I want to start a business?

Will I get the expected return on my 4 year investment in a college degree?

If the job that I’m planning to get does not require a degree, how important will that college education will be?

If I am already very self motivated and have big dreams, will college actually be a hindrance to starting my freelancing business or entrepreneurial journey?

Lots of questions and they are more relevant than ever.

The beautiful struggle

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Each journey in our personal and professional lives will take us through the highs and the lows. If we only decide to celebrate once we get to the mountain top, then we’re not realizing the beauty in the journey itself. The joy of reaching the mountain top is a feat in itself. To make our lives more happy and meaningful, we should take the good with the bad.

I remember a time when a speaker at an event I attended many years ago said “People are like plants: we need both sun and water to grow.“

The Long Game Part 2: the missing chapter

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

A must watch!

The Long Game Part 2: the missing chapter from Adam Westbrook on Vimeo.

the valuable intangibles

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Caring for the people as well as the project

Showing up and being present

Giving respect to others’ ideas and thoughts

Learning attitude

Working to make the world a better place

Are you ready?

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Well…one is never “completely” ready. Launching a new project, starting a business, or something major in our personal or professional lives, an individual is never completely ready. We can prepare ourselves to be ready as much as possible.

From the outside, the new project or the new venture or the new change in personal or professional life can seem to be smoothly executed. The reality is that most people who start new projects and businesses are anxious, nervous but equally thrilled to venture into the unknown. Circumstances favor those who go through the “challenges” and “problems” and come out on the other side. Being ready is just a state of mind.

The success curtain

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

Biswas Dhakal, founder of F1Soft and eSewa said in a recent The Kathmandu Post interview that “everyone sees our success, but they don’t know our failures.”

Behind every success story, there are plenty of stories of “brilliant ideas” that never saw the day of light because of timing, execution, lack of funding, among others. It’s easy to fall in love with the success story and hope that we all have our own version of one hit wonders. But that’s rarely the case. Actually I’ve rarely seen an entrepreneur whose idea just took off in the market. It’s always important to understand the backstage preparation and work that took place before the curtain opened.

AI Expo Nepal 2019

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I’m thrilled to be a part of the organizing team for the upcoming AI Expo Nepal 2019 happening on Saturday, August 24 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza. The AI Expo Nepal 2019 is organized by Fusemachines and Artificial Intelligence for Development (AID).

The topic of AI has garnered a lot of interest from academia and industry globally. From movies, books, magazines, to conferences, workshops and talks, we hear of AI being talked about in all these places. Now for the first time ever, we’ll see what is possible in Nepal through AI prototypes that will be on display at the expo.

AI Expo Nepal 2019 will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, display of AI prototypes, networking to name a few. If you are interested in the field of AI, want to see the possible AI implementations in Nepal or want to network with like minded individuals, hope to see you on August 24th at Soaltee Crowne Plaza.

Eisenhower matrix

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

I found it very useful to put all the activities that needs to be done on a project or a day on the Eisenhower matrix. By having everything up there on the matrix, we’re able to prioritize and work on them efficiently and effectively. There’s a web app of the Eisenhower matrix that I have recently started using – https://app.eisenhower.me/

Eisenhower matrix

Action is your competitive advantage

Posted on by Nirmal Thapa

The internet has created an almost level playing field for individuals, companies, and countries. We can access information, get insights and find just about anything we are looking for with internet access. The competitive advantage now is not just information but taking action on that information.

You could be living in Silicon Valley, California, US with a billion dollar idea but if the motivation and action is not there, nothing happens. On the other hand you could be living in Hattisar, Kathmandu, Nepal and if you are extremely hungry to make a global impact, things happen. Yes, certain types of financial and networking access comes with being at the right place at the right time. However, the competitive advantage now is in the action.

Actions speak louder than locations.

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive our blogs, information on upcoming workshops and exclusive content.

Nirmal Thapa

Linkedin
Register