- Glad to see India successfully hosting the F1 Grand Prix at the Buddh
Three cheers for India and here's wishing… http://t.co/AIMT08T6 # - To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. – Lewis B. Smedes #
- For some laughter!! http://t.co/R7AF49f2 #
- Interesting argument being made in the article, "If being focussed on providing a decent standard of life to one's… http://t.co/dLqDJRVD #
- One of the earliest poems I wrote on http://t.co/M04fqRoq http://t.co/WAQvc5H7 #
- Remember: you can sell your time, but you cannot buy it back. #
- The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. – Author Unknown
How true 🙂 http://t.co/crEvBuUK # - Are we doing justice to this word 'engineer' we so proudly associate ourselves with? Take a look at this article… http://t.co/6bD0v3MH #
- दीवाली के इस Pa.One अवसर पर…
भगवान आपके G.One को Ra.One से बचाए. # - RT @saleraja Most of Diwali offers are on till this Sunday, do u know? See all Bangalore offers at http://t.co/bYw8lEaY #bangalore #offers #
- A picture is worth a thousand words, and there could be no better than testimony to that than this pic depicting a… http://t.co/5EXB2JM5 #
- Waiting for Nov 6, the day when test matches start… Some real cricket finally http://t.co/umkg4qz5 #
- "Be satisfied with life. But, unsatisfied with The results you produce. That's the best way to keep Growing and discover your hidden… #
- Camera Therapy: How Photography Gave Me Hope Again, A wonderful story http://t.co/AglOMJYs #
- "A dream you can dream alone is only a dream. A dream you can dream together is reality." -John Lennon
Give… http://t.co/uc7WzYQ4 #
- May millions of lamps illuminate ur life
with endless joy,prosperity,health & wealth forever
Wishing u and ur… http://t.co/fj7klnD7 # - Spread Love.. Smile.. Laugh.. Play… Light the inner soul even if you can't light candles and diyas.. That is real #HappyDiwali #
- Follow ur heart. Be true to urself. Be kind to others. Celebrate ur small victories. Learn 4m ur mistakes. Forgive. Live.. Happy Diwali 🙂 #
- Wonderful article.. must read.. http://t.co/HkDmRAwq #
- Stay cheerful at all times, and if we introspect, most of our worries and tensions are our own creation only http://t.co/Jjk2erVr #
- True or not true, but a thought provoking and good-to-read article http://t.co/QqB9Uyrq #
- Wonderful book about retail and entrepreneurship.. Read my review of "Trading Up" http://t.co/MNhoD22Y #
- A lot of offers and discounts are up for grabs this Diwali… says TOI.. The proof is at… http://t.co/QvcZeqNO #
Search Results for: saleraja
Found 28 search results for saleraja (this is page 4 of 6).
Book Review – Trading Up by Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske
Trading Up - Must read for any entrepreneur in retail
I have read many books in the last two years, ranging from business to auto-biographies to self-help to fiction books. I just put down a book titled “Trading Up” (find it on Flipkart or Amazon) after reading it for two weeks. And what a captivating read it was! It was difficult to put it down once I started it. One reason could be that the book was about retail and shopping, and I am already interested in that because of my experience with SaleRaja and exposure to the retail world. But apart from that too, the book was very well researched and a lot of data has been presented in the book to justify the points made.
The book has tried to illustrate how middle class consumers are ‘trading up‘ to buy high quality products that deliver benefits on many different levels, even at a price premium and how that is breaking the traditional price-volume demand curve. The product could be as simple as a soap and as complex as cars. The basic premise is that traditionally, the markets have had two kind of products, the conventional goods that sell at low margins and high volumes and the luxury goods which sell at high margins and low volumes. The author has remarked in the book that in many industries, there is a huge gap between these two segments.
He has called the products falling in these two categories as ‘new luxury‘ products that are technically superior and also have an emotional advantage for the consumer. He has given many examples of such companies such as Starbucks (coffee), Callaway Golf (golf equipment), American Girl (dolls), Panera Bread (bread), Belvedere (vodka), Whirlpool Duet (washing machine) and others. One distinct characteristic of these products is that they sell at high margins and high volumes, much above the traditional price-volume demand curve.
He has presented these stories as case studies of how different companies saw the huge gap in the market and came with their innovative products that created a new ‘want‘ and market for these consumers who traded up. He has backed his theories with data to substantiate them. He has also looked at some characteristics of the entrepreneurs and tried to find a common ground between them and their approaches as they created products for the new consumer.
The authors have defined some characteristics of the new consumers as below –
- The new middle market consumer is smart and has more disposable money than ever.
- The new consumer won’t mind buying products at a premium if the product is superior in quality and gives them a feeling of comfort and satisfaction.
- The new consumer choose which brands and products they want to be associated with, ones that define their status and personality.
- They are ready to buy these products at a higher price, and will trade down in other unimportant products.
Some characteristics of the companies and entrepreneurs that build these products are –
- They are mostly outsiders to the market, and even if not, attack the market like an outsider. They strive to set new standards for innovation, quality and providing an emotional experience for the consumer.
- They understand their target markets, and are aware that they will pay a premium if provided a product that can engage with its customers on an emotional level.
- They love what they do, and are consumers of their own products.
- They customize their value chains and distribution networks to deliver their products in the best possible way, and use influence marketing with celebrities rather than traditional advertising. They focus more on word of mouth marketing.
Perhaps the most important point the authors have made is people perceive value differently than previously thought. They will pay a premium and buy such a product in higher volumes even during a down economy. If the product is superior and gives much more satisfaction than the currently available products, the consumer will perceive its value differently and trade up in this category, even if it means they have to trade down in other unimportant categories.
This book, which you can buy on Flipkart or Amazon, helps a lot to understand the current changes happening not only in developed countries, but also in emerging economies like India. It not only gives examples of such companies and entrepreneurs but also explains HOW they did it? It is a must read for anybody in business or someone who plans to launch a new business soon. This sets the book apart from other business books and keeps the user hooked throughout the book. It also made me understand why my friends and peer group spend the way they do, and how can an entrepreneur (future me) develop products and services to target this ever expanding segment. In summation, I totally loved it!!
Three Years in Bangalore – The joy, pain and where it leads?
18 Oct 2008, that was the day I landed in this beautiful garden city Bangalore as a 25 year old full with enthusiasm and energy to make it big. Now, three years hence, I can say it is exactly the same state I found myself in. Buzzing with energy, pumping in 14-16 hour days and excited about a lot of ideas sprouting in my head. Now I won’t say that it has been all rosy in these last three years, as there was a brief period of being lost, where I hardly was able to put in 6 hours a day, and I was either angry, frustrated, irritated or just tired all day along. But I am glad that this phase happened, and gladder that it is over now 🙂
SaleRaja – The Joy and Pains of Entrepreneurship
The first year in Bangalore was full of experiencing what entrepreneurship is all about. There were good days, and there were not so good days. Technical discussions, night long marathon coding sessions, sales calls, and a lot of manual and boring repetitive tasks used to fill up my day. The Bangalore weather was the perfect catalyst for all this. Going to events, meeting the founders of other startups, partnering with a lots of people for different tasks and lots of brainstorming sessions made this period one of the most memorable of my life. I started SaleRaja.com as I felt working with InfoEdge that it was not too difficult to earn money ‘for ourselves‘. SaleRaja taught me it was not so easy either 😉 Nothing could be more humbling than that, and the lessons from SaleRaja makes me what I am today. 15 months in Bangalore, and I had to make one of my toughest decisions to let go of SaleRaja, which might also be one of the wisest. For the whole SaleRaja journey, I can say that I started SaleRaja for earning money and getting rich. It didn’t make me any richer (in financial terms) but it ended my hunger for money and pushed me towards a journey for more meaningful things, and that was a big breakthrough.
New city, New games
Exploring New Territories
Once the burden of SaleRaja was no more, I felt really free and light compared to the heavy feeling of burden which I felt earlier. I started meeting a lot of people from the startup ecosystem in Bangalore, also had time to catch with a lot of friends in Bangalore whom I rarely met during the times of SaleRaja. I got interested in looking for new ideas for business, and saw a few very interesting ideas by entrepreneurs. I joined Yahoo during this time, and apart from work, started volunteering to teach school kids as part of a Yahoo! initiative. This step was path breaking as it helped me discover a new side of myself and opened up a lot of new doors. Not to forget are the many long rides I did on my bike which literally meant exploring new territories.
The Joy of Starting New Initiatives
Around the end of 2010, I decided it was time to do something (again). Well, once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. I love starting new initiatives, and this time I decided to do something non-commercial, and something which was not related to internet and coding in any way. I took up a waste management initiative, organized an anti-corruption walk, and later started Pick a Fight. This journey, which still continues, got me in contact with some amazing people from the non-technical world, and it was an eye opening and view expanding experience.
Every city has its own language, customs and festivals
The Future – I can sense some change soon
It has been almost two years since I gave up on SaleRaja, and I am really eager to get back to the game again. Although I am involved in the initiatives mentioned above, I am always excited by new business opportunities. In a way I can feel the winds of change coming towards me soon. I am not sure how long before I start something again, or whether I will start myself or join an already existing startup, or what idea it would be? But I am very sure that I am ready for it again now based on my learnings in the last two years. But this time I will not hurry up into it like last time (not repeating the mistakes) and do proper due diligence before jumping again (making new mistakes).
My weekly tweets archive for the week ending 2011-09-26
- "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." #
- I found these three moments in my cricketing archives, and they brought back a lot of fond memories from the… http://t.co/HynJqIPO #
- The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it – Henry David Thoreau #
- Big b in kbc this year has been truly special, one of a kind #
- wow.. some wonderful pics and videos.. http://t.co/MvBEu75Q #
- Nice article by Anupam Kher http://t.co/YJNL4Rs2 #
- 10 Things I am glad I have done (or do) http://t.co/6DceYIz4 #
- Most people wander around in the dark and bitch about it being dark, instead of learning where the light switches are. #
- Don't.. Just don't!! http://t.co/q3Ti32XV #
- Larger-than-life legend, perfect description for the last Nawab http://t.co/e2i4wZc3 #
- Offers like these would spring up all over the place in the coming days on the occasion of Dussehra… via SaleRaja http://t.co/nuFucILJ #
- A screenie from the new facebook timeline profile.. http://t.co/8S7yA49n #
- Ten Things I am glad for I do them – A presentation http://t.co/ewtxmbR6 #
- Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more… http://t.co/z5GOpsp2 #
- I could not have NOT shared this 😀 #dravid #wall http://t.co/glQdcw1Y #
- Don't give up on your goals just because they demand a lot from you.. The best treasures are never found on the… http://t.co/JNzLlWsE #
- good cartoon mocking the Rs 25 poverty limit as planning commission has put it http://t.co/wyNjubyC #
- Lessons from Steve Jobs… wonderful post from Forbes http://t.co/1NEVln3u #
- My Three Best Poems – Poem 1 http://t.co/FRaM9vGy #
- One of the quickest ways to improve your way of being is to change the words you use. Use words which profit… http://t.co/nWA9xS9G #
- The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the… #
- I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, & that is that I know nothing. -Socrates #
- An article on two different kinds of innovation, one for market reasons and one for problem solving.. Do you… http://t.co/cfOOnwYr #
- http://j.mp/o2KWZX Dussehra offers like these have started appearing on the market, many more coming in next few weeks.. #
My weekly tweets archive for the week ending 2011-09-05
- Most often when we talk about values and principles, we find people justify their actions by saying, "This applies… http://t.co/FMnBiDu #
- Go out and just do it… You have less to lose that you think you have 🙂 http://t.co/RZ4CEHd #
- PickaFight starts its Delhi Chapter today.. If you want to contribute, leave a comment..
Read about us on… http://t.co/gDfXsDl # - I feel no piece of land is worth the amount of bloodshed both countries have shed over Kashmir.. Let there be… http://t.co/BWI2qfT #
- Simple solutions can solve some of the most challenging problems we face today.. The irony is that we are stuck… http://t.co/0K7yrnX #
- We need to think a little less, and feel a little more!! http://t.co/Kgrua6w #
- I have realized that to evolve and grow, be it physical, emotional or spiritual growth, there will always be a… http://t.co/Szpq1yN #
- Not just must read.. but must follow too http://t.co/H0VPNqR #
- A Harsh and Bitter Truth http://t.co/akoTMa0 #
- Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all #
- 99acres.. Sukip… SaleRaja… Jivox… PickaFight… My learnings from working in different startups over the… http://t.co/1pnKsXp #
- EID MUBARAK to all !! #
- How was the government caught napping on the corruption issue? http://t.co/H3XehbI #
- If anybody has any questions regarding the recent anti-corruption protests and the Jan Lokpal Bill.. please leave… http://t.co/P1GQnFP #
- Protest, the tech way… http://t.co/mAeErIj #
- Must Read article about education and its importance for all http://t.co/fR9kLnD #
- Wonderful post.. Must read!! http://t.co/rqIsnKv #