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Toyota & Uber… Could be quite Super!

Yesterday, it was announced that Toyota would invest $500m into Uber.

Was does this mean?

Well, firstly… It means, Uber is now estimated to be worth around $72bn. Quite a jump from the recent valuation of $62bn.

Secondly, It means… Toyota are certain this is the future because they also invested $1bn in Grab (Uber equivalent/competitor/rival in South Asia).

Thirdly, It means.. self-driving cars will be on your roads sooner than we think.

Yes there have been problems, especially when one of Uber’s self-driving SUV’s killed a pedestrian in Arizona, USA. You could call that a big problem.

Uber have been investing… but, being honest, it’s been a struggle for them. Expensive lawsuits… the fatal accident… etc… and sometimes, what you need is, someone to come along – to confirm what you’re doing is right… to ensure you keep going… keep experimenting.

Toyota is doing that. They know that car ownership will be a thing of the past. We can see trends of that in certain cities… where it’s easier, cheaper and quicker to use the train/underground/subway… or even a bike. Why own a car? – there’s so much expense that goes with it… the insurance, road tax, MOT, etc…

It’s very much similar to the ‘Estate Agent’ industry. They’re going through a massive shake-up. Country-wide, who own 50 Estate Agent brands and employ over 8,000 people, have about £200m debt and yesterday had to raise £140m ’emergency funds’ – which they did, with the help of their board.

Go back 3 years… and look how their share price has tumbled….

Why? well… On-line estate agencies have become more popular and more and more people are using them. They’re less and less going to the high street. Countrywide own all the high street estate agents.

Technology is enabling customers to do things quicker and easier.

Toyota know this. They know self-driving technology will, one day, be the norm. We’ll have self-driving cars. There’ll be phases of it… as the technology gets better and better. People won’t want to own cars. They’ll just summon a vehicle to them… use it to get from Point A to Point B.

We kind of do that with taxi’s, right? Summon them to pick us up from Point A and take us to Point B.

Uber made it easier via an App.

Toyota know a thing or two about cars.

Combine the two together…

It’s all about collaboration.

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Got an Idea… but not the brains!

Recently, on Twitter… someone was saying, how they want/need more money… so I replied, I’ve got a few ideas, could make them work.

…Don’t have the brains. Fair enough, you may not have the knowledge right now, but to make a business or startup work, you need passion.

That’s where success comes from. Passion.

Brains… well, you can learn as you go along. You can learn on the job. You can learn from others. What the heck… you can even learn from various YouTube videos that are available!!

The ‘I don’t have the brains’ bit… I don’t believe. Not picking on Claire… there could be a whole host of other things that are preventing her from starting her own little business… but I do hear this a lot from other folk.

The usual comment is…

I don’t know how.

Do you think Bill Gates knew everything to get Microsoft going?

Do you think Steve Jobs knew everything to get Apple going?

No. But they learnt. They had a passion to get started and then they learnt. They ‘collaborated’. They worked with others. Microsoft and Apple both had co-founders. You could argue, they were the brains behind the company!

Bal… what happens if you’re not really passionate about anything?

Then find a hobby. Choose something that interests you. Something that’ll keep you occupied. Something that you’ll look forward to. Try different things…. You’ll find something you enjoy, and then you can become passionate about it.

We are living in an ever changing world…. it’s becoming easier to get a start-up going. Easy to talk and collaborate with others… local universities have days/evenings where you can pop along and meet others. There’s also meetup… app/website where you can find other like-minded people, who may be meeting up… and meet up… and talk…. and share ideas… and learn from them.

So there you go… want to earn some more money? Become passionate… Learn and use those skills. Because we all know… skills pay bills.

 

 

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Hotels…. why am I still using a card key?

Most of you may know, I travel a lot.

Quite a bit. On planes, through security and immigration. Taxi (usually Uber, mytaxi or Lyft) and to the hotel.

Now, usually… the process of travel is getting a lot easier. I don’t need a ‘paper’ boarding pass… it’s all on my mobile phone. In fact… (not showing off) but I’ve even used my watch!

Uber or mytaxi is also very easy. In fact… up to the point of reaching the hotel, if I didn’t want to… I wouldn’t have to speak to anyone, nor would I need to show any form of payment nor would I need anything to hold (like a receipt or card of some sort).

You know where I’m going with this… why are hotels behind the trend?!

When are hotels going to start rolling out… at high speed and on a large scale… mobile phone door unlocking and entry?

We’ve seen the technology. We know it exists. So why is it taking so long?

Even in some hotels… having to queue up at reception desk… to let them know I’m here… honestly?! – how is it that, Canada know I’ve entered their country by me being able so do all the necessary work via kiosks and computers… but when I’m at the hotel, I need to queue and wait!

Ok, there’s mobile check in now being more readily available at hotels…

But once again… the whole process is not being looked at. The whole process from end to end. From the moment, I need a hotel… to the moment I check out.

We all talk about an integrated world we live in. How more and more ‘things’ are connected. Why aren’t hotels more connected?

Ok… we can’t do everything at once, but there can be improvement steps.

Progress over Perfection.

Why not have some services available via mobile phone. Why not use QR codes. Why not use iBeacons. Why not just do something to make the process a little easier…

Yes – this post has been a bit of a moan. But I also see it as an opportunity.

Opportunity for us to a) think about what we do… and are we looking at the end to end process…. and b) whichever industry we are in, are we really connected? – are we really taking advantage of the various API’s that are available out there… and truly being ‘connected’ and serving our customer the best we can.

By the way… not sure what API’s are? –

noun

COMPUTING
  1. a set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications which access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.

Watch out for my next blog post… with an IT Architect who’ll explain this a little more…

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Need another holiday…

Back in the office. Back to work. Back to where I left everything…

You knew it was a matter of time before this popped up on my watch…

That’s right – my watch was telling me, a minute of deep breathing can reduce stress.

There’s a number of things that can stress us out. It could be work, people, surroundings…

What can stress do to us?

We don’t want that!

So, what do I do when i’m Getting a little stressed or a message of that nature pops up on my watch?

Well…. firstly, I try to get some fresh air.

Most of my time, I either spend in an air conditioned environment (like my office) or an aeroplane. And whilst I need to be in these environments, I do try to go out for a walk. Most of the time – the office is in a built up area, or town centre… but still…. a walk can help. 10-15 minutes of walking, clearing my mind… can help reduce stress.

In addition to the above point – I find an ice cream also helps.

Music. That also helps me. Some relaxing music helps. Not Dr Dre or Wu Tang Clan. Some soothing and calming music usually does the trick.

There’s a few things that can help to reduce stress…

So if you’re getting a little stressed or messages are popping onto your watch of the stress nature…. slow down, relax, try to enjoy like…. take it a little easy and my favourite – Go outside!

Smiley faces all round.

Turn that frown, upside down!

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We all need to get away…

Bal, where have you been for the past few weeks? – no new activity on your blog…

Well… I did mention I was going to jet off for a few weeks in the sun and copious amount of food. Which I did. And thoroughly enjoyed.

This was my view for the past few weeks…

I didn’t realise how much I needed the break. I was going at 100mph. I had so much going on, both at work, my personal ventures, startups I’m involved, institutions I’m working with… and on top of that, lots going on at home!

It was only a few days into the holiday, that I was able to totally relax and reflect.

It was at the moment, I was floating on a pink lilo that I realised how fast I was going… and that not only did I really need this break, but needed to slow down and reflect.

We’re all guilty of it. Working. Head down. Moving forward. Not stopping.

But we need to.

So what did I do on holiday… well, I relaxed. I read a book (which was excellent by the way, and I recommend it!) – it was ‘The subtle art of not giving a f**k’.

I was also able to reflect… on everything that’s going on. Able to re-position, able to re-adjust some of my priorities, able to… re-fine my long term plan.

‘Bal… you have a long term plan?’

Don’t we all? – as I was taught at Kodak… Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

I do always have a Plan B. Courtesy of Mr Mike Tyson, who reminded me… ‘Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face’.

So all in all…. great holiday, great book, great to re-energise myself, good to slow down and reflect and best thing… re-focus.

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Busy July, Calm August…

As you’ve probably seen from my twitter feed and insta account – I’ve been travelling a lot in July.

To say it’s been crazy is an understatement. Rotterdam, Toronto, Berlin and Brussels.

But I’m hoping for a calmer August. Why? – well, I’m going on holiday…. That’s why!

Thoroughly deserved as well if I may say so… but in the back of my head, I’ll be thinking about emails, work going on, etc… There’s a wonderful chart that illustrates this…

I’ve said before… it’s important to take a break. Most of us, are on laptops. And there comes a time when our laptop slows down, we need to stop it – shut it down, and then start again. Similar to us… we have so much going on… mentally, that we need to shut down and start again.

I won’t be having my phone on. I will definitely not be checking emails. If someone wants me – you have two options… 1. Talk to someone in my team and get the best advice from them, 2. Wait for me to come back.

Admittley, I’m not taking the holiday at a busy time of the year nor is it during a period when everything is happening – you know these times in the year we come across. I’m taking it in August. During school summer holidays. But also – that shouldn’t matter. You should take your holidays, when you want, how you want!

I remember this post from Cristina when she went on holiday…

Brings a lot of attention about how important it is.

So folks, I won’t be posting much… you’ll get my Friday thought – because I know there’s a lot of people that watch out for them and enjoy reading them. Otherwise, a few weeks with no blogs… unfortunately. However, I will be back mid-August….firing on all cylinders (as they say!)

Thanks…Bal…sat on a beach… somewhere in the Mediterranean

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Happy 100th Birthday Nelson…

On this day, in 1918… Nelson Mandela was born.

Now, most of you will know about him… his struggles, his fights and his wins.

What I wanted to do, was share some of his words… because he was known to write and share thoughts that would make folk think. Not only about the current situation but the future.

There’s a few quotes of his which I love…

Such a strong statement that can be applied to everyday, every walk… every life.

Then my favourite…

It’s all about education.

Learn and then, learn some more.

 

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Didn’t they do well….

Let’s be honest.. hasn’t it been a great Summer so far, especially with the FIFA World Cup!

All the surprises… who would have thought Germany would’ve gone out during the group stages… or that Croatia would’ve made it to the Finals?

Or how’s about, England making it to the Semi Finals? I know… although there was a moment we all thought that the finals were ours… we did very well in Russia this summer.

But most in particular for me, it came down to one thing. Leadership.

That’s right… the leader, the manager, the person in charge. Mr. Southgate.

Couple of things that really stood out for me….. (that made it a bit magical).

1. The Passion.

A normally quiet kind of guy… composed and not necessarily always full of emotions… however, the passion was there.

When we won, there was a moment when Gareth would walk over to the fans and really encourage them… Thank them…. show the passion!

And this filtered down to the players. They played with passion. They stepped up and that’s one of the reasons why the England team did well.

2. The Experience

We know he’s been there. He’s experienced heart ache. He’s got the scars and the stories.

You have to have been through those times, those difficult times…. where either things haven’t gone right and/or you know what could’ve made it better.

And it’s that…that helps you learn. Make things better for the future. With experience…. comes that knowledge.

3. Humanity

There were several other words I could’ve used. Compassion. Kindness. Sympathy…..

After the Semi Final game…. Gareth, hugged each devasted player. Hugged the staff.

After the majority had gone home. Hugged his wife. It’s this quality that shows he cares. Deep down… he cares. It matters to him. A lot.

Even at the press conference, thanked the players, the staff, the fans – especially those who travelled over… thanked Russia for hosting such a wonderful World Cup, thanked everyone.

Thank you Gareth. You exceeded expectations.

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Bal and Friends at NTU…

Last week was a crazy week! – Firstly, I was in Barcelona for meetings on Monday morning… (thanks to the lovely taxi driver who got me to the office on time!)

Oh… if you’d like to follow my personal journies including lots of travel & food photos, pop over to my instagram account – @mrbalbansal

So that was Monday. Then I came back, and was at the NTU… with a few friends.

That’s right – my friend Shane Matthews (inventor of the Nerf Gun) was over from Atlanta, GA. He was here to give a talk at the Nottingham Trent University… but first, we went to meet the Sheriff of Nottingham.

In the photo above, we have the Sheriff of Nottingham in the middle, Shane and myself, and the Sheriff’s security. We went to Nottingham Castle, had a little look around, posed for some photo’s, gave an interview to Notts TV and Shane signed a few nerf guns.

The main event was Shane talking at the NTU (Nottingham Trent University)… at their Ignite Innovation conference…

They also, kindly let me say a few words…

We also had my friend Leigh, who worked for CIMAGINE, a startup that was sold to SnapChat for $40m…. he shared his views and thoughts on AR…

And then Shane was up… he was brilliant. The audience in the lecture theatre absolutely loved it!

One thing I loved about his talk was the ‘happiness line’. I’ll have to share it with you in another blog post…

So all in all, great event at the NTU. This university is definitely doing the right things for the local community.

And thank you to the love that was shown by folks in the audience..

Then the remainder of the week I was in London, meetings… and a quick attendance for the London Tech Week.

Well, what a busy week… why am I sharing this, because if you have the opportunity to attend local meetings, conferences where they have some interesting people… do so! You can learn so much.

So many folk at the end, were coming up to Shane, asking all sorts of questions… it was great to see that they were motivated and more importantly, had learnt something that they could use in their business or organisation.

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Here’s an idea, cupcake…

I was talking to a colleague, and mentioned to him – need this sooner than you think, I feel we’re losing time and really need to move faster.

His reply… “Bal… you can’t have 9 women to produce a baby in 1 month. It’ll take 1 woman, 9 months… to have a baby”.

Wow! – love it.

It’s true, right? – sometimes we try to rush, do things quicker… all because many of us don’t have patience…. don’t we all want things quicker?

We do.. but there’ll be restrictions. There’ll be ways of doing it. Building a house… we could skip the foundations and start building, but will it be sustainable? – will it stay standing up? For how long?

Things do take time. We all need a little bit of patience.

However, if you can do something and then have iterations in place to improve… then that’s the best scenario.

The key thing is – understand the limitations. Learn the restrictions. And work with them. Plan with them. Cater for them.

This brings me nicely to the project we’re working on… when I was asking for something sooner than it could be built. So I learned and took those dependencies with me…. and developed the plan to incorporate them.

I explained this to a startup i’m working with – things take time, don’t rush them. Like baking a cake… bring it out of the oven too earlier, it’s undercooked and your customer won’t be happy. Leave it in too long… then customer won’t be happy but also… customer might have gone to someone else who’s got it out on time…

Yes. It can be tricky to know when to take the cake out of the oven.

Yes. It can be daunting, as you keep opening the oven door… lose the heat… and have to leave it in loner.

Yes. The competition will also be baking a cake, and may have a better idea of when to take it out.

Yes. The customer will be looking at all bakers. Looking for who’s going to bring out the cake first… and is edible.

Yes. You’ll have a lot of things going on whilst baking the cake….

This is why it’s important to know what to deliver… and when.

Maybe a cupcake might be a good idea… as the first offering. Before you starting working on that 3-tier, wedding cake.