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It’s not all about the product… it’s the experience!

This weekend gone…. I was over in Dublin.

Whilst there, I thought I’d visit the local sites. Well, mainly two… The Guinness factory and the home of Jameson.

What I did fast realise – predominantly at the Guinness Storehouse, is how important the whole experience is.

The Storehouse has several floors – with the top one being the Gravity Bar – views all over Dublin. Now, the other 5 odd floors, provide you with an experience.

They tell you the story of Guinness – how it started… what the ingredients are… what’s so important about it… statistics…. advertisements… all of it.

And why is that important… because it builds a lovely experience. Rather then just walking in and having a few drinks, and seeing some nice articles on the wall… this is an impressive experience. Leaves a lasting memory but most importantly.. you leave educated and feeling like an ambassador.

You don’t need to have a huge building, with lots of floors… with immersive material. You can take different approaches.

This I realised with Jameson….

Here… I opted for an experience which involved me sat with a small group of people (about 10)… around a bar… on which had a number of items.

Now… i’m not going to tell you what happened. Neither am I going to tell you what takes place…. because you should really experience it for yourself… what I will say is, a) I absolutely loved it! – b) I walked away with my own blended whisky… and c) Educated on the product…. which made me feel like an ambassador.

Two slightly different experiences. Both absolutely amazing. Leaving each one as an ambassador- which means, I will speak highly of them. Not just the experience but the product also.

This is why… whatever you do, have an experience – that’ll educate and inform  your ambassadors. Doesn’t have to be anything extravagant… there’s small gestures or individual things you could do, to build that experience.

How many brand ambassadors do you have?

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Look at the face…

As you know… I travel a lot. In fact, i’m flying out tomorrow, and next week to Berlin.

I remember once when I flew to Atlanta, and at the security immigration control – where they check passports -the officer looked familiar to me, and I thought to myself… was he the one who stamped my passport last time…

Anyhow, I got to the desk… he looks at me and says… “I recognize you…” – “Coca-Cola…right?” – I replied, “Yes, that’s right!… “. He’d recognised me from last time, because we had the conversation about Coca-Cola and how he enjoys it… and also, that i’m a Sikh, born and bred in the UK. He stamped my passport and on my way I went.

There’s Facial Recognition.

Who needs technology, right? 🙂

Well.. we do. We do to speed the process. We do, so we don’t rely on the security guy… or any guy.. or any person… to remember faces. Why not just use a computer?

Exactly…. Technology has evolved alot recently. To where some of our phones can recognize who we are and unlock it…

And so it was announced recently by Ticketmaster – that they’ll have camera’s located on the entrances for venues, so you’re recognized by the camera and automatically lets you in. You don’t need to scan your phone or have a ticket…. your face is your ticket.

Isn’t that great! – The possibilities of facial recognition for companies is ever evolving so they can learn more about their customer base.

If they’re male/female… happy/sad… etc…

And with this data… that’s right, data – you can do a number of things with it. You can react… you can analyse or you can share!

Knowing your customers is very important. You shouldn’t be asking me why.

So what does this mean for the future – well, the possibilities are endless.

I know there are some Audi showrooms that use this technology to recognize who you are… that is sent to an assistant’s ipad – who then pulls up your data, and before you reach the desk, they say…”Hello Mr Smith, welcome to Audi, are you here to service your Audi A4?”

Impressive? – all because of data. And Technology.

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Happy 132nd Birthday….

On May 8th, 1886…. Coca-Cola was first served at Jacobs Pharmacy.

132 yrs old. Today. Let’s be honest… that’s impressive.

It’s impressive because we keep hearing about companies going bust, blaming technology, not adapting… we’ve heard all the Darwin based quotes before.

It all started with with John Pemberton…

I think a number of startups and businesses can learn from the above poster.

1. The What – (what is it?) A drink that is… delicious, exhilarating, refreshing… description is excellent. How would you describe your product in a few words?

2. The How – (do you get it?) – dispensed from the soda water fountain… bottles came later. So how do I get your product/service?

3. The Why – (why should I buy it?) – it delights every palate… (also a Brain Tonic….). So why should I separate from my hard earned money for your product/service?

Anyway… back to the story. 132 years old… and still going strong. And there’s reasons why…. from the change in top management and leadership recently, where the strategy has slightly changed… to introductions of new products and moving drinks which are successful in one area of the world to another…. adaptable is the key word here.

Another key word is Innovation.

Share a Coke with…. how awesome was that? Did you know the idea was first generated and shared in Australia? But everyone was sharing a Coca-Cola around the world.

But going back to this blog post and remembering it’s 132 years ago… when the beverages was first available.

When you look at your organisation, your business, your startup…. how long will it keep going? Are you working short term or long term?

A number of startups fail. Why? – Going too fast?… Not doing it properly? Trying to over-achieve? Stretched goals? Profit in the first year? Expectations too high?

My advice… and my thoughts I’ve shared with a startup recently is… take your time. Evolve… learn… and grow.

As hard it is to appreciate… don’t spend all your time thinking about profit and monies now. Focus on your product, your service and your brand. Get the name out there. And then build on that…

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Are you Failing or a Failure?

 

Last week, I was listening to some great people talk about ‘mindset’. How important it is…. to have the right mindset.

Our brains are programmed in such a way, it can be difficult… or take time to re-programme them. Because our influences… years of thinking in such a way… programme the brain in such a way.

But if you can realise you’re programmed in such a way… you can re-programme. Just like a computer. Just like how you update your mobile phone. You need to update your thinking.

I saw this, and thought it was very powerful…

So what is the difference between failing and being a failure? It comes down to you mindset.

You have to think differently when you are failing.

Easier said than done.

You’ll go through the change curve. However, it’s how you understand the problem. Understand the failure…. let it be clear it’s an event… one moment in time, most importantly… an opportunity to learn from.

I’ve done plenty of things in my life – at the time, my mind said… i’m a failure. But quickly… as time passes… I realise, it was just a moment.

For example… I was at Kodak, and I was on a project. We had to bring a new manufacturing line, that wrapped boxes from Bologna, Italy. My job was to ship some samples over to the factory to make sure we could test it in Italy, before it got shipped over.

So, I did as I was told… got some samples, shipped them over, with the correct address, marked for my attention. I even rang the factory, told them these samples are coming and to leave them to one side… they said sure (in Italian).

We got there… and this was my first work trip abroad.

Got to the factory… all excited… my boss asks, where’s the samples? – i’ll get them. I ask the factory manager, bring the samples over. He says, what samples?

At that moment… time stood still.

“The ones I told you about.. that were arriving”….. he stood there looking at me. “Oh, we didn’t receive any”. To my amazement… “what?! – and you didn’t tell me?!”

So at this point, i’m stood, in Italy, with my boss, on my first work trip, first major project… and I’ve failed. I’m a Failure.

I explained it to my boss… he was a really nice guy. He said, let’s figure this out… let’s trace them and where they could be.

Which we did, they were held at the local postal sorting office… needed a signature. So we sent someone, got it signed and in the afternoon, the samples were with us.

I learnt a couple of valuable lessons.

Believe you me… never have I let that same mistake occur again.

 

So.. remember about your mindset. How you’re thinking…

We’ll always make mistakes. But the key thing is to learn from them. It’s a temporary moment in life.

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A Million at 16….

I thought, it’s been a while since I’ve shared with you a good questions and answers interview.

So, I decided to reach out to someone young… someone rich… someone who’s made it… and someone who’s really helping others. I suppose, most importantly, someone you can learn from.

Dhillan Bhardwaj.

Started a clothing brand when he was 16. Making a million within a very short space of time. Had superstars such as Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and many more reach out to him…

So, I decided to ask him a few questions…. Enjoy!

  1. When you were younger, did you think you would be so successful? – and who has been your biggest influence on your journey?

When i was younger i was already told i would be working for the family. of which i didn’t enjoy at all. It was car mechanics, cleaning, just boring shit that i don’t think i really wanted to do for the rest of my life. So no i didn’t think i would be anywhere near successful with my own self. My influences were nobody, nobody knew what to do when i had the idea, clothing isn’t anyone’s strength in my family so they were pretty lost with it all lol. But my mum and dad used to guide me and advise me, most of the time i probably didn’t listen but i think it’s ok to break the rules.. sometimes. Oh and my sister was everything to me, my 4 sisters Kd. Rickee, Nikki & Monica helped me when i reached my peak when i started. 

  1. What do you think is your biggest threat? 

Myself, my mental mind is my biggest threat. I try and think positive as much as i can, be nice to everyone,always have good vibes. It takes a second to think or do something wrong and then everything is left in your hands. People assume other brands threaten me in the industry, but i don’t have time to think about other people. i stay in my own lane and do me, im way to busy to think about what someone is doing. I know for sure i have inspired a huge amount of start up brands because they use my ideas and designs. But they won’t credit me, i dont mind i just think with that kind of attitude, don’t expect to go far.

  1. How has technology helped you and your brand grow? 

When i started it was amazing, it was free to use. but now you have to make Facebook etc for your posts to be seen by everyone who follows you, which is shit because people can’t afford to do that which is why a few brands fail. SOCIAL media is everything to a start up brand.  

  1. If starting again, what would you do differently? 

nothing. if i made changes maybe i wouldn’t be where i am today. 

  1. For all those, who look up to you… and want to learn from you… what is the one bit of advice you would provide them with?

you’re gonna get rubbish days, weeks maybe months. Don’t let that stop you from reaching your goal. It takes alot of time. Stick with it and success will come your way. 

Wow!… what a guy. Hope you enjoyed it… and are able to take some of the great insights that were shared!…. For me, it’s the last one. Stick with it and success will come…

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How many sacrifices have you made?

I was talking to a start-up, last week… whom shared with me, that one of the core team members was giving up his job at Ikea to concentrate on the start-up.

That’s great news! – I said.

Then we had a discussion about… what is needed, to be successful.

There’s various elements – but it comes down to a few things. Which i’m not going to discuss here, but we did establish – being totally honest, there’s a minimum cost of living that’s required. A minimum amount of money they’ll need to make to survive. And they’ll make the necessary changes to their lifestyle to reflect that…

And, you know what… I believe them.

Now, not everything is going to be easy. I’ve known these guys for a year or two… and it’s not been easy. There’s been some ups… and some downs.

Bit like sport… some you win, some you don’t.

But the key thing is you learn.

People can teach you – but until it happens to you, until you actually experience it… then you’ll really appreciate it.

Now, i’m going to be honest. A little sad he’s leaving Ikea, was hoping to get a discount on a new home office desk I was looking at for some time.

But anyhow… it’s great that they’re focussing. And that’s the key thing here. Focus.

If you know what you want…. then you’ll most probably do anything, you can… to achieve it.

Take Elon Musk…. and this infographic… (did you know, he showered at YMCA and slept in his office!)

Sacrifices. That’s what it comes down to. What are you willing to give up… what are you willing to do… to achieve that dream of yours.

Now, i’m not suggesting you all start sleeping in the office… and showering at the local YMCA. But what I am suggesting is, look at the luxuries in your life… or look at the things in your life, that you’re willing to give up or do without for a short period of time, just so you can focus.

Focus and sacrifice. That’s what it comes down to. Ambition and passion.

I know this start-up will make it. Make it big. Because they’re a) very intelligent, b) have a great work ethic and c) have some really good ideas.

It’s to that point c… they’ll really achieve success. Because when you have an idea… you need time. You need time to develop, work and build on it.

If you’ve got various commitments, you can’t spend the time required. You can’t focus. You can’t win.

I’ve had a number of great ideas in the past. Some really good ideas. Some of them I put into action… and did really well. Some I put into action and… didn’t do so well. Some, I’ve written down… and waiting for the right time.

The right time for me? – well, when I can focus and spend quality time on the idea. Don’t want to rush it, don’t want to waste the opportunity. Will make a few sacrifices to work on them… but when i’m ready.

And that’s the last point I wanted to make. This start-up, have made all their decisions themselves. Amongst them, they’ve decided to reduce the numbers of the core team. They themselves have decided what they want to do… and how they want to do it.

So, do you have an idea? Want to work on it? – look around and think, what are you willing to sacrifice, in order to have time & money to spend on it.

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Are you like Ford or Rolls Royce?

I like cars. From my various Insta posts and Tweets… you may have noticed, I like cars. Fortunately, I have a new BMW… one of those new electric, 5 series.

Now, I do believe in ‘Progress over Perfection’. BMW have done a wonderful job in developing this car. This hybrid car. Part battery – part petrol engine. Definitely a step in the right direction to fully electric cars… like the i3 and i8 that is in the BMW range.

So this got me thinking – are businesses working with a similar mindset?

Every business is different. Every Organisation is different. Why? – because of what their customers want and what their customers expect.

For example, let’s take Rolls Royce… they’ve taken a while to bring out their 4×4 vehicle…

As the statement says – years of development… they are almost ready to launch the first Rolls Royce SUV.

Rolls Royce customers expect something that is of extremely high quality. Something that is very reliable and something that is worth the money they are paying for.

Let’s take Ford on the other hand…. Henry Ford (remember) wanted to bring down the cost of car ownership… and it’s very much, you could say, progress over perfection – which is absolutely fine.

Above shows the great progress Ford have made with the Focus car. Admittley, the first photo is a long time ago… but look at the serious development they’ve made.

And this is fine – you could get a new model, every few years – or when a new revised model, is released.

You could also think of it in terms of Whiskey and Beer.

Beer can be produced quicker than Whiskey. But then, beer can be consumed quicker… than whiskey. Whiskey drinkers take their time, enjoy it on the rocks, mix it… etc… where as beer… is well, beer. (Indeed, there’s craft beer… but the same principles apply).

But isn’t there a middle-ground, Bal?

Yes, yes there is!

It all depends on your customers, and what they want. Also, what you’re delivering.

Take BMW… and their new BMW 8 Series. The old one went out of production some time ago… and they’ve been developing, working… on a new one. And they’ve done a great job, by building some hype around it.

Once again, the people buying the 8 series, are not the type of people necessarily buying the 3 or 5 series.

And this is the point… understand your customers expectations and deliver accordingly. If anything… exceed, if possible, expectations. But only… if you’re able to. Otherwise, you may over-promise… and under-deliver.

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Mother Nature’s Son…

I had a very relaxing Easter. From my twitter feed, you’d have noticed, I spent most of the time eating, drinking… and more eating.

I also, managed to watch some TV. And on TV, there were some re-runs…. of some old sitcoms, like Keeping up Appearances, Last of the Summer Wine and Only Fools and Horses.

For those outside of the UK… and wondering, Bal… what are you talking about, the latter of these sitcoms was… and is, a classic! (Mind you, all of them are – but the latter being more popular)

It was based around 2 brothers… Del and Rodney, who’s only goal in life was to become rich. Their famous saying… “this time next year, we’ll be millionaires’.

They tried their hand to everything… and I mean everything. Every opportunity they were given, they took it and tried it… to make some money.

So, over Easter… the episode called, ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ was on.

For those who remember Only Fools and Horses… it’s the time when they hit big with ‘Peckham Springs’.

Yep – you’ll indeed be laughing… with the memories of that episode.

For those unsure, I’ll run through the story line – then I thoroughly recommend you find the episode online (YouTube, Vimeo, etc…) and watch it.

In this episode, Del Boy becomes a land owner. I say land owner, he… owns an allotment. Now, Del Boy… who’s always looking for an ‘opportunity’ has an idea.

One of Rodney’s friends, has a shop – that sells all naturally sourced products. And is very well connected. Del Boy makes friends with him, and invites him to the allotment, to give advice on what he can do with it.

Rodney’s friend does indeed come down to the allotment, and has a look around – but also notices a fresh spring… which Del, let’s him know.. has been there for ages and is called Peckham Springs.

Uncle Albert provides a sample of it to Rodney’s friend – for analysis.

Cut the long story short – the ‘spring’ was made by Del Boy. It’s not been there for years, but was an idea that Del had, when he saw people paying a lot of money for water in a bottle, he thought if he could have it endorsed by Rodney’s friend, there’ll be money to be made!

As Uncle Albert… (who didn’t ‘really’ take a sample, just poured some water into a sample kit for Rodney’s friend to test) was part of the plan – it all went quite smoothly.

Before you knew it, it’d been endorsed, orders had come in… and Del Boy was filling bottles of water… with water!

The episode was absolutely brilliant!

As my nephew and I watched it… I mentioned to him, there’s a few lessons that can be had from this episode for young entrepreneurs and business minded folk today…

1. Look for Opportunities – Del Boy, was always looking for opportunities. The allotment in this episode, was an opportunity – not to grow vegetables and have organic foods – but to see what he could do, with what he has, to make money.

2. Understand Trends – What’s the latest? What are people looking into purchasing? What can make you money? Understand the latest trends, and be quick to react and make it work for you.

3. Look at your network – It was Rodney’s friend who was able to help, I say help…, in the loosest meaning. Del knew Rodney’s friend could help him test, certify and allow the opportunity to sell water in a bottle.

Nephew, I hope you take these learnings onboard and keep watching Only Fools and Horses…

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Bal’s Friday Thought…

Integrity…

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A Leader Leads by Example…

Last week I was in lovely Stockholm. At a Leadership Meeting.

At the meeting, we had our Chief Executive share a short presentation – well, in fact, he didn’t have any slides… he just spoke.

There were a few things he said, that really resonated with me, and some phrases he shared that I wrote down.

You could be thinking – Well Bal… Leaders are meant to say things and share things that should resonate and folk write down. That’s why they are leaders.

True. But I’ve seen leaders previously… to whom, i’d listen to. But wouldn’t have the urge to write anything down.

This then got me thinking. In general. About Leaders…. Leadership behaviours, Leadership traits, etc… How should a Leader be?

There’s lots of traits a leader should have… Let’s take Mr Steve Jobs. One of the most well known leaders of recent times… what were the components of his leadership?

That last one… Effective Communication! – That’s the key one in my opinion. One of the most important ones.

I appreciate leaders have a lot going on. Emails, calls, meetings, presentations, etc… then there’s the day job! But what is important is having the ability to communicate.

But it’s not just communicate, but effectively communicate.

For example, I’ve heard one of our leaders previously say….  “that people are important in an organisation“. Yes – agreed, they’re important. He then went on to say, “how we have to value them and treat them fairly. ” Agree. We should. goes without saying, right?… he then shared, “sometimes, you have to make decisions which impact people” – that is true, maybe moving people around the organisation, changing roles, reduced hours, etc… change can happen. “and it’s when looking and making these decisions, we have to ensure, people are treated fairly“.

It’s not always about telling a story, but being clear and concise on the message. Allowing the audience to take away the key take away’s without you having to say, here’s the key take away’s!

And a good leader does this by example.

If he’s treating people fairly, the people below him will treat their people fairly, and so on… If the leaders are doing what they are saying, then the element of trust can build.

You probably know how I like to link sports to business.

In sports, and i’ll focus on football… you have some great leaders. Either on or off the pitch.

On the pitch, they can be visible. With their behaviours. Their attitude. Their style. But most importantly, with their communication.

Don’t forget, communication can be both, verbal and non-verbal.

Actions speak louder than words.

So if you are a leader, or aspiring to be a leader… firstly, take note of the above components – embed them into your day to day activities and long term goals… (you might be wondering, Bal… how do I learn how to communicate… well… there’s courses… and these days, you could probably do what I do, and jump onto YouTube and watch some of Steve Jobs presentations… or watch a video of people sharing top tips on how to communicate) – but remember, it’s also about non-verbal as well. Secondly… watch the video below of Carlos Puyol. His leadership behaviours are a great example to follow…