Tag: People

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s 2021 Thought…

It’s Friday. Usually I have Bal’s Friday Thought on a Friday. But today, it’s a 2021 thought. That’s right – I’m thinking about the year that’s just gone.

What a year. Let’s be honest. A alot happened, right? Whilst a lot happened, we were still restricted and a lot didn’t happen. Covid still lingers in the air. Mutations of the virus are with us – and we are still having to be careful. Flights, holidays, etc… not the ‘normal’ as we expected. But the main thing is, if you’re reading this, you’re alive.

Unfortunately, in 2021 – I attended more funerals than I actually wanted to. Sad times – and a few tears shed. Some were unexpected – in fact, most were unexpected. And that’s why I’m grateful, to be able to continue to do what I enjoy.

Now, whilst I don’t have a tech review of the year – what I do have, is a great review from Inc.com who share their ‘biggest business moments’ from 2021 – https://www.inc.com/steven-i-weiss/biggest-business-moments-2021.html

NFT art in Hong Kong, China. Getty Images

Whilst we all learnt a lot in 2021, and technology (and business) grew more advanced – with some super rich people going into space (the billionaire space race)… I took some time to reflect locally.

For me, I was on BBC Radio quite often, to share my thoughts on technology (and other topics when on BBC Asian Network). And it’s something I’ll continue into 2022. We often do an exercise at the end of a project – what went well – and what we need to improve. A lessons learnt type of exercise. So we can improve and get better. The interesting thing here is, I’m doing something similar for myself. What is it that I should continue… and what should I improve on.

One thing for this blog, which I’ve been doing for a few years, is to improve what I talk about. I’ve mainly shared articles on technology, motivational elements and how we can improve (as people). I will continue to do that. But improve with more videos, and providing more information. I do need some help though. It’d be great if you could ask questions, share your thoughts… help with building more content. Recently, I was asked about Christmas presents. Which I shared a blog post. Then I was asked for ‘lower cost’ presents. Which I did. And the great thing there was, it helped a few people. I know this. From the replies I received. Thank you.

In general – there’s a number of things I’ll continue as-is… but there’ll be things I want to improve. As I make my list… it’d be great for you to share via the comments section below, what you want to improve on. Could it be health? Could it be to train and learn a particular skill? or could it be, you want to follow your passion? Speaking recently to a family member, they’re a teacher… but love to clean cars. I mean, really clean cars. Like, detail them. And they’re seriously considering, quitting their job, and clean… sorry, detail… cars for a living. I personally, think it’s a great idea! Follow your passion – if your finances allow you to, great! If they don’t, make a plan… and when the time does come that you’re financially able to follow your passion – do it. Because, you never know – when your time will come and you end up in a box and that’s it. So whilst you’re on this planet – enjoy your life and do something that brings a smile to your face… just like this family member who got a small vacuum cleaner (with liquids and water, and all sorts) to be used in cars for christmas and was absolutely in love with it! (Honestly… not seen a grown man, talk so passionately about a vacuum cleaner.. in fact, whilst he was showing me, is stayed in between us the whole evening! (that is the sign of true love!).

And if you don’t know what your passion is, try different things. Experiment. Talk. Understand. Watch youtube videos. Just do something – and try. You’ll find it. And on that journey, you’ll pick up lots of other skills.

So with that, I hope you have fun seeing what you want to continue into 2022, what you want to improve on in 2022… and wish you, an awesome New Year. Thank you so much for supporting me and reading my blogs in 2021.

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Week in Review

Week 42… 2021!

Another busy week on the ol’ tech front! – but let’s not hang around and dive straight into my Top Two Tech Stories of the week!

  1. First up – starting and selling companies!

British entrepreneur Nick D’Aloisio, who sold the mobile app Summly to Yahoo for $30m (£21.73m) at the age of 17, has sold his latest company to Twitter.

The Sphere group chat app was founded by Mr D’Aloisio and Tomas Halgas.

Sphere, which connects strangers interested in common topics, has been sold for an undisclosed amount and will close in November.

Its 20 or so staff will join Twitter to integrate their community features into the social network.

The company started as a question and answer app that allowed users to instantly chat to paid experts. At the end of 2018, almost 500,000 people were using that version of the platform.

However, Mr D’Aloisio said he found himself drawn to the community aspect of the app which brought strangers interested in the same topics together.

“What was interesting was that people were talking so often throughout the day, and it wasn’t just talking to their friend on Facebook, but someone they had not met before about something they were interested in,” he told the BBC.

As a result, the app slowly pivoted toward a focus on group chats.

Sphere’s features include the ability to:

  • create multiple chats for a single group
  • send highlighted announcements so no-one in a group misses anything
  • send notifications to individuals or just those yet to read a message

“A lot of the messenger apps that exist are catered toward groups that already know each other, but with Sphere, the aim was to unlock new dynamics and bring together people around the world with shared interests.”

Mr D’Aloisio said he was struck by the toxicity on platforms like Reddit, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter, which has been widely criticised about its handling of harassment and trolling.

2. Most shops going till-less!

The Tesco Express on High Holborn looks identical to thousands of others across the country. But inside there are no tills and no self-checkout machines. Instead you scan a QR code on your phone to gain entry, and a complex system of cameras and weighted shelves figures out what you have picked up. Once you’re done you just walk out and your phone (eventually) buzzes to tell you how much you’ve spent.

Yes – we’ve been here before – with the Amazon shop that was opened, but looks like Tesco are using the new technology and many more will be doing so too!

“It creates like an exoskeleton image of you and follows you around and knows what products you have bought,” Bilal explains – the store assistant. “But don’t worry, it’s not recording you and we don’t know who you are.”

Big retailers around the world reckon the technology in use at this Tesco GetGo store on High Holborn will revolutionise shopping and could account for $400bn (£290bn) of transactions within five years, according to analysts at Juniper Research.

The Holborn shop is new but Tesco has been trialling the technology at an Express outlet at its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City since 2019. That was two years before Amazon launched the first of its similar “till-less” stores in the UK.

Aldi is preparing to open its first checkout-free store in Greenwich. Morrisons is testing its own vision of the technology, codenamed Project Sarah, at its Bradford headquarters and has plans to quickly roll out dozens of small stores at busy locations.

So get ready to see no tills, just walk in – get what you want and walk out. This is the future.

So there you go… from an alternative to the usual social media platforms to till-less shopping!

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Smart Home

Goodbye Eon

So, I’ve decided to move energy supplier.

Goodbye Eon. For the past 5 years it’s been… well, ok. We got on. You supplied me with my energy. I said thank you and paid you for it. It was good. Until…

Eon Next…

So, two things – 1) My Fixed tariff comes to an end and 2) Prices go up next month!

So, naturally – 1) I want to go on a Fixed tariff and 2) keep my bills as low as possible for as long as possible.

Eon – whom are now moving to be known as Eon Next, have a tariff I want but can’t. That’s because I’m an existing Eon customer. I have to wait to be migrated over to Eon Next. Which can take anything up to six months. Something, ideally, I don’t want to do.

So naturally, I went onto to some comparison sites – spoke to some friends – and found another energy supplier with a tariff that works for me!

I rang Eon back. As you would in any relationship. Asking – can you do anything before I move. No, sorry sir, we can’t.

Ok. So rang up the new supplier and initiated the move. Takes 17 days.

Today, I had a call from Eon.

“Hello Mr Bansal, I’m speaking from Eon. We believe you are leaving us, is that righ?”

“Hello, yes – that is correct”

“Can I ask why you are leaving?”

“You can, but it’s all on the notes – I’m sure you’ve read them before calling me, right?”

“No. I haven’t. Can you tell me why you’re leaving?”

“Well, again – I could – but I’ve made a few calls to Eon prior to leaving – so it’s all detailed there”.

“Ok. To log onto your account – will need to run through some personal security questions….”

“No. You’ve rang me. I don’t know who you are. Yes you know I’m leaving you – but that’s it. I’m not giving you any of my personal details.”

“Ok. In that case, Goodbye”.

And the Eon lady hung up the phone.

If I really mattered as a customer – I’m sure, you could’ve easily gone off script, I’m sure you could have easily accessed my account prior to me calling, I’m sure you know that most people are not going to give you/answer security questions when you’ve rang them (due to the number of scams that take place – where people are phishing for information), I’m sure…. there’s a lot more I could add here.

Many businesses will lose customers – and I’ve said it before, use the data you have to talk to the customers – understand their needs and do what you can. Keep your current customers as close as possible as you can to you. It’s these customers that will either talk positively about you… or not.

In this case, if Eon had said, we’ll put you on a priority list and move you as soon as possible – within a month, or something along those lines – I could have potentially stayed.

So, with that… it’s Goodbye Eon.

(Should I be naming them? – Good question… don’t get me wrong, I’m leaving on ok terms – who knows, could get back together one day – I just hope that a) Eon can learn from this, but moreso, b) other companies/organizations learn that your customers/people are the most important element)

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Firstly, Happy New Year! – Hope you had a great time celebrating and seeing in the New Year.

This year, will see me continue with my Friday Thoughts – however, I will be revamping my blog page – and adding more photos! There’s also the introduction of the Think Lean workshops, and the Get Digital workshops – more details coming soon – I share a little bit about these last year, and will be working on these more – building a community to Think Lean and Get Digital. I’ll be bringing along a friend or two for them to share their thoughts – how they’ve become so successful – and what we can all learn from them!

Now for my Friday Thought – You may have chosen a number of New Years Resolutions…. and right now, you may be overwhelmed or…. you may be doing things and just need to be a little patience or re-adjust your focus. Whatever it may be, remember…. Anything is Possible.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Often there’s times when you’re thinking – how did I do that! Or why did I do that… or, why didn’t I realise or see that!?! – often, we spend too much time thinking about what’s happened. Don’t be harsh on yourself – take it as a lesson….

So, Don’t be so hard on yourself…

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Uncategorized

Everyone starts with zero

Saw a great quote from Gary Vaynerchuk the other day –

Now, if you don’t know Gary – I suggest you go and google him, watch some of his videos, check him out on social media. He’s a great guy – and he’s sharing some brilliant and very simple advice!

In fact, this is one of my favourite videos… (taken from his fan page!)

https://youtu.be/LxcH0YaUePM

Now… there’s various folk whom I talk to, and they’ve either started their journey (this could be anything) or have always thought about it but never got going.

In this blog post- I’m going to focus on social media for a moment.

We all know the dividends that social media pays. It’s HUGE!!!!

If you, your business, your organisation – is not on social media, you’re missing out BIG TIME!

On top of that – you might be on it, but not using it effectively. Post now and again…. and then wonder, why you are not getting followers, why you are not getting engagement, why you are not growing!

It’s not all about you.

It’s all about others. The more you engage with others, the more others will engage with you!

Have a clear focus also. What is it you are using social media for?

Is it to gain more followers?

Is it to gain a following which you can interact with and therefore translate into profits?

Is it to increase awareness of your brand?

Like any good strategy, work out your Goals and Objectives and work accordingly.

I’ve been helping a number of folk out recently – and most recently, I took over the twitter account for a local charity.

We went from zero to 65 followers in a few weeks. The objective is to increase awareness and have more volunteers. This all links with the overall marketing strategy of the charity. More volunteers means more help which means more hands which results in more getting done in the same time (time is a variable that can’t be changed!)

And lastly… if you do want to learn more – I’ll be interviewing The Coopers, who’ll share a few secrets about their Instagram page!

They went from a couple of hundred followers to over 4,700 followers in a short space of time! All genuine followers – so what’s the secret?! – well… you can find out soon…. (by the way, if you can’t wait for my blog post with The Coopers, go follow them on Instagram – search for Coopers New Build)

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

I often find – people asking me, Bal – how much money do I need to start a business, Bal – what tools do I need to purchase to make it happen…

More often than not – I explain to people, chances are high you have the tools to get started! – Use what you have – and try the idea out. If the idea gains momentum and you’re on to something big… then you know, you’ve got the grounds to invest.

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Monday Motivation

Fear of Missing Out – FOMO!

We all know what FOMO is, right? – the Fear of Missing Out!

We don’t want to miss out. We want to be involved. We want to know what’s happening – in our interested subjects, be it people – be it cars – be it anything we want to know about. We have to stay involved. And companies know this! They know it only too well…..

Now, rather than me talk about it – I was recently introduced to a podcast by Brian Fanzo….

If you’ve not had the chance to listen to him – I strongly recommend you do.

He talks about some great subjects… providing some insights, providing some analysis and more importantly, providing you with a ‘call to action’ to do something!

Now whilst my podcast is doing ok – (and if you haven’t heard it, it’s called Think Lean, Get Digital)…. you should really check FOMOFanz out.

Not only his podcast – he’s got several videos on YouTube. And he records a video of him doing his podcast!

Before I recommend anyone to you guys – I want to ensure the person is good. They’ve got the right credentials. They know what they’re talking about. They’ve built a bit of a following and/or they are super talented on their subject of choice.

Here’s Brian’s social media stats….

Oui – impressive!

So there you go people – need some Monday Motivation? – well, go check Brian out and you’ll be super motivated!

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Uncategorized

Smart Dining Table

I was on a call the other day… with Bruno. We were talking, and I informed him, I’m recieving a new fridge soon – to which he replied, he’s getting a new dining table.

For some reason – my immediate question to him was – Is it Smart?

Now, firstly – does everything have to be Smart? – I think so!!

We’re in a connected world. And therefore, appliances and items around us – if they’re smart, help with the connectivity.

Habits are changing…

We are more on our devices. We are more involved and collaborative.

So how can a Dining Table, be Smart… Bal?!

Well… you’ve got your traditional table…..

You can get some in a funky design…

You can get some Clever/Smart ones… (by the way, when I asked about Smart – I was referring to Technology)…

With AR and VR… Mixed Reality… we can have sensors and projectors, tell us what to do and when….. especially, when it comes to cooking…

And let’s be honest – this is a great helping hand.

But I was thinking Smart in the sense – does the table have wireless chargers built in?

Does the table allow connectivity – in the form of sensors, detecting food is on the table, or have built in warmers – that keep the food/plate warm.

Yes you can get interactive ones… but personally, can’t see Bruno with one of these in his dining room…

So… thinking of getting something new? – See how Smart it is!

Even a dining table could be Smart!