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- Office Parties: The Most “Fun” You’ll Be Forced to Have
Ah, office parties. A quarterly ritual where we all pretend to bond while silently counting down the minutes until we can leave. If you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. Let me break it down: - The Dance Guru: There’s always that one person breaking out dance moves like they’re auditioning for a Bollywood remake. The rest of us? Expertly holding up the walls. - The Red Carpet Star: Dressed to kill… and making the rest of us question why we even bothered ironing our shirts. - The Human Waterfall: Drinking like tomorrow’s the start of a global alcohol ban. Pro tip: avoid eye contact after their third round. - The Blabbermouth: Talking non-stop, powered by who-knows-what. We all nod politely while plotting our escape. - The Party MVP: Mingling, laughing, acting like they’re hosting the Oscars. Newsflash: nobody’s giving out trophies here. - The Dance Enforcer: Dragging everyone to the dance floor with the enthusiasm of a PE teacher on Sports Day. And let’s not forget: - The Manager Show: The boss sharing “wild” stories that sound suspiciously rehearsed. Bonus: if there are multiple managers, they’ll form a bar-side duo, discussing bonuses like they’re the next Jay and Veeru. - The Rumour Mill: Someone drops a spicy piece of gossip, and before you know it, everyone’s whispering like it’s the stock market. Superficial? Check. Shallow? Double-check. But hey, these parties are “mandatory for team bonding,” so we all grin and bear it. Honestly, why not try something better? Like thoughtful meet-ups or offsite where people actually connect (shocking, I know). You know, things that encourage kindness, empathy, and conversations beyond "So, what do you do?" Until that happens, I’ll be over by the snacks, living my best life. If you wish to read this post on LinkedIn, here is the link: LinkedIn
- A Weekend Hack That Makes My Week Easier
I’ll admit it—I sometimes spend a bit of time on work during the weekend. But here’s the thing: it’s not about overworking or sacrificing my downtime. It’s about giving my Monday self a head start. Whether it’s organising my to-do list, clearing out emails, or brainstorming ideas, dedicating an hour or two over the weekend makes a big difference. It helps me: Feel more in control when the week begins. Save time during busy weekdays. Kick off the week with a sense of accomplishment and positivity. For me, this small effort on Saturday or Sunday makes Monday feel less overwhelming and more manageable. It’s not about doing everything, but about easing the pressure a little for my future self. Do you have any small weekend habits that set you up for a better week? Would love to hear your thoughts! If you wish to read this on LinkedIn, here is the link: LinkedIn
- Isn’t everything in life depends on your bargaining/ negotiation skills
In my experience if you want to experience satisfaction or pain, sales is the best game you should play Different types or stages of pricing: - Selling Price - Happy to offer discount price - Customer negotiated price - Further negotiation done to satisfy the customer price - Win-win price - The final best price that can be offered - Its okay, I won’t make much on this deal but I want you as customer (Just little more than breakeven price) - I can afford to go little below the cost price just because I have to onboard you - Sorry, I can’t afford you, I have to let you go price There are various stages of bargaining/ negotiation A real life scenario- Me and my friend went to inquire about a car- Same make Same model Same specifications Same Time Same colour Same dealership Same delivery date Same payment methods Every other parameter as same But both of us ended up getting different quote It is a fact, people end up paying different amount for the same car. Thats how bargaining works. The Better you bargain, Sweeter the deal And same scenario is applicable for other factors in life- Your salary Your KPIs and KRAs Timeline while working with external vendors Cost negotiations Rent negotiations Your lifestyle Your daily work The time you seek from your partner The respect that you wish for You interaction with peers on getting the work done on time And a lot more…. It is applicable in every single matter of life Bargaining/ Negotiation is a life altering skill, the better you are at negotiation, the higher chances for you to achieve more and better things in life. If you wish to read it on LinkedIn, here is the link: LinkedIn
- If you are targeting EVERYONE, you are targeting NO ONE
The main rule of Marketing is focus on your customer, aka PAYING CUSTOMER Marketers, please do spend the most amount of time in creating your Ideal Customer Profile- ICP To do that, ask questions: - Who would pay for this product right now? (Ideal buyer with high intent and ability to pay) - Who gets the maximum benefit out of this product? (Someone for whom the product is a direct best fit to solve their problem) - Where can I reach them? (Marketing Channel, In person meetings, Events) - Where does my prospect spend the most time? (Digital or Offline, Digital ads or Out-of-Home ads) - Which other similar products does my prospect use? Or where do they spend their money (To understand possible integrations or line of growth) Using above information prepare a detailed ICP (reference below) Persona- CDO Company stage- Growth Size- Mid size with 400 employees Revenue- $20 Mn Budget- $5K City- Bangalore Marketing channel to target- Email, LinkedIn Ads Active on- LinkedIn, Email ICPs go even deep and I have seen 2 pages of documents just to craft ICPs. Clearer the understanding of your ICP, Better the Marketing campaigns. If you wish to read it on LinkedIn, here is the link: LinkedIn Cheers! #IdealCustomerProfile
- Deadlines and timelines: the ultimate spice of life.
PMs want features to be implemented in the product YESTERDAY and they run behind Tech Teams to deploy those ideas. After all, what's life without a little chaos to keep things 'worthwhile'? Cheers to mutual understanding between multiple personas: PM & DEV PM & PMM PMM & DESIGNING LEADERSHIP & PM PRODUCT HEAD & PM MARKETING HEAD & PMM MARKETING UNIT & EXTERNAL AGENCY If you wish to read this post on LinkedIn, here is the link: LinkedIn
- A Spontaneous Getaway to Pondicherry
I had been itching for a getaway for what felt like forever, and the long weekend between October 11th and 13th 2024 was practically begging for a mini-vacation. With so many options within driving distance of Bangalore—Mysore, Coorg, Ooty, Kodaikanal—it was a bit of a dilemma. But since I’ve always been drawn to the sea like a moth to a flame, Pondicherry was the obvious choice. Friday morning rolled around, and by 10 AM, I was on the road. A solid 320 km stretch lay ahead, with a drive time of about seven hours, including a couple of much-needed pit stops. The road? Surprisingly decent for a single lane, and during the day, it treated me to some seriously picturesque scenes—lush greenery, tranquil lakes, sleepy little villages... basically, the kind of stuff that makes road trips worth every minute. It’s fascinating (and a little bizarre) how India changes every 25-30 km. The food, the people, the very vibe of a place—it’s like crossing into a whole new world with every few kilometers. Case in point: I had a coffee that was made with coconut oil and jaggery. Was it bad? No. Was it weird? Absolutely. Then there was the sambhar, which tasted suspiciously like the dal (toor dal, to be exact) we usually have with rice. Go figure. By the time I rolled into Pondicherry around 6 PM, I still hadn’t booked a hotel—because who needs a plan when spontaneity is the name of the game? I ditched my luggage and headed straight to the beach, and man, did luck ever smile down on me. Serenity Beach welcomed me with open arms, and I stumbled upon a sea-facing property that practically screamed, "Stay here!" So, I did. No second thoughts. And let me tell you, the 1:30 AM sky view from my suite’s balcony? Absolutely mind-blowing. Stars, waves, and that oh-so-dramatic thunderstorm at 2 AM. Rainstorms are one thing, but witnessing a beachside storm in the dead of night? That’s something else entirely. Terrifying? A little. Worth it? A thousand times, yes. The next morning, I woke up early enough to catch the sunrise on the beach. From there, I wandered over to Auro Beach, Auroville Beach, and eventually, Pondicherry Beach. By lunchtime, I found myself at the much-talked-about Coromandel Café. Instagram hype? Yeah, there’s a bit of a wait for a table, but trust me, it's worth it. The food was excellent, but the real showstopper? The tiramisu. Best. Dessert. Ever. As the evening settled in, I took a leisurely stroll along Rock Beach, visited the war memorial, and paid my respects to the Gandhi statue. Calm, peaceful, and exactly what I needed. This road trip was a first for me—my longest one in the new car I got back in January—and I loved every second of it. There’s something about seeing your car parked in front of a beach, with the sea stretching endlessly behind it, that just hits different. Check out some pics of my car living its best life by the shore. Pondicherry isn’t just a destination; it’s an experience. The French colonial vibes, the food, the ambiance—it’s like a little slice of Europe tucked away in South India. One of the funniest things I noticed? People obsessing over capturing that perfect Instagram photo. Whether it was outside those iconic colorful cafes or in front of the meticulously maintained wooden doors, everyone was jockeying for their shot. Bright yellows, blues, and pinks everywhere you looked, people were standing there for a solid 15-20 minutes, trying to get the lighting just right for their Instagram grid. Don’t even get me started on the crowd outside Starbucks—getting that picture-perfect frame was apparently the priority for everyone. The irony, though? Some of those doors were on houses that were clearly under renovation or even falling apart, but hey, the doors were in pristine condition, practically begging to be photographed. Social media priorities, am I right? The beauty of this trip was that it was entirely unplanned, and honestly, that’s what made it amazing. I usually tend to over-plan my vacations, which can sometimes take the fun out of it. But this time? No checklists, no fixed itinerary—just me, the road, and whatever came my way. (I have a habit of collecting an object from every beach that I visit, collected this one from the Auro beach) (The GOAT) What were the highlights of the trip, you ask? - I discovered that I can drive for four hours straight without a break (and cover 350+ kilometres in a day) without feeling totally wiped out. - I had the best dessert of my life—seriously, that tiramisu at Coromandel Café was a game-changer. - I experienced the most surreal 1:30 AM view of a starry sky, with the thunderstorm adding an extra layer of drama. Nature, you truly outdo yourself sometimes. So here’s to unplanned adventures, the thrill of spontaneity, and the magic of Pondicherry.
- Don't think about Material things
I got a notification from Google Photos about my picture being taken 8 years ago, it dates back to 22nd March 2014. I was a novice with guitar, but still somehow managed to clear auditions and play for the band I owned an acoustic guitar back then, but in order to play on stage I needed an electric guitar At that time, a friend of mine has a shop for musical instruments and lent me a new red guitar He said, " Deepak Bhai, awesome news about you performing on stage. Take this new red guitar it arrived just a day back, it is user-friendly and you can get adjusted with this in 2 days ". There is a vast difference between acoustic and electric guitar, in terms of strings, way of strumming, etc. In short electric guitar is very sensitive and trickier to play He gave me the new red guitar for 8 days (so that I get adjusted to it) without a security deposit and any kind of rent. I was in engineering college back then, and renting a guitar for a day used to cost anywhere between 500-1000 INR/ day. I couldn't have afforded it back then. Why am I telling this? Many of us get worried/ overthink about the mediums, things, or gadgets we don't own. For example , someone about to start a YouTube channel is thinking about owning a camera/ iPhone. Just make a move, have a positive attitude towards life, accept opportunities with open arms and the universe will get things arranged for you. The world is a happy place, just ask and people are there to help you out. Have a CAN DO attitude and believe in yourself. P.S. : Currently I own an electric guitar, sound processor, and amplifier and have a dedicated space with the system in place. The pic is not clear, as I didn't have a good camera back then.
- Which is a better business magazine? Forbes or Fortune?
I got the below questions: 1. Which magazine is better Forbes or Fortune? 2. Why read both of them? Here is my observation/ answer: 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐬- Lesser in Fortune 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬- Fortune has better (charts, graphs, color coding, placement, etc.) 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬- Length and Breadth of topics covered is better in Forbes 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬- Forbes highlights individuals in a better way. (Just look at the cover pictures of both the magazines) 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬- Forbes does it better 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲- The content quality is almost similar in both, but if I want to select one it will be Fortune due to the ease of understanding and more infographics 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡- Forbes approx. 100 pages, Fortune approx. 115 pages. The special edition can be a thicker version with more pages. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲- Forbes-Twice in a month, Fortune- Once in a month 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝- Fortune You can think of a Venn diagram here, there are few common or intersecting topics. Combining topics from both these magazines will provide a universal picture about: 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭, 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. P.S .: I have subscribed to both of them What are some of the best business magazines you have read? Leave a comment below
- How do you end up SPENDING More?
What makes you spend more on any product/ service? Read this post to understand: In the current world, Selling Price ❌Cost Price+ Profit The selling price is a function of lot many different parameters like: · Perceived value of the product/ service · Time saved due to that product/ service · Opportunity lost due to non-usage of product/ service · Perceived price in buyer’s mind · Competitor’s pricing · Monopoly in the market · Ease of switch · Macroeconomic factors · Demand and Supply gap And many other factors There are a few effects that can help you understand how orgs are playing around with human psychology while deciding the price of their products/ services. Decoy Effect It is when the consumer changes their preference between 2 options when they are presented with a 3rd option. Ex: French fries (Small, Medium, Large) Strikethrough Pricing This is done when a seller wants to highlight the value before offering a discount, this is commonly observed on Ecommerce sites Surround Effect In this, the pricing of the base product is kept lower than that of competitors, but the better version of the same product is priced at par with the competition. Most common phenomena in Food & Beverages and quick-serve restaurants. Undercut The price of a few of the best features is kept less as compared to that of competitors to attract and onboard the users. Penetrate Pricing This strategy is followed when the product/ service is offered at dirt-cheap prices as the main goal of the company is to penetrate the market and disrupt the industry. Ex: How Jio entered the market Anchor Effect Helping prospects in making decisions by providing tags on the pricing plan and highlighting those plans. Ex: Best Value, Best priced, etc. Which other pricing effect have you come across? Leave a comment below
- 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬?
In a highly dynamic and fast-paced startup ecosystem, it is very important to try and test the growth hacks/ ideas and that too at a high tempo, so how to do that? Let’s understand 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 (refer below image) Analyze The behavior of core and power users The characteristics of your best customers or create an Ideal Customer Profile What leads to the churning of these users? Ideate Collaborate with your team (UI, UX, Customer Experience, Sales, Marketing) to brainstorm ideas and create an Idea Bank. The idea can be in a very simple format like: Idea Name Description Hypothesis Metrics to be measured/ impacted Success criteria 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 This is often the most difficult part of any decision-making process, here is a framework for the same: 𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 (refer to above image) Rate each idea on a scale of 10: 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 (#/10), 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (#/10), 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐞 (#/10), and calculate the average score Ask the team to submit ideas with the ICE framework, this should not necessarily be accurate but based on a logical and educational guess. This score is for relative prioritization and may not be perfect. This will help in prioritizing the idea 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 Schedule cross-functional collaboration activities in order to test these ideas and ensure smooth execution Please note: the Pareto principle applies here: 20% of your well-executed ideas will yield 80% of the best possible outcome. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? Analyze the learnings of these experiments, Learn from them and REPEAT Create a knowledge base of these experiments, and focus on the next idea from the Idea Bank. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: Big successes in growth hacking come from a series of small wins, compounded over time Cheers!!
- How Cognitive Bias affects User Behavior?
Have you ever installed an APP and uninstalled it just because it had a long process of onboarding? Or too much information was asked while onboarding? Have you ever experienced a seamless onboarding Ex - You have to just enter your mobile number, OTP is auto-populated and BAM you are on the main screen of the product Many tech products still repeat the common mistakes for user onboarding and some great companies have nailed it with their exceptional UI, UX, and knack for users’ psychology. What differentiates them? What makes one company onboard the user seamlessly? What forces users to leave midway? Read this post to know more: There lies a fundamental error with cognitive biases: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 🧠? Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that occurs when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them that affects the decisions and judgments that they make. The human brain is powerful but subject to limitations. 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞: Users are less overwhelmed if they are exposed to complex features at a later stage. Ex: A fintech company asking for PAN and other information after a seamless onboarding, only after a user has made their mind to invest in Financial instruments 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤’𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐰: More options lead to more confusion and more time is consumed in taking decisions. If you overload the screen with options and numerous features, it will confuse the visitors, keep it simple. Ex: Check out the pricing plan screen on Netflix 𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜-𝐔𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭: An aesthetically pleasing design creates a positive response in people’s brains and leads them to believe the design works better. Ex: Zomato, Cred, Dunzo they have nailed it 𝐙𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐤 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭: People remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. Ex: Unable to apply a referral code or coupon code 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐛’𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐰: Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know. Which other cognitive biases have you observed? Leave a comment below
- Growth Hack: How to enable faster loading of your webpage/ landing page on a mobile device?
Nowadays, a lot of content consumption happens on mobile devices. Think of a scenario, you have written a nice blog with good content, appropriate stock images, contextual infographics, etc., and everything seems fine till now. But when you upload this blog to a website, ☹️The size of the web page increases ☹️Flashy content leads to the slow speed of the webpage, which increases page rendering time. ☹️Unable to cater to huge traffic (server problem) This results in users dropping off, resulting in less traffic and output below expectations. A long delay in landing page loading can even hamper brand reputation. What to do now? Solution🚀: Accelerated Mobile Pages What is AMP? Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open-source standard that allows you to create web pages that load quickly on mobile browsers. To help provide a better mobile user experience, you can create AMP versions of your landing pages. How do AMPs work? 1. AMP allows asynchronous Java script with protection against the delay of page rendering. 2. It loads the layout of the page without waiting for any resources (image, infographic, embedded video, etc.). You will observe the gray boxes appear first, and then the content in those grey boxes. Visitors will churn if your webpage takes more than 3 seconds to load. This functionality helps in engaging the user and reducing churn. 3. AMPs don’t allow extension mechanisms to block rendering, which means any external extension requests from social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter are added before the script. Hence, AMPs don’t block or delay the rendering of the webpage due to those external extensions. 4. AMPs keep 3rd party JavaScript out of the path. As in, if your webpage has display ads, it will take time (latency) to load those ads. AMPs allow ads to load without hampering the main page's performance. 5. AMPs are templatized pages with structured CSS blocks and inline style sheets, which help in structured page building, follow hygiene, and enable faster loading. 6. Web font optimization: web fonts are larger. AMPs have dedicated style sheets and fonts. It doesn’t accept other HTTP requests until the font is loaded completely. This means faster loading of text, the first thing visible on the webpage will be the font. Interesting, isn’t it? 7. Minimize the time spent on style recalculations and AMPs work as per priorities. 8. All the animations on the page are accelerated using the hardware (GPU) of the device. Hence, you will observe that a better mobile device with a better processor and better GPU performs faster in dynamic page loading. 9. Prioritization: AMP controls all resource downloads: it prioritizes resource loading, loads only what’s needed, and prefetches lazy-loaded resources. 10. Instant Page Loading: AMP prerenders and downloads the resources ABF (Above the Fold). This means a page gets rendered before the decision of the user to visit that webpage. Isn’t it super cool? It consumes a lot of bandwidth on the CPU; hence, mobile devices with more RAM (8GB+) perform better in instant loading of the webpage. Few other factors which impact the loading performance of landing pages on mobile devices: 1. RAM of the device 2. GPU of the device 3. Processor of the device 4. Refresh Rate frequency of the device screen 5. Speed of data (Mobile data or WIFI) 6. Performance of the dedicated server used to host the landing page 7. Geography of the device (IP address) Other ways to develop mobile websites: Separate Site : Build a separate website for mobile devices with the URL (m.sitename.com). In these types of websites, the browser recognizes the source (here mobile device) and automatically opens the mobile version of the website. Adaptive Serving : The content of the page adapts to the device. It will capture the type of device, and internet speeds and automatically will get adapted to it and display the content accordingly. Responsive mobile site : The layout of the website changes in order to be compliant/ adjusted with the mobile devices. In this, a developer needs to think about the aspect ratio of the device and adjust all the content elements accordingly. Various CMS platforms like WordPress and Wix provide it. That's all folks. Cheers!!