Category Archives: Of Interest

Do you have the Rupee mentality?

September 13, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I know many people who think small.
They think I am foolish because I don’t care that I wasted four dollars on parking or spent too much on my sea bass soy paper roll at Sushi Unico. However, the way I think is just a matter of scale. In my opinion I still think small. As a child, my father was very frugal and counted every penny. I grew up being very concerned over small things. If I lose a pencil at school or wasted a single sheet of paper, I would be very upset. As I grew older, I grew out of this mentality despite constant bickering and protest from my miserly father. The important thing to understand is that the scale of your thoughts influence and affect the scale of your achievement as well. If you only think about the small things, you can never achieve big things. My father went to MIT and Harvard, got the best grades possible, and did well in his career. But, he thought on a micro level and is retiring on a very limited budget — but, comfortably. His mother also thought small and worked hard her entire life to retire on a very tight budget. She was educated and had good jobs her entire life. And yes, she survived until the end, but counting each penny the entire journey on an almost impossibly tight budget.

A story of two identical guys
There was a story that was told to me at Kabbalah Center in Los Angeles. Kabbalah is a spiritual side of Judaism and also currently a sect of Judaism that has an orthodox, yet spiritual interpretation of religion, life and just about everything else. The story was about two almost identical guys. They both were the same age, the same height, and the same IQ. They went to the same type of schools, studied the same topics, and everything else was similar. Their parents had the same type of background, similar incomes, and similar education. One of the guys made a comfortable income his entire life. But, the other became a billionaire! What’s the difference you might ask? One thought big. The average guy just wanted an average life. He could not think beyond what other people were doing. He didn’t think it was possible to become extraordinary. But, the rich guy had a burning desire to be amazing and believed it was possible. He envisioned huge success and worked constantly for that goal.

Losing track of priorities in business
When we do business, we can easily be distracted by one hundred things. There are so many things to pay attention to in our business. There are personal things like family, health, entertainment, social engagements, etc. With a hundred things constantly grabbing our attention daily, it is only natural that we spend a lot of our time thinking about things that are small, or at least not the most important. Business people in India think about their image, whether they get enough praise and respect from their customers and workers, etc. In India, they will think all day if they are paying Rahul a few Rupees more than he is worth for his call center work. They will think if the light bill is too high, and if that Rick Shaw Walla ripped him off. Sure, I think about the same things. Maybe Rajesh took an hour off and billed you for it. Maybe Sangita was on a phone call to her mother on company time. If you spend all day thinking about these things — you have the rupee mentality. In business, you need to try to focus on the bigger priorities which often don’t have analytics. Do your workers have good mojo? What does that mean? Do they have good drive, good energy, and do they gravitate or repulse your clients? It doesn’t matter how little you pay someone, if they lose you clients, they are a disaster. If you pay another guy too much, but he keeps attracting new clients, maybe you should pay him more instead of complaining. Did you miss an important marketing idea or opportunity because you spend an hour arguing with someone over a bill? Did you calculate your loss from getting stuck in traffic yesterday? Instead, spend a little more time staying late in the office to get some critical tasks done. Or spend an hour identifying which of your several dozen tasks is the most important and why.

The point to remember
I have written several quick articles on the Rupee mentality. I didn’t realize that I used that exact phrase twice in a title by accident. Now, I’m using it a third time since it is a catchy phrase that did well. But, the point of this article is to identify priorities and then focus on them. My Guru says, “Focus on priorities and forget the rest.” When you are a busy guy, you have to forget a lot of things otherwise 24 hours a day just isn’t enough. The second point is to dream big and envision your dreams coming through. I’m not saying not to argue over bills or waste time thinking about how the cab company charged you for too much waiting time. Just keep that stuff out of your head for the most part so you can focus on the thoughts that are going to get you your billion dollar empire!

My story — from dreamer to workaholic.
As I progress and evolve on the complicated path of my business, I realize that I want to grow, and that I am growing. The hard part is that I have no idea what I am going to evolve into. I see multiple paths that I could go down, and it is hard to see how they unfold. I agree with myself that I should spend more time meditating on those possible outcomes to strengthen them as well as meditating on huge financial success. Some people spend too much time dreaming. When I was younger I did lots of dreaming and not enough hard work. As I realized that extra hard work had to be done every day, I stopped dreaming enough. We all need to develop that balance of working the right amount and dreaming the right amount. But, when you are dreaming — don’t dream of Rupees, dream of Crores! Don’t dream of pennies, dream of billions!

You might also like:

Think big, but start small in business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/10/14/think-big-but-start-small-in-business/

How to expand your thinking in business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/11/14/how-do-you-expand-your-thinking-in-business/

Jeremy’s 11 tips for better business decision making
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/06/29/jeremys-11-tips-for-better-business-decision-making/

How women can get even with men in the workplace

September 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Popular on Twitter | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In the real world, there seems to be very little fairness. This is why I generally recommend that minorities learn to be good at creating their own businesses. That way they get paid much closer to what they are worth without all of the discrimination and affirmative action. Women seem to also always be held back in the workplace due to preconceived notions. However, there are many things women have in their advantage that can help them get even.

(1) Patience is a virtue
Young men are known to lack patience. Men want to get ahead, and fast. Many find it painstaking to endure a boring job for years in order to get a good reputation with their company. Women tend to be more willing to pay their dues and take promotions as they come. Try to capitalize on your patience as a woman.

(2) Building relationships
Women are better at building and maintaining relationships than men. If your job involves managing clients or suppliers, it is in your interests to do an outstanding job and make it so those clients only want to talk to you — and not the boss. That way you have power as you become somewhat irreplaceable.

(3) Unvirtue may not be a virtue, but women do it anyway?
Many unvirtuous women sleep their way to the top. Personally I think this is very immoral, but people do all types of immoral things without batting an eyelash. If you and some chauvinistic guy are stuck in the mailroom as your job, and you use your charms to get a management position during your first year at the company — you can go back to the mailroom to taunt that male chauvinist and show him who got ahead in the long run. Or, as the case may be who got ahead in the short run.

(4) Being less threatening.
Bosses are tired of workers who have all types of demands and who threaten. Of course in the real world, women can be very manipulative and threatening. But, many women are not. So, you can capitalize on being loyal and non-threatening. Your boss will like that and in the long run if you have job smarts, that could help you move up the ladder.

(5) The art of subtle manipulation
In management, getting other people to do what they are supposed to is hard. Although women typically are not respected as authorities no matter how assertive they are (proven fact, not just making this up) women are often good at sweet talking people into doing what they are supposed to. When I need the programmers to get off their rear and fix something, I have to ask ten times. When my female assistant sweet talks them, she only has to ask once and they do it. Hmmm. If a woman knows how to sweet talk, and makes sure things get done, she could be a superstar in management and get ahead of the aggressive guys.

Summary
Well, that’s it for now. Women face the glass ceiling in the work place, but if they use their female charms to their advantage, they can get a significant lead over men in ways you can’t even imagine. Instead of complaining about gender bias, use what you have and combine it with responsible business behavior, and you a good chance to get ahead of the boys.

You might also like:

Is it safe for women to take cabs in India?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/22/is-it-safe-for-women-to-take-cabs-in-india/

7 rules for women entrepreneurs to live by
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/01/30/7-rules-for-women-entrepreneurs-to-live-by/

Women programmers in the US and India
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/06/17/women-programmers-in-india-and-the-u-s/

Do you come off the right way to others?

September 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

Many of us live in paranoia that we will say the wrong thing and become socially ostracized. In America this is a realistic fear. Others are quick to point the finger at us an make false accusations simply because we said something that “could” be interpreted the wrong way even if there is no proof or likelihood that we meant what we said with negative intentions. India and Asian countries might be more forgiving in this respect depending on the context. Culture is a complicated topic, but let’s stick to the basics here. This article is not about culture, but about personality!

None of us come across the way we want to when interacting with others. We are simply not paying attention, or simply don’t see ourselves the way the other person does. Perhaps you use nice words but avoid eye contact. Or, perhaps you say things that could be interpreted as negative when you meant them as positive. Or perhaps you are too paranoid to say anything of substance. Americans tend to be super busy and keep conversations short to the point that you feel they don’t like you. In India, many people are so lackadaisical (yes, this means you) that they come across as not giving a damn. The Chinese are uptight and spastic in their interactions. Hey! I thought this was not going to be about culture!

I guess in this multi-cultural world, different cultures come across differently. Maybe I’m highlighting some critical cultural points in terms of how we come across.

In any case, in business, the main point is to come across as someone who is responsible, solid, caring, competent, and friendly — but, not too friendly — caring, but not mushy, solid, but not inflexible. I think you get the point. When you talk to clients, try to sense how they react to how you communicate. You’ll master the art of coming off the right way if you do this.

Another interesting point is to help the other person loosen up. I often start business calls off with jokes that worked well in the past. Remember, that jokes can backfire, so pick ones that have a proven track record.

“Hi, this is Frank from XYZ company. I’m calling to check your information on file and verify that you are a real person.”

Since there are so many fake people out there on the internet, most people laugh when I ask to verify that they are a real person. Adding little quirks to your interaction that you may never have thought of can often work wonders and soften situations that can be stressful under normal situations.

When is the best time to do deep business thinking vs. busy work

August 12, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How do you schedule your time?
Scheduling your day is not an easy task. Some of us are victims of habit, while others prioritize and plan. I decided to have interlocking schedules based on priorities. Daily routines and monthly routines, but not daily routines. I try to cram in as much work as possible during each day, but the issue (not necessarily a problem) is when to do the deep thinking work.

Does busy work get the best of you?
Many people feel that managers should not do busy work (repetitive tasks). But, when you have a small business, and can’t find reliable people to do some of your critical data entry, calls, and other “busy work” sometimes managers can get overloaded. Even checking the quality of your workers’ busy work is in itself busy work. Even if you take frequent breaks, your mind can easily get frazzled if you are doing too much.

Finding that right time to think
Many of us would do much better in business if we would find time to really think and evaluate all of the tasks that we do in our business. We all have limited resources, and business is the art of using our resources most efficiently to get maximum profits and/or output. The confusing part is that the maximum profits are often delayed, and creating a solid foundation for your business is more important than short term profits in my mind. If you are frazzled with busy work all day long, you might brush over critical decisions and make some very expensive mistakes. It seems logical that the more important a decision, the more time you would invest in it — and the most time when your mind is in a good state to deal with such issues. So, how do you create those windows of time?

You might also like:
Bathe and meditate before making business decisions
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/07/23/bathe-and-meditate-before-making-business-decisions/

Weekly self-meetings
If you have a weekly meeting with yourself, this is a great way to make decisions. You can take notes throughout the week as to what you will be thinking about. It does not hurt to discuss these decisions with others as they might have some valuable input or at least a very different point of view. My thought is that late at night is the best time to think deep thoughts. The universe is quiet then, and distractions from outside are minimal. There are no phones, there are less radio waves in the atmosphere. There is no screaming, and there is no commotion. Most people are asleep or doing quiet things at home like watching television or using their computer. I also suggest meditating and bathing before doing important decision making activities. And if you are really busy on a particular week, you can have a shorter meeting and postpone important decisions to another week when you are less frazzled.

Is the beginning or the day or the end of the day the best time?
For me, late at night is my favorite time of any 24 hour period. For others, you might think better in the morning. My friend is the opposite of me. I like staying up late at night, he likes getting up early in the morning. But, the result we have is the same. I normally retire around 2am while he gets up at 2:30 am. We are often awake at the same time if I go to bed really late which sometimes happens when I have to finish up piles of work. He finds miraculous clarity early in the morning. He gets a lot of all types of work done at that time including tasks which require deep thought, and just routine answering of emails. For those who prefer 7am in the morning, if you are fresh at that time, then do some deep thinking. But, remember, the quality of your thoughts depends on the stillness of the outside atmosphere as well as the clarity of your mind. So, if your mind is clear at a particular time, then take advantage of that clarity for critical tasks.

What about busy work?
I like doing busy-work late at night when I am half asleep too. After I have lost my clarity and it is even later at night, it is a good time for repetitive tasks which don’t require too many brain cells. Doing my Twitter outreach is a perfect example of a brainless task. I just follow members from relevant accounts. I’ll add 1000 at a time, and I do this several times per week for my main account. There are different types of busy work. Some require some thinking while others require almost no thinking. I advise saving the brainless tasks for when you are most fatigued. But, try to make yourself extra fresh for those tough decisions that could take hours to work out!

“Not responsible for lost or stolen verbiage”

July 20, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

“When your neuron fires, make sure they aren’t blanks”

In the Wild Wild West of the World Wide Web, language could be stolen, mangled, butchered, or even kidnapped. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean you’re free to steal other people’s literary property without at least providing reference to the source in the form of a footnote.

About an hour ago, I was formulating a blog with my highly discerning writing consultant. I was establishing the opening paragraph of a very interesting blog about blogging — I know, it sounds very Seinfeldian. Andy came up with a pithy witticism which I liked, but he was distracting me and I told him to, “hold that thought.” But, he dropped it which pithed me off. We got through the opening passage and got through half of the body of the article when I asked him if he remembered his comedic remark. When he said he forgot his joke, we both tried to jog our memory banks, but the thought didn’t come to us until we got three more paragraphs into the blog. Then, we brainstormed, and it came back to us. What was the phrase we were looking for? “None of your business!” You mean you won’t tell me? No, I just told you. The phrase we forgot was, “None of your business.” Although we considered using the phrase, “Mind your business” as well.

To conclude this satire about the making of “Bloviating Business Blogs in the Big Blasphemous Blogosphere” — we didn’t actually use that exact title, but you get the point, I came up with a very interesting verbiage for a warning sign.

“Not responsible for lost or stolen verbiage.”

Office in Nature concept

July 18, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

You might also like:
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your office in the Himalayas.
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/04/27/wouldnt-it-be-nice-to-have-your-office-in-the-himalayas/

I have proven to myself that working in different environments strongly affects your endurance, and work output. Working in a calming environment helps neutralize the negative effects of stress, while working the desert or forest can be invigorating (depending on which desert and which forest.) Industries that capitalize on cheap labor (like Call Centers ) are desperately in need of more therapeutic offices even though that might not be economically feasible. But, Google capitalizes on innovative office spaces that make you feel good to be there and collaborate with others which better innovation, and drastically reduced turnover. Is your priority to save short-term cash or to have happy long-term workers?
Narrow mindedness could be a bigger enemy than cost as most managers are reluctant to think about innovating their offices.

DESERT

Being in the desert is stimulating in itself because of the dryness and the energies which are often innate to many desert areas. Although the desert is an arid place, not to worry, your ideas won’t dry up there. But, how would you structure an attractive yet practical office environment in this unique local. My friends and I thought of several ideas which sounded fun. Here they are:

(1) Ramadas.
Imagine having open-air structures where you can enjoy the breeze, yet be protected from the oppressive rays of the sun. You can hear the birds chirping, and see the cacti growing while going about your busy day of scheduling meetings, making calls, doing emails, and complicated analysis. Having cabanas is the Cuban alternative to a ramada as cabanas are made out of canvas while ramadas are adobe.

(2) Pyramids
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. But, can you picture a pyramid in Tucson? Actually, I can because half of the mountains in that region are shaped like pyramids. Pyramids are symbolic shapes. They represent the most geometrically stable shapes known to physics, but also represent graves. Having an office in a pyramid might be the best type of feng-shui if you are in a business that requires stability, and also if you’re involved in a Ponzi scheme or perhaps network marketing.

You could build lots of little pyramids around many strangely shaped pools, and then the CEO would get the corner pyramid (of course.) Or you could just have one big pyramid. Mid-level management could go on a middle floor of the pyramid. Some of the programmers might opt to have an underground office. It would be something like a man-cave. Think of the benefits — fewer distractions.

In a conventional office, workers hang out at the water cooler. But, in an desert office, workers can hang out at a mirage.

Additionally, family oriented people like pyramids because there are a lot of mummies there.

Just thinking about the tantalizing prospects of an office in the desert makes my mouth water, except the water is merely a mirage.

(3) Underground
Imagine an office build within a hill in the desert. You would have protection from the heat, but have windows facing the sloping hill where you could see all of the saguaros, barrel cacti, and organ pipe cacti. Your office would be in a garden. We would write more about desert offices, but our ideas have dried up (for now.)

FOREST

(1) American Forest
Imagine having an office park made out of tree houses. As a nature lover, I can’t stand the idea of nailing anything into a living tree. However, the trees (who have feelings of course) might enjoy having some nature loving humans around. You could have a treetop office suite. You could have mini glass enclosed hemispheres with office units inside. I prefer something that is not intrusive on the natural setting that doesn’t require foundations, etc. There could be cabins in a meadow in a forest as well. If your business does well in the trees, you might acquire quite a nice nest egg. But, if your business thrives more in an urban areas, you might be barking up the wrong tree.

There are disadvantages to the forest too. I might be going out on a limb here, but the type of people who work in tree houses are a bunch of saps. Also, when you work in the forest, you are sure to be surrounded by shady characters.

(2) The Himalayas
If you were in the Himalayas, it might be nice to have small huts and have the locals (who have a high unemployment rate) come and bring you tea and snacks from time to time. Imagine the possibilities for pampering. Electricity and conveniences might not be very reliable up there, but things are changing!

BEACH

Having a beach house or a bunch of beach huts might be a nice way to have an office. Houseboats are another great idea. But, top it off with having your office on a boat. I enjoy doing phone calls from my car on a cliff overlooking the beach. Others enjoy working with their laptop right on the beach! You can take your office wherever you want to go these days!

Having an office in the right atmosphere can change the quality of your work. Experiment a little and see how changing your work location affects you!

Philanthropic ideas for your business – are you giving enough back?

July 16, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Giving back to society is a common theme for many business schools, business owners, and regular folks as well. We all talk about it, but we sometimes don’t know the best ways to give back. Some people just give to particular organizations while others make a big show about how 1% of your payment to their company will go to a charity to feed starving penguins in Antarctica and help pay for late fees for their tuxedo rentals too. But, there are many ways to give back. And it doesn’t matter if it is broadcasted or not. When you give to others, the universe will do more for you. Giving strengthens your relationship with God — or if you are in India, then it strengthens your relationship with the Gods!

When you make money and keep it all, you create an energetic short circuit according to Kabbalistic thinking. Giving opens up your incoming channel. You really can’t become wealthy unless your metaphysical intake valve is open and has a vacuum effect. Giving creates this exact phenomenon. Try it and see what happens. Not all giving is the same. If you give $10 to a homeless man, he will probably use it to buy alcohol. Give the same $10 to a homeless shelter, they will use it to buy beds, toothbrushes and soup to help battered women and other homeless people who desperately need help.

Ways to give!

(1) Give to charities!
There are many charities to give to. Not all are reputable, and many charities embezzle or are inefficient in how they handle money. So, do your homework. The Red Cross, and many homeless shelters are where I would give first. Spiritual organizations tend to be corrupt — I should know as I hang out around them. Giving to a group that is part charity and part for profit will not gain you buddy points with God, so find organizations that have no hidden profit agenda!

(2) Give first & don’t only give leftover money…
Some organizations give their leftover money to charity. They wait until their accounting for the month or quarter is done and give some of the remainder to a good cause. Don’t do this. Give first. Make giving a priority, and God will make your business growth his. Giving establishes a partnership with God. Who better to create a partnership with. After all, he created you, and controls the universe — at least most parts of the universe!

(3) Volunteer & have your employees volunteer too
Volunteering is a great way to meet others and develop compassion. You create jewels within yourself by helping others who really need it. Sure, nice people help their friends and neighbors, but helping those who you don’t know who are in distress means so much more. Having your workers volunteer on company time can develop good qualities in them as well. If I had an army of workers, I would want them to develop caring and compassion, wouldn’t you?

(4) Provide free job training
Many young people can’t get jobs because they have no experience. You run a company, right? What if you trained those people? Then, they could get a job and you would not only be helping a single person, but helping your entire society using the skills you have! Having internships is similar. You can teach college kids the ropes of how your company works and they will benefit from that knowledge for the rest of their lives. Giving mentoring is another form of training, and I’m sure that some aspiring business people would love for you to be a mentor!

(5) Show kids how your company works
Not everyone is ready for job training. But, some of the younger kids might be inspired to spend some time at your office and witness how all of the various jobs work. They could spend some time with the CEO, the janitor, and some of your other staff, just to get the feel of business in their bones!

(6) Pro-Bono work
If you have some poor clients who really need help (and deserve it) then you can give discounted or free work to some selected people.

Summary
Giving is a wonderful way to help others while developing your spiritual side and learning from the experience as well. According to Christianity and Judaism you should give 10% of your earnings to charity. The Muslims are less demanding and only require a 2.5% Zakat of your wealth. Either way, don’t over do it or under do it. Giving is an important part of life! Additionally, strange things happen when I give. I just gave a chunk of money to charity and people have been giving me discounts on lunch, dinner, car repairs, and all types of other things since! Once I even found $2 in loose change in the dryer right after giving to charity. Give and see what happens to you!

Should big business run the school system or Universities?

July 14, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

I am tired of the idea of college. Everyone in America thinks that “you should go to college.” It sounds more authentic if you say it in a nasal tone. Now, the democrats are promising to send everyone to college for free. The problem with college is that it takes four years out of your life. You study all types of non-essential subjects that enrich you culturally. At the end of the ordeal, nobody will hire you because you don’t know how to do anything useful. I think that a four year college program is appropriate for the upper class. But, for the rest of us, learning a trade might be more appropriate.

Which jobs matter?
These days, the important jobs are computer programming, engineering, nursing, and robotics is a growing trade that will define the future of the United States. If we have good robotics engineers we might maintain our economic lead in the world. Without them, the Asians will swallow us up very quickly. So, what is the solution? There are many big businesses which have all types of jobs. The problem is that Americans are so dumb, that it is hard to fill the complicated jobs. Smart people know that the solution is to hire a smart Asian kid. But, we are running out of smart Asian kids. Now, what? We need to teach our home grown kids how to do intelligent jobs — and perhaps have a few additional Korean and Chinese kids with technical skills immigrate to America as well.

Imagine if the large companies had universities…
Big businesses can teach people how to do technical jobs. They could teach advanced level math, and engineering. The problem is that the technology keeps changing every few years or every several months. In my mind, the important learning is the logic of the programming. If you know one programming language well, you can most likely learn another one in a quarter of the time if you know the logic well. Big businesses can teach all types of robotics technology, programming, and other skills to children. The real benefit is that college kids would be able to get a job from the host company immediately after graduation or better yet — they could intern while they were studying. Nothing beats work study as you get technical skills and get to use them too. Nothing beats being in practice.

The world is changing
The world is always changing. Economies change, technology changes, and global power structures charge. In the long run the Asians will be in charge. Right now it looks as it China is falling on its face in many ways, but in the long run they are hard workers with a strong desire to succeed and they will get far ahead of America. The only way America can compete in the long run is to have smarter children who know how to do some very potent jobs and do them really well. This can be achieved. It is just a matter of America deciding to succeed instead of slacking off as usual.

The water crisis — an international problem

July 8, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

s you know, there is a huge worldwide water crisis. My spiritual guru has been warning us about this for decades. He said the wars of tomorrow will be fought over water, not oil. The irony is that some parts of the world have too much water while others have almost none. The Middle East has almost no rainfall and the rivers there are drying up. American rivers are running dryer too, but we are not having a life or death crisis yet and probably won’t for another twenty years. Israel is smart and has desalinization planets. They create their own water and use it with very sophisticated irrigation systems. Israel has the most water efficient agriculture in the world. Meanwhile in India, parts of North India are very dry while in Kerela it rains eight months a year and rains hard. So, what should India do?

India and its wealth of water
India has tons of water. Unfortunately, India’s water is not where the agriculture is. Kerela gets more rainfall than any other part of India. But, they are stuck in the Southwest of India while the agriculture is inland, with much of it far up North. If India could figure out how to store all of the water that falls in Kerela, they could sell it to the Middle East or pipe it up to other parts of India for a fee. Creating a pipeline is expensive, and India would probably take decades to finish such a project. Neighboring China can put up a 50 story building in weeks. Perhaps India should hire China to teach them how to get things done quickly.

China and India — water wars
India has several rivers running near the Tibet border in Assam and Kashmir among other places. It is my hunch that one day India and China will go to war over these rivers. A war would be devastating to the world. I hope they find a better way to deal with their water shortages.

California
California gets more rainfall than Arizona, yet Arizona knows how to store its water in underground tanks. California has an aqueduct system spanning the entire state to get water from one part of the state to the other. But, the source of much of our water is the Colorado river which deposits water into Lake Meade which is low this year. Hmmm. If it rains in Colorado, the water comes to California farms. But, if it rains in California, the water just seeps into the earth and is lost. California needs to get rid of its lawns, and invest more in the type of irrigation technology that Israel has. That way we can grow the same plants using only 15% of the water (more or less.) Learning the ropes of desalinization would be another smart step so that California will be ready for the future. California’s population keeps growing fast as immigrants love California as their initial landing point and people from other states love to come here. But, how many people will continue to come if there is no water? We’ll have to find out. Perhaps only the rich will be able to live here one day and the others will flee to Texas where it rains constantly.

Egypt
Egypt has 82 million human souls, but only one source of water — The Nile. When the Nile dries up, or when the Sudanese hog it all to themselves, they will have a war. However, there will not be any water for the locals in the mean time. Many scientists feel that many rivers will completely dry up. So, how are 82 million of some of the world’s poorest folks supposed to survive under these conditions? Will they just die out? It will be very unpleasant to find out. My prediction is that Egypt will become a barren wasteland one day. Only the pyramids and a few of the mummies will survive.

The rest of the world?
The other countries will also have water issues. Water will be an issue of world concern and people will be fighting over it and killing over it. Countries might redefine their borders based on water rights rather than on linguistic or political reasons. Or, we might have a world government that governs how water is shared. It will be interesting to find out how our water catastrophe is worked out, but probably not pleasant!

The Rupee Mentality

July 7, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Semi-Popular, Success | Leave a comment

Do you have the rupee mentality?

Some people start thinking about all the small details. They calculate exactly to the penny or the rupee what someone is charging them. It is really annoying when people count every rupee. They end up annoying you so much that you don’t want to do business with them in the long run. Penny-wise and pound-foolish is an English proverb that applies to those who lose important business deals because they were stuck thinking about pennies.

Some companies save money by hiring the cheapest employees who can’t even function. Others save money by not training their employees. They don’t even realize they are saving money because they never even considered investing in training. Others count the exact price of something without taking a deeper look at the value of the offering. Sometimes the value is not easily discernable which makes it hard. But, the exact price means little if you don’t know the worth.

I notice that when I am in India I start thinking small just like Indians. I argue over ever last rupee with the cab drivers. I count every penny I spend on tip. And I am paying extra attention to anyone who is gauging me and generally fire them immediately if at all possible. Even if you don’t talk to any misers, just being around them is enough to get you thinking like one.

As a general rule, at this stage in my life, it is more about the long term of a business relationship. I don’t care exactly what I am paying someone as that has no reflection on anything. I care more about whether or not this person will be true to me and helpful in the long run. If I have to hire and fire and hire and fire, I am losing a lot of my own time. My personal time is worth about triple or quadruple what I pay an experienced beginner to work for me, so the main thing is to conserve my own time while getting the job done right. Unfortunately, most service providers are not appropriate, and I end up doing too much myself. But, on a brighter note, I no longer have the rupee mentality. Now , I am counting the minutes I waste rather than the pennies I lose!

Does your business behavior mirror itself in others?

July 4, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

Taking Classes in Feng-Shui
I studied feng-shui for many years. I read books, attended classes, and did studies on my own. I learned that where you put your furniture is merely one aspect of feng-shui and the affect it has might not be as predictable as what the book you read might say. However, I learned that there are serious effects for having broken things around. There are bad consequences for being too busy to take care of things. There are also magical results for spending an hour or two in a charged up environment.

I Feng-Shui’d my Room
I remember that I cleaned up and rearranged my room a few years ago. After that I got more business. I’m not sure what the connection is. Changing your surroundings changes you on the inside. It changes your brain in a sense. Of course you could argue that the change within occured before you changed your surroundings. Perhaps a little of both is true. When I have dinner in wealthy fast paced neighborhoods, my sales are often much higher the next day for my e-business. I analyze this affect as it is a critical part of feng-shui that has nothing to do with where your sofa is placed. But, what about behavioral mirrors?

Behavioral Mirrors
I always complain that my programmers don’t get back to me or do what they are supposed to. They also rarely finish anything on time and let simple projects drag on for months. But, when I look at my schedule, I realize that I do not make dealing with them a priority. I put off dealing with them sometimes for months. Part of why I don’t deal with them is that it can be very exasperating to deal with someone who delivers flawed work every time you check your work. It is disappointing and depressing as well as a waste of my limited time. Perhaps it is not the time factor as much as the fact that dealing with uncooperative people is draining and a source of anxiety. I just can’t deal with them. So, is the sluggishness of the programmers a reflection of my own sluggishness in getting back to them? Or am I slow getting back to them because I know that whatever they did will not be on time or correct? Or is the problem that I need to be more vigilant in trying out new programmers and mastering the art of hiring?

Perhaps my inability to get programmers with slack in their schedules is because I also rarely have any slack in my schedule.

My sales lady is often accused of not answering messages. I realize that I too do not answer messages. I do so because most of my messages are from people who don’t have a purpose in calling me. They call me back and leave a message saying, “Duy, you called me?” Perhaps I should filter through my messages every day and call back the good ones, but I am already behind on my work. Perhaps the bigger issue is that I have failed in personal time management. It is hard when you keep having new tasks you are adding into your schedule and old tasks you are phasing out. If I had less to do, I could answer messages and get back to programmers and really be on top of everything. Many of the big business blogs claim that less is more. Focus on priorities and farm out the less consequential work!

Does Your Behavior Rub Off on Others?
Do you see your employees having the same flaws as you do? Do you try to correct it in them before you correct it in yourself? Or do you not even notice your employees flaws since you have identical flaws? Perhaps you overload your personal schedule and your workers are all overloaded and unable to focus on priorities. Take a look at all of the flaws your employees seem to have as a group. I’m not saying that every employee has the same flaw, but look for patterns. Then see if you have some similar type of flaw yourself. You might learn a lot and change your life as a result!

Do you have a mentor? A good one?

July 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

If you run a business, you need a mentor!
Beginners know that they need a mentor, because they don’t know anything. The idea of a beginner running a large business is scary. But, they could start small. But, imagine how fast you could progress in your business career if you had the right guidance? Sometimes the right information doesn’t all come from the same person. You might get some valuable information from a former boss, a friend, a colleague, and maybe even a life changing tip from a guy at a bar! It has all happened to me. And it is all about being open! The best business advice in my life happened when a guy sat next to me at a bar. This was no ordinary guy though. He was the former manager of the bar at the most prestigious casino in Nevada!

But, what about people who are seasoned in business. Do they need a mentor? The answer is that they do. But, the mentor might not be someone you might ordinarily think of as a mentor. You need to bounce ideas of someone who can think outside the box and suggest alternate ways of handling situations. By investigating different modes of operation, you might discover stumbling blocks, or new ways of handling a situation much better.

A good mentor will get you thinking about the important things in your business and will keep you on track. A bad mentor might give you the lecture on positive thinking and thinking big. These are important, but this is just the same old motivational crap we’ve been hearing for ages. Yes, think big, but also think of how to expand. The how part is generally not easy, and with one hundred directions you could pick, picking the optimal one is the trick.

I have more than one mentor, but my main one is my psychic. He is a bit unusual because he can not only disect complicated business issues and decisions with me. He has a psychic sense of what might do well in the future. Of course he is not always correct, but he has been correct about many critical things affecting my health and business. He correctly predicted which places I could visit that would help my health and that my Twitter account would grow the fastest of all my social media accounts — and it did! My other mentor is the boss of the company who did programming for me. He doesn’t always have a tip for me, but sometimes he comes up with big ones that change my life. During a casual discussion about pecan fudge, he gave me a tip of analyzing my social media output that changed my life. We are getting 20x the volume out of Facebook as before since I decided to prioritize it. It is amazing what a little good mentoring can do.

Sometimes a twenty minute talk a few times a year is all you need. There is no measure for how much mentoring you need. Two hours a week, twenty minutes per quarter, or just when you need it. It is very difficult to tell. But, a good business person should always be weighing different ways and variations of doing things to find the most effective way. Discussing these ways with others is generally a good idea if they have some good input! Good luck with your mentor! Get one today. Network!