value of time

IMHO there are fundamentally two ways to think about the value of ones time. realised value (cashflow here and now) & expected gains (what you aim to achieve) based on ones vocation. i think about this in the following framework: realised value (eg: your salary) is a lagging indicator (almost always)therefore, in the moment, always … Continue reading value of time →

imparting urgency

August 2020 one of the tougher challenges in being an entrepreneur/manager is imparting an appropriate sense of urgency to colleagues & collaborators. what is urgent, what is important, and what's the right sequence of priorities at any given point changes from context to context (for individuals, teams, counterparts). Yes, there are umpteen tools & frameworks … Continue reading imparting urgency →

Limiting angel investors’ upside

I am speaking from personal experience here, so please read this note with that caveat. Over the past 3–4 months, I’ve encountered a disappointing trend among a few tech entrepreneurs (in India) towards their early stage angel investors. The argument goes, hey, i need to clean up my cap table as I want to raise … Continue reading Limiting angel investors’ upside →

How to think about Corporate VC investors

Couple of friends asked me this question recently, so I thought it may be useful for a wider audience. Often during a fundraise process at startups, you come across the investment arm of an Operating Company (unlike VC’s who only invest and don’t run companies). Let’s call them OpCo’s. OpCo’s typically invest from their balance … Continue reading How to think about Corporate VC investors →

talk to your skeptics

their feedback helps you hone you message & your work startups and innovators encounter skeptics on a daily basis. most of them like to point at the umpteen shortcomings of your concept (or solution) and how the status-quo or the 800-pound gorilla in your field is better. i am certain you are thinking “trying to create … Continue reading talk to your skeptics →

Making big decisions

its not about choosing the defaults Each of us typically make one or two big decisions about our lives every so often. For example, which career to choose? whether to buy a house or not? finding a life partner, or deciding where to take a big vacation. The implications of each of these choices is varied, … Continue reading Making big decisions →

Annual Reviews

so what did you do all last year? Every year in January, many of us sit down with our bosses, supervisors, and mentors to review the year past. Often these reviews are institutionalized (read:required) by our organizations, and closely tied to financial incentives (bonuses). Through the years, I have found these reviews to be a great … Continue reading Annual Reviews →

Mentors – your aides in career navigation

I often find myself deeply confused and unclear about navigating life and career decisions. These may range from simple things such as whether to take on a project at work?, or broader questions such as what geography do I want to be in 10 years from now? No matter what the question, it is quite … Continue reading Mentors – your aides in career navigation →

the curse of 10%

a 10 percent improvement means that you’re basically doing the same thing as everybody else. You probably won’t fail spectacularly, but you are guaranteed not to succeed wildly. the curse of 10% Larry Page succinctly described, in the above quote, the 10% growth syndrome that companies get into and miss out on doing great things. … Continue reading the curse of 10% →

Reacting to competition

As an innovator, you are often ahead of the curve in introducing products and services to a market. Then come the battery of fast following competitors who copy your capabilities, or yet others who say they’ve already got what your latest and greatest innovation is. How you react in these situations can often make or … Continue reading Reacting to competition →