An American Life by Walter Isaacson is a definitive biography of Benjamin Franklin. The book discusses his life and career as a scientist and inventor, author, musician, politician, diplomat, etc. and traces his adventures through Boston, Philadelphia, London and back. The book also chronicles his achievements and pays particular attention to the beliefs of his character which defined the national perspective of the United States of America. Isaacson provides detailed and intimate aspects of Benjamin Franklin's life and the role he played in forging the American national identity.

What's it about?

Starting a business is never without risk. Starting a business with the wrong mindset, however, can sometimes lead to wasting hours and money attempting to grow a business you know isn't going anywhere

Introduction 

to learn when jumping from adventure to adventure is that it doesn’t pay to plan ahead. Planning is a waste of time. Plan nothing. Just jump into things, trusting that at some point they will benefit you. This works especially well if you have not built up any credit term at all.

The first lesson

"A financially healthy company is a result of a series of small daily financial wins, not one big moment."

the right speed is the single most important step in taking your business to the next level. You should not look for sympathy or pity. There are few things more disheartening than taking a risk and failing. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you allow yourself to be emotionally swayed by others

Choosing 

happen due to lack of focus, a lack of available resources, ruthless pursuit of short-term success, or the simple fact that the conditions are unsuitable for something new to emerge. Spend as much time and energy as you need getting your business off the ground and into the black.

Failures

is ambitious, risky, and requires an enormous amount of passion and tenacity. You are going to fail often. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to identify the things that could make your enterprise successful.

Starting A Company 

owners make is over-promising and under-delivering. You can never please everyone, so what you need to do is figure out what is really important to you and then deliver that. There are many mistakes that small business owners make when trying to expand or improve their business. One of the biggest is trying to please everyone inside and outside the company.

One of the biggest mistakes

owners make is over-promising and under-delivering. You can

to have a clear sense of what you do, what matters most to you, and what will give you the most pleasure. Do not start building your business solely on the basis of what others say - this is liable to lead to failure.

It is essential 

"Entrepreneurs don’t do most of the work. Entrepreneurs identify the problems, discover the opportunities and then build processes to allow other people and other things to do the work."

You have to learn how to talk to both sides of the fence, the customer and the business owner. In order to do this, you have to experience both ends of the spectrum and learn how both view you as a valuable resource. The ability to compromise, get along with people, explore new ideas and work with people without compromising your ideals is something that extremely few people naturally have.

Learning Ability 

else is doing something doesn’t mean that you shouldn't try to do the same. This goes for leaders and mentors who want their charges to consistently achieve more than they have in the past. You need to trust yourself first before anyone else can help you achieve your goals and desires.

Just because someone

This clarity only appears once you stop trying to figure everything out for yourself and start focusing on what really matters, namely, your top clients. Instead of chasing after every new lead (no matter how tempting), focus on identifying that handful of very special customers who are worth pursuing aggressively for two reasons: they have a specific insight, and they can be trusted to put their resources into something big—with you at the centre.

Clarity

This clarity only appears once you stop

Learn the most effective business way of growing your

Looks at the author's method for overcoming periods of stagnation in business growth, explaining how he found inspiration in the examples of giant pumpkin farmers, and sharing metaphorical strategies for driving sustained growth.

business

Business

books

Books

Each year Americans start one million new businesses, nearly 80 percent of which fail within the first five years. Under such pressure to stay alive—let alone grow—it’s easy for entrepreneurs to get caught up in a never-ending cycle of “sell it—do it, sell it—do it” that leaves them exhausted, frustrated, and unable to get ahead no matter how hard they try. This is the exact situation Mike Michalowicz found himself in when he was trying to grow his first company. Although it was making steady money, there was never very much left over and he was chasing customers left and right, putting in twenty-eight-hour days, eight days a week. The punishing grind never let up. His company was alive but stunted, and he was barely breathing. That’s when he discovered an unlikely source of inspiration—pumpkin farmers. After reading an article about a local farmer who had dedicated his life to growing giant pump­kins, Michalowicz realized the same process could apply to growing a business. He tested the Pumpkin Plan on his own company and transformed it into a remarkable, multimillion-dollar industry leader. First he did it for himself. Then for others. And now you. So what is the Pumpkin Plan?<ul> <li>Plant the right seeds: Don’t waste time doing a bunch of different things just to please your customers. Instead, identify the thing you do better than anyone else and focus all of your attention, money, and time on figuring out how to grow your company doing it.</li> <li>Weed out the losers: In a pumpkin patch small, rotten pumpkins stunt the growth of the robust, healthy ones. The same is true of customers. Figure out which customers add the most value and provide the best opportunities for sustained growth. Then ditch the worst of the worst.</li> <li>Nurture the winners: Once you figure out who your best customers are, blow their minds with care. Discover their unfulfilled needs, innovate to make their wishes come true, and overdeliver on every single promise.</li></ul>Full of stories of other successful entrepreneurs, The Pumpkin Plan guides you through unconven­tional strategies to help you build a truly profitable blue-ribbon company that is the best in its field.

Mike Michalowicz

The Pumpkin Plan

Storytelling involves the essence and depth of the experience of life. Development of skills and knowledge comes with practice, and trials for improvisation of subtle crafting are essential.&nbsp;

Story Telling

Clarity of the central theme is the best idea of attempting an engaging work.

The twists that leave your audience startled and stitched works wonders in plot creation.

A well-knit incite followed by the action to move towards the climax and concluded with the perfect resolution takes the work to the zenith.

The uniqueness of the story is the actual art of the same, and the catchy titles add to the beauty of the work.

writing

Reading & Writing

communication

Communication

4 Sure Shot To Ensure Effective Story Writing Skills

If the Financial Crisis has put you into a dilemma of knowing about it in bits and pieces, read this article for getting yourself well-versed with it.Here in this article, the main reasons that led to the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 are explained and what devastating effects it had on the economy. How the background and the factors developed over time which ultimately resulted in a catastrophe.

In 1996, the US was witnessin g a DotCom bubble that burst in 2000–02, and the prices of technological companies came down. In 2001, the interest rates came down to 1% so people were unwilling to keep money in the bank. Investors found real estate lucrative and took home loans to buy houses for themselves.

The bank started giving loans to people with appropriate collateral security which they sold it to Investment Bank further for a fixed commission. Now, investment banks bundled these loans to form a complex derivative called CDO ( Collateralized Debt Obligation).

CDOs were rated from credit rating agencies which helped them built authenticity and sold them to investors. Now, Investment banks demanded more loans from banks which induced the banks to provide sub-prime loans.

AIG, being the world’s largest insurance company started giving insurance to CDOs, known as Credit Default Swap (CDS) as they were rated AAA so the chances of failure were bleak.

Investors were unaware of the fact that they had been provided loans on an adjustable-rate of 1% (the interest of loan increases over time). When the interest rates increased, people started defaulting loans.

As there was little or no down payment for the loan provided, banks started selling houses to recover the amount of loan. When banks started selling houses, there were no buyers and the price of houses fell drastically. Ironically, the amount of loan was higher than the value of the house mortgaged.

Fund managers who knew the reality of CDOs insured it and gained huge amount of money. Due to this, people stopped buying CDOs, and Investment Banks which have collected them were running in losses. Every participant forming a part of the chain was now suffering losses.

If the Financial Crisis has put you into a dilemma of knowing about it in bits and pieces, read this article for getting yourself well-versed with it. Here in this article, the main reasons that led…

crypto

Cryptocurrency

Discover the world of business and economics.

economics

Economics

Main reasons that lead to the catastrophic financial crisis of 2008

Vodafone was greeted in India with Hutch Is Now Vodafone campaign in 2007 after it acquired Hutchinson. Vodafone went in for an overnight transformation of the brand by targeting all points of purchase. From customer care centres to sim card packets and sales executives, everything was turned into red, overnight! To advertise the same, they tied up with Star India by playing Hutch is now Vodafone ads during every commercial break on Star Plus for 24 hours. This ensured maximum recall among the audience.

1. Hutch-Vodafone

Honda and Hero separated ways in 2011. Hero Moto Corp decided to go for a complete overhaul in the positioning with a change in their logo and slogan. They also roped in A.R. Rahman to compose the song for the ad, ' Hum Mein Hai Hero' which was launched on August 15, 2011. The black color in the new logo stands for solidity and premiumness while the Red gives a feeling of energy, passion, and confidence. The campaign was also followed digitally resulting in it going viral.

Hero Honda to Hero..

Since its inception a couple of decades ago, Dabur has always been associated with the traditional portrayal of a woman. With an intention to break away from these stereotypes and take a stand for the modern woman, Dabur decided to enter the space of the digital world with long-format ad films on a woman's fight with Cancer in the campaign, Brave and Beautiful. The 4-minute video got 3 million hits on the very first day and was a total hit.

Dabur

In the six years of its existence, for the first time, Snapdeal went for a change in logo and its corporate identity in 2016 to manage its dropping sales position in the presence of Amazon and Flipkart. They tried to generate brand awareness through the new positioning and only recently, they've also come up with a new tagline, Unbox Zindagi. Their package boxes have been changed to red but they have an uncanny resemblance to Vodafone boxes, so we aren't really sure if the transformation is going to strike the right chord.

Snapdeal

Apple decided to go simple while trying to change its existing positioning in 1998. They went for a fresh, clean, grey-coloured logo, moving away from the rainbow-coloured logo. These changes were made by Steve Jobs as soon as he became Apple's CEO. He made immediate changes to the corporate identity with its Think Different Campaign in 1997. Apple created products and apps consistent to its personality which resulted in higher recognition among consumers.

Apple

Godrej has been around since decades in the country and it only made sense for them to adapt themselves according to the changing times. They went for a change in the appearance of their logo in 2008. The logo, which was so far red in colour, now includes maroon, green and blue to give it a more contemporary look. The brand Godrej has also entered the real estate market now.

Godrej

Airtel happens to be a brand that has changed its logo quite a number of times. And it also changed its image from being the network that connects people to the brand that has a lot of offers for the smartphone-obsessed youth. Time to time, Airtel has always tried to position itself as the friendly brand and might we say, been pretty successful at it. We all remember the Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai campaign, don't we?

7. Airtel

UTI Bank became what we know as Axis today. This happened in 2007 and the intention behind it was to make the brand more contemporary in terms of its appeal, and at the same time, have a name that could transcend geographical boundaries. They also changed their logo and came up with an integrated marketing programme to make sure that the customers remember the name, Axis.

Axis bank

Postal offices have become synonymous with India Post due to its legacy spanning decades. They came out with a full-fledged campaign to create a new, modern face for itself in order to change the perceptions about a government organisation being old and lethargic. They launched a print campaign, Giving Wings To Your Dreams, with a new logo highlighting the new array of services which a billion people could now access to, via India post. This new logo has bird wings which are often confused to be as check marks.

Indian Post

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

9 Rebranding Campaigns That Changed The Fate Of These Popular Brands

“LinkedIn connections can be used by employers as unwritten references and can come with a lot of value.”﻿

If you are requesting to connect with a stranger on LinkedIn, always send them a message first. Whether reaching out to someone you’re inspired by or a potential work connection, don’t miss the opportunity to say hello. Sending a connection invitation with a short message won’t bombard their inbox; it’ll be clumped under one notification. While many people accept every request, others have their own criteria when accepting new ones.

START WITH A MESSAGE

When you do reach out to someone on LinkedIn, take the time to write out a personal and engaging message. Chances are they’ve received many cold-messages, and you want yours to stand out. I always suggest starting with a quick compliment, like “I really admire your work.” Be specific about what you like, and follow up the compliment with a brief introduction about yourself. Pro tip: find a way to mention experience.

EMAIL TO ENGAGE & CREATE CONNECTION

<blockquote>“Slowly build up to your ask, and try to find an avenue to make a genuine connection”</blockquote>Slowly build up to that ask, and try to find an avenue to make a genuine connection. You can rub someone the wrong way when leading with “what can you do for me” approach. Get to know them, and hopefully, your future ask will be mutually beneficial.

BUILD A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP

your job title is right next to your name in LinkedIn comments, so each comment can be connected right back to your current employer, which may have consequences. While standing up for what’s right is essential—and please do engage when you see fit—avoid gossiping, name-calling, or spreading negativity on a professional platform.

KEEP INTERACTIONS PROFESSIONAL

Lastly, try your best to respond to your own messages, just like you’d like a new potential connection to respond to you. Even if the email is pitching a job you don’t want or a generic email, respond kindly when applicable.

RESPOND TO YOUR RECEIVED MESSAGES

Some do’s and don’ts for strengthening your LinkedIn profile during the job 
search, and making meaningful connections on the professional platform.

The Pumpkin Plan

4 Sure Shot To Ensure Effective Story Writing Skills

Main reasons that lead to the catastrophic financial crisis of 2008

9 Rebranding Campaigns That Changed The Fate Of These Popular Brands

The Do's & Don'ts Of Networking On LinkedIn

Harsha T R