Who’s Calling?

Can we take a minute just to appreciate the best photo of the President of the United States that I’ve ever seen? And by best, I obviously mean sassiest. Seriously, this could be the cover of Sassy magazine! 😉

{Entrepreneurship on your mind}

When it comes to starting your own business, the news isn’t all doom and gloom. Commercial real estate is down, making office space more affordable to lease. Thanks to the Internet, setting up an effective online marketing campaign is fast and inexpensive.

It is also attractive to those who are itching to break out of the nine-to-five and pursue their passions as their occupations.

If you have started to consider that now or sometime down the road you might branch out on your own, here are some questions to help you consider how ready you are, both mentally and logistically, to handle the risks and potential outcomes of entrepreneurship:

• What kind of capital do you have to fund start-up costs?
• Do you have enough savings to buffer your personal expenses while the business is starting, and do you have a realistic sense of how long that will take?
• Do you consider yourself disciplined, self-motivated and driven to succeed?
• Do you prefer taking direction or giving direction?

Review your responses. Do you see any trends that give you pause about pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor?

“Successful entrepreneurship is about focusing on what problems you can solve, doing your homework and learning how to fail, successfully.”

Financial concerns and a lack of confidence are the major reasons why people are backing away from entrepreneurial paths.

When you take an entrepreneurial leap, even your best-laid plans are subject to greater than normal instances of Murphy Law ; that is to say, if it can go wrong, it will. So if you are planning to make the leap, you need to plan for extra resources to handle the inevitable arrival of unanticipated costs. Before you get started, it’s not a bad idea to double or even triple what you think you might need to be on the safe side.

I can’t tell you that there is no risk to starting your own business. In any economy, some ventures will succeed and some will fail. Others will plug along until the creator moves on to a new project or sells it to someone who can make it succeed. How yours would fare is a matter of a million factors, including preparation, determination, passion and a healthy dose of luck.

You are going to work harder since you are not working for someone else, but if you are doing what you love it doesn’t feel like work. Because 24/7, you are getting the word out on your business. And if you do that, you can quickly build a following and a living.

Millionaire before 30 !!!

So your ambition in life is to be a millionaire before you turn 30! Fabulous.

It’s a great ambition. It is not difficult, but it is not that easy either, as you might very well know. There are many routes that people take to become a millionaire – betting on horses, gambling, investing in real estate, winning a lottery, becoming an entrepreneur. Some rely on luck while some work hard for it. Luck is fleeting, rare, but hard work pays, hundred percent. So, how do you become a millionaire? Here’s how:

Earnings from your job

Obviously you need a steady stream of income to build your million. The more money you earn, the quicker the journey to your milestone will be. But that doesn’t mean you can get there on a Government salary. It has to be substantial.

Know your limits

You have to know your limits. You obviously cannot spend more than you make. That’s a financial suicide. If you can’t afford to buy that Sedan, don’t. Buy a hatch. If you can’t afford to eat at fancy restaurants, start cooking at home. If traveling by your vehicle is expensive, switch to public transport. You don’t have to turn into a pauper, just practice smart living. Quit getting magazines you don’t read; get rid of the internet connection if you don’t use it that often. You use it at work anyway. Switch to prepaid connection if you’re on a postpaid mobile plan. Get rid of that credit card so you never get tempted into buying stuff on an impulse. When you shop, shop in bulk. Quit buying the newest gadgets. Basically, live a lifestyle that you can afford.

Save Money

Just making money won’t suffice. You need a savings plan. Don’t leave it for too late. The longer you save the more money you will end up with. Don’t think of saving after you’ve paid all your bills. Set aside a percentage of your salary every week or every month and put that money into a separate account and refrain from getting an ATM card. That way you will think twice before withdrawing money.

Make good investments

Make sound investment decisions. Listen to news, read the papers, talk to knowledgeable people and seek their advice on investments. You can even seek services of an investment agency. Invest in a diversified portfolio and be consistent. Maybe a systematic investment plan or SIP. You can even look at mutual funds, stocks, shares etc. Make sure you have the ability to take risks because you will win some and you will lose some. Buy land or gold or flats if you have that kind of cash. It will appreciate over a period of time and you can sell it off later to make a good profit.

Start your own business

You can turn into an entrepreneur even, investing your money into growing your business. If the idea is good and you’re a good manager, you will be able to make quite a bit of money. Always keep looking at avenues to increase your income.

Your hobby could make you rich

If you have a hobby like stamp collection or comic books collection (in mint condition), antiques or original paintings, or any collector’s items. They could fetch a great amount if you decide to auction them.

Get married

By marrying a working woman, you not only double your salary but also your savings.

Becoming a millionaire is not easy, or else all of us would be one. It is tough. It needs planning and perseverance. If you’re willing to put in hard work over a period of time, you will be rewarded.Getb

Sambhar Sultan

 

Humble Beginnings

In Mumbai, he landed his first job in a canteen “I washed dishes in the canteen of Hindustan Organic Chemicals,” recalls the 54-year-old Banan. His first promotion came within three months of joining the canteen where he was moved up to waiting on tables. Eight years later, Banan quit as night manager to move to the capital, where he started a canteen of his own at Central Electronics in Ghaziabad.

• Established in 1986
• Initial investment Rs 3,250/week as rent
• Current revenue Rs 70 crore
• Number of outlets 67
• Bet you didn’t know Majority of Sagar Ratna’s staff are either from Tamil Nadu or Mangalore

The chain makes an impressive 15-20% profit. And all this success has been showcased to the world by a man who was born in a little village called Karkala, 30 km from Udupi. One of seven children, Banan never saw himself living a life in the village. And his ascent to the high flying life of a restaurateur started when Banan failed his school exams, stole some money from his father and ran away to find a life in Mumbai.

Jayaram Banan, founder of south Indian restaurant chains Sagar Ratna and Swagath, is starting yet another restaurant chain, this time offering north Indian vegetarian cuisine for consumers who don’t eat onion and garlic–mainly the Jain and Marwari communities.

Banan, who is a minority shareholder in Sagar Ratna Restaurants after having sold the business to private equity fund Indian Equity Partners in August last for Rs 180 crore, told ET that the new chain is being named Shraman.

The first restaurant is coming up in Delhi next week. Banan is also venturing into packaged snacks, pickles and ready-to-eat meals.

Packaged snacks, under JRB brand, will compete with Frito-Lay’s and Haldiram’s. “We already have the facilities for the same and we only need to diversify into packaged foods through backward integration,” he said.

Banan, chairman and promoter of the Swagath chain that specialises in non-vegetarian south Indian seafood and 4-star hotel Ocean Pearl in Mangalore, said his son, Roshan Banan, is looking after this part of the business. The ready-to-eat meals will be launched under the Swagath brand. Banan said the group is targeting revenues of close to Rs 200 crore by 2012-13, up from Rs 120 crore last fiscal.

Banan continues to be the chairman of Sagar Ratna and there is some speculation that he is having differences with new owners Indian Equity Partners. This was denied by both Banan and IEP operating partner Arvind Nair. The funds are being used to facilitate expansion of the chain, which specialises in vegetarian south Indian cuisine.

The 26-year-old Sagar Ratna chain, which specialises in vegetarian south Indian cuisine, plans to open 50 outlets over the next one year through a combination of franchise and company-owned stores. Currently, it has 28 branches and 42 franchisee outlets, mostly in North India.

Swagath has 11 restaurants and plans to open four more this year. The eating out industry has so far been insulated by the economic slowdown.

A white paper on the Indian restaurant Industry by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) along with retail consultancy Technopak says that the organised restaurant industry is expected to grow to Rs 28, 000 crore by 2015, fuelled by the entry of newer players and expansion of existing ones.

Super Successful Billionaire-Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is arguably one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. At just 24 years of age he became the world’s youngest billionaire, and his website has now reached over 900 million active users. Perhaps most impressively of all, he achieved all of his success through a project he started in his college dorm room.

Here is a breakdown with 7 reasons we believe, play a major part in Mark Zuckerberg’s Success.

1) He Truly Believed In What He Was Doing

It takes a lot of dedication to become successful, and not just during office hours. While Mark Zuckerberg‘s friends were out partying, he would stay in his dorm room and work on coding his website until early in the morning. It is very difficult to put in the hours and hours of hard work needed to build a company from the ground up, without truly believing in and enjoying what you are doing.

2) He’s Always Prepared To Take Criticism

In its rise to being the world’s most popular social network, Facebook has suffered its fair share of setbacks. Not only has it been the subject of law suits with former founders and legal battles over information confidentiality, it has even been banned intermittently in several countries. Through sheer determination and by having incredibly thick skin, Mark Zuckerberg and his team have remained strong in the face of adversity, being mindful of the hazards and hopeful of maneuvering around any challenge that comes their way.

3) He Loves To Dream Big

Not too many people would dare to believe that a project they had started in their college dorm room would end up becoming a worldwide phenomenon. While it is unlikely that Mark Zuckerberg was aiming for one billion users from day one, it is clear that he always had big ideas about his company’s success and his overall vision for the future.

4) He Is Not Afraid To Take Great Risks

When raising money for Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg took a series of significant risks. He shunned major investors, cancelled meetings, and ignored important phone calls, just to drive up demand. Eventually, he had twelve large investment companies clamoring to fund his site. While most people would have been too scared of missing out on an opportunity, Zuckerberg and the rest of the Facebook team believed in their product enough to wait it out.

It is often said that in the world of business, not taking risks is the biggest risk to take. Unfortunately, when you have worked incredibly hard on a project, daring to take risks can be a struggle. However, by not letting fear get in the way of a big decision, you can ensure that you are making the best choice for your project.

5) He Learnt To Be Exclusive

When Facebook began it was only available to members of the top American colleges, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth etc. Students from other colleges all over the country soon wanted to be part of this exclusive club. When major investors first heard about the project, they could not even access the site because registration required a .edu email address. By keeping the site exclusive, Mark Zuckerberg made sure that supply was never larger that demand and that Facebook remained a highly sought after prize.

6) He Was Never Put Off By Competition

When Mark Zuckerberg first launched his project, it had major competition from more than 20 similar sites, and each was in a far better position than Facebook. MySpace could boast over 5 million users, Friendster had raised $13 million in investment, and Orkut was backed by Google.

While many entrepreneurs would have thrown in the towel at the mere thought of such tough competition, the perseverance of Zuckerberg and his team finally paid off.

7) He Was Clear About His Mission & Saw It Through

Zuckerberg once said that his mission was to “make the world more open”. Nowadays Facebook unites long lost family members, reports conflicts in areas where free speech is banned, and has been a useful tool in planning uprisings against oppressive governments. Understanding your main aim, whatever it may be, and not getting distracted by unproductive ventures, is the best way to ensure that you reach your goal.

Mark Zuckerburg’s achievements were not the product of luck. He gained everything he has through a combination of hard work, passion, and the courage to dream big. By not shying away from taking risks and moving forward in the face of major competition, it is possible for any entrepreneur to be just as successful.

Inspired by : Addiction to success

Think positive thoughts

When you find yourself thinking a negative thought, stop it immediately by any means necessary. Slap yourself in the face, yell something positive at the top of your lungs or jump up and down. Do whatever it takes to get back to a positive mindset as such is essential for continual happiness and success.

Get Fit!

It’s ridiculous to think that we have one body, one sole means of functioning, and people are too lazy to take care of themselves. Fit bodies lead to better health, confidence and more success with romantic endeavors. I’d say those are 3 very good reasons to get in shape.