Thinking out loud

Something on my mind, Day to day ramblings and much more…

Life’s Milestones

Posted by Sanj Sukerkar on September 2, 2012
Posted in: Thinking out loud.

As I drove back from the shopping mall with my little one in her car seat, I suddenly realized I was ‘that guy.’

Rewind, twenty years. Two decades ago, I was at Northern Michigan University. I used todrive a Honda coupe. I loved that car. It was fast, it was reasonably comfortable and above all it had enough room for a single guy’s basic necessities – frozen pizza and six pack of beer! And then there was enough room for one in the car. A drinking buddy on the weekend or a date. Usually a drinking buddy! The backseat was for someone who didn’t call shotgun. It was in use for when you ‘car-pooled’ to the nearest pub. In my case, to Shamrock in downtown Marquette.

If I drove, I was the designated driver. I was certain that if I was driving back, it was me. I loved my car too much to trust a less-drunk driver to be the designated driver. And above all, I always hated driving to four corners of the city to drop every one when you are tried and beat from the dance floor all night. Continue Reading

Don’t marry for love alone

Posted by Sanj Sukerkar on July 21, 2012
Posted in: Thinking out loud. Tagged: , , , .

Is love over-rated?

Lately I have been hearing a lot about marriages falling apart. Then I remember sitting down with the couples when they first met. The twinkle in their eye, the holding of hands and the romance that enveloped them, would make anyone believe they were made for each other. Then you fast forward that relationship half a decade or a decade, and guess what? They are in two different places, they are two different people. Their priorities are different and more so than ever, they are nowhere close to being in love with each other.

I am not a relationship doctor nor an expert but certainly a curious onlooker. So I spent a long time online, Wikipedia was a start and then came several other websites. And guess what? They all said that love gets the relationship started but there are other variables that make it sustainable. Continue Reading

Car Shopping Explored

Posted by Sanj Sukerkar on June 10, 2012
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HondaHabits of car buyers vary. Some research a car for months, whereas others make it an impulse buy. When I purchased my recent Camry Hybrid, it was a mix of both. I started wondering on the purchase process,whatisthenorm,how many people actually test drive all the cars on their wish list, etc. How many even have a wish list.

As I got to understand the process better, here are a few commonalities that I noticed -

Brand of the car and a Personal Bias -

Most buyers have a personal bias. This bias may be cultural. Without stereotyping, I can say that Asians are a big fan of Toyotas and Hondas. Then there are the personal bias meaning, it’s not uncommon to find Camaro owners so enamored by the brand that they tend to own Camaros only. Then there are Escalade or Cadillac owners in general that like Cadillac only. I must say that speaks volumes about the brand once you have a lifelong following. In fact I know a close friend of mine who will own nothing but Nissan. Then there are the patriotic few who will always buy ‘American’. Then again, aren’t all cars ‘American-made’ except for a few parts made elsewhere.

I personally have changed camps. I have always been a Honda fan and this was my first Toyota buy when it comes to a new car purchase. This change was lack of Hybrid option in Honda’s sedan category. The Hybrid Civics were too small for my taste.

Price -

In today’s recession-happy market, cost of the car is paramount. It is not common to see new car buyers purchase cars strictly by price meaning they are looking for best car they can buy for under $15K or $25K. The carmakers have taken to this trend and priced their cars in a base + packages format. You can get a car for $22K and easily add upto $10K more in options everything from leather, moon roof, alloy wheels and a navigation package. Then based on the package-happy nature of the manufacturer, you also have the techie packages which further allows you to be electronics-happy in your car. A recent Acura, I saw was almost 22nd century car with complete bluetooth support, a navigation system that automatically routes you via the least traffic route, touch screen dash and a rear view camera that allowed you a close-up view of what is not covered in the rear view mirror.

Features -

There was once a time when power windows and leather seats was reserved for high end automobiles. In the early 90s, if you were a university student, you would drive a bare bones entry level car and then dream about having a Lexus or Mercedes which would have the ultimate luxuries.

In today’s cars, you see power seats and power windows standard. Leather in some brands is a premium upgrade but most cars are moving in standardizing that option. The new trend I notice these days is the keyless ignition. It has a proximity sensor meaning the key can be in your trouser or jacket pockets, once you step foot in the car, the car recognizes the key, then you press the brake and start key and voila,the car is running as if you have turned it on with your car key.

I often wonder, as small cars slowly adopt such pleasures which were until a decade ago considered premium, what will the premium luxury cars do. To this date, Ford Fusion will allow you to auto-park your car. A car which costs less than $25k giving you such an option, would you’ve seen it coming?

Having said this, all car makers face a paramount challenge. To please the car buyer with a good-value-for money proposition yet keeping the car design sleek and eye-catching. It is this strategy which has brought value carmakers such as Kia and Hyundai to the forefront of the car manufacturing line. How can a lean Kia deliver such a punchy value for money when it makes such task impossible for Ford and GM?

The future of automobiles excites me. I cannot wait what my six month daughter will eventually drive when she is college. Eventually, will all cars look like Tom Cruise drive in Minority Report? Only time will tell.

How to use Social Media…

Posted by Sanj Sukerkar on April 14, 2012
Posted in: Thinking out loud. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Lately every business owner has been struggling with the social media explosion. Just when you have found time to engage with Facebook, soon Twitter and LinkedIn demand a good chunk of your time.

Inordertobebetterorganized, I tried all the off the shelf products. As much as the world is fascinated by Hoot Suite, I find a lesser-known product MarketMeSuite a lot more useful. As a new user, initially it appears a bit of challenge but once you have mastered the different options, it is a time saver!

Stacking articles on Facebook and Twitter which seemed to be a manipulative practice for me, is a widely practiced strategy. That said; do watch out for stale content. If you serve valuable and updated content, you are looked as an expert. If you serve stale and useless content, you risk thechanceofbeingunfriendedorunfollowed.

Myoutlookis fairly straightforward. I use LinkedIn for the larger broad spectrum posts and articles. i.e. I.T Industry. Then in Twitter, I will tweet about regular market updates, etc and in Facebook I will post articles which make business owners more productive in their day to day schedule.

That said, if you are tweeting about Facebook buying Instagram a week after it has happened, you are most likely offering stale content.

So when and how often should you share or post?

Here is a universally accepted norm -

Twitter – You can share anything and as often as you want. Tweeting four times an hour is not frowned upon, however if it’s a personal account and you tweet about your day to day chores, it’s okay. If it is a business account andyou tweet about four times an hour, beware. If you are someone tremendously successful like @mashable, sure go ahead and tweet four times an hour. We look forward to those tweets.

Facebook - I am told that twice a day, posting on Facebook is normal. I disagree. Although posting on social media is not as invasive as junk mails, it still creates a bit of a nuisance. I suggest on business pages of Facebook post once daily. It should be credible worthwhile post. If you have a personal Facebook account, there are no rules.

LinkedIn – I prefer to post or update once a day or sometimes once every other day. My LinkedIn contacts are serious business owners. It’s a professional network. I will not post baby stories or a wonderful sale I found at GAP. That content is reserved for Twitter or Facebook. On LinkedIn, articles I find on being an industry leader and/or how to be a better business networker, etc. will find a suitable audience.

Google+ – Google Plus recently changed the look of their site. I like it. Although most say that it is becoming more like Facebook looking, the user experience experts suggest that it will be different. Google+’s content tends to be somewhat like Facebook. Although the Google Business Pages are fairly new, the same rules as FB apply.

Then again, when it’s a business app, you share with prejudice. When it’s a personal platform, needless to say, you can be personal!

That said, enjoy. Do not discount the effectiveness of in-person personal touch. Online Social Networking is great but offline networking events do seem to forge stronger ties.

Must Read :: If you are telecommuting or have a home office

Posted by Sanj Sukerkar on March 23, 2012
Posted in: Thinking out loud. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

For self employed and telecommuting friends of mine, working from home has always been a challenge. To do so without compromising productivity is not only difficult but almost impossible. Likewise, ifyouarethinkingofstarting your own business, take note.

Working from home for amateurs and new self employed individuals poses several challenges. A true test of discipline is raising the bar on productivity. It is not uncommon for a newbie to start of the day with high aspirations and see the afternoon commence with a series of distractions. If you let these distractions get the better of you, your work day is done. Soon you will realize that at the end of the day, you got only two out of a dozen things taken care of on the list. Speaking from experience, I would take a short break from work, go downstairs to make some coffee, then while the coffee was percolating, turn on the TV. Thereafter, I would find something interesting on TV and park my derriere for a whole half hour instead of a quick coffee break.

So here are my tips -

1. Establish your Work Space – I found moving from a open den to a closed bedroom helped a lot. I would tell myself at 9 a.m., when I am in this bedroom and I shut the door behind me, I am at work. No music, no leaving the bedroom ( I mean office) for any other reason except using the washroom or perhaps a quick disciplined coffee break.

2. Set Office Hours – Set yourhours.It’seasytosayyouareworking from home and then do other chores during the day. Stop it! When you have committed to 9 a.m to 4 p.m., make sure you consider yourself at work. No intermingling of personal chores and work hours.

3. Minimize distractions – No doing laundry, no answering personal phone calls, no personal emails, no Facebook and absolutely no socializing during office hours. Make it clear to your friends and neighbors that you are work and that you will not be able to accommodate a visit unless you were in Michigan and they were visiting you from London for a day after 10 years! Okay there can be some exceptions. Similarly, if your family is around during the day, make sure they know that when you are in that office, you are not to be disturbed for silly things.

4. Plan your day – An old friend and a broker friend of mine once told me this trick. It has served well for years. When you start your day, before you turn on your computer and make any calls, grab a piece of paper or pad and make a laundry list of milestones you wish to hit that day. Say if there are two absolutely imperative phone calls and followup emails you have to make that day, jot them down. Next, fire up your computer, check your voice mails and emails and respond to the most pressing of calls and emails. Then revert back to your paper pad and start tackling all the items on the list. Once those items arecovered,strikethemoffthelistandeverythingelseyouaccomplishisgravy.

5.Usetherightbusinesstools - Working from home is no excuse to not have a proper office setup. I have visited a few friends and clients and seen their home offices and I must say, many have elaborate setups. A nice office suite with a comfortable office chair and desk will pay itself off in no time. If anything you will save yourself a lot of neck fatigue and pain resulting from poor body posture. Yup, we are taking ergonomics.

6. Use the right technology - Hand in hand with the above item, I strongly advocate having an all-in-one printer that’s easy on running costs, a cell phone that is as smart as you, a desktop computer that is business grade, and a comfortable phone set. I cannot reiterate how valuable a good office phone is. Especially, if you are in the business of being on the phone a lot.

7. Choose your partners - Last but not the least, when working from home, you feel alone. No, you don’t have to take over the world by yourself. Feel free to seek assistants to do mundane office chores. Paying an assistant $14 per hour when you could be making $70 per hour makes perfect business sense! Hire someone who you can fall back on when you are swamped and lives near by or perhaps works from his/her home office.

8. Planning meetings - Often times, I have found two days of the week assigned on my calendar for meetings.Anearcoffeeshopwithaquietcozy corner can be a good spot for meetings. If you are comfortable with your living room as a meeting space, you can always do so without invading the privacy of your family. Alternately, you can always insist meeting at the client’s office which most clients appreciate anyways.

9. Seek right advice - Working from home is no excuse for sloppy business habits. Ensure that your receipts, expenses and books are well taken care of. Using a good book-keeper, accountant, business lawyer and business coaches can make you a better business person. Indeed you are are paying for their expertise and consultancy.

10. Putting it all together - You may not take over Rome in a day but implementing these habits one at a time will make you a better disciplined person. Practicing a certain routine everyday can ensure high productivity. Know that your office portion of the house is tax deductible, the business toys in that room are a write off and so is your car mileage when you visit the clients.

Lastly, when you are working from home, it is easy to lose yourself to work. Remember you are working to make a living, not living to work. Your family is just as important and spending time with them is just as important. When at work, focus on work, when off work, turn off your cell phone and spend time with your family. Be the best you can, I wish you the very best!