Inroads into rural markets

For them its just a market, but they sure will revolutionize the access to villages. Mobile networks are creating inroads into areas where even electricity hasn't reached, which opens u a whole new market for vendors to sell goods to the rural population.

Two things can change the way goods are bought and sold. One, an excellent network and two, a good delivery sevice (like a post office).

Post offices need to leverage their amazing delivery network and need to tie up with vendors to create amazing employment and other opputunities for everyone in rural areas.

Mobile based ordering system and courier (or post office) based delivery system looks like a killer combo.

Soon Rural kiosks will be coming up in a lot of states. They wil have simple interfaces and allow people to buy things easily, online.

The possibilities in terms of education like shown in the IDEA ad are also immense.
What ever be the speed of the internet in villages, if the amount of browsing s limited to few specific task, then local storages can help a lot.

All that is need is each one of us, pick up atleast our own village and try to help it grow.

Lessons in understanding people

- Every one wants rewards, if he works hard .... give it

- No politics dude ... its more often than not explicitly evident ...

- Never judge a person by the company he keeps, and actually try not to hard judge a person at all ....

- Give people chances and once you do so ... believe in them ... give them confidence ... everyone has potential, the need is to find the key to unlocking it!!

Mass Collaboration

Wikinomics explores how some companies in the early 21st century have used mass collaboration (also called peer production) and open-source technology such as wikis to be successful.

Mass collaboration is the key word here. A large number of people coming together to share and create, each one doing his bit, to add to the creation of the final product.
This is what web 2.0 is about, the users being active part of content creation. The consumer is the producer.There is no central athourity, just a set of guiding rules, and beyond them is the magic of the crowds.

What does collaboration require?
A basic idea (a goal) to work on.
A protocol for interaction. (a set of rules to guide the individuals)
Means to share information and thoughts (the tools)

Once these things are in place, the crowds can work magic.

The output at each level of interaction should become the input for the next level of interaction, in order to create generations of ever evolving interactions.

Where enterpreneurs fail

Looking and thinking ahead and loosing sight of the present is a common trend among a lot of enterpreneurs wherein lies the recipe for disaster.

Rock Stars

Every company has its set of Rock Stars that make things happen there. These are the key people who can handle tough projects, show immense grit and dedication in the most testing of conditions, have the ability to motivate others and above all are excellent in delivering what is expected of them and more, at times singlehandedly.

Their best attribute is their ability to take initiative and belief in their abilty to deliver ... They can be called upon whenever there is a crisis.

Rock Stars, the pillar on which the company bases itself, the people who move the companies forward.

Merger problems

IMHO, the most important problem with mergers is that the most talented people might leave the company being bought, eroding its actual worth right after the takeover. I think its important in mergers that the two companies do not immediately try to impose their identities on each but rather let it be a gradual process.

Consider that some people might have been working in a company for a long time and would be extreeely passionate about the identiy of their company, which would tto a great extent be entwined into their own identity.

To take away that whole identity in a single shot can be blow to anybody's self esteem. Hence the buying company needs to be very care in the way it handles the merger. I would think that keeping the identity of the other company as a subidentity of the parent company still helps in lessening the impact.

BRIC

BRICs, the Goldman coined term for the 4 emerging economies that are going to have a huge impact on world economics. Currently they together account for 15% of the world's GDP.

Jim'o' Nile of GS mentions in his interview at http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/brics/index.html, there is a need for the global policy making organizations to give a greater role to these countries and not doing so can render a lot of policies useless.