Tag: Business
-
Book: New Product Development – A FMCG Perspective
As a consumer, every week, we discover new products. At Microsoft and RapL, I had worked with companies specializing in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). At Starbucks, I observed closely the efforts from across the company to create and release new products. There is intense art and science involved in creating, launching, succeeding, and learning…
-
Write better with Elements of Style
About twenty years back, I was a member of the Toastmasters club. The club helped me to learn more about public speaking. One of the topics I spoke about was about communicating ideas. Yes, in a workshop meeting on communication, we spoke about how to communicate. When I looked at the discussion note, two things…
-
A new era for Software on the PC?
Today’s announcement from Microsoft was BIG – billion units big. A massive internal reorganization of (Software) Engineering Organizations inside Microsoft results in big rethinking of the placement of Windows Engineering. See New York Times Tech News Coverage talking about the shift to fuel Cloud and Productivity missions. I have personal experiences of being a massive user…
-
Pulse of Cloud Computing and SaaS Businesses
Over the past decade there is a high volume of discussion about Software-as-a-Business (SaaS) business model. It is amazing to see how many software parts and software driven experiences (Ex: Netflix, gmail) are purchased online. There are novel products that are only cloud native now unlike in the past. About fifteen years back, I was…
-
Annual Revenue for select companies
Yesterday night I was reading about the upcoming earnings season. There was talk about how the stocks of some companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook that have soared in the current year. I got curious to understand how the revenues had grown in these companies. The chart illustrates quickly the trajectory of revenue for these…
-
“Netflix On Us” offer from T-Mobile
Two weeks back I heard about the “Netflix On Us” offer from T-Mobile. Being a T-Mobile ONE customer with multiple lines, this is an attractive offer for us. Plus we are already a Netflix customer paying monthly fees. I had concerns about how this offer will be to sign up and get started. Today I…
-
Wheel of Retailing and path for Fortune
Last week I read this business case about Amazon vs. Walmart and the Wheel of Retailing. Over the past two centuries of retailing there have bene several repeat instances where a new comer grabs mindshare and marketshare through discounted offerings and differentiated experiences. Soon this incumbent grows up and wants to get revenue share and…
-
Cash – less in the future?
In my work on eCommerce, several times I had dreamed up having cashless transactions enabled at lower costs. The dream is coming alive. I am excited to read about the cashless systems in China – NYTimes: … cash is rapidly becoming obsolete. In India, applications like Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), PayTM, etc., are set…
-
Venturing into capital?
Recently one of my relative expressed interest to be in investment banking or venture capital. I was impressed that in his early 20s she has conviction to enter the world of venturing. I was also intrigued if she had sufficient understanding the job. She claimed that she had done well in math, accounting, and business, during the college years.…
-
Startup Decks and selling Stories – lessons from Zuora
Every startup faces the problem of explaining themselves to the investors and customers alike. Startups live at the edge of uncertainty exploring new ideas and have to thoughtfully present their case. Recently I came across the pitch deck from Zuora – Subscription SaaS company. See the deck here and a good commentary about this deck is here. Nearly…