Wassup?

A lot of water under the bridge is what is up at qanda.

Since last post we have had 3 more sites going live.

www.impresario.co.in

www.cbmpl.com

www.sakthischools.org

qandans are proud of the last one coz this was something we did for a good cause. Sakthi Schools has been a part of my life since Chennai days. It has a bunch of the most dedicated people I have seen who want to spread montessori to the masses. Chk out this site. If it moves you as it did me and other qandans, then give generously.

Btw, the other 2 site owners are also pretty thrilled. Who would not be if business came seeking them via the site within the 1st one month of revamp. Viva la web!

There are also quite a lot of pitches that we have been doing. More on them when they translate to business.

If you like these sites do comment. If you do not, I insist you comment and tell us what you think.

Stay well...

 

Jam! Fly loose! Structure later!

She hung over my cabin with a tired look. "Oh-o" I told my self. Here's someone who was about to tell me the story of her life.

"What's it like for you... you know to have been in mainline advertising and then drifted on to online? You miss the fun don't you?"

So this was ostensibly about me? No way! I wasn't about to kid my self into thinking this mid-evening dig into my career moves were the real thing on her mind. And sure enough it wasn't.

She'd been in advertising herself and then drifted on like yours truly into online advertising where both of us found the soul missing. Perhaps that's a little bit of a stretch, but hey, something essential was surely missing. There wasn't enough of the raw energy that so characterizes an off-line agency atmosphere.

The briefing sessions that are even more fun than jam sessions. The fly-loose-structure-later attitude that unfailingly gives birth to some brilliant pieces of result-oriented communication. The self-imposed, addictive, late night work sessions. The sheer love of the job.

Ha! Yes! That is what she was coming to. The sheer love for the job, come what may. Floods didn't stop us from getting to work. Neither did Neanderthal bosses and everything else hellish. The creative adrenalin. The love for the job, the job of creation where we felt like God himself, of flying loose and structuring later... that was what brought us to work in sleet, rain or snow. (So ok, we don't have sleet or snow, but you get the drift don't you?)

Why are most online places so bereft of passion, spirit and job-love?

Wind back.

Because briefing sessions aren't fun. Because the fly-loose-structure-later attitude that unfailingly gives birth to some brilliant pieces of result-oriented communication isn't encouraged AT ALL. Because the-client-is-always-right attitude kills creativity and ultimately spawns a me-too business of run down, run-of-the mill work. Because adherence to impossible, client-pleasing deadlines only deliver a half-cooked product. Because... because... because...

Or so we concluded before my tired colleague tore herself off my low cabin wall and took her weary self back to her's. Was there a point in all that mid-evening postmortem? You tell me.

Balls, Bats and Bath Towels

Last night saw a few of us friends having dinner at the new Bat and Ball Inn, cricket themed home stay place, at Kochi. We were hampered by the incessant rain and the lack of parking facilities. But once inside, we started enjoying ourselves. Good ambience, great food (with an  occasional bad dipping sauce and a fiery dish thrown in). The chef was very welcoming, took our comments (both good and bad) with equal ease and made my fiery dish manageable in a jiffy.

The suites were tasteful (so I am told I did not venture in), the shopping adequate if slightly pricey and the overall experience one good enough to blog about.  But hold on a mo' whither the bath towels?!!  The answer is simple. The key takeaway if you will, from this experience was a set of very good, utterly usable bath towels which the wife discovered at the Village Shop at Bat and Ball. They are so good that we plan to go back for more. 

But hold on again This is not a foodie blog or a shoppers blog so why waste precious KB's on this topic? I realized one simple truth from this entire episode - expect the unexpected at all times and at all places. I mean who would have thought cricket and bath towels would be mentioned in the same breath. 

So the unexpected (both good and bad) can happen to any of us at any time and at any place. Motto - always be prepared. Hmmm... the scouts have been harping this for decades now and it took mundane bath towels for me to finally get it! Unexpected huh?

Another thing about last night. I am reading this really good book called 'Made to Stick'. The authors mention 'unexpectedness' as something that makes an idea 'stick'. Well I endorse the view - an unexpected bath towel has made Bat and Ball stick in my head forever now.

Till the next over (sic!), stay well...

Entrepreneurial woes and a dunce like feeling!

Woe 1: There are never enough people when you need them

Woe 2: Those that are available for hire, are not good enough

Woe 3: Those that are there and are good enough, do not join a start up

Woe 4: Why do I have to fetch my own coffee, lock up after work and generally be everything to everybody?

Woe 5: Why do I only have 4 woes after this much soul searching?

Really Why??!!

In reverse order of woes, entrepreneurship is tough. But boy, is it satisfying!!

A sense of freedom and ownership like never before pervades the mind. Hence only 4 woes! At least this far.

But dwelling a bit on 1, 2 and 3. I had always heard and read about prospective employees who take an offer from you and then bargain with others. Never had it happen to me till last week. Let me tell you it is tough.

There is a sense of being let down, being taken for a ride and a general feeling of being the dunce. But let me ask this - who is the bigger dunce? Us for whom life goes on and we find a replacement (a better one) in just 4 days. Or the person who left us in the lurch for whom none of us will have a good word, ever.

We all have a rep to protect. Is it worth sacrificing over a few thousands? I do not think so at all.

I formly believe that a company is only as good as it's last job delivered and a person as good as his/her last word/promise kept. If either be bad, it ain't gonna be happenin' for too long.

Ce la vie'

Till I have more, stay well...

We are live!!

The first project from Qanda went live over the weekend. We did a site for a wedding management solutions company. Chk it out at www.parinaya.in.

There are sill some issues of speed and server being sorted out with the hosting vendor, but those are just a matter of time.

What is more important is that we have seen something through successfully. The team has pulled together and delivered. We are finally 'A Team'.

But not to rest on this, we are striving to go ahead and complete more interesting and exciting projects. Will post on the trials, tribulations and triumphs of each as and when.

Till next time stay well...

Starting up and starting off....

Both these starts are fraught with ups and downs and here we are attempting to do both at the same time! But I guess that will be the philosophy of this great start up we call Qanda Consulting.

And oh yes, it is Qanda without the traditional 'u' after the 'q'. Here we are back at company philosophy. Qanda will at all times, try to break away from tradition. Not in a bad way mind you, but in a positive, new, emerging force kind of way.

What are we going to be all about? First and foremost we are going to be about happening people (whom we shall call qandans). Why people? Well purely coz, hot and happening colleagues I believe, will deliver hot and happening online consultancy, web designs, web analytics, SEO, online advertising and online marketing efforts to our clients. And the last part of that last sentence describes in a nutshell what we propose to do.

In short Consult, Create and Market on the online space.

As with all start ups, the question foremost in our minds is - will we succeed? I am sure we will. But the proof of that lies in the eating.

Well world at large; fire away at us all your 'Q'uestions About using the internet 'And' we have will have all the 'A'nswers. It is after all a question of answers!

Nuff said. More later.

Stay well...