A lesson learned from Bhagvad Gita

I was thinking that if Lord Krishna had the supreme power then why he asked Arjuna to fight the battle. He alone could have ended the whole of Mahabharata in the desired manner. The question is why?
I have attempted to bring you the facts and reasons that might be of some help?

• This was a clear message that one who has born on this planet will have to abide by the physical laws.
• Note it down that one will have to perform action to get something. No matter how much you pray. You cannot cross the boundary of “Karma”.

If karma is so significant then why to indulge in “Dharma” ?

• It’s for feeling good and for getting love/help/support of Almighty.
• If you consider Dharma and Karma to be different entities then you must know that one is subset of other. Its your Dharma (very significant duty) to do good Karma (actions and deeds).
• To prepare for next world, this world and every world.

Why Both?
A sinner might get success by his karma but will fall for sure as he does not gets support of God. We all know that Lord Krishna was in side of Pandavas  not the Kauravas.

The moral is that you will have to put your best efforts for getting success in life. Prayers alone will not be of any help.

BlackBerry eyes software business, may abandon hardware

TORONTO: Those few BlackBerry lovers left could be in for some bad news.

The device that was so addictive that it was dubbed the "CrackBerry" might not have much of a future: Its new chairman and interim chief executive says he wants to emphasize software and services - not devices. That could mean the company might ultimately get out of the business of selling smartphones.

The possible change in strategy comes as Fairfax Financial, BlackBerry's largest shareholder with a 10% stake, said Monday it won't buy the struggling smartphone company and take it private. It said that instead Fairfax and other investors will inject $1 billion as part of a revised investment proposal.

CEO Thorsten Heins is stepping down and John Chen was appointed chairman of BlackBerry's board of directors and interim CEO. Chen, the former CEO of software data company Sybase, said that BlackBerry employees need to start thinking differently about the company and accept that "we're really not in phones but we're in phones for software, for services.''

Chen said he wants to find a CEO with a strong software and services background.

He noted that BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry's popular messaging application, has been downloaded by more 20 million users since it became available on Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms last month. BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, works like text messaging but doesn't incur extra fees.

"I'd like to find somebody to help me monetize that," Chen said.

Colin Gillis, an industry analyst at BGC Financial, questioned whether that's possible.

"It's like Apple saying we're going to stop making phones and we're going to become an iMessage company," Gillis said.

Gillis said BlackBerry might indeed stop selling phones but noted BlackBerry is already obsolete. He doesn't think current BlackBerry users have to worry though.

"They are not just going to shut the lights off," Gillis said.

The decline of the BlackBerry has come shockingly fast. In 1999, BlackBerry became a game-changing breakthrough in personal connectedness. It changed the culture by allowing on-the-go business people to access wireless email. President Barack Obama couldn't bear to part with his BlackBerry. Oprah Winfrey declared it one of her "favorite things.''

Then came a new generation of competing smartphones, and suddenly the BlackBerry looked ancient. Apple debuted the iPhone in 2007 and showed that phones can handle much more than email and phone calls. In the years since, BlackBerry been hammered by competition from the iPhone as well as Android-based rivals.

This year's much-delayed launch of the BlackBerry 10 system and the fancier devices that use it was supposed to rejuvenate the brand and lure customers. It did not work. Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry recently announced 4,500 layoffs, or 40% of its global workforce, and reported a quarterly loss of nearly $1 billion.

"Sadly I think they are already out of the business after the BlackBerry 10 flop," said Mike Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity.

Walkley said he believes BlackBerry will focus on its mobile device management business, which allows IT departments to manage different devices connected to their corporate networks.

Crafting a Winning Plan

Shaping creative ideas into a practical format is important for entrepreneurs launching new ventures. A good business plan goes a long way in attracting attention of investors, write Harsimran Julka and Radhika P Nair

What is a
Business Plan?
Startups are born from ideas, but it is the business plan that provides form and structure to them. The document, which entrepreneurs share with potential investors, spells out the methods an entrepreneur will employ to grow a new business. Often a mixture of art and science, a business plan usually contains a definition of the product or service on offer, details of current and future earnings, team profile as well as snapshots of competitors and investors. While a fledgling venture can have a one page executive summary, mature companies can have business plans that run into a dozen pages. Although it is not legally binding, a good plan, like a good CV, can mean the difference between success and failure.
What it
must contain
Introduction: Spells out the idea of the company, how it began and the way it expects to grow Team: The composition of the management, the board, advisors and mentors Opportunity: The specific problem that the startup aims to solve, the size of the market, and the expected growth Solution: Details of the method that the startup will employ to reach stated goals Competition: An evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the startup, its existing competitors and the investors behind them Business Model: The way in which the company will earn revenue and profits Expectations: The money required from an investor at a specific value, and non-monetary support such as mentoring and operational inputs
Don’ts
What shouldn’t be there in a B-plan
Too much detail too early Typically startups don’t have all the information that can constitute a proper plan, so keep it crisp. Some accelerators expect only a one page note with 10 points for early-stage companies
Exaggerate the opportunity Hype may downgrade your startup in the eyes of investors. Such plans, even when presented to multiple investors, do not draw a response
Set over-ambitious goals
Entrepreneurs have a tendency to make their projections too optimistic. Do not put long-term milestones—18-month to two-year projections are enough
Ignore competition
It is vital to be aware of current and potential competitors. List all possible rivals and show how you are better or different
Formatting Errors
Business plans must not be too detailed and unwieldy. Do not make errors—in spelling, grammar or in calculations. Jargon and acronyms should be avoided
TIP
Bharati Jacob Partner, Seedfund
“It helps an entrepreneur understand the assumptions he makes when starting out and communicate them to investors. These projections should be grounded in reality and also be logical.”
Brij Bhasin, Partner, GSF
“Startups don’t have all the information that can constitute a proper plan. Pricing and revenues are farfetched if the product is still under development.” Dos
What should be there in a B-plan
Define Customer Need Investors may be unfamiliar with the market a startup is focusing on, so explain assumptions. Try to use pictorial representations and diagrams
Highlight Team Strengths
Communicate how many people you need and state how much they will cost
Correlate spending with earning
In the finance plan, add milestones and projections for a maximum of two years. Founders may make the mistake of projecting revenue of 100 crore when the market is only 200 crore
Provide clarity
If you need $10 million, say why, how you will spend it and what returns an investor can expect
Pay attention to details
Presentation matters, especially in contests where a team gets only 5-7 minutes to present a plan. Some perform a skit, others begin with startling statistics or show an interesting video Cool Formats for biz planS
MIND MAP
The plan is pictorially shown with branches leading out of a single idea. They depict various categories - customer, market and financial data
MOBILE APP
A plan embedded within a digital app allows viewers to click on topics that they want to explore
COMIC STRIP
Cartoons with thought bubbles can replace ‘boring’ text in power point presentations
ANIMATION MOVIE
Similar to a play, an animated video can simulate the various aspects of a business
DRAMA/SKIT
The founders act out the concept of their business in the form of a play, showing the problem they are trying to solve and the beneficiaries
TIP
Kanwaljit Singh Senior MD, Helion Venture Partners
“A lot of founders do not talk about their expertise and capabilities of team members, that is what we are looking at in a business plan.”
Why I don’t like B-Plans for early stage
Pankaj Jain, venture partner, 500Startups “Early-stage startups shouldn’t even bother with a business plan. A one-page executive summary is usually good enough to think things through, pen down your thoughts, and articulate them. Use the time you would spend writing a business plan to write code and do marketing.” Annual Biz Plan Contests in India
QPrize
Qualcomm Ventures selects regional winners who get $10,000 and compete for the global prize that offers $150,000. Timeline: In 2013, the contest was held in March
Compiled by Megha Reddy
Next Big Idea
Sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, Intel and the incubation centre at IIM Bangalore. Participants can win up to `1.5 lakh, raise seed capital and receive mentoring Timeline: In 2013, the contest was conducted in May Eureka
Prize money of up to 45 lakh and is conducted by the entrepreneurship cell at IIT Bombay Timeline: Applications to be sent in by October 3, 2013
Empresario
Conducted by entrepreneurship cell at IIT Kharagpur; offers incubation and capital of up to 2.5 crore Timeline: Applications to be sent in by October 30, 2013
Conquest
Conducted by Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani; offers cash and technical support worth over 2 cr
Timeline: In 2013, conducted in May
TIP
Saurabh Kochchar Founder, PrintVenue
“Remember you are making an investor believe in a dream, and part with his precious money. Entrepreneurs make a mistake of giving gyan on the market.”
Some Online
RESOURCES www.Bplanexperts.com Helps entrepreneurs draft plans in a board game format
www.score.org Conducts online workshops and provides mentoring
www.bplans.com Offers mentoring, advice and design inputs
www.business.govt.nz Gives advice on regulatory framework and templates
www.business.gov.au Provides information on government grants and free formats
TIP
Arnab Ray, CEO, BPlanExperts
“Most plans suffer from entrepreneur’s myopia — a feeling that makes a plan completely biased.”

World's 6th largest number of billionaires in India

LONDON: Indian billionaires, the sixth largest group in the rich world, have thrown up an interesting trend found nowhere else in the world — holding on to one's roots. Despite popular notions of billionaires being jet-setting, cosmopolitan individuals, most Indian billionaires remain where they were raised.

The World Billionaire Census 2013 released on Wednesday shows that 95% of Indian billionaires who currently have their primary business in India, also grew up there. The trend globally is very different. Around 23% or just 1 in 4 billionaires globally made their home city the city of their primary business. Only 39% of all billionaires globally have the same home state as the state of their primary business

Billionaire hotspots such as Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong have emerged as favoured destinations for the ultra-rich. However, only 36, 34, and 25% of their billionaire populations respectively, grew up in these countries.

Another significant finding is that not all these Indian billionaires have college degrees, let alone attending Ivy League for a degree in business management. Three of every 10 billionaires in India don't even have a college degree.

5.5% dip in India's billionaire population

India's billionaire contingent (103-strong) is narrowly behind Russia (108). However India's billionaire population has decreased by 5.5% and the total billionaire wealth has fallen by $10 billion since last year.

Mumbai is among the top 5 billionaire cities in the world and the only Indian entry in the top 10 list and New York remains the business city of choice for the world's billionaires. Asia takes eight out of the top 20 spots for billionaire cities, the most for any region in the world. Moscow accounts for more than two thirds of Russia's billionaires. The total number of billionaires who are based in the top 20 cities is 661, representing 30% of the world's billionaires.

India is one of the few countries where finance, banking and investments are not the most significant industries. Instead, industrial conglomerates and pharmaceuticals are the first and second most significant industries for Indian billionaires.

Only 3% of Indian billionaires are female, the joint lowest of any focus country.

The majority of Indian billionaires are college-educated with 72% possessing at least a bachelor's degree (Switzerland and the US are the only other two focus countries that have a higher proportion of university-educated billionaires).

The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013 showed that Asia is where the largest number of newly-minted billionaires is based — since July 2012, 18 new billionaires came up in Asia with a total wealth of $136 billion. Asia was followed by North America (11).

Five of the top 10 countries with the highest percentage of self-made billionaires are from Asia. Every region increased in wealth terms, with Asia the fastest growing at 12.9%.

The global billionaire population reached a record 2,170 individuals in 2013 and total billionaire wealth in Asia surged nearly 13% making it the fastest-growing region.

At current growth rates, the census, the first-ever comprehensive global study on this ultra-wealth tier, forecasts that Asia will catch up with North America in five years.

Asia also saw the highest percentage rise in billionaire population (3.7% from 2012) and total wealth (13%) in 2013, suggesting that it is driving the tectonic shifts in wealth globally. The report also shows that 810 individuals became billionaires since the 2009 global financial crisis. The billionaire population's combined net worth more than doubled from $3.1 trillion in 2009 to $6.5 trillion in 2013 — enough to fund the United States's budget deficit until 2024, and greater than the GDP of every country except the US and China.

Wealth-X forecasts that the global billionaire population will increase by 1,700 individuals to nearly 3,900 by the year 2020.

Europe is home to the most billionaires (766 individuals). However, North America has the most billionaire wealth ($2,158 billion).

Around 60% of billionaires are self-made, while 40% inherited their wealth or grew their fortunes from inheritance. Only 17% of female billionaires are self-made, while 71% gained their fortunes through inheritance.  

An Amazing Story

 

 

An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the
next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was
introduced and stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know.”
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.
You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.
If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s
never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

 

 

With Regards,

    K.R.