Saturday, 19 July 2014

Leverage

There are only three legal ways to become wealthy.

Number one is if you are born rich.
Number two is if you have some unique talent and
Number three is to increase your time by means of leverage, which is what, all the big business owners do.

Imagine that you are in the business of writing articles for magazines and that you could make $100 for every article you write. If you were to write 2 articles per day, you would earn a gross income of $200 a day before expenses. This is an example of a linear income where you use 100% of your own efforts to create an income. This is what the majority of people do their entire lives.

Now imagine that you owned a article writing referral business where instead of writing articles yourself, you spend your time finding magazines that need articles and employ writers to do the physical work. Let's say you have got to the point where your business now employs 20 writers that each writes 2 articles per day. You pay each writer $80 per article, but you charge $100, such that you make a profit of $20 per article. 20 writers writing 2 articles each means that you are now writing a total of 40 articles a day, which is a lot more than what you could have done by yourself. Even though now you are only earning $20 a articles in profit yourself, when you add it up, it makes huge difference. Using the power of leverage you are now earning $800 a day (ie $20 per article x 40 articles per day = $800 per day).

So basically you could spend your days finding magazines and writing articles for them yourself (not that there is anything wrong with this) and get paid $200 a day OR you could earn $8000 per day, just finding magazines that need articles. As a smart businessperson which is the smarter option?

Now be very careful here, to get to the stage where you can start to leverage off others you may have to do the physical work first. That is, it might take you a years of writing articles yourself before you have an adequate customer base before you can start to employ writers to do the work for you. But a smart business person is willing to make short-term sacrifices to make long term gains.

Unfortunately in most traditional businesses, like the example above, the only ones who benefit from the work of others are the business owners, even though it is loyal hard-working employees that do most of the work.

People in Robert Kiyosaki's right quadrant use this amazing concept called as leverage. Have you heard about leverage?

Let me give you another simple example.

How many hours do you have in your day? Isn't it 24 Hours?
How many hours the owner of your company has in his day? Same, 24 Hours?

If you have 1 Lakh employee in your organization, and each of them gives 10 hours per day, the owner has 10 Lakh hours in his day. Now if you work for even 40 year, you would not have those kind of hours in your entire life. True? So one should not be surprised, if he is getting wealthy day by day.

Let's define wealth. Ask yourself a question. How much time can you survive if you stop doing what you are doing today? For most of us the answer would be probably a year, few months or may be few weeks.

We follow a routine of go to work and come back home for 30-40 years, while for these people their money goes to work, creates an asset and starts pumping in steady income for them. So what do they do, they leverage on people's time, skills and sometimes even money.

Now most of these people who are self-made millionaires started with nothing, but then they had a vision and a will to work hard to create a system or a process. These people believe in pipelines or assets. They understand the important of team work or leverage.

Network Marketing is a great way to build an income by leveraging the power of a team. Have you ever heard the saying ‘many hands make light work?’ The most important thing in network marketing is teamwork and teamwork is a direct result of duplication. When you can combine a business model such as network marketing with the power to train your team mates so they can learn to get results fast, you are creating an explosive environment for massive success.

Once you learn how to look for leverage you will see that it’s not a case of working MORE, but a case of using your time wisely, in a way that gives you bigger returns on your efforts. Commit to leveraging your time, energy and effort today and move towards your time and money freedom !!!!


Please feel free to reach me at darshanvartak@gmail.com

Friday, 11 July 2014

Kaaldurg

The feeling of missing treks for last few years was paramount and the trekker in me was not letting me sit quietly. Entire 2013 being in London was dedicated to sightseeing and exploring London and Europe, but there was not a single trek. I did try to look for local youth hostels and whether there is any camping available through them. In fact I had planned for an overnight stay in Hainault forest arranged by Redbridge Council, but it did not materialize. So one of the major activities planned for 2014 was going for treks in Sahyadris. Finally it was June and I saw a Trekking schedule for VAC on Facebook.

20140629_062803I was in Virar a day before and decided to stay there instead of going to Borivali. Starting from Virar gave me an extra sleep of one hour and I was comfortably on platform number three for Dahanu train. Thanks to railways for starting local trains to Dahanu. I purposefully took the skywalk over lake to capture the morning peace and tranquility of the lake. The ducks and swans were at peace and enjoying their slow but elegant movements across the lake.

I met Suhas, our leader for this trek near indicator and soon we were boarded in 6:48 train to Dahanu. It was good to see few old faces like Kuldeep Chaudhari and Siddesh Vartak in the train. Talking about few previous treks like Korigadh and reminiscing the fun we had there, took me back in past and could relive few of those moments.

Suhas said there were 40 registrations on phone and that really surprised me, not because this was little less-known trek, but the heat was still on and the delayed monsoon was a talk of the town. By 7:40 we were at Palghar station and made me really happy to see the typical trekker’s crowd there. People did not really cared about the heat and their passion really made them get up and come here in this scorching heat. That’s the magic of Trekking. Really amazing.

Half of the bus was filled by VAC trekkers and it was emptied as well in next 20-25 minutes as we got down at Vaghoba Phata.The gang of monkeys was ready to pounce on you and we had to be really careful while having our Pattis, a typical VAC snack. I really love those Pattises.

DSC03811The well-disciplined rituals of standing in a circle, counting, introduction and instructions were executed seamlessly. The thunderous chanting of “Praudh Pratap Purandar” , suddenly turned each one of us into a die-hard Maratha soldier on mission, ready to attack the fort and capture it.

The initial patch was the most challenging and I had a feeling that I am getting older. The steep slopes, narrow trails,rising heat and knowing that it is just the starting, there is still long way to go, made me feel abit panicky and knew it’s not going to be easy.But then there was some strange mental strength that kept driving and giving that energy to carry on.

Monsoon might have made climbing tough, as it does not have steps and climbing was steep with sudden turns and lots of bushes, branches blocking your path. But right now there was this heat making us sweat to exhaustion.

As you move on,you start getting highlights of the view that you are going to enjoy at the top. These sneaky peaks giveyou more energy and scope for your photography. So however exhausted you are, the will to go to the top, keeps on rising.

DSC03825My motivation was Kirti, my VJTI mate, being his first trek and not having a lot of trekking background he was doing absolutely great. The will, to beat youngsters and stay ahead at the age of forty one, was one more inspiration for me. The forest although not very dense has a wide variety of plants. The pink colored flowers (Pink Kombada) were prominent. Kaarvi trees had lined up few patched of trail while rest of the trees looked more like Kaaju, Bor and Karavand.

Soon we had covered almost half the distance and a flat rocky patch was quite inviting to break for some time.The view from our midway-break-spot was quite wonderful. Abhijit and gang gave few fantastic and funny poses. Kirti had his own shot at photography, capturing the activity and the surrounding nature at its best. The sun did his best at making us sweat, but we had really beaten him by gathering in such a big number and enjoying the trek at our best. The energy was overpowering and everyone seems to be in that buzz.

DSC03852As we moved on through our second half, panting, sweating, but still capturing the surrounding valley and view of the mountains with Surya river flowing magnificently through them. We saw the fortification of Kaaldurg fort at distance with a flag right on top.
The last patch was too tough and had very less rocky patches to hold on to. Loose rocks, steep slope, no trees to hold on to made this patch little too difficult and we were sure this would be a natural slide for many on their way back :). We thanked for not having a rainy weather, or it would have doubled our trouble.
There was this huge sense of achievement on everyone’s face as we landed onto the flat surface. The ecstatic cries of few of us really revealed that emotion. Reaching to the top took around one and half hour and it is advisable to take very few mini-micro breaks and a longer midway break at a patch where you can relax do some photography as well and get ready for the second half of the trek. Top of the fort is a huge rectangular rock.

DSC03844Both the half have its own challenges. I was wearing a Bermuda but quickly realize that a track-pant would have been better, as there are lot of cactuses and thorny bushes that might prick you at times. Being a less frequented trail, the Kaarvi trees, grass and other bushes are generally overgrown and can cause trouble.

The group was mainly composed of lot of youngsters, but the presence of veterans like Kuldeep, Suhas and Siddesh made sure that the discipline is maintained at all cost. It was made very clear that one can't forget that we are at trek and not on a picnic. So while having lot of fun, leg pulling,commenting, jokes, there were no nasty pranks or disrespect of the environment. Everyone enjoyed sharing the snacks, posing in groups, getting information on spots around, identifying places, that people know of.People staying close by, were proactive to point the spots and adding to our knowledge
20140629_094320

The whistle for lunch blew and the 52 hungry souls, quite pleased after experiencing the cool oxygen-rich breeze at the top reached out to their sacks. The grand feast did not take a lot of time. Tasting the variety of food was an amazing fun and Kirti made sure to give me experience of his authentic Gujarati flavors of homemade food.

The two girls from Kiravali,Priyanka and don't really remember the second girl's name, made sure they don't treat the Sunday as Tuesday and few spicy delicious chicken pieces added great taste. The Shiraa (a Maharashtrian sweet) made by my mother in law and Puranpolis (again a maharashtrian sweet) from a local shop in Virar served as a perfect desert.

After a mouth watering feast, sleeping on one of the huge rock at the corner, looking at the open skies, breathing the cool air and admiring the valleys,mountains, winding Surya river, cute villages and expanses of Arabian sea at distance, Mahim and Kelva beaches, the mind was contented. I was in my Nirvaana state at that moment and nothing else could have replaced that joy for the moment.

DSC03884That’s how life is, you never know what you are looking for and then there are these tiny bundles of joy that embrace you all of a sudden and you feel humbled, the feeling of gratitude is overwhelming and you can't just stops saying thanks to the almighty, for giving this beautiful life and a soul to experience it.

Well the whistle blew again and it was time to bid good bye to this beauty and the scenery. The 52 contented souls were back on their journey,now much homogeneous. Few were new acquaintances, while few probably soul mates, few sticking to their groups, but each enjoying their time here.

As predicted, the descent, was putting lot of pressure on feet and one wrong step and you are sure for a free slide. After all the care, few of the minor injuries were unavoidable. The sun was much harder on us now and we thanked our self for making it to the top much early in the day. Although it would have been tough during monsoon, everyone missed rains. We gave very sad looks to each other, after spotting few of the tiny dry waterfalls at the corners.

The midway spot gave us the required rest and a nice break. The slides and few traffic jams continued in the second half as we made it to the Vaghoba Mandir.

DSC03941The refreshment store lady did some good business as people were craving for Mango Slice and other cold drinks. State Transport proved to be in our favour as we got two STs in a very short while. We were soon boarded in MEMU(Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) Train to Dadar. I had good chat with Siddhesh, Kuldeep, Kirti and Priyanka.Did some leg pulling of Dilip as well.

This was the quickest trek that I had. I was at home sipping my Tropicana guava juice,talking about the awesome fun that we had and playing with my four month old son at 5 pm.

This gave a good sense of achievement with lot of fun. It really makes you push yourself and tests not only your physical strength, but mental power as well. This kind of activity is always a team work and a great way to bright about that love and caring for nature. After breathing lot of oxygen, the whole week retains that buzz. It’s nice to pass on the excitement to others as well and feel contented. Also it’s fun to make few others feel jealous, especially those who did not join,to motivate them to join next

Happy Trekking!!!!

Important Info:
Fort: Kaldurg
Base :WaghobaKhind on road to Jalgaon from Palghar
Grade : Medium
Height: 1547 feet

  • The cost of a ticket to WagobaMandir by ST is Rs. 9 per head and by Tum-Tum; the fare is Rs.20 per head.
  • Near the temple there is a small refreshment store serving cold drinks and dry snack items.

Tips:
  • Carry min two liters of water if you are trekking on a sunny day. If there is no rain, it’s really exhausting
  • Don’t wear sleeveless T shirts as there are lots of thorns and narrow trails.One can see lots of Cactus plants too.

Few Web Links


By
Darshan Vartak
http://livethypassion.wordpress.com
Please feel free to reach me at darshanvartak@gmail.com



Created with flickr slideshow.

Friday, 4 July 2014

Word of Mouth

Do you help businesses to grow? Yes you do and honestly in a big way.
Lets say during one of the conversation you mention about a restaurant “Sun and Sand” in your area. Now one of the weekends I happen to be there in your area with my family and I remember you talking about “Sun and Sand” restaurant. I go to the restaurant and liked the food very much. Well, I went to the restaurant because you told me about the great food and wonderful ambiance of the restaurant. But then who gets paid here,off course the restaurant owner.
Now natural tendency is, I start talking about the nice food I had,to my friends. I might even put up a photo as well on Facebook. Over a period of time, it might happen that 100 people visit restaurant due to this word of mouth publicity, initiated by you. That’s the power of word of mouth. We trust our friends, relatives more than anybody else isn’t it. Now when these 100 people dine at the restaurant who gets paid. Again off course, the restaurant owner.
This also works negatively. If a friend of yours talks about his bad experience with one of the doctors, would you ever visit that doctor? No way.
So you can imagine how powerful this concept is. If we take this powerful concept of word of mouth and combine it with ecommerce, how does that sound.This also removes all the intermediate agents like advertisers, stockists, wholesalers, retailers. This is also called as MAD (Marketing, Advertisement and Distribution) cost.
A Bisleri bottle costs around 10-20 Rupees. But do you know what is it’s manufacturing cost. It’s not more than 80 Paise. Now why there is such a huge price difference. Simply, because there is a huge chunk of cost consumed by stockists, wholesalers and retailers. There is a major chunk that goes to the advertisement featuring Sharukh Khan, who does not add any value to the water, but we all pay for his cost as well. True?
Now if you really see, companies spend a huge amount of money on MAD. Sometimes 70% of the product cost is attributed to this whole supply chain management. A Network Marketing company removes this whole supply chain management. This is the reason, company can provide products at quite reasonable rates and also share a good amount of revenue with you and me, who decide to act as face to the company.
Doesn’t it make sense to do, what we naturally do and also make money out of it?
By
Darshan Vartak
Please feel free to reach me at darshanvartak@gmail.com