a Restaurant app

The other day I was looking through some of my old notebooks when I came across the notes I'd made during a meeting with the creators and founders of this restaurant app. 

 

I haven't spoken to them for a while, and in fact, I think we've lost touch. 

 

It might be a good idea to get in touch with them again and see how they're coming along.

When I first met them, they'd begun for over a year and they were kinda wondering about their direction. They were great, hardworking peeps. They'd thought long and hard about the industry they were in, and they knew, from whatever was trending, that there would be substantial growth in the years to come.

The problem was, they said, was whether their app, and their company, could sustain through the intervening years. They had low user base, they had low marketing budget, and they didn't know how else they were going to get the word out to get more users.

I guess that's one of the most boggling problems that face app developers. See, truth is, it's doable to create the app. You've got the SDK all decked out for you. And after the app is created, it becomes a sort of pattern to market it out. 

The problem is always the CAC- because whether you like it or not, every customer comes with a price tag attached to them- and the user acquisition. 

Between CAC (which will have most people controlling like mad), and user acquisition, it is always user acquisition that shapes the name of the game.

I've seen apps die fast because there were no users.

I've seen apps die slow because users downloaded them for a period of time and then offloaded them when they were done with them.

But I've also seen apps win because they calculated their CAC well, they grabbed the loyalty of their users, integrated them into their lives and made them a necessary part of their lifestyle.

Not just that, I've seen apps work together with merchandise, or wearables, or something physical, where as a pair, the user becomes needful for it and grows dependency on it.

And of course, besides all of that above, there's always the business of monetization. This is one thing to look at- always. Investors love, love, love to ask this question.

"What's your revenue model?"

And now with the Uber-Grab thingy, they're more obligated to ask you about it. Because, whether or not you're an Uber lover, let's face it, they're out of this region. Not because they had no users. They had. Users aplenty. But because it seemed that their monetization model for the region didn't seemed to be working out for them, their investors made a decision. Of course, it is Grab's problem now, and one which they're going to have to whip out the calculators and forecasting software and get into the hunk of things, even as consumers on both sides grapple with the reality that the joys of price wars are presently gone.

Still, before one gets to the monetization model, there is the user acquisition.

This part is a b**ch.

App downloaders are a f**king fickle minded bunch. 

One day they love you. Next day they don't. I don't know whether it is a millennial thing or a curiosity thing or whether we're all very practical these days. I can speak for myself, but I can't speak for others, and admittedly, I'm not a fine example of a typical app downloader. I'm the practical sort, and yes, I'm one of the a**holes who has no loyalty towards any app whatsoever.

I'm the "give me a d*** good reason to d/l your app otherwise I'm not going to do it because I don't need it, thank you."

I'm the "why are you charging me moolah for this app, what's so fantastic about it, does it make my life easier, do I really need your app to solve my problem, and is there any way you can offer it to me for free?"

And I'm the "apps i don't use have no place on my phone so can I delete the d*** thing?"   

It's not the most accurate description of most downloaders, thank goodness, but yeah, you get the picture.

So, back to the restaurant app, we suggested that they do a SWOT. They seem to call it differently these days, but basically it means you have to identify your own lack, the opportunities and the market needs. You have to identify the gaps in the market, which simlar markets there are that have the same lack and you have figure out which is the one that you can plug right in. 

Another thing we suggested was that they take one targeted solution and then repackage it to three different markets. Now, whilst this might sound weird, fact is, it isn't, and this technique has been heavily utilized in many an industry. What you think is three different solutions is in fact a single one- with the distinct differences taking the place of what we often call the USP. 

Whether they've implemented their cross--market strategy or not, I'm not sure. What I'm pretty sure of is that they' would've changed their UI, and transformed their UX. They already were in the midst of doing it the other time we spoke.

They still have a road ahead of them.

That much these enthusiastic, hardworking peeps know.

If one has to examine category level growth, if one has to look at market dynamics and key customer trends and channel requirements and customer requirements and the competitor landscape plus the potential new market entries and potential growth industries and customer requirements all at the same time- all of this just to get a substantial foothold in the industry- it's not going to happen overnight.

It's going to be a sort of swirly-whirly journey, and these guys... they know it.

And that's a fairly great start. :) 

i Missed the Games

I don't understand how it happened, but somehow I seemed to have missed out on nearly the entire Commonwealth Games this year.

 

Yes, really. I didn't get to watch it at all.

 

Not the opening ceremony.

 

Not the closing ceremony.

 

Nothing.

 

Except for one Male Swimming Event of which I don't even remember precisely what event it was.  

Perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention to the information on the screen. All I know is that by the time I turned to the channel, this particular event was nearing its end, and although I managed to hang around long enough to see the Briton reach the end first, hear the Announcer say that the judges were huddling to discuss the results, and see on screen all the teams looking up at the scoreboard with nervous anticipation written all over their faces, I didn't hang around long enough to see the results... -_-

 

Kind of silly, actually, when I think about it, because this doesn't usually happen to me. 

 

Not since Rio 2016 when I got totally fascinated by the sports events that interest me, the sporting venues, the opening ceremony, the tracksuits and sports wear the athletes were wearing, the bright shoes, the makeup, the hair, the nail polish, and of course, all the good looking people in action.

 

In fact, the last Games event I watched was the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. which I don't play a single winter sport, and which I don't even understand at all.

 

In any case, yes, it is a pity that I missed out the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast almost entirely, but it is over now, no point having regrets, so that's that.

 

I'm looking forward to Russia 2018, and I'll just have to make sure I'm more available for that. :)

 

After all, it IS Russia.

an Aircon story

So, sometime back I wrote a Contact Lens story. Well, I've been doing a bit more thinking, and guess what, now I've got an Airconditioning story.

 

It's like this.

 

Let's say you want to install airoonditioning in your three bedroom house. 

 

Now, let's say you've got the aircon guy to come and make his assessment.

 

So, the guy comes, does his thing and gives you a quote. In the quote he states that you will need one compressor and three aircon units for the individual rooms. He also states that once you make payment, he'll go get the necessary equipment and then come back and install it for you.

 

You agree, sign off on the quote, pay him, and off he goes.

 

When he returns, he brings with him his crew, the compressor and three units of airconditioning. You take a look at it. Compressor is Brand A. Aircon units are Brand B. Together he and his crew haul the compressor up to its right place and then drill holes here and there in the walls and the ceiling before connecting all the piping and wiring together. 

 

Everything goes on smooth sailing.

 

Then suddenly one day one of the aircon units breaks down, so you call back the aircon man. "Hey, aircon spoil. Come and repair, please!"

 

He comes, he checks and then he tells you that one part inside the aircon unit is spoilt and will need to be replaced. He tells you the cost.

 

Now, can you then balk at him and tell him that he ought to be responsible- because he installed the aircon- and therefore he must bear the cost of the broken down part inside the unit?

 

What will he tell you?

 

He'll tell you that the broken down part is from the Manufacturer of Brand B and therefore it has to be charged separately. He'll tell you that he is only responsible for the installation of the aircon and not for the parts inside the aircon which fall outside his scope. He'll also tell you that he cannot bear responsibility if the parts inside Brand B aircon break down because that is a Manufacturer's issue and it is the Manufacturer of Brand B that he has to refer his complaint to.

He goes to the supplier, gets the compressor, gets the units, brings them back to your place and sets them up. That's it. If it is compressor problem, go to Manufacturer A. If it is an aircon unit problem, go to Manufacturer B, simple as that. But he is not going to absorb the cost because it really isn't his s***.

So, that's what you have to accept, and that's what you have to do. Pay the aircon man the necessary amount for the spare part, off he goes to the supplier, brings it back, and then dismantle the part, install the new part and then you're cool all over again.

But... try not to argue with the aircon man. It's a losing battle, and a d*** big waste of time.

bananas!!

Seldom is it that I get to see such a huge bunch of nearly ripe bananas hanging from their tree.

For some reason the banana trees that I tend to see seem to have either limp leaves, or leaves hanging half dried and dead. If not, they are devoid of fruit. Let's not even mention about how much of fruit they have. If they'd have even a bunch of cute little bananas, I'd be glad. But those that I tend to see have nary a hint of fruit. They're just.. existing.

Maybe it is the neighborhood that I tend to hang around in.  

I suppose if I wanna see huge bunches of bananas hanging from trees, I'd need to go to neighborhoods more rural than the usual ones I'm in. Like this one near Bukit Batok Road.

Courtyard by Marriott @ Novena

One day, when the time is right, and when my mood is right, I'll be sure to have a staycay at this hotel property in Novena.

 

After all, Courtyard by Marriott was one of the hotel properties that I sincerely wished for to exist on this island, and it was a brand whose opening I eagerly anticipated for even as I watched them build the entire structure from scratch.

 

Yes, they've opened now, and in the area that actually has a great significance to me, but the time for me to staycay there hasn't come yet.

 

Yet I hope I won't have to wait too long. 

I kind of miss the vibes that Courtyard gives, and the last time I had those vibes was in another city, another season, another culture, four b***dy long years ago.

 

In the meantime, from the lobby of the hotel 22 floors up...

 

 

 

 

start-up Thoughts

There've been a couple of shocks and shake-ups amongst the startup scene during recent weeks. 

First there was the whole Facebook-Cambridge Analytica thingy that saw founder Mark Zuckerberg have to toss away his signature teeshirt-hoodie combo for a blue suit and go up to Washington to answer "mind-boggling bordering on tech stoopid" questions about the platform he created all those years ago.

Then, closer to sunny shores, there was the Uber-Grab exchange, which, of course, has had Uber exit, leaving Grab in the main running within SEA, followed closely by GoJek and Ryder stepping up the game.

The start up scene appears to have been left unscathed- which is a very good thing. Other than a half-opened eyeball over footage released by the press guys, most seem to have gone about their work and gone about their day like any other. 

And yet...

Can I say that no one feels nothing? Can I say that their confidence has not taken a slight wake-up call? Or that founders and co-founders are realizing that the rosy picture they've been presented to, or the rosy picture that they're presenting to others ain't the same as what it used to be?

Maybe. Maybe not.

It depends on who you are.

But something definitely has changed.

And for the better too, I'd like to say.

Whether or not Zuck (I didn't even know he had such a name amongst the community) should have gone up to Congress, sit there and get grilled by tech dinosaurs or not, I'm not going to offer an opinion. What's happened has already happened. What's taken place has already taken place.

But if there's one thing start-up founders and founders in general should acknowledge, it is that there is no invincibility in this world. No one, no company, is invincible. It doesn't matter how huge you are, how much of the world you control, how iconic you are, how many followers you have, or how many admirers you have. You're still not invincible.

And if there's another thing start-up founders ought to realize, there is this word called accountability. I don't mean being accountable to your investors- that's a no brainer. I mean the term in the sense that there will be questions from your fellow founders, there will be questions from the audiences that you present to, there will be differing opinions that might just raise your heckles, there will be stoopid questions, there will be times when you feel like you're talking to the wall, and all of which is something one has to be prepared for. 

Should it stop them if their askers not comprehend what it is they do? Should they then adopt an even more arrogant attitude simply because they're speaking to people from 'a different level'? Should they even look down on those who don't belong to their generation and have no idea why they're doing what they do?

I hope not.

Likewise I hope not too that founders, mentors, panelists and everyone alike hold an attitude of over-confidence and over-arrogance in what is actually a fairly vulnerable economy.

I hope that in this very diverse and very exciting economy where there are many experts, many investors, many mentors and many founders, each and everyone will find their place, find their real purpose and anchor their individuality.

Okay, I'm gonna be a beeeet bold here and just say what I'm going to say. You may agree, you may disagree, you may find what I say scathing and un-like me or quit being an acquaintance, but whether you agree or not, I'm just going to place it as a casual, general observation that I, till date, have quietly held. :)

See, over the last couple of years, and over a barrage of workshops, bootcamps, networking events, seminars and the like, I've had the privilege to observe various roles in this industry, and can I say that there are good ones, there are better ones, and there are those who really should just go and take a pi** at themselves.

I don't mind mentors. I've had pretty good ones who double up as investors and whom technically I have to report to before stepping into any territory. But if there's one thing that differs these mentors from some of the others I've seen, it's that they're incredibly dedicated to what they do. In other words, mentors, stop going around hunting for worshippers. If you're good, you're good, and the right people will validate you. Keep doing what you're doing, do it right and well and you'll have the loyalists that have truly benefited from what you do. You don't need to hear their worship. You just need to know that what you do has an impact on lives out there, and if what you're doing- never mind if you come from Silicon Valley or wherever in the world- isn't getting the impact as it should, well, quit all the useless hoovering and go back to the drawing board.

Same goes for the Experts. If you're an Expert, you are one, and you'll be asked questions that an expert with some sort of experience and know-how will know how to answer. Stop emulating other experts. Stop being a Zuckerberg wannabe. Wearing sports gear and sitting on the table whilst making your presentation earns you no respect when you cannot answer a simple question asked privately. Earn those d*** stripes. And if you've been in the scene for a while, don't tell me Management stuff that you've picked up from college or self-help books. Not all of us in this scene are alien to corporate structure. Don't advise me to go read this book by this person  or that book by that person and THEN I'll have my answer. Don't tell me opinions that have been formulated by others but please share with me some of your own. I'm not asking what others think. I'm asking what you think. Because that's what I really, really want to know...

Okay, I've probably pissed off a whole bunch of people.

But I don't care.

The startup industry is a quick-growing one, and despite a common undercurrent, the dynamics are fascinating, interesting and thrilling. I've interacted with startup souls from India, US, Russia, Korea, Vietnam, Israel,  Thailand and a few other places, and they're all amazingly different.

That's what makes it so vibrant.

It's been an interesting journey thus far, and one I foresee can only get better. We'll evolve, no doubt, we'll see a couple of subtle changes here and there, I imagine, in the management function,  the marketing function, the user acquisition function, monetization model bla bla bla, and there'll be those who will have to rethink their attitude and understand that if the founder of Facebook can be grilled by fuddy tech dinos, so can they.

In the meantime, any chance of fruit ciders alongside the evening beers and the coffees...? :D

Hillview with Daffy

We knew right from the start that we were going to Jurong East. Our route, we were sure, would lead us from the East side to Geylang Lorong 1 where we'd stop for a dinner of mutton briyani and teh o air limau. (Side note: Don't underestimate mutton briyani for a shared meal. It is pretty filling, actually, and if the shop gives a mountain of rice, you can be sure that it will last you some time.)

We were sure too, my Co Rider and I, that we'd head to Vivo after that, because the route is pretty straightforward. From the mutton briyani place to the Merdeka Bridge then into North Bridge Road where it would be a straight road all the way down past one end of DUO, then past the library, then Bras Basah Complex and Raffles Hotel.

This doesn't happen usually but this time, I had a near accident right here when the car turning left on the third lane cut into my lane just as I was heading straight, and although he did have the right of way, still, he hadn't had his signal on- I'd have waited otherwise- and thankfully the car behind me braked in time and there was a minute's hiatus before I picked up and moved on.

Whilst glaring at the car that had cut into my lane. :D

So we went on from Fullerton right through Keppel and then on to Vivo where we stopped for a quick break of water- and an ice cream cone. Apparently my Co Rider took my very casual joke very seriously, marching back from the restroom break with a towering vanilla ice cream cone in hand.

It was straight on to Jurong East after that... from West Coast Highway all the way up until West Coast Park, which seemed quieter than I remembered it to be, but then again, WCP is one of the quieter parks. Much unlike East Coast Park where there are bikes and scooters and bikes galore, WCP is a better place to breathe in the sight of trees. A turn into the Teban Gardens somewhere there.. and we were at Jurong East.

There was one quick stop at the McDonalds in... umm.. JCube. (I nearly wrote Shaw Entertainment Center) Then we went up via Bukit Batok Road, turning into Hillview and chugging along the road. I think I just went along the route, not quite knowing where I was going, and simply following the signs until I came upon the mall which is pretty near MINDEF. Hillview Mall? Something like that. I forget the name.

Then it was up this very, very, very steep slope, so steep that I got down and pushed my bike.

When I came out, I was at Hillview MRT, which is right opposite the Salvation Army quarters. We went back from there, going down the road towards Beauty World, then turning left onto Dunearn Road, all the wya straight past the Stevens Road side, past the Adam Road Food Center and then Newton Circus and then finally Kampong Java.

It's a straightforward route from there, going past Rochor then out onto Victoria Street, but not before passing by Our Lady of Lourdes church where, it being the Saturday before Easter Sunday, had Mass, and thereby was unusually packed to the full, with outdoor seats under a white large tent. 

don't fear the EDM

Whenever a baby boomer shares with me that they find the trending pop culture difficult to understand; when they tell me that they cannot comprehend why "young people like this kind of music" or "what is this bopping bopping thing about" or that "K-pop is don't know what kind of music, is not music at all, not dancing at all, so uncultured" or "why you young people like to listen to this kind of headache music" or that "these days I don't know what you young people are listening to", I simply smile and tell them that it's okay if they're finding the pop culture of the day a tad different from what they used to hear.

What's funny is that they speak to me like I'm one of the "you young people" (Yassssss!!!!) until I tell them that I'm actually a latecomer to the pop music, hip hop and K-pop and that I actually grew up on what is now called evergreens.

They don't believe me.

They don't believe me that at one time I actually squabbled with someone because he said that "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanllla Ice was okay music to listen to and I disagreed. *cringes at the memory*

They don't believe me until I tell them I can sing "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson, the whole "Country Road Take Me Home" by John Denver and "Please Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdinck. They also don't believe me that I know that 'ribbon' song by Brothers Four and the tune of "Ferry Cross The Mersey" and that I like "Stoney" and I know the opening line of "First of May". They always express surprise that I love the work of Simon and Garfunkel, and that I count "Sound of Silence" and "Scarborough Fair" as two of my favorites.

They don't believe me that I didn't get to hear my first love ballad until I was thirteen, and that it was "Dying to Love You" by Timmy Thomas and that for months afterward I was genuinely fascinated by what I would later come to know as R&B.

That whilst my peers were listening to Mandopop and Cantopop and Spice Girls and Take That and Pet Shop Boys, I was listening to music from Ritchie Valens and Engelbert Humperdinck.

And that even though I owned the AQUA cassette ("Barbie Girl" interested me), and that I later sneaked in stuff from Kenny G and Soul Asylum, it would be three years later before I started listening for real to pop, soft rock and whatever was on general airplay, leading me from Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears and Westlife to Vertical Horizon, Incubus and Semisonic.

They don't believe me.

Maybe because it is what I do, and maybe because it is how I these days appear to be.

Sometimes I appear to be like I've been in this for a long, long time, and it always comes as a surprise when I say otherwise.

Still, I'm glad for this rather diverse route that spans the generations from the 60s to present-day, and that I don't care what it is or how it is, if it appeals to me, it appeals to me.

The baby boomers appreciate it when I open the lines of Scarborough Fair and The Boxer to them. They appreciate it when I tell them that I can sing a bit of "By the Rivers of Babylon" and if I got a tune popular enough to drift over to this side of the world, I might just put a recognition to it.

And after that it seems somewhat easier for me to explain what Hallyu and Anisong and Tpop and Vpop and Kpop and Jpop and  rap and Jrock and hip hop and EDM and synthesizer and sound tech is all about.

They might not fully comprehend Bodak Yellow and Cardi B, they might wonder why Miley Cyrus is what she is, they don't know why their kids and nieces and nephews are so into EXO and TWICE and BTS and BLACKPINK, but at least they walk away with a wee bit more understanding, and a notepaper of popular song titles plus a name or two. 

a Contact Lens story

So I'm thinking about some stuff and I'm thinking about how to deal with those stuff, and I'm thinking about the processes that have led to these stuff. and I suddenly realize that there's really a story to be told out of all this.

 

A contact lens story.

It is a story that I'm familiar with, because I wear contact lenses, and I've worn them since I was a dorky teen- no, I will not show you pictures.

All contact lenses require solutions to soak the lenses in. It used to be that wearers needed three separate bottles for lens care. You needed saline plus cleaner plus the soaking solution. These days, wearers need just one bottle that does everything. It cleans, it rinses, it soaks, removes protein buildup, everything. It doesn't matter which brand you use, they've got a one-all solution these days. Very convenient.

 

Okay, let's say that I'm a first time wearer. I'll have to do my own research, ask the optometrist, check around and all that just so I know what to do. The ophthalmologist and/or the optometrist will suggest whether I should go for RGP lenses or non-RGP lenses. Both serve different needs and both have differing methods of care.

 

Now, if I've decided on the RGP- which is what I wear- and if I go to another shop and buy a contact lens solution but have not a contact lens case in possession to soak my lenses in, I cannot go back to this shop and demand for a refund using the reason that I don't have a lens case with me.

 

I cannot say, "Your Solution that you sold me is useless because I dont' have a lens case! Gimme back my money!"

 

Neither can I blame the shop for not advising me if I had the lens case in possession before I bought the lens solution from them.

 

Because if both RGP lens are already in my eyes, that is something I should know. If I didn't, I should have enquired of the ophthalmologist and/or optomertrist upon purchase of the lens. By the time I'm at the (other) shop, I should know that I must have the case before I get the Solution.

 

The Solution needs a case to soak the lens in. Without it, it is useless. Simple as that. So in the case that if I have the bottle of Solution in my bag, but not the case, I then have to go buy the case. And I cannot ask the shop to give it to me for free because "you didn't advise me".

 

There is no shop, or hardly any I know, who will give you the lens case for free when you buy the Solution. They may give it to you when you buy the lens, yes, but that is up to the Optometrist and his business. It is subjective. Oh, and given that RGP and non-RGP lenses utilize different soaking cases, if in the process I should change from RGP to non-RGP, I also cannot go back to the shop and ask them to exchange the RGP case for the non-RGP one.  

 

They'll simply tell me "you changed from RGP to soft lenses on your ownself, it's not my problem. I cannot exchange it for you even though now your RGP case cannot be used." And then they'll tell me to buy the non-RGP case. Because the soft, non-RGP lenses also need to be taken care of. Basically, no choice lar.

 

That's how life is.

 

Oh, and this story doesn't apply to the daily soft lenses that are sold at the optometrist. Those are somewhere in between both categories. I consider them a life saver- in more ways than one. :)

strategic Pro-Bono partnerships

With CSR being a priority for businesses small, big and very big these days, it is no surprise that social responsibility and engaging the Vulnerable, the Needy and the Disadvantaged has gained much more a function within many an industry,

I'm all for CSR.

There is no reason for me, both on a personal and professional level, to refute the importance of getting corporations, businesses and individuals involved in the communities that they're in.

However, it gets my goat whenever people approach me using their CSR as an excuse to get free stuff. And they always seem to have the same recurring pattern. (I suppose it must have worked before..)

The conversation usually begins with them and what they do. That's the business side. Subsequently, it then follows into the secondary mission and the convictions that they have towards a particular Disadvantaged or Needy group. And then after that, there is the mention of a possible partnership where the thus-far concealed agenda comes out. Generally it flows along the lines of "let's work together for this (insert Disadvantaged group) so you do a piece of commissioned work for my business and then I'll take that piece of work and use it to raise funds/raise awareness for the said group where you'll also get publicity. Oh, by the way, since we're using it for charity purposes, oops, CSR purposes, could you not charge me anything for the work that I'm commissioning you to make?"

I don't know whether others have agreed to such a partnership.

For me, I won't.

Straight out, no matter what you think of me, or of us, yes, I won't.

It's not because we're cold-hearted and cruel and selfish and unkind. No, no, it is nothing like that. It is a more practical business that we speak of. We are comfortable, more than comfortable, to do CSR for NGOs and VWOs. We understand what being a Vulnerable, a Disadvantaged and a Needy is like.

But coming to tell me that you'e an ardent supporter of this cause and that cause when you don't have third-party validation is not really a very reason for me to participate together with you. Anyone can say that they're supporting this cause and that cause, but the crux of the whole question is what exactly they're doing for the cause and how their business (and thereby the CSR) will benefit the particular Disadvantaged or Needy group.
 
How involved you are, how much of a direct consequence your business will do for them is a determinant of whether I should do pro-bono for you on behalf of the VWO. It's like how I generally support pet adoption and pet fostering and I'm not adverse to a cause as such, but I can't be compared to someone I know who not only actively participates in the pet adoption days but fosters a few of them as well. Honestly, I wouldn't know about a dog named Krunchy who is looking for a permanent home if not for this someone. ;)
 
If you're telling me that I should do pro-bono for you so that you can do your CSR for the Disadvantaged group, why should I not do pro-bono for the NGO or VWO directly? Is there any reason why I should only have to partner you in order to do something good for the society? What is it in the work that I do where I cannot work with them directly? Is it not better that the work I do reaches them straight? Or is because I'm not familiar with this particular or that particular Disadvantaged group that I have to go through you?
 
Look, it's not about being cynical. It's about assessing whether the non-NGO person approaching me to partner him/her to do CSR for an NGO that he/she claims he/she is involved in is really about the beneficiaries or simply using them as a means to get free stuff for himself/herself. Whether I have the capabilities to assess or not is my business, and the NGO's. :D
 
Of course, the part about raising funds is often indirect and, well, it is done through strategic alliances and strategic partnerships, but see, more and more Coordinators and NGOs and VWOs are requesting for direct involvement anyway, so if that be the case, why not I be involved in the fund-raising part and be directly involved at the same time?
 
After all, Banks and Insurance companies have been doing it for a long time. They make donations and they get their staff to get down to the ground, sometimes armed with water bottles, Happy Meals and snack packs, someimes armed with bags and bags of groceries, and other times armed with pails, newspapers, ladders, paint rollers, boxed lunches and tins of paint.  

a Student's wall

 

I've never been to this place before.

And I suppose I'd continue to not have a chance to be here if not for the industry that I'm in.

See, future tech is a very fun thing, and because it is so customizable, it grabs the eyeballs of nearly every industry in the world. Whether you be medical, you be hospitality, you be engineering or entertainment or financial or education, future tech has its place, and what it really brings to the table is immersive engagement.

Here's the fun part.

Why should we go immersive, and how immersive should we really be? The first part is easy to answer. The second, umm.. not so much. At least not for the present moment where the tech is still rapidly growing and we're still hunting new purposes for practical application.

It's not that there aren't answers. There are, and some good tech peeps would be able to lecture away on the above question and I'm sure there're some papers out there. But I prefer to leave these technical discussions to them, and put my brain to what I'm really all about.

Creating the content that loads onto the tech- and adapting the tech for the end user.

Because, at the end of the day, that's an important part. The End-User. The good peeps here know this, and I'm glad they're really all-in for the End-User, and the End-User Experience... with the End-User Retention anchored somewhere deep in the mind. :) 

how to choose a Strategy Consultant

This must be one of the most blatant and straightforward titles I've ever put forth, but after thinking back and forth and flipping left and right, there doesn't seem to be any other way to present it as what it is up there.

So that's how it is, as plain as it can be: How to Choose a Strategy Consultant.

There are many, many consultants out there. Same way that there are many, many lectuters, mentors and trainers. The education market is a rife one in Singapore and a good number of people I meet are in this sector, or have been in this sector, one way or another.

The question that arises thus is this, how then, does one choose the right mentor? How does one know whether theyre invested in the right mentor, or is the guy simply blowing them off their wallet and their time?

Honestly, offhand, I can't tell you. No one can. Even if you did find someone who has come highly recommended by another, that mentor might be suited for that person, but not for you. Let's just say that it is a risk that one has to take, and it can be a hit and miss sometimes.

What helps, though, would be a general guideline that forms a basic foundation of what a consultant, or a mentor would be. Notwithstanding the presence of qualifications and the absolute necessity of experience, of course. I find experience more critical than qualifications, because practical problems call for practical solutions, and I've discovered that whilst paper qualifications grant the working ideas and the theories and the jargon, it is the first-hand experience that makes the man.

I suppose I could go on and on about how we do it, but that would make this article an elevator pitch longwinded style, and I don't quite like to do that, so I'll just stick a couple of questions here and let them be the guiding points. :)

 

1. What is the real specialization of the consultant?

2. Has the consultant walked in your shoes, or is at least willing to try?

3. Does the consultant have a solution focused mentality?

4. Are the solutions that the consultant suggests pragmatic ones?

5. Does the consultant prove his ability to adapt?
 

We formulated these questions about two years back when the consultancy was formed as an offshoot of the animation studio. That was the time when we were pretty convinced that the pure consultancy route was the way to go.

 

We've pivoted since then, because one of the core beliefs is that a consultant has got to be practical and solution focused, and we realized that handing out theories on a platter over a cup of coffee wasn't presenting our clients with pragmatic, practical solutions that they could use.

It didn't take us very long to realize that whilst there were prospects who understood what we were all about, and some of them were very enthusiastic about the concept, they didn't know how to go about it. We realized that they needed to see exactly what could be done and what couldn't be and that they needed solutions that could be implemented with results they could expect to foresee.

 

So we incorporated the consultancy part into the game of licensing where we'd be able to provide entertainment solutions, dig up entertainment data, talk about broadcast distribution partners and communication channels whilst addressing the business and marketing parts and integrating them into the entertainment solution. This way, we figured, we'd at least have a productive meeting where we'd be doing more than just a sharing of "what do you do?"

 

In short, we analyse, we summarize, we suggest, we implement.

 

After all, there really are many, many consultants out there who claim that they have all this expertise, but stumble and throw out useless solutions when they're presented with a very present problem. And I've met a few who tell me that they're experts in this field and that, but when tossed with a situation that demands a solution beyond their theories, they either fling out a wishy-washy reason, or they get illogically defensive with no substantial data.

 

Having no data to substantiate your solutions is a sure fail. We don't do that. We can't. Like I told someone recently, you have your data, we have ours. Admittedly some of our numbers are a bit hard to understand, but we're from the entertainment industry, and so our data comes from there, and trust me, their numbers can be quite ballistic- meaning that the foundation goes by the minimal of five figures all the way up to the millions.

 

These five questions are in no way comprehensive, of course, but I think they're sufficient enough to decide whether you want to take the meeting further and whether the person you're meeting, or going to meet, will be worth your time and your cup of coffee. If not, there's no point.

That being said, if you were to ask me what the anchor question was to make sure, I'd suggest that it be Number 3. Because the only reason you're talking is because you need solutions, and if the suggestions made are not addressing the primary problem you have, or if the consultant is asking you to go figure it out yourself based on his theory, then that's a tough call, don't you think?

pineapple Tarts

 

 

 

You know you have something special when you don't plan out your Lunar New Year goodies and yet, you somehow end up with three different kinds of pineapple tarts by the time the first day of the festivities rolls in.

I love pineapple tarts, and it doesn't matter very much to me whether they're made from butter, margarine or whether they've got more pineapple filling or less.

Here's what I had this year.
1. Butter-margarine tarts with pineapple filling
2. Butter balls with pineapple jam filling
3. Butter tarts with pineapple filling 

One was bought from Sheng Siong, one was bought from the cookies stall at Chinatown and one was from the confectionary near the Hong Lim Food Center behind Chinatown Point.
 
Do I have a favorite? Nope. But the butter balls with pineapple jam filling did give me a particular sense of nostalgia. One bite of the balls brought me back to the time when The Parents happily brought home a big bag of pineapple jam biscuits that they'd bought from one of the shops downstairs. 

 
They were a bit different from the other two, yes, but I quite liked them, nostalgia is always a good thing, and nothing is better than having a nice, salty buttery ball enveloping a bit of memory and a whole lot of familiarity.

festive LNY vibes

We're a week past Easter, but I'm still missing the Lunar New Year.

I know, weird, right?

Not that it was very loud and festive, or filled with tons of activities. It was rather.. gentle and easy-peasy, if one might put it, and I'm okay with the pace. I'm happy with what I have, I don't mind if I have more, but I don't mind if I have less either. :)

There were the celebrations at home. A very casual, very intimate one where The Parents and I did the fun thing of splitting a bag of orange jellies into separate portions and we all ate out of one big dish that had wantons and mushrooms and cuttlefish balls and rice.

 

There was my annual visit to the Chinatown bazaar. :)

 

I do this every year. I aim for it. I bring my camera along. I plan the day for it. And year on year I tend to look out for the same few stalls. It's just a habit of mine, and I'm pretty delighted when I get to find them at the same spot as they were the year before. Like the stewed mushrooms stall. Or the cookies stall. Same goes for the melon seeds stall, the nuts stall, the jellies stall and even the sugared fruits stall.

There are little differences though. Like this year there were two stalls offering mushrooms, one from Japan and the other from Korea. The cookies stall had their jars of cookies all laid out and stacked out in rows and this year there were new pineapple jam butter balls. There were more varieties of melon seeds and nuts this year. I got to sample a milk flavored groundnut- there was the hint of milk to the taste of the peanut, so it was pretty good. :)

The samples are delightful over here at the bazaar. This is the one time where stallowners don't care so much if you sample one or two of their peanuts and reach for their wasabi peanuts. Neither do they care if you sample a bit of sugared fruit. Winter melon, water chestnut and mango mark my favorites from this stall. Yes, they're really sweet... and they're totally coated with fine powdered sugar.. but it is the Lunar New Year.

It is very difficult to leave the place empty handed. The spirit of celebration is such that you'll want to get something, however big, however small, and the great part is that there's something for everyone, no matter what your budget is. :) This year we left with a jar of the pineapple jam butter ball cookies and a substantial amount of jellies, most of which the stall guy happily chucked into the plastic bag whilst shouting out a bunch of Lunar New Year blessings.

The actual day itself was spent on a more quiet note, lounging about, watching television, chomping on snacks, bak kwa, pork floss and pineapple tarts- we had three kinds this year- and  basically easing the brain. :D

But we did have a most lovely New Year Eve Lunch at a favorite cafe where we ate specially prepared festive cuisine, lots of steamed fish pieces in some sort of citrus sauce, a bit of salmon and prawns and chicken and soup and then there was cake for dessert, and we made sure we tossed a plate of yusheng- with lots of anyhow mulmble blessings. :)