This article is the seventeenth in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on June the 7th, 2017. In this and the next couple of columns, I shall write about founder conflicts commonly encountered but not often easily resolved. Some are foreseeable e.g. what happens to the equity of a co-founder who … Continue reading Founder Conflict: Key Asset Ownership
Tag: strategy
Cosmetic counter sales staff: a counter view
A dear friend of mine recently spoke of how, while making an impulse purchase for a lipstick at an airport, she ended up having a fascinating conversation with a male counter sales guy, who seemed to be a lipstick connoisseur with a massive collection of his own. She noted how he had great insight into … Continue reading Cosmetic counter sales staff: a counter view
Attracting talent
This article is the sixteenth in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on May the 25th, 2017. Apart from having a strategic direction and enough money to execute on the vision, the key challenge for founders is talent. Based on my experience, I will go out on a limb and say … Continue reading Attracting talent
How to be a valuable non-tech co-founder
This article is the thirteenth in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on April the 3rd, 2017. The excessive media focus on techies as startup founders often makes non-techies doubt their ability to found and build a startup and create value. Many non-tech persons I meet believe that they won’t get … Continue reading How to be a valuable non-tech co-founder
Going global
This article is the eleventh in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on March the 1st, 2017. As we have discussed earlier in this column series, founders benefit from creating a scaffold, a structure that enables future success at scale, without them needing to come back later and fix things that … Continue reading Going global
Brand leadership has to change
A few years ago, shortly after the 2008 crash, American Express in the United States paid many of its less profitable customers to close their accounts and go away. The move garnered much attention and analysis then. It was seen as a de-leveraging move. Whatever hubbub surrounded the brand then has since died down and … Continue reading Brand leadership has to change
Pay for a good startup lawyer
This article is the eighth in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on Dec the 23rd, 2016. I am aware this is controversial advice. Especially since the last column said: “You pay for some things, you do not pay for some things; you should take your time to understand which is … Continue reading Pay for a good startup lawyer
Luxury’s talent conundrum
A version of this essay appeared on Hudson Walker International's Opinion section published on November the 4th, 2016. The Luxury sector is facing headwinds. Single digit growth seems here to stay. The behaviour and the expectations of the elusive but coveted millennial consumer remain somewhat a mystery with conflicting trends emerging. For instance, millennials seem … Continue reading Luxury’s talent conundrum
Autonomous cars and luxury marques
Aston Martin, James Bond's car of choice (except when he went through a BMW phase), showcased a powerboat at Monaco Yacht Show this year. Writing in the Financial Times, Philip Delves Broughton laments that Bond's legacy is being junked by this luxury marque and outlines the dangers of brands diversifying into unrelated categories, especially those … Continue reading Autonomous cars and luxury marques
Cofounders and the dating analogy
This article is the third in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on Oct the 3rd, 2016. The search for a cofounder is analogous to dating. There is an ideal checklist of attributes — skills, qualities and more as you will see — and then there is the ineffable chemistry check. … Continue reading Cofounders and the dating analogy
