Avi Kumar

Agreeing to disagree: Rules of engagement.

Dec 1, 2020 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

“Great Minds Discuss Ideas. Average Minds Discuss Events. Small Minds Discuss People”
… Paraphrased from a quote by Henry Thomas Buckle.

Before we can engage in any worthwhile discussion of ideas, we need to set some rules. We need to agree on a few things. Or do we disagree already?

Rules of engagement:

At any given time and space, for any given point, there is one and only one truth.
The truth might be known to one, both, or neither of the parties in the discussion.
If it is a discussion on strategy, then it might be possible to achieve a shared goal through multiple methods, and then it’s just a question of efficacy.
Subjective ideas, once agreed upon as subjective, are fine to discuss and build rapport over but are senseless to argue over.
Philosophical questions, though not wholly subjective, do have a certain level of subjectivity in them unless we can define the issue more objectively.
There may need to be a preliminary discussion to agree that at least one of the points under discussion has an objective truth.

So, when discussing a non-subjective topic, we will make our points, and we’ll either agree or disagree with each other. If we cannot reach a consensus, then we remain each with our distinct perception of the truth, and this is when we’re both best served by agreeing to disagree.

Here’s the thing: Either there’s an objective truth we’re both trying to get to – some clearly defined fact – or we’re just sharing our subjective perspectives, opinions, experiences, or preferences.

Suppose I say something that you disagree with it. In that case, we first have to establish whether there IS an objective truth exists. If one of us claims subjectivity, while the other claims objectivity, then the very next step – before even exploring the merit of the issue – is to determine whether we can both at least agree that the matter at hand is one of objectivity.

Subjective disagreement example:

If you say vanilla ice cream is better, and I say that chocolate ice cream is better before we even break out the battle-of-the-flavors, one of us to understand are we merely discussing preference. If so, then end of the discussion, and to each, his own applies.

Objective disagreement example:

Let us stick with the ice cream example. If I claim that chocolate has some inherent health benefits like antioxidants, serotonin release, etc., chocolate ice cream is better. Now we have an issue to discuss, and let us put forth our points. Hint: You could claim that because you like Vanilla more so it makes you feel better and gives you all the benefits which Chocolate might afford 🙂

Disagreement on Strategy:

Perhaps we both value health, but we disagree on the best means of attaining that goal. Intermittent fasting with Calisthenics Vs. Traditional training with managed macro and micronutrient diet, which is better for optimal health? Strategy disagreements can be tedious but can lead to a deeper understanding of the issue at hand. And multiple strategies could lead to similar results. And usually, there is a time-lapse involved to prove which strategy is better. All political systems arguments belong in this category.

Next up religion, anybody?

What do you think? Agree, Disagree?

Memory Leak, Unfinished Bridges, and Rock & Sand: Kuware Team Talk by Avi

Nov 17, 2020 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

Today, I am gonna share something really interesting about effectiveness and efficiency. About why some people get more in life and why some people get less.

Nonetheless, there is something common across all of us, our willingness to achieve more in life by doing more and more in our daily routine.

But there are some things that set apart people who achieve everything in life do. What is it?

Let’s begin with Memory Leak.

Memory Leak is a technical term which programmers understand. In layman’s lingo, whenever software starts on your computer, it requests for memory to operate. Once you are done and close the software, it should ideally release back the memory requested, but it does not. This unreleased memory is known as Memory Leak.

Now, let’s apply this to our everyday life at the office, we have multiple tasks at hand. We just begin to work on them without prioritizing and then finishing one after another. When we get stuck on a task and start work on another task but are still thinking about the previous unfinished task in the back of our mind, then we are experiencing a memory leak.

We all encounter this in our everyday lives and this impacts our productivity and efficiency.

Next, let’s talk about Unfinished Bridges.

Unfinished Bridges is a pretty straightforward concept. The bridges that we start work on but are left incomplete for some reason.

Similarly, when applied to work or personal life, we make a wish list. New Year Resolutions is a good example here. We all make a wish list, losing weight is possibly the most common and important one on the list for 90% of people.

You join the gym, pay the yearly membership upfront and then stop going from the 2nd week onwards. That’s an unfinished bridge.

Professionally, we initiate too many projects and then focus on just one, leaving all others as unfinished bridges.

This directly reflects on the effectiveness of the work done.

Coming to the last and third part, Rocks & Sand, we all have heard the story of Rocks, Pebbles & Sand in a Jar. {If not, connect with me on LinkedIn and I will share the story with you.}

For my version of the story, we will use Rocks & Sand only.

Rocks are the important things in life – You (Health), Family (Love), Income (Job), and Friends (Support). Sand is the materialistic things, like expensive cars, expensive houses, hobbies and so on.

When we try to fill Rock & Sand into the jar, we all will end up having to make a choice – to have more sand in a jar and less rocks or to have less sand in a jar and more rocks. It is completely an individual decision.

The point that I am trying to make here is, no matter how hard you try, there are some things that are bound to be missed out on to accomplish this and it’s fine. If it does not happen today, it will happen tomorrow. What’s more important is to have no memory leaks and unfinished bridges in your daily routine.

I would like to sign off with a note, “Stay Hungry, Stay Focussed, and Stay Foolish”.

Small Business Owners: Know your time’s worth!

Nov 3, 2020 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

What is your True Hourly Rate?

This is the first question I ask when working with small business owners and especially single person businesses.

Most common answers I get are something like this:
“I charge $200 per hour for my consulting, so my internal hourly rate is $200.”

To which I reply:
Are you working 40hrs a week every week at that rate? No – I didn’t think so.

Other responses people give are:
“I never thought of that.”
Really?

Or
“I sell products, so I don’t have an hourly rate.”
Trust me you have one, irrespective of what you sell.

Or
Sometimes I get a detailed answer based on Real Hourly Rate.
Only not quite “really”… (See the “Further Reading” section at the end of this post.)

Unless you are pursuing a hobby, and not a business, it is imperative that you find a good solid answer to this question.

First, what is True Hourly Rate?

True Hourly Rate is the value of your time in dollars. It helps you find out your opportunity cost and prioritize better. Be it generating or following up on your leads, attending or coordinating meetings, or various other tasks, this simple number helps you stay productive and efficient.

And how does one calculate their True Hourly Rate?

First, find out what you love to do in your business – is it selling, coaching, public speaking, something else? Something that you are willing to do day after day.
Then imagine you find an employer who let’s you be your own boss. Completely flexible. Allows you to set your own schedule and is willing to hire you to just do what you love. And, cannot fire you for the next 5 years.
Next, at what yearly salary you see yourself doing this day in and day out for at least the next 3-5 years, with a guaranteed job and a great place to work.
Now take that yearly salary and divide it by 2000 – that is your True Hourly Rate.
For example: If this ideal yearly salary is $100k then your True Hourly Rate will be that divided by 2K, which in this case would equal $50 an hour.

Why is this number so important?

Now you can compute the opportunity cost of every meeting, and the ROI for any work you do. If each hour of your meeting or any work you do on daily basis is not returning at least your True Hourly Rate, then you need to drop that task and pursue others which potentially give you a better return.

Now you can measure all those meet-ups you love so much and that BNI which promised you leads. Are they actually returning value for your time and money – at least at your True Hourly Rate?

Further reading: Real Hourly Rate. Search Google for Real Hourly Rate. There are many good articles which get into computing your real hourly rate. These articles talk about expenses and your salary etc. These are good things to know if you are interested in more details, but (1) it’s a bit too much detail, and (2) really not that applicable to small business owners.

Do let us know about what you think of this article? If you like it then please share and spread the word!

What’s in a Title? From Astro-Logical Love to How To Satisfy A Woman Every Time

Jun 6, 2017 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

Many noted marketing experts, in their blogs, presentations, and even books, have utilized the story of author Naura Hayden, who is said to have released a book in the early 1980s that flopped, and later re-published it with a new cover and title, in the early 90s, to then become a New York Times best seller. Wow! That’s some impressive marketing magic!

Can simply changing the title of book, without changing its content, really create such an impact? This legend certainly seems like an excellent example of just that.

We sure were intrigued, but we operate with a healthy dose of skepticism over here at Kuware, so we took it upon ourselves to hunt down both of these books, in order to verify this popular anecdote, and learn as much as we could about it.

As it turns out – THESE ARE NOT THE SAME BOOKS.

While the author was attempting to serve the same audience in the same way, her shift in success was not as simple as changing the cover and the title – she had to write a whole new book to better communicate her message and more effectively serve her target market.
At the end of the day, this tale definitely expresses how important it is to appropriately craft the messaging of your marketing efforts, and how critical it is to speak to your customers needs and desires, but there’s no quick fix for a failure to do that effectively.

For our efforts, our guiding philosophy was once again confirmed: We are committed to remaining irreverent of any and all marketing dogma.

Our message to you, dear reader: Don’t accept everything you encounter at face value. Good marketing is based on factual evidence that is tested, tried and true – not just catchy ideas that get passed around.

CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, expressed our sentiments perfectly as, “It is better to be a ‘learn-it-all’ than a ‘know-it-all’.”

We only use proven methods, and we guarantee our work. We’re eager to help you DOUBLE or TRIPLE your sales whenever you’re ready!