Hiring Squad

October 23, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

This is an idea for T.V shows, a mix of reality TV attributes – action, positive stories, hope and more.

So, what’s this HIRING SQUAD!

In our daily life, we come across many workers – sales girl, Waiter, Cook, Restaurant cleaner, Intern, Janitor, Security Staff, ATM Staff, customer service agent at a store, etc. Out of the many support staff or blue color workers you interact, some are outstanding in their job for some reason and that stays in our mind for a longer time or it could make our day a better one.

Why they stood out?
Probably, it could be the solution they provided, positive attitude, helping us with the right answer about products, went out of their way to help us, or their friendly smile, empathy, etc. Most often, they too are forgotten.

What if these people are giving more opportunities for growth?

This is where a Hiring Squad does. A T.V program that could run for a season. Here’s how it can work. First there will be a call to public to recommend people who are doing exceptional work at their job. For instance, you know a waiter who serves customers with a smile or by saying hello. You think, she is doing an exceptional job. So, you call the studio number and tell your experience and whereabouts of this person. Likewise, any person can refer.

Let Talent Get Rewarded

Hiring Squad also can contact business owners who require exceptional sales staff.

Next, armed with the information of potential hires, the team visits the store or shop where the people are working. They record the subject in action – at their work also interacts with them, without their knowledge. Probably, they will have more than one or two visits. \

During the interaction, they analyze the work and if selected, they propose a new job with salary.

Get Hired to a New Post with Better Pay

Will this be a good topic for a new T.V series, where such a story is captured and aired. Also, the T.V show can sponsor a talented person to take higher courses – For instance, send them for a short course in beauty treatment, or any specialized course. So, all of this together becomes a Good Karma show on T.V. Something we people in Kerala needs the most in the days.

Hartal in Kerala – 21 Things to Do on a Hartal Day

October 19, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Looks like Kerala is fixated on hartal. No amount of public debate, movie lines, or public resentment is going to change the occurrence of hartal. So, it’s time to accept this as an aberration from our so called 100% literacy state.

So, given the scenario of facing at least one hartal a month, I thought of how people have started accepting this as a fact of life.

For people working in any of the Government offices in Trivandrum, hartal is just another holiday and in some cases they are forced to sign on the attendance register for fear of loss of pay. This means, these are the people who are least affected by hartal.

If you’re working in IT related biz in Trivandrum, you have no option but to take some risk to reach office on time.

Worst hit people are the small biz owners, restaurant workers, laborers, people who are friends and relatives at Medical College or those who don’t have much means for daily livelihood. Well, we won’t get to hear their story. Who’s really bothered about the hardship of marginal people who don’t have the means to hire a Uber or get alternative arrangement!

In this given scenario, I’m thought of how and what options are left on a hartal day – well not the usual theme of watching TV or cleaning the attic, or taking a much deserved nap.

Well, here are different activities in store!

Entertainment
1. Pick to watch a drama on Youtube
2. Gather your friends to play an outdoor game

3. Avoid TV news or whatsapp for a day and read a book
4.

Business

1. Start a FB page on any business or cause you like to associate

2. Start a blog on a topic of your choice and post 10 posts
3. Teach someone to blog

4. Give a hand to a small business trader and suggest tips

Social

1. Call some 5 friends you had not called in the last 6 months

2. Plan a 1 day trip to any wilderness ( No hartal in the woods)

3. Get few people to clean the clogged drain in your locality

4. Visit an Old age home and give them company or share a meal together

5. Find and dispose 5 things from your home ( de-clutter)
6.

Read and by-heart a poem

Ease or Difficulty of Doing Business in Kerala

October 14, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

For a long time I have been thinking, planning to let out a part of my house for home-stay. The idea on such a home-stay facility was to create a second or third-income stream. However, I’m just sitting on this idea, not taking steps to fulfill the paper work required for obtaining the home-stay license.

One factor is that I’m lazy.Second, I find the home-stay application procedure a cumbersome process.

Well, the kind of formalities you have comply is the the least we can expect from any Government related application process.

So, here are the documents required for applying for a home stay license in Trivandrum or the rest of Kerala.

1. Clearance certificate from the Panchayat/ Municipality/Corporation
2. Police Clearance Certificate from the Local Station House Officer,
3. Document regarding the ownership of the building
4. Layout map of important road stretches from the building,
5. Building plan,
6. Checklist of the facilities and services providing,
7. Checklist should be duly filled in and signed on all pages,
8. Pictures which depicts the interior and exterior of the house.
—————–
The set of formalities makes me think of this fav song by Bob Dylan – Blowing in the Wind.

So, how many offices must a man walk through before he gets the application approved. Answer my friend is …

Jokes apart, here are the department or offices you must set your foot to get the application.

1. Panchayat or Corporation Office
2. Police Station
3. Hire a contractor or an engineer to make a building plan ( if you have a copy of earlier building plan, that would suffice)
4. Village Office for ownership

—————–

Simplify or Complicate! Why Not Make Life Easier for Citizens!

We have come a long way ( Independence), but we are still tied with the knots of bureaucracy. Why are things very complicated in Kerala or in the rest of India?

(Why or how long will you leaders, bureaucrats think this of simplifying official procedures?
When will citizens make it their right to have a simple process?
When will my India really grow beyond these petty things?

NOTE to Heads of Department!
This is a note to all the politicians, the top brass who move around Trivandrum city in lightening speed in fancy and posh cars, top-heads, leaders, IAS officers – First thing we people want is ease or to get things moving fast in our life. As I write this, I know that many rules has been taken out. However, there are many things which are still left complicated purposefully. What the heck!

Meanwhile, any Government if it’s really concerned about the welfare of people or thinks about the value of time, must simplify the application process now. Why?

People in Kerala are going through a tough patch – money from Gulf is drying up, typical jobs in Kerala are taken by people from other states, and the cost of education, healthcare, rent etc is on the rise. So, one way to earn is the money is through tourism.

More Home-stays – More Cash for Common People

We now have a system where all licences – from a quay license, to liquor license to food safety to shop license are all require multiple steps and often days to weeks to process. Why can’t we make it simpler for a man to start a business? Is this the way it’s done in developed countries?

Is there a study done on that front? Means, if anyone has studied the way licenses are issued in US or UK or Australia or China?

Office to Simplify the Official Procedures –
It’s time Kerala should formulate a separate cell or wing or office to simplify all the forms, procedures or even have an agency to help people to get licences.

Probably, Akshaya Kendra will recruit people who will got to individual’s house to get all the application for a fee. Imagine, how easy it would be for common citizens who has money but not time to get the required licences.

Another way Kerala can get into news is by Tweeting the changes in application process. Daily or Weekly a Tweet about how it has simplified a process. Imagine how much more Kerala brand will get into the news.

BENCHMARK The APPLICATION PROCESS With OTHER STATES and COUNTRIES
We frequently hear news of ministers going for overseas trip to study such and such process. What are they learning during the trip? I wonder and public also wonder? Can we make it mandatory for every politician or bureaucrat to pen down his or her overseas visit with a note or recommendation.

For instance, after every visit they should write 10 things they learned and 5 things they should implement to makes things better or improve the situation.

IN this case, if a politician visits another country, they should ask them how they carry out the license factor and how much time it takes to issue a licences. After all, we need to improve and keep on improving the system in place.

PROMOTE HOMESTAY in KERALA – WHAT TOURISM DEPT SHOULD DO

1. Set up booth during exhibitions or conferences and educate public about the home-stay application process
2. Set up centers during Onam or Christmas fair and give leaflets promoting homestay
3. Train public on how to treat homestay customers and how they can give a better experience to visits and even cross selling
4. Give training on marketing their homestay on Airbnb, TripAdvisor, or by starting a blog

Additional Information:

1. Scope of homestays in Kerala covered in Indian Express

2. List of home stays in Kerala

2008 Recession in Bangalore

October 13, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Recession fever in Bangalore
But recession is not all that bad news to me. Often I have cribbed about the rising apartment rates and rental charges in Bangalore. And now I find some solace in the news that reality sector is hit and I’m glad that I’m not a property dealer. This credit crunch has put on brakes on the spiraling reality prices which Bangalore has witness over the past 5 years. A good pause of growth is fine for a any sector and to put slight brakes on rising greed in our citizens.

Along with the stalled prices of real estate I would like to see lower rates for rent. This is something which is yet to come in a big way. Even now these shady brokers insist that apartment rates are still on the highs. A two bedroom house in Koramangala still fetches across 10K and even a single bedroom dingy houses owners expect a good 6 or 7 K.

Another visible sign of recession in Bangalore is lower attendance in the new age coffee joints. Thin crowds of cuppochino cowboys and girls is another index to go by about the lower spending from these yuppie crowd.

Opportunity does exist in recession:

All is not lost for companies that work to serve for global economies. Recession is a good time for more small business to provide vital biz saving services at a lower cost. It’s also time for Indian business to look closely at customer’s satisfaction as a key matrices to jingle their cash registers.

Balcony Garden Ideas

October 13, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

It’s another fresh green idea rolling down from Domlur. Well, I got this stuff in mind while driving towards my home after an interesting TT game at Citi Nest. Well, how I got this TT partner is another blog story.

Forget about that now, this idea came to my mind after I heard a lady telling that apartment life is like pigeon house. This lady who came to our house was impressed with the open spaces and the few plants I had maintained. She said, she has kept house plants in all nook and corner in her place. Probably, she must be mooted by the lack of greenery in her life.

So, coming to the idea of balcony garden.

Do you know any nursery which does exclusively for apartment balcony. We know the number of apartments in Bangalore and the limitation of setting up a balcony garden. Now comes the interesting part. Imagine a nursery which makes customized balcony garden. So, if a nursery has a model balcony garden set for customers to see and walkthrough, then it would be easy to floor them with samples.

For example, they should make balcony garden with different theme – tropical, woodland, dessert or could have a walled garden with ferns or orchids

The first advantage would be this:

Customer who buys a balcony set will get the entire plants, settings. The nursery guys should transport the entire setting to the customers place. this could include balcony plant holder, to wind chimes, or terracotta figurines, dripper ( water irrigation tool), etc.

Moreover, here are few garden themes which could be made

1) Bonsai theme ( All miniature plants)

2) Water lilies and ferns ( To those who love such kinds)

3) Bamboo and such sorts

5) Croton varieties and begonias

6) Rock garden kinds ( Japanese garden kinds)

7) All ivy kinds ( Imagine a ivy setting)

8) All vegies ( from ladies finger to curry leaves)

9) Geranium and flowering plants)

Check out these Ideas and Designs

Inspiring ideas to design your balcony
Ideas from Pinterest
Balcony greenery ideas
Patio inspiration

Other add on’s which can be supplied:

Wind chime
Automatic water drip item
Terracotta stuff
Mirror or fen sui items
Water lilies
Alarms and binoculars
Protective cover for balconies
Sound proofing
Wind fan or solar panel
Balcony stands
Garden furniture
Garden umbrella

Balcony Garden Store in Bangalore
While there are couple of small shops like Sunny’s Balcony and other shops which deal with accessories for balcony, there is a shortage of a complete balcony set up shop.

A shop where you can walk in and come home with the entire balcony make-over. From a grafitti artist to plant stand or a plant wall or carbet or chairs, or a mini fountain, you can make your balcony stand out in a matter of days.

Even safety gadgets for balconies should be included. Such as alarm when kids are in that space.

What do you think, will such kind of stuff work in Bangalore? I fell it would, b’cos the customer seems what exactly he or she is getting. It’s not just one pot here and one pot there. They are getting the entire garden set in just a day or in a week’s time.

Well, time is money in places like Bangalore. And, people who can afford this kind of personalized and customized stuff don’t want to be bothered with the task of going slow, growing stow.

I was imagining what other things can make an impact on a balcony…..What could it be? What would make people happy….

Have a coffee table
Automatic water spraying to keep it cool ( It would work in summer and when the heat is soaring.)
Balcony chairs ( Exotic and customized ones)
Balcony bar or game set ups
Music system for balconies
Water tubs for plants

Ideally, the person who implements such an idea should love gardening, and who really loves to make a difference in the daily life of an apartment dweller. Btw, you can source many apartment garden related items, furniture or design stuff from China. Just thought of it now!

To a Greener Balcony

Body Posture Correcting Service

October 13, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Posture Power

I’ve an arch shaped back. Well, looking at my old black and white pic of me walking with no clothes on, I can make out that it started very early in my life.

Now, when I walk, my tummy juts forward making it look sloppy. Most of the time, I’m not aware of the fact that I have a slouch in my walk. Recently, my partner reminded that my walk is getting more worse and it looks terrible. Shame on me!

Oh, how do I go about fixing my bad posture? Is there a doctor or a service to correct my bad posture.

I’m not sure if I’m the only one with a bad posture. Probably, there are many like me, and few others who are not aware of the way their body shows.

This made me think of a small biz idea – what about starting a clinic which takes care of fixing ugly pose. Such a clinic will have to talk about the benefit of having a straight, erect pose, which is good for health, looks and radiates a confident look.

So, are you ready to start a posture clinic?

However, for people like with a bad pose, there are few help around. Check out wiki page on correcting the bad posture and also this page on http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/posture-power-how-to-correct-your-body-alignment.html

Get into Power Pose – You Can Do it!

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Starting a Note of Quotes to Byheart

October 9, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.” — Marcus Aurelius

What the Public Perception of a Brand?

October 9, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

This post continues the story of how Muralaya Milk is making inroads in Kerala. It’s about the public perception of the brand – what people talk about a brand in a negative way and how they get such a vibe.

STORY 1
When I asked a shop keeper in Kumarapuram,Trivandrum about MILMA milk packet, this is what he had to say – He says MILMA is buying milk from Maharashtra so, the milk is not fresh. Whereas, Muralaya buys from their source and it’s fresh, and people prefer it.

My Questions Here!
How did the new brand establish this story with the local shopkeepers? Does MILMA people know about such a story? Are they doing something about it?

I also passed by their main office at Ambalathara in Trivandrum. The entire compound is kept untidy and has overgrown on the side and the building looks grey with old paint. Is this good for a brand? Why are they leaving such a good campus to rot and unclean?

If they want some inspiration, they should visit the office of Nandini at Diary Circle in Bangalore and see well maintained offices.

What People Say about your Brand?

Online and Offline conversation and talk matters. This is why many brands have a social media listening post to capture every bit of talk about the brand. When I joined the brand, I was working for Nielsen and what I did along with the team of some 15 people was this. Visit forums and collect any relevant conversation which mentions the brand.

Is MILMA aware of what people talk about then?
What about your brand? What are your past customers talking about you?

IF you are heading MILMA what will you do?
Well, MILMA from my opinion require a big change to face the swelling competition from other milk brands. It’s time they don’t skim the issue, but do something to make a remarkable change.

Fresh Fish in Bangalore

October 9, 2018 ~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Fresh Mackeral at Fish Stall at Domlur

Sardine – Big, Fat ones

Fishy Lucky
I call myself that for the fortune of having fish on a regular basis. This is partly b’cos of the place I stay in B’lore – a place close to two fish stalls in Domlur.

Regarding fish purchase, I’m not a risk taker. I stick to a certain variety of fishes. Mackeral is ignored as it’s not fresh in these shops. Second, sear fish I buy is the head part. And river fish is mostly avoided. However, I have just experimented with Katla, which is grilled.

Exception for Today
As you see in this picture, today’s mackeral was really fresh – a rare event. It’s evident from the fresh eyes. On seeing it, I was tempted to buy, but I had already bought a barracuda and sardine.

Sometimes, I wonder how people can be so blinded when I see them buying stale or limpish mackeral from the fish stall. Are they so ignorant? I think, I should take these people to Kerala, make them eat fresh mackeral and I bet they won’t touch the ones in the market. Well, I can’t blame them – all they have seen are the old beaten up ones.

So, how do you check if the fish is fresh or not? Is there a way to screen old fish? How to buy only fresh catch?

My regular fish purchase would include:

Sardine
Sear fish head
Anchovy
Para
Baracuda
Very rarely, katla ( only for grill)

So, which fish do you buy on a regular basis?

Other sources of Online Fish Purchase in Bangalore

1. Online fish delivery in Bangalore Fresh to Home

2. Dailyfish.in

3. https://happymeat.in/fish-online-bangalore

4. https://gofish.farm/

5. https://www.licious.in/ ( We usually buy sear fish head)