Madhav Oza entered the travel business well before the onslaught of internet, lived through the dotcom transformation of the sector and continues to enjoy a significant market share today. But he has been unable to attract venture capital investment for his company Bluestar, while wannabe travel portals, with nothing more than a website, have successfully…
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What’s the right time to become your own boss
Printed on The Economic Times, Op-Ed page. Bijaei Jayaraj is happy serving his three-month notice period at MasterCard Worldwide as assistant vice-president and accounts head. Having resigned in January, he doesn't have another job in hand and interestingly, isn't looking for one either. After all, he is going to start up on his own. He…
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Why the farmer will never get rich
Printed on The Economic Times, Op-Ed page. Imagine there's no countries. Unwittingly, John Lennon captured the essence of globalisation in this song. It's an engine to integrate markets so a farmer in a remote district of Maharashtra is almost as well off as his counterpart in US. However, the key word is imagine. Why? You'll…
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Green avenue: Business sense meets clean energy
Printed on The Economic Times, Op-Ed page. Visitors these days to St Paul's school in Hyderabad or Basaveswara College in Bangalore, or any of the growing number of educational institutions across southern India, notice bright rows of solar-powered lamps that have switched off hundreds of energy-guzzling tube lights that the campuses previously employed. Helping them…
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Critical mass may come with labour pangs
Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, the workers union affiliated to the Shiv Sena, was in the news recently after its members at Big Bazar went on a flash strike to protest the termination of 120 employees. The strike not only succeeded in ensuring the reinstatement of the sacked staffers, but also brought to fore the issue of…
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Fuel the Future
Printed on The Economic Times, Op-Ed page. Entrepreneurs should not rush to show profits in fledgling ventures, but focus on building long-term value, says Mahul Brahma m run er OHIT Carwale his Dubey .com on , chief a , had executive two options officer entice before of customers online him vehicle . He with could…
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Serial entrepreneurs always on big ideas
Printed on The Economic Times, Op-Ed page. Serial entrepreneurship is looking at companies like the way one would look at a product. Just the way one launches a product, builds attractive features and attributes in the product, invests in creating value, makes it appealing, prices it correctly and manages it through the product life cycle…
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Pilgrim’s Progress – Story on Tourbillons
Twenty years ago when my grandfather died I inherited his closest possession, an Omega manual-wind mechanical wristwatch. I was in standard III and knew not the world of difference between the Omega and the Mickey Mouse Casio quartz I had worn till then. To my horror the next day, the Omega died. I panicked, thinking…
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Legal Eagles Find Luxury Pens Hard To Put Down
High-profile lawyers in Delhi, which is the seat of the apex court and the high court, have a penchant for luxury writing instruments. Financial Chronicle finds out that these legal eagles with means constitute around 60 per cent of the clientele of luxury pen retailers in the city. Some of these avid collectors, such as…
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India vrooms into F1
Greater Noida circuit all set to burn rubber Blinking not allowed! That’s the unwritten code at the Buddh International Circuit, the 5.14 km long F1 track. Because you might just miss the over 250 kmph racing demon by the time you open your eyes. What you can’t miss from the Grand Stand is the ear…
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