Business Tuesdays: Under Promise and Over Deliver

I think one of the most important lessons, I have learned the hard way. Why are people unhappy by your work and your service? Maybe you are unhappy about how some service you might have paid for, didn't come up to your expectations. That's the keyword, expectations. An employee expects his employer to take care of him. An employer expects his employee will work hard in return. A husband expects his wife, to take care of him, and in return a wife expects the husband to take care of her. The world is filled with expectations. When I go down to a steakhouse, I'd expect a nice juicy steak on my plate, and not the ones I make at home, which are half cooked and raw. But if that steak is raw and dry, and the worst you had in your life, someone somewhere has let you down. Your brand, your name is a promise. I can expect a Billy's Steakhouse can give me a bad steak, but if I go to a Tony Roma's or something, I expect to have a really good steak. That brand, that name is a promise in itself. 

Enough of general talk. No matter what field you are in, every person trying to make a buck, will promise the moon, the stars, the sun, the galaxy and the whole universe. As a customer, you will be like "Wow! This must be the deal of the century." and when they deliver, the sun, the moon, the stars, the galaxy, but not the whole universe. What's going to happen next? Your expectations will fall. Hence making that the worst deal of the century. Its not about the effort involved. The person might have worked day in day out, to give you the sun, the moon, the stars, and the galaxy, and it must've been their best work, but they over promised and they under delivered. And thats when all that effort will mean to nothing.

This is customer service 101 guys. If you service your clients better then competition, people will pay the extra buck for you. Take some time, and remember why you went to an expensive place only because some one spoke to you nicely. So never promise the sun, the moon and the stars to your client. Always under promise and over deliver.

Join me back on Tuesday, for another round on Business Tuesdays. 

Photo Credits: Apple ; Fruits

Its got my name on it.

Let me tell you a story, which my English teacher told me back in High School.

There was a team of 2 people, who used to build houses for a living. They worked together for almost every project. (For the sake of the story lets name them Gary and Jones). Gary used to go get the jobs, and Jones used to build the houses. Jones was so good at building houses, that Gary never had to inspect them before delivery. They continued this for many years, till Jones said "Hey Gary! I can't do this anymore, I'm done with building houses, and now I need to retire." Jones was hoping Gary would listen to him and let him retire, but he didn't. Gary said "Jones, I can't let you retire just yet. I have one last job we need to do, and then you are free to retire." Jones was totally annoyed. He just didn't have any heart left in him for the jobs. Since it was his last job, he went ahead and did it, but without heart. For the heck of it, he finished that job, with messy fittings, a bad paint job, and uneven fencing around the house. Jones went back to Gary in his office, and said "Here you go, its all done." and handed over the keys of the house to Gary. Gary smiles back at him and says "Great!" and hands him the keys back and says "Jones, its your home now. A gift from me to you for working for us so long."

Moral of the story: Whatever you do, do it with you heart, because its got your name on it.

It can be anything, anywhere, just put your heart into it, because its got your name on it. It can be a paid job or a non paid job, my passion and my dedication towards it shouldn't change. Why? Because its got your name on it. Your name is what you are. People remember you by your name, and you need to make sure your name is remembered in a good way. At the end of the day, everything you do has your name on it. I always try to give it all I have, and yes, sometimes you loose motivation, but thats when you need to tell yourself, that look, its GOT MY NAME ON IT. I can't repeat this enough, but this is what it is. Whatever field you are in, you need to remember that you represent your name, which is a brand. No matter how small or big, its your name, and everything you do, HAS YOUR NAME ON IT. So go ahead and nail everything, anything everytime you do. 

Photo courtesy : Ali A. Daud

Keeping your head high.

Its been a hectic long week, with a lot of eventful things happening. One of the many eventful things is India winning the Cricket World Cup 2011; Congrats. Now that the cricket fever is starting to wear off, lets get back on track.

Opportunities don't come knocking at your door until you've reached a high point in life, where you have various opportunities on an ala carte menu. I want to and can grab anything out of the hat, but I won't. I want to choose which way I steer this boat of mine. Then I think to myself, am I even on the boat yet?

I'm in the most confused state of minds right now, and this isn't the best time to write on the blog, but I'm still going to do it. I've kept my head high for a lot of things in life, and I am going to continue to do so. All I'm waiting for is that ignition to this venture. That one opportunity to go out there and prove not to the world, but to myself that I can do what I believe in.

Its not easy trying to give birth to this artist within you, when your life is filled with responsibilities. There have been times where I feel like throwing in the towel, but by God, I need to be hit by lighting for that. I have a goal; and that is to make a living out of something I love. What do athletes do when they see a hurdle or an obstacle. They jump over it and run to the finish line. That's what I'm going to do. Jump over the hurdle, and keep going. That's what I did when I was an athlete, doesn't have to change now. I don't believe in overnight fame or money. Every hurdle or obstacle I pass is a strong brick in this tower of success I'm building. And towers weren't made overnight.

The "Manual Mode" Myth

In the days before the automatic camera's, there were your cameras which made every photographer work real hard to get that correct exposure. There were pocket manuals for different conditions, about what your shutter speed should be and what your aperture should be and what your ISO rating should be. The photographers worked really hard for their pictures. Hence photographers like Ansel Adams and Alfred Eisenstaedt were some of the famous pioneers of the art industry. They all shot in Manual mode, because that's all that was back then.

Technology has advanced a lot since then, creating micro sized chips with enough memory to fit a complete event, unlike the days of film. They have created more user-friendly cameras, and the creation of the "AUTO" mode in cameras.

For a short course on using M mode; it consists of 3 basic factors. Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO. The shutter speed controls how long your shutter is open. Aperture controls how much light enters the lens. ISO controls the sensitivity of the sensor to the light. In the manual mode, to get the perfect exposure you need to adjust shutter speed and aperture according to the display of the light meter. Now, you either choose the aperture first, and dial the shutter speed till the light meter displays the correct exposure, or the shutter speed first, and dial the aperture till the light meter displays the correct exposure.

Now heres the misconception. "You are not a pro if you don't shoot in Manual." I'm going to come out and say it out right. I mostly use Av and I almost rarely use M. Why shouldn't I. Its an option on my 5D Mk II. Its there for a reason. You don't need to worry about what anyone thinks about how you shoot, as long as you get the job done. There were manual cars before, with gear shifts, till they came out with an automatic gear with a trip shift system. You are a pro as long as you are professional. As long as you get the job done. I use my camera on Av mode because I know how each f/stop changes the exposure, I manually decide my ISO depending on the situation, and I let the camera decide the shutter speed. The only time I use M mode is during still life and flash photography, when I'm using my umbrellas and soft boxes.

Don't be shy of how you shoot. If auto is how you roll, you go ahead and create magic. In the wedding industry, its all about timing. If you fumble with your settings, you might lose the opportunity to have captured a moment.

Did you know most "pros" use Av mode a lot more then M mode.

Business Tuesdays: Inspire and Exalt

Inspiration. A tool to exalt. A tool to uplift.

I am an easy person to inspire. Many things inspire me, because inspiration is a tool to elevate. I believe in the philosophy that if you can do it I can do it too. Its simple. You have two hands, so do I; you have two eyes, so do I; you have two legs, so do I. Most importantly, you have a brain; so do I. Don't get me wrong, because I'm not saying that if you can do it, I can do it better. No! I'm not a proud man, but I do take pride in my achievements. For example, If you tell me, okay get down and give me 300 Push-ups because you can do it, and I will tell you I can do 300 push-ups too, but probably not right now. If I worked towards that goal, one day, YES! I will be able to do 300 push ups. That is what I really mean when I say if you can do it, I can do it too. Just not right now. This keeps me going, everyday of my life. You can believe whatever you want; whatever keeps you going is key. So pick up that camera, and if someone tells you, you aren't creative or you don't have it in you, tell yourself NOT YET, BUT ONE DAY I WILL and keep clicking, because practice makes perfect.

Exalt. Uplift. Rise. My philosophy.

Simple concept. If the world understood it, I think it would be a better place to live in. To rise, you need to leave your seat. To succeed, you need to leave your place. Today, everyone is so concerned about their current position that they are scared that they will be replaced and they would lose their current power, their current position and current status. Its simple. If you stay in one place, you won't move. That's how sole proprietorships turn into multinational corporations. A single idea into a million dollar corporation. Let me give you an example. In my market, there was this retail outlet, where the owner used to sit on the cashier's desk. He would have his sales team to bring in the sale, but he would never leave the cash counter. He wanted to be in control of his cash, and so he was. The company reached its optimum profit limit. The partners in his company told him, to leave the cash counter and manage the shop. He denied as he thought that being in control of cash was power. After much advice, he was asked to delegate those responsibilities to someone else which he did. After leaving that cash counter, he could now look over the cash counter, the sales team and the store, where he found a lot of loop holes which he fixed. Had he never moved from his place, the holes would've remained. Also he was able to see many other things which he changed in terms of functionality. Years passed by, and the company reached its optimum profit limit. The partners again asked him to leave his position and delegate them to someone else. He denied, thinking how can I leave this place. If I leave this place, I will totally lose control. After much discussion, the partners persuaded him to delegate his duties. He finally did. After delegating he had found himself totally free and nothing else to do. During this time, he worked on opening a second location to his initial business, and this way from one to two, from two to four and today operates six locations  from one location. So if you sit in that place where you are, and hope things will change, forget about it. Stand up, and move. Get a fresh perspective, and rise.

For me, I'm going to go grow into my photography business.

Join in on every Tuesday for more positive business related philosophy.
 

Engagement Session: Shabbir and Arwa

The wonderful and glamorous Shabbir and Arwa. The two of them actually met at Arwa's place when Shabbir came down to Dubai from Chicago, and had no place to go, and arrived at her doorstep. Arwa always wanted a knight in shining armor on a horse, to knock on her door, but it was Shabbir with 2 suitcases and no place to go. How did that happen? Shabbir is good friends with Murtaza (Mapu) aka Arwa's cousin from Chicago, and he just said, hey man, just crash at my cousin's place. So there he was knocking on her door.

Shabbir and Arwa were great in front of the camera. A great pair, and fun people to be with. Frankly, when I met Shabbir, I was little weirded out with his habit of always having his hands in his pockets. The moment I asked to take them out, he would be like "Where do I keep them?". Then gradually, I realized that when I don't have my camera in my hand, my hands are in the pocket too.

The experience was exhilarating, and they both were lovely to shoot. We shot through the streets of Diera, and then finally ended up taking a ride on the Abra during Sunset. The light was amazing, and gave us some really good shots.

Engagement Session: Shabbir & Arwa - Images hidden upon client's request for selective viewing.

Fighting Negativity...

It is amusing how sometimes people leave it to "life" to decide their path. What's more amusing is how when you are born, your fate has been decided by your parents before your name. Times are changing now. Ive been blessed with two sons over the past few years, and I will be lying if I hadn't thought about what my son would one day grow up to be. The feeling of envisioning your son to be something you want him to be is so natural, no matter how much I denied myself, that when my son comes in this world, I will let him be what he wants to be(natural in most eastern cultures). Its only the most fortunate ones who can wake up in the morning, to do the thing that they love the most.

For a person belonging to this eastern culture like me, where a father expects his son to take his place in the "circle of life", it is quite difficult and sometimes impossible to become what he wants to be. Don't get me wrong, my family is not that conservative to the thought. Its not like they are denying me to purse photography, but they aren't letting me pursue it freely either. So my father has developed his business, this brand, and this name for himself in the "market", and he's given 30+ years of his life to it, and expects me to sit in the same place where he sits today and be that man. There is nothing wrong about him feeling that way. I think any father who has achieved something with hard-work, their sweat and blood, will want someone to take over; and that someone will preferably be his heir. Don't get me wrong guys, but I'm stuck in this place, where one part of me, wants what my parents want, and the other part of me wants what I want.

That is key. What I want. People who wake up to do what THEY want to do, is life in itself. Most people do what their parents want or wanted them to do, and accept it as reality, and continue doing it. Its selfless. If Herman Einstein told his son Albert, that son, I've created this company where I have manufactured and sold electrical equipment and I want you to take my place, I don't think the world would've understood the theory of general relativity, let alone revolutionizing the world of physics.

I think I'm really lucky to have a father like my father, and I've learnt a lot from him. Just today in the morning, he asked me to give my ads in the classifieds for my photography business. See he does and says these small things, but there are moments where I'm reminded my place in the "circle of his life". I won't give up hope, especially never in myself to be great. To be someone. Even if Ansel Adams told me my photos sucked, I wouldn't give up!

I believe everyone of us, each and every single human being has the power of being different, and no one is any less then the other. We are all Einsteins; we just need to believe that.

Remember, Everyone's Beautiful!