Brown Motion

A children's marching band song that is somehow stuck in my head. I have no idea what the words mean but the tune is catchy.  Recently when I read Rihanna was peddling knickers, I somehow thought that she must have a knack for knickers and the tune kept playing in my head.  If that is not whacky what is? What it also tells me is that America is truly land of opportunity for anyone willing to hustle.  A girl from Barbados who allegedly suffered abuse can go from being no one to a pop star and then turn her charisma to selling unrelated goods. There are many such successful business people in America but when I compare to my land of birth aka India, I cannot think of comparable marketers.  I mean if Asha Bhosale or equivalent singer in India started selling their own brand of underwear it would cause a national uproar or even riots. Can you imagine Aishwarya trying to twerk or a Priyanka selling her own brand of Chopra cosmetics?  But it is possible for K...

Initial Public Offering.  A way for new businesses to raise capital.  Legit by all the laws of the land.  Done to death. Yet we get a bunch of surprises each year when these so called entrepreneurs attempt to convince the public to invest in their dreams. Recent history would suggest the irony and the bizarre nature of how the broader market evaluates the worth of any business. WeWork - a business founded on the idea of leasing or buying large square footage in busy metros and then renting it out for hefty premiums to other businesses with 'just in time' or 'temporary work space' needs.   This concept garnered ridiculous amount of excitement from the bankers who touted it as yet another unicorn (more on this later).  Turns out the idea of WeWork being workable was flawed.  At least in terms of its valuation.  Revenue models were broken, but marketed as gravy by Ivy league types working for large brands on wall street.  Someone figure...

Selling the promise of higher education in brand name campuses is now reached level of maturity where the sheep are drawn to the slaughter house with a simple email invite. Marketing costs have come way down.  Asians (by that largely Chinese and Indian ex pat) will arrive in droves to seminars hosted on school property with a Chinese speaker who may have a couple of female lackeys putting up a powerpoint to walk through.  The pitch is asking the lost souls to sign up for 1 on 1 consulting for their child in exchange for mucho dinero. Note this is touted as a legit way to gain access to top tier schools without going to jail or forking out large gobs of cash as donations. Mere mention that the founder had something to do with an Ivy League brand (might as well have done some obscure week long management training course) will draw out the hyper anxious parents wanting to better their children's lives. While the parental motivation may be real the path chosen is oft misg...