The Name-Game

December 2010
I think I did everything backwards with this start-up.

I got stuck on the name for almost 1.5 months. Everything was taken. I have a start-up diary, where I have logs of all possible names I could come up with. Hitesh and I had sessions where we'd brainstorm names several times a day. Obviously, we got stuck.

I decided to get my friends input. I asked several of my friends for their recommendations, and noted everyone's ideas & names suggestions. Alas! no luck for a month.

I went to the public library, and carried 4 big Atlases in the hope of finding a name through the Atlas. No luck!

I liked a few names. For example; The Boarding Pass, but then everything was almost invariably taken in the domain name space.

This is also the time, I was a recently minted beginner's Spanish student from Costa Rica. One fine day, I was explaining my start-up's concept to my good friend, Jittu. We've been friends for the last 15 years (Gosh! that is a long time). The next day, he calls me,"Hey, Shalu, I was driving, and thinking about your start-up last night. Essentially, you are telling people to go on your website, and get inspired to travel...why don't you try, "GO HERE as the domain name?"

Fantastic idea! Jittu is quite a bright guy. I am always amazed at his risk tolerance (which is beyond the scope of discussion) :p
A domain name search quickly dampened my excitement. It was taken.

A sudden light bulb flash in my head: "Wait, a second! Aqui in Spanish means "here". Why don't I try GOAQUI (pronounced - Go Ah (minus the h pronounciation-kee)?

Viola! It was available. And therefore, the start-up was name -> GOAQUI.

Later, I surveyed a few friends. Obviously, without prior Spanish knowledge, people do not know how to pronounce the word. I got mixed reactions. Our friend, Shikha also gave a sound logical reasoning, and convinced me to buy another domain name, which I eventually did, but have not used it.

I had fallen in love with the name of my start-up, and finally, name-game ended with GOAQUI.

How Does an MBA Stumble Upon Entrepreneurship?

What is design-thinking?
Design-Thinking (As I like to explain it): Align customer, or end-user unmet needs, extract the needs into insights, and translate the insights into business-targets.

My agenda in 2010 was to get hired at a company where an MBA can apply design-thinking to business problems.

November 2010
(Dinner conversation with David, Amy, and Hitesh)

Hitesh and I had come back from a week long immersion trip to Costa Rica. We experienced the local culture in Montezuma, learned Spanish, and learned Surfing. I wish we had information about certain things prior to our travel. For example; stay an extra day in Montezuma, and go to Playa Tortuga (island of tortoises), or if you taught English in Montezuma, a particular school would accommodate your stay, Spanish & Surf lessons for free.

Shalu: "I wish there was a place to take recommendations from your friends, know all the nitty-gritty details about your destination prior to your travel, and get inspired to travel to places you have not even heard of....This is how I am thinking of shaping the idea. What do you think?"

David: "I like it. There is definitely an opportunity. Make sure you have your monetization strategy figured out".

I look up to David almost as a mentor (he may, or may not be aware of it), and was happy that he gave the idea a thumbs up.

Design-thinking & Entrepreneurship
As Steve Blank often recommends, stay close to the customer. How does all this apply to my start-up? I am hoping to improve customer pain-points by creating a platform for travelers.

Conclusion in 2010
Who says I can not apply design-thinking to my own venture, and make it successful. And, thus begins the journey of entrepreneurship :)

2011: My Aspirations

I achieved 5.5 / 7 aspirations for the year 2010; I thought I would continue writing down the new aspirations. I learned in my Top Manager's Perspective class at Rotman - people who write down their aspirations / goals, do achieve them. So, here's to 2011:

1. Be Fluent in Conversational Traveler's Spanish: It all started with our week-long trip to Costa Rica in November 2010. Both, Hitesh and I took a week long Surf / Spanish camp in Montezuma. Since then, I have been working on my Spanish. But, learning a language is all about conversation. My aspiration is to be fluent in Traveler's conversational Spanish, so that when I travel to South America, I can immerse myself in the culture, and interact with the locals. We stayed at a bed & breakfast in San Jose. Initially, it was hard to have a conversation with the lady, because she spoke little English, and we spoke little Spanish. But, after our week long trip to Montezuma, we came back equipped with good beginner's Spanish. I started chatting with the lady in Spanish; she beamed, and smiled. She was thrilled to have a conversation with me. I can not explain that feeling, but it was extremely gratifying to speak with her in her native language. I want to savor that feeling; I wish I were able to learn every language possible, and converse with people from around the World. My pre-intermediate Spanish lessons start from February 1st - yay!
   
2. Be Less Straightforward: It is either my strength, or my weakness that I can be very direct in my conversations. Well, in my opinion, things are not left to interpretation, and people can understand each other easily. However, I find that most people can not tolerate truth, or direct answers.
   
3. Listen More, Interrupt Less: Have you noticed, in a social gathering, people offer cut each other thoughts, and conversations? It appears as if there are competing to maneuver the conversations in the direction they want to chat about. I am guilty of interrupting people as well. I hope to listen more, interrupt less, and talk slow (yep! still need to work on it).
4. Travel Much More: Theme from last year's aspirations continues. I want to make it to Yellowstone National Park, Alaska, Yosemite National Park (again!), Death Valley, South America (30-day expedition would be amazing), and India. I hope to explore coastal California more.
   
5. Exercise Much More: I am a sucker for chocolates! I have changed my behavior towards a lot of bad food products except for chocolates, which are still my weakness. I do not want to say that"I will give up chocolates, because it is not realistic", but what I will say is that - I want to run 6 times a week, workout 6 times a week, have a healthy lifestyle, and have a flat stomach by the end of 2011. This is a tough aspiration; tough, but not impossible.
6. Launch My Own Something: It is running behind schedule, but I need to step on it.
7. Surf, Swim, and Hike more: Ah! maximize the joys of living in California.
8. Regret less, move forward
   
9. Update this blog regularly!

Happy 2011 to me!

2010: New Year, New Decade, New Aspirations

Earlier this year, I wrote down my aspirations for 2010. Let's see how I did:

My 7 aspirations (in no particular order) for 2010 are:

1. Talk Slow: I think I talk really fast and sometimes loud (on the phone, when the person on the other end is also loud!).In my last two social gatherings with new people (on two different occasions), I discovered two people, who talked extremely loud, so much so that I got a headache after being in the room with them for 5 minutes. The problem is that most people think that being loud will get their point across. I had to sit far away from these two people, which is not good, because a) I did not interact with them; b) I was annoyed all the time; and c) Loudness is all I remember about them. The experience got me thinking that it must be quite annoying for others as well when I talk fast AND loud! (Needs work in 2011 as well)
   
2. Learn to Surf: Hitesh and I love water sports. We took surfing lessons in Maui in December. Gosh! I have been missing all surfing fun all this time. Both of us loved it. We intend to be able to surf in Santa Cruz over Summer this year (Achieved! Watch out for another post)
   
3. Learn to Swim: I know! I know...swimming, should technically, be a precursor to surfing. However, not being able to swim does not stop me from being in the water. I have taken swimming lessons thrice in my life. Something is wrong with my legs. Oh wait! I am making excuses - I, obviously, did not practice enough to be able to swim properly. Well, it changes this year and starting, January (Achieved; after 3 years of persistence)
   
4. Start My Own Something: I have many-many interests and passions, which have not helped me focus my 100% attention on any particular interest. Starting this year, I am going to "start my own something". My biggest strength (that I can leverage easily) is that I am hyper-observant, and excellent at talking to people and building relationships. I have to focus my energy in meaningful interests and get on with it this year. I have gradually come to realize that owning your own something (that you are passionate about and good at), is the way to succeed (A little behind schedule, but watch out for the launch in early 2011)
   
5. Become More Involved Within Non-Profit: I am a huge fan of people, who focus their attention within non-profit sector. One such non-profit, started by a friend, and based in India, is "chotti si asha", which means 'a ray of hope' in English. I blogged about Liza's efforts in 2008. I hope to be able to help Liza more with her initiative, make it sustainable, and make "chotti si asha" profitable (Yes! MBAs do think about profits) (Absolutely lagged behind)
   
6. Exercise Regularly: I do exercise 3 days a week. It would be amazing to step it up to a 5-day regime. Most importantly, it will help me stay healthy and stress free (Achieved; hired a trainer, lost 10 lbs, and have changed my behavior towards a lot of bad food. I also work out very regularly.)
   
7. Travel More: I have a confession - prior to traveling to Mexico, I used to think that Mexico is a dangerous place to visit. I am ashamed of my perception. I am quite open minded and do not usually have preconceived notions about anyone, or anything. I am not certain how I developed this idiotic misconception. In December 2008, Hitesh and I visited Mexico and boy! I was surprised. Mexicans are extremely friendly people. I had a fantastic time on that trip. The trip changed my point of view about Mexico. Travel, does open your mind. It makes you comfortable with the unfamiliar places and situations. Although, I already love to travel a lot, I hope to do more of it this year (Definitely achieved - traveled a lot around National Parks in California, visited London, Scotland, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver, Costa Rica, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas. I am thrilled with all the brilliant exposure to travel, cultures, and people)
   

Oh, and most importantly: invest in relationships, reconnect with friends, and speak with friends & family more often this year.
Most definitely achieved this!

I read somewhere that people, who write down their aspirations tend to achieve them than people who do not.

I plan to revisit this post at the end of 2010 and see where I am at.
Achieved 5.5 / 7. That ain't bad at all.

I hope to be more regular in 2011 with the blog posts. There is so much to write.
Happy New Year!

An Inspirational Quote

metacool Thought of the Day

http://metacool.typepad.com/metacool/2010/12/metacool-thought-of-the-day-tim-brown-change-by-design.html

"Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to turn processes into projects that have tangible outcomes. We can learn how to take joy in the things we create whether they take the form of a fleeting experience or an heirloom that will last for generations. We can learn that reward comes in creation and re-creation, no just in the consumption of the world around us. Active participation in the process of creation is our right and our privilege. We can learn to measure the sucess of our ideas not by our bank accounts but by their impact in the world."

- Tim Brown

Invaluable Feedback

I want to share a story that will possibly change the job search game for me:-

Hitesh works at HP. Around April 2010, he showed me career story of someone from HP. Let's call this person - Photographer (well, because I checked out some of his photos, and they are amazing). His career story was fascinating!
He talked about a lot of things that I value - design-thinking, collaboration, diverse backgrounds, relentless curiosity, networking, leadership, cultures and opportunities to work in different parts of the worlds.

I asked Hitesh to introduce us. Believe me, you rarely get to encounter all these words in one career story; it was refreshing and I was intrigued by the story.

We got introduced, and agreed to speak on the phone. The first phone conversation fell through, and did not happen. We were finally able to speak over the phone for about 25 minutes. Usually, in my phone conversations, I thank the person for their time, and after a brief chit-chat, I dive into the purpose of the conversation.

During the conversation, Photographer informed me that he had a position within his group. Although, he did not give me any details about the position, experience etc, we ended on a note that required me to send my resume across, in order to provide him with a better context about my background.

I followed up after a few weeks, and Photographer wrote back,"It appears there is not a fit at this time".

I was disappointed. I re-read the email after 2 days, and thought to myself,"Appears, is a good word. He did not say 'NO', there is not a good fit". I sent another email inquiring whether he would be interested in my portfolio.
He welcomed that.

In June 2010, I volunteered at the DMI conference, and found out that Photographer was attending the conference as well. We exchanged emails, and agreed to meet at the conference.

We met, and had a pleasant conversation.

Last week, I made a day trip to San Diego. Most insightful discovery of that trip was my lunch meeting with Photographer. This is how he remembers me from our first phone conversation, and told his wife about the experience as well :-

"Shalu, when we first spoke, you jumped straight to the point. You did not thank me for my time, and directly said,"This is what I want to talk about". I had written you off there and then! Also, your voice on the phone is high pitched. Your phone persona is very different from your real persona. You are very charismatic and confident in real life. When I met you at the conference, I saw you in a different light, and thought to myself that I could work with her. She seems like a pleasant person."

I have to admit; I was quite shocked that THIS is what he remembers about me! It must be true, because he still remember it after 5 months. And, he had written me off! (Boy! and, I had no clue all this time). I actually pride myself on being able to engage people at every level, and be polite. I can not believe that I was horribly rude to Photographer in our first phone conversation.

This story summarizes the reason I never do well in any phone interview. Till date, I have been able to convert 1 out of 5 into an offer, which is extremely frustrating.

No one...and I mean NO ONE has ever given me the invaluable feedback that I received last week!

I always thought that the reason that I do not do well in phone interviews is, because I like to put faces behind people's names, and am not able to connect with people over the phone. I did not realize that my phone interviewing skills / phone pitch skills need a lot of work.

Thank you, Photographer; much appreciated.

Can you imagine working with Photographer, and getting your annual (or semi-annual) feedback? I am certain that his team members know so much more about themselves, and constantly innovate their personalities.

I wish more people were like Photographer i.e. not afraid of providing feedback in a constructive way.

The big question is: "What will I do different that will help me succeed in phone interviews, and convey my real persona across"?

The funny thing is that now that I try to talk softer, my husband can barely hear me! :)

A Few of my Favorite Captures

Sunset on Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, July 2010

Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park, April 2010

Lake Tahoe, May 2010

Golden Gate Bridge, July 2010