All you wanted to know about making big money

Hello All. I am writing a book ‘All You Wanted to Know About Making Big Money’. Well! I confess I don’t know everything about making money yet, but jo hai usi se kaam chala luknga. I am hoping the title will attract readers and make them believe that it will change their lives financially or atleast that they will gain the esoteric treasure of uncommon knowledge which the exceedingly pitiable nonreaders wont.

I may not be wealthy or employed, but I almost got two of my friends rich, very very rich. Only problem was that they didn’t accept the massively lucrative plans I had for them. My book will list these anecdotes. Anecdotes will earn me credibly and make the readers realize how miserable things get when I am not listened to.

What if my methods don’t succeed in earning big cash for the readers? To begin with, most of my readers will be from the ‘I am unfortunate’, ‘I don’t want to take risks’ and ‘Someone please help me’ classes. These people often blame their own misfortune and attitudes for things going wrong.

I will keep the style simple and will use the GRE vocabulary only sparingly. This is because most of the people who buy self help books are poor at English and often low on confidence. You may be wondering how many copies will sell. Friends! The real money and fame is in the lecture circuit (as Dilbert once said). I have got it all planned out. I have about a dozen friends who blog regularly and have a significant readership. One friend runs an online magazine called Blogloid. I will get positive reviews written from them, and their posts will also feature an 800*600 pixel image of the front cover.
Voila! You will be able to google out my great piece of work.

Hundreds of MBA institutes have mushroomed in our country in the last 10 years or so. To prove that they are good enough they want action, they want visibility, they want space in the papers. There is a good chance that many of these institutes will invite me to lecture their students; I may get a position as a visiting faculty.

Some of the MBA institutes may award me; example would be Chintulal Khaspitiya Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship’s author of the year, and Sri Sri Pandit Raghunath Vishwa Swami School of Business Management’s award for valuable contribution in the field of business writing. I like awards, specially the ones with long funny names. I would get to write columns in local newspapers too. The possibilities are limitless.

Kindly leave you email or phone number in the comments to get entitled for a free copy of ‘All You Wanted to Know About Making Big Money’.

For now wish me ‘Good Luck’.

Conversations

The real issues faced by real people

27th Jan 2008, at Dona Poula, Goa
Raghu: Every time I see you, your belly seems to have grown. (Tapping on Rajesh’s stomach)
Rajesh: This proves that “Poor India, Hungry India” is a myth.
Rajesh: Nice too see you after a long time.
…
…
Raghu: What are your career plans?
Rajesh: Can’t say yaar. Right now I am awaiting an onsite trip.
Raghu: Nice. Which place and how long?
Rajesh: UK. Can’t say how long, they said it can be between 10-15 months.
Raghu: How about starting your own software firm some day?
Rajesh: That’s a good thought yaar. But starting a company and getting clients needs a very organized setup. I don’t have much business sense anyways.
Raghu: We just need to built a internet product to solve some existing problem. The funding, business plan and mentoring can come from an incubator or a VC.
Rajesh: This works in US and Europe yaar.
Raghu: Now it works in India too. Entrepreneurship is encouraged by educational and financial institution. Indians are starting their own businesses in a big way.
Rajesh: One has to be born special to get in the league of Gates and Jobs. (grins)
Rajesh: I just can’t imagine myself in that scenario. Currently I am getting good responsiblies in office; I have been working hard and just started receiving the appreciation. Should get promoted to a software architect in a year. I am working on a niche technology; an architect has a great demand in job market.


3rd July 2008, over Gtalk
…
…
Vicky: I work like a dog and still seriously underpaid man.
Raghu: You should consider switching. Send me your resume. I shall forward it to my friends here.
Vicky: Oh yes. I need to prepare it this weekend. Can you send me a good resume format?
Raghu: Definitely. I shall email you some templates I downloaded, plus my resume.
Raghu: What are your long term career plans?
Vicky: I am thinking of doing MBA in coming years. Didn’t get to prepare this time. Should try for CAT, XAT next year.
Raghu: From s/w to MBA? That’s a diametric shift.
Vicky: I liked C, they put me on Java. I wanted Sql, they put me on web services. Can’t take those objects, exceptions and error codes for 16 hours a day anymore. MBA has good money and a job guarantee. My manager, a MBA, relishes company sponsored car, foreign trips, and a lavish life. I have to slog over the weekends while he is enjoying meals with his family.
Raghu: How about we starting our own firm and becoming our own bosses?
Vicky: Own business??
Raghu: Yup! There is money and glory in it.
Vicky: I am not sure man. If I do a MBA I will get a well paying Job. It’s a totally different future then on. Leaving a job for business! It won’t work for me.


5th Oct 2008, over the Phone
…
…
Shyam : Just back from Mumbai this Monday. Had critical family discussons.
Raghu: You remember the conversation we had at your place last year?
Shyam : Well! A lot of things have changed since then. Radhika’s family is pressing us for marriage, as she is 25 already.
Shyam : I am expected to get financially stable. I have purchased a flat here in Pune. The EMI is 21K. My parents say I need to have savings of around 6 Lakhs before I can tie the knot.
Raghu: Oh! A lot happening huh.
Shyam : At times I get exhausted only by pondering and planning for the future. A internet startup was my dream, but the situation I am in, I can’t afford to quit my day job and join you. It’s impossible.
Shyam: If you go ahead you have my moral support, I can even contribute working on weekends. But a full time commitment is not feasible.


9th Oct 2008, at Kormangala, Bangalore
Aurang: Wish you a happy Dassra.
Raghu: Wish you too. I can feel the festive mood in the air.
…
…
Raghu: No better day then Dassra to talk about starting our own company.
Raghu: Did you evaluate the business plan I emailed you last night?
Aurang: It’s a wonderful idea. Only a brain like you can think so. I am telling you, if you start it's going to be big.
Raghu: You graduating coming June right? How if you join us? We need a team.
Aurang: Thanks for the offer. But I really can’t think of getting into a startup. I have taken a loan of 6 Lakhs for my MBA course. Moreover, my dad retired from service last year.
Raghu: Look at it. This is the best time to start; funding and mentoring is available, broadband internet is reaching even the smaller cities and 3G to be launched in 2009. People here have the jobs and the money. It's the time to build products for Indian customers.
Aurang: What you say may be true but my 1st priority is to recover my investment in MBA and support my family financially.
Aurang: The placement drive begins this December and with the 3 yrs of work experience behind me I am hoping to earn a 10L plus offer.