Sunday, August 4, 2013

Money is just a facilitator..

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
                                                                                                           - Oliver Wendell Holmes

As I was from economically poor family that lost all the fortunes mostly for the sense of benevolence its elders had. (financial riches my parents have lost and the status they had been at, have exactly what made me to be cautious on the kind of ‘benevolence’ (which I guess, is already a genetic predisposition in me) I have) I used to never waste money and try saving money in whatever way I could. I would be very frugal in the usage of Notebooks and Stationery Items. (Until my II year MCA I used to write only in Ink-pen for it was just consuming ink only leaving me with reasonable savings)

When I was a kid and eventually a lad, people used to say that I was charming. (Never mind they should have been lunatic to have considered me Charming.. Is it not ?(if you have seen me) For about two years (When I was 8-10 years old) the nearby Grocery Shop owner used to allow me inside his shop and I helped him in his Business. Many a times, I used to go and get him his stock over-powering me in weight. But I used to manage getting the stock in a bi-cycle that was at least twice taller than me at that time. Fine, this I did only for fun. But I grasped enormous amount of skills from such an experience. When someone works for, naturally he / she has to stock-in what he / she observes.

It was in my 9th standard I had decided to accompany my classmates in a School Tour to Velankanni Chruch at Nagappatinam, TN. (I am a guy who questions everything and would have that unquenched thirst until I would find the answer, not just an answer; but the best answer. So making merry with friends did not make me happy, and hence, I was not that willing to go on trips with my friends) There were around 45, comprising two section boys. Right from, yes right from my conception in my mother’s womb, I think I might have been a hyper-active creature focusing on multiple things at one time. As it was the case, I started just walking around the shopping area, when we reached the Church around 16:00 Hrs.

As you could guess, I had no excess money apart from what I had for food-expenses. I just had Rs.40/- excess, after taking tentative expenses into consideration. I thought of investing that for a Cap costing about Rs.25/-

Conversation at a Shop.....
“How much does this cost?” was my question to the guy who was attending to the customers at the counter in a shop wherein Ready-made Dresses and other gift items were sold.
“It costs Rs.50/- and it is the latest one that can be worn regardless of  whether it rains or shines” was that guy’s answer (even at that age, I guess I was good in Marketing and Salesmanship. Please do not ask me how good I am now.) Alarmed at the tendered rate which was 100% more than what I had thought of investing in a Cap; I had the guts to ask him, ”Is there any way out that I can get this one for 25 Bucks?”
“Yes you can surely but not this one, take that Rain-Cap” was his sarcastic reply. “Are you the one, by any chance, who makes the final decision in this regard?” I bounced back at him with the same degree of sarcasm.
“My boss is there at the Cash-Counter; but why would you bother him when you do not have the ability to get this costlier one” was his sharp answer.
“I agree’, I said to him “but let me go meet him once”. I replied. There, I resolved to myself that I will take this costly Cap for 25 Bucks, and beyond that as well.
“Hello sir, I from Chennai accompanied by around 40 more students of Class IX, who are just getting ready for shopping in next half hour, and I happen to be the Class Leader. Now I wish to get this one,  only this Cap and nothing else and that too from this shop only, even though there are other shops around yours. Now please tell me how much could this be sold at, to me” I said squeezing my brain for a creative speech, yet again in an unknown place.
He looked at that attendant and starred at me for a while and said, “It is priced Rs.50 and I can give it you for Rs.40/- and nothing less than that.” There was literally no time left, immediately he again engrossed himself with his work. But I never settled for that answer.
“When I am slammed with a ‘NO’ answer; I do not give it up if I am sure to transmute that ‘NO’ into ‘YES’. If the issues were of paramount importance I did never hesitate to stake my life for an ‘YES’ answer” 
“Sir consider this”, I volunteered ”If you offer me this Cap for Rs.25/-, I will inundate your shop with at least 20 of my Classmates, and they will all purchase from your shop. Being the Class Leader I have a say in my Class. Once it happens, you can also think about gifting me with anything you like. But that is up to you. But I JUST WANT THIS CAP TO BE MINE at Rs.25/- now think about this, you can very well recoup the loss of extra profit margin by Rs.15, with a at least Rs.100 X 20 worth of purchases.” I stopped to inhale, I found him gazing on me completely with two more attendants leaving all their works and just kept looking at me talking all these.
“That’s looks pretty fine, now this Cap is all yours, take it and get those students, I will also gift you; if are successful in that!”. The shop owner himself answered.
I was rather not happy, as my next goal was to own one artistically designed T-Shirt showcased in the same Shop. Took that Cap and just looked at that attendant who was scoffing my inability to own just that Cap, for a second and whispered to my heart, “THIS IS ME! I WILL BE BACK” and left that shop with some plan.
Being triumphant of my financial crunches over this Cap purchase, I was determined to get that gift from that shop owner. I knew as early as a Child that not all dreamers will be doers of actions and that every dream has its own price.
While all of the other boys were busy getting variety of snacks around this shop, I used that 30 minutes of time in going around to different shops offering ready-mades and T-Shirts. (I certainly did not have the luxury of stuffing delicious snacks. All what might remain with me has been put into the purchase of the cap). I collected some statistics on the T-Shirt product pricing.
After sometime, organized all the 20 of my class students and told them with confident voice that they needed not go to any other shops, spending more money. I asked them what they intended to buy, to which most of them replied that they wanted to buy T-Shirts. I said to them that I knew a shop very well where I could get them Good T-shirts at reduced price.

When they asked about the price, I said to them that I had asked all the shops and the minimum price was Rs.120/- I told the whole lot of them that I could get for 100 Bucks They were wondering as to how I could do this with 20 Bucks difference. I also said to them that I could further get a 5% reduction in whatever items they would buy from that shop.
I lead this team of 20 lads into that shop within 90 minutes from accomplishing my first goal and only I knew that I was working at my second goal.
Now came the time to talk to that owner, who also kept the minimum transactional price for a T-Shirt at Rs.120/- He was pretty disturbed to make the sale happen at a unit price of Rs.100/-
“Sir, why do you look at that small portion of amount? Just think about the total sales we can make for you only this evening. From what I observed, I am very sure that the actual cost of this T-Shirt should not be more than 40-50 Bucks, meaning at least 100% profit even when selling at Rs.100/-” I continued “Not only this, in the next week 90 of our English Medium Class IX Students will be here. I will tell those three Class students to come only to your shop. I think they all know me very well as I am very famous in School. When they come, you should offer them discounts and can make a huge sale. Again, it depends whether you want to sell one product at 150% Profit Margin and make only Rs.80 or sell many products at 50% Profit Margin and make thousands, it is up to you decide.”
Petrified with the way I spoke to him, “Ok let all of those boys get T-Shirts at Rs.100/-“ the shop owner declared.
I collected 100 Bucks from those boys who purchased T-Shirts. It so happened that most of them wanted me to look for a Quality and Stylish T-Shirt. I totally tendered around Rs.1800/- (two guys opting out of T-Shirt purchase).
“With flooding-in this much of sale and possibly more sale in the next week, I think I deserve a gift! Sir, what do you think?” I just mesmerized him.
“What do you want?” replied him.
“I would prefer to take that T-Shirt as my remuneration for having generated this sale” I pointed out the T-Shirt which I wished to own just 90 minutes back without even a penny in my pocket. He not only gave that to me happily by inviting me to his shop every time I visit Velankanni Church; but he had to say this:

“IF ONLY YOU START A BUSINESS, YOU WILL SOAR TO GREATEST HEIGHTS”

I could work for someone in his business, earn his trust and learn a lot as early as when I was 14 years old. And, I could stump off people in their stand / position / decisions they would have already taken through certain skills. I am now well into my early 30s. Have I started any business and grown to greatest heights?
The answer is a simple no. It is not that I could not; is that I volunteered not to and chose a different path, earnestly believing that such path would give me a success-foundation gravitating me towards it effortlessly.
What is that success-foundation gravitating me?... (Oops, time-out!! I got to go on, with something else in my schedule for today. I surely will get back to this success-foundation funda later…)
 Be spectacularly great!!

“Pain is the greatest teacher”
                                                                                              - Swami Vivekananda