Mantra of building and sustaining a Thriving Practice

The ease of delivering work remotely and the opportunity to control the type and amount of work you do are key trends that have led to verticalisation of practices and nowadays emergence of independent consulting/practices. I, myself, having established a consulting boutique which was short-lived and then presently working as a Practice leader in a Global conglomerate have myriad intricacies of establishing and growing a practice. Each practice is uniquely defined by experience, specializations and clients served, but all business/practice leaders share the challenge of building and sustaining a thriving practice.

Sell results, not services: Keep clients laser-focused on the lasting value you create, and bill based on scope of work and end results. Provide a range of possible cost scenarios and value-adds what you have offered or can offer. Presenting a mix of case studies, testimonials, and client showcases can also prove a powerful business driver--prospective customers want to see what you've done, so they know what you're capable of doing.

Flexible Structure: Business will wax and wane. And because no two projects are alike, you must remain flexible by cultivating a freelance support network. Use contractors from varied industries and disciplines who can introduce additional expertise and perspective. This approach also lets you reduce overhead, minimize risk, and better staff projects to meet clients' needs. You can also look for strategic alliances and partnerships (e.g. product partnerships, etc.)

Initially don’t try to be jack of all trades: Understandably, most businesses are revenue driven and in an attempt to meet the (revenue) target, we have tendency to go after anything to raise the figures in the balance-sheet. Though it is wise to diversify only after you have established your mark/brand and then you are looking other horizons to grow. It may prove lethal/ suicidal to venture into unknown/lesser known domains even when you have not established your practice. Over-aggression can sometimes engulf your own practice. The crux is to excel with your core-competency (what your practice is known for) first.

 

Solid and robust business plan: The rules of the game might have changed but few things remain the same. You need to have a robust business plan which considers most of the possible scenarios, what-if situations, plan-A,B. A reality check here – there is no fool-proof plan. A robust business plan is a well-thought strategy and therefore, reduces the chances of probability.

 

Networking still works: Develop and nurture a strong network. Most successful consultants receive the majority of work from their trusted network. It is indispensable to create an environment that provides you with an ongoing flow of opportunities. Attend networking events, utilize blogging and social media, or create an email newsletter to keep your network up to date. There are many ways to build and nurture a strong network, but the key is to be active. More importantly, develop strong relationships with existing/old customers who can refer you to new ones and at the same time reward you with you more work

 

Excellent core team: Ultimately, it is your team which is going to deliver. Everything can prove to be a marketing gimmick if you team fails to deliver. This makes it paramount to handpick your core-team who has to play a pivotal role in expansion of the practice.

Despite making sure that you have ticked all the above boxes, a lot of the success depends on your leadership and your instincts. You need to have a vision and definitely passion for what you are doing else you will find yourself changing the lane every now and then and frequent change in lane can be fatal (for business).

Does India need social revolution to eradicate social parasites?

Multiple international and domestic media reported and for a moment, we also assumed that the horrible Delhi attack could prove a turning point for India's women as well as the Indian society. But things stand more or less same. Myriad (mis)incidents have occured since then. A society, where the fear of wrongdoing is absent, can never get rid of social evils. Why do the social parasites such as Raj Thackeray, Owaisi, Asharam Bapu and many more prosper? Few doing trade of hatred, few prospering in the name of God, few doing business of ethics and so on. They all know - despite all the wrongdoing in daylight - they will not be convicted and will walk free untouched and unruffled. When we introspect - who is responsible for all these - is it the lame government (no matter who is heading it) or us who elected them?

What is the solution of all these? Do we need a social revolution which will transform the society and thus eradicate the social evils in the entire nation. When Anna Hazare led campaign against corruption - we thought that was the one. We had similar feeling after the nationwide agitation against the Delhi gang-rape but these have become as periodic and repetitive as these heinous crimes. Moreover, this is the only way civilized citizens can exhibit their frustration and agony because we dont belong to the same class as these social parasites do.

I, candidly, don’t know who is the culprit, whom to blame and what is the solution but what I firmly know is that whenever I say I am Indian – these heinous acts, which occur everyday, haunt me – countless rapes, relentless politicians doing scandals, hatred speeches just to preserve vote-bank and many more. Do we wish to live in such India or did we ever dream of such India. A UN index in 2011 amalgamated details on female education and employment, women in politics, sexual and maternal health and more. It ranked India 134th out of 187 countries, worse than Saudi Arabia, Iraq or China. In corruption, India is ranked much ahead of most of the nations. Intellectuals may argue and suggest to look at our neighbouring countries, we are much ahead compared to most of them. So my counterargument is do we really look up to live in such ambience where people are deprived of freedom of speech, social media and many similar privileges which we enjoy  OR we boast of a nation which will have biggest economy, total literacy and a crime-free society. Do campaigns, agitation, outrage, microblogging and expressing opinions make any difference? – I don’t have an answer. Certainly, the transformation cannot be done overnight and the journey, indeed, is long. As for now, I can only hope for the best..!!!

Ragging - a real menace

The recent incidents of ragging had been really egregious. These events have jolted the conscience of the entire nation. These have acutely reminded us of the administration's ineptness to curb the menace of ragging in the educational institutions. Its high time that some necessary steps must be implemented to prevent these. Albeit, earlier the Supreme Court's harsher directives on dealing with ragging were welcomed by many. On the contrary, many referred these directives as draconian. Many in favour of ragging refer it as the habitual intimidation of juniors as a way of breaking ice and fostering fellows. Canvassing such a menace in these fashion reflects utter insensitivty in the face of such tragic incidents. These logics are mere indefensible suggestions. Behind the façade of ‘welcoming’ new students to college, ragging, in actuality, is a notorious practice wherein the senior students get an excuse to harass their junior counterparts, and more often than not, make them easy targets to satiate their own perverse sadistic pleasures. We have seen the results, be it death of a student in Himachal Pradesh, beaten student on the verge of the blindness in Coimbatore,etc. As a matter of fact, myriad such incidents would have gone unreported. Often, the institute management tries to put a veil on such activties for the sake of institute's reputation. Thus, the institute managements are also accomplice in this.
I see ragging as another form of misandry. Its a pity that these barbaric acts are done within the premises of the educational organsiations. The students who are involved in such acts are not less than the malefactors or in bold words - the worst criminals. I see such acts as no less than the criminal acts like rape, attempt to murder,etc - at the end, all giving the same outcome. For many students who slogged days and nights to get admissions to the prestigious institutes, ragging can be their nightmare where they succumb. Honestly, its not an exaggeration but harsh reality that ragging has been moulded into a serious human rights violation and unfortunately, the most revered institutes have fallen prey to it. Despite the recurrence of incidents that result in injuries, attempted suicides and even death, there has been very lukewarm response from the insitutes. The institutes should take the onus and take precautionary steps rather than waiting for the Courts and Human Rights department to give some directives. Ragging is parasite and has been the bête noire in the society and must be eradicated at presto.
Thanks,Vivek Chennai