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PROMISCUITY FOR THE MIND
We first met 31 years ago at Ahmedabad, India. Both love cooking, are amateur naturalists, love wheels, campfires and a good story. Sanjay is an expert snake catcher and I apprenticed, enamored by his craft, into his assistant. Last month we met again at Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Sanjay is on a 1832cc, liquid-cooled, 6 cylinder, shaft drive, reverse gear equipped, adjustable suspension 405 Kg massive RoadBurner. One more step and it would be a car – hell, it is already more than a car with in-seat-heating and a superb sound system. Ram is on a 20” Unicycle.
They shared stories of their 3 wheels in total …...And it is just not about massive motorcycles and unicycles. It is the same with careers, marketing, business, entrepreneurship, relationships and life in general. There are alternatives - if you want to - ride !
And this is the Executive Summary of the palaver:
The Monster Bike-Beast vs. The Unicycle
And here’s the Low-Down For marketing, business, entrepreneurship and life, in general, there can be two distinctly different approaches. A Massive Motorcycle Approach (MMA) or a Unicycle Approach (UA).
A. Investment: Heavy vs. Light. MMA costs of entry are super-high involving software, hardware, expensive real estate, processes and so on. And the exit costs are high too. The moment the 'costs' above leave the 'showroom' the value becomes a quarter. UA costs are laughably minimal.
B. Skill: Purchased vs. Intensely Acquired. MMA approaches require skills that are purchased (at high values) from the job market and elsewhere. Both acquisition and disposal are instant and fragile. UA skills are deeply, internally acquired and last a lifetime.
C. Maintenance : Outsourced($$$) vs. Nil. MMA maintenance is cumbersome, sophisticated and demands multiple skills, parts, tools and processes. UA requires virtually none. On a Unicycle, what is there to repair?
D. Portability: Cumbersome vs. Total. To transport an MMA approach across borders is a complex process: rules, regulations, establishment, papers, procedures and just sheer size and inertia. They also require structures on which to operate. If you are a biochemist or a petroleum engineer, you need humongous outfits to work out of. UA versions can be packed into a suitcase and onto an overhead bin: aircraft, bus, or taxi, say like a journeyman carpenter.
E. Reach: Limited vs. extensive. An MMA venture is noticed and recognized, but by few. A UA approach instantly stands out and its values communicate irrespective of language, strata, education...in other words, UA segments are larger and more Universal.
F. Conversation Value: Limited vs. Extensive. MMA does generate conversations but only among enthusiasts and a few wistful folks. UA provokes all-around curiosity and mayhem.
G. Upgrade : $$$ vs. Tiny. MMA approaches require you to start all over again to the newer version. The latest bell or whistle. The new cup holder or decal. Or AI, Blockchain, Neural Networking, Data Mining ….anything that the chatterati think is trendy (and is outdated by the time installation and deployment is completed). On a Unicycle there is nothing to upgrade, maybe buy another Unicycle!
H. Competition: Likely vs. Impossible. Anybody with the right shade of green (envy or money, pun intended) can buy a shiny new MMA. And pretend to make a huge success of it. But a Unicycle, hell no. They can buy one, but they and everyone else know if they are faking riding it.
I. Accessories: Huge vs. Close to nil. MMA approaches can be accessorized with corporate communication, PR, Glam HQ, corporate jets and so on. What can you do with a Unicycle? Even if you repainted it, the surfaces are so small that the paint wouldn't show. And by the way, the nicks&scratches, dents & dings prove mastery, battle-scars to be proud of.
J. People: Large # vs. None. An army of discontented, disenchanted 'staff' being endlessly motivated is required to power an MMA. UA breeds almost religious ecstasy.
K. Prognosis: Success/Failure – Meh vs. Cyclical. MMA may fail or succeed..no guarantees there. UA approaches are guaranteed to fail and then RISE again! In unicycling there is even the term "UnPlannedDismount – UPD" for this. For every time you ride, you WILL fall. If you do not fall, you know you are NOT riding new skills. But each fall makes you better and joyously stretch towards riskier stuff – knowing only that you will get better, and fail on the way!
L. Total cost: Positive Outflow vs. Negative!!! MMA bleeds red, blue and green. UA makes you healthier and happier and the Devil can go take a walk, or maybe ride a Unicycle.
You know enough MMAs. Maybe all you know are MMAs. Check these UAs out: unicycle.com (really), KK& Jay, Fanimation, Festool, Bessey, OMA, The Cola Collective, Hamburg,…..outstanding products, outstanding services...simply Unicycling !!!!
The LuckFogic Dispatch is Published Weekly. Check www.linkedin.com/in/prof-s-ram-kumar-lokilet for more....
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