Shiv Sangal's Blog

9 Questions To Introspect On Before Joining Your Family Business

Internet is flooded with business articles. Business is more about doing the stuff and making profits than ruining your years into bagging multiple degrees and majors. You can read my education related articles for more depth.

I found a gap on the internet when it came to discussing about business families and family businesses. In this article, I aim to address this gap.

This article is not meant for those people who are incompetent, good for nothing, or have a taken for granted attitude about their lives. Joining a family business is the only way of livelihood and survival for them. They are not a fit for the tertiary sector in either way.

Here is my personal experience. Most of my acquaintances, who have joined their family businesses, are those who did not possess any individual competencies. They took everything for granted and were sooner or later earmarked into joining the family businesses. Thus, I refrain from making friends with such gentry. There is a lack of relatability between me and such gentry.  

This article is not for those either who have some emergency of family problems, for which joining the family business is the only solution.

However, those friends of mine, who have full time jobs, do not share my ambitions either.

This article is for those who have spine and are thoughtful and righteous.

And most of the times, such people are stuck in a dilemma. Being ambitious and bright, life offers them a plethora of opportunities in every direction they step to. It is also true that a right decision at the right time can save you years of struggles and sorrows.

No matter how hard you try catching the fish, you will fail if that pond has no fish. However water you pour in the pot, a dead plant will yield you nothing.

There are many promising young men who find themselves in this dilemma. So that they make the best use of their calibre, I have written this article.

I can give you a premonition about how being in a family business is like. I have faced this dilemma myself. I freelanced extensively in my college days. I still do. However, now I have limited my preferences to high ticket clients only. Also, I had 2 job offers without sitting in the college placements. However, having already joined the family business, I declined both of those offers.

Kindly note that I’m writing this from the perspective of a West UP’s Bisa Agrawal family. Based on your family traditions and culture, differences may exist.

Some points might sound selfish to you. For that, keep in mind that by thinking for yourself, you think for your future spouse and the generations to come.

1.     What are the advantages of joining the family business?

If the family business is right for you, you’ll make the best use of the prime time of your life. It will give you a head start and early settlement in life. You’ll get married earlier and have a family earlier. This can give you a feat in 20s which many people achieve by the time they reach 40s. You get to cut down all the struggle. Your life will be more sorted out by the time you are in 40s so that you can take bigger decisions without being bound by petty stuff.

2.     What are the disadvantages of joining the family business?

I cannot distinguish between advantages and disadvantages of joining the family business. I can just break the term ‘family business’ into ‘family’ and ‘business’. If the business is favourable and family is supportive, you’ll get all the associated benefits. Contrary to that, if family is not supportive and the business is not favourable, joining a family business can ruin you off your career prospects, and waste the prime time of your life. Without proper evaluation, joining a family business can be as risky as shooting arrows in the dark.

3.     What is your family background?

You’re also supposed to embrace the values that drive your family and the family business. Be prepared. This section is very long.

Family business is also about family

Or I must highlight that sometimes, family business is more about family than business. You are supposed to know ins and outs of your family before you enter into your family business. It is afterall, going to decide your future.

If there’s any trouble going on in your family, that is also going to affect you. Just like you get all the pros associated with your family business, you are also liable for cons.

And once you are in, there’s no exit. You cannot just pack your bags anytime and go. It just isn’t easy. If the exit is easy for you, consider that you’ve never had your roots here.

Family Assets

Consider family assets. What is the family property? Ask your parents and elders. It becomes increasingly important, especially if you heir some of it. Is there any long pending property dispute?

How much capital can be reinvested? How much money does your family have to give you a head start? Having some family assets is the cover of being in a family business. It would also give you a reasonable cover while meeting losses or paying off liabilities.

If you have this question sorted out, you’ll have the wisdom of raising debt accordingly. You can also plan your budget allocation and cost-cutting strategies wisely.

What is the property sharing pattern in your family?

Once you know this, you’ll save yourself and your future generations from unnecessary legal battles and family disputes. Afterall, everyone deserves peace. Suppose you have a life of hundred years, it ain’t wise to waste some decades of it in a needless dispute.

If you know the property sharing pattern in your family, you’ll know your fair share accurately. You can make peace with your co-sharers right from the beginning.

Family Relations also have an effect.

We all have some cousins or uncles and aunts we dislike. No denial to that. For some, we hold some grudges. There are many whom we consider degenerate or good for nothing. It’s simply okay. It goes in every family. The point is that you address such differences.

Many people you dislike might be on the likings of your family members. Your parents may also have some specific attachment towards certain relatives or friends. There might be some cunning relatives or family friends who habitually envy and brainwash your parents from time to time. Some of them may also be in your business contacts. It is important that you plan in advance how to handle them.

Family relations with other families in case of partnership.

I’m putting it down very frankly. If you partner with your relatives in business, either you’ll be a very good relative to them, or you can be a very good businessman. You cannot be both. If you’re a very good businessman, your relation would not be as sweet as before. If you’re a very good relative to them, that business would never survive.

If you could start anew, I’d recommend, don’t go for a partnership business. If you are supposed to partner with them, rather incorporate a company and decide on share capital.

What are your parents’ plans for retirement?

While you are in your early 20s, there are fair chances that your parents may be in their 40s or 50s. If they’re in 40s, you still have time to figure things out on your own and get settled yourself. However, if they are in 50s, clock might seem to be ticking fast. They must be planning for their retirement.

Most of the parents want to have their children with them during retirement. Hence, if your parents are inching close to retirement, it is better to plan to join the family business. 

What is your reputation in family?

It is important to have some regard to your reputation in the family. How much does your family value your opinions? If they do, good for you. If they don’t, even your best ideas won’t be considered. They won’t have the budget for the best of your ideas, but will waste a fortune on their own stupid ideas.

Think about what level of the business are you being employed. If they don’t value your time, they won’t value your sacrifices in joining the family business.

They will rather waste your time in handling mindless chores. Make sure you analyse this situation in advance.

You have not rejected your job offers to be a free office boy or receptionist in your family business.

If what you’ll be doing in the business is not determined, step out and don’t wait. There’s no point of sitting idle when there’s so much that you can do instead. You should make it clear to everyone right on the first day.

You should have it cleared for you about what exact segment of the family business you’ll be responsible for.

You should pay attention to who takes the decisions in your family. Also have a realization of how much do such decisions bind you. You are joining the family business to enjoy the freedom of not being a corporate slave. If, in your family business, you enjoy less freedom than a corporate job, count it as a red flag.

What is your position in the family hierarchy?

Your position in the family business is also determined by your position in the family hierarchy. If you are the eldest, everything is served in the plate for you. If you are the middle child, you already are the problem and you know that. And if you’re the youngest, there are so many people other than parents who consider it as their right to interfere in your personal matters.

Parents put their focus in a descending order. If your elder siblings are late and unserious, no matter how much considerate you yourself are, they will also slow you down. When you are in the family business, your settlement ultimately depends on the family. The truth is always bitter.

Things get even more complex when yours is a joint family. You might have many cousins and sometimes uncles and aunts of your age group.

Acknowledging the reality will make your path easier.

4.     What are your qualifications?

Having answered this question, you will find your planning made easier. Since the introduction of NEP 2020, the potentials of three year degrees like B.B.A, B.A, B.Com, B.C.A, B.Sc. etc. are all dead. Now, you may make wojak faces, but this is the reality. All such graduates usually line up for unemployment. Not everyone is that much serious about life.

Any entry level job opening just states, “graduate in any stream” as a qualification.

Next to this reality, you have to list out your skills and aptitudes on a piece of paper.

Think how you can make money off it. Legitimately, of course. Think how you can financially sustain yourself with these skills.

Think, how you can meaningfully contribute to the family business with these skills.

5.     What are your personal sources of income?

Let me be honest about myself first. I have been freelancing since my school days. I have no material interests. So, no expenditure on that. My freelance earnings just accumulate and compound. I’ve no wants so far, only needs. My basic needs; food, clothing, and shelter; are covered by living with the family itself.

I recommend you to have some personal sources of income. It is even better if such sources are developed without having any financial cover from the family. In this way, you can call yourself self-made, even when you are in the family business.

Remember, who can control your money can control you.

6.     How will you financially sustain yourself?

Enough of lecture above. Many of you have no solid source of income when you have joined the family business. Now, what?

I still recommend you to develop skills and have a personal source of income.

Even if that is not working out for you, I understand. We may have the top-sought skills but might have a hard time finding clients. It is also about the fate.

You can discuss with your parents about how you are going to maintain yourself. They might start issuing a salary from the enterprise to your account. This would give you a financial cover until you are fully settled.

But be careful. Defy any greed or temptations. Never ever think of squeezing your family resources. Treat money with utmost caution. I would recommend that you evaluate all your needs plus contingencies. This should be your salary from family business. If it exceeds this, there are chances that you might develop a taken from granted tendency. Such a tendency kills one’s ambitions.

7.     How will you settle in a small town and have a social life?

Family businesses are a paradise for introverts. This is because the social life really declines. I have observed this personally. In India, the reality is that the actual standard and quality of living is still in the small towns and cities. The real wealth is also here itself. Majority of population here is self-employed.

On the other hand, the metro cities majorly comprise of the working classes. The standard of living is limited to small flats and spaces. Having your own land and sky is a luxury. Public amenities are pathetic. And everything in the market comes packed.

The only advantage that big cities have above small cities is connectivity and sources of entertainment and recreation.

Now that, you’re planning to settle in a small town or city, you’re also supposed to plan your source of recreation and social life.

8.     What is the time worth of joining the family business?

It is a very important question which you must not skip from answering. Especially when you have a job offer or two in hand, you’re risking out a source of recurring income. This is also an opportunity cost of joining the family business. You are suffering that loss to join your family business. Make sure it is worth it.

Let’s understand time-worth.

Anyone who joins a job as a fresher starts from 0. If you join a job at some company as a fresher, you also start from 0.

Your parents or even your ancestors also started the business from 0. Let’s name their present position as x. Now, you’re declining a job offer, that you already have, to join the family business.

If you had joined that job, you’d have taken an average period of 5 years to call yourself settled.

Now, that you’re joining the family business, you’re supposed to ensure that you get a head start and early settlement in the family business. You should be starting from x, not 0. Only then would this decision be time-worth. If you are taking the same 5 years to be settled in the family business, where’s the head start? You’re in the same league of an average corporate employee. Joining a family business has no time worth if you are starting from 0. It is a reasonable expectation to be in a more advantageous position than of a corporate. Otherwise, joining the family business is all waste.

If you’re starting from point 0, then what is the value of being in a family business? You can do that anywhere else. The prospects of joining a family business are all waste if you have to start from 0. You have a right to get a head start and early settlement in life.

Let’s suppose you graduate at between the age of 20 to 22 years, in a family business don’t shy away from expecting to be settled before turning 25.

The reason we strive for financial independence is to have the real enjoyment.

There’re plenty of enjoyments you can have with your money, only when you are in your early 20s. And we all know, that vanity in late 20s and 30s is just a coping mechanism.

You won’t be as happy about being financial settled in late 20s as you can be about it in your late teenage and early 20s. There’s something called utility approach in economics. And I have just analysed it with respect to time worth.

When your parents insist you to join the family business, you must ask them about what is their plan about settling you up.

Also ask them clearly about the head start and early settlement you expect.

If they’re also not clear about it, I would suggest you to target financial stability first.

Here are two plans, you should make.

5 year plan

To achieve results without delay, we’re supposed to shorten our definition of long term. We should see 5 years as a long term. Make this plan accordingly.

I suggest you write down your target income and form a pattern about how you can reach there.

Along with this, there are certain material goals that you can fulfil. Like, it is reasonable to be financially settled, get married and have kids in this period.

10 year plan

Define this period as a very long term. You can plan your investments. You can plan your future with your entire family. Your planning for retirement. Your latent interests that you wish to pursue.

The only difference- time

The only difference between being in a corporate job and family businessman is time.

Even corporate employees also make money, if you must talk about money. But they get it after putting all those years.

Even corporate employees also develop assets. Many of them invest their money in many properties and financial markets. But they get the return after putting all those years.

So, it is not that you’re in the family business only for money and assets. That you can find being employed under someone also.

You’re in the business for the freedom that comes along. And in the family business, you’re in for early settlement and a head start.

9.     What are your marital prospects?

Unlike what wokes and feminists suggest, marriage is not a choice. It is an obligation. It is not just a religious or social obligation either. It is the scientific mechanism of continuation of one’s race and species. Even animals know it, but the most degenerate lot of humans doesn’t.

Timely marriage has countless advantages. Many corporate employees miss out on such advantages. The reason is that they settle in late twenties and marry even later. They have children even later.

I’m not an authority on marital matters. It is a separate issue at large. And above all, I’m not married yet. But, being a part-time final year LL.B. student, I’ve done an extensive study of family and personal laws.

Modern age marriages breed all possible grounds of divorce and separation. Women living away from husband and in-laws, living with their parents even after marriage, continuing a long-distance marriage, presence of a third person, spouses befriending the opposite genders, not conceiving a child even after many years of marriage, deprivation of conjugal rights, etc. The list is long.

And it is very obvious. Wives of businessmen may have social lives. But they don’t have careers. So, marriages in business families thrive better.

Correlating marriage and family business, it is reasonable to expect that you should marry early after joining the family business.

Taking such responsibilities early can free you up in 40s. This is because your children would grow up to be teenagers and adults by the time you will be in your 40s. They won’t ask for much of your attention then. Thereon, you can free your time up for bigger tasks.

If you do not marry early after joining the family business, what difference did the family business make in your life anyway?

BONUS- Do you understand the concept of Swadharma and Purusharthas?

Kindly note that I’m not a religious scholar. I’m just sharing my own understanding with you. To know more on this topic, you may refer to shastras or contact any priest around you.

Reincarnation

In Sanatana Dharma, throughout our life, we aim to attain enough punyas so that we can reach the final abode (Vaikuntha/Kailasha etc.) and are never reborn. Such an event is known as Moksha. Moksha is only possible with good deeds and no sins.

All of us are mortal beings, but our soul (atma) is immortal. Our atma manifests itself in various bodies and lives. We are born in this life to compensate for all the paapkarmas we did in our previous lives so that we can go to the final abode. If we compensate with punyas, we are able to go to the final abode post mortem. However, if we re-indulge in paapkarmas, the cycle of reincarnation repeats.

This human body and being in a good family of repute is of utmost blessing to us. Only a human being is able to do karma. So, we should always strive to do good karma and achieve punyas. Just like we save money for our dream car, we are supposed to save punyas for the final abode. Punyas and Paapas are the currencies of afterlives.

Everything of the material world is left behind. Even our friends and family members are like the passers-by we come across in this long walk spanning different lives. We can only carry Punyas and Paapas.

Swadharma

In a Sanatani Hindu’s life, duties are defined right from birth. There are four Varnas in Hindus; Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Kshudra. Their duties have been hereditarily determined.

If I should go in detail, such detail would never end. In fact, I’m incapable of going in such detail. In short, Brahmins protect the dharma and form the intellectual class of priests, scholars, nobility etc. Kshatriyas are the ruling class who protect the lands and people. Likewise, Vaishyas are the business class who play their part in strengthening the economy. Kshudras are the service class and may include petty traders and businessmen into industries like pottery, weaving, tannery etc. Such duties are known as Swadharma.

Purusharthas

In the English literary sense, purushartha means ‘ambition’. But the real meaning is beyond explanation.

There are four Purusharthas; Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.

Dharma means fulfilling in social, religious and devotional obligations.

Artha means earning money by legitimate means as per the swadharma.

Kama means marrying and conjugating legitimately.

And these three purusharthas lead to the ultimate purushartha of Moksha.

I am an Agrawal Vaishya. So, I’m writing this from my perspective.

Agrawals can not sell alcohol, intoxicants, meat or leather. There’s a major prohibition on us for that.

So, by doing business in legitimate industries, marrying a valid partner and having children, looking after his parents, being kind and moral, and fulfilling his religious and social duties as prescribed by shastras and customs, an Agrawal can attain Moksha.

Walking in his own league, he does not have to lose time in exploring the right path. He already is on the right path, that his ancestors have also walked on.

So, if you embody the concept of swadharma in both of your family and business life, you’ll be able to go through all the ups and downs of your life without any major trouble.

TL;DRWhat are the advantages of joining the family business?What are the disadvantages of joining the family business?What is your family background?What are your qualifications?What are your personal sources of income?How will you financially sustain yourself?How will you settle in a small town and have a social life?What is the time worth of joining the family business? (Settlement)What are your marital prospects?

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8 Life Lessons From a Failed Furniture Business.

Furniture Business is a sea to be lost in. It is full of both risks and potential.

Our furniture business was a failure. We manufactured furniture and tried to sell it both online and offline. We had started it in 2015 and eventually discontinued it at the onset of 2023.

Remember, it is very easy to gain soy wojak sympathy like ‘Good things take time.’

But it is a bold decision to acknowledge one’s failure at something. You can find the positives anywhere. But, I’m good with being brutally honest and taking an account of the worst-case scenario. In this article, I’ll share the negative side of a furniture business, so that you can make a more rational and informed decision.

I had joined the family business in 2020. Completing four years in 2024, I look at everything with time and money worth.

I had to decline two job offers which I got without ever sitting in college placements. So, these are some of my opportunity costs of being in a family business. My only expectation from the family business was to get a head start in life and save those years of struggle that one spends in job. Yet, all such expectations remained unfulfilled.

I had some benefits nonetheless. I learnt 3DSMax, AutoCAD, and VRAY. I completed a Diploma in Vastu Shastra in 2021. I tried my hands with a 0 investment dropshipping business as a side hustle.

So here we go with 8 life lessons from a failed furniture business.

1.    Variety is both a bane and a boon

The products are heterogeneous. It is easy for me to maintain an FMCG business because the products are standard. Even if I have to be versatile with variety, it is still, more or less, finite.

But other than industry benchmarks, there’s no upper limit to the variety of furniture.

The furniture is a heavy industry, no doubt in that. Above that, you have got many designs. Even above that, you’re also supposed to keep multiple pieces of the same design. And even after that, space is what you have to afford.

2.    Space is a menace

First things first, you are supposed to keep a have a huge space for your raw material and machinery. Next, you are supposed to have a bigger space for your ready stock. You have to laminate it to prevent dust. Your work doesn’t end here. You will have to dust it off from time to time. And every time a customer wishes to touch the product, you may have to tear that lamination off and relaminate it later on. Apart from this, the space should be free from rodents and mites. Otherwise, it would create another set of problems.

3.    Many furniture showrooms are also godowns.

We also inaugurated showrooms in our city and also threw huge parties. But they were also a failure. See, I’m opening up about this segment. So, know it fully.

When people want to buy furniture, they want to see a similar manifestation at the furniture store. You cannot just start an offline furniture store out of nowhere.

YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN DÉCOR.

People with certain standards won’t visit your store otherwise.

Here we go. You need to have a store that looks aesthetic and less cluttered. That store needs to have a front in a prime location. Then you need to have a godown space that has all the stock that you need to sell. See what are the rent figures.

We had many products of our own manufacturing and some chairs from other manufacturers for trading purpose.

Most of them are lying idle and unsold, even today.

In fact, a cousin of mine visited us to buy some chairs. He liked one chair and asked if I had more pieces of that chair. He was amazed at my answer that the pieces of display were all of the stock I had.

But here’s my problem. If my stock remains unsold, how’d I have the capital to make new stock.

4.    People have trust issues, ticket sizes and reservations

Selling is difficult.

You can make literally anything. What is more important is, if you would be able to sell it.

The biggest reason behind the failure of this business has been our inability to sell.

People don’t buy furniture like they do groceries. Furniture is an investment for ages. It is always meant and expected to last long. Furniture is a statement of lifestyle. In our country, it is bought heavily during festive season. People allocate a significant budget for furniture. They give it as dowry in their daughters’ weddings. People buy office furniture while starting a new business.

When people have so many sentiments associated with furniture, the purchase decision would be very difficult. They have their own reservations and trust issues. And ticket sizes vary from zenith to nadir.

5.    Heavy Investment

All the raw material a furniture business makes use of is of a heavy nature. You have to buy huge rolls of upholstery materials, fabrics and leatherites that are priced per metre. There are many markets like those in Surat and Panipat where you can get such fabrics.

Also, there’s no account of how much iron, steel and wood you would require.

There’re plenty of tools and machinery you’d also need to afford.

All this is waste if you lack a specialized staff. You’d need to hire karigars who can complete your projects with utmost finishing. Also, you’d require skilled labour to handle the machinery.

6.    Small Furniture Businesses are incompetent at ecommerce

As I have already discussed about how big a decision of purchasing furniture is, the segment of furniture in ecommerce is just negligible. Even personally, I have not seen anyone order furniture online in the small towns I live or relate to.

It is a metro city whim. Most of the people in small towns and cities mostly visit offline stores or have carpenters on daily wages.

Even if a small business of furniture enters in the ecommerce sector, transportation is an issue in itself.

7.    Assets also depreciate.

One of the stupidest things we did while dragging this business was a false assurance that we have assets for the money that we invested. And we were all wrong about it.

Assets also depreciate. To have an assurance about building assets, we are supposed to be investing in appreciable assets. The market value of such an asset increases over time. However, raw material is subjected to wear and tear. As I have already mentioned before, rodents and mites love to ruin wood and fabrics.

Wood can also turn out to be brittle and soiled in damp conditions. Iron rods and sheets rust in the presence of moisture.

Machinery is a better investment, if we talk about priorities. However, machines are not aloof from depreciation. In fact, if you do not have good sales, it would result in halted production. In case of less production, machine would be idle, most of the times. Depreciation applies likewise.

In fact, ready stock also wears out without maintenance.

The costs you bear in maintenance do not count anywhere.

8.    Obsoletion and change of fashions make up a potential threat

This is a risk that every lifestyle business faces. Market runs on trend. An average consumer behaviour in a small town is like a sheep only. People don’t research. They just want a status symbol. Obsoletion doesn’t let your stock see the market potential.

TL;DRVariety is both a bane and a boon.Space is a menace.                                                                                                                                                   Many furniture showrooms are also godowns.People have trust issues, ticket sizes and reservations.Heavy Investment.Small Furniture Businesses are incompetent at ecommerce.Assets also depreciate.Obsoletion and change of fashions make up a potential threat.Suggestions

Before you get into manufacturing furniture, I would strongly advise you to start with trading first. Starting any manufacturing business without trying hands at trading is a stupid decision. Starting a trade before manufacturing would serve as a pilot project for your business.

Furniture takes a lot of space. To save your rent, you can also work as a middleman between a customer and a supplier. In this model, stock would be with the supplier. You just deliver when an order comes. Your risk is minimized and you have your margin.

I would suggest that you pick up only one segment of the furniture business. Take sofas or chairs for example. Expanding variety would come handy in this case. Plus, you will be able to specialize in what you offer. Have one vendor whom you would supply. This would be extremely helpful if you are not good at sales.

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Cheating by Swaroop Gaikwad and Chaitanya Malawe, Webmatix

I got scammed out of my 6000 rupees by Chaitanya Malawe of Webmatix Technology, Nashik.
Let me tell you the whole story.
I have a graphic designer from Nashik itself. His name is Swaroop Gaikwad. He did good designing for me when he started. I asked him to get me a website designer who can integrate FIGMA’s UI-UX Prototypes with our WordPress website.

I myself can make wordpress websites, but I needed to incorporate new age UI-UX technology with my website so that it soars high.

Cheating by Chaitanya Malawe

Swaroop randomly found one across the internet.
The person’s name is Chaitanya Malawe. He showed Webmatix Technology in Nashik as a proof of his business.
I shared all of my expectations and branding documents in the form of a brief.

Timeline of Scam

We had a telegram group where three of us were in touch.
I transferred 8000 rupees. 6000 for Chaitanya and 2000 for Swaroop Gaikwad’s margin.
I had transferred this amount on 29th January 2024.
Chaitanya shared a figma link on 6th February.
And it was a copy paste template.
I had already told before that I wanted a fresh design.

He pleaded repeatedly that I should give him a chance.
Upon his request, I gave him one more chance because I had already given an advance.
On 22nd of February, he copy pasted another template.
When I objected, he shared another link.
It was on 24th of February that I realized that it was an exact copy-paste template of Pharmeasy website.
Meanwhile, he kept requesting me to give him a chance.

I even got ready to compromise on those templates out of helplessness.
On March 16th, I suggested him the changes in the templates.
But he did none of them.
I started pushing for refund in April and he kept postponing to my request.

The last time I, Swaroop and he were on a phone call, he denied it right on my face. He was very rude throughout the call.
He directly said, ‘Nahi deta main refund, jo karte ho karlo. Kya proof hai ki main aapke saath kaam kar raha tha.’
The problem is that I work very hard to earn money. 6000 rupees matter for me. And even I become a mute spectator to this, I cannot encourage this cycle of scams.
Some people put their life savings to start their business.
I had so many hopes and ideas about this business. Not just he cheated me on money, he also wasted my time.
He did not do anything at all. I’ll have to start all anew.
He also ruined his own prospects of earning more money. Had he worked well, I’d have given him more of my websites to fix. UI-UX is the technology of the 20s.
So many friends, relatives and clients approach me for website. I usually have to decline owing to being busy. Had he not scammed me, I’d have delegated all such projects to him.
In our country, we have so many people who are skilled and talented but do not find the right work.
But scamsters like him get the work, still steal their clients’ money.
6000 is an amount that matters for me. But for this amount, neither I can go to Nashik to cease him by the collar nor I can sue him.
What do you think is a remedy for this?

Cheating by Swaroop Gaikwad

Swaroop Gaikwad has also cheated on me after that. I had given him a 2000 rupees margin so that he can take responsibility. He assured me that his friend lives near Chaitanya’s office. He further assured that he would visit him in person to recover my money.
He had acted innocent then to escape his accountability.
I had insisted that he can refund me 1500 after deducting 500 rupees. That was an act of generosity.
He said that he was not in a position to refund, he would instead give services of the whole amount.
But later on, he said that he will give services of 1500 only. Also, he increased his rates to give me the least service possible.
Also, for my partner firm, I had asked him to make 4 banners. He was extremely negligent for 1.5 months. That he had delayed this much, this made us unsure of his competence.
He talked very disrespectfully every time I tried to get in communication with him.
It is very disgusting to see that someone comes to you pleading for work and once you give him chance, he starts to take advantage of you.
We need to stop this cycle of scams.
Help me recover my money guys.

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8 Ways I Saved My Parents’ Money

I’m in my twenties now. People who’ve been reading this blog since its beginning know about a big part slice of my life so far. There are a few habits that I added or subtracted from my overall personality. However, my tendencies have always been the same.

And many people in my circle say that my parents have been fortunate enough to get to invest the least amount of money on me. This they say when they compare me with my siblings.

Until now, I was super reserved about talking on this matter. I thought that it might be counted on as a self-boasting act.

Yet, into 20s, all of us get onto the track of doing more meaningful things. We make our finances make sense. I finally thought to share these secrets which would be of extreme utility to teenagers and young adults.

1. Always picked on the most durable options in footwear and clothing.

When their parents are there to pay, many children pick up the most expensive items or just look for brands. They don’t care whether they look good or not, they just care about a fake status. This makes them stubborn. I feel glad to have never fallen into this error.

2. Cut down on tuitions

Throughout my school life, I did not have any tuitions. I just had one exception. It was Maths tuition in ninth and tenth grade because the school teacher for that subject was very irresponsible. Other than that, I always studied myself and took help of school teachers only whenever I had any problem.

Unlike other students, who had tuitions of three to four subjects on an average, I saved my parents thousands, if not lakhs, of rupees on my education.

This brings us to another problem and how I dealt with it on my own end.

3. Hardly dined out or partied.

Most of the school and college students visit a lot of fast-food eateries en route their tuitions. They then develop a taste and addict themselves to it. Next, they waste their money in clubs and parties.

You can find the many such eateries around locations where there is any popular coaching centre.

Not going to tuitions also saved me from this habit.

4. Learnt top skills online for free.

Between 2015-20, there was a boom of learning digital marketing. Everyone was learning digital marketing black and blue. Many coaching institutes were charging in even six figures just to teach basics.

But I stayed on track. I knew that such skills can be acquired for free online. Therefore, I made a generous use of free online resources.

I don’t say that you don’t invest in your learning at all. You do, but only when you can count on the benefits.

I also learnt web and interior designing offline. And yes, it costed money.

5. Never gave my parents any false hopes

I had a very near and dear friend in my school days. Our friendship continued even when we had different streams after matriculation.

But there’s a reason I lost my respect for him.

After the school was over, man wasted three years and his parents’ money on the same coaching center. He aspired for medical stream. He also lived in Meerut, meanwhile. That he had acquired a taken for granted attitude about life, I parted my ways.

Here’s an article if you are also thinking to drop a year.

It’s been almost two years that my B.Com is over. Only a tenth of all graduates are doing something in the real world. With real world, I mean making money or doing something in the direction of making money.

Some have joined masters as a coping mechanism. We know how wrong this decision is in 2023.

Some are preparing for some random exams in the guise of not being perceived as sitting idle.

Above all, it is obvious that both type of students are fooling their parents for their own comfort. If you are doing MBA to learn business, you are just seeking validation. Also, wasting several years of your life for a government job is the stupidest thing you can do.

Thus, I am very proud of never fooling my parents or giving them false hopes.

Here I got wronged on.

It is a saying that even god cannot completely know of a man’s destiny, let alone that man. 2019 was the year of this realization. I got merit good enough to get to the prestigious Delhi University. I stayed only for one month over there. However, the professors over there hardly took any classes. Also, the living conditions were poor. (Must Read: 5 Tips That Will Help Your Life At Delhi University.)

I left that college. At that time my parents were very much emotionally invested in a college of Dehradun. My sisters had graduated from there. They somehow unduly influenced me to join that college. And it was the wrongest decision of my life. The fees of college and the hostel was multiple times of what we had to pay in Delhi and it was all worthless. I regretted every moment I spent in that college.

As an eighteen-year-old, I had some enthusiasm about the college life. And it got all dead in that college. My excitement about college life was not about having fun. I always found those activities stupid. It was about upskilling and enhancing my money-making competence. I wanted to cover up the shortcomings of my school life in the college life. I wanted to be more prepared about the real world.

But this college failed at it.

I learnt all the lessons after this wrong decision. And I covered it in multiple articles so that other students are able to think from this perspective.

Must Read:

10 Key Takeaways of My College Life.

3 Benefits of Pursuing College in Hometown.

19 Best Things A Student Should Definitely Do.

4 Steps To Avoid An Education Loan.

14 Tips To Find The Right Accommodation.

I was destined to be in that college, no matter what. Throughout the first year, I had made my mind to change in the second year. But, after the lockdown, when I was at home, I found no point of changing when I was going to graduate while sitting at home. If you ever wish to change your college, you should. Read the article here.

I took a better decision next.

Next, on my own part, I did a robust planning when I had to join a law college next. After a trash experience in that expensive college, I lost my interest in moving out.

I looked for a college with minimum fees and no norms for attendance. Found one in my city and enrolled.

6. Put my own money in my own business.

I’ve been blogging since my school days. However, it was just in the first year of my college that I began freelancing.

But whatever the journey has been, I have always put my own money in this business. By implementing a few strategies, I am able to have lesser operational costs which I easily cover from my earnings.

Having my own business apart from the family business has always kept my spirits high.

7. Joined my family business

I never sat in my college placements. However, I had a good presence on Linkedin. Owing to that, I had 2 job offers in the final year of my college. I eventually had to decline both because that was the year when I had made my mind to be in the family business.

Being in the family business means that I’m staying in the family. Staying in the family means sharing the resources.

And until I’m settled, my parents have taken the responsibility.

This is better than where young men get into less paying jobs of expensive cities and ask their parents to pay for their lifestyle and society expenses.

8. Aimed at 2 Purusharthas out of 4.

Our shastras prescribe for four purusharthas or ambitions which a man should aim to pursue. We’re supposed to categorize our ambitions in either of four.

These purusharthas are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

Dharma and Artha are the only two that are in my reach at the moment.

I always put a question in front of myself,

How does this activity help me earn money or grow it?

How does this activity help with dharma or my dharmic duties?

I always get the answer if any particular task is useful to me or a wastage of time and money.

Kama is for married couples.

Moksha is the final ambition. It is the sum of the other three. It can only be achieved after life. Unlike the other three, one can not work on it directly.

I feel that our shastras have the answer for everything. I try to fulfill my duties as prescribed in the shastras.

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Inaugural Invitation Card: Ad and Map in One

Inaugural Invitation card was the need of the hour. It was meant to be sent to the invitees via Whatsapp.

I have my share in Sidhbali Ayush Pvt. Ltd. and am the director of the same along with my family and relatives. We inaugurated our new factory on 23rd October 2023. It was the festival of Navami, a day before Vijayadashami.

Based on my talk with partners, we had around 150 guests. Of these, around 100 were our personnel and other internal and external stakeholders we come across on regular basis. Remaining 50 were our friends and relatives to whom this invitation was actually sent.

Previously, all the invitation cards you must have seen had only the details. This one, that you’re going to come across is different. Here I used several strategies that not just guided the invitees to the location but also helped them understand our products.

Structure Of The Inaugural Invitation Card

This invitation was three-paged. I designed it using Canva.

We sent this invitation card in a PDF format. Had we sent in a picture like format, chances are that due to the variation in network connectivity, pictures often end up jumbling up. While, rather than a carousel, the view on the whatsapp chat also looks quite juxtaposed.

People who are not able to design invitation cards send directly written whatsapp messages. We have done it many a times previously. However, with an artistically designed card, we can cater to more touchpoints.

First Page

The first page bore the actual details of the invitation.

Second Page

On the second page, I added a satellite image of our factory location. Along with this, I also added the clickable link and the map coordinates. This facilitated our invitees to navigate to the location.

We were already busy with the arrangements. Receiving calls for directions could have proved to be hectic for us. Thus, adding a map on the second page proved to be a wise decision.

Third Page

There were less questions from the guests about what was the purpose of the factory. Guess why.

On the third page, we featured our projects. We launched Ayurmed Effervescent Tablets as a pilot project. After some serious experimentation, we are soon launching under a redefined brand ‘Has It’. Plus, when we have our own website, most of the guests had an idea beforehand.

I don’t say we don’t want people to ask us questions. But telling the same thing repeatedly can be very tiring. Hence, we ensured everyone had some basic idea about our concept.

When 50 invitees received the invitation, we had a touchpoint of getting our brand message across 50 persons. We utilised this golden opportunity to advertise.

Rest, we also demonstrated our effervescent tablets at the party. It is more about educating the audience than pushing them.

You can also try our effervescent tablets by visiting www.hasitnutrition.com .  

Challenges with an Inaugural Invitation Card

There are some challenges in this mode of communication. One is that, just forwarding the invitation is not enough. Guests prefer being called along. A phone call is self-sufficient. Yet, sending them an invitation card along helps them remember the details such as date, time, and venue. No one writes the details in planner, these days.

Guests are the most obliged when you personally visit them at their homes or offices. They would not skip such an invitation.

However, just sending via whatsapp and calling along can be a time saviour.

Another challenge is that people are not that tech savvy. As I’ve already mentioned that the location was on the second page of the PDF, many invitees didn’t bother to go past the first page. They only were then asking us the location. It’s completely okay. Things take time to change.

Where To Get From Here

If you also want to get your invitation cards designed, you can book a meeting with me via the meeting box given on my homepage. I have many designers in my network. After discussing with you on your requirements, we can begin on the project.

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Web Designers are not Professional Copywriters

Congrats on your new website. It is well designed. Technical SEO has been taken care of. Off Page SEO too. Brownie points.

But what is this? Is this what you call content?

No on page SEO taken care of. Keywords are stuffed like crazy. They do not make sense.

I do not have fun reading it. Has an English noob or a schoolboy written it?

Is this a joke?

WHAT IS THIS?

Who wrote this?

The same web designer whom you hired to design your website wrote the content too. You saved money, bro. But really?

You cry once by spending a big figure but frequently on spending less.

If that was an agency, that might have been better. Because the work would have been delegated to an actual content writer.

Writing needs practice. They’ll most likely try to fit everything. It will be low quality.

It is thus less likely that a web designer would double up as a writer.

Hire a separate writer or work with agencies which have teams with a person of this role.

David Oglivy

Broke at 38 yet the world’s best copywriter at 41. What else do you need to trust him?

He flourished in 80s. Even in this digital age, no one can beat this man.

He never had to mess himself up in the actual work, though. He had to put the entire company Ogilvy and Mather in place.

I suggest you read ‘Ogilvy on Advertising’ to know how the copywriting is a separate domain and how you can make the best use of it.

Why do you need a copywriter?To sound flawless.

Nobody’s perfect. I agree.

But, to not seek perfection is a bigger mistake. The journey of seeking perfection brings greatness.

You cannot take Content for granted. Content determines which impact drives which touchpoint.

Hence, a copywriter can help you achieve the goal of sounding flawless.

Designer has designed well, now you want to have the perfect content.

A good designer can design your website well. This is an important milestone of your brand. The brand identity is present. Colour scheme is appropriate. Graphics are there. UI-UX-CX are on point. The design and structure of the website help it rank well.

However, if the content is not on point, it would spoil the vibe.

Complement on the web design

The content, if written right, would complement the web design and ameliorate its impact multiple folds. The opposite happens if not written right.

Integrating keywords keeping in mind the interaction

To rank on search engines, you need to organically integrate the trending keywords in your content. Nothing can beat this step. A writer can help you in this regard.

Concluding Remarks

Whenever you approach a web designer, make sure you discuss about how he will deal with content. Only if he specializes in content writing, then appoint him for content. Appoint a copywriter separately.

If you have the web design and now are looking for the copies, you have landed at the right place. You can contact me anytime.

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Cheap Writer Vs Experienced Writer: Which One To Hire?

Cheap writer vs Experienced Writer. So many requests and DMs have been popping up for me to reduce my rates. Further, many wannabe content writers are entering this industry taking it for granted. I finally decided to share my two cents.

How I Saved My Client from making a wrong choice?

My client had been making a wrong choice before I approached him.

The reason is simple. The content writer he had hired previously was charging less.

Before proceeding with my work, I started with an audit of his existing content. What I came across was shocking.

The content was poorly written. Content was stuffed to meet the target word limit. The writer had fitted keywords without making them make sense.

I knew at that point only that the writer was not actually a writer but had entered the industry thinking it is a way of making easy money.

I never even count such people as my competitors. They enter the industry after the initial romance. They leave early itself.

After I wrote content for my client, his traffic multiplied and rank enhanced.

All my clients get quality advice for free along with the content.

I plan of starting a consultation service, but based on the experiences that I have had, I do not count their worth. Thus.

How keeping money as the only priority can make a fool out of you?

Money is important. Money is power.

Yet, money comes with value. If you do not have any value addition to offer, admit that money is a distant dream for you.

Let me give you two examples.

Example #1

I approached a person on Linkedin who claimed to be a dropshipping expert. I asked him to establish my inventory and suppliers’ system more intact.

He recommended me to start Google Ads without even considering my problem. The reason? He had only Google Ads to offer. Dropshipping was just a keyword for him.

Example #2

I approached a friend of friend who claimed to be an ads expert.

My end goal was to establish my mother’s channel and blog as a source of expertise on domestic sciences and motherhood. I also invested some time to make a brief.

He didn’t consider my requirements and suggested me ads worth INR 8k per month. He guaranteed only views which are worth not more than trash for me, if they do not fetch me money and fulfil my goals.

I guess, you get my point.

What is the difference between hiring a cheap Writer versus hiring an elevated and experienced Writer?Risk of Ghosting

Because the project is not of much worth to the professional, he might leave it at any point of time if he is not feeling like it.

A person charging less is either less confident or is taking it granted and just trying his hands on.

You cannot take such a person seriousy.

Poor Quality Content

Expect grammatical errors, plagiarism, and stuffing of keywords from a cheap content writer. Professionalism is expensive.

That your content will vibe is unrealistic with a cheap content writer. You hire a content writer to ease your work, not to increase your troubles.

What good is your content if it is incoherent, powerless and has no flow?

No regards to market and audience

A cheap content writer has no sense about what works and what doesn’t. He just wants to complete it and get paid. That’s it.

If stuffing keywords was the only thing required for SEO, then every website would have been on the top.

In fact, perfect synchronization is required to make things work.

A good content writer has a keen understanding of the market as well as the audience. He is in some position to forecast the results.

No Process, Reporting or Feedback

Writing for a client and writing for a college assignment are not the same thing.

A cheap content writer doesn’t segregate his tasks into the stages of process, reporting and feedback.

We have various compositions to write in the school, but we do not have to pitch a product along. We must please the teacher and cover the given points.

The real world doesn’t work this way.

A cheap content writer enters the industry motivated by the good or excellent written by the teacher on his copy with a red pen.

A good content writer has practice.

A good content writer has precisely worked on his craft in the background. He has experimented with everything. He does the background research as a part of his process, reports the outcomes, and comes with the feedback of the performance of his content.

How I am better?

There are people who charge less. I have clients who pay me more.

I charge more than 90 per cent of the content writers of India. The only difference is that I can guarantee you the results. I have the experience with which I do so.

Content writers who charge less are unconfident and temporary. I am not a bubble. I am here to stay.

All the content I write has three stages: process, report, and feedback. It is SEO and readability optimized. English is perfect. What else do you need? I’m all ears.

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How to Find No Onion- No Garlic Food While Travelling?

No onion, no garlic food has been my priority since childhood. When you are at home, you have so much with you. Your mother spoils you by making the food the way you like. However, the life outside is not the same.

That too for a person like me, who has new fantasies about things to try. In 2022 itself, I started eating food cross legged. It has seriously helped with my gas and motion problem.

Coming back to the point, my forefathers used to have no onion- no garlic food. However, our recent generations, like my grandparents and further, blended with having them in diet. My parents and uncles’ generation added eggs to the list. Alcohol, smoking and doping are still taboos (thank god) and I hope they remain this way.

Yet, I don’t like consuming onion, garlic, and eggs. If by mistake, I consume onions or garlics, that can be excused for a while, but eggs are not. This is because, eggs are non-vegetarian. There’s no such thing as eggetarian. That’s nonsense.

How had I made through my hostel life?

I tried compromising but later realized that I must eat what works for me.

It was especially difficult for me. When I was in Delhi, most of the messes, canteens and restaurants were run by Punjabis and related communities. Their diets are different and loaded with onions, garlics, and heavy spices. I couldn’t tolerate that.

When I moved to Dehradun, the food at the mess also had onion, but this time not garlic. I was relieved a bit. However, the food was still not my favourite.

Still, the mess staff was really kind and considerate. When I told them that I have my fasts on Monday, they used to separate the pulses without onion and garlic.

Then lockdown emerged in the scene and I was at home the entire 2020. In 2021, I took a PG and there was a jain mess nearby. I was overjoyed, The food over there was so good.

Earlier, I didn’t like potato curries and soups, but I started liking it then onwards. I even started eating pumpkin a bit but I don’t like it till now.

How to Find No Onion- No Garlic Food While Travelling?

This is a guide for you to find no onion- no garlic food while you are away from home or when you are travelling. I recently travelled to Ashtavinayaka in Maharashtra and was determined not to compromise. I did not consume onion or garlic in any way.

1.     Choose the right restaurant

There are many restaurants which serve no onion no garlic food. They run on certain names through which you can identify such as ‘Pandit ji ki Rasoi, Pandit ji ka Dhaba, Vaishnav Bhojanalaya, Jain Bhojanalaya’. Restaurants or eateries running on such ideologies offer good food with onion and garlic.

My Two Cents On Street Food!

If you must ask me, I like street food more than some food I eat in a five-star restaurant. In Omkareshwar, after darshan of the temple, there was an eatery that offered no onion, no garlic food. Because it was just 7 am we knew the markets of the town would be closed. Our hotel also had no restaurant of its own. Only the temple market was open. We went in. I had two plates of poha and a plate of samosas. Other people of my family also had the breakfast heartily. The bill was just near INR 200. The vibes of the eatery were so nice.

On the other hand, in our hotel in Gwalior, I ordered sandwiches in dinner because that was the only no onion-no garlic dish in the menu at that time. They just brought two sandwiches made of four breads in total. It costed INR 175 and it was not even near the worth.

If you want to have the real taste of any place, you must experience it raw. There’s no other way.

2.     Jain Food Section

Jains also do not consume onion and garlic. You can walk into a restaurant and say you want jain food. They might suggest you some dishes.

3.     Vrat/ Upvas/ Fasting Food

Many restaurants have something on the menu that can be consumed during fasts/ Vrat/ Upvas. They obviously do not have onion and garlic. You can have such dishes.

4.     Talk to the waiter

You can talk to the waiter who comes to ask your order and he will help you with your doubts.

5.     Cook your own food

If possible to your standard, you can rent a room wherever you go and cook your own food. Airbnbs can be rented. Couchsurfing is an emerging trend these days. You can even stay in a traditional sarai or dharmshala. I do not have any experience of staying in such places but yes I have lived the PG life. I even cooked my food in Delhi.

Cooking your food can be helpful when you travel overseas, because in India people understand your no onion- no garlic and vegetarian preferences, but it might be difficult once you are out of the country. In coastal countries, fish oil and other non-vegetable oils are used even for vegetarian food. My relatives told me when they visited.

Nutshell

I guess, sharing my experiences has been helpful for you. Choosing the right restaurant, ordering jain and vrat food, and talking to the waiter about my preferences have been extremely useful for me. I have cooked my own food in Delhi, but I still need to experience that more before I add details into that advice.

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College Life: 10 Key Takeaways

College life, what?

Something, that mine just concluded; though, a dissertation project is still remaining.

But, it is important that I share with you the key takeaways I have from my college life. I’ve attached a lot of links about my inferences from college life.

B.Com hons. was an eye opening experience for me. To give a disclaimer, I’m not blaming anyone, be it any individual or an institution. However, when so many students and parents end up spending their time and money; it is important to take into account if it bothers the teachers and colleges the same way.

I had the experience of both Delhi and Dehradun from 2019-2022 and guess what? I found accountability lacking in both places.

Hence, these are the 10 basic takeaways of my college life. It took my 3 years to digest these harsh truths. If you’re a fresher, digest them as soon as you can. 

1. Time and Money are precious.

Whenever you’re selecting any college, remind yourself that you have spend your time here. Further, you or your parents are paying massive fees. Make sure, the college is worth both.

2. Don't move out of the town if that college has nothing special.

Moving out means an expensive college (in most of the cases) + Accommodation and food.

Read this to know more: 

College: 3 Benefits of Pursuing in Hometown

3. Don't go for a regular degree if a distance degree can suffice.

I laugh at this every time I read this. It reminds me how foolish I have been in the previous years of my life. 

My eyes opened when I pursued Diploma in Vastu Shastra from UOU and it costed me just INR 4000 + transportation to the exam center. 

There are many institutions which let you complete various degree courses online.

If your aspired course is theoretical. There’s absolutely no reason you should go for a regular course, go distance or online.

4. No need to enroll in that degree course which you can study unguided.

There are certain easy subjects where you feel you do not even need any professor’s help. You can do on your own. Kindly, do not opt for any such majors. 

Go for a majors that is comprehensive and competitive. 

Why waste your money restarting the basics of the  subject you’re good at. Rather, go at its advances at your own pace.

5. Make friends and network, yet maintain your standards strictly and unapologetically.

I never tried fitting in. I never tried blending in. I have always maintained on my standards.

Yet, I made some friends.

It is unexpected that friendships are selfless. Because, in ground realities, we make friends who are helpful or who add some value to our lives. Then, how do we call friendships selfless?

Think over it.

Some students of my class, not all, had many bad habits which I avoided strictly. 

Hence, I always maintained on my standards strictly and unapologetically.

I recommend every good person out there to distinguish himself from crowd. Rather, keep yourself at an elevated pedestal.

6. Life is all about moving on

I got this lesson right in my school farewell.

Everyone in the school farewell was so mellow-dramatic while I felt detached and independent. My mind was like, “Cool! School life is over. So happy about this.”

Left early in afternoon itself. I didn’t remember any happy memory. I never bunked or cheated on anything in my school life. Other students counted them as good memories.

I had a few favorite teachers for whom I’ll be forever thankful.

However, I had got a lesson in 2019 about my school life which I can never forget. 

I was such an obedient soyboy beta male feminist. I worked on to overcome this trait. No one over there told me that how it was such a turnoff that made me a vulnerable doormat.

However, I moved on and in the college life, unlearned all the indoctrination.

Just a few days back, a lot of students of my batch were doing that shirt day scribbling nonsense and I just laughed at their stupidity. Three years into the course and no adulthood or maturity can be expected.

They are still waiting for a farewell.

7. Be practical, stay grounded, and don't give into the hype.

Being practical will help you in the long run. You save your money and time. Hence, you save your life. You are not into any rush. Yet, you find yourself an early bird for everything. This is the power of being grounded.

8. Never seek any education loan

It is never worth it. Formulate a budget. Research over different institutes and schemes. You can find entire degrees in as less as INR 10k. I have already discussed about institutions like IGNOU and UOU. Don’t put yourself in a debt trap, no matter how big an opportunity is. In the end, it is just a piece of paper in your hands. [image error]

4 Steps To Avoid An Education Loan

9. Start from your school life

The foundation for a sound college life is laid in the school life itself. Be better prepared while you are in the school.

Every majors in India wastes the first year teaching you the subjects you have already learnt in your school.

Learn some job ready skills while you are in schools. Even people with multiple degrees can be left behind with dedication.

10. Career is in your hands

Your career is in your hands, not your college. If you do not get any work, the college authorities would not apologize, refund, or lend their cheeks in Gandhian style.

Work on your career, pitch to people.  Take responsibility. 

Self Help, Education, Moving Out, Side Hustles and everything that can save you:

11 Ways Stopping Watching T.V Helped Me.

5 Ways To Dispose Old Books

8 Ways Doing Art Helped Me.

9 Ways To Click Good Pictures, Even When You Don’t Travel

8 Ways To Deal With New Age Sarcasms

How I Stopped Using Toothpaste? (Yes! I Exist)

3 Things All the Counselling Sessions must include

6 Ways To Avoid The Network Marketing Scam

10 Ways To Solve Your Drinking Water’s Taste Problem

4 Tricks To Get The Most Out Of Udemy

5 Ways To Read More Books in 2020?

5 Tips That Will Help Your Life At Delhi University in 2020

5 Ways To Read A Classical Text

3 Ways To Complete Your E-Course In Less Time And Data

10 Proofs That Uniforms In Colleges Are Useless

3 Ways To Remember What You Read in 2020

14 Tips To Find The Right Accommodation

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Reading Habit: 5 Ways To Develop Your Child’s

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Reading Habit: 5 Ways To Develop Your Child’s

Reading Habit: How do I develop it? 

How do I develop my reading habit?

This is question I receive from each and every friend of mine. The answer is, you can pick up reading at any point of your life. But nothing can shake the reading habit that is picked up in childhood or at least teenage.

I read my first novel in 2010 at the age of 9. I didn’t pick up this habit firmly until I was 14 (in 2015). 

But this habit suited me actually. I take books to places that bore me and they bore no longer. Books are the perfect props for my candid pictures. Books are an escape.

Why is developing a reading habit essential?

Developing a reading habit is essential for everyone. This actually makes one to consider any point from various aspects. It gives insights.

Talking about kids, it is even more essential to develop a reading habit so as to distance them from infrastructural brainwashing and preventing them from settling at mediocrity.

A habit settled at a tender age stays forever.
Following are some ways in which reading habits can be developed in children.

1. Make Them Independent

Don’t spoon feed or babysit your children for reading. You can do this for their academics but not for reading in the leisure.

For them to take interest it is important that what they read is what they like.

2. Children Imitate

If you watch TV or are a phone addict then it is unexpected for a child to be less mediocre than his parents. Children imitate. You see, why do children these days are emerging phone and TV addicts?

Read along with them. If you do what you preach, you are a better motivator.

3. Age Appropriate Selection

You, being the parent, know it well what is suitable for your child and what is not. In schools, erotica, LGBT and misrepresented history is shoved down the tender throats of children, these days. That you may or may not be able to control. Will not get into that.

But you can definitely control what your child learns in your bounds. Select what your child learns. Don’t be too selective, but at least have some filters to keep the explicit stuff out.

You can also do this by dividing age groups. The ones I suggest are: 5-10, 10-13, 13-19, 19 and beyond. This 13-19 group can be split into 13-16 and 16-19 if you want. This depends on your parenting style. Some parents cease their restrictions on children at 13, some at 16, while some at 19. Some restrictions should still be there. But being over restrictive after 19 is not what anyone would recommend.

4. Get Them The Right Books

Children actually judge the book by its cover. Not just the cover but how it looks overall. Get them good looking books if you want to get them read.

Small and Thin Books

Heavy, big and bulky books make children panic. Don’t create pressure on them. Even if you expect them to read some good titles, look for a copy of that book that appears shorter and thinner. This will motivate them to complete once they start reading.

Picture Books

Pictures take up space and make the text interesting. So if there is a 100 paged book with a picture on each page, then the text would just be worth 50 pages. However, after reading that book, the level of satisfaction of that child would just be equivalent to reading a 100 paged book only. 

5. Know When To Upgrade

Upgrading becomes essential to evolve the personality through reading.

It is a good start for you to give thin, small and picture books to your child, but don’t let him settle at that level only.

I have seen certain non-reading adults who behave childishly when served books to read. Their statements go like, ” There are no pictures in this book.” “This is so thick” “This book doesn’t look good.”

To make your child a reader, make sure you keep challenging him with bulkier and triggering texts.

In a Nutshell

Only boring people get bored. In my school days, I was a very boring person hence got bored easily. My parents found reading the best option for me. I read magazines like Nandan, Balhans and also some of adult level like Kalyan (by Geetapress).

I started somewhat with books full of quotations. One page had one quote and the rest was decoration. Such books fitted well in pockets. They were good for mentioning in school level essays as well. 

Done with this level, I explored my school library as well.

Further Reads Similar Articles 7 Tips to Adapt With Ebooks5 Reading Tips For Non Readers5 Ways to Read a Classical Text3 Ways to Remember What You Read in 2020 Books in the cover picture Little Book of Calm at WorkLittle Book of Wellbeing

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