Umbrella Cart

Today 9.00 AM IST, August 13th, 2010; Chennai, India. "My turn in line" again; queue got changed to line probably after living in USA for 5 years. Every time I stand on this line near the big wall. I obtain something to keep my 390G busy. So let's start...

I heard this from many people.

"Slow and steady always wins the race".

Lame statement!!! Are you serious? Are you telling this from your experience or passing on what you heard .Whatever, but I cannot accept. I always had a contradictory opinion for this statement. My thought is

"Slow and Steady can finish the race but cannot win the race. Only Strategy, Fast and Calculative Risk can win the race".

Let me stop my philosophy. I am not good in that either. My point is simple - you got to get your F**** *N timing right to get anything; grade, job, money, girl friend & What NOT!

Today morning; I woke up @ 5.30 AM and I got the timing right for interview @ 9.30 AM. It was pouring outside; huuh!!! Rainy day in Chennai and my plan is to wear lounge suit for the interview; I told myself 00ps!!!, good luck. The cab was on time and the driver managed to tackle and swerve through the morning traffic and brought me to the consulate well before the time I should join the line. It was heal of a ride from Velacherry to Anna fly over; Chennai road on a rainy day! You got to have special skills to handle.

I stepped out of the car to join the line my 9.00 AM, no matter what; Women’s are really good in planning for a travel. They go well equipped. Though I noticed the rain outside this morning, nothing strikes me to carry an umbrella, when I walk out of my home. My mom was my savior. She handed me an umbrella when I stepped out of the car. I joined the line and my luck was not totally cool. Thought I got a beautiful young girl in front of me in the line. Her objective was very clear and cool. She pulled a conversation with me just to find out how things work here like; what time they let you inside the building; blah, blah, blah…, she was there for student visa to pursue her MBA.

So my conversation with that woman was not so cool and long. So involved myself in “people watching” believe me it is really a cool pass time. I noticed all kind in that line; tension face, praying God every 2 seconds, very focused by not talking to others, deep thought…..dot! While wandering my eyes I noticed like only 6 or 7 including me holding an umbrella out of 50 plus in the line. Most of them half drenched out of drizzle.

My mind was like common guys it would take like RS 15,000 ( $350) to install a retractable shed in the walk by were the line is formed. We are still considered as techno prostitutes and no respect more than that.

While I was thinking like that I saw a blue cart pulled by two men. The stuff inside the cart was covered with a water resistance sheet. So no idea what’s inside? They parked the cart in a decent distance from line. One walked close to crowd and started selling (shouting) umbrella and other man un-wrapped the sheet. After hearing that person; I was like, seriously!? Do you really have to wrap the umbrella pile with WATER RESSITANCE sheet? I was telling myself; stupid guys.

But within a minute my opinion got changed.

They are smart and got the TIMING right. They sold the umbrella for RS 100 each; within 10 minutes after he started shouting. He sold more than 20 umbrella. The count did not stop and everybody started buying umbrella.

They demanded that price and not ready to bargain even a single penny. They made proper use of time.

• Nobody in that line wants to attend the interview with drenched dress.
• Nobody wants get their certificate wet.

So everybody who bought the umbrella paid the money that was demanded. I was totally shocked with their smartness and business mind.

I did a little math in my mind; like, In normal days he would sell that umbrella for Rs 60 and if you are good bargainer (Mandatory skill set to live in India) you can buy that for probably Rs 50.

If you say like 20% profit margin for that; He would make like Rs 10 profit for each umbrella. But today he is making Rs 60 profit for each umbrella which is close to 60% profit.

Well this is called Business!!!

They made the proper use of demand. They were at right place, at right time, with right product.

In simple term they got their TIMING right.

In this weather people love to have "Masala tea and Mirchi bajji" or "Wishkey and Rasam Vada". Nobody in the line would buy "Masala tea" when he is drenching in the rain. Even if they buy I bet he cannot make 60% profit out of it.

What they doing today is the classy act of business man. This may be outrageous business. But the end goal in business is making the maximum profit.

This is probably what, you might learn from B-school. I want to tell this to the lady in front me. Who is waiting in the line to pursue her higher education, to learn from the practical lesson to make money instead wasting your time here by standing in the line.

Suddenly I realize she would definitely ask me repeat the same statement if front of the mirror. Hmmmm….dot!