Everyone loves stories. Stories are a great way to connect with people. You should establish connections with your stakeholders with the story of your brand. The best brands have the best stories to tell. If I ask you name your favorite brand you will name xyz, lets say for example Apple. Now if i ask you why Apple? more often then not you will tell me the compelling story behind Apple, then the features, then the differentiators and then the style quotient.

Everywhere i go i hear of great strategies to enable your business growth, consultants will charge phenomenal money for teaching you how to make a business plan, how to communicate, how to market etc etc.So let me also share a simple strategy that will ensure maximum return to your business, help you grow,scale up, find right partners, employees and much more (and this comes absolutely free). Lets start to listen and by that i mean conscious listening.

On Sunday i went to a very close friend's place (went to her home after years as we shifted cities after school) to attend her birthday party. (with a thought on how soon i will have to remove my age from my fb account) The get together was quite different from the one's i usually attend as this was out and out a family get together with parents and children all coming along. One question which kept on circulating while we all greeted each other is - what do you do?

Yes it’s a great feeling to be on my own and taking all the calls. Yes it gives me an adrenaline rush if I achieve my targets and set my own rules. But what I find impossible is to remain self motivated most of the time. I constantly need the nudge and the push to keep running on the treadmill of entrepreneurship. When I meet my fellow startups we constantly discuss this challenge we all face and it makes me happy to know I am not the only one. The problem is how to circumvent the lows and remain charged up all the time? I realize this is one burning issue plaguing most of us who are on our own with limited or no team.