The 2005 Business Blogging Awards » Winners of the Business Blogging Awards

"The 2005 Business Blogging Awards » Winners of the Business Blogging Awards" is a list of excellent blogs for enterpreneurs and business execs - at any level. I'm glad to see the blog of a former collegue of mine, David Anderson awarded the 'Best Project Management Blog' award.

In Business Etiquette, the Devil is in the Details

"In Business Etiquette, the Devil is in the Details" is a good reference on NFIB.com on business etiquette. People outside of the US have a wrong impression of American businesses as being a casual crowd. The business community is never so - although at times it may appear to be. Good etiquette is always welcome - regardless which part of the planet you do business in. A well dressed, well mannered first impression goes a long way anywhere.

Cosco nieces

Yup, wholesale I guess. Got two nieces in one night. My fiance's sister had a daughter and my childhood friend had a daughter last night - born only half an hour apart. Now, thats an interesting coincidence.

Wired NEXTFest 2005

Last year I went to present there, this year its coming to where I work - Chicago. Almost like it can't have enough of me ;-)

I just went to their site and list of exhibitors. Its not too different from last year. I would have hoped that they had more stuff, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I may not catch it this year. Last time I didn't have to stand in line - if SFO was any example, I don't expect the lines to be any shorter out here.

Startups with Focus - An Oxymoron or a Possibility?

Focus is something that is very hard to define for a startup. Its easy to change direction or customize your product to suit the needs of an opportunity that gives a quick buck... but maybe disastrous in the long run since your product may end up not really being good at anything but rather a hotchpotch of mediocre components, not having much value.

Sometimes one needs to rein in the enthusiasm of his peers to steer things back on the right track. Its not always easy. But then again the question is - adapt or stick to your original plans? I beleive its a combianation of the two - but adaptation should be well thought out and strategic, building on already developed expertise as opposed to chasing every mirage in sight.

(I need to thank Bob Deuerr, entrepreneur and Director of one of the coolest Motorola products - the CN620 for this piece of pre-emptive advise)

First vendor meeting

Today I had my first teleconference with a potential vendor for a component we need in our product. It was interesting talking to the CTO of another similar (although now better established after their recent acquisution by a larger firm) company. The conversation went along well. Since the conference started late, they were concerned that it was getting late for us (since they were on the West coast and it was nearging 5pm our time). We got a few chuckles when we reminded them that we were a startup and 5pm was just half the day :)

I have a good feeling about their product, now if only I can negotiate a better deal on the licensing fees.....

Feb - The Uncle Month - I'm an uncle-in-fiance-in-law

Today I got news that my fiance's sister just had a baby girl. So I guess that makes me an uncle-in-fiance-in-law? Funny thing is my childhood friend's wife has also been taken to the hospital and she should be delivering in a few hours. Coincidentally, its this friend's parents who introduced me to my fiance. I'll be leaving to Wisconsin to meet them tomorrow. I guess that makes me an uncle as well. Just called up my sister-in-law, who is also scheduled to deliver in a few months, the updates... looking forward to that news too.

Entrepreneurial Drive.... not the BMW kind

What really drives an entrepreneur?

Is is the potential for money? The high pressure life style? The late nights?

Every entrepreneur would have his or her own reasons. But I believe that a true entrepreneur does it for the same sake an academic researcher takes up lower pay to solve a research problem - the sense of achievement, the opportunity to have contributed something lasting to humanity. Being a former academic/industrial researcher myself, I would think I am well qualified to make such a statement. The ultimate reward for a researcher is peer recognition, and the sense of satisfaction of having done something no one else has been able to.

An entrepreneur is driven by the same motivation, to receive recognition for his idea, when people invest millions into your idea, you know for sure its not lip service, but faith in your ideas and your potential. To take an idea from inception all the way to a product is always a unique experience, giving the sense of satisfaction that you have done what no one has ever done before.

But in my case, the one thing that gives me a richer experience than my previous life as an industrial researcher is the potential to establish something that can do a lot of good for people beyond just the technology - develop more jobs. In this troubled economic climate, every little bit counts. Whether its the extra hour of pay that the custodian receives to the twenty well paid software engineers hired, everyone wins - everyone associated with the enterprise - customers, vendors, employees, investors, local merchants and finally the government (everyone pays taxes).

Two years ago, at my former research group, I drove the writing of a research poposal to the NSF (National Science Foundation), based on my Master's Thesis. We were awarded $300,000. My biggest motivation? - the opportunity that the research funding would bring to my advisor to hire more graduate students such as myself. The funding brought in another 5-6 graduate students, with complete financial aid provided to them. The sense of satisfaction that gave me is probably one of the greatest drivers I have to becoming an entrepreneur. This time, my targets are a little higher.... :)

Startup - week 2 - Deadlines and more deadlines....

As always, the beginnings are tough. Time is the most precious commodity. I long for the days in my youth when I'd get bored with nothing to do... Hours, days, zip by - so fast, and yet the inbox seems to pile up. Fortunately the adrenaline kicks in and the caffeine pours in.... (I've migrated to tea to prorate the intake over the 20 hours of consciousness). Its exciting. There's always something new every day - new ideas, new things to learn, new things to try out, new people to talk to, new competition to guard against.

The past few days had been exceptionally hectic. Hopefully it'll only last a few more weeks till things stabilize. The architecture is coming out well, and I'm proud of it - no kludgy design - just well thought out design. Someone asked me why an architect has to know the competition inside out - I guess its to learn from their mistakes and to adapt ours to stand out from the crowd.

The team - make sure to pick the right people. Things can get pretty tense - even the most level headed person can blow his/her top in such an environment. I'm fortunate to have a great bunch of people on mine. We don't mind letting off steam on each other, no hard feelings and its healthy. I've done it to them, them to me. We're in it together and thats what matters. Get a great team - with motivated people. Like my more experienced collegue mentioned to me - just remember that when someone blows off steam, its because they care, its because of the passion in them. Learn to appreciate that passion and not to take things to heart. We've all been there. Relax....

There's always something new to look forward to every day.... its a lot of fun. But I'd still like to get a few extra winks... I've already lost a potential few extra making this entry. But, maybe I'll look back at this some time in the future and smile.... penning off for now. Hopefully I can write something with more insight soon. Tonite, this is just a recollection of thoughts....

Valentine's Day - Not for the faint hearted

Feb 14th has usually been very un eventful, except it being my Dad's birthday. We're not really into the big birthday bash or anything of the sorts. Dad claims to be St. Valentine himself, but in my case, both my parents were. Things had been uneventful, at least until this year....

So, I guess surprises go both ways. I managed to surprise her with flowers and a great gift (I surprise myself with the selection) :) for her birthday. And the Valentine's day present sent to India a day after the 14th certainly caught her off guard. 14th would have been so predictible and no fun at all. Funny thing is that she could pull one off on me as well. I didn't even realize the USPS packet lying outside my door till she asked me to check. I loved it! ..... I guess the first *real* surprise present I ever got. Maybe my skepticism of Valentine's day being overtly commercial may change after all.... we all need some time to show we care.... but maybe its the surprises without a designated day that get you... but I still believe its the thought that counts. Sending a present through her manager visiting the US a month in advance was brilliant. Brilliantly orchestrated... even the maestro, Herbert von Karajan would be proud.

(By popular demand: She got me a maroon colored sweater via her manager, a real nice tie and two mallu CDs) :)

Am I back?

So I guess I am back to the world of blogs, after a sojourn of over 8 monhts, I guess I am back. The last few months have been really eventful - all the way from meeting someone special and getting engaged to landing up in an exciting tech startup as a 'founding member'. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the times ahead. Lets hope for the best.

The ups and downs

So finally, I got something critical (in terms of technology) to our company worked out today. Something that I had designed that we absolutely needed, but was so convoluted that it was the 'skeleton in the closet' of my design has finally been solved and I came up (with my collegue) on an extremely clean and simple solution that would perform far better that I had originally intended. This just gave me a major boost in confidence in terms of how I think we can get our product up and ready in lighting speed - in terms of customization during deployment. Now I can look my customers in the eye and tell them that I can customize our solution to them far faster than any of our competitors ever could ! :)

I am happy.... at least in terms of the possibilities this discovery opens up. Replaying the conversation I had with a very senior person (and fellow IIT alum) at my former employer yesterday afternoon, the more I realize how valuable the tool I am developing will be for business users. It would give me great joy if I can develop something that truly adds value to both business users as well as IT managers. Many have spoken of it - I hope to act on it. I cannot accept victory until this dream is made a reality. Forget the marketing pitch, I'm here to create something that is truly useful... and it would be the sight of seeing the twinke in my customers eyes that would give me the ultimate sense of satisfaction - not much inlike the satisfaction an artist receives on seeing the smiles on the face of his patrons.

I hope my family will be patient enough to help me realize this dream.... so far they've been extremely supportive.... thank goodness :)

The Entrepreneur Blog - The next stage in my life.... A new focus for the blog

GOODBYEMOTO, HELLO Red Rabbit!

So, today is when it finally strikes me, I am no longer going to drive to Schaumburg in the morning to the warm, stable confines of the 78 year old Telecomm mammoth. On my ride on METRA to downtown Chicago, I realize that this is probably a good time to start my entepreneurship blog - by popular demand, and something I've always wished to do. From today I will have to introduce myself as - Anwar Haneef, Chief Architect, Red Rabbit Software, and no more the 'Senior Research Engineer, Motorola Labs'. It feels so different even thinking about it. Its been over three years since I've been affiliated with Mot Labs - in fact first got in touch with them only 4 months after I got to the US in 2000, and I've been a part of them since in one way or the other (prospective intern looking into ideas to full time researcher). I've made some good friends there - I wish to continue being in touch with for the rest of my life and found some good mentors who helped me develop myself as a technologist and as a person.

Today I join the elite(?) few who've made it at least to the stage of starting thier own company and taking it forward. Motorola looks like a mammoth to me, considering that Red Rabbit only has five employees including myself. But I'm sure Paul Galvin had similar feelings when he founded the Galvin Manufacturing Company in the middle of a cornfield in the village of Schaumburg. Maybe someday, I too will help create a mammoth that can provide employment to so many people..... and help hone skills for future enterpreneurs.... 2083 A.D. doesn't seem so far off anymore.