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  • Misbah Quadri on How to Build a Community for Your StartUp in 2022

    This article has been contributed By Misbah Quadri, Founder and CEO, Monofys Media.

    I remember the day when I was selected from school, as part of the Gifted and Talented program to attend ‘smart classes’ at Oxford University. I was apprehensive, my mind refusing to emerge from its hibernation mode, my eyes peeping from behind my woolen hat from time to time, like a turtle swinging its neck out from under its shell, trying my best to avoid all eye contact. Seated in the large sessions hall, I was unsure of what to expect next, unaware of who the others around me would be and unwilling to let my vulnerability show, by communicating with anyone around or asking for help. Slowly, the room began filling up and by the time it was time for the lecture to commence, the room was neatly packed with 50 odd students, hailing from different parts of the United Kingdom, all chosen for their exceptional work and more importantly, for their obsessive devotion towards the subject – English Literature. By the end of the first day, I was more at ease with this new bunch of students than I had ever before been in life. And just like that, by the end of the one month program, we had become a community! The one thing that had brought us close together seamlessly was our joint fondness for the subject as well as our combined efforts, teamwork, intention of learning, unlearning and making the most of the opportunity at hand. At the risk of sounding too poetic… our common interest and like mindedness bound us like the pearls of a necklace. I felt like I was home.

    That was one of the first few chapters of my life when I was introduced to the feeling of being part of a community. Ofcourse, we are all parts of different communities in our own ways – be it by being born in to a particular religion, sect, nationality, race, political group or even that of growing up to opposing all of these. There are endless categories upon which communities are built. And they are all woven together by the foundation of a shared interest, collective efforts, sense of being rewarded, appreciated and acknowledged. I, as the founder of a startup am in the process of building a community around the shared interests of professionals seeking to engage and build with as a team in the corporate fraternity.

    There are a few points I have kept in mind to ensure that I am able to create something substantial which adds value to the lives of those that are choosing to be a part of this circle of trust.

    Tips for Building a Community for Startup

    Be clear about the intrinsic aim and overarching objective of the community
    Don’t plan too far ahead
    Humans require appreciation and acknowledgement to flourish
    Consistency is queen
    Identify torchbearers of the community and delegate duties

    Be clear about the intrinsic aim and overarching objective of the community

    First things first – it is crucial to know exactly why is the community being formed. Running around in circles, aimlessly, without a set objective will not only not serveany purpose but will also result in a waste of time, resources and energy into building something which will invariably fizzle out. A common destination warrants the construction of a road ahead for all those who are part of the journey. Think of plugging in the core offering or the end goal of your startup in order to build a conducive ecosystem for all team members.

    Don’t plan too far ahead

    While a lot of successful people will advise you to have a solid plan in hand before you build an entity, I am of the belief that planning too far ahead in life personally or professionally results in artificial glory which lacks the charm of a raw, natural, neutral backdrop. No matter how well prepared you are in life, you can never really anticipate the upheavels that are bound to cross your path. It’s great to have the basics in place, but let the rest flow naturally – at its own rhythm. A thriving community formed by a startup demands embodying originality, freshness and ingenuity.

    Humans require appreciation and acknowledgement to flourish

    Any community can best operate only when its members feel appreciated for their efforts and for their loyalty. Arranging regular award programs for those contributing on a steady beat and publicly earmarking milestone events in the progress of the community members will ensure that the group feels positively charged, energized and excited while feeling valued for adding value. Keep in mind that particularly in the post Covid era, we are looking at digital platforms (like Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype, Telegram, Clubhouse, etc) serving as the community binders. This makes your job equally easy and tough – balance is key.

    Consistency is queen

    You can offer priceless resources to the community members but if it is done only at intervals and not on a daily or timed basis, then your efforts are as good as (or as inadequate as) an umbrella during a tsunami. Being looked upon as dependable and inventive are key pillars of a well-functioning community.

    Identify torchbearers of the community and delegate duties

    No one person can ever achieve the collective goal of a community. One of the most underrated features of putting together a community is delegation of duties. Bifurcate roles and identify key participants of the community and hand over some of the critical roles to these members in order to encourage participation from the others as well as to ensure smooth operations of the group.

    Conclusion

    The last two years have been nothing less than a learning curve. It is quite sublime to recount how each one of us managed to evolve to take on roles and responsibilities in our individual capacities in ways, unimaginable in the pre-2020 era. There were tears, there was joy – there were mostly tears. But knowing that we were all in this together, somehow kept us going, despite the odds stacked against us. Covid has been a spectacular reminder of how a community can help us cross even the most agonizing tightropes of life.

  • Siddharth Chaturvedi on How Not to Lose Your Patience While Building a Startup

    An opinion shared by Siddharth Chaturvedi, Founder and MD, Boys and Machines.

    Buckle up to start your journey in building a business from scratch. The culture of start-ups is very central and flows directly from the founder. A comparatively smaller team set to achieve the same goals and align to make a difference in a sector of their choice. The startup trend in India is not a new thing. The purpose has diverted but the business values and beliefs remains the same. Corporate practice in India grew after the dotcom years at the turn of the century.

    Coming specific to the automotive sector, the pre-owned car market has been unorganized for decades. Cars used to sell through word of mouth and the buyer was about 50% unsure of quality or value he is getting out of the deal. We all relied on the known mechanic to check out the car before nodding on the deal. It was high time to organize this gold mine of a market to cut down middleman and provide value to customers with the right quality at the right price.

    Having the right state of mind and believing in yourself are the pillars to make big things come alive. Patience is one of the strong foundations that propels the power of compounding in action. Sometimes, you become overwhelmed when things may not work out at the start.

    While starting Boys and Machines, it was always a challenge to strike a fine balance between keeping your expenses low for longer sustainability and to hire the best possible team to ensure the back bone of the organisation is solid. At the end of the day the biggest reason for failure of an organisation is either higher expenses or a weak team to deliver steady results and manage the load. As our business model uses rented properties, it was painstaking to figure out the right showroom locations at reasonable prices. The process of choosing the right locations for your business can become lengthy and you have to make many decisions along the way that can either make or break the new organization tight on cash. Hiring the right people for different departments is even tougher. Because you have limited resources and the decisions become heavy. It is the team that builds the organization and the strain to get the team right needs patience and determination.

    At the beginning days, we were into a lot of planning. We gave impeccable attention to detail on every little task and that gave us the confidence that things might work out. The planning phase is very important to gain confidence. When you put your thoughts on paper and do research, confidence flows! A team that understands your vision and are ready to give the sweat to make to convert that vision into a mission and materialize it, confidence builds up. These two aspects can help you not to lose patience while starting up your organization.

    Now, it can happen that the results you are actually getting is away from projected expectations. And believe me, you will never be satisfied as your hunger to grow also increases with rising sales. We strive to grow every day as a team and the only game plan that we have is to give our 100% as a team every day and face, tackle, and over-come challenges that show up. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

    When running a competitive high-stake business like luxury pre-owned cars, keeping patience is of prime importance. Losing patience just results in narrowing your mind which makes it difficult to find solution. The higher the stakes the more patience you need to have as it gives you a stable mind to assess the situations and come out of them.

    Business is all about keeping an open mindset and work with your eyes and ears open. Grab opportunities and tackle difficult situations. One tip is to don’t get overwhelmed on either sides of the spectrum. When the business is not materializing as expected, put down your head, figure out what is going wrong and work out solutions. When the business is booming, keeping your heads straight focus on maintaining the momentum. Let the power of compounding do its work. You just need to ensure you are doing the right things at the right time.

    To all the newbie entrepreneurs who are ready to take the challenge of starting-up and making a difference, be patient your time has come. You are already set out to achieve great things when you made the decision of starting-up. Get your home-work done by doing a thorough research on the business you are planning to scale. A very good practice that gives you good knowledge is to work under someone who is into same industry to understand the things which you would have to face once you start your own venture. The work will help you understand the business better and you can learn things that can multiply results.

    Secondly, keep your expenses minimal. You may churn out some cash right from the start but the cash outflow should be minimum to maximize re-investment opportunity. Again, the compound effect works well! Let it do the hard work for you. You just want to ensure that the business has enough cash when required.

    And last but not the least, give your 100% to the venture you are set out to start-up. Hard work is a necessary and everyone should go through the struggle phase. This will make you strong and give confidence to make better decisions when the time comes and huge resources are at stake. All the very best!

  • What to Look for in a Startup Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    The journey of entrepreneurship is long and tiring, somehow or the other you may find a need to look for a mentor, who can play a vital role in the success of your business. They will help you in facing the different challenges, that will come forward in the entire process.  There are many successful entrepreneurs who actually mentor aspiring entrepreneurs but not everyone can be your mentor. So while looking for one, entrepreneurs must understand what they actually need.

    In this article, we will find out what to look for in a startup mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    I would personally tell everyone who is looking for a mentor to network. Keep networking and building your connections. On the contrary, I would recommend young individuals to start building their connections from a very early age. The thing with networking is that you never really know who you would end up meeting. I would advise all young entrepreneurs to keep exploring and meeting different people from all walks of life. Not necessary you will find your mentor from the same industry or similar surroundings.

    Besides networking entrepreneurs should look for individuals who love taking up challenging tasks and overcoming those challenges. When you are picking your mentor also try evaluating what leadership skills you want to set in your organization. Accordingly, find a mentor who has been successful in creating a similar leadership skill set in their lives. Another suggestion I would like to give is to find a mentor who helps you build your network. Therefore in all when someone is looking for a mentor they need to evaluate how the mentor will advance their overall career.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    The most important quality in any mentor is availability and desire to help. I would recommend that anyone looking for mentorship needs to find people that invest in their growth journey both personally and professionally.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    A mentor is not someone who has experiences and degrees medaled on their profile, or how much engagement or following they have on social media. For me, a mentor is someone that I can speak to for direction and decision-making when fear, uncertainty, and doubt looms.
    If you are looking for a mentor, do not start by keeping the cost of engagement in mind because ‘the best from the rest’ does not come cheap. What you should look for are:

    • How well your mentor understands your need and how well he summarizes it; it means they heard you well.
    • Look for energy, positivity, and the spark that clicks a chord with you. These are effects that bring positivity to an equation.
    • Pick a mentor who shares your values and ethics of business and a similar understanding of business success.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    You need to ask 4 questions when looking at someone to be your mentor :

    • Do you trust this person?
    • Will they be accessible to you?
    • Do they bring a new perspective to the table?
    • Are they addressing a specific gap with their knowledge?

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    • Have mentors across age groups and walks of life.
    • Communicate clearly that you are seeking mentorship. Sometimes people
      tend to idolise someone from a distance and don’t muster the courage to let
      the person knows that they are seeking mentorship.
    • Have a professional mentor, who is outside of your organisation for
      complete objectivity.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    I feel, in the Indian context, mentorship is still largely under leveraged which may be due to cultural reasons. I would strongly recommend for everyone to seek mentors from their immediate circle or extended circle, to begin with if you’ve not yet got one. Once, you’ve been nurtured by the initial set of mentors during the initial part of your career, then you should up the game by seeking mentors who have gone through the journey earlier.

    Conclusion

    While looking for the ideal mentor for you and your business, you need to first decipher what you qualities you actually need in your mentor, then only you can find the perfect one for yourself. Amidst thousands of people, they will not only help you in developing your skills but also provide the support and confidence, when you need some.

  • When Should you Look for a Startup Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    The journey of an entrepreneur is filled with excitement, hard work, and a great lot of patience. In this journey, while building up your dream from the scratch, can sometimes feel exhausting. At this point, you need someone who you can look up to when there is a necessity. Those people not only have more experience than you, but they will also advise you and teach you new strategies and tactics to handle your business. These are the people who will give you ideas regarding your current situation and they are called Mentors.

    In this article, we will find out, when an aspiring entrepreneur should look for a mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs presented their take on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    For me, a mentor is someone who I can look up to as a role model. I wanted to always find a mentor with whom I could discuss, share and debate about the obstacles, I am facing in my startup. When I started building Eduvacancy, I realized in the preliminary months that I needed a role model or mentor to guide me and prepare me for the various difficult decisions I’d have to make. When we began working on building the platform and implementation of the technical aspects, I thought of finding an ideal mentor who would be a strong guiding force and pillar of strength for me. Therefore, before I began full-fledged platform operations, I felt the need of finding the right mentor who would guide, hear and teach me to sail through the difficult phases of building a startup.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    Mentorship is an integral part of the entrepreneurial community. For the Earnvestt team, the biggest reason we needed mentors was when we were running our first beta test and we were not getting sufficient sign-ups from the users that we had personally spoken to, which indicated that our product and user flow was not good enough.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    It was an organic process that originated from us trying to find answers to problems that presented themselves as we tried to navigate the process of setting up a business by ourselves. Some advise seemed needless and, in some cases, the insights made us re-think our strategy entirely, and slowly we were able to identify the areas in which we will need continued guidance.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    When I was pondering over a business idea, which finally culminated in the formation of Ramagya Mart, I wasn’t very sure if I should rely on the mentoring acumen prevalent in abundance in my family, or should I seek professional mentoring. As destiny would have it, I was at this crucial stage when I decided to look for a mentor who could professionally guide and personally navigate me to take the right direction.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    There was never a defining moment in my life when I felt like I needed a mentor.
    It just happened organically through inspiring people who came into my life
    through my student and professional life. No one really wakes one day and
    says, ‘hey, I need a mentor’. You just feel the impact and connection with someone
    and reach out to them from time to time.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    As Sir Isaac Newton famously said in his 1675 letter, “If I have seen further, it is by
    standing on the shoulders of Giants”, in my opinion, most of us need guidance for clarity of thoughts/ directions through individuals who have chartered similar paths earlier or for a fresh perspective. Thankfully, I realized the value of mentors right during my engineering days and I was fortunate enough to be able to find amazing folks across academic, industry leaders as well as a couple of batchmates in front of whom I could be absolutely transparent and leverage their insights. I have been continuing the same ever since and the ‘mentors’ circle has expanded with amazing new folks from different spectrums of life especially during the last 3 years of building Kofluence.

    Conclusion

    The need for a mentor can arise anytime. Maybe, at a time when just an idea for a startup is peeking inside your head or in the middle of launching a new product for your startup. You should definitely go for a mentor whenever you feel for one.

  • How to Find a Perfect Mentor?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    Most of the time having a mentor really is a benefit for many entrepreneurs. the main job of a mentor is to guide, motivate and inspire you and will you out to find a way from any kind of challenging situation. Amongst millions of people, it can be a challenge to find the perfect mentor for yourself.

    In this article, we will find out how to find a perfect mentor. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    We needed someone with experience and expertise and hence we decided to go through an incubation program. We found great mentors like Tanul, Kruti, and others along our journey through Afthonia.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    This was a challenging task indeed! My office was given the task to identify a mentor for me who could assist me in taking the right decisions.
    After engaging with professional mentors, management gurus, and consulting organizations that were either recommended by references or identified by research, I finally found a perfect mentor that followed his organization’s philosophy to the tee- “I know that I don’t know”!  I loved the philosophy the second I heard it!

    The trait I liked the best about this mentor was that in our initial engagements, there was no mention about his 25 years of cross-industry experience, never failing to achieve a target ever, 100% success as a brand strategy consultant and in fact, I never got a feeling that he was a know-it-all guy!  His confidence, his energy, and the way he emulates his consulting practice were just unconventional and incomparable to the rest, like a doctor that never prescribes a treatment unless the symptoms are thoroughly analyzed.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    A perfect mentor doesn’t exist. Just like a perfect business doesn’t. We essentially earmarked the areas where we needed help and identified 2-3 people we could trust to get advice from. Slowly this network of individuals helped us create a veritable sounding board for our areas of concern.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    I am an avid networker and I love meeting new people. The sole idea behind meeting new people is to learn about their life stories, habits, and personality. I found my perfect mentor by continuously networking and meeting different people from various walks of life. I would go into detail and understand the life learnings of the people I met. This helped me in understanding the characteristics and leadership styles of people with who I interacted. I would also chalk down my future plans and try to understand from different people’s experiences if anyone would add substantial value in my growth journey. However, it was a continuous process of networking at events, conferences, social media platforms that led me to find the right mentor for myself.

    I wanted a mentor who was extremely disciplined and focused in their life journey. Besides that, I wanted someone who has experience in building/scaling and investing in different startup ventures. When one invests in different ventures, they start evaluating companies extremely critically. For me, it was necessary to focus on every small problem in the business and do anything to fix it. I wanted a mentor who personally had faced a lot of challenges in their phase of building up. This would really help me in evaluating and overcoming the challenges and mistakes that would come my way. More importantly, I wanted a mentor who would also sharpen my leadership skills and make me more efficient to scale my startup.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    There was no wishlist, as such. But some of the most inspiring mentors have been the ones who have helped me see the bigger picture, have faith in myself, and call a spade, a spade. Professionally, most founders also seek out the investor community, including myself. I don’t come from a business family, I just had a vision for SuperBottoms. It was Kunal (Bahl) who was the north star in terms of bringing the vision alive and breathing life into SuperBottoms.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    Mentor mentee relationship is extremely important and it needs to be nurtured over time to understand each other’s and corresponding personality traits and thought processes. While nurturing this relationship is mostly conscious and the way is largely defined wherein you understand the strengths and weaknesses, one can also find a mentor in a serendipitous manner. In my case, it has been a mix of academic as well as professional life.

    Conclusion

    Mentors are the guide that will give you a clear picture of your situation and will be beside you when you need them. One needs to be careful while looking for a perfect mentor because in the long they are going to be your trusted confidante.

  • Benefits of Having a Mentor in Startup?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    It is very likely that in your entrepreneurial journey, you will find a need for a mentor and somehow will get yourself one as well. They will guide you, advise you, cheer you, inspire you, and will give you confidence when you are in dire need of some. Apart from all these benefits, there are other benefits of having a mentor as well.

    In this article, we will talk about how having a mentor really helps us. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    Personally, my mentor helps me in maintaining a work-life balance. I have learned the concept of not burning out from my mentor. It is extremely critical to take small breaks and explore life. This really helps me personally as it allows me time to think and retrospect in general about various critical decisions I have made in the past and the ones I need to make. Also, the idea of taking time off and analysing situations is something that my mentor has taught me. My mentor has taught me the importance to devote time to any sports or physical activity, which in turn has led to a more focused and productive daily output for me.

    While professionally, my mentor has been a pillar of strength for me. He guides and helps me in making challenging decisions. More importantly, he has taught me the value of evaluating every decision I make. Through the concept evaluation, I measure and track the number of accurate decisions I make. This helps me to understand what worked for my startup and what dint. He helps me in setting the right culture in my organization. If you want to achieve the scale, it is extremely important to set the right culture. An important aspect my mentor continuously teaches me is to respect and accept every idea.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    Tanul and Kruti have been pivotal in our growth as a team, our company, and our personal growth for each and every one of us. They have given us a thought process, a methodology for building and tracking our progress. They have given us important interventions and helped us correct course whenever needed.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    A mentor is not a teacher but a guide and is present with me at every business decision juncture involving resources. Resource today means time, money, and people.  My mentor is like a listening wall to me; a sounding board that has a talking back ability with data, rationale, and logic.

    Someone that can point the positives and negatives, be strong enough to tell you this will work and this won’t. It is someone who is in a position to tell you with facts and figures if what you are doing will act like a boomerang. It is someone that tells you let’s do it; we are in it to win it. I am blessed to have a mentor that makes everything look so effortless and easy. Due to such mentoring, I am at peace personally and professionally.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    Professionally, speaking to folks who have experience in a specific field of business/ have faced similar problems in a different business helps one get ideas to navigate the problem & find creative solutions. Personally, it’s just a great motivating factor. When overwhelmed with a problem, being able to talk to someone who tells you that they have been there and seen similar problems elsewhere, and tells you that you are not alone and that this too shall pass.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    As we bring our whole selves to work every day, the lines between professional
    and personally, get blurred sometimes. In personal lives, one chooses to seek out the ones who know us deeply. Usually the teachers or professors from student lives.
    Professionally also, the investors also keep you real. They call you out when
    something is not right and at the same time, they are also the wind beneath a
    founder’s wings. They also add great value in connecting you with the right people,
    helping you build a roadmap and provide a safe sounding board. Also considering
    that there are Gen-Z in the workforce who bring a completely different mindset,
    reverse mentoring can also help massively. I reach out to the youngsters in the
    organisation from time to time.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    Mentors contribute in multiple ways and it can be contextual or acting as sounding
    board or to help clarify the thoughts. The sample case in point is let’s say, you’ve successfully travelled a journey from 0 to 1 and you need guidance to get from 1 to 10. Mentors who have chartered the path (Need not be from the same industry) will be instrumental in helping understand the big picture, provide guidance on approach and key levers along with risks.

    Conclusion

    Apart from all these benefits, mentors can help in other things as well. Entrepreneurs will definitely realise that when they decide to get a mentor for themselves. When you have a mentor, not only if they give you advise regarding your business but they will also help you in creating a proper work-life balance.

  • Can Hybrid Learning Replace Traditional Classrooms?

    Pandemic has taught us several things and coping methods, and hybrid learning is one of them. The entire education system has been changed and adopted several methods for learning to provide a continuous and seamless learning program. The main reason behind this sudden transformation of traditional schools into hybrid schools is the worry of parents for their children.

    They welcomed it with warm hugs as students’ education does not get compromised in the pandemic. Hybrid or virtual learning has surely made lives easy as children can continue their education safely at home. But even with such benefits and praises, hybrid learning could not replace the traditional physical learning method.

    Traditional learning still holds great importance in the lives of students. As it provides total development of the student and prepares them for tough circumstances.

    Besides academic learning, traditional learning includes social skill development, communication, ties, sharing, sensitivities, empathy and many else. And for any child, these factors are very essential for the competitive environment and development. However with safety and convenience in the virtual learning method, people are becoming entirely reliant on that and because of this a very strong question arises, Can hybrid learning replace traditional learning? And that’s what we are discussing in this article. So, let’s get started!

    Can Hybrid Learning Replace Traditional Learning?
    Difference between Traditional Learning and Hybrid Learning
    FAQ

    Can Hybrid Learning Replace Traditional Learning?

    The pandemic has entirely changed our lives, which majorly impacted the education and marketing sector. On one hand, where the marketing sector is expanding on a wide proportion, the education sector is still processing the changes.

    With the pandemic, the educational institutions entirely shifted to the online mode of education and started their classes on Zoom and Google Meet. This wasn’t very tough for the teachers and students to adapt as they instantly changed their methods of teaching, grading and learning.

    The major impact of this was on higher education as people are claiming that the future of college and education is online. However, nothing can be said of the future in advance. As no one even thought that almost three years of our lives will be surrounded by such a lethal virus. That’s why what can be said of the education system is that we surely are moving towards hybrid learning which is the mixture of offline and online modes of learning.

    It’s definite that as soon as the threat is gone the physical learning mode will return as it holds huge importance in students lives. But we cannot ignore the fact that there are still several options available online.

    Both online and offline modes of education hold different characteristics and trades. Soon people will learn to manage both of these together. But when it comes to the experiences and benefits that a student gets from the traditional physical learning method can never be replaced by the virtual learning method. And we have mentioned the reasons for these down below.

    Difference between Traditional Learning and Hybrid Learning

    Beneficiary campus life, not available in virtual learning

    Virtual learning may be safe and secure but it can never replace the traditional physical learning method. The reasons behind this include the beneficiary campus environment and experience that students get which develops their communication skills, help them socialize and get better field opportunities, from diverse parts of the world. This helps them live in a new culture, city or a different country smoothly.

    Plus, it makes the students independent and aware of the surroundings they are living in. And the virtual learning method snatches these things from the crucial student’s lives.

    In-Class learning experience

    The very important aspect of the traditional physical learning method is the in-class student experience which helps the student in public speaking and building confidence.

    Such as, in in-class learning, students are prepared to easily ask any doubt, discuss any point, debate on a certain topic and ask questions instead of anonymously typing questions.

    Students do not get to experience post-classes discussions like being with your competitor, discussing in a friend group and many others. The virtual learning methods lack student engagement, discussion., and creating a bond with batchmates.                                      

    Opportunity to learn something new

    Another crucial factor of the physical learning method is the opportunity to learn something new such as joining different clubs and societies, participating in competitions or extra-curricular activities and classes.

    Those attaining the virtual classes are missing tons of such changes and experiences. As they cannot participate in any of such events that can help them develop new skills or personality traits by sitting in their houses.

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    Conclusion

    With the pandemic, our day-to-day lives have changed entirely and this majorly affected the education and marketing sector. Though the education sector adapted the online mode of learning, it could never be compared to the on-campus learning experience for the students.

    Although with the hybrid learning model which is a mixture of both online and offline learning; people can surely depend on it. But for the future, nothing can be claimed in advance.

    For now, the best thing in hand is to try to develop as many skills as possible on your own as depending on online learning is not a practical choice. We can state that the future of the educational system can be adapted as a combination of offline and online learning methods as a few things can surely be added to that of the offline learning mode.

    FAQ

    Can online learning replace the traditional classroom?

    No, online learning cannot replace traditional classrooms because, in traditional classrooms, students miss out on public speaking, face to face interaction and campus life. These are important factors during the growth of students that can’t be replaced by online learning.

    Can hybrid classrooms help students focus better?

    Yes, hybrid learning helps students focus more as it combines in-person teaching and independent learning.

    Is online learning more effective than traditional learning?

    Online learning is more effective as students can learn anytime and anywhere and every student can learn at their own pace.

  • What Credit Cards do Billionaires Use? | Top 5 Exclusive Credit Cards

    Credit cards have always been an important entity in people’s lives. But it does hold different purposes and meanings for different people. For average wealthy people, credit cards are a way to manage their finances and handle additional charges or earn rewards. But, for the super-rich or the billionaires, credit cards come with tons of luxurious perks that help them fund their lavish lifestyle. And these credit cards are obtained after achieving a certain benchmark or through invitation.

    People often wondered what perks these luxurious credit cards offer and what exactly are these. To answer these questions, we have presented this article where we’ll be discussing the top credit cards that billionaires use. So, let’s get started!

    American Express Centurion Card
    Citibank Prestige Credit Card
    J.P. Morgan Reserve Card
    American Express Platinum Card
    Citi Chairman
    FAQ

    American Express Centurion Card

    Annual Fee – $5000

    American Express Centurion Card
    American Express Centurion Card

    The most exclusive and luxurious credit card, American Express Centurion Card is always the first preference for billionaires. It was launched in 1999 and is commonly known as “Amex Black Card.” And what makes it more exclusive is that you won’t find any details or application form of this credit card online as it is only obtained on the invitation by Amex. And for this, you need to spend between $250,00 to $450,000 every year on your Amex card.

    By this, you get noticed by them for the invitation purposes as being an Amex cardholder, you need to have a certain spending habit, as Amex is very specific with its customers’ spending which usually tends towards luxury dining, events, goods and travel. After the invitation, you need to pay $10,000 as an initiation fee and an annual fee of $5,000.

    Citibank Prestige Credit Card

    Annual Fee – Rs. 20,000 + taxes

    Citibank Prestige Credit Card
    Citibank Prestige Credit Card

    Being an invitation-only bank Prestige Card was introduced in India, specifically for high net worth individuals. For this, Citibank has appointed dedicated relationship managers that work by helping the cardholders in spending as per their lifestyles and personal needs.

    They understand the preferences and choices of the cardholders and offer them customized personalized programmes based on their requirements. And these aren’t limited to goods and travel only, in fact, they offer access to exclusive concierge services.

    J.P. Morgan Reserve Card

    Annual Fee – $595

    J.P. Morgan Reserve Credit Card
    J.P. Morgan Reserve Credit Card

    The J.P. Morgan Reserve Card is widely known as the Palladium card. This exclusive card is credited with the composition of palladium and has recently been rebranded as “Reserve.” This too is obtained by invitation, for which you must have $10 million in holdings with J.P. Morgan’s private bank. And the annual fee of this exclusive and luxurious card is $595.

    Moreover, J.P. Morgan Reserve Card provides 10X ultimate reward points per dollar on Lyft rides along with 3X points per dollar spent on travel. Plus, the cardholder gets an annual travel credit of $300. It also provides top-quality protection and insurance.

    American Express Platinum Card

    Annual Fee – Rs. 60,000

    American Express Platinum Credit Card
    American Express Platinum Credit Card

    American Express Platinum Card, the platinum card that comes with some uber-exclusive and impressive services including the entry to ‘By invitation only’ events, fine dining deals, golf membership and many more.

    Along with this, it provides the privilege of enjoying luxurious travel and hotel deals, both nationally and internationally. It is entirely based on cardholders’ choices and lavishing lifestyle. As it does not have any preset spending limit, users can easily enjoy the fancy lifestyle. The annual fee for this American Express Platinum Card is Rs 60,000 plus taxes.

    Citi Chairman

    Annual Fee – $500

    Citi Chairman Credit Card
    Citi Chairman Credit Card

    An exclusive black piece of plastic from Citi Bank, the Citi Chairman card comes with the eligibility criteria of being a part of Citi group’s private bank. It is counted among the most luxurious and exclusive credit cards in the world.

    It offers a $300,000 credit limit, access to events only for members, airport lounge access and a 24/7 concierge. The fee of this Citi Chairman card is $500, which is quite less compared to others.

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    Conclusion

    Credit cards are considered an entity for the rich to fund their lavish lifestyles. For any ordinary individual, credit cards offer limited services and reward points. But for billionaires who are often invited to obtain the credit cases, are offered numerous luxurious services such as fancy goods, travel insurance, access to private events, lavish dinners, access to private islands and many more. This surely puts an impressive outlook on the individual’s wealth. Stay tuned with us for more content!

    FAQ

    What is the most exclusive credit card in the world?

    The American Express Centurion Card is the most exclusive card in the world that has a limit of 10 crores.

    What cards do billionaires use?

    American Express Centurion Card, Citibank Prestige Credit Card, J.P. Morgan Reserve Card, and American Express Platinum Card are some of the exclusive credit cards super-rich use.

    What is the American Express Black Card limit?

    There’s no credit limit on American Express Black Card.

  • List of Brands endorsed by Popular Playback Singer Atif Aslam

    Who doesn’t know Atif Aslam? The popular playback singer has mesmerized everyone with his voice not only in his country Pakistan but also in India and the rest of the world. 90s kids can never forget the ever-melodious song Doorie sung by Aslam. Apart from that, he has crooned songs for various Bollywood movies like Zeher, Kalyug, Bas Ek Pal, and more.

    There is no denying that the singer’s net worth is dependent on his musical journey across platforms. He has also judged various reality shows that add to his financial status.

    Now, there is another important factor that plays a crucial role in his net worth. Can you guess it yet? Yes, we are talking about Atif Aslam’s brand endorsements. Just like many other popular celebrities, the popular playback singer endorses multiple brands.

    Here is a list of brands endorsed by Atif Aslam.

    Huawei
    Mobilink
    Infinix Zero
    Zong
    Coca Cola
    Total
    Sony Ericsson
    LG
    QMobile
    FAQ

    Huawei

    Atif Aslam was the official face of Huawei Pakistan. Yes, you heard it right. The playback singer is the brand ambassador of the renowned brand of Pakistan. Huawei Pakistan had various other celebrities as brand endorsers earlier like Mahira Khan, Shehryar Munawar, Humaima Malik, etc. But the popularity of the brand reached heights after being endorsed by Aslam.

    The singer was selected to endorse the brand’s model Honor 5X. The brand decided to begin its brand new campaign with a very popular face in the country and who better than Aslam to do the same!

    Huawei is one of the leading telecommunication brands in Pakistan and has partnered with numerous renowned celebs. The singer happens to be one of them. Talking about Atif Aslam, he also featured in the TVC ads made for the purpose of the campaign. And guess what! Its success reached great heights after being endorsed by the singer.

    The popular mobile operator company from Pakistan had also signed Atif Aslam as its brand ambassador. He even did an exclusive photoshoot while endorsing the popular brand. The singer did a commercial with Mobilink to further promote it on the digital arena and guess what! It was a huge hit too.

    The popular brand signed the singer for what is termed as Jazba. Yes, that is what the product’s name was and it saw a re-launch after being endorsed by Aslam.

    The aim of the brand was to promote passion and individuality among the youth in the country. This is why it selected the singer as its brand ambassador to promote the same along with the product. Being the youth’s most loved singer in the country, Atif Aslam had the advantage of bringing a surge in sales through the ads that he did for the brand.

    Infinix Zero

    Pakistan’s leading and most popular smartphone brand, Infinix signed the playback singer back in 2020 to endorse their latest product – the Infinix Zero 8 smartphone. The brand specifically selected Aslam to endorse its smart series shelf. He was approached as a part of the highest-selling brand’s initiative to further expand its sales.

    Moreover, the singer further sent the fans into a frenzy after he announced the campaign in one of his tweets. Given the huge fan following that the singer has on social media, you can imagine the popularity of the product after the same. Just like Huawei and Mobilink, Atif Aslam also did TVCs for Infinix to promote one of its highly valued products.

    Zong

    It is one of the latest brands endorsed by Atif Aslam in current times. He has been selected by the brand to promote its latest campaign feature involving the Zong 4G connection. Its recent campaign positioned it as the largest 4G network in Pakistan.

    To add to it, the brand made Aslam a feature in its TVC campaign that further enhanced its sales for all the obvious reasons. The brand’s latest campaign actually targeted the youth of the country and that is where the singer’s popularity came in handy.

    Being a youth icon gives you superpowers. Don’t believe us? Then we have the best example for you in the form of Zong’s high-voltage campaign by Atif Aslam.

    Coca Cola

    There is no one in this world who hasn’t heard about Coke Studio. Atif Aslam is an integral part of this popular television music show that has been running since 2oo8. He has been constantly singing for this musical show from 2009 till the present times. The singer was also featured in a Coke ad during this time.

    Total

    Who better than a singer to endorse something related to cars, right? Atif Aslam endorsed Car Kahani in 2017 and featured in a musical ad for the same. He was selected by the brand to promote its Total Quartz product. He also crooned an amazing musical number for the ad.

    Sony Ericsson

    Atif Aslam was selected by Sony Ericsson to endorse one of its popular products of that time – the Sony Ericsson K700i. The singer once again featured in an ad to promote the brand and proved his niche in acting too with the same.

    LG

    Another popular brand for which Atif Aslam did endorsements is LG. Just like Sony Ericsson, the playback singer has featured in multiple ads of the brand to promote multiple products in the past years. The best examples of his endorsements include the LG KG 200 mobile.

    QMobile

    The popular consumer electronic brand’s multiple products are promoted and endorsed by Atif Aslam for a very long time. He even featured in some of their ads that surely contributed to an increase in the sales of their products in the market.

    Conclusion

    As we can see, Atif Aslam has mostly endorsed telecom brands. Apart from that, he has endorsed diverse brands over the years. It also explains the whopping finances received by the singer through endorsements.  The singer’s single remuneration for a single song is 8-10 lakhs and private shows are 50-80 lakhs. This makes him one of the richest celebs too!

    FAQ

    Who is Atif Aslma?

    Atif Aslam is a popular Pakistani playback singer known for his vocal belting technique. He has also received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz award.

    What is the net worth of Atif Aslam?

    The net worth of Atif Aslam is $22 million.

    What is the age of Atif Aslam?

    Atif Aslam was born on 12 March 1983 and is 38 years old.

  • List of Brands Endorsed by Kalki Koechlin

    Who doesn’t know the dynamic Kalki Koechlin? Right from Shaitaan, Dev D, Ek Thi Daayan to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, this gorgeous diva has made a mark with her excellent acting skills. Over the years, she has proven herself to be a capable actress.

    Not only that but she is the recipient of two screen awards, a Filmfare award, and a National Award. Kalki already achieved a huge fan following after her grand debut with Dev D in 2009. And as it is said, the rest is history for this beautiful diva who was born in Pondicherry.

    Very few people know that she has written, acted, and produced multiple stage productions apart from Bollywood films. She is also a renowned activist who has fought for various causes. But do you also know that Kalki has endorsed multiple renowned brands? If not, then this space is for you! Check out the list of brands endorsed by Kalki Koechlin.

    VOI jeans
    Hidesign
    The Moms Co.
    Oriflame
    IICE Vodka
    AOC TV
    Huggies
    Micromax
    Coca Cola
    FAQ

    VOI jeans

    It was back in 2013 that this London-based fashion company opened its first store in India. And guess who they approached for promoting their products! Of course, she is none other than Kalki Koechlin herself.

    She was roped in to endorse their 2015 autumn-winter collection. The actress herself was pleasantly surprised about her collaboration with the popular fashion brand and spoke highly of the same at that time. She talked about how the jeanswear resonated with her personal sense of style.

    The main motto of the autumn-winter collection of the brand was to show something new and exciting. It is why Kalki was selected as the fresh face in the country to do all the promotions.

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    Hidesign

    The actress also teamed up with Hidesign in 2018 to promote a wide range of sustainable handbags. Moreover, the multi-hyphenate beauty already shares common roots with the brand. It is because she was also a part of the design team of Hidesign which is now a part of Louis Vuitton.

    The news about Kalki’s collaboration with Hidesign was published in Vogue magazine. The actress was selected by the noted indigenous leather brand to co-create its unique capsule collection. Its deep-rooted vision is linked to Pondicherry which is, surprisingly, Kalki Koechlin’s birthplace too.

    Moreover, the actress also did not have any issue in endorsing a product that had a story as its backdrop. In fact, the collection was done based on her selections, tastes, roots, and common aesthetics in Pondicherry.

    The Moms Co.

    This is one of the best brand endorsements done by Kalki in her career. The Moms Co. is all about the celebration of women’s age. It is what the actress promoted when endorsing their products – ageless beauty in 2020. She was a part of the launch of the Natural Age Control Range of the popular brand.

    This digital campaign was promoted nationwide to describe the countless expressions of women. The brand found Kalki as the best match for endorsing its collection for obvious reasons.

    Although ageing is a natural process, changes in the skin bring concerns to a lot of women. The brand aimed at promoting the value of loving oneself and changing the entire perception of ageing. The Moms Co. has emerged as a popular startup that believes in challenging perceptions and breaking stereotypes. Who better than the actress to help them promote the same, right?

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    Oriflame

    The national award-winning actress was roped in as the brand ambassador of Oriflame India in 2017. The Swedish brand that believes in empowerment and sustainability found Kalki to be the perfect match for endorsing its products. Over the years, numerous actresses from Bollywood have promoted the products of Oriflame. However, Kalki’s fresh face acted as a boon for the popular brand.

    She was selected as a part of the brand’s new campaign titled ‘A Beautiful Change.’ The main motto of this campaign was to spread the message about the importance of protecting the environment.

    IICE Vodka

    Kalki Koechlin was a part of the re-launch of IICE Vodka in India back in 2015. She was roped in as the brand ambassador of the liquor company to run all its promotions on every possible platform. The collaboration with the actress helped the brand virtually connect with the fans and ultimately brought an increase in sales.

    The company announced the launch of its new chilli flavour ‘Kinki Chilli’ which was an innovative and flavourful beverage. Apart from that, the company also renamed many of its products and decided to hold a huge campaign to promote the same. It is during this time that the actress was selected by the brand for doing the promotions on its behalf.

    AOC TV

    This Taiwan-based television maker signed Kalki as its brand ambassador in 2012. The company cited the reason to be the huge fan following that the actress had at that time. They believed that they could achieve great recognition using the diva’s popularity among the young generation. TV sets are best suited for the Indian market – that is what Kalki Koechlin said after her selection by the brand for endorsements. We couldn’t agree more here, isn’t it?

    Huggies

    Kalki Koechlin endorsing Huggies
    Kalki Koechlin endorsing Huggies

    The popular diaper brand, Huggies collaborated with Kalki Koechlin in 2021 and made her the brand ambassador. She was roped in to promote their latest product that boasted of being the gentlest diaper in India.

    Micromax

    Kalki Koechlin was selected by Micromax for promoting a new variant of its phone series a few years ago. The model came with an advanced music player too. The actress featured in the TVC for the same that was a huge hit at that time. For those who are unaware, Kalki was signed as the brand ambassador of Micromax Mobiles in 2011.

    Coca Cola

    There was a time when Kalki collaborated with Imran Khan for an ad for Coke and you can’t even imagine the level of popularity that it achieved owing to the same. The commercial featured the two fresh faces after a long time and that speaks for the immense reach that it garnered among the audience within a short time.

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    Conclusion

    Kalki Koechlin is among the few actresses who are known to have chosen the best brands for promotions or endorsements. Being a mother herself, the diva has always chosen brands that talk about preserving nature, empowerment, and sustainability.

    FAQ

    What is the net worth of Kalki Koechlin?

    The net worth of Kalki Koechlin is ₹140 crores.

    What is the age of Kalki Koechlin?

    Kalki Koechlin was born on 10 January 1984 and is 38 years old.

    What languages does Kalki Koechlin speak?

    Kalkin Koechlin speaks Hindi, English, Tamil, and French.