With the pundits, government and people believing that the economy is on an upswing, there are some learning’s that the past year or so has provided.

1) Stay the course - It is extremely relevant to continue on the same course, adopted in the past year such as control of costs, evaluate each project, product before taking a plunge, in short not to get swayed by the hubris of good times.

2) Capitalize on the spurt of business opportunities - The idea is to explore different business opportunities that have come up or grown with things looking better.

3) Capitalize on market place opportunities - The past couple of years have shown a trend that besides the metros, different niches & markets have sprung up, which would only grow in the years and it’s important to capitalize before it becomes to expensive.

4) Focus on consistent awareness - A key area, be consistent in creating awareness of your brand, product, merchandise through the bad & good times.

5) Acknowledge potential increase in consumer’s knowledge & changes in shopping behavior - The past year or two has shown a consumer who is intelligent, gathering knowledge from multiple sources & looking for value and as a brand it is critical that this is kept in mind.

6) Emphasize authenticity, optimism & connection - Piggy back on the optimism wave connecting to your consumers, sharing the authenticity of your brand and value provided to them.

7) Maintain constant and consistent dialog with loyal consumers - These are the people who have carried you through the turbulent times and it is important to keep in touch with them, talk to them continuously and consistently.

Focus on developed brands - Do not get gungho about launching a slew of brands, focus on the developed brands for the immediate two quarters before introducing new ones.

The word luxury bandied around these days is a clear misnomer. What was Luxury then is a part of a good life now.

In fact the sooner brands clear the gross misconception that

- Luxury is only for the rich & famous older population
- Luxury must be unaffordable to be appealing
- My rich & famous will always love me & only my brand.

the faster they would grow and this is extremely valid in India. What was thought of as luxury is now Lifestyle & more importantly the numbers have undergone a meteoric rise in this segment.

It is surprising that in an industry that relies on human contact & touch point, most of my colleagues rely 90% on email and get really upset when I refer it to playing billiards. Email is the safest way of pushing things off your plate, not taking responsibility, accountability, because the moment you click ‘Send’ your job is over.

Of course there is always the Tech team, India’s connectivity problems etc that can be blamed for non receipt of information, further compounded by GPRS, EDGE, dropping signals etc.

But once out of office, on weekends, chatting with friends and all connectivity works perfectly.

After a rush Indigo flight to Ahmedabad which was on time (as usual) checked in to the hotel before hunger pangs bit me.

The two options immediately were Mcdonald (which I am not too enamored with) and Papa John a chain rival to Pizza hut that I have tried in the past in Bombay Baroda with fond memories.

Off we went, nice cheery place with precisely a couple sitting.

The service was quick, with Mustafa introducing himself and providing an explanation of ‘Chaat’ pizza - fresh dough, topped with capsicum, onions, cubes of potatoes, garnished with coriander, a bit tangy to taste.

Normally I would not dream of ordering this, but N prevailed and we ordered the smallest size along with a side portion of Garlic parmesan sticks.

The sticks came first, trying it out and they had to be stretched, chewed more times then I normally prefer.

Whilst thinking as to how some body managed to crucify a dish claimed to be special.

And the chaat pizza arrived - 4 pieces topped with 6 cubes of potatoes and smattering of onions capsicum with cheese of course. Though it was not tangy as promised, it was fresh and nice.

It was cleaned in double quick time, whilst the sticks were a laborious job.

Mustafa came up to enquire about the pizza, upon bringing to his notice the sticks, he provided the excuse that, whilst it is made from the same dough as the pizza, it can never be spongy.

The nett result observation - lack of business at that particular time, reheated sticks, with chaat pizza of no particular taste, vintage has ensured that another visit here is out of the question.