Business Plan 3 - Save $2 per day!

Here comes the business plan 3!

Before sharing the excitement, let's review the last two!

1. The innovative hair band inspired by the metal wire from the package of bread with Nic.

2. The franchise of Siu Yeung San Jin after the trip of Shanghai with Yes.

So the third one is the simplest one carrying the least risk.

No fixed cost or sunk cost at all.

It is a 100% service-based business.

There is a great protential market with lots of opportunities for business expansion.

I named it as "MTR Money Saver".

My business start-up location is Central.

It is ALL about the promotion machine taking HK$2 off your next MTR trip on the same day after you scan your Octopus card on it.

The promotion machine is located around the Soho area, which is quite a walking distance from the main office buildings ( IFC, Exchange Square, Prince etc..)

Therefore, in order to save money, you need spend your precious lunch time walking up the hill.

Now, I am offering to do that for you!

While you are saving HK$2 per day, I will charge HK$0.5 per day for my service.

I will collect your Octopus card everyday for the service.

Coming along I would prepare a contract.

For longer contract, I will provide also free plastic case with your full name printed and pattern of your choice (Hello Kitty, crystals, leather.. you name it..)

I will start at my office of 20 people... then expand it to colleagues in the same buildings... then IFCs ... exchange square...

I will earn HK$15 from every user per month.

Therefore, $300 dollars per month if everyone in my office uses this.

$1500 per month with 100 users.

Then I can do the same for Tsim Sha Tsui.

One downside is that, MTR might cancel the promotion.

Also, the market entrant is so low.

But I find this business particularly meaningful to all Central workers!

Transportation expenses have been going up crazily and this HK$2 actually is quite significant if you accumulate it throughout the time.

The benefits of losing an iphone.

YES.
I lost my iphone, after five months living upon it.
It is like losing a limb.
Staring blindly on my MTR trip from Prince Edward to Central,
feeling the lightness of my handbag,
no more rush for minutes and seconds for games,
the lightning speed of SMS becomes turtle crawling speed in my hundred-year-old Motorola,
even my memories, in the forms of notes and photos, are forever gone.

It is certainly depressing, especially it was my birthday gift from my sisters.
I am still very guilty for my split second of light mindedness in Insomnia.
But there is one good thing about losing an Iphone----
I AM FREED FROM THE IPHONE.

For months, it is not at all exaggerating to conclude that 80% of my leisure time was partially/ fully occupied by this technology.
(I believe the 20% percent of the leisure time where Iphone is easily out of my mind is Majonging with my family and sleeping.)
But now,
my Fingers and Mind are much better controlled by Lina, not Lina's Iphone.

Even in these first few Iphone-free days,
I read Emma Watson's Vogue Interview,
started the book Outliers,
discovered some mysterious restaurants along my ride to Pokfulam,
and obersved the other Iphone slaves in MTR.

In any case, I still miss my beloved Iphone.
But a slight skepticism is slowly building up in my brain that I might possibly start enjoying the Iphone-free days, and ultmiately, becomes the outlier that does not want an Iphone.


*******
The introduction and the first chapter of Outliers was a blast!
My summary so far is:
1. An outlier is never a REAL outlier. It is called an outlier just because that it cannot be sufficiently explained by conventional theory or belief. An outlier, like everything else, has an underlying trend.
2. An outlier can be created. It does not rely solely on innate qualities.

We are always taught to honor our achievements based on individual hardwork and talents.
Studying in the United States where individualism and hardwork are celebrated, I am a strong believer in diligence and ability all the times.
But it is like the statistical assumption that all factors are independent of one another.
The reality is all factors are closely knitted.
One's success is a combination of talents, society and experience.

Based on Outliers' theory that players with birth dates right after the cut off date of hockey league selection are more likely to become world-closs professionals, I will boldly suggest that people with birth dates at the start of the year have more younger-aged connections in their inner social circle, while people with birth dates close to the end of the year would have social circles with elder people. My reasoning would be that throughout the 20 years of education, people with earlier birth dates were put together with classes of younger people where they interact constantly. Therefore, even outside of school, they are more comfortable hanging with people younger than them.
For example?
I think I am the life example.
My birth date is 20th January.
Not only that my classmates were mostly younger than me,
but most of my closest friends are younger than me.
Because I am not used to mingle with elder people,
asking for advices and guidance.
But I enjoyed the relaxation and fun with the younger.

But all in all, this proposed trend would not be too distinctive as other factors ( family background, class year, etc) will also affect the correlation..

So do we still need to work hard if we realize our success lies heavily on our lucks too?
YES! A definite yes!
Because it is not about the end, the result,
it is about the process.
If we do not push our limits on our abilities and talents,
there is little chance of success even if luck lies with you.
Remember, an outlier can be created, with training and experience.

Sad

I hate to admit
But it's time to admit
That I am sad.
2010 is not a good year.

Everything seems to be very unstable.
The more I try to enjoy myself, and when things get better,
obstacles and interferences will strike my courage.

Do not give up. Keep moving. 2011 is just a bit ahead.