Go Fragrant!

“A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. ” ~ Christian Dior

Some women have a fixation for clothes, others, for shoes. Too much is never enough! For me, it's perfumes! My perfumania started somewhere in the early eighties and continues unabated....

Initially, when buying perfumes, I used to be unaware of the correlation between the perfume nomenclature and price. As time passed, I got to know many aspects, apart from just that. Here is a little note on the terms used on the perfume bottle that correlates the price with the value you get....

Strength     Term

Upto 3%     Eau Fraiche

3 – 5%        Eau de Cologne

5 – 10%      Eau de Toilette

10– 15%     Eau de Parfum

15 – 18%    Soie de Parfum

18 – 25%    Parfum (sometimes called Extrait) 

We often get a first impression of perfumes from the testers. As a result, we get a whiff of the top notes-the more volatile aromas that linger for 15-30 minutes. But it is the middle notes that actually define the fragrance. You will sense them right from the start, but they develop on the body 15-20 minutes later. The heaviest notes are called base notes, which enhance the staying power of the perfume.

I think the best way to pick up a perfume is to follow your own instinct rather than go by too much critical analysis. The purpose of perfumes is to enhance happiness so if a perfume makes you instantly joyful, that’s the one for you.

Over the years, I have used a number of brands, but certain fragrances that caught my fancy in the early years of my perfume-infatuation still remain my favourites.

Here are some perfumes I must have on my shelf:
24 Faubourg by Hermès
Calèche
 by Hermès
Coco by Chanel
Allure by Chanel
Poison by Christian Dior
Gucci by Gucci
Pleasures by Estee Lauder
Poême by Lancôme
L’air du Temps by Nina Ricci

© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.

Complacency

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.” ~ Bill Gates

Complacency is defined as smug satisfaction with oneself or with an existing situation, often while unaware of some potential threat.

Success usually comes after great effort. You know there is a challenge and you work hard towards it. In the initial days of struggle, you give all of yourself in spirit, body and mind. You can never get too comfortable because your antennae are tuned to potential setbacks.

However, it is very easy to be infatuated with past glories. It is often seen that great achievements are followed by great complacency. It causes you to become too comfortable with your way of thinking and of doing things. You ignore the rapidly changing environment around even when facts clearly point to a shifting order of things. This is when you are riding for a fall.

Aesop’s fable – ‘The hare and the tortoise’ - is a classic example of complacency.

The hare and the tortoise were in a race, and the hare dashed off to an amazing start. Turning back some distance ahead, he did not see the tortoise anywhere in sight. He became so filled with pride about his prowess and became so complacent, that he decided to take a nap. He was sure that he could beat the tortoise hands-down even after he woke up. 

When the hare woke up, he sprinted to the finish line as fast as he could, only to find the tortoise already there and victorious.

Good leadership skills demand that you do not fall prey to this ‘head-in-the-sand’ attitude. There are two key factors that can help in keeping complacency at bay:

• Keeping your environmental knowledge up-to-date: The environments you operate in generally are economic, political, business, market, technological and organisational (people & processes). You must have your finger on the pulse of each of these environments at all times.

• Keeping company of people who are capable of thinking differently from you: These people must be competent and empowered to challenge your ideas.

The path to success is a mix of ambition, hard work and environmental sensitivity. But once achieved, success can make you complacent over time. You tend to lose the humbleness and flexibility with which you commenced your journey, and, that, can become the beginning of your downfall.

© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.

The Anatomy Of An Entrepreneur

Recently, I was invited to speak at seminar on Entrepreneurship.  The first thought that came to my mind was, "Entrepreneurship is an action skill…"  Then a series of thoughts flowed, some of which I would like to share.

Who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is one who has - The passion to create - The will to conquer - The impulse to fight - The dream to found a private kingdom Very simply put, “those who create companies on their own and become the bosses of the companies”, are entrepreneurs. Passion, rather than money, fuels the success of an entrepreneurial drive.  However, successful growth requires you to expand on that passion with thought!

So, what does it take to start your own venture?

• Idea: An idea based on rationality and realism; it is the key concept of the service or product you want to sell in the market.
• Market value of the idea: You must have a basic level of confidence in the fact that the market values your product and is willing to pay for it.
• Team: You must have a team of complementary skill sets - so identify your own strengths, and find people who have different, but complementary strengths. In building a team you have to lead by example, you must walk the talk. You must be someone who is willing to work very hard to achieve those aspirations. Only then will your team trust you implicitly, and only then will they deliver and help achieve the common goals.
• Vision for growth: The entrepreneur must have a vision for growth, and he must articulate his grand vision - an exciting future. The vision must be a story that is compelling, believable, and intrigues and excites the minds of the team members.
• Attitude: A high degree of optimism, perseverance and the ability to put long-term interest ahead of short-term benefit

Can you become an entrepreneur? Yes, you can, provided you have the essential ingredients enlisted above, and the resilience to take the rough with the smooth. Entrepreneurship can be the most fulfilling aspect of your life.

© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.