Home away from home!

Home away from home!

5 incidents of note crossed my eyeballs this week –

India, Lords: Crashed like 9 pins yet again as the English sang in the rain. “Tigers at home, mice abroad” rumors were fueled again.

IKEA, Hyderabad: On its 2^nd day of launch, furniture sales of INR 2.4 cr and food sales of 11L before lunch made Ikea not only India’s largest furniture retailer but also its largest restaurant!

MI, Bangalore: CMR Research confirmed “Honestly Priced” Xiaomi’s pole position with 37% of India’s new smart phone users going to it.

Vietnam War, Netflix (New Series): The famed US militia (after successes in Korea, WWII) was thumped down by North Vietnam Guerillas for a decade (’65-’75) on the rural Vietnam countryside.

Back home, OfBusiness swelled its numbers last quarter riding on “away” growth in Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Success outside home ain’t easy. Alien conditions test the best.

Some stick to their formula: like Xiaomi, Ikea or the US Militia trying to scale out incumbents. Others try to localize: like the Indian team or us. Some succeed, most fail. And the rare successes carry tales of valor, leadership, innovation, partnership, patience and investment. Values that are essential in building the true measure of success across fields: Building a “Home away from home ”.