Tag: business brains

H2O in a Beer Can. Worth ₹160 crores. Say Cheers!

“Liquid Death” is just water in a can, screams the NBC Business News headline.

The new water can is now a rage in the US and in the UK since its creation in 2017. The brand is now valued at $1.4 billion (about 160 crores in Indian rupees).

The news release says the brand Liquid Death had seen “triple-digit” growth for the third consecutive year, becoming the fastest-growing water and iced tea brand, citing SPINS, a market research group.

Liquid Death took off in part because it was a subversion of all the tropes of bottled water marketing that we’re familiar with, according to founder and CEO Mike Cessario.

The name “Liquid Death” refers to the idea of “murdering your thirst,” as well as “death to plastic,” he says.

(Reminds fans in India of the launch of Coke brand Thums Up, with a tagline reading, ‘Taste the Thunder’, doesn’t it?)

The good news is Liquid Death beverages are packaged in an aluminium can and are recyclable.

The brand now has a commanding fan following on social media, with 5 million on TikTok and 2.9 million on Instagram. And the number is growing.

“The Liquid Death can, to be blunt, looks cool,” says Brad Avery, senior reporter for industry newsgroup BevNET, told NBC News in an email.

By putting non-alcoholic beverages in a package that looks like a beer can, he said, it creates a psychological effect of making it easier for someone more image-conscious to consume.

One inspiration for Liquid Death came when I learned that some musicians who preferred to drink water onstage were pouring it into energy-drink cans for fear of embarrassment, as well as sponsorship requirements, says Cessario, the CEO and founder.

“We first invested in Liquid Death because we believed their brand and community was a great fit for the world of live music,” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement to NBC.

Liquid Death’s appeal means it is poised to take market share from both the water market, the beer and the newly growing non-alcoholic drink market, said Dan Buckstaff, chief marketing officer of SPINS, the market research group.

‘Can vs Plastic’ is what hit that sweet spot, Buckstaff said.

A healthy beverage for all on party occasions is how the brand wins hearts, says Cessario.

Three cheers to a can of ‘Liquid Death’.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/liquid-death-became-billion-dollar-beverage-brand-rcna143037?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&taid=65fa89859032a700017b6fc5&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Failure is a stepping stone to success.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

A failure should never put us down. Failure is all about signs that take us to progress.

Give you an example of how failure turned a man into a huge success.

My friend, Sakthivel lived in Trichy, a fort city in Tamilnadu, South of India.

He did his graduation in automobile engineering and quickly found a job with an auto giant.

He was good at work, hit big in the company and brought fame. But that didn’t last long though.

He quit the job within two years as he was too stressed.

He had to travel most of the time and he missed his family. His wife, two daughters (twins) and a young son missed him a lot.

He decided to launch a start-up and pledged all the assets he owned to banks for funds.

He started a showroom that sold Italian-made scooters. 

He soon ran into trouble. Sales didn’t go as expected. He failed in the venture.

He lost his money and went completely bankrupt. His family was broke.

He sat introspecting one day when a customer called and said he wanted to buy a scooter. All Sakthivel had in his possession was one last scooter.

As he was waiting for the customer Anil, his nephew Prakash popped in for the routine coaching classes. Sakthivel was helping the boy with his class 12 exams.

The doorbell rang as Anil entered. He apologized for turning up so late. He saw Sakthivel sitting in the cabin with a boy and there was a class going on. 

Sakthivel said he was helping his nephew with free coaching in physics and mathematics.

Anil asked if he would mind coaching his daughter Purnima too, as she was struggling with the subjects and the exams were fast approaching. He said he would pay for his service.

Sakthivel wasn’t too keen. But he said jokingly that he would coach his daughter for free if he bought the scooter as promised.

Anil was so happy and issued a check at once. Finally, a sale was made.

He kept his promise and helped both his nephew and the girl with some serious coaching in physics and mathematics. He himself was a top ranking student in the said subjects at school and college. 

The duo appeared for the examination and the results came. Both scored good marks.

Anil’s family was joyous as their daughter scored full marks. A 100/100 each in Physics and Mathematics. All thanks to strict coaching by Sakthivel.

As a gratitude, Anil took him to the school where his daughter Purnima studied. The head of the school was so thankful to Sakthivel and asked if he could offer his services as a special coach to teach Physics & Mathematics to the rest of the students in the school.

He said YES.

He soon became so popular with the students, and they called him a ‘Century Coach’. Because he helped many students to score 100 in physics and mathematics.

Many schools approached Sakthivel for special assistance in coaching students.

He has hit fame now. 

He now owns two colleges in the city, and has just taken up another huge place in Chennai for the purpose of coaching students to write NEET, an entrance exam for students who wish to join popular medical colleges in India.

Sakthivel is now heading the ‘Sakthi Residential NEET Academy’ headquartered at Trichy.

He runs his own YouTube channel and is a popular coach among students all over India.

The number of students in his academy is now growing each year. The strength stands now at around 1000.

Failures in his life didn’t tire him. Failure made sure he was progressing to a successful entrepreneur.