I am convinced that there are two ways to make money in the world (including India) and both are terrific ways. Of course I am too lazy to use both the methods, and hence this generous sharing of ideas.

a. Create Confusology products: Learn from certain industries as to how to create a huge range of products, marginally different from each other. The differences should be so subtle that if there is a blind test your own product manager should not be able to make out the difference. That is the epitome of success. It is nice if the product is useful for the end consumer, but that is incidental. The Superconfused, refuse to believe that simple products exist, constantly seeking the big ‘O’ customer – let us call him a ‘Succomer’ will soon buy the product, if there is a sexy sales pitch. Then sell more and more. Typically all the players in the industry should create plans and products more and more complex, differentiated, and sexy. The succomer should be inundated with all  the details in font size 4 (7 if you are worried about the regulator). The taming of the shrew is a good play to read if you are dealing with the regulator, though. The succomer should get a feeling he is getting the best and fair value for his money in each of the options. Helps if there is only one player, but if there are more each one can get a fair share of the succomer. This was each player has enough products, margins, share of the succomer and thus nice profits.

that was plan 1. This is quite difficult, because all this has to be done. Sounds difficult even for some hard working people reading this blog and making a living doing some of it already. So for the people who are less hard working than my readers, but less lazier than me, there is a second option.

Option 2: Pick up your law degree (there are colleges in Mumbai at least which expect you to come twice a year – one to pay fees, one to fill the exam form). Then learn a little about the Confusology product, the millions of succomers, and wait. Then either run a blog, magazine, or be willing to write for free about the industry so that they are willing to pay you to go away. Here a little care is necessary – if you wait too long, they may learn to live with you or the industry may be shut down by a careless regulator (do you realise that if he shuts you down, he also may be shut down, tch tch).

Any resemblance to insurance, medical, diets, telecom, fund management, financial planning,  or banking is a sheer co-incidence. This is a piece of humor but the word confusology was first used 350 years ago in the USA. Scott Adams uses the word ‘confusopoly’. Scott is an inspiring cartoonist from US.

ps: taking financial advise from anybody is dangerous. From a cartoonist is super risky. And seeking free advice from blogs is of course a brilliant idea. And ideas become blogs.