Heyaa
As I woke up this morning, turning off the alarmā¦ I saw the sun is in its hide-and-seek mode. Maybe itās, too, in the playful Sunday mood. Yep, Sunday. Iām writing this newsletter on a mellow Sunday morning.
My Sunday isnāt going to be all fun and frolic, though. One reason is that I have to deliver a clientās content today; thatās a priority.
I also have to finish reading four books I have kept on my bed. Not today, but as soon as possible. I thought Iād do them in a month. But so far read only two. Thereās this tiny, bright yellow Symphony of Drabbles that Iāve pulled out to read today.
But then the client's work is screaming for attention. So, pulled out the laptop from under this haphazard pile of books and notebooks on my bed.
Then, I checked my to-do. Realised I also have to write this newsletter today.
Turned the laptop on. But in the 3 seconds it took, I recalled I have to post a Reel I created a few days ago. So, picked up my mobile, opened Instagram, and looked for Reels with a suitable trending song. Time to push my video.
Also, my IG to YouTube automation wasnāt working as intended. So, disabled it first. Then, opened Instagram again, shared the video and downloaded the Reel (with the music). Opened YouTube and sent the video to Shorts.
Now I was blank, staring at the dark laptop screen. Yes, complete the article first. Finally got to it. And done!
Looked at to-do for the next task. Ah, the newsletter.
The bright yellow book is still by my side, waiting to be opened. Itās just a collection of short stories. Might complete it today itself.
You know, I share my bookish reads on WhatsApp, mostly in the book group I created. It feels comfortable there. Mostly known names; few other members are being active too. I like to type my thoughts, and send just like that. WhatsApp is good. (I sometimes miss tweeting)
I miss doing a lot of things these days, actually. Just exploring new apps and tools used to be my favourite pastime.
Now that I say thatā¦ recently I received an email, the first of its kind, in a long time:
Thanks so much for giving [app] a try.
Having the opportunity to run some reports for you helped us uncover a number of bugs and issues. We're really grateful you took the time to investigate using our early beta.
It was out of the blue. Itās the first time (that I remember) that someone acknowledged the effort. Thanked me for trying their app. All I have received so far is: Thanks for being one of our earliest users. Hereās [a new feature].
I donāt even remember how many apps I have registered myself into just to forget about them 10 minutes later.
That email felt good.
You should do that often if someone helped you. If you arenāt comfortable thanking them, maybe just send a bar of chocolate. I love books more; just saying.
It keeps people motivated. Yes, just acknowledgments.
Talking about appsā¦ Recently a friend launched an app for small businesses.
You know Anmol? He is a writer at his core. Also, marketer. He launched an app last week. Can you imagine a marketer doing that? Funny thing, right?
He did an app. First time. And believe it or not, itās super smooth. You know, when you are a marketer/writer/designer, you understand how a particular mind thinks. So, you can design something that suits the user experience the best.
Itās a digital visiting card intended for small businesses, for dukaandars: Bizlite Cards.
The app is intended for not-so-tech-savvy business owners to be online and display their products and services. You can use it as a standalone display card or create a mini online store for your products.
The app is easy to manage and update, and itās being updated for a hassle-free experience.
It does lack a few features. And it isnāt refined yet. But its first version itself is a lot more refined than the version ones of apps that I have tried.
There have been a few glitches, too; most taken care of already.
Sometimes, the app crashed randomly without even making a change. At times, all there was to see is a white screen. It just stopped loading.
Itās a horror for app developers. We never knew SaaS could be this troublesome.
A Brobdingnagian salute to all those who develop and maintain a SaaS app.
So far, Bizlite is running well. You can display images, showcase products and services, and list your business hours. You can accept UPI payments directly. The link-sharing QR also works perfectly well. Customers can save contact details directly to their phone contacts.
So, if you know an offline retailer who might want to go online, introduce them to Bizlite. It makes it easy to connect offline to online for business owners.
Trying and testing, I made my own Bizite card, tooā¦ for Book Blabber. So that if someone asks about it - offline - I can just show the QR for them to scan.
Not sure if someone will even ask. Abhijeet is too shy to make public appearances. Promotion is a distant reality.
Ummmā¦ now, what else should I talk about?
I guess I said enough for today, to be a newsletter. May be too much?
So, let it be all for today. Will read the book now, hopefully. Make sure you spread the word about Bizlite to every shopkeeper you know. Theyāll thank you.
Bidding adieu.
Live long and prosper.
See you next week, with another story.
PSā¦ I did finish reading the Symphony of Drabbles book. On Sunday itself. Hereās a short review