Naina.co
  • Blog
    • Everything
    • Only Articles & Writing
    • #NAINAxStyle
    • Podcast : The Naina Redhu Experience
    • EyesFor…
      • #EyesForLuxury
      • #EyesForLifestyle
      • #EyesForDestinations
        • #EyesForIndia
        • #EyesForDubai
        • #EyesForEurope
        • #EyesForLA
        • #EyesForLondon
        • #EyesForNewYork
      • #EyesForPeople
      • #EyesForStreetStyle
      • #EyesForDining
      • #EyesForTechnology
      • #EyesForFashion
        • New York Fashion Week
        • Amazon India Fashion Week AW15
      • #EyesForBeauty
      • #EyesForPeople
    • Art
    • #MadeInIndia
    • #NAINAxADOBE
    • #NosedByNaina
  • Photography Portfolio
  • Contact & About
  • Press
  • Clients
  • Newsletter

NAINA.CO

Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Spotify
Facebook
online brand building, photography & art
Naina.co
  • Blog
    • Everything
    • Only Articles & Writing
    • #NAINAxStyle
    • Podcast : The Naina Redhu Experience
    • EyesFor…
      • #EyesForLuxury
      • #EyesForLifestyle
      • #EyesForDestinations
        • #EyesForIndia
        • #EyesForDubai
        • #EyesForEurope
        • #EyesForLA
        • #EyesForLondon
        • #EyesForNewYork
      • #EyesForPeople
      • #EyesForStreetStyle
      • #EyesForDining
      • #EyesForTechnology
      • #EyesForFashion
        • New York Fashion Week
        • Amazon India Fashion Week AW15
      • #EyesForBeauty
      • #EyesForPeople
    • Art
    • #MadeInIndia
    • #NAINAxADOBE
    • #NosedByNaina
  • Photography Portfolio
  • Contact & About
  • Press
  • Clients
  • Newsletter
0
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : Pretend I’m a White Man

  • March 27, 2017
  • naina

I run a digital marketing agencies with few co founders. Actually we are developing a product on influencer/blogger marketing. Tomorrow we have 3-4 bloggers/influencers coming to our office to provide some inputs on it. It will be great if you can come for sometime. Would be happy to have you. I will make u meat my team and some influential friends as well. Thought of your name Since you are really good at blogging. We are having this meet at 12pm at our office.

 

For context, I’ve met the person who wrote the above message a handful of times. Always in-passing. With not more than a few words exchanged. While I was aware that they run a digital marketing agency of some sort, we’d never worked together or even discussed work. I was surprised by their out-of-the-blue Whatsapp message no less. My number was given to them by someone else without my permission. ( Very few people *cough* MEN *cough* in India seem to be aware of the concept of “consent”. If someone asks you for my number, and you have it, you ask ME first whether you have permission to share my number with whoever’s asking for it. In almost all cases, I will tell you to ask them to email me. Don’t call me. )

“If you can come for sometime…” Seriously? Just because your office happens to be located “close” to where I live, that’s reason enough to ask me to waste my time?

My response :

Unfortunately I need at least a week’s notice for any in-person meeting or event. I’m happy to provide inputs to help develop your product on a paid consulting basis. If your team would like to setup a meeting, I’m happy to share my experiences and insights & answer specific questions for an hour for Rs. X inclusive of taxes. Will need a week’s notice, a 100% advance and a 10 minute phone call to understand more about what you need to know so I can prepare my notes accordingly.

To which they responded with :

Hi Naina, thanks for the detailed message. Much much appreciated. It was more of a friendly invite. We were calling close friends. I will definitely keep your name in mind if some good collaboration comes. Cheers bud!

Look. I get it. We’re all trying to sell something, setup something, run a business, make money. As much as I would love to provide any form of assistance to everyone I’ve ever met or even exchanged words with on email or on any of the various social media platforms, it is not humanly possible to do that. There is this resource that we all have called “time”. Time is limited. I’m careful where and how I spend my time. I’m careful to keep a track of what value I am getting in exchange for spending my time doing something. Doesn’t matter if it’s work or leisure. There’s always some value being derived when spending time.

Disingenuous ways of communicating why I should spend time helping your business make money, with not even an indication of the value I might expect in return, is not something I’m keen on. ( “But they would have definitely sent clients your way once their product was setup!” Really? Where’s the dotted line where I can get their signature on attesting to this definitive client business? The bigger assumption being there’s any merit to this product in the first place. If they’re not even willing to invest in setting up the goddamned product, how valuable could it possibly be?! )

We’re definitely not friends. It is possible for a lifelong friendship to emerge from a chance encounter over a couple of coffees one evening. But this was not it. Sometimes, we can’t be friends. Acquaintances at best. Close friends? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Stalking me on social media doesn’t count as “friendship”.

And my friends pay me. Or at the very least, they offer to pay me. Whether I agree to take their money or turn it down and do what I do best for free, is my prerogative.

I don’t give a rats ass how you run your business. But I will not let you waste my time for it. My time is precious and I charge for spending it on YOUR business. I know it isn’t culturally accepted to do that in India unless you’re a white person – preferably a man.

Pretend I’m a white man & let’s do this.

 

More anecdotes and stories in the #WTFNaina series. ( These are all inspired by true stories. Some written emails, some from face-to-face meetings. They have all been piling up for years now and I’ve decided to put them to use! )

 

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Pin it
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • #WTFNaina
  • 100% Advance
  • 100% Advance Payment
  • Advance Payment
  • Agency
  • brand
  • Client
  • Experience Collector
  • influencer
  • lifestyle
  • lifestyle blogger
  • lifestyle blogger india
  • Lifestyle Influencer
  • lifestyle photographer india
  • luxury blogger
  • luxury blogger india
  • Luxury Brands
  • Luxury Influencer
  • luxury photographer
  • luxury photographer india
  • naina redhu
  • naina.co
  • Photography Influencer
  • Policy
  • professional photographer
  • Unprofessionalism
  • visual storyteller
  • Visual Storyteller for Luxury Brands
naina

Previous Article
Experience Collector, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Blogger, Lifestyle Blogger India, Lifestyle Photographer India, Luxury Blogger, Luxury Blogger India, Luxury Brands, Luxury Photographer, Luxury Photographer India, Naina Redhu, Naina.co, Professional Photographer, Visual Storyteller, Visual Storyteller for Luxury Brands, Influencer, Luxury Influencer, Lifestyle Influencer, Photography Influencer, Brand Storyteller, Visual Storyteller, #EyesForStreetStyle, India, #EyesForIndia, On The Road in India, Street Style in India, Street Style, Street Style Photographer, Street Style Photography
  • #EyesForStreetStyle
  • On the Road

#EyesForStreetStyle India On The Road

  • March 26, 2017
  • naina
View Post
Next Article
Experience Collector, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Blogger, Lifestyle Blogger India, Lifestyle Photographer India, Luxury Blogger, Luxury Blogger India, Luxury Brands, Luxury Photographer, Luxury Photographer India, Naina Redhu, Naina.co, Professional Photographer, Visual Storyteller, Visual Storyteller for Luxury Brands, Influencer, Luxury Influencer, Lifestyle Influencer, Photography Influencer, Brand Storyteller, Visual Storyteller, #EyesForStreetStyle, India, #EyesForIndia, Street Style in India, Street Style, Street Style Photographer, Street Style Photography, India Art Fair, #IndiaArtFair
  • #EyesForStreetStyle
  • IndiaArtFair

#EyesForStreetStyle #IndiaArtFair

  • March 27, 2017
  • naina
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

No Commercials Because StartUp #WTFNaina

  • naina
  • May 10, 2019
View Post
  • #WTFNaina
  • Articles & Writing

Professional Etiquette : A Primer on How to Make Phone Calls

  • naina
  • February 13, 2019
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : So Expensive

  • naina
  • November 13, 2017
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : Organically Free

  • naina
  • November 6, 2017
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : Exceptionally Free

  • naina
  • November 2, 2017
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : How Not To Ask For Help

  • naina
  • April 18, 2017
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : Permission Marketing

  • naina
  • April 10, 2017
View Post
  • #WTFNaina

#WTFNaina : This Is Not A Mugging

  • naina
  • April 3, 2017




Naina Redhu is a professional photographer & visual artist.

Her career, spanning 16 years, started with an MBA in IT & Systems, to a job as an Innovation Management Consultant, to branding & graphic design work for international clients, to a full-time solo-entrepreneurship as an Experience Collector.

Naina started her blog 16 years ago and it has evolved from writing about Creativity & Innovation, to sharing case studies about Branding & Graphic Design to finally a destination for some of the leading Luxury & Lifestyle brands as Naina writes features for these brands and photographs them.

Having traveled all over India as a child ( the advantage of having a father serving in the Indian Army ), she is also well-traveled across Europe ( Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy and France ), Asia ( Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam ), America ( New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco ), and Canada.

Naina has her own podcast called The Naina Redhu Experience, where she talks about the business and professional aspects of photography, blogging and influencer marketing in India.

Her abstract art, under the KhaosPhilos label can be shopped on the Naina.co online store and she is available for bespoke commissions as well.

"The New Rules of Online Brand Building", Naina's on-ground workshop, recently wrapped up its 7th Edition. Launched in 2018, "Workshops By Naina" is going to be seeing more editions across the country & online.

Naina is also available for hire as a Speaker. She has been invited as a Keynote Speaker at a blogging conference and also speaks about the business of photography in India.

Always learning & evolving online, she has presence across several online spaces including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok and her podcast can be found on all podcast channels and apps.

#EyesForLuxury
  • janavi india, jyotika jhalani, naina redhu, LMIFWSS21, FDCI, Shaurya Athley, aprajita puri, janavi love, fdci goes digital, talisman, handcrafted, made in india, cashmere, shawls, luxury cashmere, eyesforluxury, madeininda, cashmere, kiera chaplin, spectaculars, eyeforfashion, fashion week, india fashion week, lotus india fashion week 2020, fdci fashion week 2020
    Talisman by Janavi India #LMIFWSS21 : Evil Eye Luxury Cashmere Collection
    • October 18, 2020
  • midsummer jardin, hand-painted jacket, impressionist, pointillism, impressionism, post-impressionism, contemporary art, khaosphilos, wearable art, wear a painting, wear art, made in india, make in india, madeinindia, makeinindia, wearableart, wearart, wearapainting, khaos philos, naina redhu, naina.co, naina, indian artist, art on garments, painted jacket, painted blazer, flower garden, midsummer garden, artist's garden, monet, seurat
    Midsummer Jardin : More About My First Hand-Painted Jacket #KhaosPhilos
    • May 31, 2020
  • bmw, eyesforluxury, automobiles, automobile brand, bayerische motoren werke ag, german company, german automobile, bmw 8 series gran coupe, the8, luxury grand tourer, four door, thegentlemanconnoisseur, nainaxbmw, india art fair, bmw at the india art fair, bmwatiaf, indiaartfair2020, new delhi, lifestyle photographer, luxury photographer, car, automobile photographer, art photographer, art fair, naina redhu, naina, naina.co
    BMW at the India Art Fair 2020 #EyesForLuxury #BMWAtIAF
    • February 22, 2020
#KhaosPhilos Art Label
  • The “NUANCE” Wearable Art Series of Brooches Made From Hand-Cut Paint
    • November 26, 2020
  • The Hindu Weekend, Susanna Myrtle, LuxeList, Luxe List, Hand Painted Brooches, Wearable Art, Made In India, Naina Redhu, Naina.co, KhaosPhilos, Chaos Lover, Independent Artist, Brooches Are Back, Accessories, Luxury Accessories, One Of A Kind, Unique Accessories, Hand Made, In Time, Diwali Brooch Collection
    One-Of-A-Kind Wearable Art Brooches by KhaosPhilos In The Press : The Hindu Weekend
    • October 16, 2020
  • face masks, hand-painted mask, Made In India, KhaosPhilos, Naina Redhu, Naina.co, Independent Artist Masks, India Art Mask, Art Mask India, Mand World Magazine, Press, Magandeep Singh
    KhaosPhilos Hand-Painted Art Masks In The Press : MansWorld India, September 2020
    • October 16, 2020
Social Links
Products In The Shop
  • Brooches (89)
    • 2 Inches Diameter (37)
    • 2.5 Inches (35)
    • 3 Inches Diameter (15)
    • Oil (1)
    • Sculptural (47)
  • Collections (108)
    • ALIVE (6)
    • Benches (5)
    • DOTS (17)
    • HORIZONS (21)
    • IN TIME (16)
    • METALS (20)
    • NUANCE (8)
    • Paper 2018 (20)
  • Garments (14)
    • Caps (2)
    • Masks (11)
  • Large Paintings (34)
    • On Canvas (14)
    • On Paper (20)
  • Prints (27)
    • Paintings (20)
    • Photographs (6)
    • Posters (1)
  • SOLD (52)
  • Uncategorized (3)
  • Workshops (3)
Your Cart
#EyesForDestinations
  • narendra bhawan bikaner, narendra bhawan, eyesforrajasthan, eyesfordestinations, bikaner, rajasthan, travel photogapher, nainaxnarendrabhawan, best boutique hotel in india, indian boutique hotel, narendra bhawan india, narendra singh, naina redhu, naina, lifestyle photographer, travel blogger
    The Nine Stages of Experiencing Narendra Bhawan Bikaner
    • December 17, 2020
  • bhairon vilas, bikaner, hotel bhairon vilas, dive bar bikaner, dive bar, narendra bhawan bikaner, rajasthan, eyesfordestinations, eyesforrajasthan, rajasthan photographs, travel photographer, bikaner photographs, bikaner bar
    The Dive Bar at Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner
    • December 9, 2020
  • The Way We Were, Dream A Little Dream, Head Up In The Clouds, Feet On The Ground, Be Elevated, Binsar, Binsar Wildlife Reserve, Mary Budden Estate, Himalayas, Uttrakhand Diaries, In The Woods, Tap Your Primordial, A Forest Dream, Seek The Wilderness, Climb Your Mountain, Forests Are Storytellers, Seek Your Wilderness, Into A Mountain, Find Your Story, Remote Life, Remote Expeditions, Remote Places, Remote Travel, Uttrakhand Tourism, Eyes For Destinations, Find Your Wonderland, Disconnect To Connect, Indian Photographer, Travel Photographer India, Hospitality Photographer India, Luxury, Lifestyle, Blogger, Naina Redhu, Naina.co, Naina
    Dream A Little Dream At The Mary Budden Estate, Binsar, Uttarakhand.
    • October 6, 2020
ART SHOP
  • 2020 #Alive ₹6,000.00
  • Vital #Alive ₹6,000.00
  • Flourishing #Alive ₹6,000.00
  • Vigorous #Alive ₹7,000.00
  • Extant #Alive ₹7,000.00
  • Spry #Alive ₹8,000.00

All Copyright rests with Naina Redhu. All Rights Reserved 2020. Written permission is required for you to copy & use images or text from this website. Email n@naina.co to ask.

NAINA.CO
  • Blog
  • Photography Portfolio
  • Contact & About
  • Press
  • Clients
  • Newsletter
All Rights Reserved. Copyright Naina.co 2020.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.