LET PEACE BE YOUR STRATEGY! by John Obidi

On the 31st of December, 2018, many will converge at various faith-based gatherings to cross over into the New Year.

The regular declarations will be made by religious leaders which will be followed by rousing responses of "AMEEEENNN!!!"

How many people truly get the declarations promised? Not many.

When I was a kid, we were always changing stickers. Each year had a new theme that promised 'Final Victory'. 

It never came.

When I turned 15, I made peace with the fact that things would never get better for my family unless through my own personal efforts. I had to figure out the game of life on my own.

Over time, I've given myself to the study of life and especially the ways of God. There's a lot I don't know, but there's also a lot I've figured out.

PRAYER WORKS, but not in the way many think.

Growing up, we heard testimonies of people who simply prayed and woke up to find their needs met - new car, house, lucrative job, etc., and we lusted after those results with a convoluted understanding of the requirements.

Many have mentioned the factors required for answered prayers - faith, perseverance, determination, etc.

You've left out perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle - PEOPLE.

To understand this, you must understand why humans exist and why we function the way we do.

God made us to function in this dimension, because by His own laws, spirit beings cannot operate in our dimension. As He is bound by His own laws, even He MUST find willing humans before He can get stuff done.

How does this concern you? When you pray for something, or even vaguely desire it, God doesn't snap His fingers and drop it in your lap.

God won't steal from Peter to pay Paul. He created all humans and ensures that there is balance.

What does He do?

He looks into the timeline of your life to find the perfect intersection of people, places and opportunity required to give you what you need.

The most important catalyst is the 'people' factor.

God looks into your life to see which humans can push you closer to your goals. Imagine if after He has found the perfect connection, He finds that you have a beef with that person. E go hard oh.

Here's the interesting, but complicated thing - God is just. By giving us free will, He has made peace with the fact that our chosen expression of freewill, will sometimes be at odds with His agenda, and He is bound by His laws to respect it.

God will not force a person who hates you to love you!

When your file lands on that person's desk and he tears it up because of a memory of what you did to them, thunder will not fire them.

They will live long and full. You're the one who needs the promotion. Your destiny will be delayed until God can now find the one person in the industry you have not pissed off.

The Apostle Paul said, "Pursue peace with all men..."

Jesus himself said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God"

I posted yesterday, "In this business, people don't necessarily favour the competent. They favour who they like."

In this age where sounding 'savage' is glorified above thoughtful introspection, do not be tempted to step on the banana peel of youth.

We young people tend to be pretty hotheaded, but in my village we have a saying, "Eye wey dey cry, dey see road"

This means that even in the flurry of unbridled emotion, you can still work in your best interests.

Talk to mentors who are well into their 50s and above. Many will tell you rich stories about how they had to bury the hatchet with a rival in order to achieve a lofty goal.

These stories aren't told. Instead, it's young people who haven't smelt life that are encouraging you to "not take nonsense".

In 2019, be at peace with everyone. Don't intentionally piss people off.

There is no emotional or financial benefit in promoting the 'Pepper Dem Gang'. Why would you want to knowingly provoke a person into hating you? Are you so clueless about the workings of life?

Many of you reading this are 'upcoming' and so the story I'm about to share will resonate.

There's a bible story about David when he was running away from King Saul who sought to kill him. He had to run away from Israel to a place called Gath in the land of the Philistines.

Note that this was the same Gath whose champion David had killed - GOLIATH! He had run into their hand because he had no choice now.

When the men of Gath recognized David, they reported to their king that THE MIGHTY DAVID was in their land.

Instant wisdom fell upon David and he pretended to be mad.

When the King of the Philistines saw David fooling himself, he said to his men, "Why did you let him in here? Can't you see he has lost his mind?"

And that's how David's life was spared - wisdom. He had just a few men. There was no sense in fighting or provoking a bigger enemy

And so, to you reading this - there is no sense in provoking anyone.

Women, don't lead a man on because of what you think you can get. If you don't want to do, just be honest about it and set respectable boundaries.

Guys, don't tell a woman you love her because of what you think you can gain. If it's not true, don't say it.

We are all very young and that is what makes it dangerous - you never know where anyone will end up.

YOU NEED PEOPLE!

Employees, don't antagonize your boss in the office because your equally clueless colleagues will applaud you.

Thought leaders, don't use your tiny clout to 'sub' people - big or small. The streets are watching.

Be the sort of person that is easy to help - that when God opens the timeline of your life with an intent to bless you, there will be so many (human) options He can choose from.

This way, He can plot the quickest route.

In 2019, let peace be your strategy. You don't need to hang with every crowd, but be cordial.

You don't need to acquiesce to every request, but you can be graceful in your responses.

In 2019, pursue peace with all men, women, children and aliens.

God bless you.

John Obidi,

Founder, Headstart Africa

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Small Businesses you can Start with Little Capital (1)

If you are looking to start a Small Business, but thinking that lack of capital is a hindrance, here are some Small Businesses you can start with very little capital- some require as little as 10k to start up:

Freelancing

A freelancing business is one in which you do little jobs for different people or companies. They can include 'Online freelancing', which covers digital marketing, data entry, consultations and even regular content writing. You can take up projects, work on them and deliver them as per the set timelines. Once you start having a certain amount of clientele, you can outsource it or include more people in your team. Slowly grow your network.

Food business

Going into food business does not necessarily require getting a shop. You do this business from home, and even on mobile basis. The food business is highly profitable and comes with low investment. Therefore you can think of some genuine ideas such as:

• Front yard coffee shop
• Home-based catering or delivery
• Cake Baking
• Breakfast making
• Homemade pickles, spreads, and jams
• Homemade sweets and chocolates

Online learning or tutoring

You can start your own online teaching business. All you have to do is get an affordable tool that will host your entire online learning materials and then start selling. There are a number of companies who provide e-learning software platforms at extremely affordable rates. You can build your entire online training modules and give access to your students as per their requirements.

YouTube Channel Partner

It’s extremely easy to create a channel on YouTube. You simply need to create an account. Once done you can start creating content and upload them at your convenience. Creative videos can help you earn good revenue. Post creative videos with original content and see how you create a good fan following.

Live streaming

Live streaming can become a huge task if you handle it yourself. The minute detailing can easily pull you down. However, if you get a readymade platform that has all the aspects of live streaming and helps you create a live streaming website in no time at all then you must never let go of this opportunity.

Real estate appraiser

This job today has a lot of potentials as the real estate is booming currently. You can become a real estate appraiser and earn good money. Licensed appraisers earn even more. Once your business is quite stable you can expand and get more revenue in.

Blogging

If you are into writing, start a blog. It can be on anything – travel, food, finance – any topic or topics that you like. And then you can start earning money through different affiliation. Don’t forget to add push notification. That way you can keep your readers engaged. Integrate the push notification tools for web and mobile browsers at extremely affordable rates.

E-commerce portal

Start an e-commerce business and start selling products. You can contact sellers and ask them to sell through your portal.

Sell decorative knick-knacks and potteries, homemade paper bags or rug bags online

Bye bye plastic, paper bags will do your work. Plastic is a big environmental. Create your own set of paper bags and rug bags. Using old clothes you can recreate beautiful shopping bags that people would love to carry around. Add beads and bright colors and you can sell them online at nominal rates. People today go out of their ways to decorate their homes. What better way than to supply them with homemade decorative knick knacks and even pottery items. Put your creative skills to good use and come up with beautiful pottery items.

Stock and trading

This is not a new business idea but since the market is rising steadily, it can be the right time. If you have a sharp finance knowledge, know how the market works and have a clear idea of how to handle money matters, this is the ideal startup business for you.

Create Apps

If you have interest and knowledge in making apps and android programming then you can start your own app making online business.

Website themes creation

If you know web development then you can develop different industry-specific website themes and sell them online.

SEO consultant

Become a Search Engine Optimizer and provide your expertise to different companies online.

Viral video making

If you know motion graphics or video making, you can take contracts of creating viral videos for other companies.

Digital marketing consultant

Digital marketing is a huge umbrella which comes SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing and so on. You can offer digital marketing services to different companies online.

More Small Business Ideas:

• Tailoring
• Barbing
• Shoe Making
• Soap Making
• Carpentry
• Computer Services
• Trading of different sorts
• Hair Dressing
• Makeups
• Lithography
• Graphics Design
• Plumbing
• Upholstery
• Bead Crafts
• Baking
• House Painting
• Cobbling
• Mobile Food Service
• Nursery
• Delivery Service etc.

There are innumerable ideas that you will get when it comes to starting your own business. However, you need to know which one is best for you, your mental temperament and your budget. You must feel passionate about the idea. Follow your gut feeling, trust your instincts, and do some good homework before you start.

Ref: readwrite

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How you can Make Money from Instagram if you Love Reading

If you are among those people who don't know what to do with their Instagram account, you should read this to the end please. 

So, on Sunday after church service, a friend of mine came to me to seek for my advice on starting an online business. 

He told me about his love for books if there is anyway to monetize it. I laugh and quickly told him yes he can monetize it by growing a huge following of people like him that love reading the kind of books he reads. 

'You can start an Instagram account right now around the subject of books that you read and see how people will camp around you', I told him. 

You can build an Instagram account, start by talking about the book you are reading, what you have learned, why you enjoy the book, the page that you are, etc. 

Every page you read, share a summary on it. With targeted highly engaging hashtags in your niche, there is no way you won't attract your kind of audience. 

I continued explaining many things to him. I even told him that a good way to monetize his kind of interest is through affiliate marketing because this is what I have seen many people do even with blogging. 

If there is a book you are reading and people are showing interest, your own is to go on Amazon, sign up as an affiliate (it is free), look for the book, get the affiliate link and drop it on your IG bio. 

So, as you continue sharing insights from the book, you keep telling your followers that they can get the book from your bio. 

I also told him that one way to really boost engagement is to start something like a "30 days series or challenge" where him and his followers will be sharing insights from a particular book. 

I spoke with this guy for like 35 minutes and the only thing that left him mouth was that he is looking for a fast fast way not this one I am talking. 

I took a pause, looked at him and was speechless for some minutes as I listen to him telling me how difficult it will be for him to be posting everyday and it will take him ages to be able to build a huge following. 

After he has finished speaking, I just told him I had to go that I was already hungry. He thanked me for my time and left. 

I was just down emotionally. This guy just flushed a 6 figure business idea down the toilet.

Do you know I have written an article on this topic for a client before? I have written an article for a client in the past on how to make money as a book reader. 

I consulted many sites before I could gather something tangible to write and send to the client. And by doing that, I had to study many materials and get to know that people can actually make money just by reading books. 

If he has shown interest, I would have also told him that he can make money by writing book reviews on books 📚 he has read. 

After his followers must have read the review, they will want to go get the book if they like the review, and by that, he will be making good commission from his affiliate link. 

Aside that, book authors will be messaging him to write a review about their book for a fee. I mean he will be getting paid by authors for him to review their books. 

This may not happen immediately, but with patience, consistency and faith, it will surely happen. 

Anyways, he will still go back to what he was doing and keep getting the same result. Most people are just in the look out for a get rich quick scheme, and unfortunately, I don't teach that. 

Credits: Okon Joseph

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Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses

Great minds have argued and won their arguments in recent times- they have countered the definition of ‘Entrepreneurship’ given to us within the four walls of our Alma mater. Entrepreneurship is a word that has many definitions because different experts have different opinions on it. Some say that entrepreneurship is a business undertaking in which individuals work for themselves. This has however been disputed by great minds because they say that an individual can’t work independently. This is because business requires innovation and leadership.

There is one common underlying factor in all the definitions of entrepreneurship. That is, it involves taking an idea, developing a business around it and managing the business around it while assuming its risk. Entrepreneurship involves risk-taking innovations.

Looking at a small business on the other hand, it is not so different from entrepreneurship. Experts define it as a business that is owned or controlled by one person or a few individuals. The decision-making process is also directly influenced by the owner and its shares in the market are relatively small. It also has few employees mostly less than 50.

What is Entrepreneurship?

“Entrepreneurship is the process in which an individual recognizes a business opportunity and creates a business from it. It is the willingness and capacity of an individual to develop and manage a business venture with the risks to make a profit in the long run.”

Any individual who is willing to undertake such risks is known as an Entrepreneur. However, entrepreneurship is scary because there is no guarantee that the business will succeed. Most of the entrepreneurs are however risk takers and are passionate about their cause. Furthermore, they comprehend that the bigger the risk, the bigger the return.

Types of Entrepreneurs

Home based business owners

These are entrepreneurs who run their businesses from their homes. Others may opt for offices or other locations, but home-based entrepreneurs work from home. Statistics show some of the major enterprises were once home based business.

Online business owners

These are entrepreneurs who conduct their businesses online. They are internet based, and they could be small businesses or large corporations. Examples of companies that get their primary income from online activities include Jumia and Paystack.

Serial entrepreneurs

Serial entrepreneurs have several businesses at once. They, therefore, end up having several sources of income.

What is a Small Business?

As seen above, a small business is a business whose control and ownership belong to one individual or few people. The capital contribution is therefore from these few individuals who often control the decision-making process. In addition to this, small businesses have few employees.

In describing a small business, certain factors must be considered, and these factors are universal: 

• The number of their employees is low;
• Their sales volume is relatively low;
• They have weak financial strength;
• They are relatively small in size;
• Their initial capital outlay is low;
• They have a small market share;
• They have a small management body.
• Difference Between Small Business and Entrepreneurship

We can discuss the details by looking at the following:

Behaviourial Patterns

Entrepreneurs and small business owners are both self-employed, but their behaviours are different. Entrepreneurs often want to change and develop things. They are happy in creating energy as opposed to being comfortable with their current situation. Small business owners, on the other hand, are content as long as they are successful. They will rarely try to do more.

Innovations

Entrepreneurs are known to invent and develop things. Their minds are technical as opposed to small business owners who often do what entrepreneurs are doing already. Whereas entrepreneurs are proactive, small business owners are reactive.

Motivation

Most entrepreneurs will start up a business because they are passionate about it. They will do what they love without thinking about the risks or even profits in the case that the business is successful. On the other hand, small businesses set up their businesses with the main motive of earning profits. That is why when the risks become too much, they will shut down the business to avoid losses.

Market Share

Entrepreneurs often have the vision of helping the world. Therefore, their businesses will have an impact on many people. For instance, Facebook is serving almost everybody in the world. They, therefore, have a significant market share. For small business owners, they have a small market share because they serve people around them. They put their communities first and their needs. This brings about a gap in the market shares of entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Mindsets

Entrepreneurs and small business owners have different mindsets. While entrepreneurs will look for the next big venture when their companies are good, small business owners will retain their business. They are sentimental, and they believe that their business is for their community.

In Summary,

Both small business owners and entrepreneurs are self-employed, and they have much more in common. 

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THE FIVE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR BRAND INTERNATIONAL IN 2019

John Obidi, a Media Strategist, has identified five key things that you need in order to take your brand global in 2019. And as one who desires success, you have to take action now! These things are:

1. Website;

2. Profile;

3. Podcast;

4. Book;

5. Product.

You can see these in the image below. Looking at them one at a time we understand that:

i. A Website will first give your brand an online presence. This means that people can engage with your brand from anywhere they're located around the world. So, whatever it is that you do, you need to get yourself online. And it's affordable. You don't have to Neckbreaking Website for an online presence. You can get a Small Business Website to tell the world what you do and how to reach and do business with you. To get a Cheap and Affordable Small Business Website, leave a comment below.

ii. A Profile goes beyond what you have on your Facebook Wall. You need a professional profile that will easily tell people about you and what you do. Your profile presents people with information about the job you've done and the things you can do, all at a glance. You can create a page on your Small Business Website that carries your complete profile- this kind of page is usually called an ‘About Me Page’.

iii. A Podcast is an audio recording which is usually intended to add value to those who listen to it. You can create a Podcast and upload it on internet platforms like SoundCloud and iTunes. You can learn more about Podcasting on the internet.

iv. A Book seems to be the new normal when it comes to sharing your contact. People who meet or read about you will want to know about you. Handing them you own book will speak more volume than a mere complimentary card. If you haven't written a book, it's high time you started.

v. A Product you created will page way for you in 2019. People want to do business with you, but you start packaging your skill into a product now in order not to fall out as we move into next year.

Go all out now an take the needed action!!!

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Video: Success Tips for Startups

If you found this video helpful, why not share to your friends? Click the image below to join our Facebook Community:

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TURNING YOUR WRITING SKILL INTO A BUSINESS

1. Create a business plan

The first and best tip you need is to develop a business plan for your writing. You must know how much capital you have to invest in your business, how much money you will make in the first year, and how you will make that money.

If you’ve not made your first sale as a writer, make some sales first, so you get an idea of the marketplace. The writing profession is filled with hobbyist writers, who have no idea how to position themselves, price their services, and promote their services, so this tends to skew prices at the lower end of the market.

2. Treat your business as a business – work as hard for yourself as you would for a boss

Since you’re writing from home, your daily commute is the short trip to your home office, so you save commuting time, which will be at least an hour a day, even if you have a short commute.

You can spend that “free” hour or more in any way you choose, but it’s vital that you spend a solid eight hours writing and working in your business. So treat your writing as seriously as you would a job.

3. Invest in your business – but don’t go into debt for your business

When your writing is your business, invest in it. Buy the computers, software, and the communications equipment you need. Invest in training, too. No training you do will ever be wasted, and it’s essential so you become a business person as well as a writer.

However, don’t go into debt. Fund your purchases from your writing sales.

4. Ask for a retainer from your writing clients – at least 50 per cent in advance

You must ask for a retainer – a payment up front – from your clients. Since magazines and newspapers fight this, writing for them should only be a minor part of your writing income, because you’re making them unsecured loans.

Businesses and Web sites expect to pay some portion of your fee in advance, so they’re your preferred clients. The up-front retainer is 50 per cent. On long projects, you can accept payment at specific milestones – a third up front, a third on delivery of half the project, and so on.

5. Keep your deadlines and over-deliver

The writing profession is an amazingly small world. Word gets around. So always keep your deadlines. The only possible excuse for missing a deadline is that you’re in hospital.

As a professional writer, you have the potential to make an unlimited income: enjoy your writing, but treat it as the business it is too.

Want to improve your writing skills? Check this out.

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BEHAVE YOUR OLD AGE

From quite an early age, I always felt very special. I didn't know what exactly made me feel so, perhaps my ego, but I just felt so. Later on, I began to realise that what really made me special was my intelligence and this rekindled my confidence. I began to think that I was even more intelligent than most people around me.

Over time, as I matured, I realised the truth that I wasn't special because everyone is after all, everyone is a genius in one way or the other and we all have an amazing potential that can place us on the world map.

But why then are most people still struggling in life? Why are those that are so talented and skilled still no where in life? I think that's why John Maxwell wrote the book, "Talent is not Enough" because it truly never is. So what balances the equation? Keith Harrell says it all with his book, "Attitude is Everything," because it comprises our beliefs, values, perception, character and behaviour.

Now here's the point; you can have great potentials but if you have no discipline, no confidence, bad habits, poor social behaviour, no drive or motivation, no integrity, etc, you are heading no where in life because these poor attitudes will keep shortchanging you. After all, there are those who are stark illiterates with no talent or skill doing so well in life simply because they are able to manage themselves.

So success doesn't really depend on how intelligent, talented or skilled you are, but how well you are able to control yourself and others. Daniel Goleman calls it "Emotional Intelligence."

But ignore the grammar, the question is, Can you just behave your old age?

Credits: Tosin

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INCREDIBLE ONLINE BUSINESS TOOLS AT SHOESTRINGS COST

I've invested the time and wasted the money on your behalf.

This list is for those who want to start Online Businesses but cannot afford the running costs (of tools and services) since they're yet to make any profits.

Note that there are other options not listed here. The only ones I listed here are the ones that: 

1. Are free or ridiculously cheap

2. Provide great functionality vis-à-vis their substitutes

3. I'm currently using or have personally tested at some point

For example, I won't mention clickfunnels here since their starting price is $97/mo. If you're already using Clickfunnels in your business, then you might not need this post.

=====================

Here is your Online Business on a ShoeString Budget.

1. Landing Page/Funnel Creation: Thrive Themes Page Builder ($67 one-off)

2. Autoresponder: Sendy ($59 one-off) + Amazon SES (PAYG)

3. Web Hosting: VPS with OVH.ie ($7/mo)

4. Domain registration via namecheap.com ($10/yr)

5. Payments (the abroad): fastspring.com (PREFERRED and TESTED), 2checkout.com, stripe.com/atlas

***

Let me pause here to say that Payoneer is a piece of ****. You can continue reading now.

***

6. Payments (Naija): VoguePay.com (PREFERRED and TESTED), Simplepay.com

7. Virtual Cards: GetBarter.co (PREFERRED and TESTED)

8. File Hosting (for podcasts, mp3 files, Videos for courses and marketing material): Amazon S3 (PREFERRED and TESTED)

9. Webinars: Facebook Groups (closed/secret) + Facebook Live via OBS (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED), Google Hangouts via OBS

10. Messenger Bots: Chatfuel.com (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED)

11. Free Stock Photos: Pixabay.com (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED), Unsplash.com (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED)

12. Screencasting (for course creation): Screencast-o-matic.com ($15/yr, PREFERRED and TESTED)

13. Audio Recordings (for podcasting and co): Audacity (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED)

14. Online Meetings/Video Interviews: Zoom.us (FREE, PREFERRED and TESTED), Skype+Skype call recorder

15. VPN: SurfEasy VPN (FREE but limited), HMA Pro VPN ($10/mo, PREFERRED and TESTED)

Credits: John Obidi, Smartbcamp

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HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS AS AN IDIOT

You stopped by her kiosk to buy bean balls, and got angry because she delayed in attending to you. "Answer me!" You yelled at her. But she responded, "It's turn by turn ma." "Am I the one you're talking to that way, you dirty thing?" You yelled again at her. She looked at you and smiled, turned away and called one of the girls. "Go to the car and get me my hand bag." Minutes later, she stretched her hand towards you, holding a small card. "Call me." She said.

My sister, in reality, na you dirty pass. You are one of the idiots this post is meant for. Learn from those who get their fingers dirty while making six figures monthly. They understand Systems and Structures, but you don't know what they mean. Na who dirty pass?

I was a friend to a family. The mother runs a small business till date, selling bean balls and other fries. I was thrilled to know that she sold a big bag of beans in three to four days. You can find out how many she sold monthly working from 2p.m. to midnight. How many figures do you think she makes?

You have noticed those guys who build kiosks along busy junctions, selling puff-puff? Don't wonder if they make good money. I watched an interview with one of such guys on the Island a while back. Believe me, a profit of 5k daily is not a bad idea. He was asked if he planned expanding his business. He said he was already pulling up a deal with a microfinance bank. So bros, what are you wondering about? Frying puff-puff kë? Sidoun dier make trousers dey wië you!

The CEO of a company walked into a Barber's shop for a hair cut. After the hair cut, the barber started cleaning the man's ear with cotton bud. And then used warm water to wash the man's head before applying anti dandruff cream. At the end of the service, the barber said, 'your money is #500.00 sir.' The man handed him #1,000.00 note and walked away happy and satisfied. Why did the man do that? The After-Hair-Cut-Service was beyond what he expected. After sales service is important if you want to grow your business.

Do you even know what your passion is? Most people refer to their hobby as their passion. And that is an grave mistake that constantly gives you the backseat in the realm of things. Your passion is what you love to do even if you are not being paid. The best way to start a business is to build a business around your passion.

"But my passion nah to dey talk nah? How talk talk wan take turn to business?" Don't worry. You are one of the idiots this post is meant for. "Fela Durotoye" likes talking, and he makes hell of money from talk talk. You can look for him, and ask him how!

...hand don dey pain me! I go continue anoda day.

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FIGHTING THE UNSEEN TRIBESMEN

“THE FAULT IS IN OUR HANDS AND NOT IN OUR STARS”

I learnt about this topic at a much younger age and it has helped me channel my energy on the things that really matters.

The temptation of giving in to false prophecy can make you a shadow of yourself and this can greatly impair your business growth.

While you wander in the wilderness of doubt for yourself and ability to do great things, blaming your stars and tribes men for hunting your destiny, you still will not solve your problem by meeting soothsayers and prophets to tell you about your future. 

It will still amount to taking necessary action.

The fault is truely in our hands. If your hand is lazy, it is enough to make you suffer financially and otherwise.

Action is the true technology behind success. 

Reading the stars to find who to blame, will leave you in a shadow of yourself. You will even loose focus on your future winnings and gains. When you are so bent on finding who to blame for your misfortune, you sip out energy and life out of yourself.

Whatever that makes you loose the positive vibe and strength in you, is termed energy vampire. All great men came in faceoff with this vampire and their ability to reject the act of blame games, paved way for their success. 

I implore you to free your mind of grudges, resist the temptation of finding the fault in your stars and focus more on your education, business and job. Be in charge of your destiny. Take responsibility for your failure and modify the handwriting on your wall.

You have in you, the power to rewrite your destiny into stardom and positivity. If you can't be at peace with your faith and confidence to excel, your business and job suffers.

Reject the temptation of fighting unseen tribes men and channel your will power to achieve your dream. 

Credits: Solomon Evarist

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Entrepreneurship Conspiracy

Do not be deceived, no institution in the world has the key to your breakthrough. You can't go far sitting down in any classroom learning business under a professor who has never lost a dime in business. All he teaches you are academic theories postulated ages ago.

A friend of mine abandoned his MBA class the day a lecturer came to the class with an envelope; his Mum was having Harvest Thanksgiving in her church. He distributed these envelopes to all students requesting their contributions. The higher the money you put therein, the higher your marks. He quit that course and walked away.

Hear this true life story.

I know a guy by name Tayo. He has a great grandmother who was in her late 90s. Tayo was her favorite great grandson because he was the only one in the entire family that visited her once in two months to clean her up and her room.

This old woman traded in kola nuts for over 70 years until she could not walk again but yet her business sense is impeccable.

One day, Tayo who had been hustling with no steady job won American visa lottery. He pursued it relentlessly until the last point. N500,000 for ticket and BTA.

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YOUR HAPPINESS MATTERS

"You are such an awful liar! How could you have said all that behind my back? How could you tell such lies against me? You mean this is how you want to pay me back after all I did for you? Unbelievable. I can't believe this is happening.

I know four years doesn't mean so much to you, but listen, it means forever to me. And if you think you can just trash it like that, then you are greatly mistaking. And you even had the guts to drag my family into it? What the hell!

Listen, I'm giving you 24 hours to recant your statements or else I'm going to tell the whole world the truth about you. Trust me, I've got proofs.

Look at you, so you mistook my gentility for stupidity? That's where you missed it. I saw all of these coming, and I prepared for it, bitch. You better watch out for me, for I'm coming after you with everything I've got!"

=====================================

Hey, hollup hollup! Ain't nobody going after anybody.

Jeez!

Why can't people just have peaceful breakups for goodness sake. Must it always be dirty and ugly? I don't think so. I really don't think so. But then, what do I know?

You know, after my 18th breakup, I made up my mind that I was done with all the whole drama that usually comes with breakups.

I said to myself-

"Boy, if you've got to let her go, why don't you do it over a bottle of wine and some good delicacy, after all, that's how you let her in."

Boom! It sounded good to me. I made the decision.

And so on my 19th breakup, I took her out on a date. Call it a breakup date, and you won't be wrong.

We were having a good time when suddenly I became silent. I knew it was time to do it. I knew it was time to kiss her, to 'Judas' her. But then, I also knew it was necessary for the salvation of our happiness.

You see, sometimes you have to crucify your relationship to save your happiness.

Easy? No!

Worth it? Yes!

So I was cool, calm and collected. I smiled at her. She smiled back at me. I held her hands, and I looked her straight in the eyes. And then I said to her;

“Baby, it's been a long journey. And you have  been a wonderful woman. I know I have not been the best man to you.  I have said things I shouldn't have said. I have done things I shouldn't have done. And I wish right now I could turn back the hands of time and do things better. But I can't. And you know why? Because we have tried to make this thing work, but it's not working. We fight everyday. We shout everyday. And we don't even trust each other anymore. We can't continue like this honey,  pretending like everything is alright when they've gone haywire.”

“I believe it's high time we told ourselves this truth we've been running away from. It's time to face the bitter truth. I love you, but I think we deserve better than this. It's not working baby, let's take a walk.”

She was silent. But her eyes were not. They spoke things her mouth couldn't say. They spoke with tears, and those drops from her eyes, they melted my heart, but she held my hand so tightly as if she was embracing the truth so firmly. She knew I was saying the truth, the truth that had the power to set us free.

Was she going to embrace it? I didn't know. I really didn't know what to expect. But to my greatest surprise, she found the courage to embrace it. Till date, I still can't explain how she did it, but she did it anyway.

Two years later, I saw her again. She was married. And I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was happy. She was happily married. My God! I was happy for her.

Now you are thinking about me, right? About my relationship status, huh? No, that's not what you should be thinking about. Here is what you should be thinking about:

My happiness status.!

That's what's important, not my relationship status. And for the records, I believe it's far better to be single and be happy, than to be in a relationship or be married, and then be ruined.

Don't let nobody rush you. Take your time.  It's your life. Take charge of it. Take charge of your heart. Take charge of your emotions. Make that decision if you have to, for at the end of the day, there is only one thing that will matter- your happiness!

©Tochukwu Eziukwu

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Diligence in Business

Diligence can mean long-term effort, working hard, the qualities of a hard worker, including conscientiousness, determination, and perseverance. The compendium of God's thoughts puts it simply, "A man who is diligent in his business shall stand before kings, and not before mean men." Pro 22:29.

This makes it vital for us to understand the keywords in the scripture above. " The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute." Pro 12:24.

"The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." Pro 13:4.

What is Business?

It could mean different things: trade, work, company, responsibility, important matters, event etc. Whichever one pertains to you, God says diligence!!!

Kings?

Kings are rulers with royal families. From the business sense, kings are customers/clients- those who rule the market place. Sam Walton of Wal-Mart says, "There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Mean men?

Mean men are ordinary men- people with nothing to offer. Economists say that those who only stand before mean men rat-run the vicious circle of poverty.

To be diligent in business means...

1. ...as an employee, commit your life to your job and execute your responsibility we with joy; pray for your employer and customers.

2. ...if you do well as an employee, your own opportunity to become your own boss will come.

3. ...as a self-employed, commit your all to what you do, and be ready to always exceed customers' expectations.

4. ...as a business owner, treat your staff as equal while recognizing the customer as king.

5. ...in any business area you find yourself, honesty matters a lot!

6. ...there's only one difference between a failure and a success- the extra mile! The man who goes the extra mile succeeds in the end!

We will like to hear from you. Share your thought on diligence in the comment box.

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WHO IS IN CHARGE?

"You are a bastard!" He yelled at his student. Shocked, disappointed and filled with pain, Joseph walked out of the classroom, and made his way to the Principal's office. He couldn't hold it for long as he burst into tears. His pace gradually took up that of a tortoise. 'I just have to report to the Principal,' he thought to himself as the tears came rolling down his cheeks.

Joseph didn't even remember to knock. He just open the door and walked in sobbing like a toddler. Surprised and worried at the same time, the principal jumped up from her seat. "Why are you crying?" She asked. "My teacher called me a bastard!" He responded in a shaky voice, being unable to control his emotions. "Your teacher?" The Principal asked in dismay. "Ye..., ye..., yes!" Joseph responded. Mr Michael called me a bastard.

"He is the fifth person calling me a bastard. I would have called my dad to report, but I haven't seen my dad before." Joseph said. The Principal broke down, but took control of her emotion. " Fetch me Mr Michael." She instructed the secretary.

Mr Michael entered the Principal's office prepared to download Joseph's misdemeanor. But before he could say anything, the Principal said, "Joseph's offence does not count anymore. I only need you to explain why you called him a bastard."

"Ma, this boy is very stupid!" Said Mr Michael. The Principal adjusted her seat and sat in a more relaxed position. He was disturbing my class while lesson was on. I cautioned him, but be asked me to leave him alone. "Is that true?" The Principal asked Joseph. "Yes ma, but it wasn't just me alone." Joseph responded. "You may go back to your class Joseph." The Principal said.

"Mr Michael, if you sell shoes in your own store, and a customer visited your store to buy shoes; in the process of bargaining, the customer gets you really upset, will you call the customer a bastard?" The Principal asked. "No, I can't insult my customer under any circumstance." Mr Michael responded. The Principal smiled, looking at him, and said, "you just insulted one of our customers." And do you know, that boy doesn't know his father? Who is in charge? You or your emotions, Mr Michael? A query will get to you within the hour, and I want a response before the end of the day!

As a student, an employee or entrepreneur, who is in charge? You or your emotions?

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The Place of Courtesy/kɜːtəsi/

“The Administrator will like to see you in her office.” She said as she walked towards me. ‘Thank you’, I responded with a smile. I will see her right away I concluded as I headed for the Administrator’s office. (Smiling is a medicine created by God to ease our tensions). And if you’re wondering how, my answer is that, ‘it was God’s design at creation.’ It’s one of the reasons why Abel’s sacrifice was accepted.

I knocked at the door to her office, waited for two seconds, opened and went in. (It’s not ideal to enter someone’s office without knocking; waiting for a response after knocking isn’t necessary as well- it’s an office).  ‘Good morning madam.’ I greeted as I walked in. “How are you, Monday?” She responded with a smile. I moved close to her desk and stood, waiting for her to offer me a seat. (It’s foolishness to enter someone’s office and sit down without being offered a seat).

“Sit down Monday.” She said as she pointed to a chair. ‘Thank you ma’ I responded as I took my seat. (‘Thank you’ is a phrase God created to help pave way for us when trying times come).

“We have been getting complaints from parents about their children not being able to read. We were hoping you’ll have an explanation as the one in-charge.” She said. ‘I have noticed it too ma. And I have also started making plans on how to help them. If we can rule out natural causes like ‘Dyslexia’ (Reading and writing blindness), then the problem is from their foundation,’ I said. She nodded with a smile in agreement. Then I added, ‘we need to prevent the problem from recurring while trying to help those who already have this problem.’ I added. (Making an excuse for failure is a greater failure in itself).

I left her office and walked towards the staircase. The sound from her fall startled me. I hurried down the stairs and found out that she had fallen after missing her steps. ‘I am so sorry Miss Kate!’ I said, lifting her up. “No, no, it’s not your fault.” She protested. ‘Oops!’ I exclaimed. Hope I didn’t offend you with that? I asked her. “No! I actually feel better hearing it, but you shouldn’t have said that since it wasn’t your fault.” She responded. (Saying, ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean it’s your fault. It’s a magic phrase created by God to magically ease our pains).

Courtesy costs nothing!

It’s actually priceless. “Having it is Great Gain, but a Lack of it can Cost you dearly!”

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HOW CAN TEACHERS PRESENT VERY POOR RESULTS TO PUPILS' PARENTS

This was one of the questions I was asked during a session with a school yesterday in their end of the term training in Port Harcourt.

She went further, "the class teacher brought the result to me instead of giving it to the parent directly, reason being that she didn't know how to show the parent such a poor performance."

She landed with, "the whole result paper is filled with red ink."

If you are a teacher, you will understand this better, and if you are a parent, you will know that it's heart-breaking.

But before I gave them my answer, I asked two questions:

1. How do doctors give HIV positive patients their result sheets? 
2. Apart from the classroom performance, is there any other thing you have noticed in the child that is outstanding?

Now, forget the first question, it's not the right therapy here, it was just for interlude.

let's look into the second question...

Apart from the classroom result, is there any other thing you have noticed in this child that is outstanding?

If there is, which I know there must be, sit the parents down and lavish them with praise for having such a genius in their family and in your school.

Tell them of those who have changed the world with such talent. And show a powerful picture to them of what and who their child will become if this ability is nutured properly. And let the discussion of the classroom result be the last thing.

You don't start a critical discussion from a person's point of weakness or with a bad news. The entrance of every conversation determines the level of acceptability, willingness and openness of your listener to your view.

For the poor performance in the class result, I suggested they let the parents know that they will clone a team of teachers to tackle that area which the child is not doing well in, and make sure they do it.

Let me use this medium and address parents on this issue.

The academic year has come to an end and results given out. If your child's result is like the one discussed here, be calm and read my mind as I continue.

The problem is not that your child is not doing well in the class, the problem is you thinking your child will not do well in life.

Don't worry, the classroom is for learning and not for judgement because life is too big for success to be measured in a room.

Yes, I understand there are things every child is expected to do amongst their mates. If your child is not doing them, don't  abuse him, and don't judge him with the ability of others. There are other things he can do that his mates can't even imagine.

You have to understand that it will surely take some time for monkeys to swim like fish in the ocean, likewise fish competing with monkeys on trees.

Monkeys are celebrated for their climbing skills and fish for their swimming prowess. So don't compare your child with other kids, rather, look for his strength.

"Nothing destroys the inner strength of a child like the things that make them feel inferior. One of such is child comparison."

You have to understand that we are only sharing the same planet (earth) and not the same world, meaning that every child has his or her own world to live in and to rule.

Help your child find his world and watch if he will not be crowned a king.

Appreciate the school and cheer up your child for both not involving himself in exam malpractice which could have made his weaknesses remain hidden. This is one of the reasons we have thousands of confused graduates today in the society. Their weaknesses were decorated with flying colors making them look intelligent, and now they are adults yet not knowing their purpose in life.

Very importantly, you have to understand that your role in your child's academic success is beyond paying school fees.

More than 80% of the world's best were taught by their parents at home, starting from Thomas Edison whom his teacher sent home labelling him a dummy, and the mother took it upon herself to prove to the world that she did not give birth to a dummy; she home schooled him.

Now, imagine the world without Thomas Edison's inventions and imagine Thomas Edison's inventions without his mother.

Your work is to mould your child the way you want him to be, while teachers are to assist you in achieving this, so don't leave your duty for teachers.

Create time to teach your child everyday. If you don't understand the 21st century education system, go and learn. Dr. Ben Carson's mother had to learn how to read and write at her old age in order to help her son succeed in the class. Today her son, 'Ben Carson', is the world's best Neurosurgeon. You too can help your child come tops.

Stop saying "what am I paying the school for?" It is the height of irresponsibility. You can ask your child's teacher questions, but the responsibility is mutual.

Have private time with your child's teacher and check where the challenge might be from. Your child might be fit in his field but because of  overplaying, laziness, distraction, Friends, or emotional trauma, he or she couldn't perform well.

Also have some time with your child and ask him or her things which he or she thinks contributed to the poor performance. This moment is not to criticize or condemn, but to evaluate and find solutions.

Am I saying it's a good thing for your child to fail in an exam? No. I only want you to remove your eyes from  the result paper and focus it on your child and tell yourself:

• "my child is not a failure" 
• "my child remains the best" 
• "there is none like my child and there will be none after him" 
• "my child is special"

And I add, "Your child is good enough."

Real life experience shared by;

©Chris Peter.

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The Power of Clarity

Two things can keep you awake, your dream or your disappointment, your past or your future.

The past is dead except the life you give to it...don't let the occurrence of the past suck the energy you need to pursue and capture the future.

Clarity (exactly what you should be doing next) strengthens focus. Focus determines where your energy goes.

Before you focus, labour to get clarity, because you can be radically focused on the wrong thing. The purpose of knowledge is to enhance clarity. The purpose of wisdom is to diminish your error rate, prevent tragedy and maximize time (life).

Lack of clarity creates confusion and frustration, the outcome is usually not the desirable and thus could lead to perpetual depression.

The most important thing you should pursue per time is clarity. Any book, seminar or event that would not help sharpen clarity should not get your attention.

The truth is, nobody is idle; everybody is busy, only that many are busy with wrong things. Lack of clarity increases fear of the future and the presence of it creates confidence which makes today's pain more meaningful and bearable.

You also need to know that, there's is a big difference between suffering and preparation...one is the pain of folly and the other is the necessity of the process required to get the desired results.

You must resolve not to succeed at the wrong thing...a man that lacks clarity cannot lead the family. It's the same for organizations and operations at all levels.

Lack of clarity can be very tormenting. It's so hard to discern, it can be covered under nice suit, subdued by sweet smelling perfume and perfected by a good British English delivered using a captivating accent.

A young guy attended one of my free mentorship sessions recently and I asked him how he was doing with studies generally, he said sir, I'm done with service, I was shocked cos he didn't look like it.

I asked what's next, and he goes mumbling, like, I'm still trying to figure out what I need to do. I asked, so what were you doing for five years in school with all the time, energy and resources invested?

That could be a very frustrating stage for an average youth today, where you need to transition from school (fantasy) life to reality and you suddenly realize that what you read (were given and taught) do not fit into the market (today's reality) or is a substandard of the global standard.

I had two hours session with him and we designed a startup strategy to move from where he is to the next level. Many people wasted their time (life) in schools studying the wrong course, pursuing the wrong business only to find that what they went for shouldn't have been done in the first place.

A great number of young people today don't know the exact thing to do due to lack of clarity, many don't know their purpose and who they are, and so we have a chunk of confused yet energetic and gifted people moving to and fro.

One thing I listen for when I get into conversation with people is clarity and the absence of it. Money does not give clarity, rather clarity helps create direction for money.

When clarity is missing, focus is impaired, strategy is wrong, energy is drained, productivity is low, time (life) is wasted and the outcome is unlikely to be fulfilling (heartily rewarding) and that's the beginning of self-doubt and acute frustration.

I've listened to many people who says the secret of success is consistency, patience and all sort, while these are disciplines and habits to imbibe, however, we must go back to the root which is clarity.

What do you say to the person who is consistently consistent doing the wrong thing or he that is caught up in the web of patience waiting for the wrong things or what is never going to come?

How clear is your future? How far can you see? Do you have what a mentor of mine calls mental shortsightedness? Your future is as sure as your clarity of it and by your well crafted strategy to get there. Inability to see the ultimate (the future) makes people slaves to the immediate (present).

I don't want to waste a minute of my life doing the wrong thing, that would be growing old, groaning old and wasting to the grave. Investment towards gaining clarity is crucial. A blind man cannot help the blind.

Don't start anything without clarity, don't start a relationship, don't start the ministry, don't start the business, don't relocate, don't invest...do nothing without clarity. Many people seek clarity after they've been hurt or suffered a major loss.

Your prayers and pursuit of God should be to gain clarity of exactly what you should be doing and where you should be doing it and how you should be doing it.

Stop buying clothes, stop buying sun screen, stop buying new shoes without clarity of the future, prioritize clarity...travel to find it, invest to have it and be patient enough to get it.

Your next birthday should be a celebration of clarity (direction of what to do next).
The devil is not after your genius or energy, once he gets you to focus on the wrong things the deal is done.

Through vision you picture the future, faith empowers you to attract the needed ingredients, wisdom (right strategy mixed with diligence) helps you deliver the future.

In other words, faith stirs optimism, favor moves in the direction of faith and wisdom helps protect the door favor opens.

Wisdom is principal because it helps protect what faith delivers. Folly can make you lose what faith delivers.

Faith can initiate a miracle but you need wisdom to live in and reproduce it. What now happens when you begin to use your faith to attract wrong things?

And also remember, that faith can only attract what you can see. The clearer you see, the stronger your faith. Faith is weak where clarity is missing.

Stop trying to be who you are not, the world is waiting to meet you. Boldness to advance will never surface without clarity.

Don't be afraid or ashamed to quit what's not working if you're convinced it's not for you. It's a journey of discovery and you owe it to yourself to live your full potentials.

You are not weak. You are not dull. You are not poor. You may only need some clarity coaching to find it. Clarity increases your capacity to face opposition and endure tough times gracefully.

Don't endure the pain of folly, it has no enviable reward, only pity therapy by the few who cares. stop digging for diamonds in wrong zones. You can start again and now! You're not a slave, it's time, locate your palace and reign. GO!!!


©Mike Oladipo

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Why Local Directories Should Be Part Of Your Online Business Strategies

Do you run a salon or plumber business where local customers are its lifeblood, stay tuned. 

Do you get weary getting referrals and customers to your business in your local environment?

Do you want to put your local business online and get connected to your targeted customers?

Then the information below will walk you through the basic things you need to know about getting listed on online directories.

As you establish and grow your local business, bear in me that the one of your strongest touch point for your online business presence and brand awareness is get noticed locally.

Why Local Directories?

Getting noticed implies being visible to your audience or customers in the nearby neighborhood. This should be an added business advantage in your online marketing strategies and it will surely go a long way in having your business get connected to locals on who are on mobile.

Meanwhile, your offline store can get you a limited referrals or clients to you but getting listed to a local directory will make your business become visible and promote your online brand awareness.

Basic Tools To Get Your Business Listed Online

• Google my business

• Bing local

• Yahoo local

Tips to get listed to a local directories.

Local directories are a great way for local businesses to connect with potential customers in their area. The first step is to create a listing in local directories. 

These online listings include your key information, like

• your business name, 

• your address and 

• your telephone number. 

Many local directories require that your business has four walls or a local service area in order to be listed, so virtual businesses that don’t meet with customers directly are usually ineligible.

To get started, you’ll need to pull together the name of your business as you want it to appear everywhere online, your street address, or where you receive mail in the post, and your phone number.

To sum up, you want to connect with your local customers, and that means taking advantage of the major search engines’ local business listings and creating profiles on business directory websites, review sites and more.

Being there gives you the best shot of connecting with local customers.

©John K Onyemaechi

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