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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Hposh Diaries...... What you have to do, do now!

Hposh...

Don't get stuck in a rut, break free.........


How many times did I call you?

Stop giving excuses for failure.

Procastination is the hallmark of failure.

You should have written this article some days before now.

But you kept pushing it forward.

Can you count the number of outstading books you are yet to read.

6 months ago, you purchased over ten books.

In your 'serious mind' you would read them all before school resumes..

*yimu*

You are just in chapter 3 of El Rufai's 'The Accidential Public Servant'.

You stopped reading 'The Purpose Driven Life'.

The list is endless.

You promised yourself to write every single day of the year...

You should bury your head in shame now.

Remember you had the idea of Miss OAU and Most Beautiful Girl in OAU in 2008 before you even gained admission into OAU Pre-degree in 2009.

SMH for you Mr. Man.

How did you feel when somebody successfully staged the Miss OAU beauty pageant last year?

I guess you were fulfilled when someone else told you he is planning the Most Beautiful Girl in OAU show this year.

With the posters out and auditions date fixed for February 8th, it is certain the event will hold.





Have you published that book you had in mind?

Have you made that trip you were planning?

Have you written those business proposals you wanted to send to companies.

Have you asked that girl out?

How long will you wait till tomorrow to do what you can do now? *Emphasis here now*!!

Time waits for no man.

The best time is now.

Use it wisely.


#Gbam P.S Have you submitted your youwin application? 31st is here o!!!!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Iya-eko - Tola Oredope #inthespiritofenterprise

Tola and I go waay back, it was him who produced my final year CD. Even then, I knew that he would be one to do great things. Of course, he has had his fair share of failed projects, but he keeps going, no matter what. Today, he shares with us his new project.

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself



My name is Tola Oredope and I am a your typical regular, just taking one step at a time.

Tell us about your business

Since this is an Entrepreneurial platform, I think I should dissect your question - he he he.

To be sincere, this is not yet a business. Hear me out. I may be wrong, but I see a business as an entity that is trying to execute a well-defined business plan, based on an existing business model. For example, selling sugar is a business; as the business model for selling sugar is well known. Your success in a sugar business is how well you choose to execute the well-known business model. This includes, sourcing the sugar cheaply and selling it at a marked up price while reducing operational costs to maximise profit. Simple. There is nothing new or innovative going on there.

At the moment, I am involved in a startup that has the ability to carry out a wide range of experiments with various business models and pivots for as long as we don’t run out of cash. Investors in early-stage startups are aware of this, so they don’t expect you to make money but to build value. Once you have built value, which is also known as your “value proposition” then you have the chance to experiment with various business models until you can find the best business model for your value proposition. This is when you become a business and your job is to execute your business model flawlessly or else you stand the chance to be eaten up.

Now back to the question, I am very fortunate to be involved in startup developing a platform known as Iya Eko. The whole idea is to build a platform that allows you to discover, collect, manage and share cultural images that inspire you. Think of it as a mashup of Instagram, Pintrest and WeHeartIt. For example, lets assume you are interested in seeing the trending knot wrapper styles at Edo weddings, where do you go to? Its now Iya Eko because we have the largest dedicated collection of not just knot wrapper styles but also of cat-eye makeup, Gele styles, Beads, Sequins Designs, Aso-Oke styles, Wedding Hijabs and lots more that you can just imagine. This is because we currently have over 20,000 images and counting of the Nigerian cultural experience as whole. Hopefully we can start extending our platform to capture the cultural experiences in India, Malaysia, Peru, Uganda and even places like Afghanistan. I believe we can do this and we are working hard to make this happen.

Having launched about only a month ago we have been featured by the local and international press. For example in Nigeria, all top four Nigerian newspapers - Punch, The Guardian, This Day and Vanguard - have featured us. Media outlets in the Middle East, South East Asia, UK and the US have all featured as they see us as the future. But what we have is more than press features because our users also love the platform. I can hear you say “But people lie but numbers don’t lie". So here are the numbers - since launch 4 weeks ago, we have served over 16,000 pages via over 2,500 unique users with each user spending an average of 5 minutes on our website with little to no publicity.


What is the idea behind the name Iya-eko?

We wanted a name that brings together various cultures. For some reason I have been reading about Madam Tinubu of recent who was a well known adversary of the British colonial Government because she believed all cultures differ are made up of the same essence. This was hard to comprehend back then, but she was a visionary that went on to build her own financial empire. Long after her death, her activism was the stage for women like Fumilayo Ransome Kuti and many more Nigerian women that traveled all around preaching that same message - “We are all the same even though we are from different cultures and backgrounds” - This is the simple message of Iya Eko – even though our locations may differ, our cultures are similar and made up of the same essence. This is was Iya Eko stands for and hopefully, this is what we will show to the world.



How did you get into this line of business?

I have always believed in the power of the well-managed crowd. Notice I said, "the well-managed crowd" not just any crowd because too many hands always spoil the soup, if they are not well managed. From the first Chemical Year CD that I created with yours truly as far back as 2001, (I was a part of this! Yaay me) I believed that people need to have choices. Back then, I challenged the notion of "One person One picture" yearbooks that were the norm and asked why can’t one person have 10 pictures, a video, their song of choice and their own profile colour? This was way back when Mark Zuckerberg was still in secondary school and biggest search engine was Altavista. Everyone thought it was a stupid idea and it could not be achieved expect for Sade and her team and the rest is now history.

The same principles lie in the heart of Iya Eko - Why should my online experience of Nigeria be based on what BBC and CNN decides to show me? Cant the ordinary people of Nigeria show me themselves? How can see the trending fashion on the streets of Kano? Why should one fashion editor sitting in lovely air-conditioned office decide who wore the best Gele last weekend? Why can’t you show me all the Geles and let me decide for myself which one is the best? This is why we decided to build the platform.

What are the main challenges you face and how have you overcome them.

I have got millions of challenges but my main one is building an A+ team. I spent my last week speaking to over 22 prospective co-founders and advisors but for some reason I can’t seem to find a perfect match. This is not because, I want too much but it seems like everyone I meet already has a pre-planned agenda or just wants to ride on our current publicity. I really want people that are passionate about the Iya Eko idea and can help in driving it forward.

We are glad that the core platform is working quite well but we still need to work on the UI design, external facing APIs that will allow our users embed their collections on their websites and most importantly finalize our deals with prospective partners. All these require a lot of dedicated time and I don’t mind any help that I can get.

How will you summarize your journey so far?

It’s been hard, very hard. I have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly. A lot of rejections, negative feedback and skepticism but I have no choice, as I have bitten the fruit and I have to carry on. But there are also good times, for example, when I get messages from Nigerians living in Russia saying they spent 3 hours on the website as it their only connection back home or a well known investor from Silicon Valley sees our Quantcast profile and agrees to chat with me. Those times are priceless.

Where do you see Iya-eko in the future?

I see Iya Eko as a platform that inspires people around the world.

Given another chance, will you do this again?

Definitely, Yes!

So what are you waiting for, visit www.iyaeko.com and start sharing. Cheers!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Something Inside so strong......Labi Siffre #fridaymusic

Yours  truly sat in front of her laptop yesterday all fired up to share the first song for the year, she types www.blogspot.com....eek, error! Okay let's try mofolusades.blogspot.com..... eeek eek, error... *hyperventilating* Reboots system, twice for certainty, retypes www.blogger.com! Aaah oti o. Lol!!

Funny thing is, I never thought for a second that Google could have downtime or something, I was freaking out, thinking oh  no, all my posts, my pictures... Yeepa. Then it occurs to me to check if there was some issue, where did I first go to check... Google too! Lmao! Long and short, after fishing around for a bit, I check twitter and see some other people complaining... Whew! Thank God it's sorted, but please Google don't ever try this again.

The morale of the story above is that... "This is why my Friday music is coming on Saturday :-)"  and yea, whatever you've got online should better be backed up somewhere. I mean, you just never know.

Meanwhile, I have shifted from the strictly #90smusic theme to #fridaymusic biko! Whenever I remember a great song I need to share and do my background check, turns out some of them were cooked in the 80s or 2000s even. So, I'm just going to open the door and let them in.

Something inside was a single released by Labi Siffre in 1987. It was inspired by a TV documentary on Apartheid South Africa seen by Siffre in 1985 in which a white soldier was filmed shooting at black children. However, for me the songs means much more. I think of the struggle of life itself when I listen to it. The struggle to breakthrough and be what you were made to be, against all odds. There have been many covers of this song, for me though, none beats this original!

Enjoy.....


Click here to go to the link if you can't view the video above

The higher you build your barriers the taller I become
The farther you take my rights away the faster I will run
You can deny me, you can decide to turn your face away
No matter 'cause there's


Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh, no, something inside so strong
Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong


The more you refuse to hear my voice the louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho, your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time, you squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly, it will blind you 'cause there's


Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it (!!! AND I WILL)
Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh, no, something inside so strong
Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong


Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say

I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway


Something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh, no, something inside so strong
Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong


Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just good not enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say

I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway
I'm gonna do it anyway


Because there's something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Though you're doing me so wrong
Oh, no, something inside so strong
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, something inside so strong



Songwriters

SIFFRE, LABI


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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Habits of the World’s Wealthiest People - Infographic

Hi guys,

I stumbled on this and just had to share. The funniest bit was the part about Television habits! hahaha. Notice the graph about reality TV, rich Vs poor/regular? Agree or not, this is worth looking at.

Another part that got me was the routine part. Without some discipline, success will be far from you! Even the bible says so.

Enjoy!

Richest People
Source: Business-Management-Degree.net

Monday, January 20, 2014

Eniola Raji - Hydrateq #inthespiritofenterprise

Hi guys. I went out yesterday to buy me some cardboard paper! I am in dire need of some motivation. I'm going to write out my goals and God's promises for me boldly and put them around my wall. Sometimes we just have to do unusual things to keep our dreams and vision alive!

We resume our entrepreneur showcases today with a man. Last year had so many women and I could have come across as biased. This year, I will make an effort to balance the gender. 

This is a case of "big things a gwan"! Who says there are no opportunities? Read Eniola Raji's story.

Enjoy........


Tell us about Yourself.

My name is Eniola Raji. I was born on the 8th of January. I’m the 3rd of a family of six children. I’m a Christian, a Nigerian from Ondo state (There's just something about we Ondo people! *dodges stones* haha). I’m married to the most beautiful person I know, Abimbola, and we are blessed with a Son, Jotham.

Tell us about your business.

Hydrateq Interactive Systems Limited is a Pan African Company which provides audacious and innovative Touch and Gesture Technology Solutions, as well as other cutting edge technology solutions. The company specializes in the manufacture of touch systems, having product distribution network currently spanning Africa.

Hydrateq, in partnership with Portuguese based Edigma Group (DisplaxTM), provides turnkey solutions to various industries, businesses and market sectors. We are able to scope, conceptualize, design, deliver and manage global projects and deployments.

The company leverages its skills and competencies with strategic partnerships in deploying cutting-edge solutions in a bid to satisfy our clients’ yearning for increased customer loyalty and satisfaction, reduced operational cost and increased brand visibility.



How did you get into this line of business?

Well, I did not stumble on it. I grew up in a Civil Engineers home who likes to build all sorts of stuff, my father. I grew up knowing how to use different tools for different projects. I learned plumbing, carpentry, welding and all sort of stuffs from my father and his engineers.

I used to design all types of conceptual machines, vehicles, sub-marines, personal carriers and lots of other things. I had this book where I kept all my designs.

In June, 2010, I came across one of my designs in a local newspaper, a flying car designed for the U.S Military built by ATX, an American company. At this time, I was working with a finance company and this made me realize that I was on a wrong boat. I started doing some research and this eventually led to setting up Hydrateq.

What inspired you?

Wow, I would say the beauty and power of technology has always inspired me. I have this unexplainable ability to see how things work, how machines, parts and different things come together to do what they are built to do. I’m also inspired by art. It’s not just the ability of a piece of technology to do what it’s built to do; it’s also the beauty it adds to the environment.



What are the main challenges you face and how have you overcome them?

Challenges are everywhere. Disapproving parents (This seems to come up, repeatedly), harsh business and operating environment, lack of skilled human resource and scarce funds make the top of the list. Every challenge is peculiar in the way you try to manage or solve them. One thing has kept me going; God, and a defiant resolve to remain focused on the vision He has given me.

How will you summarize your journey so far?

My journey has been interesting. It is laden with so many good times and challenging times. But in all, God has been good to me, my family and my business.

Given another chance, will you do this again?

Absolutely, but I will do it better and make less mistakes.


Want to know more? Or know someone who might need these? Contact Hydrateq;

Website - www.hydrateq.com.ng
Twitter - @hydrateq
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Hydrateq


Thursday, January 16, 2014

10 Powerful Quotes from Cobhams Asuquo's 'The Gift of Blindness' Speech at TEDxEuston

Just as I read +femi olukanni 's comment on my last post saying, Ma'am you've got to check out +Cobhams Asuquo 's Tedex speech, I open my mail and see that it is the subject of Hposh's post for the week.

That guy Cobhams is something, and yea, y'all should check out the video


Or click here - Thanks +femi olukanni for sending me the link.

So, Back to the matter

Hposh Diaries........

10 Powerful Quotes from Cobhams Asuquo's 'The Gift of Blindness' Speech at TEDxEuston



Since Cobham's Asuquo released his first single of 2014 'Ordinary People' some days back, my admiration for him has greatly increased.

Not only does he inspire and motivate me through the song, he empowers me with the right words to pursue my dreams

I was going through some TEDx videos on YouTube when I came across his speech at one of their events in Euston, titled 'The Gift of Blindness'; here are my ten powerful quotes from the speech.

They will inspire you!

1) Do not excuse failure on any reason for any account

2) Not all public opinion is correct opinion

3) Trust - even when you have no reason to.

4) Trust has no expiration date.

5) Blindness has taught me to keep trusting, to keep hoping to keep believing.

6) Sight sometimes is a distraction - (focus on your dreams)

7) Sight is a precious gift (imagination enhances creativity)

8) On your way to your destination what you see can also be a big distraction from your goal (Shed off activities, people and places that will not move you closer to your vision, mission and purpose)

9) You have to be blind in order to be focused (The power of meditation)

10) Focus is blindness in a sense (When you focus on one thing till you achieve success in it, you care less about other things that don't matter)


Have a great week!


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 9 #LCH


Its was fun when I'd wake up by 10a.m. when everyone in the house had either gone to work or school, reading a newspaper while taking a dump, seeking attention and getting pseudo-relevance on twitter and other social media.….and GBAM!!! You go to the kitchen, no pot on the cooker and the fridge is locked!!!….like seriously?!….at this point, reality dawns on you…you've become a parasite to even your folks! Close to 27 with over 400 or more applications, 32 calls for interviews, 20 interviews, 12 offers…and still no job(sustainable and secured one I mean) and my parents were pretty fed up with my case and demands. (whiny baby, boo hoo)

Business had been slow and I hadn't paid any bills of late in the house! All I did was sleep, bury myself in my computer locked in my room and eat! Its not that the jobs weren't coming but after being a contract staff on a world bank project, the bar had been raised,  I wouldn't settle for anything less! I enrolled for my MBA a while back and that served as an excuse for some time but lectures were just for weekends and ASUU succeeded in dragging an 18 month programme to its third year….what's more, my account balance kept mocking me and the little money I made or raked from my folks went to; recharge cards, loading my nairabet account, subscriptions(DSTV, modem, blackberry and my cute android), investing in the small t-shirt business I had been running and to my sisters(they don’t care if I’m jobless). Though I didn't make extras, I made just enough to get me by in the month….then one day I sat down to retrace my steps, there had to be more to making a living than just getting a job if only I could just put more dedication into all I the work of my hands. The regular street hustle could become a regular business if I streamlined and concentrated efforts on a few, I thought.

I started consulting for other entrepreneurs, sourcing and procuring for firms from toiletries to gadgets, I printed my business cards and next I knew, satisfied customers were referring me to friends, I did not go to school to stroll around computer village looking indifferent from those just trying to make a living. I had become a link between those that have (and are willing to part with) and those that need(and are willing to pay for it). I once bought a cow for an client just coming in from Haaj and a carton of Nollywood movies for a family in London. Yea, I am badht like that!

Now people add me up on BBM just to help them push their wares, upcoming artistes call me to connect them to music sites, event planners and managers call to confirm market prices, friends call to get apps, pastors call to send bulk sms to members etc and oh yea, I call my parents once in every few days since I left their house...no more locked fridges and empty pots; just me calling out on my dreams!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Hposh Diaries...... Welcome to 2014

Happy new year fam!

I am super excited to be seeing another year. As far as resolutions and plans go..... guess what? I haven't done none of that! I have been stuck in last year. The last few weeks of the year up till last week were craaazy! Good crazy though, but still. One thing I learnt, if a printer says to you, the sky is blue, please go and confirm, even though we all know it is! Chai. They have nearly turned me into a mad woman. This is story for #inthelineofduty.

Meanwhile, Nanny Mcphee showed up today oo!! Halleluyaaaa. I had already activated a search for a replacement. The challenge with that though, is the learning process for the replacement, me and the kids! Who wants to keep going through that every year? Ain't nobody gat time for that! So when mama showed up today, I almost hugged her even though I had to do small shakara. Inside me I did like ten backflips!!!! Whoop Whoop!

Let the new year begin! Cheers to 2014.

This is a post from last week. Hposh's new year message.

Enjoy....

Hposh Diaries.......

Love and respect him without condition. Hehe
Less than 24 hours ago (I know this is not true anymore,*covers face*), we bade farewell to 2013 and ushered in a new year 2014. Let me join others in wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.

Back to work...

I know most of us have new year resolutions. The sad or interesting part of it for me is that I have no new year resolutions. No raised eyebrows please. I just want to leave each day at a time and solve one challenge then move on to the next.

As the new year starts to run, I'll share some useful tips with you. I hope you find them helpful:

1) Place value on your time

Be accountable for every second, minute, hour and day of your life this year. Ensure, you focus your energy productively on things that'll take you a step closer to the realisation of your dreams.

2) Place value on yourself

Nothing kills a man more than inferiority complex. God has fashioned all of us in a unique way that we have something exceptional to contribute to the growth and development of the world. Ever asked yourself why only you have your kind of fingerprints? You have a purpose to fulfil, don't brood over past failures, challenges or strained relationships.

3) Talking about relationships - don't be a hermit. Network! 

Meet people. Care for people. Lend a hand. Support a charitable cause. Spend quality time with family and friends. Share your dreams with people of like minds. You'll be shocked how much contribution they can make to your life. Don't use people. Bear no grudges against any man. Humans, in their mortality will disappoint and hurt you, just let it go. It's one of those things.

4) Be money wise

You just don't have to buy everything you see or want. Set your priorities right. Invest your money wisely and manage it well.

5) Give - Give! Give! Give!

Give without expecting favour in return. Give to someone who cannot reward you. Make someone smile. Motivate and inspire someone each day.

6) Act now - don't procrastinate

It steals away time. Do what is right at the right time, in the right way and at the right place.

7) Respect God 

That doesn't need too much of talk. Respect God!

Till I come your way next week, I say, have a blissful new year celebration. #peace