Hposh Diaries...... The year 2013

Hposh Diaries.....

When I pinged my mentor yesterday to thank her for her support so far, she was embarrassed. I pinged my best female friend to thank her too, she was shocked. There was one person I did the same to who asked me what I wanted, I told him nothing. He too was amazed. It wasn't a Blackberry broadcast. So this made it kind of creepy.

I also appreciated some of my clients and my team members. It was the least anyone expected. Most of them didn't understand why I did that. It wasn't like I wanted something from them. But once in a while I do some soul search. I've been keeping it for too long but I just felt I should let it out. I love you all. You mean a lot to me. This year has been my best year ever. I don't know how I got here.

2013 started on a very rough note. I resumed school with little or no pocket money. It was so hard keeping my dreams alive. I had bills to pay, materials to buy, a team to lead, a vision to accomplish. 'How would this ever work out?'. I thought. We launched my online magazine in June 2012 and it's been challenging and interesting ever since.

Apart from my parents my friends became my caretakers. They provided accommodation for me, since I spent all my money on starting a brand. They gave me food to eat because I didn't have much to spend on that. They defended me, believed in me and till today still stand by me.

For over 4 months, I was without a smart phone. I couldn't work. My sponsor of life came to my rescue. He has invested so much in me. He's been my pillar of support no matter how challenging finances are for him when I make my requests.

My comedian uncle, his friends and family have always been behind me. My parents and my family too played their role efficiently and effectively.

The turning point came in June 2013 when I met her. She subscribed to our monthly PR plan which we handled to the best of our capabilities. You need to know what #5,000 meant to me. It covered something reasonable.

At last, I heaved a sigh of relief that I was a businessman adding value. For someone to pay us for a service, I felt so good. After the first semester exams, I wasn't planning to go home for our supposedly 2-weeks break.

Things got a new twist when she asked me to work with her. I was to stay with her for the 2 weeks but ASUU in all their majesty turned it to over 5 months. The last few months have been my best ever.

Having someone believe so much in you and not dictating what you should do for you. While I used her internet, car and other resources for free she still paid us for doing PR for her. She referred us to the best clients ever, introduced me into the business world, the challenges, the tactics and the networking.

You are awesome boss.

Did I mention her family? God bless them for me.

I've met so many people this year and they made this year count.

To all of you I say a big thank you.

When I finally get to my promise land, I'll write my autobiography and mention your names including the influences you've had on me.

Oh! How can I forget to mention my godmother of life. She's a newscaster at a popular TV station. I harass her everytime I'm broke. I am always...because I spend money on so many investments. I pray they yield rewarding dividends soon.

Then my uncles...you guys are great.
To those who still think I'm joking. I still hold my dream of being the richest man in the world.

...Emotions, feelings, love, relationships. I've had a lot of them.

Shout out to anyone I've ever dated. I'm sorry I let you go. Despite not giving you so much attention, you still had faith in me.

To those who broke my heart...you've taught me that life is full of shxx...what matters is how we respond to it.

I love you all.

I owe you so much.

If not for anything but for you, I'll make my dreams come true.

#bless

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 8 #LCH

This is my chance to post all the backlogs from my hectic week before. Kennedy was on time with submitting this, it was me, all me. No vex abeg.

LCH 8........

Emeka and Nkiru were taking a romantic walk down the beach one cool night. Emeka grabs Nkiru's hands, draws her closer to him, kisses her & says, "Baby! You know I love you. There's no one here. Its just us. Let's do WEEWEECHU. Nkiru looks around and says, "My love, I don't want to do WEEWEECHU please". Let's just hold hands & cuddle."Emeka agrees. After a while, Emeka asks her again, "Oh baby! Please my love! Let's do WEEWEECHU!"Nkiru replies: "Baby, don't rush me. I don't want to do it. I just want to be wrapped in your arms" Emeka calms down.After a longer while, Emeka couldn't hold it any longer. He says, "My heartbeat, its not fair oh! Let's do WEEWEECHU nah! Since last year oh!" Nkiru reluctantly agrees! So Emeka immediately grabs her closer to him, hugs her tight, brings out the guitar strapped to his back & they both start singing: "WEEWEECHU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WEEWEECHU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WEEWEECHU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!" See your dirty minds! What were you thinking WEEWEECHU was?

Okay, I got you there right?! Its the week of Christmas, decorations everywhere, 'Loooooooong' queues at checkouts in the mall, no where to park on Lagos island, busy shoppers bumping into each other in idumota, answani, trade fair etc, cocks have stopped crowing for fear of being killed for the season, crazy church end-of-the-year revival posters, LASTMA and FRSC having a field time on unsuspecting drivers (I had my fair share of this, by the way), Customs seizing anything and everything, 13th month bonuses, hampers(sade berra send mine too), children crying for Christmas clothes, friends booking a spot at your yearly family party and not to forget a Look back into 2013.

I did a survey on all SMEs on my contacts last week, out of 120 interviewed; 85% believed 2013 wasn't good for business, 55% blamed it on the government, some blamed it on the big malls springing up everywhere, some blamed it on companies training everybody on previously respected crafts (events planning, forex, ankara crafts, soap making etc) others blamed it on lack of funds, a few blamed it on the new start-ups like dealdey, jumia, OLX etc. But I noticed a trend about all those that complained, they have not been able to move with the world and adopt social media as a business tool.

In recent years, social media has become a huge and integral component of how people spend their time online. Between wikis, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and many others, people are spending enormous amounts of time on websites used to share information and connect with people. Not surprisingly, people are easily connecting with others and sharing information (and complaints) more than ever before.

Many people get their news, gossip, and friendship updates via social network sites, sometimes even before breakfast from the convenience of their mobile phone or laptop.(OK,let's get geeky a bit) Social media can be defined as a website or internet service that allows users to interact with each other and create content instantaneously. Examples include Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, etc. These online media facilitate conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content. Social media allows people to share content such as life updates, pictures, videos, quotes, or anything the user creates or finds interesting and wants to share.

This has made companies adopt social media as a business tool to share product information, get feedback, receive and treat complaints and have a real-time review of their products. Let me quickly iterate two of the famous social media platforms you can adopt for your businesses and how to go about it

FACEBOOK

A typical Facebook page consists of the insights (number of likes, percentage likes per week, reach of post etc), contents (posts, pictures, links, etc) and the overall design. As an SME trying to cover more ground, it is only expected that you have a Facebook page and a standby IT team(your team could be yourself and a sibling or spouse) to constantly monitor and reply posts.

The number of page likes shows how popular the company or business is. This can be boosted by promotions on websites, social media PR companies and referrals/promo from known fans, post boost, Facebook adverts. One could also pay PR companies to get likes (it is an average of 10,000 naira for every 1000 Facebook likes they fetch you).

It is one thing to have a popular Facebook page, it is another to keep it popular, that is where unique content creation, quizzes, quotes etc comes handy.(If you need help opening a facebook page, promoting and/or maintaining it, you should be talking to me...just call me 08059848080)

TWITTER

Twitter is a micro blogging site that allows sharing of information, pictures, videos etc in very few concise words. Online shopping sites and multinationals use it for adverts, product review and promotion as well as complaint reviews. A simple problem can soon turn to a trend on social media and bring down any government, company or individual (look what happened to Justine Sacco!)

Twitter pages unlike Facebook, involve followers rather than likes which creates the illusion of a more interactive platform and the need to satisfy your followers and listen to them. Trends and promotions are easier to start on twitter and PR companies can as well help promote the brand and fetch one followers and/or audience.

Okay I think I spilled too much on social media, I'm yet to receive hampers(hehehehehe....izz true na) from my dear readers, either ways I'm glad you all enjoy reading from us. In case you need any help with social media integration with your business, do not hesitate to give us a call....2013 is going out slowly, get ready for a prosperous new year!

OmoAlata - Kasope Badaru #Inthespiritofenterprise

Hi guys! Hope you are having a fantastic holiday. Nanny Mcphee took off on the 23rd, smack in the middle of all my hamper deliveries! I have a friend who insists keeping a nanny and one smallie is the key to sanity, I bet he'll laugh at me if he reads this.  Anyways, I am a survivor and yes, the worst is over. Bless Jesus!!

For the first time ever, I shipped the boys off day before yesterday to spend some time with my sister in law (she's a life saver). Funny thing is, I miss all their "wahala" and can't wait to pick them up, lol!! Imagine. But while they're away, let me share the very last #inthespiritofenterprise story for the year! Sounds unbelievable that the year is over already. It's been a great year and it can only get better. Yes!

Let's meet Kasope Badaru, Omoalata herself.

Enjoy.....

1. Tell us about yourself

My name is Kasope Badaru, I am an IT person by profession. I graduated in 2006 and I worked on an 8 - 5 but quit my job 2 years ago to venture into entrepreneurship.

2. Tell us about your business

Omoalata as the name implies is "the child/son of a pepper seller or a pepper seller". What our business does for now is to package blended peppers. We plan to do other products later on, all centered around pepper, soups and stews. Basically we blend tomatoes, onions, tatase and rodo into a puree or paste, boil and pack and sell to end users or supermarkets.

3. How did you get the name Omoalata and how do people receive it?

To be honest, I can't really remember exactly how the name omoalata came about. I just remember it was a name that my partner and I just had in mind for a very long time, even though it wasn't really clear what we wanted to do with the name, we just knew it was food related. Over the years, travelling, going around, we got some exposure and saw the need for some partial processing of pepper to make food easy and faster to cook, considering that most Nigerians use pepper in some form or the other during their cooking. We wanted a way to make cooking easier since we are in a world where things are faster and easier.



We get mixed reactions to the name "omoalata". Some people are wowed by it, while others ridicule the name and make fun of it. But because we are confident in it and proud of our heritage we are not moved. I am sure if we translated it in some other language for instance, people would think it cool, but because it's in our native Yoruba language that some people take the name for granted.

4. What will you say is unique about omoalata?

One of the main things about our product is that we are trying to replicate the exact thing that you do in your house. We are not trying to do a processed tomato paste, we are simply trying to cut your cooking time and make the process easier. We want to do exactly what you would have done yourself if you went to the market to buy your tomato and pepper. So because of that we decided from day one never to add any form of preservatives. We keep getting suggestions and pressure from people about preservatives e.g. "why don't you just add preservatives so you can sell in stores that have no freezers?". Especially because we are a growing business, we are expected to want to jump on these recommendations. However, we know that's not who we are nor is that what we are offering. Ours is an organic product and we intend to stay that way.

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

The number one challenge is what everyone complains about in this country, POWER! Our business relies a lot on electricity supply. We grind, we boil and then we freeze. The freezing process is a lot of power and it means that we always have to have constant electricity. It also means that our grinding machines have to be run on petrol. Which is a lot more expensive than if we had constant power.

Another challenge we have is manpower. The casuals who work in the factory; ensuring they come at the right time, ensuring they follow laid down procedures. Especially for small, growing businesses like us who can't afford to employ them full-time yet, getting the right commitment is not easy. It's really been difficult but I know that as we go along though, it will get better and we will be able to balance it.

Acceptance from people is also one of the challenges we face. It's a new type of product and Nigerians are generally slow to adapt to change. So we have to do a lot of marketing and convincing, but the good thing about it is that for the people who have used it, their referrals go a long way. We are still in the process of getting all our certifications, so we have not done a lot of advertisements. I would say that we are gradually conquering that challenge of getting the word out there and convincing people to try the product. People are still stuck with the tradition of "oh I go to the market myself and I blend my own pepper mix myself", "how are you sure it is fresh, not too spicy or not spicy enough?" We know that over time we will get more and more loyal customers as they try it out.

6. How will you summarize your journey so far?

The journey so far has been interesting, tedious, frustrating, Lol!. But I am sure that is normal for any small start-up business anywhere in the world. I mean, we have the peculiarities of running a business in Nigeria, but when you remove the challenges of Infrastructure like electricity, I am sure that every other small business anywhere in the world goes through the struggles the frustrations and all that. But to be honest, it's been interesting.

There are days when you think oh I have made a mistake and there are days when you are so excited, especially when you get just one positive feedback. This makes you feel that it's all worth it because you are making someone's life easier somewhere. The feedback just gives you a lot of joy that someone somewhere needs what you're offering.

7. Given another chance, will you do this again?

Oh yes definitely, I mean without a question. I don't regret in anyway, going into this. If I were to rewind time, I would definitely go into it again!

Want to know where to find Mcpeppers? Well here's a list below, plus you can follow them on twitter, like their facebook page and follow their blog.

Rennies Supermarket
VGC Shopping Complex,
VGC Lekki Epe Expressway Ajah,
Lagos.

Rennies Supermarket
32A, Admiralty Way (near Tantalizers)
Lekki Phase 1 Lekki, Lagos

Petadis Place

0-5C, Close 7A, Opp. NICON Hotel

VGC Lekki Ajah,

Lagos.

Gravitas Supermarket

17, Emma Abimbola Cole street,

Off Fola Osibo Lekki Phase 1 Lekki,

Lagos.

Best Choice Mart

Shop K111, Road 5,

Ikota Shopping Complex,

Ajah Lagos.

Nazareth Supermarket

Babatunde street, Off Ogunlana Drive,

Surulere, Lagos.

Spendless Mart 

2, Association Avenue (right turn before magodo estate)

Magodo, Lagos.

CCD Superstores 

116, Ogudu-Ojota Road (Near GTBank)

Ogudu, Lagos

Royalmart Limited

Carlton-Gate Estate

Chevron drive, Lagos

Royalmart Limited

Crown Estate Shopping Mall,

Crown Estate, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

Egole Shopping Mall 

http://www.egoleshopping.com/

Cheers guys! Their other details are below, do the needful....

http://www.omoalata.com/
http://omoalata.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OmoAlata
https://twitter.com/omoalata

+234 (0) 802 8736 502, 01-8544436

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 7 #LCH

Part 7......

Let me take you all back memory lane, I was kind of a bully in primary school, I'd always play the thief in "police and thief" and the "police" were scared to catch me. My school bag weighed nothing less than 30kg with stitches that served as war scars, my understanding maths 1-6, brighter grammar, queen's premier, 

Macmillan English, all my notes from primary 1-5 were always in my bag and I would cry anytime my mum asked me to remove them. I remember taking at least 15 sharpened pencils to common entrance. I had my brown bata cortina and my Wednesday canvas.

This must be Kennedy and his cronies from way back! hahaha

I remember agbo, edet, wakama and odion, ada, ali and simbi etc, playing that game of opening pages and counting the number of people on the pages, table soccer, baba dudu, sisi pupa, plucking 'fruint', mangoes and apples, inventing things out of nothing, renting bicycles, nicking coins from our parents(we all did that, chai)! I had fun spending holidays with cousins or at the village, going on excursions, watching kiddie vision, waiting for 4pm for TV to come on; clapperboard was the best movie station, telematch, gboro miro, Sunday rendezvous. Such fun memories from the days of parlie soda, limca, tandi, dr pepper, ginger ale, Christmas clothes, cupboard TVs, daewoo racer, spin dial telephones etc

All these were just primary school experiences, some of us had more fun than others but we all had fun......what happened to all that?! Guess we got too busy growing up. Now I flip News channels and all I see is some bad news in Syria, Egypt or turkey or some train and plane crash. The environment is not friendly let alone subtle for we entrepreneurs. They say we(entrepreneurs) contribute mostly to the GDP of the country yet the dividends are hardly visible. We invest so much money, time, driving, bus jumping, backaches and headaches just to break even. Most of our '9-5' colleagues that envy the amount of time that we have to ourselves are the same that mock us when we ask them for loans. The Government isn't doing much about loans and incentives(how would they when they are busy stockpiling for the next election). Just a week back, I was pissed at Mofolusade (what! is Kennedy taking a shot at me, on my own platform?!) for spanking her boys because they refused to sleep, then I thought to myself; if I was out hustling all day and came home deadbeat and some 'fingerlings'(Na you go born fingerlings!) were running round the study while I was trying to calculate my daily expenditure, I'd probably kick them with a timberland boot.

But the honest truth is; we had fun in Primary(and some till university days) and now we decided to work our 'donkeys' off by ourselves while slowly gathering clients and a network of friends in order to build an empire for ourselves. When we all retire(ourselves and our 9-5 colleagues), they would be living off pensions and begging to invest in our businesses while we are on vacation with our laptops split between bloomberg and skype sessions with our staff and the accounts manager on speed dial to confirm cheques. If you are an entrepreneur struggling now, all you have to do is believe in your struggle and see it through. This we will do! No giving up. No sob stories about government and the environment to hold us back.

Its a Monday after-all, I'm outta here....the street is calling my native name. You can always follow and check out my favorite tweets on @4Qhen(I can't assure you sanity, maturity or responsibility though) like they say, I'm responsible for what I say not what you understand.

Roar...... Katy Perry #fridaymusic

Hi guys. I respected myself and tried to keep all my 'waka' to the barest minimum today. I live off the express and our 'overflow' family and friends will definitely make sure that axis is on a lock down today. I have a lot to say about this, but I'll bite my tongue and save it for another day. Just know though, that not every church going Nigerian is truly Christian, and boy do we have a lot of church goers..... the end!

Eheen, so I have some energy today since I didn't have to endure five hours in Lagos traffic. It's been a while since I took my time to share anything from the heart here, so I'll try to make it up with my song of the day!! It's not a 90s song by the way; at this rate, I am beginning to think maybe I need to change this Friday segment to #songoftheday or #musicfriday maybe, what do you think? We'll see. Today will be #musicfriday though, because there's no way I can pass this one off as #90smusic.

If you follow me on twitter @sonaike, you would know that I am a huge fan of +Katy Perry and that her current hit #Roar is my motivational song of the moment. I even couldn't resist sharing it in my recent interview with connectnigeria.

Read the interview here

By the way +Chibuike Wogu was so gracious to send me a copy of the secret DVD I talked about in the interview, which I am about to watch! If you haven't taken advantage of the offer to download your business plan template from http://www.mybizhubstore.com/ the offer is still on till the end of the year. That's my own little way of saying thank you. 

Back to the song. Whenever this song comes up on the radio, I turn up the volume of my radio to the very end and sing along like my life depends on it! haha! Every single line of that song speaks to my soul, no kidding!! Gosh.

If you haven't heard the song please just listen by following the link below, if you can't see the embedded video that is;

Enjoy......

Katy Perry Roar

If you thought I was joking when I said every line of the song speaks to me, you would believe me when you see my fingerprints in red all over the lyrics below. I have comments everywhere. lol!

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess

(I see you sitting there, you know you want a change, but your too prim and proper to cause a stir! What would people think yea? Guess what? Nobody really cares)
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice  

(many of us are here! You do have a choice, refuse to accept less than you know you deserve)

I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything 

(what can I say! What do you stand for?)
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!) (Yesssir!!)
Already brushing off the dust

  (I literally jump up and do the brush off moves when the song gets here)
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground 

(Gen Gen!! The world hasn't seen nothing yet)
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready 'cause I’ve had enough

  (You have to get to that point where you've had enough! As long as you continue to endure that situation, you haven't had enough, no sir!)
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

(dance, dance, dance, cos you're a fighter, people will wonder)
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion (oh yes!!)
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero (Notice she says "my own hero", I hope you hear this?)
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar...

Ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar...

P.S. 

Sales Sales Sales!!!!!

1. Remember Revamp definition, the ex-banker turned crafts woman, yea? Well she's having a sales event tomorrow with 50% off ankara bags, jewelry and all. So if you're around Surulere, swing by;

Venue - Car park of Atara shopping plaza, opposite Mobil filling station, Aguda
Time - 10 to 6pm

2. It's also Oja-ara tomorrow and Sunday. This time, they've got a play area for the kids, so take your kids along;

Venue - Muri Okunola park by Nigerian law school.

Time - 10 to 6pm

Hposh Diaries...... Top lessons from Mandela's life

Hposh has done a good job of highlighting some of the key things to note from the life that the man, Mandela lived. Short and sharp, no need for story. Enjoy!

Oh and while you're at it, I'm looking for a funny caption for this picture I stumbled on!! hahaha. Who's going to give it a go and take the prize?

Hposh diaries..... 

I don't want to talk about myself today. I want to pay my own tribute to former South African President and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela who died at the age of 95 last Thursday 5th December 2013. You all know his history so I won't bore you with any more of it.

To say that Mandela changed the world is an understatement. Madiba came, he saw and he conquered. While speaking with someone recently he said "After Jesus the greatest person on earth is Mandela" (you have the right to your opinion). What kind of man goes to jail for 27 years under those inhuman circumstances without breaking? He suffered emotionally, mentally, financially and healthwise. Never the less, he remained undaunted. After his release, he became South Africa's first democratically elected President. He refused to run for a second term and there was no record of him paying back his former oppressors in their own coins. He not only forgave, he also forgot. What a man!

Just examining Mandela's life, I have discovered some secrets of success in life.

Some of the are:

1) Hold on to your dream, no matter what happens.

2) Be prepared. Everyday you witness the rising of the Sun, make sure you are better than the person you were the day before. Get more skills, read more books, listen to more tapes, build your character, nurture positive relationships. Success is when opportunity meets preparation.

3) Stay focused. Distractions will come but do not give in. Failure comes when we take our eyes off the goal.

4) Make sure your dream is worth dying for. If all you dream about is to make money, you are doomed to fail. Nothing is more important that adding value, making an impact.

5) Never Give Up! Challenges will come. They should make you better not bitter.

6) Your destiny is in your hands. "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. Whichever way, you are right" - Thomas Edison. People will desert you. Resources will fail to come. Those close to you will lose faith in you. When things get rough and tough, remember that you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.

7) Be positive! Say only things that are right. Speak life, wealth, hope, happiness! Nothing works better than the power of the mind.

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 6 #LCH

Hi.... byeee (that's all I can muster right now). TIRED.COM!!


Part 6......

I was working my ass off on a research paper to submit as draft for my thesis(yes I'm an educated street boy with a MBA), my stupid modem decided to be a draw back and without hesitation, I carried my laptop and biked to the nearest internet Hotspot to continue my research(partly because I was a week due on submission and also wanted to leave my dark evil room that finds a way of keeping me indoors for days). I was minding my own business but couldn't resist noticing this rough guy beside me with an iPad, Blalackberry Q10, iPhone and a car key on his table, also a half bottle of champagne and a Mac Laptop. So much profanity and vanity couldn't let me concentrate besides, his command of English was a laxative to my bowels yet this guy was way richer than me, How?

After like an hour, he asked me if I could mask his IP(for non-geeks, that's when you hide your computer information and it looks like you are browsing from another country), I told him it was easy and did it in a flash and went back to my thesis, he drew his seat beside me and couldn't stop blabbing. He said if anyone else wanted to do it, they would have charged him 10,000 naira and I asked him if he would prefer to pay me rather than shut up to continue whatever he was doing. He begged if he could learn it from me and ordered a bottle of champagne for me, I told the waiter to hold on to it as I put him through. He gave me 30,000 naira after 2-Hours of teaching him.

I found out he was a 'game-boy'(yahoo-yahoo) and when I asked him why he chose that route, he asked me if I would prefer he robbed houses or be a nuisance to the society. I sat him down and gave him a lecture about businesses he could invest in, matured ethics(and not flashing your possessions). He was so intrigued, right there he registered for a course online at the University of Liverpool, we talked about investing in friends and real estate, a frontier business to have and building a house for himself. He was so excited about our discussion that he gave me 20,000 naira extra(don't know why they carry so much cash) and offered to take me out, I turned down his offer nicely and we exchanged numbers,he paid his bill and left.

I went to the bartender and asked how much a bottle of champagne cost and he said 25,000 naira and I politely asked him to refund 20,000 naira for my champagne paid by the dude and keep the extra 5,000 naira. He couldn't stop thanking me(you don't make that much tip in a week) and by the time I left the cafe, I was 70,000 naira richer(that's an average graduate's salary in Lagos) but with an incomplete thesis. I did not mind, I was ready to retry the annoying modem. It was almost closing time for the banks when I rushed in to deposit 65,000 naira into my account.

I do not support scams and frauds, but I see our leaders siphoning the country's wealth, I see no jobs being created, I see a frustrated education system, I see bad roads, I see an environment where entrepreneurs struggle to stay afloat, I see a failing legal and electoral system, I see the social media being used for the wrong reasons, I see petty 'kleptos' being jailed for life while 'politrobbers' ride around with sirens! If sharing knowledge and ideas could fetch me 70,000 naira in 6 hours, I might as well share with the devil himself, what counts at the end is who you impact change and knowledge to and how much money you get.....well I did both and reaped something.

Do have a great week entrepreneurs(and mum-preneurs) and don't forget to impact into someone and make this.......err.......PAPER!!!!

Hposh Diaries...... Part 1

Hi guys, we have a new guest blogger for Wednesdays. Let me introduce to you, Hposh. 

He has dreams to take over the world, to be the world's youngest billionaire. Can he? Will he? Only time will tell..... In the mean time, he shares his thoughts and actions with us as he works everyday towards realizing this huge dream!

Hposh diaries..... Part 1

source - http://www.discoveryfinance.com/millionaire-billionaire-club.html

For a while now, I've been yearning to write. I've stored several poems, proses and articles in my head but refused to pen them down. Sometimes I read other people's articles online and I'm like 'Oh My God! That should be my article.'

My favorite brand slogan is "Just Do It" by Nike. Many a time, we all know what and who we want to be. I want to be an actor. I want to be a writer. I want to be an Engineer. I want to be a business man. I can't imagine how long you've been trying to be what and who you want to be.

Come to think of it, what would have happened if Thomas Edison didn't invent the electricity bulb? How would we have traveled across several oceans and mountains if the Wright Brothers had not built the first airplane. Let's bring it back home. How would Lagos have been if they had not constructed the third mainland bridge? Now you get the point?

Every human being on this planet is blessed with at least one unique talent. It's up to us to discover our potentials, hone our skills, market our products, solve a problem and get enriched by it.

Poverty or wealth is a state of the mind. You see a lot of people nag about the terrible situation of the country, yet others are finding solutions to problems and getting paid for it. Rather than talking about things that are not right, find a way to do the right thing.

My name is Hposh (should I use my real name). I'm a writer, an actor, a creative thinker, and an entrepreneur. Every morning when I wake up, my mind tells me I owe the world a lot. I'm very ambitious and I want to be the richest man on earth one day. I owe the world best selling books, blockbuster movies (because I'll still go into film making), amazing scripts and stories, multinational corporations and many more. I have a dream and I know it will come true. What I don't know is how and when it will be fulfilled. One thing I'm sure of is I will be on FORBES list before I turn 30. It's going to be a bumpy road. Am I ready for it? Only time will tell.

Dreams come true. This is my dream. What is yours? The right time to start is now. Just do it! Join me on this intriguing journey as I share with you my past, my present, my future. An insight into my relationships, my dreams, my projects, my challenges and lots more. This could just be my autobiography.

This is Hposh Dairies...

Top 10 android apps for every entrepreneur

Here's my bonus article for failing to post the entrepreneur showcase for the week. Kennedy to the rescue. Hehe.

P.S - This is not a paid for announcement. lol

------------------------------------------------------------

Enough already of your boring Nokia and blackberry smartphones, its time to move with the world. Androids are as cheap as you want it, so get in line and order one this December and here are some suggested apps you should download and use!

#1 SHAZAM
everyone has that moment where they hear a song on the radio or in a mall and can't remember the artist or song title, well shazam got u covered. Just point your phone at the sound and 'shazam' it. It gets better, you can hum the tune or sing the song and it still does its job

#2 BBM
The most popular chat application comes to the android market. Now every one can 'ping'. What's also fun is its multi-platform and cuts across borders

#3 AVG antivirus for droids
It does more than just notify and remove unwanted and intrusive apps, its also a task manager, data counter, battery saver etc

#4 INSTAGRAM
Really, who doesn't have an instagram app and owns an android? We all turned camera geeks n graphic artists with this app.

#5 PAGES MANAGER
For small business owners who adopt social media as a business tool, this app from facebook allows you to manage your facebook pages well and effectively, upload up to 100 pictures at once,view page insight and statistics and manage likes

#6 TEMPLE RUN
Addictive and innovative game of the year. You can't help but notice people swiping across their phones and tilting their bodies to collect coins when bored. Have a try (at your own risk! lol)

#7 AVIARY PHOTO EDITOR
Turn pictures into HD, multiple filters,memes and more creative Photoshop tools to play with

#8 WORDPRESS
Bloggers would love this app which is easy to use. Blogging has never been easy away from a PC before.

#9 OLX
Those that are fans of start-ups and love to buy/sell anything online, the OLX is just perfect. Searches can be localized to your local government.

#10 PLAY STORE
This is the best app ever. The Robert De Niro of Apps, it allows you preview and download other apps, in fact all aforementioned apps can be found on the Google play-store

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 5 #LCH

Hi guys, Welcome to the month of December. Whoop Whoop! It's been an interesting year and I am grateful for life and living! This is a busy season for me, so please bear with me for being so sloppy with my posts. I cannot come and quench abeg! The traffic today alone, can wound somebody.

Meanwhile, Kennedy has gone all serious on us with today's article, lol!! The man has mood swings, I tell you. Today he's all gangster, tomorrow he's an efiko lecturer. You'll enjoy this one though. I know I did.

Enjoy......

Part 5......

There are Laws governing this universe: Law of gravity, Laws of physics, Law of Karma,international Laws, Human right Laws etc whatever law it is, its meant to put us in check, enlighten us on the consequences of breaking the laws and give us reason not to break it(one of the perks of dating a Lawyer), once in a while; extraordinary events, technology, persistence and sheer stupidity break these laws. A Buddhist Priest might levitate over the himalayas, Moses might part a red sea, A politician might steal and get away with it, a genocide might go unnoticed etc but these are rare cases(except for the nigerian politician example of course *takes off*).

There are three main Laws of an entrepreneur, the first is MAXIMISE YOUR PROFIT. The main reason we quit our day jobs, hustle across the streets, call clients to wish them a happy new week and or stay awake all night is to make profit. There is a huge difference between making profit and maximising profit. A tin of milk costs 80 naira at tin can island and you travel across town from Ikorodu to get a carton and spend 1000 naira on transport only to be able to sell each tin at 130, that's profitable but unwise, a real and conscious business minded person would either get the number of the dealer or meet up a driver at the park(well the issue of trust never ceases to come to light in a nigerian business environment) give him the money and he gets it for you...you might not pay more than 250 on transportation and still sell each tin at 130; whatever business you are into, always look to maximise your profit(without cheating anybody).

The second is MINIMISE YOUR COST, the above example applies perfectly to this law too. Every kind of cost should be minimised as much as possible even overhead and opportunity costs. Doesn't mean you should underpay workers or shortchange clients. Seek to use incentives and leverages whenever you can, deliver multiple orders together, go shopping at once, learn to use online tools for your business as all these save your cost considerably and significantly. I cannot but overemphasize the use of social media as a business tool, its an almost free and borderless way of minimising cost and expanding the reach of your business(I'd expanciate this in subsequent posts).

The third which is the most ignored is OPTIMISE YOUR RESOURCES, think of ways to 'manage'  your resources effectively because it speaks directly(or indirectly) on your costs and profit. A tailor would recycle the extras on each fabric to make a patch, a shop owner would resell the cartons, a fruit seller would discount older fruits, a carpenter would make stools from leftover wood, an ibadan polygamist trader would put his wives at the different shop branches(and even make them compete for monthly sales) etc. Resources though an asset, if not properly managed can quickly turn to liabilities(ask those stocking for december sales in january *haha!! I can so relate with this*).

I hope with these few words of mine,I've been able to convince you and not confuse you(laughs intensely)......what?!.....I can be serious sometimes and when these streets need me to show my educational prowess, I do...I'm about to catch a train to yaba(minimising cost and optimising resources), its december afterall, we all need that extra hustle and cash.

Till the next time......God bless our hustle

Did I mention that I am also a farmer? If you haven't seen the light, you need to read my article for businessaim here;

Agribusiness one of the most lucrative businesses in third world countries

Ninekay Stitches - Nkemdilim Adeniran-Adedokun #inthespiritofenterprise

So we met Madam Tootsy, now let's meet Ninekay sticthes.

Are you preggies, listen up.....

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself

I am Nkemdilim Adeniran-Adedokun. I am by the grace of God the Founder and Creative Director of Ninekay Stitches, a Lagos based fashion designing concern with a lot of emphasis on the need of pregnant mothers and their newborns. Before I started this business in 2010, I was in the banking industry for six years during which I worked towards setting up a structure for what is my dream. I resigned in 2010 and went straight into this business. 

I gained a degree in Mathematics Education from the Delta State University Abraka and a Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Lagos, Akoka. I have also done a few courses in Fashion Designing, Fashion Management and Entreprenurship home and abroad. I am an Alumnus of the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan African University and a Goldman Sachs Scholar. I am currently on a one year Fellowship with Vital Voices VVGrow program to support my goals as an entrepreneur and leader of a small and growing business.I am married and God has blessed us with children

Tell us about your business

At Ninekay Stitches, We specialise in the design and manufacture of maternity clothing as well as the complementary accessories such as pre-packed hospital bags and nursing covers for expecting and nursing mothers respectively. We produce custom fitted maternity wear for special occasions (made to order) and ready to wear clothing( office and casual maternity clothing ) .

Our pre-packed hospital bags have been carefully packed for mom and baby, containing basically all the items an expectant mom would need for delivery. All packed in a bag suitable for travel even after delivery. We have our made in Nigeria nursing cover,suitable for our weather. I am an advocate of exclusive breast feeding and with our nursing cover you have no excuse. Lol. Our products are readily available and can be delivered to your door step.We also offer other services such as maternity photography, personal shopper and other tailored services our clients might need.It's our ultimate goal to make our target customers stylish ,comfortable and free of stress before and after delivery.

How did you get into this line of business

It was the choice I made out of a couple of other things that I thought I would like to be as a child. I always knew that I would be working for myself at some point and so when I started getting the exhaustion vibes from Banking, I began to consider which of those things I would love to do. 

One of the things I thought about growing up was Wedding Planning and then Fashion. At the end of the day, I chose fashion designing. I thought of the need to do something really different and then the experience that I had getting affordable and comfortable clothing during pregnancy inspired me into starting a maternity line, which we have continued to grow since 2010

What inspired you

I pray to and trust God a lot to give me directions about what to do and so I would say that this relationship with God led me into the actualization of this particular dream that I am living. I also noticed that each time I was pregnant as a bank staff, I needed to rely on clothes that came from outside the shores of Nigeria to feel comfortable, I felt this was totally unacceptable and thought that, God helping us, we could make a difference. It is the same reason why we have introduced the accessories, just to make life easier for professional ladies who do not have all the time to go shopping by themselves.

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

I will share one or two of those with you. A major challenge is that fact that the business environment in Nigeria is so unfriendly. Apart from the demands of setting up your business, you have to deal with so many other issues that should be the responsibility of government. For instance, you need electricity, you need water and all that. Running after these on your own increases your overheads.

Funding is also one major challenge that one has faced. There are no long term financing options with reasonable interests in this country so you have to sort it out yourself. Another challenge is the quality of workmanship. Many of our tailors do not just have the right work ethic and so we struggle with that. However time is teaching us deal with that and God’s wisdom and favour is helping out on the two other fronts.

How will you summarise your journey so far

It has been a learning curve in which God has really been there for us. We see the future as very bright and promising.

Given another chance, will you do this again

I most definitely will do this again. We are here to fulfil a purpose and I am very happy with the way that God has continued to deal with us and help us, it is a venture in which I have found a lot of joy and satisfaction and so there is even no debate.

You know what to do, contact;

8 Sura Mogaji Street,off coker road,Ilupeju,Lagos
08023211428,08063180647
ninekaymaternity@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/ninekaymaternity
Twitter:@NinekayPreggie
www.ninekaymaternity.com.ng

Tootsy Interiors and more - Oluwafunbi Fatore #inthespiritofenterprise

Hello fam! Again today I have two entrepreneurs to showcase, both ladies are "onise owos" crafts women in simple english. They turn fabric into useful products. We'll start with the interior designer cum events planner.

Let her introduce herself and share her story - straight from the horses' mouth!

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself

My name is Oluwafunbi Tokunbo Fatore. I am an Insurer by day, interior decorator and events manager by night.

I am happily married with 2 adorable children. My personality is that of a quiet and private person but I am a fun loving person, enjoy shopping a lot and I am a go-getter.

I am the chief responsibility officer of Tootsy Interiors and more services.

Tell us about your business

Tootsy Interiors and more services is an interior decorating and events management outfit. We have been in existence for quite a while now. For our interior decoration arm, we make fitted bedspreads, duvets, throws, furnishings and curtains to various customers’ specifications especially using color preferences.

Our expertise falls in the expanse of rendering consultancy services for clients in assisting to organize their events, manage and coordinate them.


How did you get into this line of business

It all started when a certain wealthy aunt was having a birthday party and we all couldn’t think of something really nice to give her that she doesn’t already have (You for call Trezorlandia naa). It was a great task ahead of us, but later on that day in my room, it just occurred to me that we could give her a bedspread. Not just an ordinary one but a customized bedspread, different from what she could be used to.

Then, we thought of a pattern, and went off to the market, picked a nice fabric, got laces, ribbons and elastic, and then got a tailor to get the exact design we had in mind. On the d-day, we wrapped it beautifully and presented it. Unfortunately, we forgot to put our name on the wrapper.

A week later, when my mum saw her, she asked if she liked the bedspread, and she was like ‘wow’ she liked it, and even laid it on her bed immediately she opened it, but couldn’t find the name of the giver. She asked to know where we bought it from and could bet it cost quite a lot, but proudly my mum made her realize we made it specially for her. She then requested for another one, but that this time, she was willing to pay for it.

Subsequently, for the next set of functions we have had, we made and gave out different sets of bedspreads, and the responses we got were always the same. One day, God just gave me this idea, that we could actually make money out of this concept and that was how we started the interior decoration business.

For the events management and consultancy arm of the outfit, it has always been there right from youth. You see, my mum is a master planner, she has always had her hands full; she was either planning for someone’s engagement, or wedding or birthday or graduation just name it; that was when I picked up the interest. I guess the saying an apple never falls far from the tree is true.

After school, some of my close friends and I decided to form an events company, and I went for training and certification in event management. We planned a couple of events before we all went our separate ways.

Later on naturally, when it was time for my sister’s introduction, I took it as an opportunity to start off. So I was the event planner for the ceremony. I also coordinated my own wedding, which saved me cost and gave me more experience which I used in planning my sisters’ wedding.

What inspires you

My inspiration comes from what I hear, what I can see, my past works, and my intuitions.

When my clients appreciate what we do for them, I am inspired to do more.

What are the main challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them

Unfortunately in the past, we have had clients who could not pay for our services on the onset of the job and still refused to balance off afterwards, this has led to unbalanced books and a lot of debt which has affected our stock and purchase orders. Due to this, we have made decisions to only give credit to those who have been faithful or credit worthy.

Another challenge we faced was delivering by hand through public transport, this brought about a lot of stress until we were able to purchase a utility vehicle for this purpose.

We also faced the challenge of creating awareness for our products and services, but we are currently looking for ways to position ourselves in better ways through mediums like; print media advertising , though we did a couple of that, but we had to stop because it was not bringing in the much expected clients.

Funding to expand is also a challenge. We intend to have our own fabric factory where we can make our own designs and give our clients the opportunity to come in and choose what they want for their homes or offices.

How do you balance your business with your day job

It’s a passion, so after my routine work, when I get home I work sometimes till late to get some things done. When I get urgent orders, I just pass it on to my partner and things get moving, in which of course decisions are coordinated.

Also; I attend to my family needs, and do some work before finally retiring for the day. I also work on the weekends, as they are my main free days and I ensure things are moving on as expected and properly coordinated.

How will you summarise your journey so far

Hmmm, surprisingly tasking because I thought it would be easier at first; but I find it enjoyable as nothing is more fulfilling than going after your passion.

Given another chance, will you do this again

Over and over and over again.

You know you need to change those sheets! Contact Tootsy Interiors;

Call - 08026589268 , 08099000854 

Add - 7B01F026

FB - Tootsy Interiors

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 4 #LCH

The global entrepreneurship week was great! I enjoyed every single event I attended and I met loads of interesting new people too! This is the season for entrepreneurs! Exciting times....

As interesting as it was, it took it's toll on me. Between the 10km walk, the security headache at the women in enterprise event, the ipad recording at the 50k challenge and the founder2be one yesterday, yours truly was knocked out beyond words! I am only just managing to turn on my laptop today. As in, o re body pata pata. I wish I could shut down and sleep in for two days straight! But who dash monkey banana!

Thank God it's monday, Kennedy has the floor with #LCH......

Part 4.......

I wasn't a spoilt kid,infact the only things they spoilt me with was regular beatings and absurd punishments. I was always top of my class yet was very mischievous, always hiding behind my innocent and chubby face. I was a terrible bully and was feared by my peers. I recall me playing the popular "police and thief" with my classmates, I was always a 'thief' but would be the one chasing the 'police',it was that crazy then.

This particular break time, I let myself be chased by this 'police' and as I ran past the swing set on the playground, I pulled it and let it go and like clockwork, it hit him on the forehead, he fainted(I know because I ran past him twice). My dad did beat the hell outta me, every cell in my body was in pain and that still did not stop me(at least not yet). Everyday,someone always came home to report me for one mischief or the other(and yet compare their children to me on price giving days).

I had been beaten with almost everything; stick,cane,belt,shrubs,wires,ruler,whip etc... I would always devise a better way to commit each mischief. The one time I came home crying was when I was bitten by a girl(always thought she was a witch cos she had to rows of teeth), my dad beat me for crying to a girl's bite. I got to school the next day with same vengeance and beat her to pulp(what?!......I was just a kid) (Evoo shaid) and on getting home,I shared my ordeals with my dad and he beat me all over again(I thought at that point he hated me).

I got into secondary school(the then great Lagos State Model College) at the age of 8 and upon seeing seniors with beards like my father and breasts like my mother who would beat shit out of you even in the presence of your parents, all my mischief just simmered and turned to pretence.

I'd fill y'all in with the rest of my secondary school days later but now I'd fast forward to 12 years after secondary school, this bus conductor stepped on my shoes on a way to an interview(one I wasn't sure I was going to get the job),I politely asked him to take a look expecting an apology and this guy rained curses on me and spat at my feet, I entered my zen mode(that mode of i-dont-care-what-happens-again)as he jumped on the moving bus to leave the scene, I dragged him down by his shorts and he landed on his back,I stamped his face with my heel,pulled him up and headbutt him severally. I told him to apologise and with every 'sorry' that he said, it was an extra headbutt, with all the touts and his driver begging for him, I let go of his bloody face with one last headbutt that he fainted.

I bought 'pure-water' to rinse my face and poured the rest on him, he immediately jumped up and started running, his driver caught up with him after hundreds of meters and assured him that I wasn't chasing, I got to the interview late only to find out it was a scam interview somewhere in toyin street, ikeja. I was pleased with myself  that I taught him a lesson because if I had ignored him only to find out about the sham interview, I wouldn't be myself the whole day. That would have been just too much to deal with.

Though I felt bad resolving to violence, once in a while, Lagos conductors need the lessons of a Hustler like me. I wonder how many tie-clad, white collar job seeking humans they have harassed. Then again,I knew I could take him on, but please if you go and try it...just take a picture before they stitch your lips,post it to instagram and tag me(@4qhen)

Do have a lovely day and I'd see you next Monday!!!

LCH is an exaggerated non-fiction story exclusive to mofolusade's blog. Every name or character is fictional and any resemblance to a real name or character is just mere coincidence.

Sora Tulip - Hilda Shangotola #inthespiritofenterprise

Market women can lie ehn!! It takes all the patience in the world to deal with them and keep your sanity. The hamper season is here and I am trying to dot my Is and cross my Ts. I haven't started importing these things myself yet because my current volume will not justify the headache and expense - Have you ever tried to deal with our customs or agents here?! Whew, I know a few sour stories. Naa men!

Anyway, so I go to this supplier, identify the bag I need and negotiate a price with her, then I go back to raise the money because when I asked, madam do you have up to 100, she goes aah, o po! O wa ni store. Isokay! I return with the money expecting to pick up my bags in batches, alas! Madam could not even gather 10. What da hell. These things frustrate me. This is why at yesterday's GEW event, I had to disagree with a facilitator who said we should never say no to our customers! Sometimes it is better to say no I don't have or I can't do it than string your customer along only to dash their hopes in the end. It's just plain wrong. Period.

Enough with my ranting. Its #inthespiritofenterprise day!! Whoop whoop! The entrepreneur I am showcasing today has her day job still. I am happy to share this because it'll bring another perspective to entrepreneurship. There is no rigid way or approach to business, while some take the plunge and swim immediately (or sink too), some joggle the ball for as long they need to. Our circumstances differ and we should respect that.

Hilda is a fresh London returnee (i just had to throw that in, and don't ask me why, I don't know, okay). During my chat with her, I was like fresher and she said "you can take the girl out of Naija, but you can't take Naija out of the girl" hahaha. Apparently, she is still very in touch with her base. I know many returnees who had to spend a whole year debriefing and adjusting! I can't blame them. Hilda on the other hand has hit the ground running.

Let's meet her shall we;

Tell us about yourself

My name is Hilda Shangotola and I'm 26 years old. I have a degree in Information Technology from Greenwich London College and I moved back to Nigeria in January 2013 (see what I mean! Less than a year).

What is Sora Tulip about

My business is focused on fruit displays. Fruit displays add color and glamour to an event plus its an edible and a healthy option for guests. Clients can also order fruit displays for loved ones, perhaps to say "I love you","Thank you" and "Congratulations" (That'll be so cute!! or marry me maybe). Fruit displays include fruit bouquet, fruit table, watermelon carving,chocolate covered strawberries, fruit kebabs and the list goes on.

What inspired you to go into this

The name represents my inspiration for the business. The S and O are my late father's initials, while the R and A are my late sister's initials. Tulip is a flower that comes in variety of colors just like fruits!

I am also inspired by the need to stay healthy. We eat too much artificial and processed food (canned etc) and these kind of food have been known to be a contributing factor to cancer and other illnesses due to chemicals used as preservatives. We can never eat too much fruits and vegetables. Infact we should binge on them more often (hmm, wahala dey o).

How has the journey been so far

The journey has been good, just baby steps for now and I have had lots of positive responses and enquiries about what I do and the business has a lot of potential. One or two people have even shown interest in investing in the business.

How do you balance Sora Tulip with your Job

My job comes first, once my work day ends, I resume Sora Tulip. My weekends are also dedicated to the business.

What are the challenges you face

The main challenge is electricity. The use of refrigerators is vital in this line of business and since we live in a country where we have no stable light, it becomes a problem. But I have alternatives on how to get things going regardless.

Where do you see the business in the future

My vision for the business is for it to grow rapidly and become a household name as the to go place for healthy fruit displays and be part of people's memories for many years to come.

Tell me how you can look at this and not give Hild a ring! Quit binging on all those things that make you have to hit the gym desperately, call Sora Tulip;

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/soratulip

Twitter - @soratulip

email - soratulip@gmail.com

BBpin - 7B63e616

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 3

Part 3.......

I recall 2002, I was writing WAEC and I brought my mum's 'GSM' to school, I was the trending topic for weeks. My mum bought the phone(motorola blue screen) for around 65,000 with an econet sim card(now airtel) on Loan, it was so expensive that she couldn't dare take it to work as they could someday slit her bag and steal the phone. I am a gadget freak and naturally my kinds are drawn regularly to the streets of ikeja where the infamous computer village is located.

I visit the village regularly to buy or sell phones and other gadgets. There were great and sad stories that are worth sharing from my experiences on these familiar internet worked streets of computer village. The funniest had to be that of myself and a cousin of mine(only rivalled by that of segun and his friend.....yes! The same stupid segun from my last post).

My cousin Dele had just collected his pocket money from his parents to head to his university in ekiti.I recall it was 25,000 naira exactly back in 2009. The reigning phones were the big nokias; e series,n-series,communicators and slide ups. He wanted one of the n-series which we both knew was going to go for nothing less than 40,000naira but he insisted I should follow him so I could help get him a better deal.
I felt reluctant, but I know how much Dele could nag and keep malice, so I did follow him. Like a trance, the first guy we saw at the entrance of the village brought out two N-series phones and asked us to come buy(like he knew exactly what we wanted).I told dele to ignore him and move on, he stopped to bargain and the guy said 30,000 was his last price...they haggled for over five minutes and the guy told us to enter a corner as policemen could be around. I tried to whisper to Dele that it might be stolen, it didn't just fall on deaf ears but his stupid big head too.

While in one of the corners,the guy asked if he had a small phone to add to his 25,000naira,dele hurriedly gave him his old sagem phone and began testing the phone and checking out the features,snapping himself and recording videos. Then the guy asked for dele to hand him the phone so he could remove his sim card, I told Dele that he should remove it himself but he snapped at me that I should let him do whatever before he changes his mind about the deal. Next he gave dele the phone and Dele's sim he had removed from the sagem back and dele gave him the money.

  

Then he asked us to leave in a hurry and make sure we weren't followed. We ran like fools,taking short and long cuts and finally got into a bus. I asked dele to at least buy me gala and viju for my efforts, stingy dele was eager to buy for me and couldn't stop bragging about his new phone and how much reputation he would get from it. Three bus stops from home in a crazy holdup, I asked him to put in his sim card into the phone so he wouldn't lose the sim card(sim retrieval were the hardest). He brought out the phone and as he opened the battery cover, we noticed this white looking substance stuffed in the phone's casing.....it was soft and upon sniffing it, we could not deny it was the unique smell of 'FUFU'......he just dropped the phone-ish and kept a straight face!!!.....we had been FUFUOOLED!!!

LCH is an exxergerated non-fiction story exclusive to mofolusade's blog. Every name or character is fictional and any resemblance to a real name or character is just mere coincidence.

Walked outta Heaven..... Jagged Edge #90sMusic (2003) P.S Tuface Came through

We walked the walk! 10km long. I started out with loads of energy then started to get tired and fall out until I looked ahead and saw Madam Bosun (If you are and entrepreneur in Lagos and you've been around, you would know her!) still going strong! This woman is in her 50s, yet she is always so active, agile and never ever late for any event, she is such an inspiration. I don't think I have met anyone that can match her tenacity. I was inspired to get my game on when I saw her and guess what? I got to the base first!! Yaaaay!! It felt so good, even though there was no trophy or nothing (what a bummer).

Tuface came through as well, I missed out on meeting him because he made his appearance long after many of us had finished the walk! Wharamess, *rolling eyes*. I stole miss gmotyshops trophy picture with him though, at least I can say I know someone who has met Tuface, hehe;

We have started the global entrepreneurship week in style then, I guess we can say that. There are still loads of other activities worth participating in, so if you haven't registered, you better!

Register Here

On to the business of today. #90smusic.

On her show earlier in the week, Toolz ran a poll on the greatest boy bands of all time. Yours truly "Boyz II Men" came tops. My song for today is by the guys that came third or so. I think it was backstreet boys that came second. It's all fuzzy right now, so I might have the order mixed up. Fuzzy or not however, I know for sure that this song rocked my world way back when. It's Walked outta Heaven by Jagged Edge!!!!

Okay, before you crucify me, I do know that this song was released in 2003 but right now I don't care. They came on the scene in 1998 with "I gotta be", so technically, they were 90s guys, yea! I mean, watch the video and see how they are dressed, with bandanas, face caps worn to the back (My dad could kill us for that!) and all! That is so 90s, please. Besides, after I heard the song on Toolz show last week, all I could think about was how I would share it here. If I don't share it, I won't get over it.

The single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December, 2003, making it the group's second best performing single on that chart. If you haven't heard the song before, listen and see if I am wrong to love it so much! Music lyrics back in my day cut right through!

Enjoy....

Click this link if you can't view the video above - Walked outta heaven

Verse 1 (Brian):]

I'm rolling down a lonely highway asking god to please forgive me for messing up the blessing he gave to me, I see,

Everything clearer now the nights is black as, black as its ever been

Without my girl, I'm gonna lose it, I pray that he would just shed his grace on me, I need just to be back with my baby

[Chorus:]

Feels like I just walked right out of heaven

Feels like I have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea

Scared, just like a child that's lost at seven

Don't know what to do, get back right wit you

Feels like I just walked right out of heaven

Feels like I have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea

Scared, just like a child that's lost at seven

Don't know what to do, Feels like I just walk right out of heaven

[Verse 2 (Brandon):]

See my mama told me that's if its meant to be she'll come back and she'll forgive me and the best thing I can do it to just

Let her, let her go I know, I don't wanna do it

But if I continue to push she'll just pull away and I know that in my heart its a reality I didn't treat her like she wanted

To be treated, and I hope that shes not gone for good no no

[Chorus]

[Bridge 1:]

Hey girl waiting for you all the time, suppose to move on with my life, and girl I tried and I tried

I feel like I can't walk, I feel like I can't talk girl I don't know what to do get back right with you I feel like I just

Walked outta heaven

[Bridge 2 (Wingo):]

If u ever loved somebody, and if you ever had somebody, but you know that you hurt that somebody, let me here you say yea

[Chorus (repeat till fade)]