2013 lessons learnt......

Hi guys. I have written and re-written this piece in my head several times. My year started with a huuuge (the extra u's are there on purpose!) challenge, if this was happening a few years back, I would be in the hospital now or something. But I am working it out one day at a time and even better, I have decided that I can't just halt everything else because of it, so as I work that out, life must go on. There's valentine's day around the corner and Trezy has to be ready for that!

Till now I haven't really sat down to document any resolutions! Again, my head is full of thoughts of what I would like and where I want to be. Blogging is my outlet so I'll make it up today with you as I go. I hope this inspires someone to do theirs.

2013.... Lessons learnt for 2014

1. Life is only as complicated as you make it. 

I am learning a lot from this situation I am in. For the first few days I allowed myself get so depressed, I couldn't think nor do anything useful. I was almost drowning, stuck in a limbo. It hit me at some point though, that I couldn't continue like that. Business will always come with challenges, we just have to learn to deal with these challenges. A friend reminded me of Murphy's law - Everything that can go wrong will go wrong! You just have to be prepared to deal with it.

Anyway, I am here now, calm, typing my thoughts and trusting that all will be fine in the end, if it isn't, it's not the end. Shikena.

2. It is not by your power, Focus on the things that count

I put in so much effort into a couple of things this year, some turned out okay, some not so okay. You know the funny thing though, the ones I thought I didn't put enough effort into turned out just fine. No wonder people swear by the 80 - 20 rule. 20 percent of your effort is responsible for 80 percent of your results.

I am going to take life easy this year, delegate more and focus my energy only on the things that count. As my mum likes to say "Agba n'tara" - how do I translate this now? Ask a core yoruba person.

3. Exercise, it's good for you...... because I say so, hehe

We started an exercise group in my estate towards the end of the year. At first getting up to work out at 6am was like whaaat! But now my body has adapted to it and I am better for it.  There are days when we keep our trainer waiting though, Lol. Body no be firewood naa.

This year, I'm going to be more dedicated and make it part of my life.

3. Your thoughts become your reality

I finally got a hold of the book and DVD, "the secret". As I watched it, I let it sink in and yes the whole concept made sense to me. Those who are rich are rich because they cannot imagine being poor, their thoughts are totally void of poverty. They discuss huge amounts of money without flinching unlike many of us who would say "hen", where will I get that from"? That's it, we close our minds already to the possibilities that exist.

This year, I am going to surround myself with positive energy. I will violently (YES!) uproot thoughts of backwardness, lack, or limitation! As Jay-one sang "We making money this year".

4. Write, write, write

Since I started blogging last year, my life has actually changed, no kidding. It was at a low point in my life last year that I decided to start blogging. I didn't have a clue how or where to start, but I made it up along the line. It has exposed me to things I never would have considered. I have also met so many entrepreneurs like me who are working to build something that would last. It's been an amazing journey.

That aside, it has been an escape for me. I pour out my thoughts and as I do, things get clearer. It really doesn't have to be a blog, you can start keeping a diary of your thoughts and dreams. I have a diary too by the way.

This year, I want to take the blog to greater heights, make it a reference for entrepreneurs. A place to come to for inspiration to keep on going, so help me God.

5. Pray and trust God

I know pretty much every Nigerian is religious, so this goes without saying... but still. Many of us do these things like robots, without putting our hearts into it. Pray with your heart.

I am a culprit too, so I must make amends this year.

This is already too much talk! I'll just do the rest in my diary, because I have two things I came across and would like to share for the year;

First is this video. My sister from another mother, Ebi sent it to me. Please watch it, it is so worth it....

Click here for the video if you can't view the one above - Make that dream a reality

Second is my bible verse for the year, that's the one I am pasting on my wall;

Habakkuk 2:3

King James Version (KJV)

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Yessir!

Let's run with this and take the 2014 bull by it's horns...........

P.S

You do know that Youwin is still on, do you? If not go to https://www.youwin.org.ng/ and apply before the 21st of this month. All the best

Find Ur Voice with Ige, Vocal Coach - Modupe Kachi #inthespiritofenterprise

It's Tuesday again, time for another entrepreneur showcase! It's quite interesting how many of us end up pursuing careers entirely different from our fields of study. I always say though, that no knowledge or experience is lost, somehow, someday, we will be able to connect the dots.

I have know Ms Ige for a long time and for as long as I can remember, all she wanted to do was sing. We even did a few gigs together (yep, I sang at some point in my life! hehe). All those Christian shows in Ife back in the day, in our white shirts and waist coats! It's really great to see her living her dream and getting paid for it! Here's her story in her own words......

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself

My full name is MODUPE IGE MOBOLANLE KACHI, but most people call me Ige. I had my primary and secondary education in Command Children's School, Ann's Barracks and Command Day Secondary School Ikeja. I studied Electrical electronics Engineering at the University of Lagos. I'm married and I have three (3) boys. I love classical music! I love to sing!

How did you decide you wanted to be a vocal coach?

That desire came in my university days. I realized that I quickly noticed if someone wasn't singing comfortably and I had a strong desire to help. I also noticed that there was a great need for vocal coaching in our choirs and in the music industry generally but no one seemed to know what to do or where to go for help.

Being a trained electrical engineer, did your parents support your decision?

The only challenge I had with my parents was trying to convince them to allow me do music as a career and not just a hobby. I wanted to study music but at the time it wasn't being offered as a degree course in Unilag. But it didn't stop me from going for shows and concerts while I was in school. I guess my consistency and passion bought them over. Now they are probably my biggest fans!

How did you go about building a career in this field as it is not common in Nigeria?

Well that wasn't easy, because as you said, it wasn't common because people didn't see a need for it. So I started small. I gave classes for free! (all you money money chasing people, take note!) I started doing voice training workshops at very little cost and that got the news spreading. And I prayed! (Pray like you're not working, work like you're not praying) I created a need spiritually for my expertise in the music industry, choirs, etc Before I realized it, I started having students who were willing to pay for the classes. And then, of course, MTN project fame west africa.

What challenges did you face along the way and how did you manage them? 

I think the major challenge was getting singers, musicians, choristers, etc to realize that they needed help with maintaining their voice and singing correctly. So like I said I gave free classes. Another challenge I had was knowing what to teach and how to teach it. So I read anything that had the word "voice" in it! (Read, research, read!) I needed to understand the voice and what made it work! So I googled and googled and read and read. I still do.

Tell us about your work with project fame? How did that come to be and how has it been so far?

Project fame was a major breakthrough for me and for all aspiring vocal coaches out there. For me, because I was given the opportunity to do what I had been doing in my closet in secret, on an international scale. And all aspiring vocal coaches out there could see that they mattered a lot. After my husband and I consistently created a need for my services in the music industry with our prayers, I received a call from Project fame to be the vocal coach in 2008. So God came through for me and God used people to bring it to pass, and I'm grateful to both God and the people He used.

What other services do you offer as a vocal coach?

One on one voice training, choir training, vocal training for kids, singers, super stars, voice training workshops.

Are there times you wish you had pursued your engineering path?

No way! I'm glad for the discipline it instilled in me, for the friends I made and for lessons I learnt and memories I made, but I am fulfilled doing what I am doing now. I might still go back to it, but it must be relevant to the voice. Maybe Audio or Sound Engineering!

How will you summarize your journey as a vocal coach so far?

My journey so far has been interesting. I haven't arrived yet. But I'm enjoying each step. I have learnt so many things from all the people I have been blessed to teach. Each day I want to do more, or strive to do more.

Tell us about your brand name, Ige, what does it mean?

Ige is actually my middle name, and it's a name I got based on my birth circumstance. I was born breach (I came out with my legs instead of my head) and it can be a very traumatic experience for both mother and child. But mine was very smooth. So I decided to adopt the name as my stage name to tell everyone that there's more to you than meets the eye, and that as long as there's life there's hope!

What is your vision for the brand?

My vision for the brand is simple: to be the best music academy, to help you achieve all that you can. So my voice training outfit is called Find Ur Voice with Ige. It's growing into a reputable music school and resource center.

Given the chance, will you do this again?

Yes, yes, YES!

What advice will you give to young ones trying to pursue their dreams?

Don't give up on your dreams and visions. A No is a Yes in disguise. Study, educate yourself and pray. Always ask for the finger of God in all you do. And be happy! Joy brings opportunities your way!

You can contact her via igesings@gmail.com

Hposh Diaries.....

Hello fam!

It's been a while I came here.

First let me apologize for my absence.

I promise you I won't be far away anymore.

Life is in phases and each stage comes with it's own unique challenges.

Growing up, I had dreams, visions and goals I set out to achieve.

I had planned to write my best-selling book at 21 but I wasn't able to.

My dream was that at part 3 in the tertiary institution I would not have to call anyone at home to send me pocket money.

I sought out to be independent.

I'm yet to get there.

Overtime, I've come to learn a lot of lessons about life and about pursuing your dreams.

First is Do not lose focus!

When I launched my magazine, I had a 5 year plan that I'd focus all my energy, all my resources and creativity into it and see what comes out of it.

2 years down, I'm beginning to see laudable results.

I've been nominated two times as Most Enterprising male in 2 different awards.

The brand is growing bigger and people are identifying with our success.

More importantly, we have started making money which I believe we can make more.

I must confess to you that this year, I've been distracted.

My major distraction I must say have been girls.

The first and last time that I ventured into a relationship was in part 1, a year before I went into business.

This year, I decided to try new things.

I wanted to do what my peers were doing - dating.

I tried several attempts but have failed - reasons only known by whoever controls the universe.

Don't get me wrong, I've got lots of girls (friends) around me. But I wanted a committed relationship which I had never envisioned for myself. I came to discover that it's either I had been friendzoned or work-zoned.

Everyone said I was too engrossed with work.

The truth is I should mind my business and that is - building successful enterprises.

As a young entrepreneur, I've come to accept that isolation and success walk together. You can't be everywhere and achieve much. You need that solitude - to think, to create, to internalize your ideas and concepts, to make decisions and the likes. If you'd be a (young) leader or entrepreneur, you'd have to make lots of sacrifices - romantic relationships being one of them. You can't serve two masters.

Another lesson I have learnt is the essence of relationships

For most of us, we make it obvious that we are interested in people because of what they can offer us. The truth is, life doesn't work that way. You've got to earn peoples' trust. They know when you want to use them. The most important thing to them is themselves and if you don't care about them they won't give a damn about you or your product(s). Make it a task to make new friends everyday. Get interested in people and what they do. By so doing, you'd build healthy relationships and you won't have much to say when it's time for you to do business with them.

A note to guys:

You don't have to ask every you have feelings for out. Women are very powerful and they are God's greatest gift to mankind. Be friends with them and they'll be your most trusted friends and confidant. They are always there when everyone walks away. They always see the light at the of the tunnel. Despite knowing your selfish motives, they are patient enough to identify your good sides and leverage on it! I'm a witness. I wouldn't be here if I've never encountered these beautiful and wonderful beings.


There's much for me to share but I'll stop here for now and get a cup of coffee. (confirmed coffee junkie!)

Next week, I'll share my biggest ever business mistake with you.

Yes. You heard that! I made a silly business mistake last week. You need to know about it.

Till then... #peace

#bringbackourgirls

51 Ways Ordinary People Reached World-Class By Robin Sharma with comments Part 1

Hi guys, as usual, when I see an article that strikes me, I decide to share with most of the thoughts running through my head as I read. It's  been a while yea? I completed my first online program on Coursera - Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship! Yaay me!! I also got me a verified certificate for the course that I am so proud to share, hehe - https://www.coursera.org/signature/certificate/UMLUJGTPRV Yes ke!! The day you stop learning is the day you die.....

Back to the matter.... Fasten your seat belts, this is going to be mighty long. I'll try not to lose you.

51 Ways Ordinary People Reached World-Class
By Robin Sharma
#1 bestselling author of The Leader Who Had No Title

With comments from Mofolusade Sonaike...

1. Know what you want. Clarity is power. And vague goals promote vague results.
   As simple as this sounds, knowing what you want is one of the toughest hurdles to cross in life. Things as basic as what to wear, whether to relax your kinky nachi hair and give up the nachi hair crusade or no (yea, that's where I'm at right now).
2. Remember that every problem has a solution. Maybe you just can’t see it. Yet. 
   I know right, the wait time or search time is just so tiring. You keep thinking, where's this solution already!
3. In this Age of Dramatic Distraction, the performer who focuses the best wins the most. 
   Focus, Focus!!! In this world of #mimirod and #kardishian sex tapes (scandalous sumtins!), instagram flexing and the hard pursuit of wealth, we need God himself to help us focus in this generation. Lord help us.
4. Before someone will help you, you need to help them.
   Yea I agree. You can't expect to just call someone out of the blues to ask for help when you haven't been there for them ever! It doesn't always have to be monetary, sometimes all people need from you is some empathy.
5. Become the most passionate person you know. It’ll be contagious. 
   Passion speaks for itself. If you really want to make a difference in your chosen field, you have to be passionate about it.
6. Know more about your craft/the work you do than anyone who has ever done the work you do…in the history of the world. 
   Omo! More than anyone in the history of the world ke!! Mr.Robin, this one go hard small sha. Chai. To achieve this, one would need far more than Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice! Pleeenty of work! Wheew.
   
   But seriously, nothing good comes easy.
7. Join The 5 am Club. Your most valuable hours are 5am-8 am. They have the least interruptions. 
   Before I started raising kids I was such a sleeper! I loved sleep and hated my bank job because I had to wake up early. My cousin and I would fight because I always made her late. Nowadays though, I am up without an alarm clock by 5, sometimes 4:30, life! lol.
   
   I have read in so many books and articles that one of the habits of most of the successful people is rising early. Why does this make a difference? It's easy to get sucked into a daily routine that does not add value. The way you start your day makes the difference in how your day goes. Commit the day to God's hands, exercise (it makes you sharp! seriously), then plan your day in order of priority. You achieve more this way. Thank me later.
8. Devote yourself to learning something new about your field of mastery every day. Success belongs to the relentless learners. Because as you know more, you can achieve more.
   Nothing beats continuous learning.
9. Remember that when you transform your fitness, you’ll transform your business. 
   Aha! I didn't even know this would make the list when I mentioned exercise earlier. I hear the Dutch are really fitness crazy, they ride to work most of the time - so says my friend who works there. They must be super productive, I imagine. We on the other hand are so lazy that even to visit a neighbor within the same estate we drive! SMH. Since I heard the gist about the cycling Dutch, I made a mental note to get me a bicycle. Yes! I can. (only on the good roads though, which is within my estate pretty much, lol!).
10. Don’t check your mobile when you’re meeting with another person. It’s rude. And rude people don’t reach world-class. 
    Er.... I knew drawing up a list of 51 could not be that easy! That's how come "and rude people don't reach world-class.....because they check their phones" makes the list. It just sounds funny Mr. Robin. Not that it's not rude to check your phone when in a meeting but....
11. Every time you do what scares you, you take back the power that you gave to the thing that scared you. And so you become more powerful. 
    Very true this!
12. A problem is only a problem if you make the choice to see it as a problem.
    Easier said than done, but true. Many battles are first won in the mind.
13. Stop being a victim. Your business and personal life was made by you. No one else is responsible. To make it better, make better choices. And new decisions.
    Think about this one deeply! Many times we wallow in self pity and blame everyone else but ourselves for our problems. Truth of the matter though is, where you are today is a result of the seeds you sowed yesterday - the relationships you formed or didn't, the books you read or didn't, the choices you made! Trust me, it's all YOU!! If you want a change, the change has to start from you.
14. You can lead without a title. Don’t wait to get a position to stand for excellence, peak quality and over delivery on every expectation. There are so many empty titles around us..... I bet you know one or two. Try not to carry one of them on your head. Has any of you seen the official houseboy of the federation one?!
    
        Seriously, it's a real title. Lol.I saw it and was like huh?!! Only in Nigeria!
15. Find your own style. Be an original. Every superstar differentiated themselves from The Herd. And marched to their own drumbeat. Its so much easier to follow the herd/crowd. Want to be successful, you have to follow your inner voice. There's really no other way to say it.
16. Understand that when you play small with your success, you betray your potential. And the birthright you were born under. 
    Hmmm, this one is a bit lost on me..... help somebody!
17. Eat less food and you’ll get more done.
    Hahahaha!! As funny as this sounds, I bet you agree that it's so true. Overeating makes you less active and creative. Try eating eba at 7pm and attempt to study that same night. Even the sleep that you try to sleep will be a restless one. 
18. As you become more successful, stay really really hungry. Nothing fails like success. Because when you’re successful, it’s easy to stop outlearning+outOverDelivering+outthinking and outexecuting everyone around you. (Success is Beautiful. And dangerous). 
    Don't think you have arrived just because you hit your target. Celebrate the success, but set new targets and keep moving or else you'll fall back.
19. If you’re not overprepared, you’re underprepared. 
    Wooow!! This is a hard truth. That little extra crossed 't' and dotted 'i' is the difference between a strong second class upper and a first class.
20. The only level of great manners to play at is “Exceedingly Polite”. In our world, this alone will make you a standout. And differentiate you in your marketplace. 
    We need more "Exceedingly Polite" people in Nigeria, what we have mostly is "Exceedingly rude" people. I was at shoprite yesterday waiting in line to pay for my goods, only for the lady at the counter to walk away without a word to those of us waiting! I was livid. When we confronted her, she said she was looking for change and she said this rolling her eyes! Gosh. Some people are so so rude here.
21. Remember that the moment you think you’re a Master, you lose your Mastery. And the minute you think you know everything, you know nothing. In simple terms, humble yourself...... I know this saying has been over-flogged, but "Pride goes before a fall". Remember that.

I have to break it at this point. The list is so long it should be digested in parts. Will post part 2 in a bit.

Have a great day guys! Cheers.

See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/04/51-ways-ordinary-people-reached-world-class/#sthash.DdZkNmD7.dpuf

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - 2014 #leggo #LCH

And kennedy is back! Welcome Ken, we missed you here.

Its the new year, how I miss writing, I guess the slow January got its toll on me. I wasn't all idle, I picked up an e-book on strategic management(for those that are friends with the Flintstones, its an electronic book you can read on a computer or mobile device). Okay, so what is strategic management and how does it affect entrepreneurs?

Strategic management is that aspect of Business that deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers (on behalf of or by the owners), involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of an organization in their external environments. It entails specifying the organization's mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans, often in terms of projects and programs, which are designed to achieve these objectives, and then allocating resources to implement the policies and plans, projects and programs(long story shey??), simply it is setting an achievable plan, rules, guidelines, mission and vision and you set out to achieve it.

In today's highly competitive business environment, budget-oriented planning(planning with a said amount) or forecast-based planning(anticipating sales) methods are insufficient for a large corporation let alone a small business to survive and prosper. Your business must engage in strategic planning that clearly defines objectives and assesses both the internal and external situation to formulate strategy, implement the strategy, evaluate the progress, and make adjustments as necessary to stay on track.

Environmental factors internal to the business usually can be classified as:
Strengths (S) or Weaknesses (W)
Those external to the firm can be classified as Opportunities (O) or Threats (T).
Such an analysis of the strategic environment is referred to as a SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the firm's resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. It is instrumental in strategy formulation and selection. (Whew...boring shey, let's jump to the cool part)

STRENGTH

A firm's strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a competitive advantage. Examples of such strengths include:
Patents
Strong brand names(not the church-like names, (wait o, what's wrong with a church-like name? Hian))
Good reputation among customers
Cost advantages from proprietary know-how
Exclusive access to high grade raw materials
Favorable access to distribution/delivery networks
Technological know-how
Social media integration and adverts

WEAKNESS

The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as a weakness. For example, each of the following may be considered weaknesses:
lack of patent protection(when you do not brand your products)
a weak brand name
poor reputation among customers
high cost structure
lack of access to the best natural resources
lack of access to key distribution channels
Lack of social media knowledge
In some cases, a weakness may be the flip side of a strength. Take the case in which a firm has a large amount of manufacturing capacity. While this capacity may be considered a strength that competitors do not share, it also may be a considered a weakness if the large investment in manufacturing capacity prevents the firm from reacting quickly to changes in the strategic environment.

OPPORTUNITIES

The external environmental analysis may reveal certain new opportunities for profit and growth. Some examples of such opportunities include:
An unfulfilled customer need(there will always be a customer need that needs to be filled e.g ordering taxi, getting a gift, paying bills, etc)
Arrival of new technologies(eg cashless policy, delivery companies etc)
Loosening of regulations
Removal of international trade barriers

THREATS

Changes in the external environmental also may present threats to the firm. Some examples of such threats include:
Shifts in consumer tastes away from the firm's products
Emergence of substitute products
New regulations
Increased trade barriers

So why not analyse your business today, grab a pen and write out all your strength and edge over your competition; your weakness that makes someone in your genre of business better; foreseeable opportunities in your business and threats posed by either the government or other external sources to your business.
Bear in mind, every weakness can be overturned and fine-tuned into a strength and every threat can be an opportunity(as well as vice versa).

Infact, I challenge you to send me your SWOT analysis to my email for review(tundebisi87@yahoo.com)
Now that we've learnt something new, LCH(the funny and narrative hustler genre resumes next week)
I wish you a very successful business year!!!

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!

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!

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.

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!!!!

The Lagos Business School.......Day 1 @ccHub

The LBS (Lagos business School) Experience……..

Between my husband and my father, (bless them!), my fees were paid. I sold my wedding gown and my sister’s chief bride’s maid dress and saved the money as back up money for the little things. My mother was scandalized, but every time I looked at that huge dress (couldn’t even fit into my small wardrobe) sitting there, I thought to myself, what a waste.

 If you went to a federal university in Nigeria like me and then experience education outside the country or at the Lagos business school, you would agree with me that you would wonder what on earth you spent Five years (as is the case of an engineer’s) of your life doing! If you don’t know, let me be the first to tell you that you haven’t been to school until you have been to school! Covenant and Babcock people, I am not referring to you (apart from your rules and regulations, you have a somewhat proper school experience). I am not saying that my five years was a complete waste, but you go through school like you’re groping in the dark in the most of the government owned schools. We were focused on turning in assignments and passing exams, not the actual learning.

From the gate of LBS to the classrooms, everything spoke serenity! The environment, the staff, everything was clean and pristine (clean is a big deal! We are in Nigeria). Lecturers as we knew them, were referred to as facilitators and they were, in the true sense of it. Compared to the “note hand out” style I was used to, here there was an interactive and robust style of teaching.  We had Thad take us through a brush up of algebra and basic statistics. Watching him talk alone, you knew he was passionate about knowledge transfer; every class was insightful and fun. Engineer turned Accountant, Mr. Owolabi took us through book keeping and accounting, he broke complex things i.e. Debit and Credit, General Ledgers and Balance sheets (Greek to me before the MBA) down in a way that even a baby would understand, well almost!

Okay, enough of all the sweet talk, the initial excitement wears out when the real work starts and it did before we could say Jack Robinson. We were divided into groups and I was the group leader of the most laid back and playful group of our set, Group B, we got results still, that was the point now. I wonder if they did some sort of personality test and put similar people in groups. Group A, headed by efiko Blossom (she always had her hands up even before the facilitators posed their questions, lol!!), was the most efficient group of the set.  LBS drilled me into shape; we had a business casual dress code and had to be in class before the facilitator. If you were as little as one second late, you were late, finito! Try as you may with your tales of Lagos traffic, I am pregnant (I was in my second year), any of those stories and you were reminded that the world was not a fair place, besides traffic was not peculiar to you. This is Lagos, deal with it! There was a time I was running late; Ajah traffic has always been a menace, my friend Pamela and I got out of the car and hopped on a bike from VI to Ajah straight. If only my FCMB Bosses could see me now! Never late for a class, hehe, even with the same mainland – Island commute. Life! It’s about perspectives about how important something is to you.

We graduated in September 2007, full of dreams and hopes and we were more than ready to take on the world.

P.S

You know the funny thing, Entrepreneurship was a final year elective and I didn’t take it as an option. Imagine that! Most of the people I know that took it on the other hand, are working for someone, somewhere.

Life Skills Learnt

Punctuality, Accounting appreciation (can’t say I became a guru per say), Business Ethics, Group dynamics and leadership skills, Communication Skills (Because every class was interactive and you were even graded for your class participation, I learnt to speak up and listen too, off point participation attracted sanctions)

Me and my MBA baby!

2013…….10 June, 2013

I resumed at the hub today. Feels like I am in school again, everybody looks so busy, buried in their computers. I picked a good spot, because shortly after I settled in that seat, guess who turns up? The Budgit founder, Awesome! His data analyst sat right beside me through the day, we had had some chit chat about the hub and who’s doing what. I have a mini list of people I must speak to already. Working at the hub has its disadvantages though, first of all I almost froze with the air conditioning in that place, then secondly I got so buried in work, I didn’t realize how time flew by, now I am as hungry as a lion. These are small things that can be fixed though and I will.

Back to business, Father’s day orders have started trickling in, can’t complain. I just have to keep on going and I know it’ll be fine. Speaking of which, not one single request for gift ideas has come through on @asktrezorlandia! Na wa o, and this is a free service, meaning even if something is free, if people don’t see the need for it, they won’t use it. Perhaps those who need it don’t even know it’s there. That must be it.  I need to make people aware that it’s there.  Marketing, marketing, marketing!! It’s all about marketing. Help me Lord. No wonder the marketers boast that they are the soul of a business. I am beginning to see how this is true.

I stumbled on something yesterday that I think I should share. I found it useful, I hope you would too. A couple of entrepreneurs sharing what they wish they had known early in business.

http://www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/when-i-started-out-i-wish-i-had-known-tby-10-successful-creative-business-owners-and-advisers/

They are short and straight to the point. My winning ones are;

“When I started out I wish I had known that … outsourcing work would free up so much more creative time for myself. From little things such as the cleaning the studio to actually getting the products made for you.”  - Dominic Crinson – Designer www.crinson.com

“I wish I had known that it’s all going to be alright and that anyone can do it with enough hard work and self belief. If I had known that when I was young, I could have saved myself from hours of worry and self doubt.” -Medeia Cohan – Programme director www.schoolforcreativestartups.com

“Marketing is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do. We tend to underestimate how difficult it is to reach people, and more importantly to keep their attention. Throwing money at something never necessarily solves a problem and having a voice and personality is one of the most effective tools anyone can master.” - Doug Richard – Entrepreneur www.schoolforcreativestartups.com

 I think this guy read my mind! Also, notice the post about financial planning? Doesn’t it feel good to know you’re not alone; it’s a global struggle for entrepreneurs. Try Xero! I tell you, since I got on board, I can see some sanity coming into my accounting and hence finance would be easier.

Entrepreneur Tips

1. Obviously from the post, you already have an idea what my first tip is. MARKET!!!!!  Never under estimate the importance of this to your business. You can have the best product or service, without a market you have no business.
2. Have a clear Objective, it’s so much easier to get help when you know exactly what you are trying to achieve.
3. Business is not just about your talent but also your business acumen

……..Slowly but surely, you’ll get there.”

Banking Consolidation........ @asktrezorlandia @oyamagng

The Banking Consolidation…..

Enter Soludo with the banking consolidation and reforms, banks were scrambling to survive. It was a case of acquire, get acquired or die. We had to transform as well, we embarked on an overhaul of our IT system, moving from Kapiti (a truly ancient version of it) to finnacle, we also acquired two banks, Nigerian American Merchant bank and Cooperative Development bank! It was a clash of cultures, software systems and accounts.

I know everyone had their fair share of pressure but IT ehn, e no get part two (second to none, for those of you who don’t do pidgin). It was bad enough that we were already perceived as “those people that cause trouble and make our work hard” by other units of the bank, then now there was so much more to deal with. We were doing Monday to Sunday, closing very late and in the midst of this I had to deal with the mainland to island commute and be at work for 7, 7:30 and we wonder why life expectancy has dropped to 45years. Tufia! (i.e God forbid)

It was obvious we needed new direction and a strong leader on management level or close to save our drowning IT unit. Then came Mr. Oni, a high flying all rounder from Accenture. The task ahead of him was huge, but he did all he could to measure up. At this point however, I was feeling like I was in a tornado, no purpose, no direction, no hope. It was that time again, I had to get out…….. To be Contd.

Life Skills Learnt

1. Be prepared! The banking consolidation favored those who saw the future. They were in the know. 
2. It’s not obvious in the post, but I learnt to “document” every single thing. I would try to tell my boss (before Mr. Oni) something verbally and he would say, “document it” by this he meant through a mail (for mail trail) or a memo. This was a period of immense heat and you could get fired for any slip ups.
3. I was on every committee you can imagine like the IT steering committee for one, it was like I had secretary written on my head. Well I learnt how to write minutes from being every meeting’s secretary and believe me, it’s a skill! Lol

2013…….06 June, 2013

At the end of each day, especially the not so fruitful days, I sit down and review the day, did I achieve anything, what did I do, what did I not do and then I look for things that I need to do better or new things I need to try. I need to step up my marketing, seriously step it up, this is a no brainer and sounds so very basic, but it is not at all (especially when there is no money!)

I recently found out that one young Ife student who attends my church runs a social media marketing service, Oyamagng; he’s a twitter maestro and is not doing badly for himself. He runs social media campaigns for small growing companies like me. If you run a small business, or need to introduce a new product, you should try them out; encourage young enterprising students who are not yahoo yahooing!  Anyway I have engaged the young man, we’re one week into this father’s day campaign and I’m feeling his work.

I now have a new handle called @asktrezorlandia, its dedicated to answering questions about gifts e.g. what can I buy for my boss, what can I buy for my daughter, what kind of flowers should I send for a birthday and so on. I thought about setting it up a while back but never came round to it, then when I engaged oyamagng and gave him his brief voila, I check my twitter timeline and what do I see “introducing #asktrezorlandia a platform for getting ideas for gifts”! Talk about running with a brief, this boy is on fire. So I had no choice but to sharply go and create the handle that had been in the cooler for yonks. I do hope the handle @asktrezorlandia would be to gifts what @Gidi_traffic is to dealing with Lagos traffic. AMEN!!! J

I also finally sent out that mail introducing Trezorlandia as a supplier of corporate gift items to the people on the list I compiled. I figured, I can send to the ones I have for now and I’ll send when I have more. If not I would still be compiling this said list a year from now.  By the way, I didn’t get one single reply, imagine that. Maybe I need to re-word the body of the mail or edit the subject, I need ideas! Uncle Leke Alder where are you?

Entrepreneur tips

1. Do something every day that you haven’t done before. No matter how small. Nothing is irrelevant; continuously improve on the finer details of your business.
2. Just do it! You’ve been playing with this thought in your head for some time, how do you know it’ll fail without even trying?
3. Build a team, we know you have skills in every area, still you can’t do everything yourself. Dispel the thought that you have no money to pay for services, consider forming mutually beneficial alliances with people and other companies. 

My first Resignation..... Integrity in Business

Fast forward 2004……

All the highs of Tara systems started to wear off when my take home pay could no longer take me home. Something about me (can be good or bad, depends),  when I want a change, I want it so badly, I can’t see straight, I start to get very restless, like someone is choking me. It gets really bad and at this point, nothing else matters. So although no job offers had been made from the handful of interviews I had attended, I resigned! My very first resignation letter J, bye bye Seni Williams.

My colleagues then thought, “this girl is mad”. You don’t have another job and you resign, who does that! Oh well, I only sat at home for about 2 weeks, because believe it or not FCMB called me for a final interview, with my 2’2. The interview was with one of the Executive Directors at the time, Biodun Oyapero and I was so sure I wasn't getting the job! You see, I had this fancy CV template I got online and copied “summa cum laude” straight from it because I thought it sounded cool, didn't even know what it meant *embarrassed*. Well, Mr. Oyapero’s eyes went straight there and the discussion was about just that! Yikes! He asked me, were you top of your class and I say no and he goes so why do you have “summa cum laude” on your resume….. blank stare*. He could have thrown me out just then (some interviewers get that nasty), but he was gracious enough to explain what it meant to me before dismissing me. So it was a great shock, a pleasant one too when I got a call to come and pick up my letter. Yaaay me!

Life skills learnt

Don’t just sit there and wait, make a move:
You can seek advice from other people about life decisions, but in the end it all comes back to you. It’s about you, you have to know what you want and go for it. Don’t stay there if it’s not working for you, overcome your fear!

2013…. 04 June 3, 2013

Ok, I know this is not exactly the 4^th of June, but I typed most of this yesterday but didn’t get to post it because of other pressing issues like homework! Doing homework with my older son is like a huge task and I used to leave it to the lesson teacher till I realized he wasn’t really learning anything, yes the assignments were done, but more like a dictation. I am so firing him, but how to do this is a current dilemma I am in! Anyway, so we do homework now and the shouting and screaming that came with it initially has reduced (don’t look at me like that! It’s not easy). I had to tell myself, I survived engineering, I can do this! Yes!

So back to business, the delivery yesterday went well, eventually. The cake survived the long wait without falling apart. Delivering cream cakes is a lot of work. We picked up the cake and headed out but couldn’t reach the recipient to clarify her address on time (the thing with surprises ehn!). That was how we were left holding on to a cream cake in Lagos hot sun. Come and see panic! I had to find a solution fast; I buzzed people I knew in the area. SOS!! Who has a fridge to keep this cake while we try to reach the birthday girl? Luckily my good friend Okwudili has a fridge in his office and was reachable (this too is key in Nigeria, networks can kill you in an emergency).

After a few hours, we reached the birthday girl and guess what the address wasn’t too far from Okwudili’s office, whew! We delivered and were heading back when I reach for my hand bag and find a missing piece of the hair accessory themed hamper there!! Oh no! Not like she would have noticed, it was a surprise gift anyway and there were a lot of things in the hamper already but I couldn’t let it go. At first I thought, I can’t turn back joo, I’ll just keep it and put it in another hamper later but I was uncomfortable. So yea, I turned back. I tried not to look at my staff’s face, sure she was thinking, this madam sef get wahala too much! Whatever!  We were in Yaba and had to still go to Adeniyi Jones to customize a bathrobe but I had to give this back. Luckily, we hadn’t gone too far off and the road was free.

All in all, it was a good day; I didn’t open Xero to update my accounts though! Between homework, typing this halfway and dinner, yours truly more or less passed out on the couch.

Entrepreneur tips

1. Prioritize! In all of your business pursuits make time for the things that matter.
2. In business you are constantly looking for solutions to problems, apart from the overall problem that you built your business around in the first place. Your brain has to be alert, keep calculating, and keep planning. Perhaps I should call next time before picking the cake, maybe.
3. You need people, business is not a walk in the park and you can be tempted to bury your head in it and forget family and friends DON’T. After all is said and done, they’re all you’ve got plus, you can’t just spring up out of the blues to ask for help.
4. Integrity matters. You think you’re trying to prove something to someone else, but no, you need to prove it to yourself. Let it be part of you. You must be known for it if you want to build a sustainable business.

See Pictures below of the cream cake that almost gave up and the birthday hamper

The beginning..

2001….

Someone asked what I wanted to be 10years from now and I said I just want to be happy. That’s all I could think of after surviving unilag chemical engineering with no extra year (trust me, this was a big deal! Don’t laugh).  Honestly I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do next. I thought of travelling, studying French, acting, anything but more books.

Then that moment comes when you realize you need money to do anything plus you need somewhere to go every day before your parents drive you crazy. This was how I began my job hunt armed with my miserable 2’2 degree. That’s how it now looked to me as doors were slammed in my face. So much for my dreams of plenty oil money! Isho.

A dear friend at the time advised me to consider a career in information technology and this was how I got my first chance with Mr. Seni Williams. Working in Tara was like the best thing that happened to me then. I was full of enthusiasm, eager to learn and try new things and Seni Williams was the type of boss that would throw you into the deep and leave you. It was here that I developed research skills. You couldn’t be given a task and go back to Seni to say, I don’t know. I don’t know ke!! When there was Google and Ayotunde Itayemi (genius! I bet he’ll freak out when he sees his name here. hehe).

Life skills learnt

Unilag – Determination, Hard work, Friendship (I met the most amazing people), Problem analysis and dare I say Chemical Engineering (hahaha)

Nobody is an Island, you need people. I survived chemical engineering because of the wonderful family I had there. Till today many of us are still supporting each other. No business can survive without people, you need a team, you need to know how to relate with, motivate and generally manage your team or else you cannot succeed.

Tara Systems – Research, Just ask (No shame in that), nothing is impossible, IT appreciation, Web design

As an entrepreneur you are constantly doing research, looking for ways to re-invent yourself, your business, keeping yourself abreast of  what is trending in your industry, doing research on what the customers want at every point in time (because customer needs and tastes are constantly changing) and so on.

My time in Tara taught me that nothing is impossible; someone somewhere has done what you are trying to do. It’s on Google or just ask your own Ayotunde Itayemi

2013…. 03 June, 2013

A client I had lost contact with called me today. I was so happy, last week was so dry. Business on a Monday is a good sign! And it’s a birthday hamper, putting those things together gives me great joy. Can’t wait for the delivery tomorrow, that look on the recipient’s face when they see the hamper coming their way, priceless!

On the other hand, I am still working on my accounts with Xero, the new accounting software I recently got introduced to. Omo, the thing is not a easy something. Accountants try. We should appreciate what they do. I have a headache but this is because I haven’t really been keeping good records. It’s all scattered everywhere. This is where Mofe comes in, my new accountant; together I hope we can keep proper records going forward.

Entrepreneur tips

-          1. Open a book to record money that comes in and money that goes out in relation to your business daily! That simple. Unless you are running a charity or mom and pop shop (As Seni Williams used to say), you must sort out your accounting. It paints a picture of the state of your business.

-         2.  Keep receipts of everything as much as possible. Sort them out week by week. I.e. staple the ones for each week together (I am still trying to get used to this myself, I hate paper!). But you’ll need them for tax and audit.

-          3. Build a customer database with full name, email address and phone number at least. You want to constantly be in touch with your customers. My mentor told me that it costs less in time and money to keep and existing customer than to get a new one. It’s so true.