Monthly Archives: April 2014

My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Parenting, Self-Development

Your Child can Succeed Even When Schooling Fails

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This article was inspired by Dauda Ayodele’s Facebook post which read: ““THE POOR EDUCATION THEY ARE GIVING US IS INTENTIONAL. TO CREATE UNINFORMED MULTITUDES AND IT IS WORKING THE WAY THEY WANT”. It was linked to a 2006 report (shared by Dr. Chukwuma Christopher Osaji) that quotes Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, on the same theme.

Below: Screenshot of Dauda’s Post, And an Interesting Comment by a Friend of His

Dauda Ayodele’s Facebook post which read: ““THE POOR EDUCATION THEY ARE GIVING US IS INTENTIONAL. TO CREATE UNINFORMED MULTITUDES AND IT IS WORKING THE WAY THEY WANT”. It was linked to a 2006 report (shared by Dr. Chukwuma Christopher Osaji) that quotes Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, on the same theme.

First of all I want to say – with no attempt at flattery – that Dauda continues to impress me with his selfless commitment, to the emancipation of Nigerians/Africans from mental slavery.

Dauda’s profile states that he works as a school teacher.

But the quality of thoughts he shares daily on his facebook wall, prove he is more of the exception, than the norm amongst school teachers in Nigeria/Africa.

I believe Dauda somehow managed to pass through the traditional schooling system without losing his critical thinking skills.

And he’s taken it upon himself to help others liberate themselves mentally as well, by sharing his thoughts on issues affecting them on a daily basis.

This is why his ideas resonate so well with me!

In the above screenshot, I believe Nnamdi’s comment (which Dauda asks him to elaborate on) is in reference to damage that conventional schooling can do to those who undergo it, if they are not properly guided.

Accomplished people like Sir Ken Robinson, Robert Kiyosaki and Seth Godin, among others, have – for years – been advocating the need for schools to modify their curriculums, and approach to teaching, so as to eliminate the negative impact on learners, especially kids.

Parents and educationists in developed societies have been gradually making needed changes. That’s why a home schooling revolution continues in the USA for example.

Parents keep their kids at home and teach them the required subjects for work and life success in ways that DEVELOP and NURTURE their creativity.

In other words, their kids start from the equivalent of nursery and finish secondary level education, at HOME, without going to a physical school.

And many do better in life as a result. Because they are protected from the additional negative impact that may come from deliberate efforts to damage education provided in formal schooling systems – like the one Dauda referred to as happening in Nigeria, Dauda.

This means therefore that if parents do not want their kids to be turned in what Robert Kiyosaki calls "Mindless Parrots", they will need to stop depending on conventional schools to educate their kids.

Now, here’s the challenge that faces Nigerian parents in Nigeria:

They have even MORE work to do than parents in other parts of the world, to protect the creativity of their kids.

But most of them don’t even know it.

They do not realize that the danger in sending their kids to conventional schools in Nigeria, is EVEN greater than what parents in other societies face!

This is because "evil" power brokers in Nigeria are deliberately influencing a sutble "watering down" of the quality of education provided in formal schools.

They do this to make it easy to control the masses. And that’s what Dauda was saying in his post.

As a Nigerian Parent in Nigeria, You Therefore Need to Re-Educate Yourself to be Able to Help Your Child

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write. They will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn” – Alan Toffer

The solution is therefore for parents to deliberately play a more active role in their kids’ education.

One aimed at providing the children with real-world relevant knowledge, skills and interpersonal know-how to survive, and excel in larger society, as adults.

As more and more parents do this, over time, the negative impact of formal schooling will be removed.

Below are 2 examples of self-study resources you can use to begin re-orienting yourself towards helping your child.

1. Schools Can Kill Your Child’s Creativity – IF You Don’t Apply These Tips – By Tayo Solagbade

http://spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets/schools-can-kill-your-childs-creativity-if-you-dont-apply-these-tips-2/

[NB: I offer many more ideas, and links to ideas offered by others in my parenting articles (click to open in new browser window).]

2. If You Want to be Rich & Happy, Don’t Go to School? – By Robert Kiyosaki: Ensuring Lifetime Security for Yourself and Your Children (Paperback)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0944031595/

This book was Kiyosaki’st first, and it became an international bestseller getting rave reviews from many teachers at all levels – including tertiary institutions.

In 2000, a copy I purchased online was delivered by Amazon.com from the USA, and since reading it, I have been an advocate of parents protecting their kids from the damaging influence of conventional schooling.

I believe those responsible for the deliberate damage of Nigeria’s schooling systems, as noted by Dauda, along with greedy profit focussed school owners, do not want this book to get read by Nigerian parents in Nigeria.

Maybe that’s why 10 years after I bought it, I have yet to find it on sale anywhere in Nigeria.

Yet I see other books by the same author, which I’ve also bought and read, like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", and "Rich Kid, Smart Kid" (by the same author) in many bookshops in Nigeria!

If you’re a teacher and/or parent, here’s my advice: get a copy of Kiyosaki’s "If You Want to be Rich & Happy, Don’t Go to School".

Read it again, and again, and again, to unlearn the wrong stuff you picked up in school, and learn the right stuff to help yourself, and your kids.

Google to read articles and watch videos on better ways to provide schooling for kids, using the names of experts like those mentioned above.
 
This is for your sake, and also for your child’s sake.

PS: In case you wonder, the answer is an emphatic YES: I am Practicing What I Preach…

I actively inform and educate MY kids to counter the potentially negative impact of exposure to formal schooling they are getting.

I’ve been doing so for over a decade – starting with my first child, who was born almost 15 years ago.

And this is helping them develop useful critical thinking skills.

The successes I’m recording equip me to offer the ideas in this article.

I urge you to put them to use for the sake of your kids – not matter how busy you are. Otherwise, they could end up becoming one of the "uninformed multitudes" and "mindless parrots" that Dauda and Kiyosaki respectively referred to!

Career Development, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Is It (Sometimes) Good To Have A Bad Boss?

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Who is a good boss? And when can you correctly say that your boss is "bad"? This is an issue that is subject to a lot of debate. Does the fact that your boss does(or makes you do) certain things you personally dislike, make him/her "bad"? I say NOT necessarily!

This article explores this subject, using findings from a management research paper survey conducted in 2001 as a basis for discussion.

In December 2001, I finished writing a (45-page) management research paper titled "Self-Development As A Tool For Achieving Career Advancement".

In it, I referred to the observation Zig Ziglar made in his book – Over The Top – about certain employees who go to work each day without working to improve their abilities to do the job for which they are being paid.

He accurately descried such persons as having one year’s experience repeated every other year, without making any effort to change the trend.

My paper’s research problems were stated in question form as follows:

1. What can the individual manager (employee) do to ensure career success or advancement in an organisation?

2. What can the organisation do to ensure an enabling environment is created for her managers (employees) to continuously achieve career success or advancement?

In trying to answer the above questions I administered(over a 3 month period) a structured questionnaire to respondents (managers in indigenous and multinational corporate organisations in two cities – Lagos and Benin).

I was particularly intrigued to note from the study’s results, that the managers strongly agreed that having a bad experience at work – such as working for a bad boss– could be beneficial for one’s personal development.

This was an interesting response because I had known many managers (including myself, early in my career as an employee) to complain bitterly if they had a boss that gave them what they interpreted to be "a hard time" at work.

They would sometimes even wistfully express the desire to swop places with a colleague who they “thought” was having what they considered a better time since his/her boss never seemed to make life difficult for him/her.

What made it even more noteworthy was that when asked for details of why they thought their boss was bad, they would say things like “he never lets me rest – it’s always one assignment after the other, and its so difficult to satisfy him!”.

The truth, based on the experience of many successful executives is that in working with such a boss, many managers/employees have developed better capabilities than they would have, if they had reported to some more “passive” or less demanding kind of boss.

In fact, individuals like the “complaining” managers earlier described sometimes go on to get recognised/rewarded on moving to a new job or different department later on in their careers, for their seeming ability to produce good quality work under pressure etc. At that time the manager might begin to feel grateful to that “bad” or “difficult” boss from the past!

But then again, there can be instances when a boss is indeed bad.

Maybe he cheats, practices favoritism etc. In this case, the affected manger/employee could – among other possible actions – do well to note those qualities in the boss that he/she dislikes, and use them as a guide to avoid becoming like the boss in the future.

In other words, I am saying that by having a bad boss, a manager can learn how NOT to become one him/herself! Have you ever noticed that the people who set-up human rights or child abuse refuge centres etc are often people who themselves have suffered from that same problem before getting “liberated”?

To sum it up, the truth is:

1. That difficult persons can challenge us to put in more effort and deliver better results than we normally would, if they were not present – making their presence/actions a blessing of sorts for us.

2. We can sometimes learn how to be good from those who are bad – or not as good as they should be.

The above implies that having a bad boss can, to some extent, be a useful experience which ultimately equips us to achieve more of our potential than we normally would. The challenge is for you to make the most of the "bad’ situation: Study that boss, and learn how to manage him/her to achieve your desired goal(s).

As psychologists would say: The glass can be said to be half-full or half-empty. It all depends on HOW YOU LOOK AT IT i.e. your mental attitude.

NB: This article was first published online in 2005.

Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

How to Correct Excess Energy Content in a Livestock Ration [Feed Formulation Home Study Video Series]

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Quick Take-Away : This is Video No. 21 (out of 33) in my New Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series.

I discuss the process of calculating a Substitution Value to correct excess energy in  a derived ration – as described in pages 26 to 27 of my popular feed formulation handbook, which the video series is based on.

Watch the full video below.  Email tayo at tksola dot com, for a download link to the MP3 audio version.

This exercise shown in the screenshot below can found in pages 26 and 27 of Tayo Solagbade’s Feed Formulation Handbook.

The video below this screenshot displays THIS view  (shown in the screenshot below) of the 2 pages as the explanation is given.

This exercise in Tayo Solagbade’s Feed Formulation Handbook is explained in Video 21. The video displays THIS view of pages 26 and 27, as the explanation is given.

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Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Self-Development

Can Lack Of Money Stop Your Marriage Succeeding?

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Drawing from my experiences initially as an employee, and later as an entrepreneur, I describe the psychological challenge that confronts a person who runs out of money, while married – and doing business. I then offer practical for surviving such periods of financial adversity, without losing dignity.

Do you have a spouse?

If yes, do you think you him/her very well – intimately?

Would you boldly say you know what your spouse will or will not SAY or DO to YOU, regardless of how bad things get – especially financially?

For many couples, the correct answers to those questions would be difficult to predict. That’s the truth.

In certain societies, when people court each other towards getting married, one of the prime considerations is often the “net worth” (if you can call it that) of the other person.

Your friends, relatives, colleagues etc want to know “If s/he has a job; Where? Does s/he get good pay?” etc. If they like what they hear, they then congratulate you.

Very few will ask you if you love each other.

If you’re the type that needs others to “approve” of you, you might “find” a way to choose someone that would be “acceptable” to those whose approval you seek.

The sad result is sometimes that two fundamentally incompatible, but outwardly well-matched people tie the knot, and embark on what becomes a turbulent marital adventure.

I have worked closely with someone who frequently stayed out late, after work, just so as to get home when his spouse had gone to bed.

There were in fact situations where extended family members repeatedly had to intervene in squabbles between this husband and wife.

One thing that often tends to be at the root of this problem – whether the couples readily admit it or not – is MONEY.

I won’t bore you with any stories or details.

But if you think you know your spouse (or “fiancé/fiancée), especially where it has to do with money and its ready availability, I’d say…don’t be too sure!

My advice is that you try and get to see your partner at his/her worst, in relation to “lack of money” as soon as possible BEFORE you start the venture you intend.

This will prepare you for the worst.

Some people KNOW that their spouse’s “love” for them is directly correlated with the “ready” availability of money.

This knowledge is what keeps them from taking the “risk” of starting their businesses – much as they would have loved to.

It could be suicidal if you decide to go ahead without “testing”, and making sure about this for yourself. Assuming s/he will “understand” if things are difficult initially would not be a smart thing to do.

The books may not say this often, but many marriages have disintegrated during the tough start-up phases that a spouse’s new business had to go through.

The other person would have tried to share in the vision/endure the “suffering”. But somewhere along the line, s/he probably could not hold faith any longer.

So, the “fights” begin – the “tired” partner saying nasty things to his/her already embattled entrepreneur spouse – and they eventually separate.

When you read the autobiographies of some successful entrepreneurs, you’ll find that they never mention their spouses at any point all through the book.

The problem described above is probably the reason why…

So, I ask you again. Do you KNOW your spouse well?

Do you KNOW what s/he will or will not do should things get really tough in the process of starting-up your business? Remember that when difficulties arise, you will need all the support and encouragement you can get.

Be sure that the closest person to you is the type that will actually give you that.

The last thing you want, when you’re trying to keep an upbeat mental state, is someone telling you how stupid you were to have made this or that mistake.

Or reminding you of how the family could have been better off, if you hadn’t insisted on plunging all your savings/benefits into your “hair-brained” idea for a venture.

My purpose here, is to help you eliminate “grey areas” in your thinking about where problems will likely come from, when you start your business.

Oh, and by the way, if you also have kids, PLEASE make sure you set aside adequate funds to cater for them, all through the start-up phase.

If you cannot do this, then seriously consider waiting till you can. Do not jeopardize the security of your family. 

A lot of worrying issues that you never anticipated might just come from the home front.

Believe me when I say I KNOW what this feels like. I have experienced SEVERELY prolonged periods of heartbreaking lack of money.

What I went through during those tough years of struggling as an entrepreneur, really tested my marriage relationship to its limits.

The fact that my wife and I are still together today, in spite of those experiences, makes it possible for me to write this piece!

You would be wise to get yourself well and truly forearmed.

Lastly, what about YOU? Will YOU be the problem in YOUR home when you have no money?

NB: This article was first published online in 2006, and is one of twenty-five(25) contained in Tayo Solagbade’s Ebook titled "25 Articles/True Stories On Self-Development, Entrepeneuring & Web Marketing To Help You Succeed More Often"

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking

No. 137: Succeed By “Looking Bigger” Than You Are!

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Size (in physical or financial terms) can confer “popularity”. So can appearing to be everywhere. That’s why I argue that making yourself look bigger than you are, can make your marketing more successful!

People – and organisations – that are popular, often get their offers taken more seriously, than those who are not.

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Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday14th April 2014

No:137

Title: Succed By “Looking Bigger” Than You Are!

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (E-mail version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

Archive (Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here

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No. 137: Succeed By “Looking Bigger” Than You Are!

Size (in physical or financial terms) can confer “popularity”. So can appearing to be everywhere. That’s why I argue that making yourself look bigger than you are, can make your marketing more successful!

People – and organisations – that are popular, often get their offers taken more seriously, than those who are not.

After attending conventional school most people naturally seek the best possible employment conditions.

That’s why many would choose big, established employers over ones just starting up – due to the promise of better pay, job benefits…and of course the prestige of being in “the team”.

With regard to prestige, big name(s) make(s) it easy to be recognised/noticed or remembered (My Story)

Due to the massive fame of companies like Microsoft, Google, Nike, CNN, BBC etc, you and I would find it much easier to remember someone we met, who worked for any of those companies.

I still recall living in Benin City, over a 7 year period while employed as a well paid, and high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria.

Many times when I attended public functions, despite my deliberate insistence that the host NOT do it, I often got introduced as a “Guinness Manager”.

Friends/acquaintances were usually unwilling to leave out that detail mainly because they felt the company was a prestigious place, which would interest people.

Some people would often go out of their way to get to know you e.g. taking your number and calling you. In conversations with others they could say “Remember my friend that works with <Google>?” etc

 If you drive an branded company vehicle, neighbours may take special note of you.

It’s just natural.

The same thing happens when you’re linked with a famous individual.

That’s why we hear “Oh, he’s “Michael Jackson’s lawyer”; or she’s the “wife of Cadbury’s CEO in Nigeria”;  “he’s “Lupita Nyong’o’s Best Friend”…or even better: “he’s Chimamanda Adichie’s husband”!

All of the above refer to situations and circumstances in which fame or popularity is conferred on you by association with a person, or organisation, or “thing” that is “famous or popular”.

It’s why name dropping can sometimes work for those who do it!

A complete nobody who gets a job with a large corporate multinational can quickly gain social recognition and acceptance, over a self-employed professional in the same field.

When you’re NOT associated with a recognised name or brand, fewer people readily go out of their way to connect with you.

Even fewer feel a need to brag about or tell others about you.

I have had the benefit of experiencing both sides…and this informs the views I express here.

A Public Relations Manager for Virgin Atlantic, compared is likely to command more serious attention and interest from journalists, than an independent consultant specializing in the same field.

But as I explain below, the latter can command more recognition than the former, by making him/herself look “bigger” than s/he really is.

Central to achieving the above is the use of the Internet, which has been accurately described as the greatest LEVELLER known to mankind!

I now explain using myself as an example…

After leaving Guinness, I noticed people no longer showed as much interest in connecting with me as they used to.

And that included even former colleagues, (supposedly) close friends and some relatives.

It was an interesting experience, which made promoting my products and services tough.

I knew making sales that stick (i.e. ones not followed by buyer’s remorse) would require building conviction in buyers’ minds.

So, I began exploring a variety of strategies towards building name/brand recognition.

Today, I’ve reasonably refined, but continue to fine tune strategies that have served me best.

Together, they now make up what I call my Customizable Web Marketing System (WMS).

The WMS involves using my website, blog, social media channels and other online platforms, in combination with offline marketing resources where necessary, as a means to propagate my marketing messages, via creative article writing and content generation.

Click here to read my popular 3 part article series on “Why You Need a Web Marketing System”.

It provides detailed insights into how a WMS can make you look MUCH bigger than you are, almost effortless, and at low to zero cost.

I am living proof that this works!

Email from one of many website enquirers who find me via Google searches and other websites

I’ve written many other articles that offer useful insights.

If you want links to them, along with a FREE 15 minute consultation to learn more, email me your name, phone number and country to tayo at tksola dot com

Today, a growing number of enquirers are finding it hard to believe that ONE person (i.e. yours truly) produces ALL they see on this website: www.spontaneousdevelopment.com.

I get emails from as far as Europe and America, containing phrases like:

“Please pass this message to your CEO”…

Some write in referring to “the guys” and “the writing team” of my website :-))

The truth is however that I am the ONLY employee of my company. And I ALONE am responsible for creating ALL of the content on it – and and no one else.

Everyday I share true stories on this blog, and in my weekly email newsletter, about how I respond to enquiries from prospects and clients/buyers from across the world, regarding my products and services.

In other words, I constantly create daily new content on this website, while delivering my products/services within agreed deadlines to paying clients/buyers within and outside Africa!

It’s not been easy to get this far, and that’s why you must have a passion for what you do.

I’m convinced that ANYONE willing to put in the needed work effort and passion will succeed too.

Final Words: As You Get Bigger, Your Increased Visibility Will Make Mistakes Hurt You More!

Now, this is important...

In working to make yourself look bigger than you are, you must remember that people only want to associate with something, or someone, IF they feel it will make them look (or feel) good.

Corporate sponsors waste little time in dropping individuals or organisations they connect with, who get into trouble e.g. a famous sports person caught in a scandal.

Also, many who “court” you may readily avoid you if they hear negative news about you!

You MUST therefore protect your “growing” brand, by acting with integrity at ALL times.

Do that, while taking steps to “look bigger”, and your marketing will ultimately succeed more.

If you don’t do that, making yourself look bigger than you really are, could end up HURTING – instead of HELPING – you!

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Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – Tayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing  zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.

He earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.

Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

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“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

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“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

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Click here to contact Tayo… 

SD Nuggets Blog™

 New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Tuesday]:
No. 135: Succeed by Speaking Part-time With a Full Time Job!

Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:
Earning Income Working From Anywhere (True Story)
Self-Development [Wednesday]:
Why Marketing to Strangers Yields More Success

Career Development [Thursday]:
Sometimes You’ll Need to Keep It Within Your Family
Parenting/Travel [Friday]:
Pre-Marital Sex Amongst Teenagers – A PROPOSED SOLUTION

Writing/Bloggin [Saturday]:

To Sell with Your Writing, Touch on Different Areas of Your Target Audience’s Life

Writing/Bloggin [Saturday]:

Fulfilling Farm Business Best Practice Product Orders, Amidst Chaos (True Story)
Want me to write for you? Click here…

 

My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Writing/Blogging

Activism Does Not Succeed With Egotism (Case Study of Nigeria’s Activists)

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I believe about 80% of Nigeria’s activists let egotism and hidden ambitions diminish their impact. This is based on my personal observations, and subtle testing, of many I’ve related with over the past decade. Screaming, tearing your hair out, or beating your head against the wall won’t change my view. And if youre objective, you’ll likely see that I’m right :-)

Nigerian activists are mostly well schooled members of the elite.

Surprisingly, unlike what happens in other climes, they struggle to achieve critical mass needed to influence significant, lasting change regarding their causes.

As a result, crooked, and poorly schooled individuals in government continue their mis-rule with impunity.

I share some of my views about WHY activism in Nigeria seems so ineffective, and suggest a possible way forward.

Over the past decade, I’ve made many efforts to team up, partner or collaborate with different individuals and/or groups supposedly engaged in activism for various causes.

Very rarely did I record any useful results. Most times I walked away disappointed by the shallowness of the exchanges that took place, and the tendency to “use” followers by “leaders”.

The best and most memorable experience I ever had in my attempts to team up with others to fight for a cause was the anti-fuel subsidy protests held at Gani Fawehimni’s park in Ojota.

For once I saw Nigerians engage in activism in great unison. It was exciting. But it could have ended better. At the tail end, there was a splitting of the ranks that led to decisions about suspending the protest being taken without ALL the activist groups being carried along.

Nigerians love to copy what happens in other countries, especially developed countries.

We copy more or less anything. Including bad fashion styles that make us assault one another’s sensibilities by dressing indecently!

What I however find strange is that we rarely, if at all ever, copy activism done in those same places we copy other things from.

One example…

Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela, Miriam Makeba, Archbishop Desmond Tutu are examples of great black South Africans who practised activism, as a means to FREE their people from Apartheid.

In fighting their cause, they all at various times repeatedly exposed themselves to dangers of all sorts. The protest letters and messages and songs they wrote to the apartheid government, and foreign leaders made them targets of the oppressive regime in power at that time in their country.

As a result they put themselves in harm’s way. Makeba was forced into exile. Mandela found himself in prison etc.

Another example…

In Nigeria, we’ve had real activists like Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, and Beko Ransome Kuti among others. These people spent extended periods getting negative, often punitive, attention from those they challenged.

They also wrote letters, and messages and songs, which addressed the causes they fought for. They had fans and admirers, but that did not insulate them from efforts launched by those they criticised to hit back at them.

As a result, they often became guests of security agencies in jails across the country. But it did not deter them. And they did not "water down" their messages.

Pastor Tunde Bakare is, for me, one of those still with us, who fits into the ranks of the above mentioned.

There are others of course.

For instance, Wole Soyinka is a seasoned activist still with us, who has intimidating activism credentials. He has proven his mettle at the battle front. Today, he still writes letters and messages and boldly stands up for the causes he supports – by collaborating widely, and selflessly lending his celebrity status to those he teams up with.

But Many Activists Today in Nigeria, Often Let the People Down!

Let whoever the cap fits wear it. I offer no names…but I have identified some guilty of this.

Feel free to accuse me of judging others, or trying to remove a speck from their eyes when I have a log in mine. That would cause me no discomfort whatsoever.

The truth however is that I am sick and tired of seeing the same phoney activists doing their phoney activism both online and off the web – especially ON THE WEB: Facebook in particular!

They make a mockery of what true Nigerian activists have done, and continue to do. And they provide the loop holes, through which the bad guys we are after, can escape.

They give them an opportunity to break our ranks, because those bad guys know they’ll cave in under pressure, that they cannot stand strong in the face of threats or aggression.

That they will compromise for the right price.

That their egotism will make them ALWAYS put "self" above the rest.

These are the reasons why they are unable to UNITE to beat inertia, and build momentum to achieve the critical mass they need to make lasting impact in pursuit of their cause(s)!

That’s why most campaigns they launch often lack meaningful impact, and often fizzle out in no time.

It’s also why they embark on placard carrying protests, which make a mockery of the word itself!

I see many using platforms like Facebook, to propagate their messages to followers who fall over themselves to comment on every post.

To the untrained eye of the uninitiated, rarely will anything seem amiss.

Yet, I see a lot that’s not right in their daily egotistic tendencies exhibited via their Facebook posts/comments, as well as their actions/inactions.

1. They prefer “fans” who agree with views they express, and who rarely tell them where they’re wrong.

2. They keep a distance from other activists they do not know in person, but who have built equally good reputations in fight for the same cause they support.

Each person expects the other to come and introduce him/herself, and propose working together. Neither wants to lose face by taking the first step.

S/he does not want to be seen as “smaller” than him/her. In the process, the causes they support suffer, because the JOINING of forces does not happen, or does so late!

From watching them, it seems each person fears the other person could steal his/her “thunder” or “prestige” by outshining him/her if given too much visibility or recognition in his/her social space.

The above bad habits are all about silly egotism!

And this keeps them from leveraging the power of the social media platforms they use, and even the offline networking that’s open to them.

Once again, the cause(s) they claim to support ultimately suffer(s) LESS momentum as a result.

The Way Forward: Noise Making & Self-Glorification Achieve Too Little!

FACT: Selflessness, spirit of service, integrity, as well as HONOUR are more important requirements for successful activism.

And we have many examples in recent history we can learn from, if we really want our activism to succeed. Otherwise, those we “fight” will never take us seriously!

Mandela and His Fellow Freedom Fighters acted as ONE well oiled team!

No opponent can withstand an assault from that kind of team!

Watching the movie about Mandela’s time in jail, the many efforts made by the apartheid government to split their ranks were dramatized.

False information would be fed to Mandela on the inside that his people on the outside had give in, or given up. Then they would tell him he was alone, and ask him to give up the fight.

But Mandela stayed strong. And so did his colleagues on the outside. Sometimes they managed to slip information to him warning that what he was being told about them was untrue.

They did this even though they knew they could be in danger. This UNITY in spirit, kept them strong, and made it impossible for the adversary to wear them down.

Everyone was willing to serve. No one felt s/he had to be “Oga or big boy/big girl” or “most popular”.

Even over the course of 27 long years that Mandela was in jail, they stayed true to one another.

No one felt s/he was more important than the others.

They covered one another’s backs.

They gladly helped publicize issues relevant to each member, without feeling diminished by doing so.

Today, people from all over the world enjoy visiting and relating with the NEW South Africa, because of the sacrifices made by these true activists!

That was also the kind of team work African Americans used to end black segregation in America.

No one felt s/he was more important than the others. Everyone was willing to put in the needed work, side by side with the next person.

And they readily formed strong alliances with like minded others that the opposition could not break.

Their concerted efforts over time led to the end of segregation, and brought freedom to blacks!

Nigerian Activists MUST stop working in ISOLATED pockets of Egotism & Selfish Ambition!

That is, IF they want useful long term progress in pursuit of the causes they claim to support.

They need to start teaming up selflessly, to form a truly UNITED front that no opposition will be able to crack, regardless of who leads or who follows.

And they will have to maintain that front, even in their online interactions.

Especially on Facebook!

That means they will do what Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jai White and others with “fans” do on Facebook…

What’s that you ask?

Well, on each of the above person’s facebook page, you get to read his/her own thoughts, ideas and opinions, as well as view photos and videos of himself, or something he likes.

But every once in a while, his fans will also encounter him/her posting of interesting/useful content about one or more of others…some of who could even be described as his rivals.

Nigerian activists must learn to actively collaborate in promoting one another’s causes, and acknowledging each other in the same way.

That is, if they really want to build the MASS and MOMENTUM to succeed with their campaigns!

Further Reading…

My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better

My DN Travel News, Parenting

An Idiot With an Educational Qualification?

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To give our children a good head start in life, so they can enjoy better success than we have (and in the process contribute to society even better than we will), we must help them discover themselves.

In other words, we are obligated to help our children find their purpose in life.

If we can successfully do this for each of our children, we would actually discover that we (parents and/or teachers) would need to do very little afterwards, to get them to work towards becoming successful in life – in any chosen areas of endeavour.

Why?

Because once a person finds his/her purpose in life – call it a magnificent obsession, a passion or whatever else – such a person will need no reminders to work towards achieving it each day!

All you would then need to do is point out what might be useful to helping the child move closer to achieving his/her goal. And you’ll find that he/she soon jumps to get it and more. The child becomes self-motivated!

Have you ever noticed how preoccupied a child can get with mastering a new toy or gadget?

For weeks he/she will tirelessly work at mastering it’s features/capabilities, and soon begins operating it masterfully.

Many busy executives, who are parents, will confess that their kids often tend to be the ones that teach them how to use advanced features of the video, TV and other new or complex devices in their homes.

Why is that so?

Because children are by their very nature highly inquisitive.

They are unafraid to venture beyond the realms of the known. They are never afraid to ask questions when they do not know.

Also they do not mind making mistakes on the way to achieving mastery over the object/subject of their interest.

In addition, they relish the opportunity of learning directly from experience, and have no difficulty exposing their ignorance in any subject by asking questions.

Think of the opposite to every one of the attributes enumerated above for kids, and you have the equivalent attributes for many adults/parents!

These equivalent attributes have been proven to be why many such adults never get ahead in life.

Just think about it.

Overwhelming evidence abounds in society, and in literature, that one of the best ways to master any art, or field of science, is through prolonged direct contact/real-life practical experiences.

That’s why our “automobile experts” with competence to FIX CARS, in Nigeria, for instance, are seldom the ones who studied the trade in school.

If anything, those who “schooled” in the trade can often NOT match the practical competence of those who received “education” on the roadsides in it!

Our computer whiz kids/gurus are not the ones who graduated with degrees in Computer science. Instead they are those who burned extended hours of time, money and effort in order to acquire mastery of the vocations they chose.

Most times they never even needed to go back to school at all!

I therefore wonder where the rest of us got our attitude problems.

The danger I hope to alert you – as a responsible parent – to, by pointing out the above, is…

That we might end up passing these wrong ideas/attitudes to our children, if we fail to help them discover their purpose in life very early.

A child that fails to get this guidance might end up as what Kiyosaki’s military Sergeant called “An idiot with a pilot’s license”…or for our purposes:

“An idiot with an educational qualification”!

PS: This article is based on Tayo Solagbade’s ebook titled "How to Help Your Child Discover His/Her Purpose in Life"

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Why I Give Free Money Making Ideas to Excel Trainers

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I periodically offer unsolicited income generating ideas, via phone/email to CEOs of training companies I discover offer MS Excel training. In fact, I just did THAT today, with a Lagos based trainer.

This article explains why I give away money making ideas I could use by myself!

As an Excel-VB Solutions Developer, I’ve used my experiences over the past 10 years to narrow down to a niche market that rewards me best for what I do.

By this I refer to the Farm Business market, where I have clients from within/outside Africa.

I serve that market 95% of the time by creating customizable Excel-VB apps and other products that I sell to players in it. E.g. my Livestock Feed Formulation Handbook and its accompanying Excel-VB Driven Ration Formulator™ app. Screen shots and details at www.boostyourfarmprofits,biz.

A visit to my blog at http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/ will reveal that up to 80% of new web marketing articles I publish there – DAILY – are targeted at farm business owners.

I however continue to support clients with products I built in the past e.g. my Payslip Generator™ which is used by companies like Motayo Hospital in Ikeja, Med-In Specialist Hospital in Ogudu etc

Then there is my Automated Invoice Generator™, Clinic Manager™, Hotel Records Manager™, Auto Cash Book™ etc used by other client companies that hired me over the years.

Today, CEOs outside the farm industry still reach out to me even though I rarely make them offers.

That’s Why I Readily Connect With Training Service Providers, Who Offer MS Excel® Training Courses…

If, as a training provider, you can INCLUDE job based spreadsheet automation coaching with formal training you provide, you’ll be able to charge MORE, AND also get an increased signup and referral rate as well.

The results I have gotten over the past decade convince me of the accuracy of the above…

I have also been contacted by multinationals like PZ Cussons and even Shell (both finding me via Google), regarding providing the above mentioned services i.e. further proof that this can work!

The 2 Documents Listed Below Are Those I Often Send to Training Providers, to Elaborate on Ideas I Suggest to Them

1. Using MS Excel Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy – But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself)

IMPORTANT NOTE: A login dialog box will appear when you click the link below. Click here to request your FREE login details, and (opens in new browser window) and return to the link below, and use it to download the PDF.

http://www.tayosolagbade.com/members/downloads/ffsdanger.pdf

Even though it addresses farm business users, the ideas in this PDF apply to MS Excel users in ANY industry!

2. SAVE_MONEY_By_Preparing_Your_Company_Pay_slips_In_Microsoft_Exceln.pdf

http://www.tinyurl.com/SaveMoneyWithExcel

I get web based enquiries about from ALL over the world about this FREE PDF’s subject/topic.

Today, I rarely contact other industries – except for those who “invite” me.

This is why I feel making this suggestion to Excel training providers is best. They can use the ideas I offer to hopefully BOOST the impact of their offerings to client companies.

If You Offer MS Excel Training, Rather Than Just Teach Basic to Advanced MS Excel®, I Suggest You Go Further…

…and coach/train users to automate as much as possible of what they know how to do as possible!

That way, they’ll achieve a MASSIVE jump in productivity. Career persons in paid employment can get very busy.

So much so that even when they are Excel gurus, TIME may not be enough for them to use their advanced expertise to get work done on time, and to the required standard.

If they are taught smart Excel-VB driven automation, they’ll be able to develop small spreadsheet apps with time and effort saving features, that’ll remove the drudgery from using Excel for their work.

Even errors that can – and often do! – occur from the human element will be reduced.

I say all this based on my successes doing it in paid employment as well as in business.

I hope you find use for it…and PLEASE share it with others you know offer Excel support.

Why Am I Doing This?

Simple. I’ve always believed in helping others improve. It’s a passion of mine, and I get paid fairly well to do it by my primary target audience.

Instead of letting material I have for other industries waste away, I feel it’s better to give it out, so willing others can make use of it to do what they do better.

Are You a Training Provider Interested in Knowing More?

Should you wish to speak with me about the ideas I’ve offered above, I offer a FREE 15 minute consultation session.

You can reach me on +229-66-122-136 (in Cotonou, Benin Republic, my base) or +234-803-302-1263 (if/when I’m in Nigeria – like now)..

Career Development, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

The Story of an Employee Whose Cup was “FULL” (How Thinking You Know It All, Can Cost You/Your Employer!)

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As a keen student of human nature, I’ve noticed that once (we think) we’re doing well, many of us have a tendency to conclude no one can tell us anything new.

Last week, I encountered a young lady afflicted with this problem while visiting my bank. I’d overheard her giving marketing tips to a new (female) recruit, regarding how to relate with prospective clients (towards selling personal insurance policies offered by the bank’s subsidiary).

At a point she said “Look. If you want these people to sign up for a policy, you have to chase them. Get their phone numbers, and call them all the time. Follow up with them by visiting them at work. Even try to go out to lunch with them. By the time you persistently follow up with them like this, they will have no choice but to buy from you. That’s how I started. It was not easy, but I made my sales target. Look where I am today? You can also do the same…”

After listening to their conversation for a little while longer, I could not help asking if I could make a few comments. She readily agreed.

I began by expressing the view that “chasing” prospects down in the manner she’d described is used by many conventional sales people to win buyers. I then noted that it however has a tendency to result in resentful buyers, who end up feeling they were harassed into making a purchase.

Basically, such persons would have made the purchase out of frustration, to put an end to the relentless chasing by the sales person.

This is why many such buyers rarely do repeat purchases with the sales person. Instead, they would have made the purchase to say “I hope now that I’ve bought it, s/he will leave me in peace!”

Next, I told her I believed the company needed to consider providing members of the marketing/sales team, a platform for building relationships with prospects, towards converting them to clients over time.

Specifically, I referred to the fact that their flyer indicated they had a Facebook page, and website. Adding a blog linked – via RSS feeds – to the website and social media outlets, AND would be a low cost, but potentially high impact platform to attract potential clients.

That plaform would be used to provide information and education to make such prospects willingly take action to sign up for (or make enquiries about) insurance policies on offer.

At this point, she got up impatiently shaking her head saying:

“Thanks for your suggestion. But you see, our company is not a small company. If you visit our website, you will see that we have offices all over the world. We only teamed up with the bank here in Nigeria, to access its customer network and save expenses on overheads. But we’re not begging for customers. Look if you listen to radio and TV we have adverts running daily…”

I gently countered saying:

“If I go by what you’re saying, I may be tempted to conclude you don’t even need a marketing team. Indeed, we might assume that customers are banging down your doors daily. Which makes me wonder why your talk with your new recruit involved asking her to do so much chasing…I would have expected it to be the other way round. Potential customers should be chasing you guys so hard that you won’t even have time, or need to chase ANY clients!”

She replied that she was not saying they had excess customers, but that he company had no need to go cap-in-hand (figuratively speaking) to potential customers.

To her, what I proposed in terms of the more subtle, stealth based, less direct marketing to attract customers, amounted to “begging”.

In her view, her company was too big for that.

Listening to her, I got the impression that she believed the marketers only needed to go with their “offers” to “viable prospects” they identified. Then they would tell the latter their company is the biggest player in the market, and that s/he should feel grateful they are chasing him/her!

We eventually agreed to disagree, and she left.

I could not help feeling sorry for her though. She’d let her ego deny her an opportunity to possibly harvest useful insights.

Insights that could be channeled back to her company, or even put to use by her, to achieve improved client recruitment results. If nothing else, removing the labour intensive process from winning new buyers would be worthwhile.

I say this as one who sells products and services to buyers, who over 90%  of the time come to me, by themselves.

Very rarely do I have to reach out to potential buyers.

The same strategy I tried to describe to her is what I’ve used for years and continue to use today. And many individuals and businesses of all sizes, which have smart thinking decision  makers at the helm of affairs use this same approach.

NB: My 3 part article series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System” provides useful insights into how this marketing strategy works.

Even right here in the Nigerian marketplace, companies of various sizes do it. But she was just too blinded to see!

Sometimes, all we have to do is listen. I do it a lot.

It has not always been my nature to listen, but the pain and suffering I reaped from NOT slowing down and listening, especially in my startup years, forced me to LEARN to do so!

This is why every now and then I gain new insights, even from persons younger than me, that I put to use, with great results to show.

Ego tripping rarely does anyone ANY GOOD!

My Encounter With the Above Mentioned Insurance Lady, Reminded Me of A Story I Once Read Many Years Ago

It’s about a young man who traveled a very long distance to see a wise old man in order to learn the secrets of success.

Upon arriving at the old man’s house the young man expressed his desire to learn what he needed to do in order to become successful.

The old man proceeded to share his wisdom and knowledge about the secrets of success with the young man by giving step-by-step guidelines for the latter to follow.

However each time he mentioned a step, the young man would say he had tried that and it did not work!

This went on for some time, till the old man paused and asked, “Would you like to drink some tea?”

The young man replied in the affirmative.

The old man then brought out a teacup on a saucer, placed it in front of the young man and began pouring hot tea into it.

When the cup got full, the old man kept on pouring the tea so that it began to overflow into the saucer.

The young man screamed, “Stop! Can’t you see the cup is full?”

To which the old man replied: “Yes, I know. You see, the cup is just like you – you are too full of yourself for me to add anything to you.

So I’m sorry, but I cannot help you. You need to first of all empty yourself of yourself, before I can then put any knowledge into you”.

I believe the story is self-explanatory and the message very clear.

You must never let yourself get to the point where you think no one can teach you anything new.

Even those not as successful as you can teach you plenty that you do not know!

You only need to “open your eyes and ears” to learn from them.

Never let your cup be full…or you might wind up with EMPTY POCKETS!

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News

How my Automated Invoice Generator Was Built to Solve a Real Life Client Problem

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Last Tuesday, during a meeting with a Web Marketing client, a Jos based business owner called asking for the price for my mini Poultry Farm Manager software. 6 hours later – around 8p.m at night – he’d done a bank transfer to me.The next day he called and asked “Do you have software to generate invoices?”

I replied that I did, but that I’d prefer to fulfil the order he’d already placed for the Poultry Manager, before taking that on.

He agreed. 24 hours later, he’d downloaded the customized version of my app that I’d prepared for use by his company.

Yesterday, he confirmed receiving the CDROM containing the video tutorial files, (as well as the app) that I sent to him via FedEx courier.

Today, I shifted my attention to the invoice generator…

[NB: That is, after returning from the hospital with my wife and our new baby boy, born at 2.05a.m yesterday. The family is now officially a complete handball team :-) ]

How my Automated Invoice Generator™ Was Built to Solve a Real Life Client Problem in One Week!

I built this app in 2004, for a small business owner specialized in Computer Installations, Maintenance, Repairs and Supplies.

He had a team of engineers who served a growing client base of companies across the country.

One day, I was working on their premises, developing a Web Marketing System for them, when I witnessed a costly error happen.

One of the engineers was to transport certain items to a client company located in a northern state, from the Lagos office.

He’d done his calculations, and simply needed to type in the names of the items to be supplied, with their unit prices and number purchased etc.

With that done, he posted VAT, derived the subtotal and final total – writing the latter in words as well.

Knowing he was running late, he hurriedly printed it out on letter headed paper, signed it off, and left.

The next day, he called the office to announce that he’d made a major omission in the invoice he’d printed!

He’d left out one of the major items supplied, in the final computation on the invoice.

In addition, the accounts officer at the client company had also discovered a missing zero in the total he’d posted on the invoice.

Instead of N260, 000.00 he’d typed N26, 000.00 as the total amount due.

And that was what he’d written in words as well!

His state of mind at the time had no doubt made him miss what was otherwise a glaring error.

Efforts to Salvage the Situation Failed

For one thing, the MS Word invoice template was on the PC back in Lagos. To get around that problem, his colleague proposed sending him the file via email.

That seemed like a good solution to the dilemma, so he agreed.

Then he remembered that he did not have a copy of the company’s letter headed paper on which he could print the corrected invoice!

Long story short, it was eventually decided, that he would have to come back.

That implied considerable loss of time, effort and money. But without the correctly prepared invoice, processing of payment could not be made on the LPO.

After witnessing the entire episode, I could not help thinking a better way could be found.

It occurred to me that the template they used in MS Word would serve them better if hosted in a MS Excel format, and enhanced using intelligent formula, and Excel-VB automation.

So I told the CEO what I believed could be done. The benefits of having a spreadsheet based Automated Invoice Generation interface that dynamically adapted to the user’s needs were obvious.

He gave me the go ahead to prepare it – for the fee I proposed.

Over the next week, in between progressing work on the Web Marketing System for the company, I liaised with him and his engineers, to build the invoice generator.

By the time it was ready, we had posted names, specifications, and prices for various items like computers, accessories, consumables, replacement parts, services etc.

How the Excel-VB Driven Automated Invoice Generator™ Works

The app has in cell drop down menus that make typing of item names or quantities virtually unnecessary.

You simply choose what you want from the drop menu.

Subtotals, totals, VAT etc are auto-computed as you select invoice items from the drop menus. The final amount due gets written in words by the app – but an option exists for you to write it yourself.

The software is customizable for different uses.

For instance, a client database can be added where you post names, addresses and other information for as many clients as you have.

Then on the invoice generation interface, you would simply choose the client name and the corresponding details appear on the invoice – saving you time and effort!

I can, for instance, incorporate a floating data entry form (like that used in my Payslip Generator, and Ration Formulator) to make posting of entries easier and faster.

Since building the app in 2004, I have adapted it for use by a medical clinic client in Akoka-Lagos in 2009, and a Petrol and Diesel marketing/supply Client Company in Magodo-Lagos in 2012.

And so it was that a client situation created an opportunity for me to develop a new product that would add to my passive income stream!

Final Words: Request the EXE Trial Version of the Invoice Generator™

I now offer a limited time trial but fully functional EXE version of my Automated Invoice Generator™ at ZERO COST.

[Update (9th Aug. 2015): This EXE trial version is currently NOT available due to issues with the compiler I use to create limited use demos of my Excel-VB app. ]

Request the EXE Trial Version of the Invoice Generator™

Simply email me your name, occupation, phone number and address/country, via tayo at tksola dot com, with “Request for Invoice Generator Trial” in the subject line, and I’ll send it to you.

What follows below is a description of key features and functions of the app

1. The materials/services list and prices update interface:

1. The materials/services list and prices update interface

In the above interface, you can specify the names and other details for EACH product and/or service you offer.

This is also where you will specify your base or cost price and then add a MARGIN profit per product or service item you want to make, such that the Invoice Generator will pick up the DERIVED price or fee when you are generating an invoice.

The video tutorials, as well as guide notes provided in the application will help you get a better understanding.

Also, the interface is quite friendly, so you should have no problem learning to use it by trying to make some dummy entries.

The entries you make in the fields with red colored headers will automatically appear in the drop menus that are provided in the Invoice Generator interface.

2. The invoice generation interface:

2. The invoice generation interface

Here (note red colored back ground) you will make ALL needed entries for generating your invoice – same as you would do when preparing a paper version.

The required output will be produced on a ready-to-print A4 sized template (black and white) showing all your specified entries.

The menu options provided actually allow you – AFTER you enter data for an invoice to be generated – to also use the same info, with appropriate modifications to prepare for printing, a Delivery Note and a Pro Forma Invoice.

Client payment options (with corresponding charges) of LPO, versus Customised, versus Cash can also be specified based on you agreement with a client using a drop menu button.

See screenshot of the resultant invoice below.

Note that a special function that converts numbers to letters(e.g. re-writes 11,000 as Eleven Thousand Naira) is set by default to print out the total monetary value of the invoice payment.

You can simply type into the entry field provided for TOTAL IN WORDS in the invoice preparation template, to make the program ignore the function and use your own specifically worded total amount.

3. Screenshot of the generated invoice – ready to print:

3. Screenshot of the generated invoice – ready to print