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

Request My Report on Finding Bulk Buyers Online for Your Farm Products (Plus Read Answers to Questions You Have!)

June 18, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Two days ago, in issue 146 of my Speaking IDEAS email newsletter, I invited Farm CEOs to request my new PDF report: “Secret Strategies for Finding Bulk Buyers Online, for Your Farm Products“. Before that day ended, a US based Farm CEO – a long time subscriber – had submitted a web form request!

Below is a transcript of the generic message I sent her.

If you’re interested in getting the PDF, read on to learn what you need to do.

Dear <Name Removed>,

Thanks for your interest in my offer…

1. The PDF report is available ONLY to persons willing to signup for my formal “Needs Analysis” session

During that session, I ask questions to get a feel for the unique circumstances of your farm business, with regard to the challenge of sales and marketing to win good buyers.

This will help me gain a firm understanding of your needs, in terms of how you can succesfully adapt the ideas in my report to achieve your goals.

2. Payment of a N10,000 (Ten thousand naira) – approx. $61 USD – fee is required to book this needs analysis session.

And it is required 100% in advance.

You can use www.xe.com or www.coinmill.com to get the exact exchange rate based USD equivalent.

3. Once that payment is made, I’ll email you the PDF report: “Secret Strategies for Finding Bulk Buyers Online, for Your Farm Products”

And in that email, I will ask you to give me a date/time you’d like the Needs Analysis Session to hold.

4. Next, I will (typically) call you via mobile phone (or Skype if possible).

And I’ll ask you my questions, and also tell you some important things I left out of the PDF, which you need to know, to make the best use of it.

You will also be able to ask me any questions you have.

Estimated Duration of the session: 30 minutes to 1 hour (at the most).

BUT WHY IS A NEEDS ANALYSIS SESSION NECESSARY?

I require ANYONE who indicates interest in this report to demonstrate that s/he is READY to put the contents of my report, and what I also share via our subsequent conversations, to use.

There is no room in this particular offer for persons who are simply curious.

So, if a farm CEO contacts me, I expect that s/he is actually looking for a SOLUTION to the real challenge of finding profitable bulk buyers for the long term.

If YES, then we will be able to take the next required steps.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE NEEDS ANALYSIS SESSION?

After the session, I send you a formal Action Plan PDF, which details specific steps you can take ON YOUR OWN to implement a system that will attract bulk buyers.

But I also include an offer to WORK with you to develop and implement a Web Marketing System to do the above and more.

If you choose to engage me to develop and implement the WMS for your farm business, you get a 100% refund of the N10k payment made for the Needs Analysis Session.

I give you this refund by purchasing, on your behalf ONE year website hosting and domain name registration e.g. for www.yourfarmname.biz.

Why? Because anyone who wishes to use the system described in my report WILL need a website presence.

Then you will be told what the next steps are to complete the process.

WHAT USEFUL BENEFITS WILL YOU GET FROM TAKING UP MY OFFER?

Basically, my purpose is ultimately to help Farm CEOs own a system that finds bulk buyers for them 24/7 – even when they sleep.

And what I propose to do is NOT wishful thinking. It’s already being done by others, but most employ a rather cumbersome, and haphazard approach.

My report describes 2 PROVEN strategies. One basic, and the other advanced, and deplyed with smart web based automation that I help setup.

So, I aim to help farmers LEARN how to be more deliberate and systematic in planning and implementing their marketing to be REPEATABLE, and RELIABLE.

Using such systems…

1. You get to maximize your profits

2. You get to maximize your farm output

3. You get to maximze manhours of your farm hands – and yourself!

4. Running your farm business eventually takes you MUCH LESS time, effort, money and resources than it normally would.

5. And you have peace of mind for the long term – no worrrying or fretting about what to be done next, and when, to find new or repeat buyers.

WHY AM I SO SURE MY APPROACH WORKS?

This is not an experiment I’m conducting. I’ve already proven it works, many times over in DIFFERENT industries – including farm business.

You see selling farm products is NO different from selling any others.

Indeed, farm products are actually EASIER to sell because people simply cannot do without eating!

So, once you find an effective system for attracting the right kinds of buyers, you’re VERY unlikely to ever have to worry again about making sales.

I say all this as one who NEVER has to chase clients, or buyers, to buy my products or services.

They ALWAYS call me, and they usually do so READY to pay whatever my fees are. I say this with every sense of responsibility and integrity.

Ever since I began using the system that enables me attract such high quality prospects, some years back, I simply stopped making cold calls.

But from conversations with many Farm CEOs, it appears they cannot believe they can have it so good, especially because there are competitors to worry about.

My vision is to help those who are willing overcome this “unbelief” by SHOWING them how to do it, and SUPPORTING them where necessary.

Let me know if you’d like to book the Needs Analysis session (click here), and we can get started.

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development

To Achieve Success, Be Prepared to Give, In Order to Get (Lesson from an 11 year old boy, and his 13 year old brother)

June 17, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

This photo, is of a handwritten “contract” of sorts recently sent me by my (11 & 13 year old) sons. It reads:

“Tayo, we will do anything you and mummy ask us to do without grumbling, but we need a deal. The deal is if we do anything for anybody in this house without grumbling, you promise to buy us a ball. If it is a deal, sign here (my name appears with a line over it!).

NB: The “cover” reads “To Tayo”. From: <their names>…and it was signed by the 13 year old “instigator”…LOL!!

This happened a few weeks ago, when I visited my family in Lagos – Nigeria

They dropped it on my laptop, and promptly went into hiding!

Not sure what to expect, they pushed their (9 year old) sister to say: “Tayo, look there’s a letter for you on your laptop”.

By the time I read it, I burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Hearing that, they came out from their hiding places, grinning mischievously.

But they still pressed to know if I agreed!

I thought back to the many tasks I’d given them since moving to Cotonou last April (2013), and how well they’d generally performed.

Their mother had already trained the 2 eldest boys to do most kitchen chores, including cooking for the others – even when she’s not home.

On my part, each time I came home, I tried introducing something new I wanted them to learn or do. I assigned them various sections in the compound to sweep and weed out weekly.

Then I also challenged them to make pineapple peel based drinks and cakes I taught them to prepare, and find ways to sell them.

They did most of it, though sometimes it became a battle, and tempers flared a bit…!

As these thoughts went through my mind, I also recalled how I’d told them to always think of ways to negotiate for whatever they wanted.

Even with adults…including ME!

To never accept the options they were given without trying to see if better bargains could be struck.

Again, even with adults…including ME!

By the way, here’s why I keep saying “even with adults”…

It’s because in our culture, sometimes the need to show respect to adults, creates a mental block in the minds of young Africans, when they have to relate with older persons.

This makes some of them get taken advantage of when they become business owners, and have to serve older persons who have a tendency to be exploitative.

That brings me to the issue of why they do not call me “Dad, Daddy or Father”…

Actually, they dare NOT do that. I mean, call me “Dad, Daddy or Father”!

Over 3 years ago, I made it clear to all – including their (now 4 year old) baby sister, that I would not tolerate having any of them refer to me that way.

My experiences in dealing with so many adult Africans, both in and out of business, was primarily responsible for this decision.

As I type these words, I have a near septuagenarian client, that I did multiple jobs for last year, but who still owes me N100, 000…and has SHOWN he’s unwilling to pay up.

During our interactions, he repeatedly used his age as a bargaining chip (directly and indirectly) to get me to grant him concessions e.g. letting him pay in 2 parts as against one time up front, like all my other clients.

Indeed, he paid that way for the first project I did for him.

Yet despite the fact that I gave him that concession, and finished the project, he NOW no longer takes my calls.

Out of curiosity, to confirm if it was deliberate, I recently tried calling him from a relative’s mobile.

Even though I only tried once, he called back about 3 minutes later!

When my relative said she never called him (I deliberately did not tell her I’d used her phone, until AFTER), he still asked her if she was sure!

Yet just one hour after that, I REPEATEDLY called him from my mobile line. He neither picked up nor called back!

Experiences like the above made me decide to prepare my kids to be assertive in relating with older persons.

And if they find anyone demonstrating poor integrity, they have been taught what to do.

By letting them call me by name, I’m demystifying the myth about adults being infallible, not lying etc, which are subtly propagated in our culture out here.

Where did I get this idea? From the late legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti…who did the same with his kids!

But most importantly, my kids are being taught to avoid trying to get something for nothing…like some others do so often!

In the past they would simply walk up to me or their mother and say “I want a Coke.” Or sweets etc.

They had absolutely no conception of where money came from, or that it had to be earned!

All they knew was that it could be used to buy stuff they liked. Mostly fun stuff. Nothing productive.

So, I began asking them to tell me what they were willing to do to get the money they asked for.

And soon, we had all sorts of agreements.

Sometimes they would wash my car, or run errands they previously ducked, for their mother.

We found a mutually acceptable way of measuring what N50 (fifty naira), for instance, was “worth” in terms of work done. And we would agree a task to be done based on that understanding.

When they completed it, I gave them what they asked for.

Over time, when I saw they always spent it all, I told them I wanted to see them use their money for something productive – that if possible, yielded more money.

Next thing I knew, they began saving and buying themselves new slippers, biros, notebooks. Things they normally would have gone to their mother for.

They continue to learn of course…

The above “experiences”, I believe, led them to write me that “contract letter”!

Taking another look at my it, as they stood waiting for my response, I realized my plan was working…

But I also could not help wondering what I’d started!

I however knew if I backed out from the “deal”, they could be demoralized, even though we were all laughing about it.

Yet I felt it would be wrong to let them believe there had to be a reward promised, before they did chores at home, or went on errands for their parents.

So I told them I’d give them my response in a few months.

But that until then, I expected them to do all assigned tasks without grumbling anyway.

There were feeble protests, but they agreed.

And to their credit, they have been doing that for the most part.

That’s why I know I’ll be signing that “contract” this month (June) – specifically on their mother’s birthday, which comes up in a few days!

And I’ll be presenting them their balls – on that day too – as a surprise.

They are thinking the process will start AFTER we “sign”.

But, for me, they have already proven themselves worthy.

So it will just be for them to continue

Now, even though this piece is based on relations with my kids, my message is actually for ADULT entrepreneurs!

Many entrepreneurs out here need to realize getting paid for work by a client, is ONLY the beginning.

That’s such an obvious fact – yet many act like they do not know it!

Which is why we keep hearing stories about persons getting paid to do a job, and becoming difficult to get a hold of right after.

Or, if at all you can reach them, they tell silly stories, delay in giving progress updates, abandon projects half-finished, or deliver poorly finished work…to clients who trusted them enough to pay up!

Some claim they do that because a client(s) did that to them in the past. VERY childish excuse!

I’ve experienced exploitative clients, and over the years developed smart strategies to protect myself

Every business owner simply needs to do the same.

There’s no need to turn crooked because of it!

If you don’t know how, go online and read articles (there are tons of them) written by others like you (including me – here’s one), about the subject.

My most recent experience with the elderly client has made me STOP letting any clients pay me in part. Except a client I have absolute trust in.

And there are a few like that – we’ve been together for YEARS.

But I also have some I’ve known less than 2 years, who have shown themselves trustworthy.

For the rest, they have to meet my terms, or we agree NOT to work together.

If you choose to take from clients, without giving what you promised, you break a natural law.

There are forces in nature that will ensure you pay for what you’ve done.

And when it happens, you may find yourself worse off, than you have ever been before.

So, like they say in my language (Yoruba): Se rere (Do good…ALWAYS!)

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Public Speaking, Self-Development

No. 146: Secret to Finding Bulk Buyers Online for Your Farm Products (PDF Report)

June 16, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

When poultry Farmers in Jos, reportedly asked the MD of Grand Cereals and Oils in Plateau state to buy up their excess eggs arising from a market glut, he challenged them to find outlets for their products, but offered to buy some, and donate to schools.

He’s since swung into action to fulfill his promise as reported on his company’s blog, and on the Vanguard news site.

I However Believe Farm CEOs Must LEARN to Do Their Own Marketing!

They need to take ownership of finding buyers, and stop “pleading” for help to make sales and keep profits.

In my opinion, that makes a mockery of the whole idea of being a “business owner”.

And there’s no need for that!

Burt Dubin (speakingsuccess.com), once wrote in a business marketing article for experts he coaches to speak as follows:

“Be a markerter first, an expert next, a speaker last”…

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

Click now to view the latest issue of Tayo Solagbade's Public Speaking IDEAS page

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 16th June 2014

No:146

Title: Secret to Finding Bulk Buyers Online for Your Farm Products (PDF Report)

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

Blog URL: http://www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets

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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NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule

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IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS newsletter is published online on the “reincarnated” version of my Self-Development (SD) Nuggets blog. I continue to put finishing touches to the content. If you encounter ANY bad/dead links, and you can spare the time, email it to me via tayo at tksola dot com. Thanks in advance

No. 146: Secret to Finding Bulk Buyers Online for Your Farm Products (PDF Report)

He’s since swung into action to fulfill his promise as reported on his company’s blog, and on the Vanguard news site.

I However Believe Farm CEOs Must LEARN to Do Their Own Marketing!

They need to take ownership of finding buyers, and stop “pleading” for help to make sales and keep profits.

In my opinion, that makes a mockery of the whole idea of being a “business owner”.

And there’s no need for that!

Burt Dubin (speakingsuccess.com), once wrote in a business marketing article for experts he coaches to speak as follows:

“Be a markerter first, an expert next, a speaker last”…read more

In several other articles accessble here(click), he hammered on the same theme…see excerpt below:

“You must make yourself a competent marketer of your speaking services. Only then do you go to deliver your speaking services. So you get to figure out who to call”...read more.

My comment: ALL CEOs, in ANY line of business, who want profitable results, MUST accept the above stated truth!

Your Success In Marketing, Will Determine How Well Your Business Does…

That is, assuming, of course, that your competence in delivering to satisfy the buyers’ needs is not in question.

Since 2004, I’ve related with Farm CEOs buyers from across Nigeria (and also parts of Africa/beyond).

With Nigerian Farm CEOs in particular, I’ve identified ONE weakness common to 80% of them.

And it’s shared by CEO clients I’ve worked with in other industries (real estate, interior design, consulting, IT etc).

What is this weakness I’ve noticed in 80% of Nigerian Farm (and other) CEOs?

Well, it’s a seeming severe aversion for developing and implementing an intelligent, reliable, and REPEATEABLE system for finding PROFITABLE potential buyers for their products and services.

They say they want more buyers, and more sales. And they want as much profit as possible per sale.

But their daily actions suggest otherwise.

They focus too much on routine daily operations, and spare little thought for planning their marketing.

Instead they wait till their products are ready, and then depend on “existing” buyers, for sales. As a result, insightful buyers (who know they lack alternatives) sometimes make them “unfair” offers.

And they may be forced to accept, to avoid losses or costs of keeping market ready stocks on the farm!

“Many Roads Leading to the Marketplace!” (A Proverb)

The above phrase is based on a well known proverb in my country. Yorubas and Igbos use it quite a bit.

And it brings me to what is really the point of this week’s issue of my newsletter.

I argue that we do not – and need not (probably cannot!) – all use the same marketing channels, methods or strategies, in the same way, to find buyers.

1. For one thing, we run different kinds of business or offer varying genres of products and services.

2. In addition, we operate in different socio-economic environments.

3. And not just that, we also have different personalities, educational backgrounds, preferences and of course different target audiences we’re aiming at.

Simply put therefore, what works well for me, may not work so well, or at all for you. So, even when you learn from others, never be afraid to put your own twist on it!

That’s Why I Favour a Cost-effective Marketing Approach That Is Adaptable to Unique Needs

Indeed, using such an approach, we can both be involved in the same business (e.g. fashion design) and I could employ a completely different strategy from yours, to win new, or generate repeat, sales.

The difference would be mainly be in the time, effort, and resources that go into doing it our different ways – and of course the QUALITY of results we get.

And if we’re each smart, we’ll constantly test and explore new ways to get better results. Every smart business owner – be you a solo act or a multinational – needs to think this way.

NB: What I just said IS the Continuous Improvement aspect of using Best Practices in your operations!

If You Knew a Strategy That Could Win New Buyer At Lesser Cost, Would You Adopt It?

Incidentally, this is not the first time I have asked that question in my writing.

If your answer is YES, then I have a new report prepared that describes 2 such strategies you can use.

The first one has actually been used – online of course – by a smart thinking Nigerian farm CEO, since 2012.

He did it and got impressive results using an online discussion forum to recruit bulk buyers – from other states! – to buy his Eggs, in bulk, from his farm in Oyo State, South West Nigeria.

One month in 2012, he began using it. And a few later, the first prospects, on their own, began finding him!

He began by offering to deliver to EACH buyer with his new farm.

But at a point he got so many buyers coming to “Pick Up” that he actually announced he could no longer deliver to any buyers.

Think about it. He came online to post invitations to potential buyers because he needed buyers.

He was so in need that he offered to deliver to them, if they so wished.

Then this system – which he was paying NO MONEY to use – worked so well, that he got more demand from buyers than he could cope with!

Wouldn’t you just LOVE to learn what that system is, and how your farm can make similar use of it?

If YES, get in touch here for details…click now.

Final Words: Stop Limiting Your Thinking About Where You Can Find Buyers!

I spoke with a Farm CEO client in Jos, about a week ago. He told me one out of every 3 homes in Jos rears egg laying birds. Some do not produce to sell – only for consumption.

According to him, that was why egg selling farms sometimes struggled to make good sales.

I replied that each CEO simply needed to change his/her mindset, and think more creatively.

For heaven’s sake, must your buyers be from your neighbourhood, state…or even country???

Of course not :-))

Human beings with the same number of other body parts like you get buyers from across the world!

Some are actually home based businesses in Nigeria/Ghana etc who export farm based products of all kinds (e.g. Shea Butter, Pepper etc) as far as the USA!

If Jos is so full of eggs, why not look for buyers outside of Jos???

If you asked “HOW”, I’d reply “Now you’re talking!”

First, it need not involve spending money you do not have.

The Farm CEO in Oyo state likely knew that taking out a newspaper ad (which has a mere 24 hour shelf-life!) was NOT the answer.

That would simply eat up any margins to be had from the eggs sales. And there was no assurance that any sale would be made that way.

So he wisely adopted the use of the web – which offers TIMELESS MARKETING benefits.

Doing so involved doing more WORK. But he could afford that!

What he did was so simple, even a 10 year old could have done it. I exaggerate NOT.

No special IT or web skills needed.

Just smart thinking…of which we are all capable, if we put in the effort!

I describe everything he did in my special “blueprint” report.

But I also describe a second approach, much more advanced compared to that used by the Oyo state CEO, that yields even better results – for the LONG TERM – with even less effort.

Click here to request details of how to get it.

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Have a great week :-))

Get Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring
for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

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

http://www.tayosolagbade.com

Tayo K. Solagbade is a Location Independent Performance Improvement Specialist and Multipreneur (i.e. a highly versatile/multi-skilled entrepreneur), with a bias for delivering Best Practice solutions to Farm Businesses and others.

Since 2002, he has earned multiple streams of income providing individuals and organisations with personal development training and coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems/web hosting, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

Tayo is the author of the Self-Development (SD) Bible™ and the popular Livestock Feed Formulation Handbook. He is also the developer of its accompanying Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator™ and the Poultry Farm Manager™ software.

He has delivered talks/papers to audiences in various groups and organisations, including the Centre for Management Development, University of Lagos, Christ Baptist Church, Volunteer Corps, Tantalisers Fast Foods and others.

In May 2012 he was the Guest Speaker at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development’s Annual Semester Entrepreneurial Lecture at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.

On 1st April 2013, Tayo (who reads, write and speaks the French language) relocated to Cotonou, Benin Republic to begin slowly traveling across the West African region.

His key purpose is to deliver talks, seminars and workshops on his key areas of focus and interest to interested audiences (Email tayo at tksola dot com for details).

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

You can connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

Visit Tayo Solagbade Dot Com, to download over over 10 performance improvement resources to boost your personal and work related productivity.

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[IMPORTANT NOTE:====

On 4th May 2014, Tayo’s 9 year old domain (Spontaneousdevelopment dot com), which hosted his website, was taken over by Aplus.net.

Within a few days however, Tayo used his advanced self-taught web development skills to build a SUPERIOR “reincarnation” of it the website http://www.tayosolagbade.com.

But updates are still ongoing to URLs bearing the old domain name in most of the over 1,000 web pages, and blog posts he’s published.

If you experience any difficulties finding a page or document, email Tayo at tksola dot com.

Click “Tayo, What Happened to SpontaneousDevelopmentDotCom ?” to read a detailed narrative about how the above event occurred :-))

Here’s an article Tayo wrote, to inspire others to defy adversity, and bounce back to even greater reckoning at what they do EVERY time:

Succeed by Emerging from Adversity Like a Phoenix (TayoSolagbade.com launches extra Hosting plan with FREE Web Marketing!)

And he wrote the one below, to explain why losing a domain name, no matter how old NO LONGER determines your online success or otherwise:

A Proven Strategy to Find Profitable Buyers Regardless of Your Domain Name

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

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

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Publications

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—

NEW: Your Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series Is Now Available

Click here to learn more

FREE TALK: How a Best Operating Process Management Sysem (BOPMS)™Will Earn Your Farm MORE Profits!

Download above PDF

FREE TALK: 3 Zero Cost Strategies to Attract Profitable Buyers for Your Farm Products!

Download above PDF

NEW: Coaching Program for Farm Products Marketing Success

THEY WROTE…

“(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).

———————–

Click here to contact Tayo…




SD Nuggets Blog™	New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Monday]:	No. 145: A Few People Can Make Life NEEDLESSLY Miserable for Many, IF Not Called to Order (Case Study: My Experiences at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme Border)
Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:	Why School Prepares People POORLY, to Succeed OUTSIDE Paid Employment
Self-Development [Wednesday]:	The Cheapest, Most Reliable Way to Find Buyers (Hint: It’s NOT What You Think)
Entrepreneurship[Thursday]:	Why You Need To Develop A Healthy Respect For Money
General [Friday]:	When She FACES the Real World WITHOUT YOU, Will the Preparation You Gave, be Enough to Help Your Child Succeed?
Writing/Blogging/Entrepreneurship [Saturday]:	If You Have a “Bankable Idea” Your Brain Can be Your Collateral (2 True Stories About People Who Did It)

Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring

for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

If You Have a “Bankable Idea” Your Brain Can be Your Collateral (2 True Stories About People Who Did It)

June 14, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

The above screen shot shows my Facebook post quoting Ben Murray Bruce, President of Silver bird Entertainment as saying: ‘…My collateral is my brain…”. Basically arguing that financiers (individual or corporate) need no physical collateral from people with “bankable ideas”.

I saw his point, and agreed with him.

However, like I said in my post (and as the comment of a friend –Chukwudi Ernest Awazie – indicates) nothing has changed since he said those words, about 10 years ago!

But a question Ernest inserted right at the end of his comment got me thinking…

He wrote:

“…But, is that the recent or has been happening norm in developed countries?”

That question inspired me to write THIS article.

We need to appreciate how things we struggle with, WORK in other climes, to understand what we CAN do in our world, to make things work better.

Virtually every word that follows below was typed on the small keyboard of my Blackberry Pearl 9105 smart phone, under 20 minutes.

I did not stop till I was done. If you are familiar with that phone, you know it does NOT allow for two-handed typing.

That should give you an idea of how INTENSE I was in putting this together. I simply could NOT bear to wait till I put on my laptop!

Hopefully, you’ll find this to be useful reading…

Maybe I’m asking for too much from Nigeria, it’s people and the organizations they run.

You see decades ago, in developed societies. Even before Thomas Edison’s time, “Bankable Ideas” had ALWAYS enjoyed access to ready financing.

People who had such ideas earned the recognition and support of those with access to what was/is aptly called “Risk Capital”.

How else do you think Edison managed to keep going “trying” many different experiments and failing for so long before breaking through?

E.g. Until he discovered the tungsten filament that made his invention of the light bulb possible?

Remember that he had to maintain a lab, with equipment and staff to pay salaries too.

Without funding, he could not have gone far.

Note also, that Edison only had a few months of formal schooling. So that would have been a handicap of sorts at first!

And since he had not yet succeeded in a major way, at the time, he had no serious claim to fame that could have gotten him funds.All he had were his ideas – and the practical purposes to which he applied them for ALL to see!

With courage, and persistence he proceeded.

The people who went on to back him were not bankers. They were mostly wealthy individuals or groups, who saw an opportunity to grow their fortunes via mass marketing profits, if his idea, that they saw had useful potential, worked.

And it eventually did.

Those financiers were not eternally patient either. Some complained whenever they felt “results” were taking “too long” in coming.

One account I read has it that Thomas Edison once told those not comfortable with the rate of progress, to feel free to pull out.

In other words, he wanted them to be in it for the long haul, like he was. They had to be willing to trust his judgment, and genius.

His famous statement (below) was made when an associate suggested there was no point doing more experiments, since he’d not gotten any results:

“Results! Why man, I have gotten a lot of results! I know several thousand things that won’t work.”

(Source: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/edison-lot-results/ )

Talk about keeping the right perspective about what you’re doing. That’s what Edison did that made him so successful.

Those who stuck with him reaped the rewards for their patience.

Without “Risk Capital” invested in the idea from “Edison’s brain”, the light bulb we all take for granted today, would not exist.

Who knows, we would probably have continued using some advanced “lantern” of sorts!

Everything I’ve Said Above Also Applies to Edison’s “Rival” of Sorts: Nikola Tesla

Tesla achieved fame and recognition for his achievements in electricity generation – filing an impressive number of patents under his name.

I’ve used lots of anecdotes from Edison in past articles. This article offers one or two from another man who used his “brain as collateral”.

Below is a screen shots that shows an excerpt of how Tesla went from being penniless, after losing his company, to starting a new company, and going on to even greater successes.

Note that during the “interval” before he found new success, he had to actually WORK as a ditch digger, for $2/day! He was quoted as having questioned the value of his education during this period.

Dear reader. I believe I know what Tesla felt to have made such a comment…

Some of my entrepreneurship talks involve telling my audience how I developed a near hatred for “traditional schooling” during the really dark YEARS I endured as a startup in NIGERIA.

Today, I’ve channeled that “anger” towards re-orienting all who will listen, about the need to augment what one learns in school, with practical lessons about what it takes to survive in the real world.

Click here to read an absorbing Wikipedia account of Tesla life history.

As you read it, notice the common theme of how with each loss or setback he suffered, Tesla he simply reused his “brain” as collateral to attract funding to enable him bounce back, continue work, or take it to the next level.

That’s what Ben Bruce was referring to!

Thank heavens for “Risk Capital” and the great minds that have been granted access to it!

A lot of today’s wonderful man made innovations and inventions would never have seen the light of day, without them.

Note, in the screen shot below, how ONE wealthy individual on his own “invested” a hefty $100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Dollars) with Tesla.

This was apparently for pursuit of further research work in a specific area the giver hoped to reap benefits.

Sadly, Tesla diverted the funds into a new project he was working on. But the point being made here is that Tesla’s brain was the only collateral involved in that exchange!

The above shows that people of means can be won over, by an individual’s demonstration of COMPETENCE and PASSIONATE COMMITMENT to a cause.

And when you combine all that with being (what I like to call) an “Ideas Generator” and “Genius” – which both Edison and Tesla epitomized, it will rarely matter how badly you fall.

Your reputation would basically speak for you!

You will be most likely to subsequently find people willing to give you the money you need without asking for ANY collateral to secure it. That is of course, IF you do as Edison suggest by not giving up, and PERSISTING instead!

If you’re someone looking for financing or other forms of support for your idea, take note of what I’ve said above.

It’s the key to “attracting” and winning over those who can help you.

Entrepreneurship continues to flourish in most developed societies across the world up till THIS DAY, for the above reason.

In other words, it is still happening.

People with bankable ideas are still getting financing they need without using physical collateral.

The PC and Internet technology revolution has even taken it to a whole new level!

It’s now really up to every society to make the most of what’s obviously possible.

Do your research and you’ll see that what I say is true!

Interestingly, this also happens here in Nigeria/Africa, but not on the scale that it would have the incredible wealth generating impact that it does in places like America. Out here, the examples are few and far between.

I can say this because it has happened to me – as an entrepreneur – over the years.

But it has always been on a much smaller scale, that it could be.

Why?

Because we are basically, we are too risk averse for our own good.

Only when that changes will we – as a people – reap the fortunes of innovation and creativity that other societies we wish to emulate do!

In Nigeria/Africa, wealthy individuals, and businesses/finance houses that have funds, need to look out for good ideas to invest in, like their counterparts in developed societies do.

And when they find them, they need to apply the thinking described above, which has helped developed society produce the world’s top entrepreneurs, who in turn now create wealth for their economies.

My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development

When She FACES the Real World WITHOUT YOU, Will the Preparation You Gave, be Enough to Help Your Child Succeed?

June 13, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

If you hold a degree, and plan to make your child get one too, I congratulate you!

However, let me ask you this question:

“AFTER s/he leaves home and begins FACING the real world as an INDEPENDENT adult, will your child be HAPPY with the preparation you gave him/her?”

In case you did not know it, YOUR role as a parent, is to PREPARE your child to succeed in the real world s/he met you in.

S/he trusts that you will give him/her ALL the tips and know-how s/he needs…not some – but ALL.

And if you know you do not know ENOUGH, s/he expects you LOVE him/her enough to admit it, and get help e.g. by reading articles like this one. And also by reading the works of enlightened thought leaders on this theme – like Robert Kiyosaki, Sir Ken Robinson, and Seth Godin, among others.

Let’s be honest. A degree really is NOT all one needs to succeed in life…

Truth is, it’s just one of a number of possible “weapons” you can put in your arsenal. That’s the truth. Many degree holders across the world can be found working for others who do NOT have more than a high school education.

That’s a good enough indication, isn’t it? Yep.

Now, it is not my desire to belittle your hard earned degree(I hold one too by the way!).

I know you ache to help your child earn one too. However, not everyone NEEDS a degree to excel in life. That’s the hard truth. And we have countless glaring examples all around us that prove it. Yet, people with degrees sometimes feel a need to defend that “route” to success.

I have an obligation to share the truths I discover, about life, and what it takes to succeed in it.

First of all, we have to arrive at what I call a basic definition of success. For me, it is a level of competence and achievement demonstrated by any individual to meet his/her basic needs and responsibilities.

To what needs do I refer?

Well, think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (food, clothing, shelter etc). I would say those rank first in importance for more or less all human beings. Now, when my child becomes an independent adult, and is able to INDEPENDENTLY cater for him/herself (and any dependants – spouse/kids), with regards to those needs, s/he would be successful.

I see a lot of that happening here in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

People are able to meet their daily needs using their skills and basic formal education. Even those who do not have degrees are able to cater for their dependants by simply working hard at what they do. So, they are successful in that sense.

A second level of success would then be the pursuit and achievement of personal goals and ambitions.

It is a bit difficult to identify upfront what one’s child would want in life, once s/he can meet her basic needs as mentioned above. However, I argue that as parents we have a duty to carefully study each child and deliberately equip him/her with knowledge, attitudes and skills that will boost his/her ability to achieve whatever purpose s/he may eventually set his/her sights on.

We are not to control or manipulate our kids to follow a predefined path set by us. Instead, we should make them active partners in deciding what they should do, and where they should go.

And at all times we will be wise to let THEM do the THINKING, when it comes to making the final decision.

This is what it means to take OWNERSHIP. And letting them do so will make them mature into competent adults, who can function effectively even when they no longer have ready access to us (e.g. they move to a new country or we’ve passed on etc).

What age is right for College? Indeed should age matter at all?

I think age need not matter. Instead a person’s READINESS is what is really essential.

I’m not just playing devil’s advocate here. Instead, I’m thinking back to what I saw back on campus.

In my faculty, we had a gentleman we fondly called “Baba Oyo”. He was the oldest of all of us in the faculty, and if you crossed him, he never hesitated to let you know that.

But he proudly pursued admission and I believe finished his degree programme in Agronomy with honours.

If my estimates are correct, when I was graduating at 22, Baba Oyo was well over 40.

Probably older.

Technically speaking, he could have been my father. Now, at around the same time, I read in the Guinness book of records that some eleven or twelve year old, had become a professor somewhere in America or so.

It was shocking for most of us to read that.

In my case, I thought back to when I was 12, and could simply not imagine myself comprehending any of the subjects I’d taken during my 5 year degree programme in Agricultural Extension Services.

Talk less of what it would have taken to do a PhD!

One thing was certain – that “professor” guy was definitely a prodigy of some sort. And people like him are the exception, not the norm. Also, I’m not sure how “normal” his childhood would have been, and how that may have affected his social (read: interpersonal) skills etc.

After years of studying trends in societies in Africa and abroad, I’ve come to one realization.

No matter how early or late you go through college (or any other level of formal schooling), the bottom line is that one day you’ll have to take all you’ve earned (your degrees etc) and go out to get a job.

That’s when some brilliant ones who finished school 2 years earlier, but have been unable to get jobs (or are looking to get better ones) get joined in the labour market by the slower chaps.

One then wonders, at this point, what the earlier rush to “graduate” first, was about!

Sadly, very few people leave college to start their own businesses. At least not as a first choice.

Usually they would have gone round trying to get hired for a good length of time, and only afterwards considered “starting” something of their own.

In other cases, they may have gotten employed somewhere, but the pay may have been horrible. Or maybe the pay was good, but the working conditions were horrible. Or maybe the pay and the working conditions were good, but they kept feeling unfulfilled.

Whatever the case, only after trying the paid employment angle for a while, do most people consider or embrace self-employment.

Self-employment is not an easy route either. But it offers much richer rewards in multidimensional terms.

You’re your own boss, set your work hours, fees/prices, and work with people you “like”.

And you usually tend to get self-employed doing what YOU LOVE.

This is crucial for most self-employed persons that succeed.

Here’s another useful benefit of pursuing self-employment: You can get started doing “something” that may yield useful income.

For instance, a smart chap could purchase a resellerclub.com reseller license for $25 (I paid $199 in 2010 for mine), and begin selling to individuals and companies.

Zero overheads. Unlimited income earning potential. Repeat sales via annual renewals. All equals inevitable success for a NON-LAZY person!

Guess what?

You only need to be able to read and write to do that business! And you do not even need to own a PC of your own. I should know. It’s a side business I do, which I intend to coach my kids to do as well!

NB: In contrast, a person looking for a job must FIRST find a wiling employer!

The problem I have with conventional schooling systems, is they DO NOT tell students about this 2nd option of Self-Employment possibilities

And even where they do tell them, they do not tell them ENOUGH.

Why?

Because most of those teaching in traditional schooling systems are those who know no other way to earn a living.

They were trained to think like employees, and to see acquisition of formal schooling, as a preparation for some form of paid employment.

Since one cannot give what one does not have, they end up passing the same mental attitude to their students.

The latter then get into the real world, and have to struggle on their own to discover that there IS another viable alternative (of self-employment) they can pursue.

Imagine if the students had been told about it earlier, while they still studied?

Maybe MORE of such students could have done their studying, with the mindset of hitting the ground running as well schooled start-up entrepreneurs!

See what I mean?

It does not have to be an “EITHER – OR” situation.

This is not some competition or battle of egos here.

I never knew I had that choice. I just assumed the right thing to do was to finish school and get a job.

But now I know better. And I’m putting what I know to use for the benefit of my kids.

Like I said to undergraduates in Benin Republic’s University of Calavi, last year (2013), I’ve told my kids to “hold formal schooling in their left hands”, and pursue the study of what works in the real world, AT THE SAME TIME, with their “right hands”.

My role is to be their guide. To give them ideas, suggestions and insights based on where I’ve been, and what I’ve done – both good and bad(or not-so-good hee hee).

Everything I know can be of use to my kids (same applies to YOU). And I support them as they individually give me signs of what options they want to adopt.

I have achieved great success in coaching other people’s kids over the past 15 years, using this same approach.

And this is why I believe that doing this WILL help my kids become competent adults, who will demonstrate the ability to successfully function as employees and/or entrepreneurs in their adult lives.

When I say “as employees and/or entrepreneurs”, I mean it is possible (and I have clients who live this way) to hold down a normal 9 to 5 job, and still start-up and run a successful business that (may or may not) employ(s) others.

My kids will be given the preparation to function that way, should the need to do so arise.

The vision I have is that by the time they leave home, as independent adults, they will look back at the “well rounded” preparation I’ve given them – with help from the Creator – with gratitude.

If you want your child to be truly happy with you in ADULTHOOD, after s/he leaves home, and has to face the world on his/her own, I suggest your seriously consider using the ideas shared in this article!

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

Why You Need To Develop A Healthy Respect For Money

June 12, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Back in paid employment, I was, like many of my co-workers, used to having my salary paid to me in bulk at the month end (almost without fail). I never really understood what it meant to EARN the money that came to me.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

I am not saying that those in paid employment do not EARN the money they are paid.

What I mean is that the fact that they KNOW that their salary will be paid as long as they SHOW UP at work, even if they do not put "stretch" themselves to deliver EXTRA value, makes many salary earners take it for granted.

They get used to expecting to get paid when sometimes they have not even done as much as other colleagues – on the same grade – who go the extra mile.

In contrast, a person who is NOT in paid employment, who works for him/herself, MUST deliver USEFUL VALUE to buyers, commensurate with the monetary payment they make to him/her.

If s/he fails to deliver what is considered adequate/satisfactory value by the client, his/her payment may be delayed – and could end up not being made.

Again, unlike the salaried person s/he MUST actively market his/her products and services to prospective clients to win new paid projects. Otherwise s/he will not be able to earn a decent living!

Simply put, the business person has to constantly search for NEW opportunities to earn regular income compared to the average salary earner.

The latter on the other hand is not under this constant pressure to find NEW income sources for as long as his/her job is "safe".

And this is what leads some people in paid employment – especially those who earn fat income – develop what is called a "LOVE of EASE" that makes them fail to nurture a healthy respect for money.

They get used to having it come too easily into their hands. They rarely have to stretch themselves to get it.

And they hardly ever experience anything close to a LACK of it – something that many people in business, especially start-ups usually have to learn to deal with before they stabilize in their business operations.

The above also helps us understand why business persons tend to be more sensitive to/cautious about spending money.

They are constantly monitoring the channels through which money flows OUT of their hands/pockets. And they will often develop strategies to SLOW down the outflow or cut it off completely where possible, in order to be more profitable. Interpreted as having MORE money left over to spend for themselves.

A notable exception to this of course is the business person who cuts corners and earns income through crooked means.

S/he will rarely be bothered about watching his/her spending being assured that MORE unearned income can always be obtained using the same methods.

But, you already know that THIS article is NOT about such people. There is nothing to learn from them :-))

As a business person, the need to work actively to ADD value to others in order to EARN profitable income, has over time taught me to have great respect for money, so that I can KEEP more of it for my use.

Here are two experience-based ways in which I show respect for money, and which I believe others could learn to do:

1. I treat ALL my profitable paying clients with consideration/respect regardless of the size of business they have done – or say they will do – with me.

When ANY of them call me for support, I respond professionally and ensure I SOLVE their problems to their satisfaction – ELSE I do NOT leave! Their signatures on many pages of my Client Support/Problem Resolution Log Sheets provide ample evidence to support my claims.

It also explains why they not only gladly pay my bills to cover the expenses I incur in providing support, but ALSO why they give me repeat business and even referrals.

2. I build and sell software products that appeal to virtually all segments of the market I serve – especially in terms of affordability.

In other words, I do NOT think or believe any segment offers business returns that are too small to profit from.

My experience with my Income & Expense Manager application (which has been widely accepted by paying customers in various industries) is proof of this. Marketing to low budget market audiences offers HUGE profit rewards for the customer-focused developer who has a TRUE passion for his work.

S/he only needs to aim for high sales volumes to records impressive profit margins in a short period – like I have done.

Many people just LOVE having money to spend.

They do not have RESPECT for it.

People who have respect for money SHOW IT in the way they are thoughtful and painstaking in planning to use it to get the things they want and NEED.

They invest it in acquiring assets that ensure they can get more of it.

Such assets include shares, property and of course NEW money making skills and knowledge.

Signs That Suggest You Lack Respect For Money

1. You readily accept the first price you are give for an item you wish to purchase without checking to see (via negotiation) if a better bargain could be had. Some people do this because they feel a need to impress others with them. As we say out here…"they want to do Big Man!":-)

2. You spend/buy things because you see others do so, and not because you really need them.

3. You do not keep written records of your expenses. You do not review them with a view to tracking your spending against a budget limit for instance.

4. You often engage in impulsive/unplanned spending.People for instance find it easy to get money off you, by springing requests of all kinds on you. And you feel pressured to indulge them because you don’t want to be called "stingy".

With respect to this last point, I want you to think of yourself as being FRUGAL when you choose to mentally check yourself from letting money leave your hands without THINKING carefully about WHY and for WHAT you want to let it go.

It does not matter how rich or wealthy you think you are.

Having respect for money can only help you STAY rich (or get richer), and for those aspiring, it WILL equip them to get there faster.

Sadly, in this society, I continue to see (and hear from) many former paid employment colleagues and current associates demonstrate an alarming LACK of respect for money.

In my opinion, based on the knowledge I have of many of them, they behave in this manner because of the very wrong belief they have that being conscious of their spending for instance would suggest to others that they do not have enough money!

But I ask: What does it matter if others THINK you don’t have much money?

After all the fact that they think so, cannot make you have less money than you actually DO have!

If only those afflicted with this obsessive need to be SEEN to be well off would understand the aforementioned simple truth, and STOP living their lives trying to meet other people’s (moving target) standards/expectations.

Here’s an admonition…

Think of your children at least, and begin to imagine how your spending habits can make or mar their futures.

If the way they see you TREAT money helps them learn to ALWAYS THINK/be painstaking in planning their OWN spending, then they will be more likely to grow up equipped to become wealthy as adults.

Doing the above will also prepare your kids to maintain the riches/wealth you pass on to them.

Which brings me to my final point

Do you have ANY thing TODAY worth passing on to your kids as a form of valuable inheritance they can build on?

Remember that your wonderful job with all its attractive benefits in that blue-chip company is NOT something you can will over to your child. At the risk of stating the obvious, I want to point out that it is NOT yours!

Therefore, except you own the company, you cannot RESERVE that prestigious job title, position, car etc for your child!
One therefore hopes that’s NOT all you have…but if it is, it’s not too late.

You can begin to plan to do something OUTSIDE your salaried job to insure your kids have a bright future.

It goes without saying therefore, that you will need to start by developing a healthy respect for money. Make sure from now on that you can account for every kobo you spend – and make sure every expenditure adds value to your life, and the lives of those you care for, now and into the future.

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

The Cheapest, Most Reliable Way to Find Buyers (Hint: It’s NOT What You Think)

June 11, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

The first issue of my Self-Development Digest newsletter was published on Mon 5th Jun 2006. Six years later, in June 2012, it evolved into what is today my popular DAILY multidisciplinary Self-Development (SD) Nuggets blog, on which I publish my Monday Speaking IDEAS newsletter.

Truth is, it takes UNDILUTED passion to keep going, day, month and year after year …after year(!), doing something of this sort anywhere, especially as a Nigerian/African, living and working IN Nigeria/Africa!.

Many who start newsletters (online or off) often fail to keep it going this long.

I mean here in Nigeria/Africa. Visit many Nigerian/African owned personal and business web sites, and you will see what I mean.

Many times, the newsletter issue available for viewing is rarely a current one. If at all there is one on offer. Indeed you may find mostly stale and static content!

Why is this so?

Well, it’s the mental attitude of our people.

We are too focused on getting the benefits FIRST. We want the results we desire to come quickly.

And if they don’t, we begin to discontinue any tasks or activities we feel cost us too much time, effort or money compared to whatever benefits they bring us.

The first to go will often be stuff that has to do with our GIVING of ourselves (e.g. newsletters/articles), without being sure of any returns from others.

What those who quit in this manner fail to realize…

…is that most times a little persistence, and diligent refining of our methods and strategies will lead to the results we want.

I am living proof that this is so.

My emails (and phone data) subscriber database keeps growing. And I keep getting surprised by the “increasing profiles” of those who choose to join.

More and more Nigerian professionals, corporate executives and CEOs subscribe to my newsletters.

In the early years, I only had people from South Africa, America, Ghana, Cameroon, Singapore, China etc. Today, I even get enquiries from Iran, Iraq, Barbados, and Saudi Arabia (A Nigerian IT expert who works in a high profile position with a government establishment).

But that’s not all – many now get back to me, and buy my products, PLUS refer my work to others.

As a result, I have discovered online discussion forums referring to my products and web sites, and seen traffic coming my way as a result.

Most importantly, people now readily make payments for different products and services I promote via my web site. It’s so great to see people willing to take such huge leaps of faith – sending money into my account, and then WAITING for 24 to 72 hours to get emails carrying my spreadsheet software, PDF user guides etc that they paid for.

There must be something I know – that others who say it does not work DON’T!

[NB: I should add here that most of what I say here is with regard to my spontaneousdevelopment.com

I refer to my former 9 year old primary domain that I lost on 4th May 2014.

Having said that, within less than a month of that happening, I moved – and refocused my content – on to tayosolagbade.com, drawing on what I learnt over they years, about my sales leads sources..

And it’s really paid off.

My web site conversation ratio has basically increased more than 3 fold today justifying my decision to NOT buy back my old domain from those who took it over.

It also validates my argument that domain names are NO LONGER as crucial to web marketing success as the QUALITY of web marketing content one turns out!

Do you need to get word out about yourself/what you do to others?

I urge you to start your own web based newsletter today.

Make sure you have a professional mailing list management software (I use a FREE one, that is extremely powerful) to send it out to subscribers, (and to sign them up).

Actually, you’ll also do well to run a blog – branded to subtly “sell” you (or your products/services) to your target audience.

In fact, to really get good value for your money or time, your best bet is to develop and implement a custom Web Marketing System(WMS).

I say that based on my decade long experience using the Internet to find buyers.

That will costs almost nothing, in the long term, when compared to what you spend using traditional marketing and advertising media e.g. TV, Radio, and Print.

For instance, apart from saving you lots of time, effort and money, a WMS will keep working even while you’re sleeping, attracting potential buyers via search engines and other channels.

This way you get a regular stream of sales leads naturally generated without your raising a finger.

I estimate that I close over 80% of such leads that come my way. And easily too.

How come?

Well, it’s because my WMS will often have done the hard job of “educating and convincing” them that I have what they need, BEFORE they contact me. Indeed THAT is why they go out of their way to contact me.

As a result, they typically come to me one or two steps away from buying!

3 typical questions they ask me are:

(a). How much is it?

(b). How do I pay

…and…

(c). How do I get it, after I pay.

Would it not be wonderful if you also had a system that so prepared buyers that they came to you READY to do business?

A system that helps you screen out those time wasters who are just curious?

I bet you would LOVE to have such a system in place, working for you 24/7 – like it does for me!

A WMS can get you such tangible results – and at low to zero cost – forever.

To learn more about how I can develop and implement such a WMS for you, email me via tayo at tksola dot com or fill/submit this form.

What You Need to Achieve Web Marketing Success (4 Tips) – This features a special Web Marketing/Webhosting offer

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

Why School Prepares People POORLY, to Succeed OUTSIDE Paid Employment

June 10, 2014 Tayo Solagbade 1 Comment

In 1992, I graduated with the highest ever C.G.P.A of 5.9 (First class was 6.0) in Agric. Extension from Unibadan. Then, in Guinness Nigeria, I earned senior management roles in less than 6 years from 1994.

However, as an entrepreneur, I looked like a TOTAL IDIOT – for years – after starting. Yes, IDIOT, in capital letters!

It’s taken a rare brand of stubbornness, and persistence (fuelled by what I learnt by studying people who had the answers e.g. Napoleon Hill, Robert Kiyosaki, James R. Cook, Burt Dubin etc) to find my feet in the real world(outside paid employment).

The above confirms the fact that our schooling systems prepare us to be employees – and NOT entrepreneurs or business owners.

Yet, without entrepreneurs and the businesses they build, jobs would NOT exist for employees to hold!

[NB: I end this article with the download link to a FREE chapter preview PDF of Robert Kiyosaki’s “Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students”. I think parents looking for “more” answers will find it a VERY useful read.]

The problem is that the qualities needed to excel in the real world, as entrepreneurs (especially creative and independent THINKING), are basically “beaten” out of people who attend formal schooling.

This is why those who spend less (or no) time in our conventional schools are often the ones left with the “creative instincts” to excel in the real world (outside paid employment) e.g. by being self-employed or starting businesses that recruit workers!

Thomas Edison had only a few months of schooling, but had over 1,000 patents to his name.

Many Nigerian graduates end up working for less well schooled (sometimes unschooled) “Nigerian” business owners.

These bosses sometimes cannot even make correct sentences in English. BUT they have amassed wealth via big time trade, commerce or other ventures.

[NB: True, some employ crooked means, here in Nigeria. But I have also met some who do straight forward business.]

The issue of speaking correct English, like well schooled people are taught to do so well, reminds me of an anecdote I was once told…about an unschooled Igbo millionaire businessman…

He reportedly made his fortune via import and export and other trading ventures.

One day, he bought a new Lexus, and proudly showed it to a graduate friend who was visiting.

The following conversation ensued…

*****Starts*****

“Nna…see my new Lexoos” (i.e. he pronounced the “U” as in PUSH).

His friend expressed admiration for the car, and congratulated him.

But he went on to say:

“Actually the correct pronunciation is Lexus”.

And the millionaire replied mockingly:

“No problem my brother. Na YOU know the name. Na ME get am!”

*****Ends*****

It’s ironic…how “Nigerian” society “celebrates and recognizes ” you when you get top grades in school (e.g. the kids who score highest in JAMB or get eleven A’s in WAEC etc…)

But when you step into the real world as an adult, you get a rude awakening that what it really cares about is HOW MUCH MONEY you have.

Especially in Nigeria, that’s ultimately what it boils down to!

My friend Chima Ejiofor’s recent Facebook post(which part-inspired THIS article), and comments in response to it – screenshot below – confirm the accuracy of the foregoing statement.

Chima Ejiofor's recent Facebook post, and comments in response to it confirm the point made in this article about the paradox of formal schooling's poor preparation of it's products for success in the real world outside paid employment — Chima Ejiofor’s recent Facebook post, and comments in response to it confirm the point made in this article about the paradox of formal schooling’s poor preparation of it’s products for success in the real world outside paid employment

To save your child such pains, YOU, the parent, should be your kids’ NUMBER ONE teacher!

Do not leave that position to ANY teacher or any school, no matter how good!

You are best placed, from reading articles like this, and those by others enlightened on the subject (such as books by Kiyosaki etc) to play this important role.

In 2000, I bought “Rich Kid Smart Kid“, and “If You Want to Be Rich and Happy, Don’t Go to School“, along with “Rich Dad Poor Dad” from Amazon.com, using my Netspend.com Virtual MasterCard.

They were shipped to me in a box. Of those 3 books, the first and the 2nd made the most impact on me.

[NB: It continues to amaze me that most Nigerians have NEVER heard of the 2nd book – which was published BEFORE Rich Dad Poor Dad, and was an international best seller!]

After reading Kiyosaki’s books, I decided to push my kids to develop income generating vocational skills and start their own businesses, BEFORE they finish school.

Today, despite my frequent travelling, and work load, I discipline myself to study each of my kids and deliberately challenge them with skills building tasks.

I often come home with some new practical thing to teach them, about the real world, and when I leave, they get an “assignment” of sorts that I follow up with them on phone.

This is why today, they are competent in making and selling their pineapple peel based drinks and cakes baked without ovens (See http://tayosolagbade.com/index.php/order-tayo-s-drinks-cakes)

My 12 year old boy now owns a shoe menders kit that he uses to fix things (shoes, bags etc) they used to pay up to N200 to have the itinerant shoemaker do for them in the past.

I simply bought the full roll of thread the metal needle for him. The 10 year old owns his own electrical kit, and conitues to fix things around the house, while building potentially useful contraptions (e.g. a rechargeable lamp box powered by my discarded laptop battery that he somehow revived!).

The purpose is not to make them become shoe makers or electricians. Instead, it’s to help them connect what they learn with the real world. And to see how income earning happens by doing so.

More importantly. these activities are powerful confidence builders, that make a child discover and BELIEVE s/he can do anythign s/he sets her mind to.

And that’s the key to making thre most of what one learns via formal schooling.

It’s the critical element missing from the “education” provided in most of our conventional schools. The reality is the providers may not be willing, or able to make needed changes to help your child.

That’s why rather than complain, the onus is on YOU to take up this role and play it well. Your child’s future success depends on this!

Some argue that I’m distracting my kids by doing all this…

I counter that there is nothing they are learning now that they cannot relearn AFTER school if needed. If that was not so, “adult education” schools would never have happened!

That’s not to say kids should not strive to do well in school.

I’m just saying I prefer to help mine strike an INTELLIGENT BALANCE, by teaching them other important things about the world they are to enter as adults, so they can roll profitably with any punches life may throw at them.

Years of painful – and embarrassing – experiences as a “well schooled failure” in entrepreneurship and other real world activities tell me this is the right thing to do.

Now, I offer real life stories about what I’m doing with my kids, not to brag or gloat.

Instead, I do it to demonstrate that it is possible – and encourage other parents to do same or better.

For those who may not know it, that is why I call myself a Performance Improvement Specialist. This is what I do. Click here to read more Parenting Articles I’ve written over the years.

That’s why I offer coaching for young people, and their parents, to help them develop and implement action plans/strategies, to break this mental barrier that school builds in their minds.

Final Words: A PDF YOU SHOULD DOWNLOAD AND READ – From Robert Kiyosaki

Click here to download the FREE chapter preview PDF from Robert Kiyosaki’s new book aptly titled “Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students”

I strongly believe the story told in it, about a meeting of Henry Ford (the start illiterate billionaire owner of Ford Mothers) in his office, with some visiting academics who tried to use question to prove he was “stupid”, – only to get “educated” by him – REALLY says it all.

And if there’s one society where Ford’s quote in that PDF, about “THINKING” being the “hardest work there is” needs to be understood, it is NIGERIA!!!

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

2. Anyone – Including Kids In School – Can Achieve Success Via Part Time Entrepreneuring

3. A New Generation of Entrepreneurs PROVES That Our Schools Need To Offer a Different Kind of Education!

4. Involve Your Kids in Your Dream, and They’ll Succeed Too

5. When You’re Not Working, Create a Bigger Dream (Hint: New Product – My Pineapple Peels Based Cakes…Made Without an Oven!)

6. Are Your Kids Ready to Succeed in Your World?

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Short Stories, Writing/Blogging

No. 145: A Few People Can Make Life NEEDLESSLY Miserable for Many, IF Not Called to Order (Case Study: My Experiences at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme Border)

June 9, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

[NB: This issue of my newsletter is a public service edition.] Last Saturday a.m (7th June 2014), I published a blog about my near 12 hour traffic jam ordeal coming from Seme border to Mile 2 the day before (i.e Friday).

What I did not mention was that before that, I’d had unpleasant money-related “disagreements” with BOTH Beninese and Nigerian officials in crossing the border posts.

I Share My Experiences Below, to Warn Intending Travellers About What to Expect….
SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 9th June 2014

No:145

Title: A Few People Can Make Life NEEDLESSLY Miserable for Many, IF Not Called to Order (Case Study: My Experiences at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme Border)

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

Blog URL: http://www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets

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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IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS newsletter is published online on the “reincarnated” version of my Self-Development (SD) Nuggets blog. I continue to put finishing touches to the content. If you encounter ANY bad/dead links, and you can spare the time, email it to me via tayo at tksola dot com. Thanks in advance

No. 145: A Few People Can Make Life NEEDLESSLY Miserable for Many, IF Not Called to Order (Case Study: My Experiences at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme Border)

What I did not mention was that before that, I’d had unpleasant money-related “disagreements” with BOTH Beninese and Nigerian officials in crossing the border posts.

I Share My Experiences Below, to Warn Intending Travellers About What to Expect….

For over a year, since 1st April 2013, when I relocated to Benin, I’d crossed the border paying N200 at the Benin end to have my passport stamped, and N100 at the Nigerian end.

Yet a few weeks ago – on Sunday 25th May 2014 to be specific – the Beninese official responsible for stamping passports out told me to pay N500!

Surprised, I asked why. He said “C’est comme ça!” When I insisted that I’d always paid N200, he flung my passport at me and bluntly told me if I wanted I could leave without stamping my passport.

He then proceed to pointedly ignore me as I called out to him to at least tell me why.

Another Nigerian I met there lashed out verbally at him as he collected his stamped passport, saying “God will take that money back from you!”

I walked over to 2 armed uniformed officers next to the post, who looked senior to him and complained. They laughed in my face and told me to do whatever the other man told me.

One of them said today, you pay N500, but tomorrow we may ask you to go through without paying anything.

When I told him it made no sense, he angrily asked to move away from their end.

I called a senior officer I knew worked at the Nigerian embassy (in Cotonou) on his mobile line to protest about the treatment I was getting.

He sympathised with me, saying “It’s a pity they are doing that. It’s not supposed to happen.”

At that point I realised I had no choice but to pay up. So I did, making my displeasure clear from the way I snatched my stamped passport from the Beninese officer when he was done.

Still fuming, I arrived at the Nigerian end, and promptly expressed outrage at what had happened to me. The officer there casually told me to go to the Commissaire, if I felt that aggrieved.

Then he held out his hand and said “N100”.

That was what I’d always paid

(NB: It is instructive to note, that I’ve been told by embassy personnel and a lawyer client/friend that we are NOT even supposed to pay anything to get our passports stamped!)

I told myself, at least things were still normal at our end. As for going to the Beninese Commissaire, I decided I did not have the time to spare, since I was running late.

On my return from Nigeria, I got my passport stamped without eventualities. And I paid the normal N100 at the Nigerian end, and N200 at the Benin end.

I told the officials at the Benin check in post about the conduct of their colleague on the day I left the country. The lady officer apologised soberly to me, and asked me to forget it.

So I put it behind me.

But today, the nonsense not only came back, but it also began MUCH earlier – and with extra!

It began even before I got to the passport check-out post…

This was right at the first check point. The Beninese police officer after checking and seeing my passport was in order, asked me for money. I smiling told him I had nothing to give him.

He looked me over, and pointed to my travel bag saying he wanted to see its contents. I opened it up, and he checked. Finding nothing, he indicated my backpack. Same thing. Nothing.

Then he took my “Small Notebook Speaker” box and asked for the receipt.

I laughed in his face and old him he knew quite well that I did not need to carry a receipt for such an item on me.

His countenance showed he did not like my smart ass attitude of having an answer for everything he’d said to me. You see, even as we spoke, I could see my fellow country men being “shaken down” by his colleagues.

And in most cases those ones readily parted with as much as N500, at the slightest request. Now, one would imagine that was either because they were not well informed of their rights, or their travel documents were not in order.

But I actually saw well dressed, well spoken and reasonably schooled people giving in to the “harassment”.

Basically, the mentality of many Nigerians is that they are too busy to let a demand for a few hundred nairas DELAY them.

And so, those intending to get money off them simply play on that mentality.

Hold them back for the flimsiest of reasons, and even when they know they are not at fault, they’ll give you more or less what you ask.

Back to my uniformed friend. After I told him I did not need to show a receipt for my speakers, he went further to say “Now you’ll also have to produce a receipt for the laptop in your backpack”.

Once again, I made a point of laughing. Then I asked him if he would have asked me for a laptop receipt if I’d bought it online using my debit card. He looked at me in annoyance – I sensed he did not even understand what I’d said, but he knew it was something he could not contest.

By this time I was losing my patience. I told him I was going to call a senior officer at the Nigerian Embassy, where I was well known to tell him what I was being subjected to at the border.

As I made to pull out my mobile phone from my pockets, he angrily pushed my hand away, and said “This is my post. You cannot make a phone call here.”

That was of course not true…

But this guy carried a rifle that looked well maintained, compared to those I’d seen with his counterparts in Nigeria. So, I had the feeling it worked quite well.

Since he was this crooked already, I realised desperation could make him resort to doing something crazy.

He said “Look, it’s the way you talk that determines how I feel about letting you go. “

Then he smiled…as if to defuse the tension between us. He knew I was not going to give in.

So I smiled back, and asked him what he wanted to do…:-))

Seconds later, he handed me the speaker and I tapped him on the shoulder saying “A la prochaine mon frère!” (See you another time my brother!).

Getting to the Beninese Passport Stamping Out Post…

The same funny character from few weeks back, who’d asked for N500, was there. And he took one look at my passport and said “N500”.

I was expecting no less.

Paying up, I walked down to the Nigerian immigration stamp out section.

As the uniformed immigration officer recorded my passport details, he asked “How are you Sir?”

Before I could stop myself, my frustration came to the surface, and I said “Actually, I’m not fine at all!”

He looked up in surprise at me and asked what the problem was. I told him what I’d gone through at the Benin end.

Then I asked him why they could not stop their French speaking colleagues from subjecting law abiding Nigerian travellers to such harassment daily.

He shook his head sympathetically, and said “If you feel that strongly about it, just go to their Commissaire over there (pointing to the left of where I stood), and make a formal report.

Then he said “N200”. I felt like someone poured a bucket of cold water on my head.

I said “N200? But I always pay N100 at this end…”

He replied simply by stretching out his hand and saying “N200”.

Sighing, I gave him the money. Then I made to walk out, only to be called by anther officer seated just before the exit. He had a large register opened in front of him, into which passport details were entered.

He took my passport and said “N200”.

This time I almost exploded. I said “What this N200 for again? I’ve never paid twice before, in over a year of stamping out at this end! Can you please explain to me why I have to pay again?”

As soon as I said this, he looked me over and said “Take. It’s okay. You can go.”

I said “Look. I don’t mind paying, but I just want to know what I am paying for, because it’s never happened before. Can’t you just let us know what to expect?

Is there not some standard we can work with?”

Now impatient, he replied “Look I said if you don’t want to pay, just go with your trouble. Haba!”

As he said this, I heard another man who just came in telling the officer I was earlier with “No. How can I pay N500 to stamp my passport? What for?

I’m coming all the way from Cote D’Ivoire. You don’t even know how much money I have on me. How can you just tell me to pay such an amount. I’ve never paid such before, and I am not going to pay it today!” he finished, fuming.

And so I left, and soon arrived at the motor park, where I joined a Taxi, which after getting 2 other passengers took off for Lagos around 5.00 p.m.

If you think my ordeal ended there, think again.

I did not get to my home until well after midnight. Click here to read full details of how we got stuck in a crazy traffic jam for over 10 hours.

Why I Choose to Write About My Seme Border Experiences…

My purpose is simple. If what I continue to experience along with other travellers on both sides of the Nigeria-Benin border is in line with official procedures, announcing it here should bother no one.

However, I have also travelled across the Aflao border to Ghana, from Nigeria, just as I have crossed the Nigerian-Cameroon border in the past. At no time did I make ANY of my trips without valid papers. Yet, during my trips I never had an experience of that sort with ANYONE – uniformed or otherwise.

If what’s going on there is however NOT supposed to happen, my hope is that highlighting it like I’ve done here can bring it to the attention of those who can do something about it.

It’s possible writing about all this can get me some negative attention from those I talk about…and/or “others”…

The truth is however that I fear no one and nothing – except my Creator.

So, anyone who has a problem with my truth telling can take ANY action s/he pleases.

I am 100% certain that nothing the Creator has not consented to, can happen to me as I do his will.

Period.

It’s So Sad That Nigerians, and Some Africans Persist In Unedifying Acts

Interestingly, one of the Beninese officers in uniform at the border last year asked me if I was “Jesus Christ” when he tried to make me pay more than N200 to “stamp in”, and I asked why.

He said I was acting as if I did not know that it happened all over Africa!

Arm twisting others to get money, in what has become a vicious cycle, is more or less a way of life in Nigeria.

Some of Nigeria’s neighbours who are not disciplined, “catch the bug” from years of prolonged contact.

That appears to be what’s happening at Seme border. The Beninese guys there, in my opinion have learnt bad habits from their Nigerian counterparts. Contact with them can give a VERY wrong impression about what people in Benin Republic are really like.

You see, I’ve lived in Benin Republic for over a year now. They are not perfect, but random daylight harassment and extortion does NOT happen in that country. I live AMONGST these people, and I find them VERY humane – a huge contrast to Nigerians!

In this regard, it might also interest you to know that the Beninese officials do NOT subject, Beninese citizens (their people) who cross the border to the treatment they give to Nigerians!

As you arrive at their post, if they are not sure of your nationality, they start by asking “Vous êtes Beninois?” Your response then determines how you are “treated”.

I’ve seen this many times. They apparently have taken a cue from the way our own officials extort money from us, before we get to them.

Plus, many Nigerians are often so ready to just “pay” when asked, without asking questions!

Apart from the needless daily abuse they subject people to, their actions also stifle trade and commerce…

And that’s having serious negative effects on regional economic development.

I’ll end by stating the obvious fact, that if leaders of both countries really want faster progress, they will take pains to eliminate the nonsense happening at the Seme border immediately!

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

http://www.tayosolagbade.com

Farm Businesses and others.

freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

and others.

In May 2012 he was the Guest Speaker at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development’s Annual Semester Entrepreneurial Lecture at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.

On 1st April 2013, Tayo (who reads, write and speaks the French language) relocated to Cotonou, Benin Republic to begin slowly traveling across the West African region.

His key purpose is to deliver talks, seminars

and workshops on his key areas of focus and interest to interested audiences (Email tayo at tksola dot com for details).

newsletter(which he uses to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

You can connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

Visit Tayo Solagbade Dot Com, to download over over 10 performance improvement resources to boost your personal and work related productivity.

====
[IMPORTANT NOTE:====

On 4th May 2014, Tayo’s 9 year old domain (Spontaneousdevelopment dot com), which hosted his website, was taken over by Aplus.net.

Within a few days however, Tayo used his advanced self-taught web development skills to build a SUPERIOR “reincarnation” of it the website http://www.tayosolagbade.com.

But updates are still ongoing to URLs bearing the old domain name in most of the over 1,000 web pages, and blog posts

he’s published.

If you experience any difficulties finding a page or document, email Tayo at tksola dot com.

Click “Tayo, What Happened to SpontaneousDevelopmentDotCom ?” to read a detailed narrative about how the above event occurred :-))

Here’s an article Tayo wrote, to inspire others to defy adversity, and bounce back to even greater reckoning at what they do EVERY time:

Succeed by Emerging from Adversity Like a Phoenix (TayoSolagbade.com launches extra Hosting plan with FREE Web Marketing!)

And he wrote the one below, to explain why losing a domain name, no matter how old NO LONGER determines your online success or otherwise:

A Proven Strategy to Find Profitable Buyers Regardless of Your Domain Name

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

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Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master“

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THEY WROTE…

—————————–

*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).

———————–

Click here to contact Tayo…




SD Nuggets Blog™	New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Monday]:	No. 144: Use Mental Abilities to Solve Your Physical Problems
Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:	Problem Solving Content, NOT Domain Names, Determine Web Marketing Success (Plus: FAQs About My Excel-VB Poultry Farm Manager Software)
Self-Development [Wednesday]:	5 Ways To Achieve Leadership Success As a Manager
Entrepreneurship[Thursday]:	Treat People As Though They Were What They Ought To Be (A Management Tip from Johann Von Goethe)
General [Friday]:	When a 3 Hour Journey Takes Half-a-Day Due to Traffic Jams, Some Person(s) Are NOT Doing Their Jobs
Writing/Blogging/Entrepreneurship [Saturday]:	Failure Does NOT Happen Suddenly…(Hint: It takes time for your inactions to cost you success)

Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring

for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

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

Failure Does NOT Happen Suddenly…(Hint: It takes time for your inactions to cost you success)

June 7, 2014 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

James Cook in his book titled "The Startup Entrepreneur" explained that certain successful entrepreneurs get very uneasy whenever things seemed to be going (in their opinion) "too smoothly". They are rarely comfortable with "good times" and when such times come upon them, they take pains to stay on the alert for things that could go wrong.

These individuals often became that way due to painful past experiences.

They had suffered devastating setbacks because they got carried away with their successes to the point that avoidable failure was visited upon them.

I know what this feels like, because over the years I’ve recovered from may setbacks caused by my making the above mistake.

The good thing is that I have since developed highly effective marketing and sales techniques. This enables me bring in GREATER income from sales of my software built for past clients.

And that’s in addition to creating openings for those who buy my ready-to-use software to hire me to build other custom applications for them.

It was Fran Tarketon who said "A true entrepreneur never stays down".

It is ironic that I once wrote about this mistake of "getting carried away" in my book titled "25 Avoidable Mistakes No One Will Warn You About In Starting Your Own Business".

In that book I referred to the example of some celebrities who achieve local fame and success, but immediately lose their focus, sense of moderation and humility.

Below are some excerpts…

—————Start of Excerpts—————-

"They begin acting out unhealthy fantasies through poor attempts at flaunting what they think suggests wealth – e.g. buy/drive flashy cars, eat/dress expensively, and even become loudmouthed.

Often times this leads to their success being short-lived, as they eventually get into one trouble or the other – be it through financial indiscipline, bad relationships, etc.

TOM Associates have a series of educational tapes, which they routinely produce to meet the personal development needs of people who attend their training programmes. In one of such tapes on “Wealth Building”, highly successful/wealthy people were described as having – among other qualities – the “habit” of “living well below their means”, believing that they do not need to show they have wealth.

Also, the tape explains that a person earning high income, who spends all that he earns as quickly as it comes, will not be wealthy. In other words, wealth comes thorough the careful accumulation and growth (via investment) of that which has been earned.

I went into elaborate detail in my Ten Week e-mail course explaining the importance of understanding the issue of “Money Management and Wealth Creation”. I quoted very successful people who have shared their knowledge in this area.

Now, with this understanding of how to manage the inflow of income resulting from your initial successes, you may also want to ask yourself, what next? Many people have short-term visions for themselves/their businesses.

It is however much better to try thinking ahead, and envision where you would like to be in the distant future in your business. This way, even when you achieve your small victories/short-term goals, you will be able to stay focused on maintaining your performance to achieve the longer-term goals.

It is the absence of long-term planning that often makes many people wrongly conclude that they have arrived, when they suddenly achieve a small success. You should have determined at the start why you are doing what you are doing, and how far you want to go with it. Then plan carefully what you need to make it happen, who can help you get there, what problems could crop up etc.

When you work this way, you will be much less likely to fall into the common trap of getting carried away with your successes. Examples of how people get carried away include:

An actor or actress/entertainer especially preferred for key roles due to his/her good looks/smartness suddenly starts “putting on a lot of weight”. A check reveals that he/she now eats indiscriminately and/or does no exercises.

The result over time – his/her performance drops. For a while, the fame from previous achievements might help to raise “heads”/open doors, but after a while, he/she would become obsolete."

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My experiences confirm the fact, that as humans we are prone to errors and mistakes.

What is crucial is that we learn from them. The message I therefore wish to share here is that you constantly strive to AVOID getting so preoccupied with your successes, that you forget to CONTINUE doing the things that made you successful in the first place.

Failure, as Jim Rohn once wrote, does not happen suddenly – it is very OFTEN the result of a long series of poor decisions and wrong choices/actions you take over time.

Keep this in mind and act based on your understanding of it, and you will NOT have to endure avoidable setbacks in any endeavour you embark upon!

So don’t ever let yourself get carried away with your success. Celebrate every new level, but always stay focused on moving to the next one.

Asked which of his works he would select as his masterpiece, architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the age of 83 replied, “My next one.”

PS: This article is based on excerpts from an issue of Tayo Solagbade’s Self-Development Digest first published online on Monday 1st October 2007 , on spontaneousdevelopment.com.

Below is a transcript of the generic message I sent her.

BUT WHY IS A NEEDS ANALYSIS SESSION NECESSARY?

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE NEEDS ANALYSIS SESSION?

WHAT USEFUL BENEFITS WILL YOU GET FROM TAKING UP MY OFFER?

So, I aim to help farmers LEARN how to be more deliberate and systematic in planning and implementing their marketing to be REPEATABLE, and RELIABLE.

WHY AM I SO SURE MY APPROACH WORKS?

I say all this as one who NEVER has to chase clients, or buyers, to buy my products or services.

Let me know if you’d like to book the Needs Analysis session (click here), and we can get started.

NB: The “cover” reads “To Tayo”. From: <their names>…and it was signed by the 13 year old “instigator”…LOL!!

This happened a few weeks ago, when I visited my family in Lagos – Nigeria

I thought back to the many tasks I’d given them since moving to Cotonou last April (2013), and how well they’d generally performed.

By the way, here’s why I keep saying “even with adults”…

That brings me to the issue of why they do not call me “Dad, Daddy or Father”…

As I type these words, I have a near septuagenarian client, that I did multiple jobs for last year, but who still owes me N100, 000…and has SHOWN he’s unwilling to pay up.

Yet just one hour after that, I REPEATEDLY called him from my mobile line. He neither picked up nor called back!

But most importantly, my kids are being taught to avoid trying to get something for nothing…like some others do so often!

We found a mutually acceptable way of measuring what N50 (fifty naira), for instance, was “worth” in terms of work done. And we would agree a task to be done based on that understanding.

The above “experiences”, I believe, led them to write me that “contract letter”!

Yet I felt it would be wrong to let them believe there had to be a reward promised, before they did chores at home, or went on errands for their parents.

Now, even though this piece is based on relations with my kids, my message is actually for ADULT entrepreneurs!

Some claim they do that because a client(s) did that to them in the past. VERY childish excuse!

If you choose to take from clients, without giving what you promised, you break a natural law.

No. 146: Secret to Finding Bulk Buyers Online for Your Farm Products (PDF Report)

I However Believe Farm CEOs Must LEARN to Do Their Own Marketing!

Burt Dubin (speakingsuccess.com), once wrote in a business marketing article for experts he coaches to speak as follows:

In several other articles accessble here(click), he hammered on the same theme…see excerpt below:

Your Success In Marketing, Will Determine How Well Your Business Does…

What is this weakness I’ve noticed in 80% of Nigerian Farm (and other) CEOs?

“Many Roads Leading to the Marketplace!” (A Proverb)

That’s Why I Favour a Cost-effective Marketing Approach That Is Adaptable to Unique Needs

If You Knew a Strategy That Could Win New Buyer At Lesser Cost, Would You Adopt It?

But at a point he got so many buyers coming to “Pick Up” that he actually announced he could no longer deliver to any buyers.

Final Words: Stop Limiting Your Thinking About Where You Can Find Buyers!

For heaven’s sake, must your buyers be from your neighbourhood, state…or even country???

If you asked “HOW”, I’d reply “Now you’re talking!”

What he did was so simple, even a 10 year old could have done it. I exaggerate NOT.

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Here’s an article Tayo wrote, to inspire others to defy adversity, and bounce back to even greater reckoning at what they do EVERY time:

And he wrote the one below, to explain why losing a domain name, no matter how old NO LONGER determines your online success or otherwise:

Useful Resources for Speakers

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Publications

THEY WROTE…

The above screen shot shows my Facebook post quoting Ben Murray Bruce, President of Silver bird Entertainment as saying: ‘…My collateral is my brain…”. Basically arguing that financiers (individual or corporate) need no physical collateral from people with “bankable ideas”.

But a question Ernest inserted right at the end of his comment got me thinking…

That question inspired me to write THIS article.

Maybe I’m asking for too much from Nigeria, it’s people and the organizations they run.

And since he had not yet succeeded in a major way, at the time, he had no serious claim to fame that could have gotten him funds.All he had were his ideas – and the practical purposes to which he applied them for ALL to see!

Those financiers were not eternally patient either. Some complained whenever they felt “results” were taking “too long” in coming.

Everything I’ve Said Above Also Applies to Edison’s “Rival” of Sorts: Nikola Tesla

Dear reader. I believe I know what Tesla felt to have made such a comment…

Thank heavens for “Risk Capital” and the great minds that have been granted access to it!

The above shows that people of means can be won over, by an individual’s demonstration of COMPETENCE and PASSIONATE COMMITMENT to a cause.

Entrepreneurship continues to flourish in most developed societies across the world up till THIS DAY, for the above reason.

Interestingly, this also happens here in Nigeria/Africa, but not on the scale that it would have the incredible wealth generating impact that it does in places like America. Out here, the examples are few and far between.

In case you did not know it, YOUR role as a parent, is to PREPARE your child to succeed in the real world s/he met you in.

Let’s be honest. A degree really is NOT all one needs to succeed in life…

I have an obligation to share the truths I discover, about life, and what it takes to succeed in it.

A second level of success would then be the pursuit and achievement of personal goals and ambitions.

What age is right for College? Indeed should age matter at all?

After years of studying trends in societies in Africa and abroad, I’ve come to one realization.

Sadly, very few people leave college to start their own businesses. At least not as a first choice.

Self-employment is not an easy route either. But it offers much richer rewards in multidimensional terms.

The problem I have with conventional schooling systems, is they DO NOT tell students about this 2nd option of Self-Employment possibilities

Imagine if the students had been told about it earlier, while they still studied?

Like I said to undergraduates in Benin Republic’s University of Calavi, last year (2013), I’ve told my kids to “hold formal schooling in their left hands”, and pursue the study of what works in the real world, AT THE SAME TIME, with their “right hands”.

When I say “as employees and/or entrepreneurs”, I mean it is possible (and I have clients who live this way) to hold down a normal 9 to 5 job, and still start-up and run a successful business that (may or may not) employ(s) others.

I am not saying that those in paid employment do not EARN the money they are paid.

Simply put, the business person has to constantly search for NEW opportunities to earn regular income compared to the average salary earner.

The above also helps us understand why business persons tend to be more sensitive to/cautious about spending money.

As a business person, the need to work actively to ADD value to others in order to EARN profitable income, has over time taught me to have great respect for money, so that I can KEEP more of it for my use.

Many people just LOVE having money to spend.

Signs That Suggest You Lack Respect For Money

It does not matter how rich or wealthy you think you are.

But I ask: What does it matter if others THINK you don’t have much money?

Get Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring
for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

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[IMPORTANT NOTE:====

Get Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring
for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

====
[IMPORTANT NOTE:====