Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Boost Your Ability to Achieve Success Using THIS Strategy!

January 23, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

My DIY (Do-It-Yourself ) mental attitude is the reason I have relentlessly succeeded, in spite of myriad challenges, over the past decade as an entrepreneur. Many of the obstacles I encountered were intimidating, and would have stopped me permanently, if I had NOT possessed this DIY reflex.

For instance, this website (www.tayosolagbade.com), my newsletter, indeed my entire business life would have “died” years ago, if I had not formed the “habit”.

Example: Click here read how despite losing my 9 year old spontaneousdevelopment.com domain in May 2014, I built a superior reincarnation of my website on www.tayosolagbade.com all by myself, in a matter of weeks!

I refer to my passion for learning to do things myself i.e. being a Do-It-Yourself enthusiast or what some call a “DIYer”.

(NB: In a related article written about 7 years back, I described myself as a Jack of Many Trades. Click to read it).

TIP: Consistent with the theme of this article, was the over 3 hour battle it took me to send it out as an email broadcast to my newsletter subscribers. From 10pm Nigerian time on Monday 17 Dec 2012, till well after 1a.m the next day(I was still based in Nigeria then), my Etisalat internet connection simple went to sleep for some strange reason at the time I need it to be awake the most.

And that was happening NOT for the first time!

Luckily for me, I’d already published the newsletter as scheduled on this blog which auto-published to my Facebook business fan page and personal profile, as well as my Twitter page via RSS Graffiti.

As you can imagine, it turned out to be a good thing that I knew enough to set it up this way. Otherwise, I’d have been unable to publish the online version when due!

How Much You Need To DIY, Depends On Your Part of the World

If you live and work in a developed society, the need to do things yourself sometimes, may not readily appeal to you.

However, for people, like me, in less developed social environments, like mine, one often has to develop multiple interests and competencies to make up for the shortage of RELIABLE solutions.

The following true story illustrates the above scenario perfectly.

A few years ago, I met a Nigerian gentleman who had just returned from the USA where he’d been away for about 5 years. During that time he had made a bit of name for himself as an author and speaker. His published book had sold quite well in the small town he was based.

And the local media had given him enough coverage to make him close to being a celebrity of sorts. From what he and his pretty Austrian wife told me, it was at one of his book signings that they met – and fell for each other.

My friend wanted to republish one of his popular books from the USA with a local printer. He also wanted to produce an audio version of the book. This was part of the plan he had to launch himself into the Nigerian market.

According to him however, the problem was that there seemed to be no standard service providers like those in the USA that could do what he wanted. He said back in the states he would simply hand over his manuscript to his agent, and virtually everything needed to get the book published would be handled by the latter.

Out here, he complained about having to run around looking for business centers to type and typeset his manuscript. And then there were countless errors that he had to sit with a computer operator to work through and correct.

To make matters worse, by the time I got involved I discovered they were typing his manuscript in Corel Draw!

My friend had no idea the business centre operator was using an inappropriate software application for his work.

He said “I just want it done! Back in the states I never had to get involved like this. I know nothing about all of this stuff”.

To cut the long story short, I had to really get involved in helping him find the right places to get the help he needed.

And that included going out of my way to locate a studio where he and his wife could produce the quality of recording they wanted for the book’s audio version.

Here’s what he asked me at a point: “So how come you know about all these things?

You’re not even a book publisher or anything!”

My answer was that I’d learnt the hard way that it was better to know a little about most things I planned to engage others to do for me. That equips me to assess what they do for me – and also contribute intelligently to the process – even do a few things on it by myself, should they be unavailable.

That Doesn’t Happen In Your Country? Great! But What If One Day, It Does?

Now, what my friend went through can happen to anyone in one form or the other.

Maybe you won’t be coming to speak or provide your expert service here in Nigeria. But right there in your base
things can still go wrong.

How ready will you be when that happens?

(NB: I recall reading New York Times stories that described the experiences of people who’d failed to heed warnings
issued about Hurricane Sandy. Some of them got trapped – a few even lost their lives, because they failed to prepare for the unlikely but possible!)

So I ask you: What are the things you currently depend on others to do for you? It
could be a service provider or even a friend you have great confidence in.

Maybe she’s a tech savvy person who prepares all your Power Point presentations, or does your graphic designs for your client projects for instance.

I hate to think negative too…:-)

But what if for some reason, she becomes temporarily unavailable?

Do you have ready access to someone else you can reliably reach out to? And if not, do you have any idea of how to prepare a Power point presentation as impressive as those she does for you by yourself?

What about preparing your speaker one-sheets? Or creating passable designs that can meet the client’s expectations?

God forbid you discover a wrong phone number or mistyped email address on the newly prepared speaker one sheet you want to give a meeting planner. Or maybe there’s a wrong phone number on the website header image/banner to be used for a client’s website.

If you had requested a copy of the raw Corel Draw or Photoshop file used to prepare
the speaker sheet or website graphic, maybe you’d be able to quickly edit it, and produce a corrected version.

But if you had NOT requested a copy of the raw document, or you did NOT know how to carry out simple editing edits of that kind using the relevant application…you’d risk making a poor impression on the client. Indeed, it could cause the client to lower his/her rating of you!

Anything can happen. Don’t Be A Fish Out Of Water When It Does!

The truth is that even the most reliable of people – your trusted assistant or highly reputable provider inclusive – can sometimes make mistakes or fail to come through for you when it matters.

We are all human after all – which is why one must always have a fall back plan in place.

Will you be prepared with an alternative plan if/when that happens? Or will you just try to wing it?

People often value a professional who can improvise and adapt effectively. If you come across as being that way, meeting planners may conclude you are a more “reliable” performer who can deliver no matter what goes wrong.

That implies repeat business, even referrals, are likely to come from them for you.

Ironically, you may only need to know a little about most things, to achieve this significant impact.

Interestingly, learning those little things may just require PROACTIVELY spending a little time with those who do those things for you normally.

Or it could mean making out time to read – and practice what you learn from – a self-help (or DIY) tutorial!

In the end, quite often, you’ll find you have a LOT to gain, and nothing to lose by adopting this attitude, and acting diligently on it all the time.

Final Words: I also recommend, strongly too, that you TEACH your kids to be that way as well, from as early as possible in life.

They will enjoy a lot of positive attention and recognition from their peers and adults alike, for being that way. Attention that will over time earn them financially rewarding personal and career advancement opportunities.

Good luck!

PS: I practice what I preach…

Read this article (click here) in which I explain how “In a Bid to Save Money, My Kids Have Learnt to Service the Generator Themselves”!

And that’s just one of so many things they have learnt how to do. You can do the same for your kids. They will be forever grateful to you :-))

RELATED…

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

NB: This article was first published online via spontaneousdevelopment.com in 2012

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News

Money Is Just ONE Measure Of Success – It Is Not The Basis Of Business

January 22, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

In 2003 my second year as a startup entrepreneur, I had the opportunity to benefit from the wisdom of the managing partner in a popular management training firm.

I had gone to introduce my service on website marketing strategy development to his organisation, in a bid to interest them in having a website newsletter set-up to ENHANCE the effectiveness with which they stayed in touch with people who attended their many training events.

It was during this session that the veteran banker turned trainer offered me some eye-opening tips on how to startup/build my business successfully.

What follows are some bullet point descriptions of the key points I can recollect from his pep-talk:

1. Looking At Business From A Financial Angle Is Outdated

Financing your business is not the most important thing to consider. What is crucial is that you adopt a strategic planning focus – instead of just budgetting. Typically, rather than concentrate majorly on where money to start up/run the business will come from, you will do well to think about how to define your target market and how to win its REPEAT patronage that will ensure you have enough revenue coming in to KEEP the business going AFTER it starts up.

In fact, you might just find that working this way could lead you to find prospective clients/customers WILLING to buy into your business thereby easing your startup capital sourcing efforts.

2. A Market-Relevant/Adaptable Business Strategy Is Essential

From my observations over the years since I entered into business, I am convinced that strategy is one of (if NOT) THE most underutilised and yet the most important element in business development.

You see, a lot of people TALK about strategy, but few ever USE it. Many claim to have one, but rarely APPLY it with any degree of consistency in running their business operations in a way that could yield useful information/results to guide their business decision making.

Yet when we look around at successful businesses across the world, it is consistently obvious that those which demonstrate an acute awareness of WHERE they want to go, and who take PROACTIVE action based on understanding of their target market/careful planning to get there, often end up leading the rest of the pack.

And what happens when you lead ( in product innovation, street-smart marketing etc)? Of course, you get more noticed by those who NEED what you have to sell, which ultimately leads to more sales – and profits.

3. But Budgetting Comes A Close Second

My coach however added that the fact that strategy precedes budgetting does not make the latter unnecessary. Once you have your strategy, you will be able to ESTIMATE what amount of time, effort, labour and capital (money etc) you will need to complement/implement it.

Working this way ensures you end up spending very little of your preciously limited money/time engaging in activities that will not help you move your business in the direction you want to go. A well thought-out strategy gives you focus, and ultimately helps you achieve maximum results with minimal expenses.

4. You Must Be Market Focussed

I will quickly confess that it took me YEARS to really get this one into my head, especially as it relates to going about daily marketing of my products and services to the right market. So don’t feel too bad if you find yourself struggling with it for a while too. Note however that in my experience, being market focussed does not mean you will only look to do/offer what the “market” say they want or need.

Sometimes what you have to offer may actually have the potential to DO MORE for the “market” than they realise. This could happen because for them it would be an “un-felt need” – something the “market” does not currently perceive to be relevant to their needs, but which when pointed out by you would suddenly register in their minds as the important need you have already identified it to be.

In otherwords, being market focussed really means KNOWING the type of people who make up your market – their demographics, psychographics etc – well enough to correctly determine what you have to offer that they will BELIEVE can REALLY benefit them, and which they will ultimately TAKE ACTION to purchase from you at a PROFITABLE fee. (Note the deliberate emphasis on profitable).

Developing YOUR STRATEGY – Compare Alternative Investments

In developing your strategic plan there are certain checks he (my coach) recommends your carry out in the industry you plan to serve:

A. Customers

– What is their bargaining power?

– What is their vigour of purchase?

– What is/are their reason(s) for buying?

When you have a reasonably representative sampling of answers to the above questions, you will be better equipped to tailor your product/service offerings to meet the needs of such customers in a manner that enables you profit from providing them.

B. Suppliers

– Identify the sources you will use for your supplies.

– How will you find the best bargains in PURCHASING your supplies? (Why spend more when you can spend less, and SAVE money to be used to cover other running expenses?)

– Identify the best sources for your utilities – water, power supply, telephone etc

C. Competition

– What “Power” and “Vigour” do your individual competitors have in the market you all share?

– What types of competitors are they? Direct (Provide similar/identical products or services)? or Indirect (Offer ALTERNATIVES to what you provide)

Who determines what happens in the industry e.g Pricing etc? Do you have any influence or do they have more clout/power/control ? What will you do to “protect” yourself?

D. Complimentary Product

You may want to explore/forge alliances with others who offer your target market some products/services that increase customers’ need for YOUR products and services.

E. Potential Entrants

What other business operations can startup in your target market in the future that could affect your business? You will need to be on the lookout for new/latest developments in this respect, so as not to be taken unawares by unexpected changes that could result.

A new entrant could – for instance -increase demand for a key input you use in your production operations leading to its limited availability and higher prices. If you are NOT ready for this when it happens, you might find yourself in trouble.

Summary

The above points demonstrate how essential it is to go beyond just planning to find money for your business. You will need to develop a strategic plan that will be used for daily decision making to ensure profitable long term operation of your business.

Because the strategic plan goes beyond budgetting, a typical business plan will not necessarily be enough to do it with – but the business plan could be a useful foundation to build on in developing/implementing an effective business strategy.

And just in case you are wondering how the above ideas helped me, I will let on that they have – over time – enabled me evolve a CUSTOM software development/marketing strategy that works very profitably in a market where software piracy is widely practiced.

Believe me, when I say that I only began to get my best results when I found myself completely broke – reinforcing the points made above that having a STRATEGY that works is of more crucial importance than having MONEY to work with!

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

Should You Give Up On Someone Who Is Chasing An “Impossible Dream”?

January 21, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), Man and Superman (1903) “Maxims for Revolutionists”

During some difficult times in the life of my business, I have found myself in need of people to believe enough in me to give me support.

Quite often the needed support was in form of a willingness to simply avoid saying negative things to my face. Honestly, that would have been enough.

For the person going through hard times in the pursuit of a valued goal, nothing can make the process more difficult than having persons close to him/her, and who happen to be privy to the details of his/her suffering, resort to making insensitive remarks or lame attempts at humour!

Don’t get me wrong, I am one person who is well aware of the need to be able to laugh at myself when I fall flat on my face in the pursuit of my sometimes crazy goals. Those who know me will attest to the fact, that I readily come up with humorous narratives based on temporary defeats I’m going through at a point in time, to share with others.

However, I strongly disapprove of some people who use such periods to launch criticism or even campaigns of calumny against the person experiencing adversity.

Rarely do they do this for the reasons they offer e.g. “he’s just making his wife and kids suffer for nothing by insisting on making it in this line of business”.

Only few people who have deep levels of conviction are able to retain decent degrees of self-esteem, to continue, after being exposed to such orchestrated doses of negativity.

In my case, I am “lucky” to have been able to repeatedly turn my situation around for the better, by having “blind faith” and “refusing to recognise failure” – causing no small embarrassment to those who had questioned my abilities, and sometimes my sanity:-)

That’s why I sometimes ask people: What would it cost you to keep your doubts to yourself, and offer only words of encouragement, support and even ideas, to a person who is courageous enough to embark on a life changing adventure, to achieve a seemingly impossible goal?

Think about it for a moment. Do many of us not often claim to love one another?

If we really do, it should NEVER be okay to give up on others – especially not on those we can see have not given up on themselves!

I believe that if someone who believes so passionately in herself and her dream, in spite of what others consider glaring realities around her, continues to strive to achieve it, YOU (and others like you) can help by pursuing one of the following “more acceptable” lines of action:

a. Offer active support – Ask her what you can do to help the process. Quite often, it won’t be money. It could be experience, or unique insight! If you have doubts, raise them in a manner that does not attack her self-esteem. Except what she aims to do is illegal or unethical, offering support in this manner should pose no problem to you.

b. Offer passive support – If you are like many others, who find it difficult to buy into other people’s dreams or visions, but still care, I urge you to keep any “don’t do it” suggestions to yourself. She is unlikely to welcome them. People who are driven to achieve highly challenging goals do not appreciate being told they cannot do it. She might need someone to talk to when things get rough. Be there for her.

So, How Will This Help?

Over time, your efforts are likely to quicken the progress towards success, and also ease the pain and suffering she is exposed to, until the breakthrough is achieved. At the very least, you get to look good whether or not the goal is achieved, and your relationship with that person will likely be enhanced.

In my experience, so many people try to give up on another person’s behalf, especially when they know s/he sometimes needs their help for different things in order to keep working towards the goal.

But, I am of the experience based opinion, that it is not for you to reason whether or not progress is apparent!

Make suggestions if need be, but keep them constructive. Most importantly, resist the temptation to try getting the person to be “reasonable, and find something more worthwhile to do”.

As can be seen from studying the lives of many great achievers dead and alive today, the progress of mankind might just depend on people like the person(s) you support in this manner!

I believe the quote I started with above, provides a fitting end to this piece…

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), Man and Superman (1903) “Maxims for Revolutionists”

PS: This article was first published online on August 06, 2011 via spontaneousevelopment.com and Ezinearticles.com

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News

Do You Need A Business Plan If Your Idea Is New, Untested, or Unproven?

January 20, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

“Market research does not work. One cannot do market research on something that does not exist.” – Peter Drucker

Who Should Read This Article?

Anyone nursing a new (especially untested and unproven) – idea for a business, and/or who is at a loss as to whether or not it will be beneficial to undertake a formal business plan preparation process. The ideas presented in this article are just that – ideas. You are expected — and strongly encouraged – to apply your discretion in assessing their usefulness or relevance to your situation.

Entrepreneurs are often dreamers

They are typically people who start businesses in new areas, that previously did not exist. Their ideas can therefore sometimes be met with resistance especially from people called “experts” who are famous for challenging the practicality or logic (from the expert’s perspectives) of any new, unproven or unusual idea.

Business Plans Versus New/Uncharted Markets

Most of us have heard or read about the importance of going through the motions of preparing business plans before starting a new business.

However, what few people take note of is the fact that some of those who have succeeded in business did not have business plans when they started their FIRST businesses – even though, they probably never intended for it to be so.

This is especially true for those entrepreneurs who had to enter an uncharted market i.e. who set out to do what had not been done before. Their new product or service could therefore not be compared with any known standard, since nothing like it existed at the time. If that sounds anything like the kind of business idea you have in mind as a first-time startup, you may have to contend with at least two challenges.

Two Challenges:

1. A business plan might not be as good an instrument to convince your potential investors(banks, venture capitalists etc), as the personal conviction, enthusiasm, charisma and passion you demonstrate for what you want to do!

For instance, the “experts” among them, who the rest might look up to for assessment of the viability of your proposed venture, may not reckon with your idea if it is new or unusual. David Sarnoff certainly would have understood this point!

Sarnoff, who invented the radio, had to endure what must have been heart-breaking rejection from those he approached to invest in it’s production. Among other things they could not see THE radio(!) as commercially viable, arguing that no one would pay to have a message sent to no specific recipient!

If only they could see us use that same radio now! Sarnoff’s associates could not – at the time – see what he was seeing! And that’s what a first-time startup with a new idea needs to keep in mind. People may not see what you see – at first. That will not mean you are wrong, and they are right – no matter how many they are! If it was so obvious in the first place, you probably would not have been the first to discover it!

2. You might just find that the market is not exactly ready for what you have – even if the idea is quite sound.

Again it would be up to you, to “create the demand” for your new product or service idea in the market.

For instance, incredible as it might sound, the telephone that is such an essential requirement for our existence today, was described as having “too many shortcomings to be considered as a means of communication” in a Western Union Internal Memo.

The memo concluded that the telephone was of no value to the organisation. But that was way back in 1876! We all know that no business that desires to succeed today will operate without a telephone number.

It’s all about vision.

Entrepreneurs are people who apply their creative thinking skills to explore what can be, instead of dwelling on what is, as most others do. That tends to make them see far beyond what people around them can – sometimes causing them problems with others. I believe it was Robert Schuller who said:

“If you want to be a pace setting thinker, you can expect problems with people – especially those trapped by tradition.”

A first-time startup with an unproven business idea is most likely to experience this.

“If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” – Anatole France

Two Case Studies

Below is a description of two first-time startups who were so closely driven by their circumstances, that they could find no use for a business plan in starting up what eventually turned out to be successful ground-breaking ventures.

a). Henry Ford’s “Horseless Carriage”

When Henry Ford conceived the idea of a “horseless carriage”, people told him pointedly it would not work. Those capable of providing the money for production of the automobile refused to even consider it a commercial possibility for one moment!

A business plan would have done Ford little good back then! So he and his wife put all their savings together and went ahead alone. But think for a minute – AFTER Ford had succeeded with the automobile, how the same people would have reacted if he had offered them a business plan for a similar kind of notion?

By then, he would no longer be a first time startup, nor would his idea be new or unproven!

b).The Train Chartering Company

Simon Pielow (Founder, the Train Chartering Company, USA) didn’t use a business plan when he started off. In a report published at Allbusiness.com he admitted that his decision to proceed without a formal plan was probably not a wise one.

However, as the report writer rightly observed, Pielow had no choice but to do this because he was breaking new ground, and had nothing to work with in the way of existing competitors, models or market analysis.

Pielow himself added that he believed a business plan becomes critical to starting up a business when you’re in a competitive market in which many people are offering products or services similar to what you intend to offer.

He ended the interview on a humorous note by saying that had he chosen to do a formal plan, he would probably have been too scared to go ahead, and as such never have achieved the success he eventually did!(Good one to keep in mind, this).

Crucial Considerations For A First Time Startup With A New Business Idea

Bill Byrne in his book “111 Proven Strategies That Will Change The Way You Do Business Forever” explains that if you have a business idea that may be ahead of it’s time, you might have to consider these issues:

1. Can you time your entry into the marketplace perfectly to ensure success?

2. If not, would it be better for you to start up too early or too late?

You need to give these queries deep thought, and possibly engage a trusted associate with genuine understanding of, and empathy for your unproven business idea, to help you through the process.

Byrne’s queries are based on the need for a person with a business idea that is ahead of it’s time to increase her chances of success by tempering the aggressive drive to enter into the market, with realism of the dangers inherent in arriving there too early – or earlier than others.

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” — Bertrand Russell

What You Can Do

1. Be Patient and Painstaking:

Take your time to develop and refine your concept or idea to the point you can be certain it will work as you intend to tell your target audience it will. This warning should be particularly instructive if you do not have the capital to :

a. recover quickly and fully enough if anything goes wrong after you enter the market(because you failed to correct any outstanding defects or problems).

b. wait for the market to build up adequate demand for your product or service, to keep you going till you break even or start recording profits.

If you fail to manage this properly, you could suffer fatal setbacks from lack of sustained initial patronage. What could then happen is that others, learning from your mistakes, would polish up your idea and re-present it to the same market, which, by your pioneering efforts have become more receptive, and THEY would have a “profits-fest”!

2. Use Intelligent Niched Marketing:

You will need a well conceived niched marketing campaign, taking advantage of today’s powerful yet highly cost-effective business marketing tools(automated email and website marketing/surveys etc) and strategies, in order to maximise the chances of success while minimising operating expenses.

3. Don’t let experts “confuse” or “scare” you!

Cynthia Kersey(Author of “UNSTOPPABLE: 45 Powerful Stories of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You”), described experts as having an “ego investment” in the very thing that they are considered “expert”.

Note that an expert could even be someone who once had to struggle – in the past – to secure marketplace acceptance(for what was then an unproven idea), and is now successful, plus a respected authority in his/her field.

The irony is however that such a person may not always maintain an entrepreneurial mode of thinking or could develop what I call an “expert’s mindset”.

A good example of this is probably seen in the quote below:

“640K ought to be enough for anybody” – Bill Gates, 1981

4. Draw Courage From Your Convictions!

Each of us probably has a tendency to become an “expert ” in one-way or the other. The best way to guard against falling into this mindset is to always ask “Why not?” when confronted with the possibility, or suggestion, of a new idea or new way of doing things.

For the new idea start-up, you will need to keep in mind that others who were told by “experts” that their business ideas had no merit, drew courage from their convictions and forged ahead in the face of great discouragement/rejection, and suffering.

In the end, they proved the “experts” wrong and got more people to believe in their dreams.

You can do the same – even if you do not have a business plan. I know this because I passed through the same road in starting up my own business as a Multipreneur in a society where it was frowned on.

Final Words: Note that I have NOT said business plans are unnecessary!

I have only said that they may not always be relevant to a startup’s needs, in which case their absence would not be a fatal handicap.

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking, Self-Development

No. 177: To Be Unstoppable, You Must Be Incomparable!

January 19, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Those who become unstoppable at what they do, often stand out from the crowd, in terms of their demonstrated abilities, and achievements. In other words, they are incomparable. By implication, their names come first in people’s minds, ahead of any others who do what they do.

One person I believe really personifies this concept is Muhammad Ali.

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

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 19th January 2015

No:177

Title: To Be Unstoppable, You Must Be Incomparable!

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

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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 them to me via tayo at tksola dot com. Thanks in advance

No. 177: To Be Unstoppable, You Must Be Incomparable!

One person I believe really personifies this concept is Muhammad Ali.

He’s been described as having one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. But it was not his good looks that earned him that positive notoriety he enjoys today.

Muhammad Ali brought unique creativity and passion to what was a relatively unexciting sport at the time.

Ali boxed, but he chose to do his boxing in a very unconventional way that made him stand out from other boxers.

Among other things, he “talked a lot” to psyche out his opponent – but he did it in a very entertaining way.

However, the best part was that he often delivered what he promised in the ring, and that added to his appeal. As a result, he got noticed more than other boxers, and that drew crowds to watch him, and it also drew the media to seek him out for interviews.

Despite losing about 7 years in his prime (when he was banned from boxing for Army “draft evasion” – which he later overturned in court) Ali won back the title he was stripped of, and remained a dominant figure in boxing for years till he retired.

That’s why, for me, Muhammad Ali symbolized word “incomparable”.

Everybody agrees that the period Ali reigned was one of the most exciting and entertaining periods in this history of boxing.

A good place to appreciate the amazingly unique impact Ali had on the sporting world in general (and also human rights activism) is this Wikipedia article (click to read).

Bruce Lee was also incomparable at what he did – and remains so till this day.

Many decades after his death, he continues to be copiously quoted, and referred to, even outside his formal field of martial arts.

Even today, new video games, magazine covers and other art works are dedicated to him Champions in Mixed Martial arts and other fighting sports, have been repeatedly quoted as saying Bruce Lee was their inspiration when they were starting out.

Everybody agrees that when talk about Martial Arts comes up, Bruce Lee is the first name that comes to mind – even for young people who were not born, when he was alive!

Being incomparable implies being one-of-a-kind – BUT that’s NOT easy to achieve!

All those I have described above were one-of-a-kind at what they did, and it earned them valuable patronage from their target audiences.

Keep in mind however, that those who become “incomparable’ tend to be in the minority i.e. they tend to be few in number, because it take a LOT OF HARD WORK, to get that way!

We all know that a large majority of people in society are often not ready (even when they say they are), to relentlessly push themselves to the limits of their abilities, in order to achieve.

Most people want success, but not many are not willing to CONTINUE doing the hard work needed to achieve LASTING, reproducible success.

This is why those willing to push themselves to the limit, enduring any hardship involved, till they succeed, are the ones who end up being called incomparable, or one-of-a-kind.

Those who become that way simply leverage their unique abilities and strengths, to make them stand out.

So, what can you do to become incomparable?

Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I assume that you’ve read up till this point, because you’d like to be unstoppable, by becoming incomparable…

I believe there is no one way to do it.

However, one strategy that will prove valuable to those aspiring to become incomparable, based on my personal experience, is “Power Positioning”.

Power Positioning works for anyone, in any field, and in any market – no matter where you are in the world.

It entails carrying out a deliberate series of actions that, over time, will make your target audience put you ahead of any others they may be aware of.

I first learnt about Power Positioning in Michel Fortin’s Ten Commandments of Power Positioning E-book. It’s available as a FREE PDF online. Just Google the title.

I AM incomparable at what I do – and YOU can be, at what YOU do as well!

That’s why my clients are often compelled to evaluate what I offer on its own merit – rather than comparing with others!

In a recent article, titled Creating Demand for Custom Automated Spreadsheet Software Solutions in Nigeria/Africa (True Story by Tayo K. Solagbade), I told 3 true stories about how I have had to respond to inquirers from different countries, surprised by the quality/volume of my online content, and especially the degree of sophistication of my custom Excel-VB software.

Last week, a poultry farm CEO, who told me he also chairs the board of a Nigerian software company that markets a Canadian firm’s products, called and spoke with me for over 30 minutes about my Poultry Farm Manager.

At a point, he asked if I did my own coding, or if I simply sold apps built by a foreign partner.

That was a question I was used to hearing

It gets asked so often, because it is more the exception, than the norm, to find a Nigerian or African offering custom Excel-Visual Basic software like mine for sale to a global audience.

My answer to his question was YES: I am a self-taught Professional Spreadsheet Solutions Developer

I began developing custom spreadsheet apps for business users way back in 1995, in my free time as an employee in Guinness Nigeria.

Note that I was employed in the brewing department, as a brewer/line manager, and not in Information Systems!

As you can imagine, even as an employee, that ability made me incomparable:

NO other person in that company – not even the guys in the IT department – could do what I did in terms of spreadsheet automation.

That was why when the company decided to move from Lotus SmartSuite (I began with Lotus 1-2-3), to Microsoft Office, my apps that were then in use, had to be sent to Guinness’ UK office.

The users told the IT department they were too useful to be discarded. So the UK office arranged a developer to convert my Lotus 1-2-3 apps to MS Excel equivalents.

I was promoted around this period (to Technical Training & Development Manager – TTDM), and seeing the changes happening, I proactively invested hundreds of hours learning MS Excel Visual Basic.

Before leaving the company to start my own business, I’d learnt enough to build (in my after office hours as TTDM) a Training Records Database, that was deployed across the brewery’s intranet (with help from my friends in the IT department), for use by department heads during the ISO certification audits.

The above story about my time in paid employment proves that being incomparable is a NEVER ending process.

You must continually work to keep yourself that way!

In my case, I quickly upgraded my skills to make use of the new platform adopted by Guinness Nigeria, to ensure I remained RELEVANT to the needs of users in that unique area!

That action paid off so well, for me, that my name got known well beyond the Nigerian offices of Guinness – with valuable career advancement opportunities rapidly coming my way as a result.

Today, I function as a Location Independent Multipreneur, serving Farm CEOs with multidisciplinary solutions across societies within and outside Africa.

One key aspect that sets me apart is that I offer for sale, customizable Excel-VB driven software for use by farm businesses and others.

Popular ones include my Payslip Generator, Ration Formulator and the Poultry Farm Manager.

However, I also build new apps for client hotels, restaurants/bars, engineering firms etc.

For instance, I am currently in discussions with a Financial Consultant, who wants me to build a custom app, branded in his company’s name, which he will sell to clients, for use in auto-generating financial reports and tax summaries, using daily entries.

My versatility, from years of serving clients in many different industries, equips me to help clients with such uniquely personalized solutions

Little wonder that he started by hiring me to develop a Web Marketing System (WMS) for his business. Apart from marketing his services, we will use the WMS to promote the app for sale.

In essence, I am like a one-stop solutions provider, for a global client audience, because I offer a comprehensive collection of complementary products/services hard to find elsewhere. [Explore www.tayosolagbade.com, this blog, and the increasingly international profile of fans on my Excel Heaven Software Solutions Facebook page to see what I mean].

And that’s why more or my target audience are asking about/taking up membership of my Inner Circle Membership offer, which offers them lifetime 65% discount access to ALL my products/services.

Final Words: Get Started (and get help you need) from today

Use the ideas offered here to get started. Download Michel Fortin’s e-book to guide your efforts.

However, if you’d like to make faster progress, with less trial and error, especially, to become incomparable as an expert-who-speaks, get Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Products and/or Services.

Burt’s track record of success over the past 3 decades proves he was incomparable in his day as an international speaker, it also proves that he is incomparable – today – as a mentor to some of the world’s highest paid speakers.

As a result, he is an unstoppable success in the speaking business.

Aspiring others, who diligently DO what he tells them, will become unstoppable too.

If you’d like Burt to help you, click here to contact him now.

Click here to tell me which of Burt’s speaker mentoring products or services you are interested in.

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Learn about Burt Dubin’s speaker mentoring products (books, audios etc) below…

If you need help purchasing ANY of Burt’s products (like “Presentation Magic”), call me on +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic, my base) or +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or email tayo@tksola.com

Have a great week :-))

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SD Nuggets Blog™	New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Monday]:	No. 176: Serve Clients Fanatically & They’ll Speak GLOWINLGY About You [VIDEO: Clinical Audiologist Client Speaks About Tayo K. Solagbade]
Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:	Speaking Success Is Not About Audience Size
Self-Development/Parenting [Wednesday]:	Do You Need To Be Error-Free? (Hint: Why It’s NOT a Good Idea, If You Want Authentic Success)
Career Development [Thursday]:	Be Proud of Who You Are, No Matter What (Hint: Speak Your Language, Bear Your Traditional Name, Practice Your Culture – Lessons from Fela Anikulapo Kuti)
Parenting [Friday]:	Creating Demand for Custom Automated Spreadsheet Software Solutions in Nigeria/Africa (True Story by Tayo K. Solagbade)
Writing/Blogging/[Saturday]:	Five (5) Action Steps That Can Increase Your Chances of Business Startup Success
Want me to write for you? Click here to send me a message

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).

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

He is an Associate Member of the UK Institute & Guild of Brewing, a 1997 National Finalist of the Nigerian Institute of Management’s(NIM) Young Managers’ competition, a Certified Psychometric Test Administrator for Psytech UK, innovator of Spontaneous Coaching for Self-Development™ (SCfS-D™), and Founder of the Self-Development Academy Limited.

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.

====
[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“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

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Publications

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

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Visit the “On Being a Master” website

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Showmanship Stratagems

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Burt’s Flagship Album

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This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

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Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read

*******

NEW: Speaking Ideas: 25 Articles and True Stories for Experts Who Speak and Those Aspiring (Volume 1)

Download above PDF

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NEW: Get 2 Real Life Poultry Layer Farm Start-up Business Plans (PLUS Customization)!

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Farm Management (& Performance Measurement) for Profits – No. 1 of 4

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (57 pages): Farm Business Start-up (Information, Education & Inspiration) – No. 2 of 4

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Livestock Farm Business Feed Formulation – No. 3 of 4

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (58 pages): Best Practice Farm Business Marketing – No. 3 of 4

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NEW: KUKURU DANGER™: 5 True Stories About the Adventures – & Misadventures! – of a School Age Child Trying to Find Purpose in Life

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NEW: EXCEL-VB DRIVEN POULTRY LAYER FARM MANAGER SOFTWARE

Learn more here

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

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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!

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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).

—————————–

“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…

Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring

for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

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

Five (5) Action Steps That Can Increase Your Chances of Business Startup Success

January 17, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

In February 2001, about 4 months after I got promoted out of my shift-based Brewer position, to become the Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery Technical Training & Development Manager, I came to the conclusion that I needed to fast-track my plans to quit paid employment and start my own business.

I had been plotting my exit from the company since 2 years before, in collaboration with a close friend and confidant of mine who – unlike me – worked in a different department.

He knew of my many frustrations with not being able to pursue my passions – and especially my desire to be free to explore new ideas I had.

In the process of preparing for my exit, having made the final decision, I wrote out on the back of a computer printout, key steps I intended to carryout to achieve my goal of succeeding in starting up my own business.

Recently, I stumbled on that sheet of paper, and from reading through/looking back over the past 8 years, it occurred to me that I had actually followed those steps to get this far.

I now reproduce that list below, with brief explanations, in the hope that they might be of some use to others who may be contemplating doing something similar:

Begin acquiring new knowledge/skills that will facilitate turning my dreams of independence into reality:

I intensified researching possible types of business ventures to start.

I then attended, where possible, relevant training seminars or talks that provided needed information. Subsequently, I tried as hard as possible to put into use what I had learnt.

For instance, I actually used my annual leave periods to try my hands at certain ventures on a micro scale (e.g T-Shirts transfer printing for sale)

2. Remove my fear of getting started:

I sought out others who had quit paid employment to start their own businesses, and listened to their narrations of what it was like. I asked them questions about how I could go about implementing my own plans.

In certain cases I paid money to gain access to their knowledge and insight via consultation sessions. What I learnt from them, and from reading various books/publications by competent authors helped me build reasonable confidence to continue.

3. Make my small business grow and prosper:

By the time I had operated for the first year, the reality had dawned on me that it was not going to be an easy task. Over time, I forced myself to LEARN from the experiences I was having, how to develop alternative ways to GROW my business, regardless of market place variations or even competition.

I actively subscribed to newsletters published by experienced entrepreneurs (mostly foreign/American) and I used my knowledge of my local business environment to adapt their ideas to work for me.

Today, this has helped me reach a point, where I can actually claim that I do not have any direct competitors in the markets I operate in – boosting my ability to get hired and paid profitably.

4. Find/use insightful tips that will eliminate trial and error from doing business:

Again I did this by reading widely, especially publications by other entrepreneurs (e.g. Jeffery Meyer), and then applying their ideas, tweaking them where necessary.

But I also experimented using my own ideas, and over time have tested and found some of them quite effective.

One example: I find I am often able to get clients to hire me readily, if I offer them a barter exchange payment option of up to 50% of my total fee; or by giving them a discount if they agree to provide power supply, Internet access on their premises for my work (a great saving for me in terms of time, effort and costs required to do them).

5. Do noble deeds:

As I continued my work, I soon discovered that there were many people who needed help finding meaning/purpose in their lives. Following chance encounters with some of such people, I realised that I could actually help them do so, by sharing my own experiences and discoveries.

So, I decided to start writing – articles, reports, books – and speaking. Later on, it occurred to me that I could use these same resources (my written stuff) to market myself and the products/services I offered.

That process led me to start employing web marketing in my work. As the opportunity presented itself, I shared what I discovered from doing this, with others who indicated interest.

Final Words

As I said earlier, looking back, I have actually carried out the above steps over the years, and I truly believe that the progress I have made today is due, in no small measure, to that.

Therefore, if you are planning to start out in business, the ideas offered above should hopefully prove helpful.

Good luck!

NB: This article was first published online on July 30, 2010

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, Farm Biz, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Self-Development

Creating Demand for Custom Automated Spreadsheet Software Solutions in Nigeria/Africa (True Story by Tayo K. Solagbade)

January 17, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Download this PDF ebook to read the true story of how I literally single-handedly created a market for my Excel-Visual Basic solutions development service in Nigeria/Africa.

Since 2004, I’ve helped individuals and businesses in Nigeria/Africa (in recent years Asia/America as well) get MORE productivity boosting value out of the Microsoft Excel® on their PCs, at a fraction of what it would cost them if they purchased an off-the-shelf software application.

When I began, NO MARKET existed for solutions of the kind I now sell so readily today. I’ve had to single handedly build demand for them using creativity and persisistence, over the past decade…

My Story: From early 2002 until mid 2004, I continuously marketed my Excel VB Spreadsheet Solutions Development Services to individuals and organisations.

I kept doing this even as I pursued other income generation opportunities.

Despite all the effort I put into creating different flyers, sending our letters, creating case studies to demonstrate the potential benefit of spreadsheet automation, I never got more than one or two invitations for discussion after which I was never called back!

It was in late 2004 – more than two(2) years later that I first found a client willing to consider – and PAY for! – this service.

This gentleman engaged me to build a menu-driven e-version of a 314 page paper-based Department of Petroleum Resources document(Environmental Guidelines And Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria – EGASPIN), for a client company in the Oil & Gas Industry.

I had previously built a website for his company, during which time I had told him about my Excel VB Solutions Development Services.

He would later offer me the DPR project, and even though it wasn’t my idea of how ExcelVB could be best applied, I felt it was at least a start.

Since then, I’ve developed other applications to demonstrate the various uses to which Excel VB solutions can be applied if off-the-shelf commercial software are not flexible enough or are too expensive for their purchase to be justified.

My first breed of applications were not meant for direct sale.

Instead I used them to show prospects (via demonstration) what could be done for them, should they have a need to get more out of Excel.

But since those early years, I have used feed back from various clients to develop a range of time tested apps that I now sell, with on-demand customization to clients in various markets.

Some of my passive income generating custom Excel-VB apps include my Payslip Generator, Ration Formulator and more recently, my Poultry Farm Manager.

You may be wondering how convinced that first Excel VB client was, that I could deliver what he wanted?

Well, if you go by the fact that he paid N100,000(One Hundred Thousand Naira) 100% up front(I can supply FULL evidence to back up this claim), I guess one could say he was quite convinced that it would be worth it.

And I did not disappoint.

That project was completed within ten (10) days, because I got him to specify exactly what he wanted up front. That way I was able to progress without having “scope” changes introduced by him subsequently based on after-thoughts etc.

Today, I have his completed/signed copy of my Job Completion/Feedback Form (which I would be willing to make available to any interested persons to see) indicating that what he got was indeed to his satisfaction.

Not long after I finished that first project, I visited Ghana, to explore opportunities for business partnerships/collaboration, but was unable to make much headway from meetings I had, during my 2 week stay.

Upon returning(mid-July 2005) from thao Ghana, I started a spreadsheet automation project for a restaurant and bar operation in Lagos.

Basically, the owner realised the business had grown too big for paper-based recording and analysis of daily sales and expenses to be adequate for performance monitoring and measurement.

Also, whilst trying to source funding to expand the business, from his bankers, he found they wanted certain detailed historical records of the operations over a period, which were not exactly obtainable in an easily retrievable format in the paper based records.

I successfully completed that project, and later created demos to promote my work to other clients, based on it. As the years passed, I won more complex projects that challenged me to take my work to the next level.

At a point, I realized I had to find ways to add to what I knew, so as to deliver more robust solutions. Eventually, following weeks of research online, apart from useful websites and discussions I learnt from, I purchased the excellent book titled “Professional Excel Development”.

It came with a CD containing very useful workbook examples based on the book’s contents. And they all had their Visual Basic modules accessible.

In no time, I began using what I learnt to build a superior breed of applications. And that has enabled me deliver better value to buyers of my apps, for much greater remuneration.

Over The Years, I’ve Had to Deal With Doubting Thomases of All Kinds

From people in developed societies and even amongst my own countrymen, a seeming stereotype has periodically surfaced in the feedback I’ve gotten.

After browsing through my Excel Heaven website, watching demo videos and downloading sample apps I offered…

1. A Singaporean gentleman (also an ExcelVB developert) wrote me from saying the degree of sophistication of my apps made him doubt that I could be based in Nigeria, as stated on the contact page.

It took calling him from my mobile phone, to convince him it was true. We’ve been online friends since 2007, and even shared ideas on client projects we’ve had to handle over the years.

2. A Pakistani inquirer challenged me to chat with him on Skype, if I was sure my Poulry Farm Manager app existed.

Within 10 minutes of responding to his questions, including posting some screenshots, he post: “Wow. It is good to see something like this coming out of Africa”.

I found that quite amusing.

3. A Nigerian business owner wanted to know if I did my coding myself, or whether I just (like so many do) represent a foreign software development firm, who do all the work, based on specs I send them, and send me the finished apps.

I told him how I began building spreadsheet software using self taught skills from back when I was a trainee brewer in Guinness.

I did it in my spare time. It was not my job. But over time my apps got adopted for formal brewery level reporting, and I enjoyed company wide recognition and rapid career advancement for my efforts.

It is instructive to note here, that I began buiding spreadsheet apps by writing macro programs in Lotus 1-2-3 in 1995, as a Graduate Management Trainee in Guinness.

I only began using MS Excel VB when the company moved from Lotus Smartsuite to MS Office. So, I have been doing this for quite a while – 2 decades to be specific. Hopefully that explains how I am able to turn the quality of apps people see, and use, all by myself.

I work with no one. No partners. I work alone writing my code, designing my spreadsheet and graphic user interfaces to meet clients needs and specifications.

Customizable Excel-VB Driven Poultry Layer Farm Manager Software (Video Demonstration)

Watch screen shot demonstration video of the Excel-Visual Basic Driven Poultry Farm Manager I build from scratch, or customize/scale down to suit the needs of different farm business sizes.

It allows users make daily entries of farm production/operating data.

Click here to watch on Youtube

And it instantly generates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), like Mortality Rates, Feeding rate, Feed to egg conversion ratios, Hen Day Production Percentage (HDP) %, and other parameters.

VIDEO 1: Tayo Solagbade demonstrates how to use the newly introduced “Extra Ingred!” button on the main floating data entry form of his popular Excel VB driven Ration Formulator

Clicking it loads a smaller drop menu driven data entry form that can be used to add up to 7 extra feed ingredients to a ration.

You are now able to formulate rations with 19 ingredients instead of 12 as used to be the case.

All past buyers get it free. Just get in touch via tayo at tksola dot com

Click here to watch on Youtube

Many People Don’t Know Excel’s Amazing Capabilities

It was challenging going through the repeat rejections from those I approached with this service for 2 years. But not once was I discouraged. For one thing I knew what I was offering had enabled me achieve phenomenal success as a process manager – over a 7 year period – in the fast-pace corporate multinational I worked in.

I had repeatedly developed – in my spare time, and with no formal IT training – custom spreadsheets that dramatically boosted workplace productivity. It was because I had seen how useful my applications had been to such a large organisation, that I was convinced other organisations would make similar huge savings by adopting custom spreadsheet solutions.

I KNEW the response was poor due to the fact that those I spoke to, did not really understand what I was telling them I could do

Back in Guinness, it started like that, until I developed applications that helped individuals finish weekly/monthly reports in a fraction of the time it used to take them – and with more accuracy and reliability. In no time at all, four of my applications were adopted for brewery level reporting. When I entered into business, I knew I only had to continue showing prospects what could be done till someone developed enough interest.

I also tried approaching many IT Training organisations that I noticed offered training in Excel(especially advanced Excel).

But I found repeatedly to my surprise that either the person in charge of the Training had never heard of Excel VB, or s/he believed there could be no value to be had from teaching employees how to automate Excel using VBA, so they could develop in-house solutions cheaply(th way I did as an employee).

In most cases, these IT training persons insisted that developing executable applications using the standalone Visual Basic programming language, and other more conventional coding languages was “better”.

A Microsoft Certified Expert Explains Why Excel-VB is a Smarter Way to Achieve Rapid Custom Solutions Development

What they failed to realise was the truth stated by a Microsoft Certified Professional, Pierre Leclerc, who runs a widely recognised and successful Excel Spreadsheet automation business (http://www.excel-vba.com).

“Let’s say that VB is for programmers and VBA is for users (or developers). Personally, I took hundreds of hours of training in VB but I do all my work in VBA (Excel and Access). You don’t need to learn VB to be good at VBA. I adopted VBA because most of the functions I need to organize and analyse data are pre-programmed in Excel and Access. It costs a lot less to develop financial and management applications in Excel and Access than to re-invent the wheel and do everything in VB.”

By the way, if you’re still wondering what the difference is between Excel VBA and Visual Basic, click here for an explanation.

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

Be Proud of Who You Are, No Matter What (Hint: Speak Your Language, Bear Your Traditional Name, Practice Your Culture – Lessons from Fela Anikulapo Kuti)

January 15, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s legend has spread globally, decades after he passed on, because he practised what he preached i.e being a mentally emancipated, proud black African (free from what he termed “Colonial Mentality”).

His story is as compelling as the Afrobeat music he invented, and used to preach his messages.

Fela stood unapologetically, for the rights of the oppressed Nigerian masses, despite suffering repeated physical abuse at the hands of corrupt government regimes that he relentlessy challenged on behalf of the people.

And that’s why people all over the world recognize him today.

If you want people to buy into you, then you need to first SHOW them that YOU are already sold on yourself. That you are the number ONE fan of yourself. Not just by saying, but also – and much more importantly thinking and acting it – ANYWHERE you go, in relating with ANYONE you meet.

Your choice of name, hair style, food, clothes, language(s) etc that you invest in, will speak loudest to those around you about how well you’ve bought into yourself, and it will determine how willing others will be, to buy into you.

Click here to read the excellent thoughts shared by Jaja King and his Facebook friends on the need for us Nigerians to take pride in speaking our native languages over English.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, in an interview I once listened to, said:

“No, no, no, no. English is not expression. Expression is in all other languages all over Nigeria.”

And to prove his point, he asked the interviewer to translate “E ku ile” the common Yoruba greeting to English. The latter could not.

All his life Fela tried to help us embrace our Africanness with pride.

The Lyrics of his 1976 hit song, “Upside Down” reproduced below are very instructive in this regard (Source: http://becomingpeople.tumblr.com/post/19172536132/lyrics-that-make-sense-upside-down-by-fela-kuti)

=starts=

UPSIDE DOWN

Open that book dem call dictionary

…..OPEN AM MAKE YOU SEE*** (After every line)

I said, Open that book dem call dictionary

Upside down na there dey proper

Dem recognize the word for sure, yes

Because him get him meaning too

…..HEAD FOR DOWN, YANSH* FOR UP [CHORUS After every line] *(ass)

Because him get him meaning too

Upside down get him meaning too

Upside down get him meaning too

I don* travel, I don see *(do)

Like any professor* for this land *(teacher)

The thing wey I see, I go talk

About upside up, and down-side down

For overseas, where I see:

Communication Organize
….PATA PATA* [CHORUS After every line] *Totally
Agriculture Organize
Electric Organize
Dem system Organize
Dem people Organize
Dem people Organize

Englishman get English name
American man get American name
German man get German name
Russian man get Russian name
Chinese man get Chinese name

For Africa man house, I don’t see
Like any professor for this land
I no have to travel anywhere
Everything der under my nose
For Africa man house, I don’t see

Village boku* road no der (there) *(plenty)[there are not many villages]
Land boku food no der [there isn’t much good food]
Area boku house no der [there are not many city houses]

People no give their African name
People no dey think African style
People no know Africa way
For Africa man house, I don’t see

Communication Disorganize
….PATA PATA* [CHORUS After every line] *(Totally)
Agriculture Disorganize
Electric Disorganize
Everything is Upside Down
Everything is Upside Down
…Disorganize
…Disorganize
Everything Upside Down
Everything Upside Down
…Disorganize
…Disorganize
Everything Upside Down
Everything Upside Down
[REPEAT LAST 4 LINES// Horns enter]

=Ends=

I am a proud student of Fela’s philosophy of Proud African Consciousness: In fact, WE should all be!

The song “Upside Down”was released by Fela in 1976.

I was 6 years old then, and it’s message really resonated with me.

Note what he said about us not bearing African names. Way back then, over half a century ago…

Isn’t it sad that today, we’re even worse off?

We love what is ours even less than was the case in the 70s!

But all hope is not lost

We can individually infuence a reorientation in society, by starting with ourselves.

For instance, in my home, my wife, Nkechi, who hails from Obosi in Anambra state, has always communicated daily with our kids in her native Igbo language. As a result, the kids are gradually speaking it to her, and to themselves.

I have been trying to do same with the kids (when I’m home), in Yoruba, my native language (which my wife also speaks proficiently). But I have not been able to do it as often as she does.

To pick up the slack at my end, I’ve recently begun creating quick start learning resources, based on Yoruba proverbs, which I discuss with kids, and publish for use by others.

An example is my new ebook, the first in a series: Ten (10) ‘Storyfied’ Yoruba Proverbs for Children – Tayo Solagbade

I chose this approach to overcome the limitation arising from my work related travels, which forces me to employ unconventional (e.g remote) parenting/coaching strategies to better connect with my kids.

Let each person search him/herself and make needed changes, at least for the sake of our offspring, and our African heritage.

Career Development, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Do You Need To Be Error-Free? (Hint: Why It’s NOT a Good Idea, If You Want Authentic Success)

January 14, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

“Success tends not to go to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk averse. Rather, it goes to the person who recognizes that life is pretty much a percentage business. It isn’t making mistakes that’s critical; it’s correcting them and getting on with the principal tasks.” – Donald Rumsfeld, U.S Public Official and Business Executive

Anyone who has followed my writing, will know I started paying my dues in mistake-making from the age of ten, getting into all sorts of serious trouble that caused my parents embarrassment and pain. My Best Practice Parenting book titled “Kukuru Dangers” (sold in my store at www.lulu.com/sdaproducts) narrates full details of those years of truancy.

At a point, my trouble making got so frequent, that family friends/relatives began asking my siblings: “What Tayo had done again?”

Probably sounds funny now, but it was not, for me at least, back then.

You see, due to the fact that I was often getting into trouble around others who were not, I experienced quite early in life what it meant to be different.

However, because I was different in a negative sense (i.e. for doing wrong), I also learnt what if felt like to be an “out cast”.

Most of my peers who did not want to be viewed as wayward, like I was, generally stayed away from me…and spoke about me.

So in 1986, while serving my 2 week suspension for abusing my privileges as Health Prefect, in my final secondary (i.e. high) school year, I did some hard thinking and gained powerful insights that changed my life forever (my book titled “Kukuru Danger” tells the full story – click here to request a free PDF preview download).

I know it may be hard to believe, that so early in life I could achieve this level of clarity.

But that’s what happened.

Maybe it was because I had always been a bit introverted, and only got into trouble because I wanted to be like others I looked up to.

Anyway, after getting into trouble for trying to be that way, I adopted the following 3 guiding thoughts:

1. Always Be Your Original Self:

You will never succeed in being like others.

I think and feel different from other – even my family members. It’s no surprise therefore that most times when I try to share my “crazy” and “childish” perspectives with them, most simply get turned off.

It’s better to be myself, and be comfortable with not being popular with some people as a result. With time, those who deserve to, will discover how my uniqueness can help them, and appreciate me for it.

2. Intelligent Mistake-Making Is Good

When one makes mistakes, it can be painful. People get to see you at less than your best. Some will make fun of you and criticize you.

However, my period of lonely reflection helped me discover that the “many mistakes” I made so early in life had taught me more than I had learnt from being around those who judged me.

Later in life, my expertise at intelligent mistake making would consistently give me an edge over others in every endeavor I embarked upon.

3. Independent Thinking Is Imperative

I will never let anyone, no matter who s/he tell me what to think or do.

That decision will always be mine, even doing so makes me fall out of favor with others.

Why? Because if/when I get into trouble for my actions, I alone will have to answer for it – as has happened in the past.

So, what’s the answer I found to that question: “Do you need to be error-free?”

The answer I found for it, and which I adhere to is: No you don’t.

And never let anyone tell you otherwise!

It will not matter how old, experienced or wise they are. Do not ever let anyone tell you that making mistakes is wrong or bad.

In fact, the only way you can ever avoid making mistakes is if you stop trying to be better than you already are, or to do NEW or different things.

As an expert in your field, your audience (rightly) expects you to give them nothing less than the best of yourself at all times.

If you continue to do what you do, in the exact same way all the time, you do yourself more harm than good.

I recommend you make every single opportunity you have to practice your profession or vocation, to create a truly unique experience, in every sense possible, for those you serve – be they your client or employer..

Your continued relevance as an expert in your field of interest, and focus, is dependent on your willingness to constantly renew and reinvent yourself.

You cannot re-invent yourself, to stay relevant, if you do not have new experiences

That’s why you must be willing to do new things – even though a risk of making mistakes exists!

Otherwise, where would you get new insights from, with which excite those you serve with new ways of adding value to them?

When you avoid leaving your comfort zone, or shy away from taking risks by trying new experiences, you gain fewer – or even NO – new insights.

Why? That’s because you will make mistakes (or be wrong) less often.

When you’re NOT wrong, or NEVER wrong, you’re unlikely to feel a compelling need to check for new or better ways to do what you do. Being free from error is a state of perfection one can aspire to attain, but rarely actualize while one remains human.

Those who claims to be perpetually error free often hide away evidence of the mistakes they make.

But that does neither them, nor those around them any good in the long run!

Final Words: As any accomplished person in any field will tell you, mistakes/failures that befall us have a positive role to play in our growth and development.

Without them our progress towards achieving the full potential put in us by the creator would be greatly limited.

This is why, if you really want to achieve authentic success in life, and have not been doing it before now, you need to go out from today and start making mistakes intelligently.

It’s time to stop trying to be error-free: embrace your imperfections, and learn to use your failures are stepping stones to achieve on new and better levels in your life!

Get a FREE 20 page PDF preview of my new book (available digitally, and in paperback physical book form): “KUKURU DANGER™ – 5 True Stories About the Adventures – & Misadventures! – of a School Age Child Trying to Find Purpose in Life“

Click here, to request the FREE PDF preview of the new paperback book now.

You will be taken to a request form. Within seconds of filling and submitting it, the download link will be sent to the email address you supply.

I urge you to share it as far and wide as you possibly can!

If you are a parent, teacher or school owner interested in getting my help with regard to Best Practice Parenting, click here to contact me!

“There’s a world outside school that your child must be ready for, if she is to succeed.

Because you arrived in it, before her, YOU are an expert in it, compared to her. If you truly love your child therefore, you can – and should – share YOUR EXPERTISE about succeeding in the world, to help her learn how to EXCEL in it.

This book [Kukuru Danger™] uses narratives of true life childhood experiences of a brilliant but wayward child, who later reformed himself, as a basis for offering practical tips and insights you can use.” – Tayo K. Solagbade. Best Practice Parenting Advocate™ & Location Independent Multipreneur.

Career Development, General, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking

Speaking Success Is Not About Audience Size

January 13, 2015 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Everything I am about to say here is, as usual, my personal opinion.

To me, a good speaker will be successful in influencing people s/he speaks to, both on and off the platform. So, if you are a genius on the platform and a goof ball in your personal interactions, you have a lot of work to do on yourself before you can claim to be successful.

My stated opinion is based on my belief that we are only successful, to the extent that we are able to apply our skills in different situations, to achieve the goal we want.

And that goal is ultimately to provide satisfactory answers to the audience’s questions, needs or problems, in a way that makes them thank you, and/or ask for more.

When you speak, it could be in a formal, informal or non-formal setting, as I explained some issues back. Your audience size and circumstances can vary depending on a variety of factors. However, YOU will always be the constant, as the speaker who delivers a message to the individual or group audience.

The way I see it, your success as a speaker under varying circumstances has nothing to do with the size of the audience that has to listen to you.

Okay, maybe I should rephrase that. It should have little or nothing to do with the number of people you address.

I say this on the assumption that all other factors remain relatively constant – especially during formal presentations. For instance, with large audiences, the platform, seating arrangement, and acoustics need to be setup to ensure your presentation reaches all audience members effectively. Everyone present should be able to hear what you say clearly.

I also assume that the venue will have been setup to allow you employ your platform skills to maximum effect.

Sometimes however, you may need to put your speaking skills to use in small group settings.

For instance, as the leader of a team in your company, as CEO, or even as the president of your club or other social group. At other times you may have to speak in one-on-one situations with high profile individuals e.g. decision makers in a company you work for.

If you have taken care to prepare yourself adequately, it will rarely matter who you have to speak to, or how many they are. You will find that your passion for your chosen subject will always see you through (to paraphrase a famous speaker).

As usual, and with every sense of responsibility, I am able to say the above, based on personal experience.

In many of my past articles, I have shared anecdotal accounts of how I successfully won appointments with CEOs of companies I approached, even after the gatekeeper had assured me nothing of the sort would happen.

Basically, I act very self-confident every time I get an opportunity to speak to my target individual or group audience. But the confidence I display is always well founded. It comes from knowing my subject throughly. And this has helped me speak with impact even when I addressed large audiences.

Sometimes the “speaking opportunity” with an individual (e.g CEO), would have come at a totally unexpected time, or in an unusual setting.

For instance, I once had to speak to convince a CEO, while members of his team (in a meeting with him) looked on.

Most people feel self-conscious under this kind of situation. I did too.

However, becasue I knew what I had to say, and how to say it, I had no problems passing my message across. By the time I was done, he motioned for one of them to discuss details of what I proposed with me, and arrange a follow up meeting.

Your ability to express yourself in an articulate and convincing manner depends on your speaking prowess.

If you continually nurture it, there is probably no person or groups you speak to, that will not be won over.

That’s why I believe speaking success has little or nothing to do with audience numbers or size.

Instead, it’s about results, in the form of the outcomes you desire, becoming reality. Aim to develop yourself to get what you want, with increasing frequency from those you speak to, and you will succeed just as often.

PS: This article was first published online on Monday 13th August 2012 via www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

I refer to my passion for learning to do things myself i.e. being a Do-It-Yourself enthusiast or what some call a “DIYer”.

How Much You Need To DIY, Depends On Your Part of the World

The following true story illustrates the above scenario perfectly.

That Doesn’t Happen In Your Country? Great! But What If One Day, It Does?

So I ask you: What are the things you currently depend on others to do for you? It could be a service provider or even a friend you have great confidence in.

Anything can happen. Don’t Be A Fish Out Of Water When It Does!

People often value a professional who can improvise and adapt effectively. If you come across as being that way, meeting planners may conclude you are a more “reliable” performer who can deliver no matter what goes wrong.

Final Words: I also recommend, strongly too, that you TEACH your kids to be that way as well, from as early as possible in life.

RELATED…

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:

What follows are some bullet point descriptions of the key points I can recollect from his pep-talk:

Developing YOUR STRATEGY – Compare Alternative Investments

Summary

During some difficult times in the life of my business, I have found myself in need of people to believe enough in me to give me support.

However, I strongly disapprove of some people who use such periods to launch criticism or even campaigns of calumny against the person experiencing adversity.

Think about it for a moment. Do many of us not often claim to love one another?

So, How Will This Help?

But, I am of the experience based opinion, that it is not for you to reason whether or not progress is apparent!

Who Should Read This Article?

Entrepreneurs are often dreamers

Business Plans Versus New/Uncharted Markets

Two Challenges:

It’s all about vision.

Two Case Studies

Crucial Considerations For A First Time Startup With A New Business Idea

What You Can Do

Final Words: Note that I have NOT said business plans are unnecessary!

One person I believe really personifies this concept is Muhammad Ali.

No. 177: To Be Unstoppable, You Must Be Incomparable!

One person I believe really personifies this concept is Muhammad Ali.

Despite losing about 7 years in his prime (when he was banned from boxing for Army “draft evasion” – which he later overturned in court) Ali won back the title he was stripped of, and remained a dominant figure in boxing for years till he retired.

Bruce Lee was also incomparable at what he did – and remains so till this day.

Being incomparable implies being one-of-a-kind – BUT that’s NOT easy to achieve!

Most people want success, but not many are not willing to CONTINUE doing the hard work needed to achieve LASTING, reproducible success.

So, what can you do to become incomparable?

I AM incomparable at what I do – and YOU can be, at what YOU do as well!

Last week, a poultry farm CEO, who told me he also chairs the board of a Nigerian software company that markets a Canadian firm’s products, called and spoke with me for over 30 minutes about my Poultry Farm Manager.

My answer to his question was YES: I am a self-taught Professional Spreadsheet Solutions Developer

NO other person in that company – not even the guys in the IT department – could do what I did in terms of spreadsheet automation.

The above story about my time in paid employment proves that being incomparable is a NEVER ending process.

Today, I function as a Location Independent Multipreneur, serving Farm CEOs with multidisciplinary solutions across societies within and outside Africa.

My versatility, from years of serving clients in many different industries, equips me to help clients with such uniquely personalized solutions

Final Words: Get Started (and get help you need) from today

*************

Learn about Burt Dubin’s speaker mentoring products (books, audios etc) below…

*************

SPECIAL PRODUCT FEATURE

“Inside Speaking Business Success Secrets”

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

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

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

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

Publications

THEY WROTE…

I had been plotting my exit from the company since 2 years before, in collaboration with a close friend and confidant of mine who – unlike me – worked in a different department.

Begin acquiring new knowledge/skills that will facilitate turning my dreams of independence into reality:

2. Remove my fear of getting started:

3. Make my small business grow and prosper:

4. Find/use insightful tips that will eliminate trial and error from doing business:

5. Do noble deeds:

Final Words

My Story: From early 2002 until mid 2004, I continuously marketed my Excel VB Spreadsheet Solutions Development Services to individuals and organisations.

It was in late 2004 – more than two(2) years later that I first found a client willing to consider – and PAY for! – this service.

My first breed of applications were not meant for direct sale.

You may be wondering how convinced that first Excel VB client was, that I could deliver what he wanted?

Upon returning(mid-July 2005) from thao Ghana, I started a spreadsheet automation project for a restaurant and bar operation in Lagos.

Over The Years, I’ve Had to Deal With Doubting Thomases of All Kinds

It is instructive to note here, that I began buiding spreadsheet apps by writing macro programs in Lotus 1-2-3 in 1995, as a Graduate Management Trainee in Guinness.

Customizable Excel-VB Driven Poultry Layer Farm Manager Software (Video Demonstration)

VIDEO 1: Tayo Solagbade demonstrates how to use the newly introduced “Extra Ingred!” button on the main floating data entry form of his popular Excel VB driven Ration Formulator

Many People Don’t Know Excel’s Amazing Capabilities

I KNEW the response was poor due to the fact that those I spoke to, did not really understand what I was telling them I could do

A Microsoft Certified Expert Explains Why Excel-VB is a Smarter Way to Achieve Rapid Custom Solutions Development

Click here to read the excellent thoughts shared by Jaja King and his Facebook friends on the need for us Nigerians to take pride in speaking our native languages over English.

I am a proud student of Fela’s philosophy of Proud African Consciousness: In fact, WE should all be!

But all hope is not lost

So I ask you: What are the things you currently depend on others to do for you? It
could be a service provider or even a friend you have great confidence in.

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

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