Monthly Archives: February 2016

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News, Recommended Websites & Articles, Self-Development

What if you could print your own money – anytime you need it? [Introducing Tayo Solagbade’s Performance Improvement IDEAS (PI Squared) Newsletter]

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What if you could print your own money – anytime you need it? What if you developed the ability to  make the money you need come into your possession, wherever and whenever the need arises.

Many who practice the Christian religion, and who read the bible, may be familiar with the phrase “The Lord will meet you at the point of your need”.

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Tayo Solagbade’s
Performance Improvement IDEAS
(PI Squared) Newsletter

Logo - Tayo Solagbade's Self-Development Academy


NB: This PI Squared newsletter will be published weekly, on Mondays, in place of the Speaking/Web Marketing IDEAS newsletter, starting from next week – 15th February 2016. I’m reinventing my Monday newsletter content and theme, to accommodate my vision of serving the growing audience of serious minded individuals and organizations reaching out to me, with information, education. news and research findings designed to help them do what they do better.

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View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google PlusConnect with Tayo on LinkedIn.com

Issue No. 001 goes LIVE on Monday 15th February 2016

What if you could print your own money – anytime you need it? What if you developed the ability to be able to make the money you need come into your possession, wherever and whenever the need arises.

Many who practise the christian religion, and who read the bible may be familiar with the phrase “God will meet you at the point of your need”.

I was brought up in a strong christian home, and bible study was an activity strictly enforced by my parents – my father especually. That foundation was what exposed me to a lot of the “promises” that christians “claim” and pronouce in their frequent affirmations.

As I grew up however, especually during my 3rd to final year in the University, I saw A LOT of things that made me change my views about religion.

By the time I graduated, I’d chosen to carry out without formally practising any religion. Instead, I devoted myself to reading books to gain a better understanding of the difference I sensed existed between religion and spirituality.

The latter appealed to me greatly. I instinctiely felt it would better equip me to connect with the creator, by living my life in accordance with the universal laws setup by Him to reward us on earth.

Today, over 2 decades later, I have become proficient in doing just that, and the results I achieve in my personal and work related activities provide ample proof that I regularly use to back up my claims.

Especially noteworthy has been my “romance” with lack of money, that became full blown within 2 short years after I quit the security of paid employment in Guinness Nigeria, at the height of my career success, to pursue my long standing dream of being self-employment.

All through the 7 years I’d been in that company, I’d enjoyed rapid career advancement opportunities, with exciting salary remuneration. Money had never been a problem for me. As a bachelor, I did not womanize or drink.

Instead I spent most of my money on furnishing my apartment and acquiring self-development resources e.g. books, home study video CDs, attending seminars, traveling to other states/countries etc.

Saving was NEVER something I gave any thought to. Since another month;s salary always came in to plug the gaping hole from the last month’s thoughtless spending blitz. I was a driven career man who spared no expense in achieving his personal goals.

The goals were worthwhile, but I did not go about achieving them with PRUDENCE, especially with regard to my spending.

That habit would later cost me A LOT in my early startup years, to the point that I exhausted the funds I left Guinness with, under a year. Then the REAL test began. And that test went on for MANY years filled with prolonged periods of delays, disappointments and setbacks.

I just could not earn money enough. For a long time, I struggled to make even the smallest amount. But I dug in, and read far and wide, as many books as I could. The question I kept asking myself was how I could set my brand up to ensure I always earned new money, to add to what I already had, so as to NEVER run out of cash again.

That become an obsession for me, and I studied ALL the experts who gave even the slightest indication that they knew how to do that. Eventually I discovered books on passive income – especially those by Robert Kiyosaki.

And later I read one in which he talked about being able to print your own money. Then it clicked. I understood that I could make it happen for myself. But I also realized I would have to do something VERY different from what I had been doing before – and from what others in my field were doing.

Today, I DO print my own money. And I am highly frugal in spending it, so as to get more done, with less.

In other words, I have setup a system that enables me earn money on a regular basis even when I do NOT have ANY client project in hand; even when I am sleeping; or out with my kids. And in 2016, I’m taking it to the next level already.

And I have also developed a system to ensure I do not waste it.

However, I do not want to stop there. I also realize, as I’ve said in recent articles, that the Creator wants me to start giving back by helping others succeed like I’m doing. And that’s why I’m launching this Performance Improvement IDEAS newsletter as a replacement for my Speaking/Web Marketing IDEAS newsletter.

Starting next week, in Issue 001 of this new Performance Improvement IDEAS (PI Squared) newsletter, I’ll be sharing insights to help you do what you do better, especially in your ability to excel at what you do, and earn more in the process.

For those of you who want to really excel, I WILL end every issue with a formal invitation to signup for access to my Password Protected Performance Improvement audio-visual home study library of resources.

There, you will gain access to audios/videos and ebooks in which I spell out how I print my own money, and how you can do the same.

See you next week!

SDN Blog™

 New posts from last week*
Monday:

No. 230: Post Employment Survival Strategies & Biz Startup Ideas [Hint: Signup for my Confidential Business Startup Ideas Support Service]

Tough economic times, fewer jobs for those seeking, and more job losses looming on the horizon for people in industries we once thought to offer job security, ALL combine to make the message in this issue of my newsletter most relevant and compelling! You will want to read this write-up if you are: a. preparing […]

[Tuesday]:

Do You Really Need Employees?

I once read a document which featured interesting statistics like the following: “About three quarters of all U.S. business firms have no payroll. Most are self-employed persons operating unincorporated businesses, and may or may not be the owner’s principal source of income… Since 1997, however, non employers have grown faster than employer firms.” – U.S. […]

 
[Wednesday]:

The Need to Set the Right Example by Being Useful at Home (Even If You’re Busy)

Do Experts Wash Dishes? Do YOU? You read that right: I mean YOU, reading this right now. Regardless of your gender, or professional status, the above question is meant for YOU. Here’s a more elaborate version of it: As a startup or established expert in your field of interest or specialization, should you bother doing […]

 
[Thursday]:

Business Startup Ideas Support Service: Signup Procedure Details

In this article, I outline the formal procedure for my “Business Startup Ideas Support Service” signup and provision – which I announced in Issue No. 230 of my weekly newsletter (Click here to view) For any person who is interested in this service…we will have a meeting (which does NOT have to be face to […]

 
[Friday]:

Business Startup Ideas Support Service: Curious Persons Not Wanted

In this sequel to yesterday’s piece on the “formal procedure for my Business Startup Ideas Support Service signup and provision“, I explain the justification behind my insistence that clients make a paid commitment from the start, to demonstrate their seriousness of their interest in my solutions. In other words, I do NOT offer any options […]

 
[Saturday]:

Protected: Week 2 – Video and PDF Home Study Tutorial Introduction to MS Excel-Visual Basic Automation [GIFT: Send Me Your MS Excel Based Invoice & I’ll Send It Back Fully Automated, With Step-By-Step Video & PDF Home Study Do-It-Yourself Tutorial]

Hi, Welcome to the second week of your coaching as member of my Excel-VB club. To access this page, you will have used the PASSWORD emailed to your in box. Hope you’ve been able to review the content on the page I sent you a link to last week. It contains preliminary notes and sample videos […]

 

 

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NEW: Speaking Ideas: 25 Articles and True Stories for Experts Who Speak and Those

Aspiring (Volume 1)

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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

lick here to download your FREE 20 Page PDF Chapter preview of my latest Book" titled "KUKURU DANGER™: 5 True Stories About the Adventures - & Misadventures! - of a School Age Child Trying to Find Purpose in Life

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Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

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 organizations 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 organizations, 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 (October 1994 to December 2001) as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer to Training & Technical Development Manager, and later acted in senior roles as Production Manager and Technical
Manager.

In addition to constantly challenging the status quo and influencing positive work changes, he built a reputation for using self-taught spreadsheet programming skills (starting with Lotus 1-2-3, and later moving to Excel Visual Basic) – in his spare time – to develop Automated Spreadsheet Applications to computerize manual report generation processes in the departments he worked. Over four(4) of his applications were adopted for brewery level reporting.

Tayo holds a B.Sc degree in Agricultural Extension Services from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, having graduated top of his class – with Second Class Upper Division honors – in 1992. 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 (SDAc).

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 The Farm CEO Weekly Newspaper (sent via email to paid subscribers) and his Weekly Performance Improvement IDEAS

newsletter.

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

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google PlusConnect with Tayo on LinkedIn.com

Home |About | Contact | SD Nuggets™ | Speaking/Web Marketing IDEAS | Web Marketing Systems | Freelance Writing | MS Excel® Heaven™ | Cost-Saving Farm Biz Ideas

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Career Development, Excel-VB Solutions, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Self-Development

Protected: Week 2 – Video and PDF Home Study Tutorial Introduction to MS Excel-Visual Basic Automation [GIFT: Send Me Your MS Excel Based Invoice & I’ll Send It Back Fully Automated, With Step-By-Step Video & PDF Home Study Do-It-Yourself Tutorial]

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

Business Startup Ideas Support Service: Curious Persons Not Wanted

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In this sequel to yesterday’s piece on the “formal procedure for my Business Startup Ideas Support Service signup and provision“, I explain the justification behind my insistence that clients make a paid commitment from the start, to demonstrate the seriousness of their interest in my solutions.

In other words, I do NOT offer any options for persons who are simply curious.

I challenge all who connect with me to adopt a disposition of being willing to give something tangible to get anything they consider worthwhile.

Two Examples

Late last year I had face to face sessions with with 2 different CEOs – one flew down from Abuja to meet with me in KFC-Allen Avenue to discuss a web marketing project for a bank funded project. He’d paid the required fee over 2 days before. We’d first met at the Nigerian embassy in Cotonou.

The 2nd CEO came in from his farm in Ogun state with his wife (who is farm manager) to meet with me on 31st Dec at Tantalizers. He works with an oil and gas company and paid over a week before the agreed meeting date. After we met, he signed up for my Sales and Marketing Coaching program by doing a transfer that night, and paying the balance by bringing us 9 Cockerels which my 14 year old son went to pick up in a hired commercial tricycle.

Click here to contact me about getting started

I share the above details, not to brag, but to let you see that I run my business affairs with clinical focus.

If there’s one hard truth I’ve learnt out here since becoming self-employed, it’s the serious need to be HONEST with myself as well as with others I have to deal with at all times, about what is to be done.

If you want me to meet face to face with you (and your spouse for instance), it would be my pleasure, but it will always be a formal consultation arrangement.

At the risk of stating the obvious, I do the above because I have a work schedule that makes it imperative that I use my time efficiently, so I can progress client projects to meet sometimes overlapping deadlines.

That is on top of the work I have to do for myself, and the coaching resources/activities I continue to create for my kids!

All of that happens behind the scenes for the stuff I create that shows up online, and makes potential clients reach out to me. It is hard work, and takes unrelenting focus!

Only my dedication to a serious exercise regimen that I’ve now introduced to my kids enables me do it without suffering side effects. (By the way, do you exercise? It can do wonders for your work related stamina …you’ll be tired less often and able to do lots more in 24 hours).

That’s why I place a fee on my face to face meetings. But even though I charge for them, I still try hard to avoid them, especially when I’m in Nigeria, where moving around is often such a big hassle!

It goes without saying that you want ready access to a competent expert you can trust to put your interests up front. My vision is to be that kind of person to all my clients.

But, I also want my clients to take a stand and make a commitment to EXERT themselves from the start, to get what they say they want.

So you see, it’s not just about the money you have to pay.

It’s also about helping you develop the required mental attitude, the drive/hunger, the self discipline and focus that you (and/or your spouse) will need to make intelligent and successful use of what you get from me, to achieve the goals you say you want.

That’s what I do, and I’ve found out that it is even more important than knowing all the business ideas, costs, profits etc.

My spirit urges to me to challenge clients to develop that often neglected side of themselves, so they can boost their chances of authentic long term success regardless of any adversity they encounter.

The experiences and achievements I continue to record are proof that knowing the facts and information is not enough!

That’s why I resolved a long time ago that this aspect of my solutions provision (i.e. my knowledge, information and insights) must be paid for – because the insights I possess are often unique and value adding beyond what exists elsewhere.

Based on the above, I offer to connect with you as follows:

Option 1: Let’s have a Skype phone call conversation to discuss whatever you have in mind.

My phone call consultation fee is for 1 to 2 hours.

Option: 2. A face to face meeting is something I try to avoid so as not to have to leave my base.

Especially when I’m in Nigeria. You will need to decide if you can pay to meet with me at either of my 2 preferred venues.

Otherwise, I can come down to your end if you pay the required fee, as relevant extra to cover my taxi transportation to/fro.

Another reason I operate in this manner, even with relatives, is to challenge them to appreciate the need to ALSO insist in doing their own business the same way.

Too much sentiment can prevent one from getting needed rewards to grow his/her brand!

Click here to contact me about getting started

On a final note, I’ll say this:

I remain the same with regard to giving all who relate with me MUCH more value than they pay for.

Rest assured therefore that this interaction will yield you tangible outcomes you will find worthwhile. There is so much else I can share with you, that can determine how any venture you choose turns out. And most of it is not found in books!

Click here to contact me about getting started

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

The Need to Set the Right Example by Being Useful at Home (Even If You’re Busy)

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Do Experts Wash Dishes? Do YOU? You read that right: I mean YOU, reading this right now.

Regardless of your gender, or professional status, the above question is meant for YOU.

Here’s a more elaborate version of it:

As a startup or established expert in your field of interest or specialization, should you bother doing minor domestic chores like washing dishes and the like?

We Were Brought Up To Care About Chores

If you’re like most people, you were brought up by your parents to take responsibility for some domestic chores. Doing the dishes or laundry. Taking out the trash. Mowing the lawn. Washing the car. Cleaning your room, or even changing the baby’s diapers?

By the time we left home, many of us had gotten used to doing them without being asked.

But once we begin living alone, and as we achieve varying levels of success, some of us decide we’d rather not do such chores. So we get hired help. That’s not bad in itself, especially if doing so helps us to get more work done i.e. so we can be more productive.

However, the problem that can – and often does – arise is that some people let their success or the need to preserve a certain image/status convince them that being “domesticated” is not cool (or is undignified) for instance. So, they go out of their way to avoid showing that side of themselves. At a point even when they visit their own parents, they betray the same bias –to the latter’s surprise, and possible embarrassment!

Your Success Cannot Excuse YOU From Chores!

In a past issue of the Early To Rise newsletter, Craig Ballantyne shared memories from his childhood, of times he spent with his father. On specific school days his father would take him on outings instead of letting him attend classes.

According to his father, there were other things Craig needed to learn, which would not be taught to him in school. (That’s one truth I’ve also learned over the years, and which I apply in relating with my kids.)

But the most profound message I picked up from Craig’s anecdote, was his revelation that despite achieving significant success years later in life, his family still requires all members to do domestic chores – including menial ones like washing dishes.

In other words, whenever they come together as a family, regardless of their individual levels of personal success or societal status, each member still has to do those chores!

I believe the above provides a valuable lesson for families. We must realize that no matter how successful anyone of us becomes, the relationship we have with one another will remain basically intact.

In other words, your father will always be your father. The same goes for your mother. Regardless of how famous, or wealthy your success makes you, both parents will remain deserving of your respect, and service. As will your siblings – older, younger or same age (in the case of twins).

Nothing should change except, probably, your looks :-)

Setting The Right Examples As Role Models

As experts we share expert knowledge and insights with others who often look up to us for guidance. Over time, people value our opinion so much that they’ll want to know what we think about current affairs and other general issues not directly related to our areas of professional focus. That’s when you get invited as a guest on a TV show etc. That will happen because you’ve become a role model who others look up to, for thought leadership.

The question to ask yourself is whether what they know about you in public, is the same they’ll discover about you if they came to your home?

Are you as fair and impartial in your dealings with those in your household, as you advocate in your talks and interviews, for instance? Do you really help out with household chores like you say your listeners should? Or is that just a strategy to get public approval by being politically correct?

The answers you come up with, will tell you a few things about yourself – especially with your status as an expert who, by extension, is also a role model.

Kids learn from watching us. When you’re a expert, it’s likely that at some point, you kids will see/hear you speak or write based on your proven expertise. Sooner or later they’ll come across people who have heard you speak or read your writing, or even interacted with you. What the latter tell your kids they heard you say can make a powerful impact in the latter’s lives.

But that impact can be either negative or positive, depending on how honest you are.

For instance as a specialist in racial diversity, you’re likely to advocate equal opportunities and fair play, no discrimination etc. The question is, at home, or in your private life, do those close to you see those same principles being applied by you?

A Man Who Set An Example His Kids Had No Problems Following

Here’s an example to illustrate this point: As parents we must raise our kids to see one another as partners. Sibling rivalry should never be allowed to take root. That’s why we must avoid playing favorites. If they see you always deal with issues concerning them in a fair and impartial manner, they will accept it as the right way to do things.

I know a family in which the father (who is now late) ran his – polygamous – household in the above described manner. Over a decade after his death, all the kids are grown up and married with their own kids. But they still stay in touch and congregate periodically.

When they do meet, the mutual respect and consideration they have for one another remains obvious You will not for instance find a younger one who’s doing better financially than an older one, being treated preferentially to the disadvantage of the latter. Instead, the former would readily serve (i.e. run errands for) the less prosperous big brother or sister, like s/he would have done when they were still in their father’s house.

What’s more, one sees no airs of superiority or attempts to outdo one another among them. It’s not a perfect family of course. They have their own disagreements and differences. But certain basic cultural ground rules remain in place and respected.

What’s more, when disagreements or conflicts do arise, this family has an excellent problem resolution system in place. They simply get themselves together as a group, and bring the erring/disagreeing members together to explain themselves/air their grievances.

Contributions would be allowed from members with ideas for an amicable way to resolve the problem. A group decision would be arrived at eventually, and the affected individuals asked to abide by the decision.

In all the years I have related with members of this family, I have never known this method to fail them. That was how their father did it. And seeing how it worked for him, they chose to continue with it. What better role model could one have hoped for?

Final Words

Are you now (or working towards becoming) a highly paid expert who serves high profile clients?

If yes, well that’s just great!

However, that should not make you feel you can no longer step into the kitchen and do the dishes while visiting your old and grey parents over a weekend, if there’s no helper around.

Taking out the trash/other chores also need not be abomination for you. And not just in your parent’s home, but also in YOUR own home.

Apart from making your folks – and spouse – happy and proud, your kids (and/or other people’s kids) will learn a valuable lesson from seeing you readily take on household chores if/when the need arises to do so.

But most importantly, you would be living a life based on values consistent with those you advocate to others you interact with in the course of doing your work.

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

Do You Really Need Employees?

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I once read a document which featured interesting statistics like the following:

“About three quarters of all U.S. business firms have no payroll. Most are self-employed persons operating unincorporated businesses, and may or may not be the owner’s principal source of income… Since 1997, however, non employers have grown faster than employer firms.” – U.S. Census Bureau’s website

Those numbers relate to the USA. But (at the risk of stating the obvious), I’m based in Africa, shuttling mainly between Nigeria’s Lagos and Benin Republic’s Cotonou, as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

For most of the past decade, I’ve worked – as a service provider – with many small and medium business owners.

I do not have statistics matching those of the USA, for my country. But I do have the benefit of years of exposure to these businesses, to make some informed observations.

Example: Just like their North American counterparts, many firms out here do not have payrolls, and the self-employed also mostly operate unincorporated ventures. Indeed, some do not even have registered business names.

But that’s not the point I wish to make.

Why Spend Money On Things You Don’t Need?

I’m more concerned about the reasoning behind the decision making by some of the self-employed, regarding hiring of employees, and spending on overheads.

For instance, I’ve provided services to independent consultants (including experts-who-speak) who maintain rented offices (and staff), that rarely get visited by prospects or clients.

And they do this year in, year out, while paying all kinds of bills – in addition to salaries – monthly.

My enquiries reveal they hold this (grossly mistaken) view that if they fail to do so, potential clients will assume they’re not doing well.

In other words, they believe they need to show they are making profits, by hiring employees, and renting offices, even when they do not need them.

Did I hear you say “Huh?”. Well, you’re not alone. What warped logic :-)

What irks me most is the fact that some of these business owners do not (and/or are not able to) provide adequate salaries or benefits for the employees they recruit.

Some Do It To Belong. Others, To Make A Statement.

They want to keep up with the Joneses. So, they ignore readily available “family labour” (e.g. a spouse as personal assistant), and a room in their home that could be converted to an office.

The question I ask is this: If I can work without commuting to an office outside my home, does it make good business sense, to rent office space and engage employees I have to pay?

Advocates of this approach argue that impressions matter, and that that justifies doing the above. But who are they trying to impress exactly?

There are also those who adopt the above mentioned wasteful approach, so they can prove they are better off than some rival or contemporary. And they act it by readily pointing out that s/he does not have any employees (or office)…or that s/he does not have as many as they do.

In some developing cultures, there is widespread belief that anyone who works from home only does so because s/he is not making enough money.

And it cuts across: Even the elite are just as prone.

They fail to realize the decision about renting an office would depend on the kind of business – and also how much money you have. Service providers generally find it quite easy to operate home offices.

But in these societies, people blindly place great importance on owning a formal office or business premises. There is a lot of prestige that comes with being able to invite a client to meet you in your OFFICE..:-)

I’ve personally lost count of the number of times prospects afflicted with this mentality balked at speaking further with me, as soon I told them I worked from home.

“So, where is your office?” they typically ask. And I always respond: “Actually I work from home.”

Then I watch with mild amusement as their eyes glaze over, and they suddenly adopt a condescending tone in subsequent exchanges. Some even make tactless comments like “Oh well, not to worry. Once business picks up, you’ll have your own office and probably employ a secretary to help you.”

And I would wonder to myself who it was that told them I wanted an office, and employee(s) to WORRY about???

But experience has taught me to ignore them.

Here’s one reason why:What do you call a guy who – after recommending that you rent an office and hire staff – turns around to ask for massive discounts for your paid services claiming he’s on a shoe string budget?

I’d say UNSERIOUS, and not worth my time …especially in an economy where you have to generate your own electricity, and other basic necessities, to do your work.

I learnt a lot about minimizing overheads as a independent consultant, from reading Herman Holtz’s writing. He revealed that even in working for large corporations, many of the executives showed respect for his need to keep his overheads low as a solo operator, by agreeing to meet with him in his home office.

My achievements in THIS SAME society have proven that serious prospects will make no issue of a service provider choosing to work from home. Many readily agree to meet me at home (or a mutually convenient location), once they become convinced I have the competence to solve their problem(s).

As Experts, We Should Be Thought Leaders!

It’s ironic that experts who should be savvy business persons, allow faulty reasoning by larger society, to influence them into taking actions that negatively impact their business’ bottom line.

Should it not be the other way round? Are we not supposed to guide society on what should be done, based on our expertise?

Why not educate members of society that their assumptions and expectations are wrong? You can do this by doing what is right for YOUR business, and letting them see how it pays off for you.

How do you explain a business owner choosing to throw away profits, in order to impress people who do not own stakes in his business? Senility?

So many questions. Too few answers that make sense.

I’m The Only Full Time Employee In my Business. And I Intend To Keep It That Way.

There is one thing that’s crystal clear however. And it’s the FACT that there are still those who know enough, to live their lives on their own terms. I am proud to belong to that group.

We never let others dictate how we think, live or work. If you want to be authentic as an expert-who-gets-invited-to-speak, you will want to toe the same line.

Since 2005 – when I launched my first website – www.spontaneousdevelopment.com – I made it clear on the ABOUT page that I intended to be the ONLY full time employee of my business.

You see,
I did not decide to become an entrepreneur to look big, by employing thousands in order to feel successful (the way Bill Gates does in Microsoft for instance). I’ve never been comfortable with the idea.

I came out here to pursue self-fulfillment by adding value to the lives of others, through my work. Terry Dean – a highly successful and reputable entrepreneur/marketing consultant shares a similar view – as he’s stated in past writings.

We who think this way however accept that there will be others who feel building more Microsoft-like companies is the way for them.

And that’s alright.

Each person should do what works for him/her. We should not do things because others say we should, when we know better.

That applies to the issue of having employees in your company. Not everyone is cut out to run a business that involves managing others. There are personality types that determine these things.

It’s actually unwise – mean in fact – to take on employees, when you are not able (or willing) to provide them decent working conditions and/or remuneration.

Out here, not much is (currently) made of it. Even mistreated employees rationalize that they have no choice…or choose to leave it to God…:-((

However, in developed countries like the USA, trying to make an impression in that manner, would get you into big, fat trouble!

NB: The original version of this article was first published online on Tue 9/11/2012 12:30 AM via spontaneousdevelopment.com (my 9 year old domain which is now defunct).