Any Society Can Give Kids Quality Low to Zero Cost Schooling Using This Model [Recommended: Is this the world’s most oversubscribed school? – BBC News]

Jerry Rawlings once granted an interview in which he explained the motives he had for seizing power and introducing radical reforms in Ghana,.

He said one reason was that he saw massively gifted kids of the poor getting denied acCess to quality schooling exposure and opportunities simply because they lacked the financial/other means (e.g connections) of privileged counterparts from rich homes.

As a result, the country was NOT benefiting from development of its best talents. Rawlings resolved to create a level playing field for all kids regardless of their circumstances.

In Nigeria today we have adults/parents who enjoyed FREE education, but who are actively involved in promoting extreme commercialisation of quality formal schooling in the face of increasingly low quality public schooling systems.

I have long argued that developing nations in particular, that want real progress must remove the “money” factor that limits people’s access to learning.

The best way to achieve this is to explore models like the one described in the BBC report about this FREE world class school facility – setup by the Shiv Nadar Foundation – providing top quality schooling access to learners without discrimination.

Nigeria has a myriad of “wealth-displaying” individuals, groups and organisations with the resources/means to setup similar outfits. Lord knows there are millions of kids that need it.

However, to paraphrase a friend who shared this report on Facebook, one wonders what they do with the immense wealth they possess!

=

Is this the world’s most oversubscribed school? – BBC News

The school, set up by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, is completely free, and offers the type of education usually available only to the very wealthy.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, a businesswoman and trustee of the foundation, says the school has been modelled on India’s private schools, which put students on the pathway to top universities and high-flying careers.

But the VidyaGyan school is open only to the very clever and very poor – which she describes as the “top of the bottom of the pyramid”.

Read the full article
=

Get Equity Funding for Your Biz Idea in Lagos [&/Or Sponsor a prospective buyer of my products!]

1. This outfit offers a useful funding alternative:

Entrepreneurs – Lagos Angel Network

Thank you for your interest in the Lagos Angel Network. We invite entrepreneurs to learn more about our investment screening process.

The Lagos Angel Network uses VC4A, the global platform for connecting high-growth entrepreneurs and active early-stage investors for managing our investment process. Please register your company with us here.

http://www.lagosangelnetwork.net/entrepreneurs/

Visit the above site to learn more and/or click here to request the audio note I emailed to my subscribers.

2. The invitation below first went to my Club ZEROmembers.

Below is a modified version of the invitation for my Farm Ideas Club Members and other clients.

Consider making a N5K donation to sponsor 1 of the guys listed below.

They’ve expressed great interest in purchasing my products but lack funds. I want to help them by asking interested clients to sponsor them.

A. Name removed [Student]

B. Name removed [Student]

C. Name removed [Startup Farm CEO]

The person you choose will get my Feed Formulation Handbook & Excel-VB Ration Formulation Software for N5k instead of N20.5k.

If you’re interested, just make the payment then let me know who it’s for, and I’ll prepare/send the products, with your name as donor.

Any amount is acceptable, no matter how low – I’ll just add it up till N5k is reached for each person.

But I’ll send the products to all 3 of them for a donation of N10k.

For every person you sponsor with N5k, I’ll give you a discount of N10k on any of my products or services that you want.

Get YOUR FREE Copies of my 4 Farm Biz Best Practice Ebooks on Best Practice Farm Management (& Performance Measurement) for Profits | Farm Business Start-up (Information, Education & Inspiration) | Livestock Farm Business Feed Formulation | Farm Business Marketing [Save $40 USD]

Buy my Excel-VB Ration Formulator app for N7.5k (instead of N12.5k) & Get FREE copies of my 4 Farm Business Best Practice (55/58 page) Ebooks

[*NB:

A. If you already own the Ration Formulator software, reply “Yes BP EBooks Only” via info@thefarmceo.net to pay N3k – less than $6 USD – for the 4 ebooks. You save over $30 USD

B. If you’re a Club ZERO member, you pay NOTHING: just repy “Yes Club ZERO” and I’ll email the 4 ebooks to you]

Offer expires MNT today Tuesday 18th October 2016. Price reverts to N12.5k.

Each ebook is a compilation of 10 of my top performing Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas articles since 2006 in its chosen theme/category.

1. Best Practice Farm Management (& Performance Measurement) for Profits

55 pages | $9.99 USD

2. Farm Business Start-up (Information, Education & Inspiration)

57 pages | $9.99 USD

3. Livestock Farm Business Feed Formulation

55 pages | $9.99 USD

4. Farm Business Marketing

55 pages | $9.99 USD

Several of the articles featured in the ebooks are Guest Posts on 3rd party websites.

See all 4 ebooks on sale, with their Tables Of Contents at http://tayosolagbade.com/sdn-sell.htm

Get all 4 ebooks FREE if you pay N7.5k (instead of N12.5k) to buy my Excel-VB Ration Formulator app

Offer expires MNT tomorrow Wednesday 19th October 2016. Price reverts to N12.5k.

Click here to fill/submit a request form – scroll to the page bottom.

A Club ZERO™ Member Gets His FREE Farm Biz Best Practice Ebooks

Screenshots of email and products sent to one of my Club ZERO™ members who took up the offer previewed below…

bpf-clubzero-email

20bpf-owner

20-bp-pm-startuparticlesok-part2of4

 

20-bp-pm-farmmgtarticlesok-part1of4

20-bp-pm-feedformarticlesok-part3of4

20-bp-pm-mktgarticlesok-part4of4

 

 

PII 036: You Need to Think before You Spend – Everything is Negotiable!

It pays to form the habit of aiming to get the best possible value for your money.

There are some people who believe a person who is truly financially successful will not fret about costs – and will instead readily pay whatever s/he is asked, since s/he can afford it.

Sadly, those who think – and live – this way often tend to be persons frequently living well above their means, and far from being financially independent.

 

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

 

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

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

Monday 17th October 2016

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 today – 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.

**********

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

PII 036: You Need to Think before You Spend – Everything is Negotiable!

It pays to form the habit of aiming to get the best possible value for your money.

There are some people who believe a person who is truly financially successful will not fret about costs – and will instead readily pay whatever s/he is asked, since s/he can afford it.

Sadly, those who think – and live – this way often tend to be persons frequently living well above their means, and far from being financially independent.

In other words, they do not even come close to fitting the description of WEALTHY people as described in the classic bestselling book titled “The Millionaire Next Door“.

In that book, one of the defining qualities that those found by the authors to be financial independent (i.e. having enough wealth to not need to work anymore to maintain their lifestyle) were people with a history of being frugal in every area of their lives.

For instance, they often shop for bargains and rarely settle for buying at expensive retail outlets that media-hyped celebrity types often go to.

Why?

Because such ” Millionaires Next Door” kind of people understand that taking care of the small change, ensures they hold on to more of their big denominated monies.

Click here to learn more about that book, and the wisdom of the real wealthy people it profiles.

People who build their wealth from the ground up never lose their respect for money. They know the way they treat money determines how long they get to keep it around them.

The mental discipline that comes from handling money in this manner – wherein couples sit at the dining or kitchen table each night/weekend to review their income against expenses – is why they are able to STAY rich (sometimes after climbing out of poverty to get there).

Your attitude towards spending money will affect how you handle money in your personal as well as work/business life. This is why it pays to develop the kind of discipline described above.

If for nothing else, do so to avoid letting naughty vendors take advantage of you.

3 personal true stories that illustrate how paying attention to your spending can save you from wasting money:

Recently, we got hold of a new DVD- but my but soon found we could not get the audio to play, even though we could see the crystal clear video images playing back.

After a lot of trial and error, coupled with brainstorming, the kids told me they’d narrowed down to the cable linking the DVD to the TV for audio and video, as faulty.

I challenged them to explain how they could be sure. They told me nothing convincing but continued to insist it was the only logical possibility.

So, I gave them money to go and get a new cable.

A few hours later, they were looking even more stumped as their new cable had not solved the problem!

I was not surprised.

Experience had taught me that it was always best to avoid spending before establishing what the fault is.

Instead go to someone with more knowledge/expertise or insights about the problem and get his/her opinion to help you make a more intelligent deduction about what to do, and how.

That approach has saved me lots of time, and money in the past.

But I wanted my kids to see the difference – so I’d given in to them.

Now that they’d seen that they got it wrong, I reminded them of the suggestion I’d made that they visit the neighborhood technician.

They agreed, and soon returned with news that the man had also initially fingered the cable, but later traced the fault to a component in the DVD itself.

He’d then told them it would cost N1, 000.0 (One Thousand Naira – $1.8 USD approxat the current “crazy” exchange rate).

When I heard that, I took the opportunity to share my experience with them about how to avoid paying too much.

Generally vendors habitually jack up their prices in anticipation that the prospective buyer will demand a hefty reduction. If the latter does not demand such, they end up scalping him/her.

But I argue that some people may not be one of those who love to show they have money by not asking questions about the price they are asked to pay.

There will be people who would be glad to save money in the course of making purchases. Such people need to know they can – and should – try to negotiate pocket friendly prices that will enable them use their money to get more done.

The kids had told me the man wished to speak with me. So later that night I went there with one of my boys. The minute he saw me, the man said it would cost N1, 500.0 (One Thousand Five Hundred Naira).

I told him my kids had said it was N1, 000.0 but he said they’d heard wrong.

At that point I told him we could not pay that much and that if it was going to cost that much, I’d prefer to wait until later to get the money together, noting that N1,500.0 sounded just too high anyway.

As I made to leave, he called out to ask how much I was willing to pay. I replied that N500.0 was all I could afford to spend given my currently limited budget.

 

He agreed – and asked us to wait while he fixed it.

I took my son aside and asked him if he noted how we’d gone from N1, 000.0 to N1, 500.0 then DOWN to N500.0 within a matter of minutes. His eyes gleamed in understanding as he nodded.

When he later told his elder brother, the latter exclaimed “WOW”.

I ended the day by telling them that when a person gives you a price, it’s rarely going to be cast in stone.

Quite often, you can -and should – try to ask for a better offer. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know what you can get.

While we were waiting, I casually asked the technician how much the cable the kids bought sold for in the market. He replied that it was usually N150 to N200.

My kids had bought it for N300! What was worse, the technician took one look at it and pronounced it substandard i.e. not the original.

So, the vendor had taken advantage of the ready payment made by the kids, to sell them a poor quality version at a price higher than the good quality one. Again, I pointed this fact out to my son – and reminded him to share with his siblings.

Before we left, yet another learning opportunity presented itself.

A lady pepper soup seller came around and served a small bowl of pepper soup to the wife of the technician, who was seated with their baby just outside the shop.

When I saw it, I asked the seller how much it cost – with the intention of buying a bowl for my son, so he could taste it for the first time.

She promptly said “N150”.

But there was something about the way she said it that made me decide I would ask the technician’s wife. So after the seller had retired to the chair at the estate security gate man’s post, across the street, I asked the wife of the technician how much the bowl of soup had cost here.

She said “N100”. I told her the seller had said it was N150 – but she looked quickly back at me and said “Ah no, it’s N100!”

I thanked her, then called out to the seller, and said “Madam, she says she bought her bowl for N100?” pointing to the technician’s wife.

The lady eventually agreed and sold us a similar bowl of soup for N100.

I looked at my son, who had listened to both exchanges and he nodded in understanding. I later told him that asking the seller how much an item is, under certain circumstances, can reveal to him/her that you are not a “regular buyer” and so do not know the real or standard price.

Some sellers/vendors could choose to sell to you at a higher price, and if you fail to discover that is happening, they could go on selling that way to you for YEARS, while others around you get the normal prices and you would not be wiser.

Even if you can afford it, THAT is not a prudent way to use your money. If you can pay N50 why pay N100? It’s better to pay the right price and use what’s left for other important expenses. That will mean you end up with MORE money in your pockets or bank account in the long run.

Now, I know the examples I’ve given are on the personal level, but the truth is that the principle applies to business and workplace situations just as well.

Applying This to Your Farm Business/Workplace

In these harsh economic times, the need to do a lot of HARD thinking before you spend cannot be overemphasized.

There are products and services that you will identify as necessary, but not all of them will come at prices you find affordable or pocket friendly.

You will need to begin studying ALL areas you spend money on. Take the pains to check what your suppliers tell you about the prices you pay, and compare with what obtains from other sources.

Check and compare the prices with the volume and quality you’re getting, to accurately determine that you’re getting justifiable value for your money.

In some cases, regardless of your best efforts, you may discover that some of those items cannot be found at any price lower than what you are told by the vendor. In such cases, if you have no viable alternative, you’ll have to go ahead and buy – or plan towards doing so, by putting the needed money aside over time.

What is important is that you train yourself to always diligently check and ensure that you get something as close as possible for anything you spend your money on.

Once you’re certain that quality and reliability is assured, go a step further to ensure you do not pay more than is reasonable. It pays to be frugal!

No matter how rich you are, reckless spending will only deplete your resources avoidably. And since there is no person or business that does not go through periods of cash flow limitations, a history or habit of poor spending can come round to haunt you later on!

SDN Blog™

New posts from last week*

Monday:

[Tuesday]:

[Wednesday]:

[Thursday]:

[Friday]:

Get Your Anti Recession Insulator™ Product FREE [Details Inside]

 

[Saturday]:

The Need to Stop Dangerous Miseducation That Often Happens Via Schooling [Hint: Request FREE Podcast via Whatsapp]

[Sunday]:

[Tutorial 03] Navigating within Spreadsheets + Manipulating Tabulated Data Using VBA Code: Case Study

 

Protected: THE FARM CEO (Issue 62): How to Start a Livestock Feed Production Business with No Money, Future considerations in poultry nutrition, Status of animal nutrition research and development activities…

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Best Practice Farm Business Support Specialist & Founder of the MS Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club and Competition

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

[Tutorial 03] Navigating within Spreadsheets + Manipulating Tabulated Data Using VBA Code: Case Study

Below are excerpts from explanatory notes I posted in an example workbook for Tutorial 03 on Navigating within Spreadsheets + Manipulating Tabulated Data Using VBA Code  – under the them: use of NAMED RANGES in MS Excel for Super Spreadsheet Optimisation and Automation | www.excelheaven.biz

This time around, in addition to going further to show a more advanced use of range names in a complex formula, I also show how to use them in VBA code to manipulate large spreadsheet data ranges at once.

This range (D9: D503) is named “nfItemsSold”. I’ve hidden rows 40 to 503 to fit the table into the print-ready format for this tutorial. To display the full table, click on the row header labeled 39 and drag two or more steps downwards to highlight row header labeled 504 or higher, then right-click and cilick UNHIDE on the shortcut menu that appears. Th efull table will be displayed. Note that clicking ANY of the ERASE buttons above will cause ALL entries in the entrie table length to be erased, regardless of whether the rows are hidden or not

xlh03-tutorial16hoct2016

Below: Note how the autocomplete feature is activated as soon as I type the period after the range name definition. In other words, Excel recognises this defined name as an object and readily supplied “properties” for me to choose from. I choose “C learContents” which achieves the effect of erasing the contents of the specified range.

erase-code1

 

erase-code2

I added the last 2 VBA subroutines to enable you see the ERASE code working while the table is fully displayed and also while part of it is hidden. You will find this kind of functiona;ity useful in handling  large spreadsheets.

 

TIP: In addition to the notes and screenshots shown here, my Excel Heaven club members receive the example workbooks with unprotected cells and code modules, so they can study them and modify to test their own ideas. Click here to request a copy for your own use.

[Audio Podcast Training] Tested Strategies to Save Money (& Grow Profits) Running YOUR Farm Business

[NB: A special promo of this new product was sent to all members of the Farm Business Ideas Club last night]

[Audio Podcast Training]

Tested Strategies to Save Money (& Grow Profits) Running YOUR Farm Business

Delivery Mode:

Five 30 Minute AMR audio files emailed to you for playback on phone or PC.

Description:

Farm CEOs who correctly apply these secrets will experience increased success with fewer reasons to fret or stress daily.

There are several strategies, but the most powerful of them all yields multidimensional rewards at low to zero cost:

That strategy is: “Reduce Variable Cost Inputs You Have to Spend Cash On!”

How do you do that?

Simply carry out the 5 steps outlined below, and watch your profits grow!

A. Find ways to make/grow variable cost inputs yourself at low to zero cost.

B. If you have to buy them, find ways to pay without cash: Barter Is Smarter.

C. Or find ways to get them without paying upfront I.e so you can later pay the supplier from your inevitable farm sales.

TIP: Cash flow is critical to profitable operation…AND Everything is negotiable!

D. Setup a reliable Variable Costs data recording, analysis and report generation system to facilitate timely and accurate monitoring of your item’s usages – to minimize avoidable losses like wastage or outright theft.

E. Use the historical records from your system to establish best practice control limits that will guide purchase/usage of each item by farm operatives. That way, budgetting/planning for Variable Cost inputs will become more predictable.

Option A: Do IT Yourself:

You can think up ways to implement the above by yourself – Or…

Option B: Signup to Get The Training & Support

In this case, I’ll give detailed explanations of exactly what to do, and how to do it via the 5 part audio series.

Signup Requirements

Text “YES VCR-APTraining”, with your full name and email address to +234 803 302 1263 to request details.

You Need Education That Works and Not “Fancy Schooling” Ego Trips [True Story: Pretty Nigerian Lady Earns Living as Self-Taught Carpenter]

Schooling the industrial revolution way is NOT the only way to get an education: Myriad other ways abound – and they don’t take as long, or cost as much – especially in today’s rapidly evolving technology driven world!

The world has changed – and so has the way it learns. Those who want to stay relevant to its needs will need to change with it or go extinct.

The story (reported on the website linked at the end of this article) about a 100% self-taught Pretty Nigerian Lady Carpenter proves it.

The problem is that people who profit from the archaic teaching and learning models from the industrial age, and who are too lazy to THINK up modifications to accommodate this new need of the market they serve, refuse to admit the above stated truth.

Unfortunately, for them, this is a battle they cannot win.

The economics and logistics involved make this alternative way the most viable and appealing for what is increasing majority – especially given the harsh economic realities we all now face!

Little wonder that the young lady interviewed below spoke with such confidence and enthusiasm about how empowered she feels today!

Massive learning opportunities are offered at low to zero cost via the magical power of PC/Mobile and Internet technology today.

It pains me deeply to see people still torturing themselves to pay outrageous fees to get schooling for themselves or give schooling to their loved ones – all so as to “graduate” and wear gowns/collect certificates!

Note that I said “schooling” and NOT “education”.

Authentic education is what people should emerge with after exposure to schooling

But that happens only if the schooling delivers real world relevant content to learners – which does not always happen, especially when it’s done the Industrial revolution way.

The lady carpenter’s story linked below proves that some people are beginning to do what I’ve been doing for a decade for myself, and which I began doing with my kids in 2014.

World class real world relevant education from the best experts worldwide is available at your fingertips via your phone or PC at near zero cost.

Unless your ego needs you to show others that you/your child are learning, this model is perfect!

The lady interviewed below is living the life I and my kids have been living: we use technology as the combined foundation and springboard for learning and pursuit of personal achievement.

For instance, I used the web to learn the skills I use to earn 100% of my income today.

Yes. I am self-taught – and learned all I need for almost nothing from some of the world’s best experts in each area I make money today!

Guess what? I was a down-but-not-out seriously broke struggling startup entrepreneur trying to find a reliable market to serve for profitable pay.

Years of relentless study of the works of competent others, and diligent practice/application of all I learned in as many creative variants as possible in the face of repeated rejection, delays, disappointments and setbacks moulded me into the machine I’ve become today!

Nothing – whether you call it failure or rejection – can move me, or get me down. I’m immune to all that – courtesy of my extensive online studies. This is not bragging. It’s a statement of fact.

My vision is to coach my kids to function like me.

But teaching kids to do this is not easy, and can be quite messy.

However, the results we’re already getting assure me they are getting valuable life changing education already as I expected.

They are getting increasingly adept at using the web to pursue functional (as opposed to popular or fancy) learning in their schooling.

That’s in addition to knowing how toi scour the web to learn practical income generating vocations.

Today, they’ve established reflex proficiency in making trademark no-oven Charcoal Stove baked products and one of them.

This Pretty Nigerian Lady Is A Carpenter And She’s Very Proud Of It. See Photos

This is really encouraging. While the recession is biting Nigerians hard, this young lady is trying to make name and cash for herself by doing what many feel unfit for the womenfolk.

According to the lady simply identified as Olabisi, she learnt carpentry by herself by undergoing online training on Youtube and free online books…

After few months of training, the proud carpenter is now making some sales and pocketing some cool cash In her words;

The beautiful thing is, this journey is revealing to me much more than ever that God is a God of process. Therefore, no pressure!

Whether I succeed or fail is inconsequential, I am open enough to take the risk to fail. No pressure. No quest for instant gratification. No immediate result needed. For me, its all about enjoying the process.

Read her full inspiring story at:
http://www.nationalhelm.net/2016/10/this-pretty-nigerian-lady-is-carpenter.html

Successful People or Great Achievers Are Not All-Knowing! [Hint: Why YOU Must Never Let Anyone, No Matter How Successful, Dismiss Your Authentic Passion Driven Ideas/Dreams]

In case you didn’t know it, YOU owe YOUR car ownership ability TODAY, to the vision, self-belief, determination and persistence of a man who lacked formal schooling.

Not many people know this, but Henry Ford started out working for THE great Thomas Edison as a stark iliterate.

A testimony to the inspirational power that comes from exposure to the right environment can be seen in the fact that one day Ford (as a so called “stark illiterate”) got the idea to build an affordable car for non-wealthy masses.

This development is easy to understand when one considers the fact that Ford’s employer himself had only few months of elementary schooling, having been homeschooled by his mother.

Ford would have accurately concluded, based on Edison’s exploits, that lack of formal schooling (though useful and easily remedied) was not a fatal handicap in pursuit of success.

Ironically however, when he told his famous inventor boss about his idea, the great Edison dismissed it and instead offered him promotion to the position of Supervisor adding that he would be involved in “more important work”.

That last sentence brings me to the core message I want to pass across in this short piece that ends, below, with a link to a full narration about Henry Ford’s life and achievements.

My message is this:

As long as you believe in your dream or idea or vision and you are prepared to diligently/intelligent pursue it with persistence and faith, nothing that any other person, no matter how successful, should make you quit.

I repeat:

Nothing that any other person tells you should make you give up on your dreams. My hard-won experience from 7 years in paid employment plus 14 years (and counting) in self-employment have taught me not all great minds will see what another great minds can see.

This is why, for instance, I personally do NOT like competitions that depend on celebrities to choose people with the best business ideas, musical talents etc.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti continues in death to grow in recognition across the world, as a musical genius.

The truth is however that the kind of music Fela invented is very unlikely to have won him first prize in a reality TV show style event where judges and coaches have the final say.

We all know how contrarian Fela was, even as a young man. Yet those attributes that would have rubbed opinionated celebrity judges and coaches the wrong way in such competitions were the keys to his success in the real world.

This is why I believe the “market” for which an idea, invention or innovation is meant, should have the final say via a system that is free from manipulation.

This message is not just for you/me, but also for your/my kids.

We need to help our kids develop healthy levels of self-esteem based on the experience of doing in key areas of life that relates to nurturing their talents/geniuses towards succeeding in life.

This is important because during that journey, they will periodically come across successful others from whom they may have to learn and also accept advice.

It’s however their ability to know what NOT to learn or accept, no matter how well intentioned it is, that will help them stay on track to success in any area of endeavour.

Successful People or Great Achievers Are Not All-Knowing!

Most of them are aware of this fact, but societal pressures sometimes force them to accept to play roles that suggest the contrary.

If Henry Ford had allowed his respect and admiration for Edison to cloud his reasoning about his “car for the masses” idea, he would never have had the courage to reject Edison”s offer, and instead quit his job to invest all he had in pursuit of his dream.

If he had not done that, the revolution that took place in the automobile industry would not have happened.

Simply put therefore, vision, self-belief, determination and persistence are constant keys to authentic success in life. All other factors are variables in the success equation.

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The Henry Ford Story
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“I will build a motor car for the great multitude.it will be so low in price that no man will be unable to own one.”-Henry Ford

Henry Ford was nearly 40 when he founded Ford Motor Co. in 1903. At the time, “horseless carriages” were expensive toys available only to a wealthy few.

Yet in just four decades, Ford’s innovative vision of mass production would not only produce the first reliable, affordable “automobile for the masses,” but would also spark a modern industrial revolution.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197524

PII 035:[Recommended] Why I Fear Nigeria Is Sitting On A Ticking Time Bomb By Ijabla Raymond | Sahara Reporters

After watching Olaleye Samson’s video interview with Sahara Reporters, I knew I’d finally found an authentic fellow Nigerian willing to tell the truth about the reality of living and working in Nigeria.

Olaleye Samson, a well spoken B.sc degree holder presented compelling points to back up his argument on the theme of “What is Lagos doing for me?”

Watch the video here

This is what makes Nigeria an extremely difficult place to achieve authentic non-corner cutting success.

Little wonder that Ijabla Raymond made the following positive comments about Olaleye’s presentation in the article linked below:

“I do not need to go over the well-articulated points that Olaleye Samson, an unemployed university graduate, makes in this heart-wrenching interview because, quite frankly, his argument cannot be bettered. He describes how rich Nigerians have stolen the commonwealth and built themselves far too many houses and homes (which all lie unoccupied) than they need whilst thousands of youths sleep under our bridges.”

Click here to read the full article