Category Archives: Self-Development

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

What You Need to Create a Splashscreen for Your Custom Spreadsheet Application [Part 1 of 2]

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This week’s tutorial features an anatomy of the Excel-VB code and Graphic User Interface Active-X controls you can use to create professional looking Splash Screens for your custom Excel-VB apps.

As you develop increased proficiency in building custom apps for various uses, especially if you dream of launching your own range of commercial quality spreadsheet software, knowing how to add a Splash Screen to your app would go a long way to help your better impress your buyers/users.

Splash Screens provide users an interface to notify the user that the app is loading. They typically contain “an image, a logo and the current version of the software.” – and are generally visually appealing.

As soon as I learned that I could use Excel-VB code and forms/controls in the Visual Basic Editor, to create Splash Screens, I knew I would be using them for my apps.

Below are screenshots with short notes/tips about how the Splash Screen for my Excel-VB driven Poultry Farm Manager was built.

1. Double-clicking the workbook application’s file launches this Enable-Disable Macros dialog box.

The user will click “Enable Macros” for the app to continue loading. Otherwise, the code in the app will be auto-disabled, and the app will remain in the small window shown

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2. This is the Splash Screen – It appears (called by a line of code in the Workbook_Open procedure for the Workbook) after the “Enable Macros” button is clicked.

As can be seen from the code in the VBA interface of the form used to build the Splash Screen, it is set to stay visible for about 5 seconds, after which it “disappears”…

xlh-tut08-19thfebruary2017

3. This is the login screen for the app – it is loaded AFTER the Splash Screen is “killed” or “unloaded from memory”

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4. This is the Excel-VB code used to call the Splash Screen – in the “Private Sub Workbook_Open subroutine

This is the code that runs when the workbook is loaded into MS Excel, after the “Enable Macros” button is clicked. Notice the 4th line of black text below the “On Error Resume Next” entry i.e the text “ShowSplash”.

That is the name of the Excel-VB code procedure containing the instructions for loading the Splash Screen that appears after the “Enable Macros” button is clicked.

xlh-tut08-19thfebruary2017-sc4

5. This is a dialog box showing how the “ShowSplash” macro procedure is located by typing its name, so it can be opened for modification by clicking the “Edit” button.

xlh-tut08-19thfebruary2017-sc5

6. This is the Splash Screen “design” view in the Visual Basic Editor interface – In the video for Part 2 of 2, that goes LIVE next week, I will show step-by-step how to build this on a blank form control.

xlh-tut08-19thfebruary2017-sc3

Creating a Splash Screen does not require elaborate coding – or design…

The Graphic User Interface created using the form control does NOT need to be as complex as the one I created for my app.

You can simply add a few descriptive labels, for your purposes.

I have used the screenshot images shown above, to explain the thinking behind the creation of this Splash Screen, to give you insights into how you can go about creating such for your apps.

Next week I will create a step-by-step video demonstration showing how I built this app’s Splashcreen

NB: If you’re not a member of my Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club, click here to request a copy of the video.

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

Your Mental Attitude Can Help You Develop Street Wisdom Needed to Safely and Profitably Navigate Shark Infested Waters of Business

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It’s not just about being competent in your vocation or business or whatever you plan to do. People going into business will need to develop “street wisdom” to competently interact with buyers or clients.

Otherwise they can be competent, and still struggle to get paid for their products and services!

Believe me when I say I’ve seen a lot of this happen first hand – like the true story I share below.

I once had a client whose manufacturing operation sold a excellent consumable item nationally. But his distributors routinely held him to ransom, by failing to remit money for sales of items he sent them on credit via hired trucks to Abuja!

Yet they still called and asked for more. He told me he could not say NO, because they made a lot of sales for him. I told him it was because he was NOT actively recruiting NEW distributors who could perform.

And that was the hard truth. These are not things we learn easily. It can be a painful process!

Do you know that he ended up taking a bank overdraft facility that nearly ruined him, just to cope with cash flow demands, when he had over N2million in receivables?!!

And with salaries to pay too!

So you see, he had the required technical competence to succeed, but he lack the required mental attitude to deal with the realities his business operations faced.

I like to use the phrase: “You need Street-Wisdom, NOT just Textbook Theory, to excel in the real world” – to capture my intended meaning in this regard.

Books/E-books and real life learning or coaching, that help learners get better prepared to handle such issues, will boost their ability to make successful use of any business idea they settle on.

Sadly, very little formal training “solutions” exist to confer “Street Wisdom” on those who need it: especially for persons going into business.

I have had considerable contact with MANY training providers who simply use the same approach to conduct learning events for retirees or start-ups, preparing to launch their own outfits.

When the attendees are told all the routine, recycled stuff, ONE major ingredient is often missed out.

Yet that’s the THING, that helps majority of entrepreneurs who breakthrough keep going till they do so!

That THING is what I call the “Mental Attitude Required for Success”

That THING has been found by MANY who have since succeeded in business, by reading books like  Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, as well as James R. Cook’s Start-up Entrepreneur.

Now that’s an aspect that’s grossly neglected by most people preparing to go into business for themselves.

The truth is that quite often business failures are recorded NOT because the business idea is bad, or the entrepreneur is incompetent.

Often times it’s the mental attitude resulting from a lack of access to, or adherence to a guiding philosophy.

Your adopted mental attitude will equip you to develop the needed “Street Wisdom” to safely and profitably navigate the shark infested waters of business, and indeed life in general.

Unfortunately, this is not something that most people can fully grasp at one sitting or in one learning event.

It often needs to be drummed into their heads. And they even need to READ about it in as many varied ways as possible – till they internalise it.

This is why I believe a practical coaching element, comprising this guiding philosophy, mixed with tips of business practice relevant to the entrepreneur’s needs, MUST be combined to help him/her.

I also strongly believe that’s how we can make a real difference in the lives of these people.

Otherwise, it would just be the same old stuff.

Everything I’m saying is based on over 10 years of interacting with many people in business at various levels in Nigeria

I got a unique opportunity to analyse them up close, and I saw that THAT was often missing element.

My desire to help those who are willing to learn, is what drives me to write about it, and how to do it, on this blog. It is also why I offer learning solutions to help any interested persons. An example is my Spontaneous Coaching for Mastery of Adversity(SCfMA)™ program

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

To Achieve Quality Success, Building Your Business Needs to be a Labour of Love [Hint: Special Valentine Celebration Offer of Two Cost-Saving Audio Podcasts for Farm CEOs]

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History has shown that men and women in love, will often go to great – sometimes unimaginable – lengths for one another.

Yesterday being Valentine’s Day, we’ve had lots of talk about love – especially the romantic kind.

However, the truth is that the “love” for which Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated is more all encompassing than that – and instead includes what we feel for, and show to all those we have cause to interact with.

For instance, love for our family members, neighbours, co-workers, fellow citizens etc. All of that qualifies for our attention during this Valentine season.

Many times I have wondered how great this world would be if people could apply up to half of the passion and energy they use to show love for the people in their lives, to the process of building their own businesses.

Most people fail to appreciate this truth, but running a successful business is similar in many respects to keeping a healthy relationship – especially with someone you love.

Just like you’d be willing to (as some love-struck persons would say) “go to the ends of the earth to please that special somebody”, so you should be willing to do whatever it takes, for as long as may be necessary, to make your business succeed.

In other words, I’m saying that the process of building a business is necessarily a labour of love.

Little wonder that it is often advised that in choosing a business to venture into, you “do something you LOVE” i.e. that which you have a passion for, and which you would do literally ANYTHING for – just like for that special Valentine.

It is line with the above theme that I therefore offer YOU today – one day after the Valentine day celebration – two of my Audio Podcast Training series via a special Time Limited Valentine “season” celebration discount promo.

The audio messages offer practical insights and experience based wisdom about best practice ways you can make more money for your farm business, at less cost, using less effort, in less time.

It is my way of showing YOU love, and helping you to shower your business (aka your other sweetheart) all the LOVE s/he deserves, so that s/he can reward you with many more profitable and long term returns.

Click here to view the one page flyer I prepared this special Valentine Day offer in, and follow the instructions to get your copies of the Audio Podcast Training files, BEFORE the expiry date/time. Contact me using this form

2-in-1-val-offer-farmceosok

Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, General, My DN Travel News, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

PII 053: If Achievement of Authentic Non-Corner-Cutting Web Marketing Success Was Easy, Everyone Would Be Doing It! [Hint: What You Need to KNOW – and DO]

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Forget the hype you encounter so often online. Achieving tangible, authentic and reproducible web marketing success does NOT come easy – at all.

I know this, because I’ve passed through the – long and sometimes difficult – phases required to get there. And I’ve found that there are various levels of success. What’s more, experience has also taught me that succeeding in web marketing (and indeed any other area of life) is more a journey, than a destination.

So it’s a never ending endeavour.

In my case, one powerful weapon I have successfully leveraged to achieve growing web marketing success over the years, has been the Web Marketing System I conceived several years ago.

Today, I help clients within and outside Nigeria, develop and implement their own unique WMS to promote their products and services to potential buyers at less cost, using less effort and less money, and in less time.

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

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

Monday 13th February 2017

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.

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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

PII 053: If Achievement of Authentic Non-Corner-Cutting Web Marketing Success Was Easy, Everyone Would Be Doing It! [Hint: What You Need to KNOW – and DO]

Forget the hype you encounter so often online. Achieving tangible, authentic and reproducible web marketing success does NOT come easy – at all.

I know this, because I’ve passed through the – long and sometimes difficult – phases required to get there. And I’ve found that there are various levels of success. What’s more, experience has also taught me that succeeding in web marketing (and indeed any other area of life) is more a journey, than a destination.

So it’s a never ending endeavour.

In my case, one powerful weapon I have successfully leveraged to achieve growing web marketing success over the years, has been the Web Marketing System I conceived several years ago.

wms-mindmap-writers

Today, I help clients within and outside Nigeria, develop and implement their own unique WMS to promote their products and services to potential buyers at less cost, using less effort and less money, and in less time.

Adopting a custom Web Marketing System (WMS)™ to promote solutions you offer, to your target audience will make you a member of an elite community of results – focused self-marketing business owners, who leverage this unconventional self-sustaining promotional strategy, to get high impact exposure.

Note however, that if you have been operating in a different way before now, and not had the results you wanted, then you must understand that CHANGING to this new approach is highly unlikely to yield 100% profitable returns overnight.

I can however assure you of certain immediate benefits you can harvest IF you begin to use your WMS™ the way I recommend:

  1. You WILL record a significant – and measurable -drop in time, effort, resources and money you expend in promoting your business.
  2. You WILL also be able to more accurately correlate your marketing expenditure to your client conversion.

By way of interest, a parameter you WILL find it useful to periodically measure is your Cost of Customer Acquisition (COCA) – to ensure you recruit new clients/customers as cost-effectively as possible.

Let me emphasize at this point, that if you want to get the best value from your investment in your WMS™, you need to (if possible printout and) read;

(a) Michel Fortin’s 10 commandments E-book and

(b) Burt Dubin’s Articles on speaking/marketing

I will add that it would serve you well to re-read them, many times over – especially when you need new ideas.

I recommend, in addition, that you also conduct online searches for useful write-ups by other competent authors, to generate new ideas you can try out over time.

In essence I’m saying that your learning must never stop. Indeed you will need to be perpetually hungry for new perspectives you can use to make your marketing more effective.

This is because business marketing is about communication – ultimately.

The quality of useful information and education you offer people who fit your target audience profile, will draw them to you even when you don’t use paid adverts.

The above is a TRUTH that is known by the world’s top marketers – including the 2 gentlemen I’ve recommended i.e. Burt Dubin and Michel Fortin.

What I do today for clients is based on ideas and strategies I developed by studying their works (and those of many others I took time to read up) towards achieving my own business marketing purpose

Today, the web marketing success I enjoy, attracting mostly zero cost sales leads/enquiries from potential buyers within and outside Africa confirms that the ideas I picked up – and adapted creatively for my use – really do work!

That’s why I strongly recommend to all my clients that they FIRST of all develop familiarity with the original concepts, principles, ideas and strategies – by READING what seasoned experts have to say in their written works.

You see, it is when you have done that to a point that I will be able to more effectively add value by working with you to adapt their ideas, to suit whatever unique perspective you have to operate from.

I will bring to bear, over a decade of experience failing miserably repeatedly, in doing the above, having to re-visit and refine my approach, until finally, I found a way to make it work, to achieve financially rewarding returns in my business.

The advantage you will get, from working with me to develop your own unique WMS, is the benefit of my experience based insights.

This will equip me to help you get your WMS up and running faster, minimizing the trial and error involved in the process of evolving what works for you!

“Many people make the mistake of thinking marketing is about selling. The truth is that it is NO (especially when done online i.e. Web Marketing). Marketing is about getting noticed and building credibility in the minds of potential buyers, until they are convinced enough to take buying action which then leads to the sale.” – Tayo K. Solagbade

The point made in the above quote explains why many top marketers/salespeople worldwide agree that in order to make a sale; you FIRST have to make a friend i.e.  ‘making friends’ who eventually ‘buy’ from you to become your clients or customers.

Study the Mind Map of a WMS

Click http://tayosolagbade.com/uploads/wms-mindmap-writers.pdf to view the mind map I created to illustrate the key components of a WMS.

Excel-VB Driven Ration Formulator

Click to view larger screenshot

1. Click here to learn more about this app – watch demo videos etc

2. Click here to watch a 4 part video in which I demonstrate how to use this app to formulate rations using real life data sent to me by an Algerian PhD student.

Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.

EXCEL-VB DRIVEN POULTRY LAYER FARM MANAGER SOFTWARE

Click here to download a detailed PDF user guide and watch 15 screen shot user guide tutorials of the Monthly Poultry Farm Manager that I now offer Farm CEOs.

Click here to watch a screenshot demonstration of the Excel-VB Driven Poultry Farm Manager I built for a client farm business in Ekiti state, South West Nigeria.

Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.

SDN Blog™

New posts from last week*

Monday:

PII 052: Real Life Farm Business Case Study – Excel-VB Ration Formulator Spreadsheet Software Anatomy

[Tuesday]:

5 Proven Smart Spreadsheet Automation Benefits to Any Business [Hint: Comparing a Manual Excel based Feed Formulation Spreadsheet with an Excel-VB Driven Ration Formulator Spreadsheet Application]

[Wednesday]:

Potential Spreadsheet Automation Benefits that Farm Businesses Need to Succeed Better [Hint: Insights from Agribusiness Research Survey Interview of Farm Industry Stakeholders]

[Thursday]:

Custom Spreadsheet Applications Are NOT Only for Accounting or Financial Reporting [Hint: Case Study of Tayo Solagbade’s Excel-VB Poultry Farm Manager – an Entreprise Information System]

[Friday]:

N/A

[Saturday]:

N/A

[Sunday]:

2016 Excel-Visual Basic Automation Club Home Study Tutorial Archives DVD [COMING SOON]

Protected: The FARM CEO (Issue 73) : 26 Ways to Make Money From Your Small Farm, 20 Ways to Make $25,000 per month running an Agricultural Business, THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

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

2016 Excel-Visual Basic Automation Club Home Study Tutorial Archives DVD [COMING SOON]

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It feels just like yesterday, that I hosted the Maiden Edition of my FREE Monthly Workshop for members of my MS Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club on Sat 19th March 2016 in Lagos-Nigeria.

Since then I have diligently churned out weekly Videos, Workbooks and Articles on various aspects of basic Excel-VB programming with a focus on work related experiences of members.

To celebrate the first year anniversary of the launch of this Excel-VB Automation learning event, I’m compiling ALL the content for the various tutorials, into a special branded DVD (screenshots below)

1. Autorun display image for the DVD menu

2016-tutorial-archive-dvd

2. Branded label for the autorun DVD itself

cdlabel

It will be made available to members as they renew their individual club memberships for another year.

This DVD is useful because I know it can be difficult to keep track of stuff that one downloads and studies over time, via the web. This archives DVD enables you access all that useful information on ONE location, for study at your convenience, without needing to incur expenses accessing the web etc.

Click here to request details of how you can get YOUR copy.

Read PII 006: Succeed by Becoming an Expert at Solving Real World Problems [Hint: Highlights from Maiden Edition of Tayo Solagbade’s FREE Monthly Workshop for his MS Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club Members Held on Sat 19th March 2016 in Lagos-Nigeria]

Career Development, Excel-VB Solutions, Farm Biz, Recommended Websites & Articles, Self-Development

[Recommended] 16 Essential Terms You Must Know To Learn VBA Programming

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This week I refer members of my Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club to an excellent article (by By Jorge A. Gomez) that discusses key VBA programming terms that one needs to understand, in order to succeed in developing useful VBA applications.

Like I continue to emphasize to my club members, I believe in exposing those learning from me (via the home study tutorials I send them) to the work of as many other competent experts as I can find, so they get the benefit of insights from a wide variety of perspectives.

This, in my experience will boost their abilities to develop flexibility in their creativity, when developing their own unique solutions for clients.

My success in developing a unique range of custom Excel-VB software that I sell for passive income, to buyers within and outside Africa derives from my own exposure to similar influences.

Excel VBA Tutorial For Beginners: 16 Essential Terms You Must Know To Learn VBA Programming

So you’ve created your first (or your first few) Excel macro(s), perhaps by following these 7 easy steps to create a macro. By now, your colleagues are already looking at you like you’re a wizard.That is a great sign that you’re on a good way to learning macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

However…

Being able to create a basic macro in Excel is only the beginning in the process to become a really efficient and productive user of macros and VBA. If you really want to unleash the power of these tools, you must learn VBA due to the fact that, among others, recording a macro sometimes simply doesn’t “cut it”.

https://powerspreadsheets.com/excel-vba-tutorial-essential-terms/

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

One New Skill Modern Extension Professionals Need to Succeed

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Findings from a 2013 questionnaire survey I conducted of Farm CEOs in Nigeria, for an international agribusiness paper I was engaged to write revealed 55.6% bought commercial feed (from “2 sources” or “anywhere they can find”).

66.7% of that percentage said their animals’ performances varied noticeably with different sources of feed.

Their farm output tended to fluctuate as a result – and that naturally bothered the CEOs.

Hen Day Percentage (HDP) data auto-charted – in September 2013 – using my Excel- VB Poultry Farm Manager software on a layers farm in South West Nigeria suggested the trend noticed from the survey was accurate.

layers-kpi-charts-1-1024x640

When the two farm managers were asked about a sharp downward slope of charted HDP data, over a one week period (from above 70% to between 55 and 65%), their checks revealed it coincided with their use – due to cash flow problems – of feed from a different supplier!

Customizable Excel-VB driven tools can help such farmers consistently formulate their own feed to specification.

More predictable livestock performance and reduced feeding expenses will occur, and ultimately lead to increased profits. See study’s full survey results in the PDF paper – click here to learn how you can get a FREE copy.

Excel-savvy extension workers can be selected to attend practical Excel-VB training – with deliberate focus on real-life farm solutions development.

It’s not likely that farm CEOs will be able to find the time to learn MS Excel Automation – even though it’s obvious that they readily embrace the flexible, and affordable Excel based solutions that can be had.

This is why I have continued to argue through my writing on Best Practice Farm Business Management, that Extension Professionals will be best placed to deliver the customizable low cost data handling and report generation solutions to farm businesses using MS Excel VBA.

In the agribusiness paper on this subject, I made the following suggestions about what extension workers need to do, to develop this valuable competence, so they can become better able to help Farm CEOs:

1. Each must have sound understanding of feed formulation science

2. Classes and useful text for self-study should be provided for those lacking – and their competence verified.

3. Next, they either learn Excel-VB programming – or engage someone who does. If the latter, we recommend they still learn some Excel-VB, so they can modify the software in future.

4. Step-by-step instructions (with annotated screenshots) should be provided for farmer-users.

5. Tools: PCs, preferably laptops, since battery power makes work possible in absence of continuous power. In Nigeria, where power supply is unreliable, this is important. A farmer may not initially be keen to put on his/her generator, just to see new feed formulation software!

6. Solutions developed must be adapted to suit MS Excel versions on farmers’ PCs. One client refused to replace his Excel 2003 with 2010 version because it looked so different. My Ration Formulator™ is built to be compatible with old and new/future MS Excel versions.

7. Encourage Farmers to Develop Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Years of supporting farm CEOs has revealed one fact: Smallholder farmers are keen to collaborate with “developers” of low cost “easy-to-use” software that can help them.

A phone conversation I had with a Canada based Farm Project Manager – Ronald V. – on 14th November 2013 is instructive with regard to the last point mentioned above.

vba-extension-solution

He’d bought my Ration Formulator via Paypal (sent to my brother-in-law in the UK) some weeks earlier. Findings from a USA university’s study had led him to adopt peas usage in rations fed to pigs that made replacement of Soya bean possible, with no apparent negative impact on performance.

His nutritionist had advised using Soya beans in a feed formulation application built for pigs. But the need to reduce variable costs drove him to test the university’s model. He replaced the data for Soya beans he’d posted in my app, with that for peas. Months after, he was still getting good results!

He ended the call by suggesting my Excel-VB app featured be modified to cater for pigs as well (with regard to their elaborate amino acids balancing needs).

That “suggestion” from him, is a good example of how farm business solutions can evolve based on user feedback for a while, before their features can be considered adequate for most possible scenarios.

My interactions with another farm CEO, this time in Africa, provides another useful illustration:

In Nigeria, an Ibadan, Oyo State – Nigeria based catfish farm owner I spoke with on phone, in the course of gathering information for my paper, explained that he regularly explores use of alternative ingredients.

After careful laboratory analyses, he hads found a way to use noodles waste, and cassava flour (known locally as “Gari”) up to 40% in formulated rations, to reduce the farm’s feeding costs.

According to him, the performance of his fish had not suffered.

Summary: Extension specialists can develop cost-effective customizable Excel-VB solutions to help farmers tackle pressing challenges they face

Discoveries that occur in the process – like those mentioned in the anecdotes narrated above – when shared, can convince other farmers to also adopt the superior Excel solutions.

That’s one of the ways my featured Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator™, and its Excel-VB Poultry Farm Manager™ sibling have been successfully introduced and sold, to Farm CEOs within and outside Africa, over the years.

It is my considered opinion that other extension professionals can do what I’m doing – and the farm business industries we serve, will be better off in the long run!

Related Article: Story: After Resolving Layers Feeding Problems, Selling Increased Eggs Output Became a Headache!

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

PII 051: One State of Mind You Need to Defeat Adversity

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In last week’s issue of my Performance Improvement Ideas (PII) newsletter, I talked about how you need to share your vision with others. How you need to infect other people with your enthusiasm and insights.

Now, in this issue I’m going to talk about poverty.

I’m sure many who read the above will wonder what I mean by that.

Well, I’m talking about poverty in material terms, in financial terms and also poverty in terms of your psychology or psychological makeup.

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

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

Monday 29th January 2017

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.

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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

PII 051: One State of Mind You Need to Defeat Adversity

In last week’s issue of my Performance Improvement Ideas (PII) newsletter, I talked about how you need to share your vision with others. How you need to infect other people with your enthusiasm and insights.

Now, in this issue I’m going to talk about poverty.

I’m sure many who read the above will wonder what I mean by that.

Well, I’m talking about poverty in material terms, in financial terms and also poverty in terms of your psychology or psychological makeup.

With regard to the latter, you can have a poverty of ideas, or a poverty of self-esteem.

So poverty can manifest itself in many shapes and forms.

However the primary kind of poverty I refer to here is the poverty in financial and material terms.

Consider the following for a moment…

Think about any area of Endeavour you know in any part of the world you are aware of.

Have you noticed that some of the most amazingly successful people the world has ever seen are people that came from backgrounds in which they had to endure what you might call crippling visitations of poverty, often from the very early stages of their lives?

Ever noticed that?

Think about some of the most successful people you’ve ever heard of, who have made this world what it is. People who have become high level achievers in various areas of Endeavour.

You’ll find out that a large majority of them were exposed to severe forms of adversity very early on in their lives.

In other words they came into the world, and were probably born into poverty (I mean materially and financially) and had to learn to hustle at a much earlier age in life than most other people of their age, background, culture etc – especially those from the middle income and upper social classes.

So they were people born into a situation of perpetual lack, characterized by shortages of basic necessities and a chronic absence of most things resembling conveniences or luxuries of life.

Having to grow up seeing other people not suffering like they did taught them to grow up learning to fight to get what they wanted, so they could also have the nice things they desired.

People who have had to live like that, very early in life in particular, tend to grow up with a near insatiable urge to make the most of themselves using the often severely limited means and resources available to them.

That’s why we find that some of the best footballers – indeed sports persons – in the world, came from backgrounds of extreme poverty.

A good example is the legendary Pele from Brazil. I’m sure you can think of others.

Consider other fields or vocations and the trend is readily apparent. You find that some of the most authentic achievers in the world, who changed our views of what could be called impossible by the achievements they recorded in spite of great adversity, were people that came from poor backgrounds.

When they are interviewed, most will say things like:

“I had no shoes”

“I only had one set of clothes.”

“I was always hungry, had to go without food”

“I had to sell newspapers to make ends meet”

In other words, they were people that were driven by their circumstances!

Life dealt them a harsh hand from the start, and they had to claw their way out of the hole of hardship and suffering into success and fulfillment.

They were people that never had enough of what they saw other people having and so they were constantly motivated by a desire to also create for themselves some amount of comfort by working hard.

This was because they found out that they could not just sit back and wait for others to do things for them – like they saw those from privileged backgrounds doing.

Many had to work with their parents in certain cases – and some even lost their parents, so that they had to fend for themselves and literally become adults overnight.

That psychological state was what enabled them develop the mental stamina to deal with difficulty or adversity.

And that ultimately made them people who were unstoppable whenever they chose to pursue success with purpose.

The essence of what I’m saying therefore is this:

If you want to achieve success in life, that is authentic and sustainable, in any area of Endeavour – whether you are born poor or rich – you have to develop the same kind of psychological stamina that the people who grow up in poverty possess!

You have to force yourself to develop it. If you don’t force yourself to develop that kind of mental capability, it’s going to be very difficult for you to deal with the hardships you may encounter in the course of pursuing authentic achievement in life.

Psychological stamina is one state of mind that is essential for every person that wishes to achieve success in spite of adversity.

But not everyone knows how to go about it.

And that’s why you need to become a student of success.

That’s why you need to read the true stories of those who have succeeded, and also read the philosophies of success explained in books like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

Related Articles

1. Succeeding In spite of Poverty (3 Tips You Can Use)

2. Proof That Poverty Cannot Make People Steal…If They Don’t Want To (A True Story)

3. How Exposure To Poverty & Trial-By-Fire Can Be Deliberately Used To Prepare People To Succeed

4. No. 116: We Are Poor – Not Because of God (Lessons from 7 True Stories)

5. [PDF]A “Formula” Schools Need to Teach But Don’t! – Tayo Solagbade

6. To Achieve AUTHENTIC Success, Make Adversity Your Teacher and Friend

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1. Click here to learn more about this app – watch demo videos etc

2. Click here to watch a 4 part video in which I demonstrate how to use this app to formulate rations using real life data sent to me by an Algerian PhD student.

Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.

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Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.

SDN Blog™

New posts from last week*

Monday:

PII 050: You Cannot Achieve Your Goals All Alone (Hint: How to Get Others to Gladly Support You to Succeed)

[Tuesday]:

Study Your Child’s Naughty Actions to Discover Her Genius [True Story: Secretly Keeping a Pet Turtle – Then Getting Caught & Flogged!]

[Wednesday]:

[RECOMMENDED] Role of Feed Mill Laboratory Towards Improving Feed Quality – Feature article from thepoultrysite.com

[Thursday]:

Succeed Even In Economic Recession by Developing Multiple Competencies [Hint: Become a Multipreneur]

[Friday]:

N/A

[Saturday]:

N/A

[Sunday]:

Protected: The FARM CEO (Issue 71) : 11 Business Opportunities in Africa That Will Make More Millionaires in 2016, Investing in Africa’s agriculture is the next best thing, AGRICULTURE INVESTMENT IN AFRICA: TOP COUNTRIES TO FOCUS ON, African farming is the new frontier for brave investors

Video Part 2: [Excel Heaven Tutorial 07] Macro Protect or Unprotect Worksheets in a Workbook

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

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Video Part 2: [Excel Heaven Tutorial 07] Macro Protect or Unprotect Worksheets in a Workbook

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Today, I emailed the second and concluding part of the screenshot video tutorial titled “[Excel Heaven Tutorial 07] Macro Protect or Unprotect Worksheets in a Workbook” – announced on this blog 2 weeks ago – to members of my Excel Heaven Visual Basic Automation Club.

Click here to request a copy of the video tutorial – or learn how to join the club.

xlvb-vid-29thjan2017

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Recommended Websites & Articles, Self-Development

Succeed Even In Economic Recession by Developing Multiple Competencies [Hint: Become a Multipreneur]

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When I decided to become – and later begin calling myself – a MULTIPRENEUR in 2004 (2 years after I became a startup), many people criticized me for “doing too many things”.

Some said I was trying to be a “Jack of All Trades” and anytime I had a setback they readily pointed out that THAT was the cause.

But I knew better, and simply ignored them – because my experiences had taught me that if I was to survive the harsh socio-economic environment I had to operate in as an entrepreneur, I needed to function as a multi-skilled entrepreneur aka Multipreneur.

The above is why it was intriguing, if not somewhat amusing for me to come across an article titled “Why entrepreneurs need multiple competencies” – on the website for a Nigerian National newspaper (Business Day).

multiple-competencies

A portion of the article’s abstract (reproduced below) really caught my attention:

“According to experts, multiple competencies save costs, enable entrepreneurs compete better than peers, attract…” Really? According to “experts” – what experts???

You mean like those who constantly lectured me in my startup years about the need to NOT do too many things, when I chose to use my “multiple competencies” to make more money with less effort, in less time and using fewer resources?

Experts? Huh…what a joke!

If truth be told, without my deliberately nurtured HABIT of developing and using my multiple competencies, I would have quit my business a long time ago, instead of outlasting adversity I’ve faced, by thriving in spite of repeated setbacks and disappointments.

My multipreneurial aptitude kept me going each time, because I always had a new or different skill, knowledge or attitude I could apply to get myself back on track each time I derailed, or to leapfrog to a new level of achievement as the need arose.

Sadly, when I was starting out, it was almost impossible to find people to respect and encourage me for displaying this trait in my society.

Most established entrepreneurs and so called experts frowned seriously at my tendency, and told me it was going to do me more harm than good.

Yet, I kept recalling how my abilities were saving me money, time and effort and so I knew they were wrong. What was more, at a point, I began to use my skills to help those who had cast aspersion on me for using them.

That was when I realized they had no clue what they were talking about when they were criticizing me. So I decided to begin writing about Multipreneuring, sharing true stories from my personal experiences of succeeding with it.

At the bottom of this article, I’ve appended links to some of those articles I’ve written on multipreneuring or what I like to call being a “Jack of Many Trades”

Today I have established a firm reputation as a reliable provider of a complementary mix of multidisciplinary solutions to clients within and outside Africa (see www.tayosolagbade.com, this blog, www.thefarmceo.net, www.excelheaven.biz and www.tksola.com – and relevant links on each site).

Hopefully, more people in this part of the world (Nigeria/Africa) will realize that developing and using multiple competencies is a sure way to boost one’s chances of succeeding in ANY field, regardless of the challenges you may have to face.

Related Articles

1. No. 128: Using Location Independent Multipreneuring to Achieve Public Speaking Success

2. If You Lack Capital, Intelligent Multipreneuring Can Help You Succeed!

3. More Real-Life Proof that Being an Intelligent Jack of Many Trades (aka Multipreneur), Can Make You Succeed More Often

4. You can SUCCEed MORE by being a Multipreneur – A True Story (Hint: New Book Coming Soon)

5.  To Achieve Uncommon Success, Avoid Specializing [Hint: New York Times Article About Steve Martin’s Amazing Success As a Multipreneur]!

6. Being a Jack of All Trades Doesn’t Mean You’re a Master of None – by Melanie Pinola on LifeHacker.com

7.  Knowing a Little of Everything Is Often Better Than Having One Expert Skill – by Adam Dachis on LifeHacker.com