Here's a story you may find entertaining. I share it because it provides an excellent multi dimensional example of how the creator can lead you to meet people who have answers to your needs, when you least expect it. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been reading this blog a while, you most likely know I intend to open a Home Based Farm Products Brew Pub here in Cotonou<\/a>. The target I\u2019ve set for myself is to find and rent a suitable place and get something started in it before the end of March 2014. <\/p>\n Not an easy task, as I\u2019ve discovered. I only returned from the end of year holidays with my family on Saturday<\/a> \u2013 with half of the month gone. And I have a backlog of tasks - including an international competition I have to enter my Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator for \u2013 to deal with.<\/p>\n That awareness was what drove me to go walking around the neighbourhood where I live, in Barri\u00e8re, here in Cotonou, on Sunday morning. I was hoping to find and speak to any property owner with the kind of place I was looking for available to rent. <\/p>\n In case you\u2019re wondering why I didn\u2019t just check with Estate Agents, it\u2019s because I\u2019ve never had a good experience with them \u2013 in Lagos, or here in Cotonou. They just make me spend lots of money. Most times I end up having to find what I need by myself. That\u2019s what happened with the room I live in now!<\/p>\n It was just like I\u2019d imagined mine would be. The owner lived in the building behind, and setup the frontage to be the bar. The open space provided extra room for plastic chairs and tables to seat guests. Whoever this person was, I was sure he could help me \u2013 in more ways than one!<\/p>\n The time was about 10.30 a.m. It was rather early on a Sunday. Most people would not agree to me with a stranger at that time of day. <\/p>\n This time it told me to go in and ask for the owner. I walked in and asked the young attendant cleaning the floor if I could speak with the owner. He gave me a guarded look and asked me why. I promptly told him exactly what I had in mind. <\/p>\n Surprise, surprise! The young man nodded in understanding, and pointed me to an open door saying, \u201cIf you go in there, you\u2019ll see him. Try and see if he\u2019ll agree to speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanking him, I walked to the door, and soon found myself staring at a bespectacled man in his late 50s or early 60s, with hair greying at the temples. He was slim, and from his seating position, obviously tall.<\/p>\n He asked what I wanted. Again, just like I\u2019d done with his attendant, I went straight to the point. <\/p>\n He asked how come I knew to come to his place, and not elsewhere, to make my enquiry. <\/em><\/p>\n He said \u201cSetting up restaurants is my specialty. How is it that you managed to find your way to me in this manner? It\u2019s just too strange!\u201d<\/p>\n He began asking more questions. I kept answering. <\/strong><\/p>\n As we talked we discovered more coincidences in other areas of common interest, including using MS Excel to prepare records and reports for restaurants.<\/em><\/p>\n He kept saying it was strange that I just walked into his office saying I needed help finding a property to rent for use as a home based restaurant, when in fact THAT was a core aspect of his new consulting outfit. <\/p>\n And that was the truth. I\u2019ve had the experience countless times, so that I'm no longer surprised. I understand why it happens. <\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s how I got myself well known in the Nigerian embassy, for example, by top officers, even though I had no initial contacts in there when I arrived Benin Republic. <\/p>\n You see, back in April 2013, I met a total stranger, who gave me contact details of the top embassy officials (including the ambassador himself) - phone numbers and email addresses - before I ever met them. That enabled me access them, and not get blocked by secretaries, personal assistants etc. <\/p>\n A total stranger...in under one hour of meeting me, did that. Now, how uncanny is THAT<\/strong> kind of coincidence?<\/em><\/p>\n We went on to spend about 6 hours (11a.m till about 5p.m) discussing. He turned out to be widely traveled internationally as a Chartered Accountant\/Auditor (in the Hospitality Industry), and retired about 6 months ago to open his home based restaurant. <\/p>\n By the time I told him the kinds of light\/quick meals\/snacks I plan to offer in my pub, he called up an Excel workbook and showed me his restaurant\u2019s menu with much similar contents. <\/p>\n \u201cYet another coincidence. We have so much in common!\u201d he exclaimed. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Soon he was showing me all the spreadsheets he uses to track sales\/expenses, and over 4 wonderful business idea packages he did not realize he could sell as information products ...until I told him.<\/p>\n By the time I showed him how his manual Excel records could be automated using Excel VB, he took me into the restaurant and bought drinks for us as we continued talking.<\/p>\n At a Point I Recalled I Needed a Tailor Urgently\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n At a point I told him I needed to find a skilled tailor to sew an outfit I would be wearing for my Dad's 80th birthday celebration coming up on 4th February.<\/p>\n Amazingly, another coincidence occurred\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n He announced that just next door was his brother who ran a fashion design business. We simply walked over!<\/p>\n By the time the brother was taking my measurement in his studio, after we'd settled on nice embroidery to be done, I noticed a large photograph on his studio wall. <\/em><\/p>\n In it he (the brother) was receiving a plaque from, and shaking hands with a big and tall man that I thought I'd seen on TV and billboards a number of times since getting here. <\/p>\n But I felt it was unlikely to be the same person. Out of curiosity, I asked the brother who the man in the pix was. He looked at me then smiled knowingly, saying, don't you know him? Take another look.<\/p>\n I said \"Le Chef de l'etat?\" i.e. \"the head of state?\"<\/p>\n He nodded to confirm it was President Yayi Boni!<\/strong><\/p>\n Apart from that photo, this chap had other award plaques on his wall. As you can imagine, I began sweating when I thought of how much a person like this was likely to charge to sew an outfit like the one I'd chosen...lol<\/p>\n Luckily for me, he gave me a very pocket friendly bill (15k FCFA), explaining that he could not do otherwise, because I was his restaurant-owner brother's friend.<\/p>\n Phew...what a relief that was...lol<\/strong><\/p>\n Yep. Their ancestors are Yoruba from Nigeria, who emigrated and settled in Cotonou. His kids even attend Nigeria International School here. But neither the kids or their parents speak Yoruba. Small world indeed!<\/p>\n I mentioned that the school's supervisor is Nigerian embassy's Mr Kakshak (minister for political affairs and education). And that he knows me well because of my pineapple peel products. My new friend promptly called his daughter into the office and asked here who their supervisor was. <\/p>\n She mentioned the same name. So that gave me even more credibility as you can imagine!<\/em><\/p>\n It looks like we may be doing some big things together. <\/em><\/p>\n If our discussions go according to plan, my new friend may engage my services to develop a web marketing system and\/or an Excel-VB restaurant management software for his consulting practice. <\/p>\n On my part, I\u2019m planning to engage his services to help me with setting up my Home Based Restaurant. I foresee us doing some barter exchange at some point to make some of this happen. <\/p>\nI Was Walking \u201cAlmost Aimlessly\u201d Around, Looking Buildings Over, When I Saw a New Looking Bar<\/strong><\/h3>\n
But I always listen to my intuition. And it rarely steers me wrong<\/a>. <\/em><\/h3>\n
With a puzzled expression on his face, he asked \u201cQui t\u2019a envoy\u00e9 ici?\u201d (Who sent you here?). <\/h3>\n
I Told Him I'm Often Guided by the Creator, to Meet \"Helpers\" That Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Still he said \"Mais c'est bizarre.\" (\"But it's strange\")<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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PS: There Was One More \u201cCoincidence\u2026He Bears a Yoruba Surname!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
But Here\u2019s the Best Part of It All\u2026.<\/strong><\/h3>\n