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Entrepreneurship

Should You Write With A Target Audience In Mind?

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If you do any writing towards earning your living, this question is probably one that you’ve had to contend with. There is no one size fits all answer to it. Read this post for ideas to help you find YOUR answer.

For this discussion, I have chosen to view writers in two groups: (a). Those who sell their writing skills directly for a fee and (b). Those who write to promote their businesses i.e. they do not get hired to write for a fee. Instead they use their writing as a cost-effective strategy to promote products and services to people who need them.

Both groups write to earn a living (directly or indirectly) – and are therefore entrepreneurs.


A Writer’s Readers May Come from Widely Differing Fields

Take a quick tour of the comments section of a popular writer’s blog. Click on hyperlinked names of any number of those whose comments appear, to visit their websites.

You’ll discover these individuals come from widely differing backgrounds. And sometimes only a few would be involved in the same line of work as the blog owner.

In other words, your writing can attract readership from any conscious thinking adult, whose interests intersect with the subject or topic of your write-up.


Of What Use Is A Target Audience Profile Then?

The logical question to ask is this: In light of the above, does it make sense at all to write with a particular audience in mind as target?

I believe that to some extent it still does. Here’s why:

While developing and implementing web marketing systems, I have had to write website content and do article marketing for clients. Their different fields included real estate, interior design, hearing improvement, hospitality, training and development and others.

This experience is what makes me appreciate the difference between people who fall into group “b” (e.g. my clients), and conventional writers who mostly belong in group “a”.

It goes without saying that some writers fall into both groups (like me).

Writers in group “a” may not need target audience profiling to succeed. All they need do is show they can research and write useful material for use by those who hire them.

Conventional Business Owners Who Write, Should Use a Target Audience Profile

 

For writers who fall into group “b”, defining a target audience profile can improve their ability to attract those who need their business’ products and services. I would however suggest that the profile only be used to guide their writing – and not restrict it.

Like I mentioned earlier, I also help brick and mortar business owners learn to use writing as a marketing tool i.e. to work as group “b” type writers.

Looking back, I recall frequently having to “remind” clients that their potential clients will often be everyday people, with no interest in technical jargon.

Such people are likely to come looking for answers to questions they have, or solutions to problems they are faced with. (How often do you think an audiologist can get visited by another audiologist as a patient needing hearing rehabilitation? That would be the exception – not the norm!)

To me, this is what makes it important for this second group to write with a target audience in mind. If you belong here, there is a greater need to tailor the message in your write-ups to appeal to people who may be in need of solutions that you “sell”.

Summary

 

Regardless of what group you belong, you can write using a variety of techniques, weaving in personal stories and illustrations.

But if you belong in group “b”, add calls to action, and make “offers” at relevant points in the body of your writing, or in your byline, to generate pre-qualified sales leads. Your writing will rarely be for pure entertainment or just information.

Writers belonging to group “a” may not have to worry about doing that often – or at all. Many will get new writing jobs via referrals, through the quality of writing they display on their blogs etc. This is probably why some tend to be more laid back in their use of the byline.

And those who belong to both groups typically sell their writing skills, as well as information products created by them or by affiliates. That’s in addition to services like training, coaching, mentoring or consulting. To do this, they have to write sales copy on their blogs, mixed with calls to action and promotional offers.

So, now that you’re here, what’s YOUR answer? Do you think you need to write with a target audience in mind?

Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News, Recommended Websites & Articles, The Farm CEO

A Permanent Solution to Africa’s Low Per Capita Protein Consumption!

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Update (20th July 2021): PDF White Paper version now available for FREE DOWNLOAD – Click here.

PDF White Paper | A Permanent Solution to Africa’s Low Per Capita Protein Consumption! - Email your WhatsApp number to Tayo@tksola.com with RABBIT FARM BIZ WHITE PAPER in the subject line - and I will send you download link

 

Preamble

This write-up will interest farm business owners and policy makers in the Agricultural industry/sector. Keep an open mind as you read. I argue that African countries are currently NOT rearing the right mix of livestock types that can help them produce enough animal sources to boost protein consumption per capita. Complementary rearing of a particular micro-livestock type is advocated as a faster and cheaper strategy for boosting production of animal protein sources. I end by suggesting that governments modify current development projects to include the recommended micro-livestock type (making example reference to a World Bank sponsored 5 year CAD project under which the Lagos State government is currently providing grants to Lagos farmers).

Introduction

In Africa, protein requirement per capita (g/Kg of body weight) as determined by the WHO is 0.91 for children to 0.44 for Adults (see http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/MEETING/004/M2995E/M2995E00.HTM).

But per capita consumption of fish (a key source of protein) in sub-Saharan Africa is reportedly “the lowest in all regions and it is the only part of the world where consumption is declining”. (See http://www.fishforall.org/ffa-summit/English/Fish&FoodSecurity_22_8_lowres.pdf)

The main reason for this situation is the increased pressure on food sources due to the continued increase in population over the decades here in Africa. And that’s why livestock farming has been actively encouraged and supported.

But here’s one truth that may probably shock most people: We’re NOT rearing the right kind of livestock. And for decades it’s been slowing our progress towards the goal of bridging the per capita protein consumption gap between us and the rest of the world.

The point I’m raising here is crucial to the well being of a large majority of Africans living in Africa. And African policy makers need to seriously consider adopting a modified approach to livestock farming, to correct the unhealthy trend.

Animal protein sources we currently produce are not cheap enough for majority of Africans to afford.

Let me explain what I mean: The most popular commercial livestock ventures in Africa are poultry, fishery, piggery and other large livestock farming enterprises. These types of animals require mainly grains/cereal based feeds to yield profitable returns.

However, we know that over 60% of commercial livestock farming expenses arise from feeding alone. Since the grains used as ingredients for their feed are generally expensive and limited in availability, the resulting livestock farm products tend to hit markets at relatively high selling prices.

Most of these commercial farms target markets in the towns and cities where they are likely to find more buyers who can afford their products. The poor majority in both urban and rural areas consequently get left out!

Here’s a quick reality check to demonstrate the accuracy of the above statement: How many poor or low income families can afford to eat eggs or chicken daily – even weekly? “Very few” is the answer. The irony is however that most will often come near livestock farms as hired hands or as traders (e.g. market women) to buy and resell/retail! The current cost of production of our animal protein sources is too high.

And that is the REAL reason why per capita consumption is still low in many African societies. A disproportionate amount of the fish, chicken and meat being produced is being consumed by a relatively small financially capable fraction of the population i.e. the middle class and rich. The poor or less financially endowed cannot afford to buy.

If we continue this way, we may never get out of the protein defiency hole we’re in!

3 Key Justifications for Large Scale Adoption of a Complementary Commercial Livestock Type

1.         Grains/Cereals Limitation: Grains based livestock farms will struggle due to high grains prices/scarcity. For instance, Industries like breweries for example are using more and more cereals as raw materials especially following ban on wheat imports. Competition is ongoing between man and livestock for this food source, resulting in a steady increase in price.

2.         Grains Preferring Livestock: Many conventional commercial livestock farm animals like cattle, sheep, and poultry require mainly cereal based diets to turn out profits. The implication is that farms that rear them will continue to contend with relatively high productions costs.

3.         An Alternative Livestock Type: There is a micro livestock type that we can quickly, easily and cheaply get majority of our people to rear commercially, to dramatically boost our animal protein production, in a short period of time.

A Micro Livestock Type That Can Solve the Problem

We need to focus more attention on smaller livestock that are cheaper to rear with higher meat to bone ratio and greater feed to flesh conversion.

Rabbits provide a viable complementary alternative to our conventional livestock meat sources.

I say this based on personal experience gained from careful study and rearing/breeding of the Rabbit for sale. The ideas I propose also derive from knowledge of tested and proven ideas developed for use on the continent (an example of this is given later in this piece).

Here is a summary of the Rabbit’s amazing mix of extremely useful attributes:

1.         Copes well with varied food types. E.g. farm harvest waste such as food crop leaves; domestic waste e.g. oil-free left over rice, plantain/yam peels etc

2.         Easily managed, and not noisy. Requires low capital and minimal infrastructure. This makes it ideal for the less financially endowed larger majority to adopt.

3.         Boasts high feed to meat conversion ratio of about 1:1. This means for every 1kg of feed given to this animal, it can convert it to 1kg of meat. That implies a high ROI i.e. it is cheaper to feed for meat production – unlike the large livestock which often deliver to a feed to meat conversion ratio of 2:1.

4.         High reproductive capacity. It reproduces fast and also grows fast. Therefore breeding will be easy and with good management, flocks will grow rapidly.

5.         Biological Refrigerator. It makes artificial refrigeration unnecessary. Can be slaughtered and made at once into a pot of meat stew for a family. There would be no remaining pieces to store in the freezer!

6.         Healthy white meat. Red meat/beef is considered unhealthy. More people now prefer fish and chicken. Rabbit meat is white meat, and comes highly recommended for persons with health concerns. That makes it attractive.

The Plan: Low Cost Backyard/Farm Waste Based Rabbitry Integrated With Fish/Crop Farming

State governments keen to more immediately boost per capita protein consumption amongst their citizens can promote adoption of backyard rabbitry by families. In other words, they can be encouraged to rear the animals to supplement their family’s meat supply. As time goes on, they’ll grow enough to sell some and earn additional income.

This would be done as a complementary alternative to current livestock farming efforts. Once this alternative and cheaper high protein source becomes widely available, demand for the grains fed livestock will reduce and pressure on the expensive grains will drop.

A Useful Model That Can Be Adopted: In 2009, Jacky Foo of Stockholm, Sweden came up with a (U.S.$20,000 grand prize winning) idea of a community rabbit-fish agri-business farm for producing affordable protein, and generating employment. African farmers and governments can adopt a variant of that model. From what I’ve seen online, Jacky Foo is willing to offer guidance to those who ask. See details at http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/03/541_rabbit-fish_farm_wins_contest/

Interested governments can modify current efforts (e.g. World Bank sponsored projects like the Commercial Agricultural Development Project described below) to INCLUDE the above Rabbitry initiative. The benefits to be had are enough to justify doing so!

Lagos state for instance already has Farm Service Centres. They only need to include the needed research investigation and development for rabbitry into their plans.

World Bank Grants for Lagos Farm Businesses

On a final note, I offer the following information for interested farmers based in Lagos State. Some weeks back, I got a call from a lady officer (Bunmi Daramola) from the Lagos State ministry of Agriculture. She told me she had read one of my articles on farm business marketing, and wanted to meet with me. When we met, she told me about the work being done by the State Commercial Agricultural Development Office (SCADO).

Under the auspices of the World Bank, Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority, a 5 Year Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP) has been progressively implemented since April 16, 2009, and will be closing on December 31, 2014.

The project is designed to make farming more commercial and profit driven. Steps being taken include identification of beneficiary farmers based on specified eligibility criteria, and subsequent implementation. Key focus areas are Aquaculture, Poultry and Rice farming.

Farmers are being given grants, and supported with capacity building resources etc.

Full details are provided in a flyer the young lady gave to me, which you can view high resolution digital versions I’ve prepared (click below).

Click now to download a zipped folder containing the digital versions of the 2 page Lagos SCADO flyer
Click now to download a zipped folder containing the digital versions of the 2 page Lagos SCADO flyer

If you are a farmer and wish to know more about the CADP, I suggest you download the two pages of the flyer put up above. You’ll find the SCADO office address, email address, phone numbers on them. Google “Lagos SCADO” to get more details.

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Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz

8 Questions A Catfish Farmer MUST Answer “YES” To, In Order To Make GOOD Profits!

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As more and more catfish farms spring up, every catfish farm owner will have to contend with increased availability of the same products(fingerlings and table-size catfish) in the same market. To avoid losing out, the wise catfish farmer needs to start exploring Variable Cost Reduction initiatives that will enable production of larger numbers of catfish(fingerlings and/or table fish) at lesser cost, in lesser time, and using lesser resources. Are you planning to(or already) own a catfish farm? If yes, I urge you to go beyond enjoying the psychological satisfaction that people think you are making money from it. Instead put your hard earned startup capital to good and lasting use, by doing the things I have described in this report to ensure you do make GOOD money in form of tangible PROFITS.

(First published online: 15th November 2005)

Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only these two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and Innovation produce results. All the others are costs” – Peter Drucker

Catfish Farming Is Not Like Trading(Buying and Selling)

The first encounter I had with the catfish was when in Secondary school, I and some fellow boarding students discovered a deep hole which had — on the surface at least – been dry all through the dry season partly filled with water, and to our surprise, some adult catfish! We harvested them using mosquito nets and enjoyed a good meal by frying them using butter on stoves. I would later wonder about how the catfish had survived in the dried up pond all through the dry season up till the start of the rainy season. That experience made me develop a keen interest in learning more about rearing catfish.

Catfish farming has really caught on in Nigeria. Many people today are eager to learn about it especially after hearing about how lucrative both the fingerlings production and grow out ventures can be. Typically, the adverts and articles on the subject present impressive data on startup costs and turnover expected. But that’s where they stop – Turnover. Few, if any, venture further to talk about HOW the prospective farmer will ensure s/he can CONTINUALLY achieve REAL profits (i.e. the difference between turnover and expenses incurred) from running the business.

The reality after all is that once you start a livestock production venture like Catfish farming, your plan is not likely to be to simply complete one cycle of production, make money from selling off your fish, and take off to spend your profits. That is often what obtains with trading, supplies of materials and other businesses that deal with intangibles or are time-bound in nature. With Catfish farming, once you start it, the engagement is likely to be long term. Which is why you must look for every possible way to operate that will enable you stay reasonably profitable and competitive regardless of marketplace occurrences.

Your Farm’s Operating Costs MUST Be Constantly Monitored And Controlled

Let’s be honest here. If you do not keep a grip on your cost of production, your turnover may not give you much profits. On a number of occasions when I have met with persons involved in this business, and tried to get specific details of profit margins achievable, the best answers I got was “Ah, the market is embarrsasing.Your expenses will be nothing compared to the turnover you will record.” That’s simply too vague, and will certainly not easily convince any smart investor to buy into your farm venture.

It is actually true that the catfish farming business offers attractive returns on investment. However that benefit does not go to everyone who ventures into it – only those who do it right, consistently. To do it right, anyone going into business (no matter how micro or small it is) MUST take the pains to measure and monitor the profit margins and other performance indicators of her business so that the true health of the business will never be in doubt at any point in time. This requirement is especially true in the case of production based processes like Catfish farming.

Do you have farm records?

Most Nigerian Catfish Farms DO NOT KEEP DETAILED/USEFUL RECORDS. For most people who venture into business in Nigeria, records of revenue/earned income and expenses over time(daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) are never diligently kept, nor does the business owner ever bother to review or analyse those documented records. The result is that when the profit margins for instance begin to drop gradually, it is not noticed until it it’s too late. From my interactions with many catfish farmers in Lagos this problem of lack of detailed, accurate record keeping for business performance evaluation is widespread.

Okay, Maybe They Don’t Keep Records, But They Still Do Well – Don’t They?

You could argue that it does not matter since they still seem to be doing well. But I would say it depends on the farm. The truth is that it cannot cost all the farmers in Lagos the same amount of money to run say their fingerlings production ventures for the 4 to 6 weeks needed to get ready-for-sale fingerlings. Now if the foregoing is correct, the question to ask is how profitable can it be for everyone to sell at N10.00 per fingerling for instance,if some people achieve N9.00 cost of production per fish and others N5.00?

Every process is different from the other. Each farm will have had its own peculiar needs, problems etc. Some people have to pay for water or for fuel to power the gen that pumps water. Some will use Artemia(which is not cheap to buy) while others will get daphnia from stagnant pools around. A farm might experience a disease outbreak and have to purchase drugs to control it. Many things could(and do) happen that would make each farm end up spending more or less than the next farm to get its fish to the age/size where they are ready for sale.

Now, at the point of sale, the total cost of production for the batch of fish to be sold, would be the cost of electricity, water, feed, drugs, labour (and cost of fish losses/mortalities i.e. dead) and every other material used during that production run divided by the total number of fish left for sale. This would give the actual cost of production for EACH fish. Having derived this, the farmer would then be better informed as to what selling price to adopt .

But what happens in real life is that most people simply rear the fish and sell them at whatever they consider the prevailing price. In other words, they never really know for sure: (a) How much profit they make (b) If the profit will be adequate to meet the cash flow etc business needs.

Some Questions A Catfish Farmer MUST Be Able To Answer “YES” To In Order To Make GOOD Profits!

If you are a catfish farmer, and can answer YES to the following questions, then consider yourself as one who does not need to read the rest of this report.

1. Do you know how much it costs you – in Naira – to produce one(1) catfish fingerling or adult?

2. Do you know what the difference – in Naira – is between your cost of producing one(1) fingerling or adult, and the selling price you adopt?

3. Do you know what the trend in your total profit margin for your catfish farm has been since you started it? Has it been rising upwards, going downwards, or remained at the same level?

4. Can you produce detailed and traceable data to back up your claims/answers to question 1, 2 and 3?

5. Do you use (a). weekly pond records forms and (b). pond conversion ratios forms on your farms?

6. Do you know how much of your feed(in bags or kilograms etc) will be used to raise one batch of fingerlings to table size? Can you supply data to back up that claim?

7. Do you know how much you spend on marketing/sales to dispose of each batch of your catfish production? Do you reflect that in estimating your selling price – and eventual profits?

8. Do you have any process management system in place on your farm to ensure your operating costs are kept at an optimal level that will always ensure comfortable REAL profit margins are recorded?

The Challenge for Catfish Farmers

A BIG challenge awaits many who venture into this catfish business which few(if any) of them will be forewarned about. More people learning about this lucrative vocation, which means the overt time a larger number of producers are likely to increase availability of fingerlings and table-sized fish in the market. This in turn will tend to either keep prices fixed or competitive market forces will see price drops by certain producers so that they can quickly turn around their processes.

What is the challenge I speak about? It is whether catfish farmers will be able able to continue selling at prices that are profitable even as catfish producers increase in number in the market.

The Solution: Efficient Process Management via Variable Costs Control/Reduction

You cannot manage something, if you do not measure it, nor can you measure it if you do not record it. For instance, feeding of the fish constitutes a major chunk of costs incurred in turning out a batch of fingerlings or table-sized fish. Often up to 80% of the cost of production is due to feeding expenses. However, most Nigerian fish farmers do not keep reliable or regular records of feeding done, so it is difficult for them to accurately assess whether or not they/their operatives are overfeeding or not.

The farmer who can CONTINUALLY sell at stable(or lower) prices while earning the same(or greater) profit margins by driving costs down, compared to competitors will always do better! To do this s/he will develop best practice process management systems to effectively control and reduce where possible, the Variable (or Operating) Farm Costs. For as long as s/he keeps exploring ways to reduce the cost of producing each catfish, opportunities to recover profit margins that could be lost as a result of market price drops are likely to periodically emerge.

The result would be that s/he stays in business profitably even during what rivals consider “bad” sales seasons. The foregoing philosophy is one closely adhered to by many highly successful multinational manufacturing organisations locally and internationally. It explains why they have been able to continuously weather the adverse business environment in a place like Nigeria for example.

Read my article titled You Can Increase Your Profits Without Raising Your Prices to learn more about Variable Cost Control/Reduction.

Summary

As more and more catfish farms spring up, every catfish farm owner will have to contend with increased availability of the same products in the same market. As has happened with the GSM business, some farmers will have done their process management so efficiently that they will be able to drop their prices significantly below the market price(or refuse to increase them), and still make as much profit as (or even more than!) their rivals.

To avoid losing out, the wise catfish farmer needs to start exploring Variable Cost Reduction initiatives that will enable production of larger numbers of catfish(fingerlings and/or table fish) at lesser cost, in lesser time, and using lesser resources. Specifically, questions like the following would require serious consideration: How can you modify your production process to significantly reduce time taken or materials used to produce your fish? Are there cheaper alternative feeding stuffs offering similar nutritional benefits that you can use ? Do you know where to find them in the quantities that you need? Would it be useful to have stocks of them in your store in case of unexpected outage of the feeding stuffs you currently use?

Other questions remain. I could go on, but I think the point I’ve made here is clear enough already. So much thinking/re-organisation will have to be done initially to develop the needed systems. But the process once started, can only get easier. And the positive benefits from adopting this approach will be immediately obvious.

Are You Planning To(Or Already) Own A Catfish Farm?

If yes, I urge you to go beyond enjoying the psychological satisfaction that people think you are making money from it. Instead I urge you to put your hard earned startup capital to good and lasting use, by doing the things I have described in this report to ensure you do make GOOD money in form of tangible PROFITS that will reflect in your having what Jeffery Meyer calls an MBA (Massive Bank Account)!

If you need help setting up the Variable Costs Monitoring and Control/Reduction systems I’ve described, first fill/submit this form (making sure to mention the title and web address of this THIS article), and then call me on +234-803-302-1263 or +229-66-122-136.

PS: This article is an educational commercial about an aspect of the Best Operating Process Management System (BOPMS™) that SDAc’s CB Solutions can help you setup for your farm business.

In the BOPMS™, major emphasis is placed on the need to streamline operations(via best practice initiatives) in a manner that allows easy integration of PC automation to reduce time, effort and resources needed PLUS increase output and accuracy in the entire farming process,so that the business becomes MORE profitable. Click here to learn more.

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz

Producing Good Catfish is Important, But Finding Good Buyers is Imperative!

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As I have said on my Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas website, and also in many of my previous write ups, I have gained unique insight into the business of catfish farming as it is done here in Nigeria. I have moved around quite a lot within Lagos especially, visiting various farms in places like Iyana Ipaja, Egbeda, Ojo, Gbagada, and outside Lagos, more recently,in Akute – Ogun State. During my interactions with the farm owners, I typically ask the same questions about operational practices being used, farm output achieved, expenses incurred etc. My objective is always to establish how efficient and profitable the individual operations are.

(First published online: 1st June 2007 )

To Succeed, You Must Adopt A BOPMS™

As I have said on my Cost-Saving Ideas Farm Business Support mini site, and also in many of my previous write ups, I have gained unique insight into the business of catfish farming as it is done here in Nigeria. I have moved around quite a lot within Lagos especially, visiting various farms in places like Iyana Ipaja, Egbeda, Ojo, Gbagada, and outside Lagos, more recently,in Akute – Ogun State.

During my interactions with the farm owners, I typically ask the same questions about operational practices being used, farm output achieved, expenses incurred etc. My objective is always to establish how efficient and profitable the individual operations are. Time and time again, I have found that most of these farm owners are simply focussed on doing what they do in the same mechanical manner they have always been doing them. Little or no effort is made to spend some time THINKING about how to operate more efficiently – especially in order to reduce the time, effort, money and labour needed to produce – and sell – the same output within a production cycle.

But times are hard. Business is tough. Costs have risen. To continue to profit, it has become even more imperative today, for EVERY business to explore ways of LOWERING operating costs, even as they maintain or possibly INCREASE output. That is why IDEAS – NEW IDEAS – about how to better run the business MUST be routinely solicited, and explored practically, with a view to improving the way we work, so that the business can perform better.

But there is something even more compelling: SELLING.

This is the ultimate objective of a business enterprise, which if NOT actively pursued could lead to its eventual demise. Until you get PAID CASH for your product or service, you have NOT done business profitably! And that applies to ANY business. I had to say this at the risk of stating the obvious, because it seems so many business owners often forget this important FACT.

In fact many people seem to go about their businesses focussing more on DOING the technical, production related aspects, and sparing minimal thought for the SELLING part. Yet, if you do not have customers READY and WILLING to part with CASH to get your product or service, ALL your technical, production related know how and skills amount to nothing! Your bank account would be empty!!

This is a message that needs to be drummed into the heads of many Catfish Farm (and other business) owners out here. I have been repeatedly contacted by people who seemed more interested in TESTING my knowledge of how to "inject" catfish or "strip" them of eggs, than they were in hearing my practically tested ideas, for instance, about how they can rear daphnia in glass tanks to feed their catfish fries instead of wasting time/labour scouting for dirty pools of water on different streets, to harvest wild daphnia from – or worse, feeding their catfish fries exclusively with expensive Artemia.

Anyone Can Be Taught To Breed And Rear Fish Using Today’s Methods!

I often wonder if it ever occurs to them that today, almost ANYONE – even the unschooled – can be taught to independently carry out virtually all aspects of breeding and rearing of catfish for commercial production. Is it not obvious from the rate at which seminars, manuals and VCDs teaching the subject now abound in various locations (with adverts appearing in mass media like newspapers, etc)?

The truth is we have a lot of people engaged in producing catfish in different ways, at various scales of operation out here today.

But Not Every Farmers Knows How To Attract PROFITABLE Buyers

The PROBLEM however, is that very few, if at all any, are doing it by following any tested or proven standard operating procedure that guarantees consistent output of quality product. Worse however, and which is the POINT of this write up, is the near TOTAL lack of attention to developing reliable strategies for FINDING GOOD buyers for the ready-to-sell catfish, be it fingerlings, juveniles or table sized ones.

This latter point explains why in my discussions with many owners, they typically complained of being frustrated by the very exploitative offers made by market women who come to buy their harvested fish. The tales of woe they have told me, about how these greedy traders take advantage of the farmers’ need to get the "ready" fish out of the ponds, to buy them at very low prices (and later sell at maximum profit) are heart rending.

Each time I have been told about this problem, I have responded by telling the farmers to take personal ACTION to find BETTER buyers, so that such traders would NO LONGER feel farmers have no alternative. This is where farmers need to employ CRITICAL THINKING skills. The farmer needs to think of ways to find other people who will want his fish produce, and who will be prepared to pay what they are worth!

Some Ready-To-Use Ideas For Finding Good Buyers

In case you are wondering how the farmer will achieve this, I offer some ideas based on my personal experiences and observations.

For table size, ready to sell catfish: The farmer will need to look for beer parlours, restaurants and bars, hotels, motels, entertainment venues, event organisers etc who may need regular or periodic supply of catfish in bulk quantities at good prices. Such buyers are more likely to offer rewarding prices, compared to the market women. Actually they WILL offer better prices – I say this because I am aware of the prices some of them buy from the farmers that supply them.

The challenge is for YOU, as the farmer, to invest reasonable time and effort into locating and approaching them with an attractive offer. The resulting relationship would be mutually beneficial: they get bulk purchase of good quality catfish at AFFORDABLE prices. You get reliable, TIMELY and regular sales outlet for your catfish at PROFITABLE prices that enable you STAY in business for the long term.

Similar thinking will allow you find better sales outlets for fingerlings, if you choose to do so.

You would ask yourself questions like this: Who else would need or can use this catfish product, apart from those I am already dealing with? The answer will lead you towards securing more potentially rewarding sales outlets for your business.

You see, if you do not GO OUT and actively recruit potential bulk buying customers for your harvested catfish, to the extent that you are always able to sell off whatever you produce, at a profitable price, your business will suffer. I have seen farms with impressive looking LIVE catfish produce, but with no idea how to get enough buyers for them. And the owners just sat there – complaining lamely!

Quite often, these owners attend the training and learn how to rear the fish successfully. But their trainers (assuming they knew!) would have "forgotten" to advise them on how to get their produce sold!! The enthusiastic startups would thus launch out assuming buyers would come down in large enough numbers to empty out the ponds, at harvest time. When this does not happen, they are forced to continue spending money feeding the mature fish – inevitably increasing their cost of production.

My argument is that these farmers should have started looking for – and notifying – possible buyers some months BEFORE the fish became due for harvest. That way, they could even have gotten some intending buyers to book for the fish in advance.

Without Profitable Sales, Your Farm Biz Will Die – Even If You’re The World’s Expert On Catfish Farming!

A business that is NOT making sales will DIE. Producing (or retailing) good products and services is good, BUT of much GREATER importance, is the effort you put into finding the RIGHT type of buyers for them, who will pay you profitably.

In essence, I am asking you NOT to stop at priding yourself on the fact that you know how to make a good product or deliver a great service. Spend MORE QUALITY TIME THINKING of how to find people who WILL PAY YOU WELL to get YOUR good product or great service. If you fail to do at least that, you risk FAILING financially, in that business of yours!

Note that the approach I have described above is what I have used successfully for years now, to boost sales of my own products and services. It is based on my experience based understanding, that ONE good paying client is better than ten (10) miserly and/or exploitative ones. It can be applied to ANY business, with equally effective impact.

If you wish to learn more about using this approach or strategy to find BETTER paying customers for your business, first fill/submit this form (making sure to mention the title and web address of this THIS article), and then call me on 234-803-302-1263.

PS: This article is an educational commercial about an aspect of the Best Operating Process Management System (BOPMS™) that SDAc’s CB Solutions can help you setup for your farm business.

In the BOPMS™, major emphasis is placed on the need to streamline operations(via best practice initiatives) in a manner that allows easy integration of PC automation to reduce time, effort and resources needed PLUS increase output and accuracy in the entire farming process,so that the business becomes MORE profitable. Click here to learn more.

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, General, Parenting, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

How To Use The Self-Development Nuggets™ Blog

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SD Nuggets™ (i.e. http://www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets) is a multi-disciplinary blog.

As a result, you may find that not everything published on it interests you.

This is why I would suggest you use the links provided below to subscribe to the category you want.

That way, when new content is published on the blog, only those belonging to your preferred category will be dispatched to you via RSS feed.

1. Entrepreneurship [Tuesdays]

Posts in this category will include all my write-ups on Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas, Web Marketing etc. Entrepreneurship is hard enough as it is. Whatever you can do to reduce the number of “hard knocks” you get while practicing it, will make your life easier. Experience based tips, and insights gained from years of heart breaking struggles and triumphs as an entrepreneur in a particularly harsh socioeconomic environment. They come in form of true stories and straight advice e.g. the thorny issue of getting paid for work you do, or product you sell. I tell it the way I see (and have seen) it!

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/entrepreneurs/feed

DOWNLOAD MY FREE FARM BIZ RESOURCE WORKBOOK

It contains the different computation formats (complete with formulas) used in the article titled 5 Powerful Tools for Accurately Measuring Your (Farm) Business’ Health

Click to download your copy of Tayo's FREE MS Excel resource workbook which contains the different computation formats (complete with formulas) used in the article titled 5 Powerful Tools for Accurately Measuring Your (Farm) Business Health

2. Self-Development [Wednesdays]

Posts in this category are for persons (regardless of discipline or interest) looking for ideas to make themselves more productive than they already are. It’s as simple as that. Anything that can help you become better, more capable, more competent, more efficient. New, ready-to-use, and sometimes unconventional ideas about how to get more out of 24 hours; or how to handle yourself around others better; how to organise yourself to achieve smarter outcomes etc. Examples will include my new powerful series titled: MS Excel Quick Tips For Getting More Done At Work And In Life!

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/self-development/feed

3. Career Development [Thursdays]

Posts in this category are for persons in paid employment – from junior staff to top executive and even CEO/MD. I weave hard won experience based wisdom gained from excelling in a variety of demanding roles within a fast paced multinational organisation. Insights I gained from working closely with, and observing top level decision making by high performing management executives are also used to provide guiding instruction that you can adapt to suit your unique needs.

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/employeescareer-persons/feed

4. Parenting [Fridays]

Through posts in this category, I offer what you could call parenting best practice ideas. The objective being to help others give their kids the best possible start in life. My approach is to use true stories of my personal childhood experiences, in conjunction with insights gained from “parenting” my own kids over the past 10 years. For those who are interested, I offer special coaching programs for kids (and their parents). The approach to “parenting” that I advocate for use with kids is based on a coaching technique I developed 15 years ago, which I call “Multi-Dimensional Peer Pressure (MDPP)™“.

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/parenting/feed

5. Writing/Blogging [Saturdays]

Posts in this category will feature my unique take on various aspects of writing as well as blogging. For instance, what is it about blog comments (or the absence or presence of blog comments) that seems to attract so much debate and controversy? I bring my capacity for objective analysis to bear on such issues, to offer clarity and give people a sense of what works, and what to do. You can look forward to some unconventional ideas based on my experience :-)

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/writingblogging/feed

6. Public Speaking [Mondays]

Posts in this feed will link to my weekly Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter, published since September 2011 to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring to experts on the African continent. I began representing Burt as Sole Agent in Africa in May 2011. But I actually began following his work way back in 2000 while still in paid employment. Don’t be fooled by the fact that his website features mainly public speaking training offers. A closer look reveals it also houses an intimidating wealth of business marketing wisdom that can be profitably applied in ANY kind of business. I know because I’ve used them to successfully reap profitable returns in various business endeaours, that had NOTHING to do with public speaking. The “messages” in my posts will sometimes be woven into real life stories. Hopefully, you’ll learn enough from reading my stuff to understand why choosing Burt Dubin to mentor you would be a wise thing to do!

http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/category/publicspeaking/feed

TO GET E-MAIL NOTIFICATIONS FOR ALL POSTS, CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY MAILING LIST (You get multiple gifts – instantly!)

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz

Real Life Poultry Layer Farm Record Formats (Instant Download)

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In my latest guest post on Africabusinesscommunities.com,, I discussed five (5) important farm production records a poultry farmer needs to diligently capture, to ensure s/he can take timely farm planning decisions that will result in the best possible performance.

At the end of that piece, I inserted a download link to an MS Excel workbook (80.5kb) containing real-life sample formats of the records discussed in this post.

NB: Screen shots of those record formats (taken from an MS Excel based poultry farm management application I built for a 12,000 layer farm in 2009) were originally meant to appear at specific locations in the body of the post.

Click now to DOWNLOAD THE SAMPLE RECORD FORMATS!

DOWNLOAD THE SAMPLE RECORD FORMATS

If you’re interested, click this link (http://www.tayosolagbade.com/uploads/Figures1to4.xls) to download the workbook. You can study the different formats and adapt them to your needs.

READ THE FULL GUEST POST (CLICK BELOW)

Five Essential Poultry Layer Farm Production Records

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz

A Key To Livestock Farming Success

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Many livestock farmers out here frequently start out with little knowledge of animal nutrition. And yet some successfully manage their businesses with profit for reasonable periods of time. Seasoned extension specialists and farm business support experts have variously made this observation over the years.

The above shows just how much potential exists to do even better, if such farmers were to improve their level of know-how.

In Tough Times, Farmers With Know-How Rule

And if there was ever a time for such farmers to step up their game, it’s now. Hard times are forcing businesses to re-invent themselves. With tough times persisting, farm business owners with better know-how, are the ones who stand a better chance of surviving – and even prospering.

Their sound knowledge equips them to develop more efficient farm management processes. And that includes formulating least cost rations – as against lowest priced rations.

A Least Cost Ration Should Not Be Confused With a Lowest-Priced Ration

They sound alike. But that’s where the similarity ends. The least cost ration is what any smart farmer, who wants his/her commercial farm animals to flourish, will strive to prepare for them. And s/he will understand that such a ration is unlikely to be the cheapest to make.

Not-so-smart (or penny wise…) farmers tend to fall into the trap of going for lowest priced rations. That mistake ultimately costs them via poor performance of their farm animals.

Every farmer who wishes to make the most of formulating rations for his/her animals needs to understand what a least cost ration is, and why that is what s/he should aim for.

A least cost ration is the lowest cost formula that contains all the nutritional ingredients needed for optimal performance of the animals to be fed with it. 

The lowest priced feed formula is usually NOT one that will produce optimal performance, since performance depends not only on price but also on efficiency of utilization.

Summary

It therefore goes without saying that to get the best performance from your farm animals in a commercial livestock farming situation, you must aim to produce least cost rations.

That will enable you supply an optimal mix of balanced nutrients to your livestock at the least possible cost – ensuring you can maximize your production output, without spending excessively on feeding.

Understanding this not-so-subtle difference explained above, can determine whether or not your livestock farm business fails or succeeds.