Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Writing/Blogging

A Massive Blind Spot That’s Making Some Facebook Biz Page Owners Miss Getting NEW Fans

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For anyone to SEARCH for and find your Facebook fan page, or indeed your personal profile on Facebook s/he MUST be logged into Facebook. This implies that s/he would ALREADY have a Facebook account. And that’s the BLIND SPOT – not everyone has a Facebook account – yet, especially in Nigeria. Compared to our adoption of Yahoo! and Hotmail email accounts, our use of Facebook is still relatively LOW.

Yet, most Nigerian businesses want to appeal to a large segment of society.

Is there not a danger that in the process of assuming that people can find you on Facebook by simply searching in it, you will routinely “lose” out on an opportunity to get MORE people to visit your Facebook business page?

The answer is a BIG, FAT YES.

And that’s why the lively hosts of Supersport’s 2010 South African World Cup magazine show “Harambee” routinely announce their Facebook page URL on air. Coming home, some Nigerian corporate organisations and businesses have also adopted a custom Facebook fan page username/URL to increase brand/name recognition, as well as make themselves easier to find on Facebook – especially for members of their target audience who are NOT yet converts.

The purpose of marketing is to boost awareness about you and/or your brand. You therefore need to make it easy for people who develop “interest”, to easily and quickly gain access to resources that will enable them learn MORE about you, without getting “lost” in their search for those details.

This is why it is advisable that you get yourself a “A Custom Facebook URL For Your Brand Name”. The foregoing phrase is the title of one of many articles freely available on the net that give you step-by-step guidance to create your own custom Facebook URL within a few minutes.

The steps to create your own custom username are as follows:

1. Login to your Facebook account

2. Type “http://facebook.com/username” into in your browser URL entry bar

3. You will be taken to a page with radio button options next to suggested usernames for your profile. I found it made sense to choose the one that used my first name separated from my surname with a dot.

4. Follow the instructions provided to SET the username you have chosen.

5. If you have a Facebook page attached to that profile, you will also want to set a custom username for it. Usually, a “Create a custom username for your Facebook page” link will appear below the prompt that confirms your custom profile username has been created.

6. If you do not see such a prompt, type the name of your Facebook page in the Facebook search bar and press ENTER. The icon for your page should appear before you finish typing the name – so click on it, to get taken to the page.

7. If the icon does not appear before you finish typing (be sure to check your spelling is correct), simply press ENTER and then click on the correct link/image in the Facebook search results that are returned.

8. You will be taken to a page with a drop down menu holding the names of any pages you have under your profile. Choose the name you want to set a username for, and follow the instructions provided to check availability and ultimately set it.

Summary: It’s about leveraging your name/brand effectively in all media you choose to use online. Don’t just let Facebook create an unwieldy, long and difficult-to-remember URL for your profile or business page. Make it easy for interested persons, potential customers, as well as existing clients, and even friends and relatives to find you on Facebook. Get yourself a custom Facebook URL today!

PS: This article was first published online on June 10, 2010

UPDATE: Since writing the above article in 2010, I have gone on to create custom URLs based on my domain name, leading to my Facebook (www.tayosolagbade.com/fbk) and Twitter (www.tayosolagbade.com/twit) pages.

And I do the same for EVERY client I develop a Web Marketing System for. This has proven to be even better for achieving the needed marketing impact of impressing one’s online presence in the minds of the target audience.

By making it possible to type a special URL based on your domain name, to reach your social media (and other channels), you effectively make it easier for people to REMEMBER how to get there.

…and that can translate to increased and sustained visits, with greater chances of sales leads etc!

 

 

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Writing/Blogging

Does Your Website JUSTIFY the Money You Spend?

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[NB: This article was first published online on June 25, 2009] I have decided to focus more attention on helping business owners develop and implement low cost web marketing systems and strategies that will increase their marketing mileage, while lowering their expenses.

But in doing this, I have noticed the following trend amongst many Nigerian business owners and decision makers. Please note that those I refer to here are people whose businesses lend themselves naturally to marketing via the web right here in Nigeria.

1. Denial:

Many are rather defensive when approached about using a website or adopting web marketing adapted for the Nigerian environment. They often say they don’t need either, or that “Nigerians’ don’t use the Internet” to the extent that makes it worth investing in marketing to them through that medium.

I say, even if that were true (which it is NOT), you would be better off being one of the first to use web marketing to promote your products/services to Nigerians, since that would make you stand out, and get you noticed. Isn’t marketing ultimately about “creating awareness” about what you offer, at least in the initial stages?

It’s a pity some Nigerians feel they must be able to physically “touch” what they invest in for business!

2. Lack of Understanding:

Some do not understand, and refuse to be bothered. They can afford to be like this, because their competitors are either the same or like those in 1. above.

But here’s the danger: One day, one or more of those not bothered today, will suddenly “discover” the power of marketing intelligently to Nigerians via the web, right here in Nigeria, and begin to use it – gaining a competitive edge, and possibly driving the rest under.

What I find most amusing is that many of these decision makers usually readily say they have websites, and that it is working for them.

But you never see their web addresses displayed anywhere on their company premises, or even signs. In many cases, they even place adverts on radio/TV and even newspapers without including the URL of the website they spend money to keep online annually!

Believe me, I do not exaggerate. I once found myself having to ask a client why he had left out his website address from a – far from being cheap – quarter page advert he had placed in a national daily!!

In essence, I am saying “Your Website Needs To JUSTIFY The Money You Spend” on it. Basically there are two ways to confirm if it does. You will check to see if it either (a). Saves you money/time or (b). Helps you make more sales or – even better – if it does both.

Now, to get your site to do the above, you need to adopt intelligent website marketing systems.

Below I provide two examples of businesses that would benefit greatly from active use of intelligent website marketing systems:

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Example 1: Bookshops in Nigeria

…are perfect candidates not just for website ownership, but more importantly for intelligent web marketing. If you own or run one and do not use web marketing to complement your offline marketing, here in Nigeria, YOU ARE LOSING GREAT potential customers, and SPENDING MORE THAT you need to.

Think about it for a minute: All those books, videos, tapes by great authors, with wonderful messages on various powerful subjects of interest.

If you were to do a publication that reviewed different book titles periodically to a list of opt-in subscribers, you would over time build interest in some of them, to call in and place orders.

Call me and I will tell you how you can go about it

Example 2: Estate/Properties Management

Any decision maker in a company engaged in sale and management of properties, especially where so many companies compete, NEEDS to look for NEW, and unique ways to separate hers from the crowd.

Think about it. These days, most of these companies use similar looking flyers, banners, bill boards, cars, and even (for those who bother) websites!

Yet EACH one wants busy potential customers (with little time to “explore” every “good” offer in making up their minds) to see it as offering better value than the others.

The truth is most customers simply go with their instincts – or a friend’s suggestion. However, if they had the opportunity to get MORE detail about what each company is about, what it offers etc, over a period of time, they could end up choosing a different company!

Such details could be obtained via subscription for instance, to a website newsletter; and/or a PDF report on “Choosing the Right Home or Property”; and/or an electronic course on “How To Value Property” etc.

Any company that offers the above, and actively uses intelligent web marketing to promote them to win new customers, greatly increases its chances of getting found by new customers who will ultimately take action to do business with it.

Summary

Your business can spend LESS than it currently does on marketing, if you adopt intelligent web marketing systems of the type I advocate.

There is a WAY to make this happen. It’s not just about writing something and sending it out. And it’s not about getting a super graphic web designer to put all the flash designs and animations in the world on your website!

You NEED the know-how to do it right, and make it work.

Like I tell a lot of people, Google, in my opinion is the ugliest (or “blandest”) site on the net. Yet, it makes billions of dollars through people who keep going back to it – and it’s not because they get to see fancy graphics on the site! Get it?

PS: This article was first published online on June 25, 2009.

 

Entrepreneurship, Farm Biz, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

No. 185: You Can Succeed Smarter by Earning Income Even Without Clients

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What if you could earn 80% of the income you need without needing to have clients? Wouldn’t that make your life as an expert so much more fulfilling?

Well I can tell you it’s a wonderful way to be in business – because that’s how I earn my income. In this article, I offer tips you can use to do what I’m doing, and make being your own boss a more pleasurable experience!

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Click now to view the latest issue of Tayo Solagbade's Public Speaking IDEAS page

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 16th March 2015

No:185

Title: You Can Succeed Smarter by Earning Income Even Without Clients

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets

Last Week: Read articles published on my blog here

Newsletter Archive (E-mail version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

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NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)

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IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS newsletter is published online on the “reincarnated” version of my Self-Development (SD) Nuggets blog. I continue to put finishing touches to the content. If you encounter ANY bad/dead links, and you can spare the time, email them to me via tayo at tksola dot com. Thanks in advance :-)

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 Plus

No. 185: You Can Succeed Smarter by Earning Income Even Without Clients

What if you could earn 80% of the income you need without needing to have clients? Wouldn’t that make your life as an expert so much more fulfilling?

Well I can tell you it’s a wonderful way to be in business – because that’s how I earn my income. In this article, I offer tips you can use to do what I’m doing, and make being your own boss a more pleasurable experience!

How is it possible to earn income as an expert, without having clients?

If you’re one who passed through our formal schooling systems, in which everyone gets told it’s important to think like others, then it’s possible you will ask the above question, and be even ready to tell me why it is NOT possible.

Thankfully, I’m not writing this article based on what I read in a novel or textbook or magazine.

I am writing it based on what I DO everyday, as a Location Independent Performance Improvement Specialist and Multipreneur, with over a decade of experience to boot.

The Performance Improvement Specialist portion on my above designation is what drives me to share what I know and do with others via this blog and on my website.

If I wanted to, I could simply focus on being the Multipreneur that I am, and my earnings would NOT suffer.

In other words, what I am saying here is that even though I end this piece with links to resources that feature products I sell, on the theme of this article, my purpose is NOT to use what I say here to get the reader to buy anything from me.

Instead, I do this, because I continue to encounter so many highly competent and knowledgeable experts, who keep short-changing themselves by failing to monetize it all!

They keep putting themselves at the mercy of clients who literally dictate the fees they pay such experts to do what they do.

When you are too “available”, you become unattractive to those you serve over time…

Some experts have to show up on client premises, or meet face to face with them, to deliver solutions.

In a way, one could call it a necessary evil or hazard of their professions/vocations.

But even when you don’t meet, providing a client your service for a while eventually breeds familiarity. Both parties (can) become so used to one another that raising fees (or keeping them profitable) can be a challenge.

That’s when the client puts pressure on you to give all sorts of concessions based on how long you’ve been their preferred providers.

The same thing happens in economics: Flood the foreign exchange market with too much of a particular currency, and its value DROPS…

Supply outstrips demand, leading to a drop in that currency’s value. Incidentally, that’s one of the reasons Nigeria’s naira currently exchanges for over N300 to 1 GB Pound – a record high!

Businesses that buy foreign currency for their operations (e.g imports) have really had it rough as a result. I don’t buy, but I have products priced in Naira, that people abroad pay for in dollars.

To protect myself, I de-emphasize selling my farm business support products (software, business plans, PDF and DVD based information products) in Naira, to offering paid access to my Inner Circle at a USD denominated fee, for FREE and discounted access to those products!

Ironically, such client requests for fee-based concessions can come around the time when the economy, in which you BOTH operate is experiencing a downturn of sorts.

So, just as the client is feeling the pain, so will YOU. Yet s/he will want YOU to do him/her such favours, and only few are likely to see things from YOUR perspective.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re likely to gently insist on doing what is best for your long term survival, by saying NO to unreasonable demands. You may also have to raise your fees to keep yourself able to deliver what you promise.

Some clients will throw tantrums, and may even call you names. It will be up to you to deicide how to respond. I ALWAYS walked away if they refused to see reason.

One day I got tired of the fee-based harassment from clients, and decided I wanted to choose the kinds of clients I worked with…who would be more considerate

That is, rather than let my need for income make me enter into doomed marriages of convenience, I investigated what others recommended, until I narrowed down to ideas that put the power in my hands to determine how I earned money.

The best of them all was/is Information Publishing/Consulting

It basically involves MONTEZING what you know – as well as what you can research and publish for use by a client.

By adopting this strategy, I removed the pressure of winning clients and getting them to pay good fees from my mind: the money I earned from sales of my information and software products helped in that regard.

NB: Burt Dubin is one expert who has used this strategy successfully, for decades, to generate a seemingly endless stream of passive income. And he teaches those he mentors to do same!

Today I am better enabled to carefully choose people or organizations I work with, and 99.95% of the time, I enjoy excellently rewarding relationships, lasting years, with them.

They are fewer, and they make reasonable demands, consistent with payment they offer.

That makes it possible for me to use my products, and some unique abilities I possess, to go the extra mile in serving them, using free time that this adopted approach affords me.

In the end, everybody is happy!

Most experts fail (or refuse) to see this opportunity…because they went through formal schooling!

If you belong to the “conventional school” movement, you’re probably screaming and jumping up and down, pulling your hair out right now, because of what I just said :-)

If that’s so, I’m sorry I’ve upset you.

But the truth is that with VERY few exceptions, the traditional schooling systems that most of us pass through subtly turn us into one-track minded people.

As a result, we form the unhealthy habit of insisting on doing things in a fixed way, especially one we’re familiar with. That’s not at all a progressive way to go through life!

NB: Pssst…the schools are doing it RIGHT NOW to your kids, so better pay attention,and take CORRECIVE action to protect your children’s Critical Thinking reflexes…like I AM doing!

Experts who add REAL value to those they serve often act the exact opposite way to  those the formal schooling systems produce..

Many times such experts, in order to succeed, may have had to UN-LEARN what they were taught back in school, in order to discover what really worked for them in the real world.

As a result, they become rule breakers, who are willing to creatively, intelligently, and UNSENTIMENTALLY try out new ways of doing things, to see if better rewards can accrue.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write. They will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alan Toffer

If YOU are still struggling to accept what I’ve said above, as a possible strategy to adopt, YOU really need to start unlearning what you were taught at school…for your business’ good!

Recommended Reading (Click the links below to learn more about how to monetize your knowledge or expertise without needing to have clients)

1. No. 164: Develop the Ability to Monetize Your Ideas (True Story)

2. New Auto run Multimedia DVD Information Product: Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep

Click to read more - Screenshot of autorun DVD menu for 'Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep.'

If you need help putting the ideas shared above to use, let me know HERE.

Click here to tell me which of Burt’s speaker mentoring products or services you are interested in.

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Learn about Burt Dubin’s speaker mentoring products (books, audios etc) below…

If you need help purchasing ANY of Burt’s products (like “Presentation Magic”), call me on +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic, my base) or +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria)  or email tayo@tksola.com

Have a great week :-))

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So, with diligent persistent application of what you learn you’ll start (as Burt says)…”bringing home high speaking fees”…whether you speak or not…in a matter of weeks….

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CLICK HERE to get full details of what it takes to make yourself a true speaking business champion in Burt’s Boot Camp V: Inside Speaking Business Success Secrets

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SD Nuggets Blog™

 New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Monday]:
No. 184: To Succeed Profitably, Know What You’re Worth…& Protect Your Integrity!

Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:
Five (5) Action Steps That Can Increase Your Chances of Business Startup Success
Farm Business [Wednesday]:
To Truly Succeed, Help Others UNCONDITIONALLY

Farm Business [Thursday]:
Never Judge A Website’s CONTENT QUALITY By Its Design!
Entrepreneurship [Friday]:
Don’t Let ANYONE Give Up On Your Behalf!
Parenting [Saturday]:
To Succeed, Understand That Suffering Can Be Good for You!
Want me to write for you? Click here to send me a message

www.tayosolagbade.com - Invite me to Speak...click here!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

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 organisations 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 organisations, 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 as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, and then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

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 Limited.

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 his Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS

newsletter(which he uses to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

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

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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 Plus

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters.

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Publications

On Being a Master (PDF)...A Gift from Burt Dubin - Click now!

Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master”

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Showmanship Strategems

177 Wow! Wow!

Showmanship Stratagems

Discover these secrets of making your programs more interesting and valuable to your clients and audiences now.

more information

Burt Dubin live

Burt’s Flagship Album

This is the product to own if you can own only one. Why? Because in it you discover principles of platform mastership available to you nowhere else at any price.

You hear performance strategies you can emulate. You shorten your learning curve. You see ways to engage and delight audiences with both content and stories . . . plus you experience a bit of fun.

With its Money back if not delighted Guarantee hardly any are returned.

Find out why

Presentation Magic - Speaking Business Success

Presentation Magic

A live example, including a complete audio recording of a program Burt created from scratch–on a topic he knew nothing about and never, ever presented before! See how you, guided by your personal Learning Guide, (Presentation Magic), can do this too and thrill audiences as often as you want.

Presentation Magic Manual with new pages added plus 3 audio CDs.

more information

ProgramManual

How To Create a Great Program Manual

Discover how you can produce a precious memento of you and your program. Capture over 44 model pages you can easily adapt for your use. Engage proven principles that add value to the experience of sitting at your feet and learning from you.

This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

more information

 

Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read

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NEW: Speaking Ideas: 25 Articles and True Stories for Experts Who Speak and Those Aspiring (Volume 1)

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Download above PDF

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NEW: Get 2 Real Life Poultry Layer Farm Start-up Business Plans (PLUS Customization)!

Screenshot of the 1,000 bird Poultry Layer Farm Business Plan I prepared and sent to a new client in Nigeria - click to read the article I wrote on it.

Download above PDF

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New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Farm Management (& Performance Measurement) for Profits – No. 1 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

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New Ebook (57 pages): Farm Business Start-up (Information, Education & Inspiration) – No. 2 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

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New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Livestock Farm Business Feed Formulation – No. 3 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

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New Ebook (58 pages): Best Practice Farm Business Marketing – No. 3 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

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NEW: KUKURU DANGER™: 5 True Stories About the Adventures – & Misadventures! – of a School Age Child Trying to Find Purpose in Life

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

Download above PDF

Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy - But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself) - Click to downloadDownload above PDF

NEW PDF - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Feed Formulation

Download above PDF

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NEW: EXCEL-VB DRIVEN POULTRY LAYER FARM MANAGER SOFTWARE

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.

Learn more here

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NEW: Your Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series Is Now Available

NEW: Your Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series Is Now Available

Click here to learn more

FREE TALK: How a Best Operating Process Management Sysem (BOPMS)™Will Earn Your Farm MORE Profits!

FREE TALK: How a Best Operating Process Management Sysem (BOPMS)™Will Earn Your Farm MORE Profits!

Download above PDF

FREE TALK: 3 Zero Cost Strategies to Attract Profitable Buyers for Your Farm Products!

FREE TALK: 3 Zero Cost Strategies to Attract Profitable Buyers for Your Farm Products!

Download above PDF

NEW: Coaching Program for Farm Products Marketing Success

Tayo Solagbade's Coaching Program for Farm Products Marketing Success (Verbatim Text Transcript of Introductory Video)

THEY WROTE…

“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

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“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

———————–
Click here to contact Tayo… 

 

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

To Succeed, Understand That Suffering Can Be Good for You!

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Viewing adversity in a positive light(be it in business or everyday life) can sometimes amount to asking too much of some of us. As soon as a problem/difficulty appears to go on for longer than we feel we can tolerate. Or if it happens once too often for us to rationalize, we begin looking for someone or something to blame. Then the “Devil”(poor guy) gets accused of trying to make us fail.

Or someone in the “village” is fingered for “using remote control” to make our fortunes go sour. It can get worse – sometimes friends/relatives tell the affected person s/he must have done something wrong and ask him to pray for God to stop demonic attacks etc. This article presents timeless wisdom (based on testimonies by entrepreneurs of repute), and a narrative of a personal experience, that completely invalidate these frequently perpetuated myths.

Some People (Wrongly) Believe “Suffering” Only Comes To Those Who Do “Wrong”

Certain people wrongly believe that difficulty should never come the way of a person who strives honestly to achieve success – especially if s/he proclaims faith in God. Yet the evidence all around us proves irrevocably that it is often those who have passed through difficulty successfully, that end up achieving the successes they desire.

To drive home the point I’m trying to make here, I will refer to the very illuminating insight offered by a veteran entrepreneur – James R. Cook – in his best selling book “The Start up Entrepreneur”. He said that based on elaborate studies he had done of the lives of hundreds of entrepreneurs, he had come to the conclusion that there is a correlation between the amount of suffering a person undergoes before succeeding, and the degree of success s/he eventually achieves.

Going further, he explained that persons who set big goals for themselves should look forward to enduring long drawn periods of worry and painful adversity, adding that as the amount of suffering endured increases, so is the success ultimately recorded likely to increase too.

What Is The Purpose Of Suffering?

Any aspiring entrepreneur with a sound understanding of the “purpose of adversity” at the back of his/her mind, will be able to face squarely the business of paying his/her dues, ultimately, earning the right to enviable heights of success aimed for.

Jim Rohn advises that we should learn to view life as requiring us to succeed in spite of adversity and not in its absence. This is because, if there is no adversity, there cannot be achievement! Sounds simple – yet it CAN be so difficult to remember when one is going through adversity(I KNOW this because I have been “there” many times!). Which is why reading – as a habit – is essential. Reading helps to maintain mental stamina through repeated contact with words that communicate truths like those Jim Rohn shares, to us, so we can stay strong in those times of true testing.

A Personal Experience

I think I should give a personal example here. Some years ago, I placed an advertisement in The Guardian newspaper for a seminar, only to have a ZERO turnout of attendees on the scheduled date! After discussing about it for a while with a friend, I was able to arrive at 4 major faults with my plans/preparations that could have led to the problem. But rather than leave it at that, I decided to document the experience for use in future seminars as an EXAMPLE of how things can go wrong.

So, while still at the venue, I got my video cameraman to do a 10 minute recording of me, speaking about what had happened and what we believed had led to it. We deliberately added humour to the video clip by showing all the EMPTY seats in the seminar hall, and finally focusing on the wall clock, which showed it was already 1.00pm(planned seminar start time was 11.00am!).
You see, I made up my mind to use the lessons learnt from that “failure” to make myself better in every way possible. The memory of that failure DROVE me to be extra prepared for every project I undertake. And this has helped me win more high profile clients in my work.

It’s a habit I developed years ago – and it made me quite successful when I was in paid employment. Read my article titled “How To Turn A Major Blunder At Work Into A Career Advancement Opportunity ” to learn more.

Summary

So, let me challenge you. From today, stop asking why your plans are not going as well as another person’s. Begin to understand and appreciate the fact that you will have to find YOUR own unique path to achieve YOUR own success, which will require you to periodically deal with the challenge of unpleasant situations, in form of diverse visitations of adversity.

Know today that suffering – or adversity – is not bad – except you see it as bad. The perspective you adopt is what determines whether a particular experience is bad or good for you. If you choose to actively search for, and utilise the (ever present – but often hidden – potential equivalent) benefits of every experience of suffering you undergo, you will be better off for it over time.

PS: This article is based on a piece that was first published online on Submitted On March 22, 2011

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development

Don’t Let ANYONE Give Up On Your Behalf!

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Ever tried to pursue a goal that others were skeptical about/voiced their doubts to your hearing? If YES, do you recall how painful it was to hear them express a lack of faith in your ability to do something YOU BELIEVED was within your capacity to do?

When you had a setback(s), delay(s) or disappointment(s), what kinds of looks did you get from those who felt they had “warned” you not to embark on your “journey”? What comments did they make to your hearing? (You’ll probably never know what they said behind your back!).

Were you able to overcome THE “temporary defeat” (that’s what it is, you know – “temporary”), to eventually achieve the goal?

I certainly hope so, because if you did not, that means you chose to STOP because some tactless, “know-it-all”, arm chair theorist “dream killer” decided to give up on your behalf, and YOU LET HIM/HER!

1. It’s All About Perception

When human beings decide to embark on some meaningful endeavour, they usually try to share the “dream” with those they care about, and whose opinions they value.

The problem sometimes however is that people we care about measure us based on the “inside” knowledge they have of our foibles. In ironic contrast, total strangers who observe us(without bias) in passionate pursuit of our goals tend to become our greatest fans, and most fervent advocates.

Why? Because their perception of us is NOT coloured by what they KNOW (or think they KNOW) about us!

NB: In my experience however, if someone who has “inside” knowledge about us chooses to be mischievous, s/he can use it to “discourage” the “strangers” who admire/cheer us (and THIS does happen), so that the latter also begin to think/act like the former.

Everybody has shortcomings, inadequacies, or weaknesses. What sets one person apart from another will be his/her ability to ACHIEVE in spite of whatever limitations s/he has. Now, to achieve in spite of your “missings”, you will need to BELIEVE in yourself. Those who know you, unfortunately (for THEM) may not be willing to do the same.

By the time you start out in pursuit of your challenging goal some will cheer – initially – while others may fold their hands to “wait and see”.

When the inevitable delays, disappointments and setbacks begin to come, you may start discovering that NOT all those who are with you are really WITH YOU!

Having said that, the truth is you do not need others to believe in you FIRST before you can succeed. What you must however avoid is a situation where those who do NOT believe have the FINAL say about whether you should keep going or give up when things get tough.

You must NEVER put that kind of power in the hands of others – especially NOT people who do not believe like you do, in your dream/vision.

2. Deciding If YOUR Dream Is Still Worth Pursuing:

To keep going, you will come up with a new plan based on learnings from each one that fails, and summon courage to mention it to those who are still around, and who are magnanimous enough to pay you ANY serious attention. With some you may have to grit your teeth to ENDURE their heavenward “rolling of eyeballs” and sighs/looks of boredom. Oh yes, I’ve been there before – believe me! :-)

If you’ve been at it a while, you will probably have gotten used also to walking into a room and having those seated at a table suddenly stop talking. In this regard, a perpetual nagging feeling that you were being “discussed” may not be altogether unfamiliar!

The point being made is that you could end up completely ON YOU OWN at some point, with no one else believing in you, or your cherished dream – except YOU! THAT would be the ultimate test of YOUR own self-belief.

If you are the kind of person who judges whether something is worth doing based on the number of OTHER persons interested in doing (or willing to do) it, then you are UNLIKELY to stick with it till you achieve your purpose.

This is because THEIR loss of interest would be likely to cause you to lose your motivation to DO IT, even though you could actually succeed.

Self-Belief is what makes it possible for a small David to defeat a BIG Goliath in real-life.

VERY often it’s not size that matters, but ABILITY.

Funny thing is that regardless of our size, as influenced by our genetic make-up, we can ALWAYS hone our SKILLS so that our ability to ACHIEVE is improved. And frequently, when we back our IMPROVED ability with determination and SELF-BELIEF, it becomes extremely difficult for us to LOSE.

3. Quick Example – Law Degree At Age 60 Years(True Story)

I once read an article by Valerie Young in which she mentioned how a 60 year old Beverly Goodman whose marriage just ended, (ignoring discouraging comments from others that no one would hire a lawyer her age) attended law school while holding a full time job.

She subsequently passed the bar exams, and went on to land a job with a law firm at an age(61) many assume retirement is inevitable!

Goodman reportedly said “I thought this age stuff was baloney”. She believed – in spite of THEIR unbelief – that she could do it!

4. Don’t Engage “Fickle Minded”/”Failure-Phobic” Supporters!

Napoleon Hill advised that when you choose members of your mastermind team (persons you “recruit” to support you in pursuit of your valued goal), MAKE SURE you DO NOT choose persons who take defeat seriously.

Let me repeat that: Do not bring on board or share details of your plans’ progress with people who have a NEGATIVE view of “failure or adversity”.

Don’t engage “cry babies” i.e. the perpetual worriers and fickle-minded persons who see every little problem as a catastrophe, and who readily conclude that ALL is lost without being willing to join in to find solutions.

Fickle minded people are driven – even RULED – by their FEARS.

This makes them VERY risk averse, and consequently they never venture beyond what they already know, to try anything new in their own lives. The result is that they live lives of mediocrity till they pass on.

If you have such people in your team, they WILL be the first to throw their hands up the minute any little problem crops up.

By the time the BIG problems come, they will be screaming for everyone to “abandon ship”.

If you have many of them on board, they’ll all jump off leaving you behind. If they happen to be the ones you depend on for financial support, and/or access to other resources, you will find it difficult getting ANYTHING out of them at critical periods.

That, and NOT the fact that your situation is hopeless is what could ultimately cause your plans to fail PERMANENTLY. At that point, THEY would have successfully given up on YOUR behalf!

Your dreams are too IMPORTANT to the world, for you to let that happen.

So PLEASE avoid enlisting the support of these kinds of people – who can sometimes come in the shape of your closest relatives and friends. In case you discover one or more such persons in your team, plan to “offload” them As Gently As Possible (AGAP) and ASAP!

Trust me – you’ll be glad you did.

PS: This article is based on excepts from an original piece published online in December 2007

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Never Judge A Website’s CONTENT QUALITY By Its Design!

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Maybe in the earlier days, it was okay to do that i.e. judge a website by its design.

But today, with the massive proliferation of websites and the need for discerning visitors to save time, effort and money in finding what they want, MORE people are realising this TRUTH: The design of a website does not necessarily guarantee it will have GOOD, USEFUL or RELIABLE content quality.

Not all that glitters is gold, is a saying that most are familiar with.

Appearances can be quite deceptive as we all know. And it is a known fact that it is unadvisable to judge a book by its cover – or indeed a car by its looks – you cannot be sure what’s under the hood!

Some of the most useful websites I’ve visited actually struck a decent balance between the design and content quality – with some leaning more towards the latter.

To find what you want and get the best, avoid placing too much emphasis on web design.

That does not – of course – mean you should go looking for ugly sites, but it’s just to alert you to the fact – for instance – that the best “experts” in a specific field you are considering, may not come to you packaged, on their websites, as attractively as less competent ones!

If you fail to take a closer look – “under the hood” – for content quality, you could just end up shortchanging yourself.

To underscore the point I’ve made in this write-up, consider this:

Most fraudulent websites typically use exceptionally impressive or aesthetically appealing web designs to win the confidence of their target audience, who ultimately get scammed!

Final Words: No, I am NOT saying it is bad to build – or subscribe to – websites that are prettily or attractively designed.

What I am saying is that you need to avoid concluding that a website with a design that does not “impress” YOU (or meet your design TASTES), will NOT offer value for money by way of products or services it offers.

Do yourself a favour and take a few extra steps to CHECK and confirm what it offers in terms of QUALITY – and THEN contact the owner/company.

You could start by exploring the site extensively for articles, newsletters and other information that could provide insight you need. Using what you find, send in questions via email or the website contact form (if any), watch the kinds of responses you get etc.

Sooner than later, you’ll be able to take an intelligent decision about what to do. And by that time, chances of your making a regrettable or costly mistake will have been considerably reduced.

NB: This article was first published online in January 2011.

 

 

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Self-Development

To Truly Succeed, Help Others UNCONDITIONALLY

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[Tip: The quote below, credited to the Dalai Lama inspired me to write this article] No matter the individual wealth we accumulate or personal achievements we record, as long as we fail to help others struggling/suffering around us find their own places in life (NOT necessarily by giving them money), we WILL ALL be failures – ultimately.

“Each one of us is responsible for the whole of human kind. We need to think of each other really as brothers and sisters and to be concerned for each other’s welfare. Rather than working solely to acquire wealth, we need to do something meaningful, something directed seriously towards the welfare of humanity as a whole.” – Dalai Lama

Why so many people fail to understand this truth beats me…especially when many claim to be SPIRITUAL?

How can you be spiritual, when you lack the ability to feel EMPATHY.

When you lack EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

Too many people love to feel big and accomplished when they see others looking up to them in envy and begging for help. What they fail to realise is that what they have which they allow their egos to get bloated over, has been given to then in TRUST.

The right thing to do, is to SHARE it with others, so as to complete the circle.

We must understand that we are not here to compete, but to create, and improve the lives of one another.

Do you know that if we – in Africa especially – were to start living our lives guided by the words of the Dalai Lama, we would TOTALLY eradicate backwardness, poverty, suffering and wars from our continent?

Check yourself – look around your neighbourhood, and social groups.

What do you see? Is there something you can TEACH someone, to equip him/her to become self-dependent and more fulfilled TODAY?

As always, I walk my talk. I do not ask people to do what I cannot or will not do.

I’m already doing my bit. And you know what I’ve discovered?

You really won’t need a grant from the Ford Foundation or World Bank, to make a lasting poitive impact in the lives of people who need your help!

Just share what you know – teach others how to succeed the way you have.

Give of yourself – unconditionally.

Open doors of opportunities.

Create a level playing field for aspirants to a position.

If you are in a position of influence or authority, give everyone a fair and impartial opportunity to get what they want, based on merit and competence.

And one more thing: Don’t tell people you wish to help that they must first give up their religious beliefs

For instance, asking a Muslim to become born again, as a pre-condition for helping him/her.

Doing this would defeat your purpose.

Let your deeds speak volumes for your religious convictions.

Those who are touched will on their own get converted.

Otherwise, you’ll end up with “phony” converts who only join you because they want what you are offering – and NOT because they truly believe.

Sooner than later, they will cause you major embarrassment!

Once again, let me ask you to read the wise words of the Dalai Lama:

=Starts=

“Each one of us is responsible for the whole of humankind. We need to think of each other really as brothers and sisters and to be concerned for each other’s welfare. Rather than working solely to acquire wealth, we need to do something meaningful, something directed seriously towards the welfare of humanity as a whole.” – Dalai Lama

=Ends=

Entrepreneurship, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

Five (5) Action Steps That Can Increase Your Chances of Business Startup Success

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In February 2001, about 4 months after I got promoted out of my shift-based Brewer position, to become the Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery Technical Training & Development Manager, I came to the conclusion that I needed to fast-track my plans to quit paid employment and start my own business.

I had been plotting my exit from the company since 2 years before, in collaboration with a close friend and confidant of mine who – unlike me – worked in the Finance department. He knew of my many frustrations with not being able to pursue my passions – and especially my desire to be free to explore new ideas I had.

Continue reading…

Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, My Ideas for Making Nigeria Better, Public Speaking

No. 184: To Succeed Profitably, Know What You’re Worth…& Protect Your Integrity!

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If a client company’s decision maker demands gratification, as a condition for awarding YOU business, what would YOU do? In this article, I destroy the myth some – misguided – “experts” perpetuate, that, to succeed, one must give in improper demands from crooked client company representatives!

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Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 9th March 2015

No:184

Title: To Succeed Profitably, Know What You’re Worth…& Protect Your Integrity!

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets

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IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS newsletter is published online on the “reincarnated” version of my Self-Development (SD) Nuggets blog. I continue to put finishing touches to the content. If you encounter ANY bad/dead links, and you can spare the time, email them to me via tayo at tksola dot com. Thanks in advance :-)

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No. 184: To Succeed Profitably, Know What You’re Worth…& Protect Your Integrity!

If a client company’s decision maker demands gratification, as a condition for awarding YOU business, what would YOU do? In this article, I destroy the myth some – misguided – “experts” perpetuate, that, to succeed, one must give in improper demands from crooked client company representatives!

Giving in to such demands, no matter how well off you end up, WILL spell doom for you, in terms of your ability to actualize your God given potential!

I’m from a society where “wise” business owners believe you have no choice but to agree to do anything asked of you by even crooked decision makers…or fail.

I disagree, and have done so for over a decade…YET I succeed today in spite of my position!

This is a pet peeve of mine, but I’ve avoided writing about it for a while. However, I recently had a conversation with an old acquaintance, and was shocked, to hear him say I needed to accept this practice, so I could grow the speaking arm of my business.

So, I decided it was time to do yet another piece, for the benefit of others unsure of what to do.

Here are some excerpts (NB: He had indicated interest in having me develop a Web Marketing System for his business)

===Starts===

Me: You see a Web Marketing System will help you sell MORE than the products you have in your business. It can also be setup to help you generate extra passive via sales of your “knowledge”. Remember I told you I returned from Cotonou last Thursday (5th March 2015), to deliver a talk to a group of CEOs and Network Marketing Professional?

Old Acquaintance: Yes? So, what about it?

Me: Well, I’ve since used the 2 hour MP3 audio recording of my talk from that day, to create a new DVD Information Product that I offer for sale. Just like other Excel-VB software products, it’s basically digital, and was produced via monetization of my expert knowledge on a specific subject. I use my WMS to promote this growing range of products to my target audience, even as I continue earning income delivering my core solutions to my clients.  The best part is that now, I focus on selling access to my Inner Circle membership, where members get my products at hefty discounts, to make more sales faster. So you see…

Old Acquaintance (cuts in): You know, I think you’re missing something. From what you tell me, the response you’re getting is so good. Why don’t you consider doing more talks/training events on a regular basis – especially in organizations?

Me: No, don’t let’s go there. Years ago, I decided I would no longer try to win speaking/training gigs with companies and organizations in Nigeria. With few exceptions, they often have crooked persons in charge of decision making where hiring of external consultants/trainers is concerned. And those crooked people habitually make all sort of silly demands for gratification that I refuse to give in to.

Old Acquaintance: Look Tayo, you always have the wrong attitude towards people out here. Nigerians are very easy to handle once you know how to deal with them!

Me: Really? Am I missing something here? Are you telling me the impressions I formed from a decade of mostly wasted time trying to sell my learning events to various organizations are not accurate? Or you want me to believe things have changed, and that the rot has been eliminated?

Old Acquaintance: Hold on, let me tell you how it works. First of all, when you go to these people you must not think of yourself alone. You have to understand that you need to offer the guy something of value in return for what you want to get – which is payment.

Me: What do you mean, something value? Of course they will get something of value. Is that not what I offer my speaking/training service for: to impact value on the attendees (i.e. the members of that organization), that will leave them better off than before I came in???

Old Acquaintance: No, no no! It goes beyond that. In fact, that’s not what matters. The decision maker is the one I’m talking about here. He is going to want something tangible for himself. For instance, if you say your fee for each prospective attendee is N15, 000.00 (Fifteen Thousand Naira), and there will be 20 attendees, you can tell him you want your total payment of N300, 000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) untouched. However, to appease him, and get him to cooperate and allow you to win the project, you can tell him he’s free to “add on top” of your total fee, any amount he chooses (e.g. 50,000.00), to arrive at a Grand Total (N350, 000.00), which you will then put on the invoice you submit to the company. On receiving payment you will then simply pay him the portion belonging to him!

[As he finished saying the above, he looked at me like he’d just given me some kind of unprecedented secret formula for success. It was all I could do to keep from screaming. I was irritated to my bones!!]

Me (Shaking my head in disbelief): Do you realize that you have not told me anything I did not know? Look, I discovered all that you told me years ago. I always knew it was the norm in some circles. Remember I also worked back in Guinness as Technical Training and Development Manager, and had to relate with LOTS of external trainers and facilitators. I will NEVER accept to do business that way. And the reason is simple: What I offer as a speaker/trainer/coach is VALUABLE enough command the kind of payment I require for my services. Any decision makers who seek personal benefits to choose me to add value to his/her organization’s members does NOT know what his/her proper role should be.

===Ends===

Back when I was in paid employment, NEVER ONCE did I demand gratification of ANY sort from those I paid on behalf of the company, to train our personel

No single consultant can claim to have had such an encounter with me.

Since becoming an entrepreneur, and finding that most people in such positions do it, I resolved I would do business in a way that would NOT require going to speak/train at such companies or organizations.

That is why today, I use Public Speaking mainly as a business marketing strategy. So, you see, getting paid to speak only comes to me as a bonus!

Yesterday (Tuesday 3rd March 2015) p.m, I arrived Cotonou-Benin Republic for a meeting with the CEO (Barr. Arnold NANA) of Global Konsult Group, a multidisciplinary client company.

In any company with smart management, it won’t be long before they SEE that such a crooked decision maker is NOT hiring the best experts to develop their valuable human resources.

When that happens, s/he will NOT last long in that position.

NB: Any company where people who engage in this bad practice REMAIN for long is unlikely to be a place where the best management talents flourish.

If you are an expert-who-speaks it’s best to avoid getting hired by such crooked decision makers.

This is because they will rarely be interested in what you can do to help the company.

Instead, they will only focus on what they can get you to do for them.

The problem is that what they will want you to do for them will rarely be a smart priority for YOU as an expert. It will most likely make you look bad in the long run.

Even more importantly, you will no longer need to put in your best effort to get chosen.

That may feel nice in the short run, but it’s like a boxer who wins matches by paying off judges etc. S/he will over time feel little need to put in the needed hard work at training and in competition.

Then one day, an opponent with immensely superior skills will appear, and even the biased judging will fail to help.

Aside from the above, giving in to demands for gratification in exchange for award of client projects will also leave you compromised, in a way that could even open you up to blackmail or worse.

None of these is worth the trouble.

What’s more, in most parts of the world, these practices rarely pay off in the long run.

Indeed, if you aim to excel by succeeding at an international/world class level at what you do (like I do)…to fearlessly rub shoulders with the best of the best, ANYWHERE and at ANYTIME, then you really do NOT want to engage in this crooked way of getting hired.

Here’s what I recommend: Call the bluff of ANY decision maker who makes such a demand of you!

Don’t cause a fight or make a scene.

Simply tell him/her that you cannot work on such terms. Then walk away.

But don’t go and sit down feeling sorry for yourself.

Resolve (like I did, a long time ago as a start-up) to use the magic power of Web Marketing, mixed with creative, persistence in offline marketing, to create a compelling brand presence for yourself.

That will over time make serious minded decision makers drop their biases and accept YOU on YOUR terms, to deliver the solutions you offer.

That’s what I did. It is what I continue to do. The results I get confirm that this strategy works.

It was why, in May 2012, I was selected to be the Guest Speaker at the Annual Entrepreneurship Lecture, hosted by Yaba College of Technology’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development.

If you adopt the approach I recommend, YOU WILL get chosen, without needing to compromise

…and even if you don’t, my approach ensures your marketing works so that you get more sales leads and even earn passive income via monetization of your knowledge and know-how.

You simply cannot lose!

Click to read more - Screenshot of autorun DVD menu for 'Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep.'

If you need help putting the ideas shared above to use, let me know HERE.

Click here to tell me which of Burt’s speaker mentoring products or services you are interested in.

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If you need help purchasing ANY of Burt’s products (like “Presentation Magic”), call me on +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic, my base) or +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria)  or email tayo@tksola.com

Have a great week :-))

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SD Nuggets Blog™

 New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking[Monday]:
No. 183: To Succeed, You Need to Make Yourself More Appealing

Entrepreneurship[Tuesday]:
To Succeed Profitably Agriculturists Need to Be Agro-Entrepreneurs
Farm Business [Wednesday]:
FREE ONE HOUR TALK: Attract Profitable Buyers at Zero Cost…Even While YOU Sleep [Thur 5th Mar 2015 | 4p.m | Sherryville Arcade, Ojodu Berger Bus stop | Lagos-Nigeria]

Farm Business [Thursday]:
Understanding Feed Ingredients Used For Poultry Feed Formulation
Entrepreneurship [Friday]:
New Autorun Multimedia DVD Information Product: Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep
Parenting [Saturday]:
Lincoln Self-Studied Public Speaking, and So Can You! (3 Tips)
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Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

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 organisations 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 organisations, 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 as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, and then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

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 Limited.

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 his Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS

newsletter(which he uses to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

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 Plus

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters.

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Publications

On Being a Master (PDF)...A Gift from Burt Dubin - Click now!

Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master”

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Showmanship Strategems

177 Wow! Wow!

Showmanship Stratagems

Discover these secrets of making your programs more interesting and valuable to your clients and audiences now.

more information

Burt Dubin live

Burt’s Flagship Album

This is the product to own if you can own only one. Why? Because in it you discover principles of platform mastership available to you nowhere else at any price.

You hear performance strategies you can emulate. You shorten your learning curve. You see ways to engage and delight audiences with both content and stories . . . plus you experience a bit of fun.

With its Money back if not delighted Guarantee hardly any are returned.

Find out why

Presentation Magic - Speaking Business Success

Presentation Magic

A live example, including a complete audio recording of a program Burt created from scratch–on a topic he knew nothing about and never, ever presented before! See how you, guided by your personal Learning Guide, (Presentation Magic), can do this too and thrill audiences as often as you want.

Presentation Magic Manual with new pages added plus 3 audio CDs.

more information

ProgramManual

How To Create a Great Program Manual

Discover how you can produce a precious memento of you and your program. Capture over 44 model pages you can easily adapt for your use. Engage proven principles that add value to the experience of sitting at your feet and learning from you.

This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

more information

 

Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read

*******

NEW: Speaking Ideas: 25 Articles and True Stories for Experts Who Speak and Those Aspiring (Volume 1)

psip-LULU-BACK-coverOK

Download above PDF

******

NEW: Get 2 Real Life Poultry Layer Farm Start-up Business Plans (PLUS Customization)!

Screenshot of the 1,000 bird Poultry Layer Farm Business Plan I prepared and sent to a new client in Nigeria - click to read the article I wrote on it.

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Farm Management (& Performance Measurement) for Profits – No. 1 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (57 pages): Farm Business Start-up (Information, Education & Inspiration) – No. 2 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (55 pages): Best Practice Livestock Farm Business Feed Formulation – No. 3 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

*******

New Ebook (58 pages): Best Practice Farm Business Marketing – No. 3 of 4

Screenshot of ebook in online store

Download above PDF

*******

NEW: KUKURU DANGER™: 5 True Stories About the Adventures – & Misadventures! – of a School Age Child Trying to Find Purpose in Life

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

Download above PDF

Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy - But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself) - Click to downloadDownload above PDF

NEW PDF - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Feed Formulation

Download above PDF

*******

NEW: EXCEL-VB DRIVEN POULTRY LAYER FARM MANAGER SOFTWARE

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.

Learn more here

*******

NEW: Your Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series Is Now Available

NEW: Your Practical Feed Formulation (& Compounding) Home Study Video Series Is Now Available

Click here to learn more

FREE TALK: How a Best Operating Process Management Sysem (BOPMS)™Will Earn Your Farm MORE Profits!

FREE TALK: How a Best Operating Process Management Sysem (BOPMS)™Will Earn Your Farm MORE Profits!

Download above PDF

FREE TALK: 3 Zero Cost Strategies to Attract Profitable Buyers for Your Farm Products!

FREE TALK: 3 Zero Cost Strategies to Attract Profitable Buyers for Your Farm Products!

Download above PDF

NEW: Coaching Program for Farm Products Marketing Success

Tayo Solagbade's Coaching Program for Farm Products Marketing Success (Verbatim Text Transcript of Introductory Video)

THEY WROTE…

“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

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“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

———————–
Click here to contact Tayo… 

 

Career Development, Entrepreneurship, General, My DN Travel News, Public Speaking, Self-Development, Writing/Blogging

Lincoln Self-Studied Public Speaking, and So Can You! (3 Tips)

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Preamble: Don’t Waste Time Waiting To Find a Speaking School!

Many people I have spoken with out here about learning public speaking have demonstrated this bias. Whenever I explained to them that there are many self-study learning resources they can adopt to learn public speaking, they expressed reservations about adopting a similar method.

I am not saying it is wrong to attend public speaking classes or school, if you can find – and afford – them. However, my studies have revealed to me that some of the best speakers the world has known actually learnt via self-study.

Here’s how they achieved that feat:

1. They Read Books:

They read extensively about master speakers still alive and those who had passed on. They studied their biographies to identify what made those speakers successful.

Then they used what they learnt as a guide in developing their own unique skills and styles as public speakers. You do NOT need to be in a formal learning environment or class, to read books and learn from them. It is usually done better when you are alone!

2. They Thought Deeply:

To succeed as a speaker, you must have a message you want to pass to anyone who will listen. To do really well, you have to be VERY passionate about your subject – feel deeply and strongly about it.

It is this passion for the subject that will make you think deeply about it, so that you generate powerful messages destined to impact your audience and make them appreciate you. Thinking deeply about issues does NOT require being in a formal learning environment. AGAIN, it is usually done better when you are alone!

3. They Practiced:

And they did not wait until they had an audience to do it. Abraham Lincoln reportedly practiced as he walked to and from his home, office etc. He gathered people around him to listen to his talks. When possible, he took part in debates.

He sat alone in his room and read aloud speeches crafted in line with what he had read, and thought up, revising it till it sounded right. Sometimes he silently imagined himself delivering his talk – visualising the event the way he wanted it to take place.

Today, with availability of audio and video recorders built into various devices such as phones and computers, you have more options for practicing in the absence of an audience!

Dale Carnegie recommends recording your planned talk or speech and playing it back to hear yourself. It provides excellent avenue to improve your delivery. Practicing does NOT necessarily require being in a formal learning environment. You can use the above strategies, and also gather family members or close friends together to critique your talk.

Here’s more advice:

In an article I read, Les Brown recommended that one Speak for FREE until you are sure you’ve got the hang of it. Burt Dubin agrees, having passed the same route to success himself. In the introduction video on his website, he says “If I, a high school drop out can do it, then so can YOU! ” I would add that IF Abraham Lincoln, with all the odds stacked against him could have done it, via self-study (and in spite of myriad failures), then so CAN YOU!

I followed Burt’s advice from his many articles and newsletters, back in 2002, and before the end of that same year, I successfully negotiated and got paid for my first speaking outing here in Lagos.

Summary

Not every one will have access to formal institutions providing public speaking training or coaching. If that applies to you, know that you will NOT be the first person with that seeming limitation. Abraham Lincoln’s example is especially compelling. He walked miles to borrow books and read under candle light late into the night, and as dawn broke, woke up to continue.

He had only a few months of schooling, and so lacked access to formal learning institutions to pursue his passion for speaking. But this did not deter him. He adopted self-study methods, and practiced endlessly. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest speakers the world has known. So, sometimes it could actually be a blessing in disguise that you have to self-study.

Indeed, access to public speaking training school does NOT guarantee you will become a successful speaker!

That outcome depends mainly on your INTEREST, DESIRE, and PASSION – demonstrated in the energy you will pour into doing all the studying, thinking and practicing that will make you develop into a good speaker. You alone ultimately determine how good you will become – and NOT necessarily your attendance of a public speaking school.

FINAL WORDS: A PERSONAL Mentor CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOU:

I honestly believe that if available, the quality of INSTRUCTION your receive in the art of public speaking can make a difference in how you turn out as a speaker. A competent mentor will know how to help you discover and develop your FULL potential. S/he will guide you, drawing from his/her past personal speaking experiences and also from studying other speakers.

But you know what? S/he, i.e. your mentor, does NOT need to meet with you physically, to play this important role. Indeed, today’s technology makes it much easier to receive instruction on almost any subject, regardless of distance or geographical location – public speaking being a good example.

In case you’re looking to get started with a mentor, one that I strongly recommend (and who I represent as Sole Agent) is Burt Dubin – who mentors experts who want to be speakers, and speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his Speaker Mentoring Products and Services website.