Ancient Teaching of Hope for a 21st Century Entrepreneur

This piece is inspired by an ancient Chinese story. Flow with me and get inspired on how to stay positive in every situation.

ü        Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had an old horse he used to till his fields.

 

ü        One day the horse broke loose from his stall and ran into the hills.

 

ü        His neighbours clucked their tongues sympathetically at the farmer’s bad luck.

 

ü        But the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

ü        A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills.

ü       This time his neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck.

ü       But the farmer replied, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

ü       Later, the farmer’s son broke his leg while attempting to tame one of the wild horses.

ü       The entire village thought this was bad luck.

ü      But the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

ü     Soon after, the army marched through the village, conscripting every able-bodied young man into its rank.

ü    Upon seeing the broken leg of the farmer’s son, they let him off.

ü     The village was amazed at this turn of events.  

ü    But again, the farmer shrugged and said, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

 

          The lesson of this story is simple. Nothing is absolutely good. And nothing is absolutely bad. Just as you expect good times and favourable fortunes in your business or career endeavours, remember that there may be challenges. And in the face of whatever challenge that may arise, you should endeavour to stay positive. You just have to believe in the saying, which states that “every disappointment is a blessing.” See every disappointment as an opportunity. Turn every disappointment into an opportunity; then leverage on the opportunity to succeed. If you’re on the habit of sulking yourself down every time something doesn’t go your way, then the corporate world is not a place for you. In fact, you won’t last long alive. So always put up a progressive and never-say-die mindset and take on everything which hitherto seemeth challenging, and I assure you that success is assured in the end.

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How to Create Wealth from the Scratch

After my last post on How to Join the Billionaires Club, I received quite a number of commendations from friends, some of whom along the line expressed some reservations. One of them, Jeff Maduka, from Nigeria, remarkably pointed out that, although the article was an awesome piece, he feels that to reach the lofty status of a billionaire, “one’s background and society is of the essence.” He was also quick to point out that some of the names I cited as case studies had some form of “basic education” as well as came from “upper class” families, which was some sort of leverage for them financially. So he questioned the possibility of poor citizens making it to the billionaires list in the absence of basic education and some sort of financial wherewithal, especially in Africa, with Nigeria as case study.

          Well, the truth is that, even the poorest of the poor can make it to the top with a great deal of effort and determination. As for basic education, that has been covered by the ongoing implementation of the Universal Basic Education. So poor citizens can leverage on this and go all the way to High School (Secondary School). And at the conclusion of High School, those with excellent grades can as well make it to University through scholarship. There are quite a good number of scholarship schemes from multinational companies doing business in Nigeria. That settles the aspect of basic education.

          With dedication and clear focus, a serious minded ambitious person has no excuse not to make it. To succeed, he/she must do some self check and provide answers to these questions:

1.      What do I really want in life?

                                                                                     

2.      What do I have passion for? 

3.      What can I do effortlessly?

 

4.      Do I have the requisite competence to succeed in my field of passion?

5.      If what I have passion for requires hands-on training, how do I get trained free of charge since I’m poor?

6.      If what I have passion for does not have value-adding potential, how do I turn it into one?

7.      Is there a viable market for my idea?

 

8.      What is the market value of my idea? 

          These questions are the basic ones. You must have a defined vision of what you want in life. You must be passionate about what you want to venture into; do not go into any venture simply because you were told that the venture is a goldmine. If it is not what you can do effortlessly, look for something else. If you do not have the requisite competence, get trained. If you do not have money for the requisite training, look for an outfit that are into your line of vision and volunteer to work for them free of charge. From there, you can develop yourself and learn along the line. If what you’re passionate about does not have value-adding potential, think of how to turn it into one. Do your analysis and make sure the venture you want to go into has a viable market. Of course, you should know the market value of what you want to embark on.

 

          With these few points, I wish you success as you make your way to the top.

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How to Join the Billionaires Club

Virtually every person out there wants to be classified amongst the rich; everybody wants that comfort and security that come with financial freedom. Nobody wants to remain broke; little wonder people toil endlessly in a bid to be engaged in one form of job, services, or another. But the most heartbreaking end of a good number of career-minded persons is their inability to retire with fortune. Most people, after a very long and tortuous career journey, end up retiring sad, depressed and dejected. The disappointment of unfulfilled dreams and aspirations becomes so overwhelming leading to suicide in some cases. Some, who could not summon the courage to end their lives, take to alcohol and drugs often times. What would have been a very happy retirement usually turns to a nightmare. However, permit me to say that this is as a result of people’s inability to dare the consequences and come out of their ‘perceived’ comfort zones with a view to being independent in a seemingly risk-filled world of business. They forget that those who fear to dare dare to fail.

          Over the years, history has shown that those with unique ideas rule the world. Joining the billionaires club is as easy as saying “Jack.” However, it does come with some effort and responsibility. Often time people spend the better part of their youthful lives working themselves up over the frustrations of life, instead of engaging in creative and innovative thinking with a view to birthing a solution-based and value-adding brands or products that will ultimately catapult them from the abyss of financial quagmire to the paradise of financial freedom. The fact is that, it will be more difficult for a paid employee to retire a billionaire than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. In short, it is impossible.

          To find yourself up there among the billionaires, you must be creative and innovative. You must be ready to be your own boss. You must be financially intelligent. You must look around you and leverage on prevailing circumstances around to create wealth. You must think with a global mindset. Creating global solution-based and value-adding products and services is the surest way to launch you to the top. The likes of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Aliko Dangote, Louis Vuitton, Mark Zuckerberg, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John Jacob Astor, JK Rowling, et alia all made it to the billionaires club because of their innovative inventions, creativity, sound financial intelligence, and fearlessness. They were determined to step out of their comfort zones with a view to becoming financially free. In the same vein, the new entrants in the billionaires club, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, whose mobile messaging application WhatsApp was recently acquired by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook on 19 February 2014, to the tune of $19 billion, would not have found themselves up there on the billionaires list if not for their creativity in creating a global solution-based and value-adding messaging App such as WhatsApp.

          You can make it if only you can dare to be an entrepreneur. However, do not expect the road to the top to be hitch-free. You don’t have any excuse not to make it to the top. Tap into your creative potential and register your name in the good book of history. You have no excuse not to succeed. If Steve Jobs could start off at the garage in his family house and later build the Apple™ brand into a global force alongside his friend Steve Wozniak, then you can do it. If Mark Zuckerberg could drop out of school when he was suspended from College and later become one of the world’s youngest billionaire, courtesy of his innovative brand Facebook™, then you can do it. There are a whole lot of success stories out there to inspire you into creative thinking. You can join the billionaires club if only you can think, having the global market in mind. So if you don’t want to keep being financially dependent, if you don’t want to retire frustrated, if you must be financially free, then you have one thing to do – dare to be an entrepreneur. There are still a lot of untapped areas out there. Search for those areas and key in. Look around you and change your life.

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11 KEYS TO SUCCESS

Over the years, I have been studying and researching on keys to success. Everybody crave for success, but why most people remain poor today is because, they have refused to search for these keys. Not that the keys are hidden, though, but because they have consistently overlooked these keys. Most people just want to hit it big today without putting into consideration works that need to be done and some certain principles that must be applied before expecting results.

Among the keys to success, I have identified eleven of it, which every progressive minded career person or entrepreneur must put into consideration for effective result.

1.     Connection

·         Never underestimate the power of connection.  

·         Try to make friends and connect with people that matter everywhere you go.

·         Associate yourself with those who can help you get to your career or business summit.

·        Fraternize with relevant clubs and associations if need be and stay active in all the association’s activities.

·        Lastly, connect with your head and not with your heart. This must be considered when getting acquainted with a member of the opposite sex. Don’t go falling for every “Hi” or “Hello” said to you by a member of the opposite sex simply because you think the person is “hot.” Keep your acquaintance professional as you make friends everywhere you go.

2.    Accord Failure its Respectful Place
 

·       To be successful in whatever you do, you must always recognize failure as a factor. According failure its respectful place simply means to expect challenges and prepare ahead to deal with it. This is different from being pessimistic. Do not misinterpret this as a call for pessimism.
 

·        Always make plans for contingencies.

·        Life is never fair to anybody or any establishment; you would always meet challenges ahead. And the best way to navigate your way around those challenges is to be well prepared for the worst.

3.     Challenge the Status Quo

·         Challenging the status quo requires you to “think out of the box.”

·        Thinking out of the box requires doing things differently with a view to achieving groundbreaking results.  For instance, when Isaac Newton theorized in his law of gravity that “what goes up must come down,” from the observable reality of what happens when one throws something up and watches it come down immediately, it took the Wright brothers’ ingenious creativity to counter Newton’s theory when they invented an airplane on 17 December, 1903. From that groundbreaking achievement, scientists realized that gravity can actually be regulated.

4.     Be a Keen Observer

·        You must be very observant to be able to follow unfolding trends.

·       Those who lack this key do not always see possibilities, especially when they are faced with them.

 

5.     Be a Keen Listener

·         Always open your ears to passing information.

·        Never disobey your instincts.

·        Pay attention and listen to your superiors and/or subordinate

6.     Believe in Possibilities

·        Belief in possibilities comes with passion; and passion is the drive that makes you achieve the impossible.

·        You must have the “I CAN DO” mentality to succeed in any career or venture. 

·        The 21^st century corporate world is not a place for pessimists or mediocre minds.

7.     Analytical Meditation

·        Never be too fast to implement any idea without meditating over its potential outcome.

·        As you meditate, you must sincerely provide answers to the following questions:

·        Is there a pressing “NEED” for the idea? 

·        What kind of “SOLUTION” will the idea really bring?

·       Can the idea “SELL?”

·        What kind of “IMPACT” will the idea make?

 
8.     Define Sources of Information Collation

·        This is where research comes in. Research is a veritable key that keeps you on the cutting edge with evolving trends.

·        You must identify sources of data gathering and always keep tabs on those sources for latest updates. These sources range from: Websites, Blogs, Seminars/Workshops, Webinars, Podcasts, RSS Feed, iTunes, Social Networks, Books, YouTube, etc.

 

9.     Share and Sample Opinions

·        Bearing in mind the relevance of analytical meditation, you should also sample opinions. 

·        If possible, you should set up a “THINK TANK” of like minds to share ideas and draw inspiration from.

 

10.  Be a True Ambassador of your Brand

·         Being a true ambassador of your brand comes with the right attitudes:

 

·         Passion, Charisma, Confidence, Bold, Smart, Sincerity and firm belief in your brand.

 

11.  The God/god Factor

·        For the theists, the importance of God can never be over-emphasized no matter the God or god(s) you believe in.

·        You must be passionate with the God or god(s) you believe in, just as you are with your venture; be you a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian, Traditional Religion Practitioner etc.

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