LEAVING YOUR MARK ON THE SANDS OF TIME

We are born, we grow and then we die but in between all this stages in life we are all on this earth to leave our mark on the sands of time. How we do that however is left to each and every individual person. For some of us we try to be of positive impact to everyone we come across, for others we try as much as we can to please ourselves and are not worried about who we hurt along the way while we have some of us who are not really bothered about making an impact and so just go with the flow.

Irrespective of whatever way we try to live our lives, somewhere on this beautiful earth our failures and successes are recorded for posterity. It might not be one that is known to the whole world, we might not be as famous as Michael Jackson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, J. F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, M. K. O. Abiola, I.B. Babangia, Aliko Dangote, Bill Gates, Thomas Edison or any of the other names that comes to mind. But we must remember that someone somewhere is watching us and learning something from us.

What they learn therefore is determined by us alone and maybe the person that is a student of life. It is imperative that whatever we do we must remember that we would leave a mark on the sands of time. Just like a fossilized print of the ancient and extinct plants and animals that makes it possible for us to understand the past of the earth and mankind, so also will our marks be studied for years to come in other for the generations coming behind us to have an understanding of our time.

Since we all know that time is the most precious gift of life and that time waits for no one in spite of everyone having the same 24hours we must therefore ensure that as time goes by our footsteps on the sands of time is not wiped away by the torrents of life or by the heavy storms we pass through in our own life. We know that with time the track grows cold if we do not leave a way for those coming behind us to be able to locate our route. So as we move along leave a beautiful marker for people to be able to find their way, this way they don’t get lost and they learn faster.

Our life is an open book irrespective of whether you are a celebrity or not, live it well! Our souls will give account one day, keep it well! Our minds are great networks of life and its intricacies, manage it properly! Our body is a vehicle for all this to thrive, treat it with all the care it deserves. But remember that whatever the marks we want to or try to leave on the sands of time, only us can determine or change it. So your life and destiny is yours to make good on! You are here on this wonderful earth already, MAKE IT COUNT FOR SOMETHING!!

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING

Strange as it seems a lot of people live their lives on the outside looking in. it’s like standing at the window of life and watching others as they party and have a good time.
You are lonely and alone. The whole world is moving forward except you and yet you wonder “why not me?” The pain is masked, the fear has control and it is impossible to accept the invite to join the party. You are the family black sheep, the school geek, the community’s oddball, the office dumbass, the friend who everyone passes over, the unassuming one that is not expected to have an opinion. You wonder why this should be so and yet you do nothing to change the way things are.
To you that’s the way things are and that’s the way it should stay. Every once in a while you wish you could join the party but just as the thoughts come to you, you hear the words “you can never be like them”. Well that voice has spoken the truth and is right in saying you can never be like them. You know why? You are better than they are! You are unique and with all the potentials to be great. The only thing holding you back and is not allowing you to join the party is YOU. Yes you are so caught up in what others think and say that you fail to give YOU a chance to be you.
Therefore you find it easier not to find out if they are wrong. You are so worried that they could be right that proving them wrong does not even come to mind. You are so in the grip of the fear for the unknown that the simple act of living is a chore that you find very difficult.
This should not be the case love. Life is here just for you. You know how some birds learn how to fly? Their mama pushes them out of the nest! Yep, very drastic and risky. What if the bird can’t fly or the reflexes don’t kick in fast enough? Remember that the first thing about life is not living but survival and so the bird will not fail itself because it wants to survive. Living comes after survival is certain, that is the part when you begin to enjoy the party. You have to first make it to the party and enter in at the door.
The same goes for you. Take a chance, join the party and have a good time. That party will not be the same without you. What it needs to be the best party ever is your presence, your participation, your enjoyment and your joy of just been the life of the party. Always remember that no man is an island and its impossible to have a go at life alone. If that were the case I am sure God would have stopped human creation with just Adam. But then you would not be here now would you?
Stop looking in through the window, the door of life and all its enjoyment and pain is open to you. Enjoy the good, learn from the bad and reflect on the ugly. You never can say that ugly could just be the beast waiting for your kiss to turn into a handsome prince!!
Happy 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT WILL NOT ARRIVE LATE

There is time for everything we hear
There is time for everything we know
We get a vision, we have a dream
We look for ways to make them a reality
Sometimes we are in too much haste
Sometimes we are not attentive enough
Even at times we are just indifferent
And in some instances fear holds us back
Just like we read of the story of the manna from heaven
No matter how much the size is
It will still be the same weight
So also no matter how hard we try to hasten it
That success we seek will arrive at the set time

Yep!
Their truly is an appointed time for everything
But what and when is that appointed time?
This becomes the question that we need answers to
How do we know that it has arrived and not a fluke?
Actually this is the easy part
When success comes it cannot be hidden or held down
Success speaks for itself and does not bring shame
It is not a thing to fear and is responsible
Success is not wealth or riches
These are just the elements that go with it
They are part of the rewards for success


Success does not arrive late
It comes gradually and is identified not by the beneficiary
At least not initially
But by the people around who can see the manifestation of it
It is an accomplishment that we get for working well and hard
Therefore if it is an accomplishment
Then it will arrive not late
But at a time when the seeds we have sown bring forth fruit
And you know that it is impossible to hide the fruits on a tree
Everyone that passes by will see it and admire it
They will want a bit too

Remember that success will come
Only if you have put something into getting it
It is impossible for something to come out of nothing
Therefore put in that effort that is needed
Do not relent
Don’t be shaken or blown out of course
For the success that we all seek
Will arrive just at the right time!

THE YEAR 2010: TAKING A LOOK BACK

“Defeat is a choice, so is victory; you can only be beaten when you decide that you can never win. As long as you have breath and life in you keep on fighting and you will come out on top! - Anonymous”

At the start of the year, I had so much expectations; some of which I achieved completely, some in parts and some not at all. But! There were also the unexpected that signified and brought to the fore the beauty and goodness of God and his enduring mercies. To a lot of us what I am about to do is “counting my blessing and reviewing my losses”.

“MY BLESSINGS”
1.It will be remise of me not to start with the greatest expectation of all i.e. been alive to see the end of 2010 and starting a new year. GLORY BE TO GOD WHO MADE THAT POSSIBLE!!
2.Good health, this year I have not been to the hospital for any kind of ailment but only to visit with my sister when she gave birth
3.I am still single but I am also happy in that God would do the best
4.My business is moving forward a step at a time
5. Made new friends, great friends so much so that if I start mentioning names I might have to write a book. I hope we enjoy many more years as friends!!
6. Got selected to participate in a Youth Entrepreneurship program bootcamp out of about 1,000 applicants. Made it to the top 30!!
7. Volunteered for a teaching project, PROJECT RAISE ONE MILLION. Taught English to WAEC students of a school in Lagos and got a certificate to show for it!!
8. My sister got married and in December gave birth
9. Was selected to be part of the SMEDAN training of trainers program organized for enterprise developers
10. Was and is part of a facilitating team teaching entrepreneurship to a group of young men
11. Attended a minimum of 10 seminars and conferences all of which have opened my mind to new and greater things
12. A year older and wiser
13. Helped a friend organize the flow of caterers on her wedding day
14. Was on radio; Unilag FM (stood in for a friend actually) to speak about “business planning”
15. Was featured in Vanguard newspaper in Patricia Omoqui’s column ALLURE
16. Started three (3) blogs and still run them
17. Volunteer for a leadership school, NGOs, and causes
18. Reconnected with old friends even some as far back as my primary school days
19. Visited another state in the federation
20. Started another income generating project a bit staggered but with good potentials
21. Discovered a new and vital service that Nigerians and Nigerian Businesses need to help them survive. All I need now is the right person that can run with it!!
22. Go to bed each night and wake up to a new and better day each day!

“MY LOSSES”
I would like to call this part moving experiences that tried my faith in God and myself and not losses.
1. Did not meet my expected number of clients for 2010 (and I know why)
2. Failed to make it to the top 20 list for the YEP trip to Miami
3. Ended the year with a broken relationship (his loss is someone else’s gain)
4. Made a bad investment decision and I have the scars and dents in my pocket to show for it!!
5. Discovered a new weakness in my business (although I am not sure if this is a weakness) which has resulted in slow growth of business
6. Was unfortunate to be introduced to 2 persons (make that three) who turned out to be untrustworthy. You know yourselves!! You cost me money and a lot of trouble
7. Worked on a proposal for a LGA project but due to bureaucracy and the choppers syndrome it did not fly
8. Was broke for a third of the year, I wonder why!!

Whichever way I look at it, I find that “MY BLESSINGS” far outweighs “MY LOSSES” for this I give all glory to God who has made me see this. But most importantly I thank God for my losses and those events that I have not listed (so many of them) for without them I can never be a better person come 2011!

“Don’t look down while passing through life for your vision and faith is not linked to the ground. Look up and ahead because your vision is from God (who is up above and inside of you) and the sky is just the beginning”

THE SHIP CALLED 2010

I sailed on a ship called 2010 and along the way we went through a lot. I was not alone in that ship, there was a captain who made sure we got to the end of the journey safely and in one piece and there were also other passengers and crew members who were there to ensure that I was not alone. All these people together made life in 2010 memorable for me and ensured that it is a year to remember.

Even during the darkest storm and the best of weather they were there for me, we waded through it all together in the love and confidence that we had in a God who did not fail as a captain of the ship.

On this ship 2010, I had you to show me that I was not alone, to help guide me and set my foot on solid ground, when the times were at its worst you were there to make it better. Through your friendship it was possible for me to persevere and make it to the end because with you I had no reason to lose hope.

I am talking about you my great and wonderful friends that have encouraged me all the way, you have referred clients to my business, opened doors of opportunities my way, made an effort to comfort me while I was down and under, and encouraged my faith in my God.

For this I say that as we alight from 2010 today to board the next ship called year 2011 may we grow from strength to strength. In this New Year we shall not fail nor falter, we shall continue in love and grace and may the abundant mercies of our Lord be upon us to see us through to the end of this journey call year 2011 and many more voyages. I pray that this voyage shall not be our last but a beginning of so much more to come.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Practical Daydreaming

Have you ever come across Dimitry Didorenko or Esref Armagan? They are both blind while one lost his sight during a digging operation in the forests of Ukraine, where they tried to find remains of Russian soldiers who were considered to be missing since the World War 2; the other was born blind and could never see as you and I do.

What stands these two men out however is that they are ARTISTS. Not musicians or anything that has to do with media, I mean painters. They draw and paint! Esref’s case is so overwhelming because he has never seen colours and does not know what red looks like neither can he differentiate blue from green nor can he tell you what a dog or a flower should look like. He was born blind and yet he paints!


Theirs is a case of daydreaming and seeing colours. Even though they might not be able to tell you what the colour of your dress is they can paint in colours, they have dreamt about colours and have brought it to life.

Once upon a time man used horse-drawn carriages to move from one place to another and dreamt of what it would be like to fly. He looked at the bird in the sky and the fish in the water and imagined having a machine that could do what they do.

Henry Ford, The Wright brothers, George Stephenson, Ernst Alexanderson, Thomas Edison and a lot of others all had daydreams like this too. They believed it was possible and knew that it would not be easy.

Edison’s dream for electricity is simply put in his words as "We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles."

They brought to life what was their musing and fantasy. What they hoped and believed could be possible and of use to the people in their environment; making their life better and making output more rewarding. From this daydreams inventions that we still make use of today became a reality; cars, airplanes, trains, radio and television, electricity, electric bulb; even years after they have gone.

This is practical daydreaming!!

Every business starts with a daydream, a fantasy of sort, wishful thinking of creating and developing a product or service to meet a particular need that they perceive in their mind could be of use to the people in their community. An entrepreneur makes a conversion from fantasy to reality by starting the business. His dream becomes a vision – a dream with a deadline - and achievable goals are set.

In 1891, Henry Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company; a company owned by Thomas Edison. It was while working here after his promotion that he started working on his daydreams and he created his first automobile in 1896. His daydream was not money or how to be rich, no! His daydream was how to make an automobile that would move on its own using a steam engine and one that would be affordable for all. He started the Ford Motor Company!

Meeting a need and doing it well brings the money, fame and recognition!!

In the 1800s working in the coal mines was almost always a death trap but it was the most common work then because of the unlimited need for coal in heating homes and a lot of other needs. The miners usually ended up going blind after been in the mine for too long because light in the mine caused explosions. George Stephenson an uneducated engineer invented a gas lamp that enabled the miners to mine without fear of explosion.

He saw a need, dreamt what could be used to meet the need and worked at it!

His most outstanding work however was the trains he created. The possibility of hauling heavy coal from one point to another on rail became his focus. He daydreamed of a contraption that could haul coal from the mines to designated spots. He saw the need for more efficient work, instead of using the horse drawn carts that was time consuming, a steam rail that initially used wooden rails and later iron rails was developed by a miner who wanted more efficiency in his and his community’s work. He knew this would also result in survival of lives, increased output and more money for the people.

His was a daydream that was practical!

Every success story in life comes from one man’s daydream and belief that it can be done.

Just like Esref and Dimitry, who although blind still created beauty that even those who can see admire and spend money on. Every business man can still create products and services from circumstances in which he finds himself.

All that is needed is that we be practical in our daydreaming and bring our fantasies to life. Any daydream that is solely based on money or financial reward is not practical but if it is a dream that puts others first and seeks a way to make life better then let it loose and the money will come.

Happy practical daydreaming!!

SMALL BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA: WHY THEY REMAIN AS SMALL BUSINESSES

Some weeks ago at the office, I called on a lady hawking food. My colleague and I had made up our mind to buy the food because we were very hungry; we had the belief that the food might not be that good but we were in need of something to eat as it was a Saturday and none of the canteens in the area were open as that area was a business community with offices as the main occupants of buildings in that location.

To our surprise the food was properly cooked and tasted nice; more pleasing was that the lady had good customer service and she was very pleasant. However, there and then she asked if we were employing and if she could bring her resume for future vacancy. When asked why she wanted a job, her response was that what she did was temporary and “a means to an end”. Something she did just to keep body and soul together until she could get a job. I was worried!!

Who you decide you are can determine who you will become!

Most Nigerian youths leave school with a certificate that cannot be used to get employment. They spend years going from one company to another in search of a job. Some go as far as looking for just anything to make ends meet. For those who have work, they are underpaid and overworked but cannot leave the unsatisfying employment because they are worried (with good reason) that they might not find another one. The banks that were the major employers for many years have now cut back on staff and salary.

Unemployment has pushed a lot into starting a micro or small business “just to make ends meet” while they still have the hope of getting a paid employment.

The incident above is true of a large percentage of Nigerian small and micro businesses. We are not into it because it is what we love to do and because we want to meet a need and make use of opportunities that we see available open to us. We start businesses because we feel we have no choice because we need money and cannot get paid employment. The thing about money is that it would take a lot from you before it gives to you, or it would not even bother to come pay you a visit.

Remember life is give and take it is what you give to the environment, nature or your fellow man that comes back to you as a harvest.

Since the business owner is in it because of the money he thinks he can get from it or because he is tired of always been hungry and not because he wants to meet a need and that he loves what he does; he fails to start right. He does not do a proper analysis of the business before he starts, not taking time to find out if the business will be feasible and make good profit enough to run itself with time and meet his ever growing needs.

He starts and he is faced with a lot of questions and challenges most of which could have been avoided.

That is why I like the typical Ibo Business Man, he would apprentice with his ”Oga” to learn the rudiments of the trade or business for years before starting his own. He knows how many cups can be found in a bag of rice, beans, garri. He knows how much he needs to start and how much he can make on particular quantity of a particular product, he know where to situate his shop and how to start and maintain a saving culture so much so that before you know it he has expanded his business and has his own fleet of apprentices or “boys”.
People call this Ibo Business Men traders but the thing is that have taken time to get to know the industry and the market in which they intend to do business. Many years ago Inter-State transport was not an organized business, but involved individual persons been in charge of just one vehicle or hiring it out for transport. But the same Ibo Business Man saw a need and opportunity and today we have the likes of Associated Bus Company (ABC), Chisco, Ifesinachi, Young Shall Grow, just to mention a few. These same transport businesses branched into haulage and courier services and are now in the international road transport to other West African Countries.

But the same Ibo Business Man saw a need and opportunity.

The thing about a business is that just like every other creation it would develop a life of its own with time and maturity and would want to be free. It is at this stage of freedom that the entrepreneur has to use the creativity arising from his love for what he does to direct it on the right part and develop strategies that would ensure sustainability. If this freedom is not given to the business, it would suffocate and die or be eternally challenged and continue to have a stunted growth.
Nigerian micro and small business owners go through unwanted challenges such as:
1. Under-pricing or over-pricing of products and services
2. Been unable to differentiate the thin line between what belongs to the business and what is personal in the sales and income generated by the business
3. Financial drought due to lack of having a saving culture. Every business owner should be able to set aside a percentage of their gross profit for the lean times
4. The most annoying is that they don’t have an accounting system. They can’t track how much money comes into or goes out of the business
5. Most don’t even have a bank account and so all the transaction are cashed based so that when the thief comes to steal they do not have a fall back savings to continue their business

With these, the micro or small businesses will always continue to be just that – small or micro and nothing more.

It is important that business owners or individuals who want to start their own businesses take time out to actually have an understanding of the business before they start. Let’s learn from the Ibo Business Man’s way of doing business. Get to know about the business, the industry and the market. Let’s learn how much profit we can make and where our customers are. Let us make use of what has stood the in good stead and has ensured that they continue to grow in every business and to expand.
This is the only way that Nigerian micro businesses can become small businesses and continue to grow; it is also through this way that our small businesses can grow to become conglomerates. Remember ABC Transport started small and has now grown into an international business same goes for all those Alaba boys (funny as that may seem).