TRAVELING ABROAD: THE FEAR, FANTASY AND FACTS

Many young, active and talented Nigerians never believe that they can succeed in Nigeria. They strongly believe that success is in the white man’s land. More so, when some other friends who have tasted the supposed success abroad, come back to Nigeria with a lot of cash to throw around, and flaunting their expensive cars. For this reason, envious youths begin to dread their own country. They fear becoming broke and broken.

THE FANTASY

I have a friend who is a dying advocate of traveling abroad. While still in Nigeria, he was very hardworking. He was a skilled worker i.e a bricklayer, an estate agent as well as a barber. Yes, he did all of these. He started making mistakes when he invested close to 400,000 naira into a barbing saloon in a school environment in Delta. Shortly after this investment things became rough for him, he became broke. Worse yet, the school was on strike for 4 months running. But after some time, the strike was called-off. So gradually his haircut business started to pick up and was booming. He made between 2000 naira to 3000 naira every day.

Meanwhile, he was still thinking about traveling abroad. He started saving some money towards this purpose. He soon visited Benin City to perfect plans to travel to South Africa. The arrangement went smoothly and before I knew it had had left Nigeria for South Africa. His long cherished dream had come true. No sooner he arrived there than he realized that the streets of South Africa was not paved with gold. Moreover, the friends he was squatting with were heavily involved in internet fraud. He was disappointed. Seeking accommodation elsewhere became a big challenge. At this time he was full of regrets. In fact, he realized he had wasted over three hundred thousand naira for the trip. He started thinking of coming back to Nigeria. But as is often the case with someone in this position, shame would not allow them to return home.

THE FACTS

1.       Success is not waiting for you in any place. The factors to bring about success is in you.

2.       Nigeria  is a blessed country with abundant resources to bring about success.

3.       Nigeria is a land of possibilities.

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QUESTION FOR READERS

1.       What is your advice for my friend, should he come back to Nigeria?

2.       Why do many youths flock to other country?

HOW TO OUTSMART THE COMPETITION

In this 21^st century business is dynamic. The principles that applied in the industrial age no longer matter now. Human behavior and response to business have also changed. The wave of technological advancement, perhaps to a large extent, initiated all these changes in various dimensions. He that understands the present rules governing business will do well. On the other hand, if anyone fails to comply, due to ignorance or sheer disregard, to the rules will not stay much longer in business. One of the critical rules to be observed is that of excellence. This is one way, not only to stay in business but also to excel. Excellence requires that every time you look for better ways of serving your clients or customers in the most satisfactory way. 

If your competition appears to do better than you, this is no time to be envious or antagonistic toward him. But rather this difference speaks volume about what is lacking in your own business. This singular area where you are weak, and they are strong accounts for the major difference. And unless you do something about it you will likely not improve. So you see a man complaining bitterly about how bad business is going. Whereas his neighbor in the same business is thanking God for his booming business.

What then should you do? All you need do is to find out the secret of your competition. There are various ways you can do this, viz:

1.       Interview their customers and find out why they patronize the competition instead of you

2.       Join the business Union and rob minds with experts in the field.

3.       Befriend their staff.

4.       Hire away the key staff to work for you

5.       Send ghost shoppers to your competition in attempt to discover their secret

6.       Visit the company regularly with a disguised intention and see what they do differently

QUESTIONS FOR READERS

1.       HOW Can you improve your business?

2.       Do you know why your competition is excelling more than you?

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17 GREAT BUSINESSES YOU CAN START IN NIGERIA

Doing business in Nigeria should not pose a big challenge. It is very important to start your own business today instead of waiting for that  white collar job. But which one should you get involved in? you have a wide range of opportunities open before you. They are listed below:

1.       Manufacturing : this business does not cost so much to start. All you need is experience and understanding the target market. Below are some things you can start manufacturing: paint bar soap, chalk, etc.

2.       Snail farming: it is relatively cheap to set up a snail farm. Snail is very expensive, so you will make good money if you start one. Moreover, the cost of maintenance is low.

3.       Dry cleaning: this is a fine business to start especially in big cities where many workers do not have the time to do the laundry themselves. They will be happy to get someone to do it for them. Interestingly, this business is easy to run. All you need is a rented store, one washing machine, 2 pressing iron, water storage , etc.

4.       Web designing: if you have skill in this area, then you are up for a good start. You build websites for individuals or companies for a fee.

5.       Rental business: this business is booming in Nigeria. It ranges from renting chairs and tables, dresses, cooking utensils to canopies, stores, etc.

6.       Writing articles: if you have the flair for writing then your services will be needed by website and blog owners. You are paid to write great content article. For example, enterpriseboom.com pays people that write an article as guest post.

7.       Car washing: this is another good business that requires less capital. Choose a good spot and you start making money

8.       Medicine supplier: this is quite lucrative and easy to start with less money.  All you need to do is meet some pharmaceutical companies and drug importers, buy the drugs from them and supply to local clinics and hospitals.

9.       Recharge card printing: recharge cards are always in high demand today. With a modest investment of N100,000, you are ready to start.

10.   Blogging:  all you need here is a good niche, register a website and keep writing good content. Number one blogger in Nigeria is Linder ikeji. She makes quite a lot of money.

11.   Cake making: occasions that require this business are birthday and marriage ceremonies.

Other businesses you can do are:

12.   Photography

13.   Real estate agency

14.   Printing press

15.   Child care

16.   Wedding planner and decoration

17.   Haircut business/barbing saloon.

If you try to start any of the businesses above then you will never be unemployed again. The first step you need to take is to acquire the skill, study the market and be patient while you grow your business. For additional information or for a consultation, feel free to give us a call today.

07031384722, 07054107283

9 Things To Consider Before Going Out for The Interview

Pre-interview steps

Thinking about what can go wrong during an interview seems a lot easier than thinking about what can go right. From arriving on time, to proper attire, to thoughtfully answering questions, the chances for making a big mistake seem endless.
But by making and working your way through these processes outlined below, you can reduce the odds of committing mistakes and feel more confident.

Know where you're going. Before hopping in your car, have a firm idea of the interview location. Either print out directions the day before or use a smartphone app like Google Maps. Arriving late can blow your chances before you even enter the door, says Alan Carniol, founder of Interview Success Formula, an online training program that helps job candidates prepare for interviews. "You're already nervous, so anything that can make you even more nervous and be a distraction during the interview can just really hurt your chances," he says.
Carniol also suggests finding out where you need to park, and if the interview is taking place in a large business complex, which building you need to go into.

Pick out proper clothes. According a CareerBuilder survey released earlier this year, 60 percent of hiring managers said dressing inappropriately was a detrimental job interview mistake. The person scheduling the interview, past and present employees or pictures from the company website are all possible sources for finding out what makes for appropriate attire, Carniol says. But he notes, "You basically want to be a half-step up from what they generally wear in terms of daily attire."

Research the company. A good starting point is the company website, where you can find out its mission and history. But also check out its social media sites. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can be great channels for discovering what the company is doing on a day-to-day basis and what it's promoting, Carniol notes. Along with connecting you to past and present employees, LinkedIn can also be useful for researching a smaller, lesser-known company, for which information may be sparse.

Speak to past and present employees. Who better to give advice about being in the interview hot seat than those who have sat in it before? If you speak with a current employee, Carniol says, make sure it's someone who hasn't been with the company for either too short or too long a time. "People who have been with the organization forever, they know the culture so well that they can't really explain it. And people who are brand new just don't know it that well. But you get someone who's been there a year or two, at that point, they get the culture, but they haven't absorbed it to where they can't talk about it," Carniol says.

Run through questions you may be asked. Spend time thinking about questions that may come your way and formulate answers that specifically address what the employer is looking for in a candidate, says Alison Doyle, job search and employment expert for About.com. By providing vivid examples of how your skills and past experience will help you excel in the position, "you're showing why you are the best candidate for the job," she says.

Think of your own questions to ask. You'll likely have the chance to pose inquiries of your own. Asking meaningful questions shows that you're truly interested in the job, Carniol says. He suggests two lines of questioning.
The first is geared directly at your interviewer(s): What's the most rewarding project you've worked on since being here? Why do you enjoy working here? Such questions are helpful for learning what motivates employees and for picking up possible red flags about the company culture, he says

6 TIPS TO PASS JOB INTERVIEW

Avoid setting yourself up for interview failure by taking these pre-interview steps

Thinking about what can go wrong during an interview seems a lot easier than thinking about what can go right. From arriving on time, to proper attire, to thoughtfully answering questions, the opportunities for committing a fatal error seem endless.

But by making and working your way through a pre-interview checklist, you can reduce the odds of committing mistakes and feel more confident. Here's what you should put on your list.

Know where you're going. Before hopping in your car, have a firm idea of the interview location. Either print out directions the day before or use a smartphone app like Google Maps. Arriving late can blow your chances before you even enter the door, says Alan Carniol, founder of Interview Success Formula, an online training program that helps job candidates prepare for interviews. "You're already nervous, so anything that can make you even more nervous and be a distraction during the interview can just really hurt your chances," he says.

Carniol also suggests finding out where you need to park, and if the interview is taking place in a large business complex, which building you need to go into.

Pick out proper clothes. According a CareerBuilder survey released earlier this year, 60 percent of hiring managers said dressing inappropriately was a detrimental job interview mistake. The person scheduling the interview, past and present employees or pictures from the company website are all possible sources for finding out what makes for appropriate attire, Carniol says. But he notes, "You basically want to be a half-step up from what they generally wear in terms of daily attire."

Research the company. A good starting point is the company website, where you can find out its mission and history. But also check out its social media sites. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can be great channels for discovering what the company is doing on a day-to-day basis and what it's promoting, Carniol notes. Along with connecting you to past and present employees, LinkedIn can also be useful for researching a smaller, lesser-known company, for which information may be sparse.

Speak to past and present employees. Who better to give advice about being in the interview hot seat than those who have sat in it before? If you speak with a current employee, Carniol says, make sure it's someone who hasn't been with the company for either too short or too long a time. "People who have been with the organization forever, they know the culture so well that they can't really explain it. And people who are brand new just don't know it that well. But you get someone who's been there a year or two, at that point, they get the culture, but they haven't absorbed it to where they can't talk about it," Carniol says.

Run through questions you may be asked. Spend time thinking about questions that may come your way and formulate answers that specifically address what the employer is looking for in a candidate, says Alison Doyle, job search and employment expert for About.com. By providing vivid examples of how your skills and past experience will help you excel in the position, "you're showing why you are the best candidate for the job," she says.

Think of your own questions to ask. You'll likely have the chance to pose inquiries of your own. Asking meaningful questions shows that you're truly interested in the job, Carniol says. He suggests two lines of questioning.

The first is geared directly at your interviewer(s): What's the most rewarding project you've worked on since being here? Why do you enjoy working here? Such questions are helpful for learning what motivates employees and for picking up possible red flags about the company culture, he says