Home Businesses on A Tight Budget - Part 8

Our home business series is back!! I got a huge number of enquiries on this topic so I know we need to keep seeking them out and sharing ideas till you can find the right one for you!

So this is something for the incessant pings, status updates and profile changes

Our home business opportunity for today is.........

Creating Jobs from Work

'There are no jobs joo!'

'Ah ah, I've filled hundreds of applications and haven't heard anything. Again I say there are no jobs!'

This is the major line being used in the ever popular conversation on job hunting in Nigeria and many other countries I would imagine. On the one hand we have those who say, 'The economy is doomed.' 'Young people are coming out of school faster than the government can generate jobs for them.' 'It's not fair.' 'What are the poor children supposed to do?' 

Then you have the equally important group who say work and jobs are not too far apart. 'There might be no jobs but we are overrun by work being left undone!!'

My take is - Its a catch 22......

Events on My Radar - iCamp 2013 (July to Sept 2013)

Found this really cool event being organised by the Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) association with Etisalat.

iCamp is a 6 week ICT Summer Online Camp for Secondary School Students. It's such a cool concept because it can be done form any part of the world, all you need is a computer and an internet connection for about 30 minutes each day from Monday to Friday. All the details on registration requirements, payments and course content are on their website but you can get a quick summary from the video here:

Who Created Your Job?

Following the TED talk from my last post, The Rich and Job Creation, I got to thinking....

The assumption on job creation is that somehow the super rich have all the answers. That the rich owe it to the rest of the population to create opportunities for others to take advantage of. In the African context however, how many jobs can Aliko Dangote create? He is a tremendously rich industrialist no doubt, but in relation to the 160 million (and counting) people in Nigeria, exactly how much of an impact would a single man have on the bottom line? Okay, lets play fair. If all the super rich individuals in Nigeria were put together, how many jobs would they create? So going by the Forbes List, the likes of Mike Adenuga, Jim Ovia, Folorunsho Alakija and the six other juggernauts could drum up a good number of jobs. A really good number. But not nearly enough.......

The Rich and Job Creation

This youtube link of a TED presentation was sent to me on twitter and I was intrigued because it said to have been banned. Now I understand why. Please continue....

Events On My Radar - LFDW

These are some events that could be anything from conferences, seminars, training programmes, shows, fairs and general events to book readings. If it adds value, I'll find it and put it up. Be sure to check regularly for location updates, fixed dates and registration details.

In the business of Fashion and Lifestyle? Keep going....

Back and Better!

Hello everyone!

It's been a while. I took sometime off to think.....and take some of my own advice. ;)

I'm so grateful to all those who checked in, sent emails and dropped a line during my time away. It was most heart warming. Thanks a million!

It feels so good to be back!!

Enough said. Let's Do This!

On The Radar

Just a quick note to share some interesting upcoming events and opportunities for business owners/entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

The 360 Leader. Leadership conference in Abuja Nigeria, July 12 and 13. Speaking: Matthew Ashimolowo, Mensa Otabil, Tola Odutola. Registration is free.

Image source Bellanaija

One Day Bootcamp "Living The Simple Magic" for teens and students in Lagos Nigeria. August 18. Emedith Consulting. Registration for a fee.

Image source: Bellanaija

Business Education Webinar. "Learn How Your Mobile Phone Could Turn You Into The Next Big Entrepreneur". Speaker: Kola Osinowo. Online. July 21, 2012. Free but registration online is required. Powered by The AWP Network. For more details click here

Leadership. Where Art Thou?

Dana plane crash, the violence in the north, non existent megawatts of power,.....the list goes on and on and on.

I sat down and thought about this for a very very long time. It's not like we don't know that when there is something wrong with a system, the leadership that results or that are produced from that system will most likely be flawed. Except of course there are a few who have never been afraid to take a second look at the system and ask, Why?

Something is wrong. More people need to ask why? The more questions are asked, the more likely we would begin to get answers. No one is compelled to give an answer when no questions have been asked.

It's a paradigm shift. It's an attitude. It's about more than just surviving.

5 Ways to Keep The Dream Alive And LIVE It!

Ok so this is a mini rant. I've had it up to my eyebrows with excuses and reasons why people aren’t interested in breaking new ground or at least be ambitious enough to make their lives count. First things first; don't give up on your dream! Don't do it! The only reason you should give up on it is if you are certain that it’s not your dream or it’s a dream you formulated in your mind because you just wanted to prove a point or show people you could do it. That's not what I am taking about. I am referring to the vision in your mind’s eye that won’t leave you alone and when you think back to it, you come alive and you just know this is what you were created to do. Believe it or not a dream has been planted in the heart of each and every one of us and it is our responsibility to protect it and keep it alive. From all I have seen, heard and experienced, these are a 5 ways to be double sure that your dreams don’t die in a hurry:

The 4 Money Don’ts and How to Save Yourself by Saving.

I have been a victim of this so many times its almost ridiculous. Ok so I figured out early that being cash rich doesn't mean always having cash to spend whenever you wanted to. I always thought being able to buy what you want when you wanted it was the way to go. The only thing was I didn't quite understand how to keep the habit going. I’m not talking about being ostentatious but I believe in being able to buy what you need and even want whenever you need and want it. If you can’t do that, you’re broke and it doesn't matter how much you make.

Let me explain. 

5 Assumptions That Hold You Back

Hello people!! I missed writing and I am glad to be back but all in all it was a good time away because as they say 'iron sharpeneth iron'.

Ok so this is what I gathered from all the 'sharpening'. Most of the ideas we form in our lives aren't exactly true but they are assumptions that we grow to believe as a result of our experiences in life. I found out a few things of note and from experience, I can tell you that every excuse under the sun has branched out from at least one of these assumptions.

7 Essential Attributes of Great MLMs

Ok so this is the next installment of our Multi-Level Marketing Review. Take a few minutes to come up to speed by reading the first part, Much Ado About MLM.

Before you get all excited and want to rush head on into the first MLM opportunity that knocks at your door, there are some major pointers you should look out for in a really good one. If your objective is to make a cool load of cash then you need to know if what you are getting into will get you there and how. Otherwise, you might as well be throwing your hard earned cash to the dogs. To ensure you succeed in network marketing, these are some questions you need to ask:

Much Ado About MLM

Ok. So finally my readers have got round to getting me to say something on this seemingly new phenomenon sweeping the world like a wildfire.

Network marketing companies promise a better life, wonderful incentives, unbelievable bonuses and really make it seem like some or even most of our childhood dreams can actually come true in our lifetime. Then you say to yourself, if its too good to be true, it really isnt! That may be true but is it enough to discount this marketing method that so many business 'gurus' can swear by? 

From research, interviews and close observation, this is what a network marketing business is about in plain language. No fluff, just facts.

5 Reasons Why Women Are Worth More Than They Think

....and why life would be so much easier for all of us if they understood it! 

So you could call this is a follow up article to 5 Reasons Why Women Will Never Be Taken Seriously. I think women relax into the role of pretty and docile because we really don’t realise how monumental our responsibilities really are and how important we are in the scheme of things. I am not talking about ticking all the boxes; school, husbands, children, pretty family photos and the likes. Those are great but we know there’s much more to it than that.

Keys To Business Success

I cannot say it better, be clearer or even attempt to be more thorough than one of the greatest business and productivity coaches in the world today. This is a very, very insightful video.

Remember that it's not just about starting a business, it's about keeping it open and most importantly keeping it profitable. This was so helpful and the questions really make you stop and think, something we business owners sometimes never get round to doing because our heads are stuck deep in the business, frantically trying to keep it above board. Stop, listen, adapt.

6 Reasons Why Businesses Will Not Succeed

It was a bad day of business for me and I was struggling to keep it together. Much as I would like to take all the credit, my husband's wisdom has brought me out of the deep many times and this was one of those days. He said, 'Don't think people will buy into your idea just because, you need to be providing a value that is irresistible, too irresistible to pass up.' Then he sent me resources showing how and why many businesses fail. I read and did some more research and identified some ways we self sabotage ourselves as business owners.

We've all seen the worrisome statistics about the life cycle of small businesses. 95 percent of new businesses will shut down in the first 2 years and even more will not survive the 5th year. We are bombarded everyday with tips, tricks, start up information from every corner. In fact we have much more information at our disposal than we have ever had at any time in history. So why are we still struggling as businesses to keep things going? I outlined a few reasons:

Home Businesses on a Tight Budget - Part 7

Our next home business review is really a bit different than all the 'usual suspects'. This one takes quite a bit of collaboration, negotiation and creative thinking. It is seasonal but with great potential to become a regular fixture. Plus...parents will loooooove you!

Our next home business is................

Home Businesses on a Tight Budget - Part 6

Ok so we will go on to another option for prospective home business owners looking to start a profitable business on a shoestring budget. I'm really excited by this one because it might even be one of the few you can start with an almost nothing and expect to get a handsome reward in a relatively short time span. Really! Our next home business option is.......

The List

Ok, so this is a piece I wrote a while ago in remembrance of my Aunt. She was my guardian throughout secondary school and was fondly called Aunty Bundle! I credit my love of books, research, and curiosity to learn and improve to her. I still can't help laughing at how boarding school in Nigeria was back then. It's still such a poignant piece and I keep learning from it each time I read it. I hope you will too! 

It was the end of mid-term break and I was ready to take back lots of wonderful goodies to boarding school as was the norm, at least before now.

I stood slightly behind the chair in which she sat, her huge and imposing structure well contained in her favourite chair. It was the one just by the front door with a view of the balcony full of beautiful greens and the road just beyond that. I stood to her left wondering what I was doing there and why my box of provisions wasn’t already packed and ready for me to leave in a few days. She held in her hand what appeared to be my provisions list and I was still perplexed as to the reason for my presence. Then it began: