(Life Coach)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
THE world will stand still and listen when powerful people step to the centrestage and speak. Powerful people know their onions and seem to possess what makes other people to flock around them in numbers. If you care to learn the laws of power, then this article is written for you.
Few days back, a friend of mine was in my room and after we discussed over some issues relating to my business, I went outside for a moment and returned to see my friend reading a copy of this article.
He was so fascinated about the article that he began to ask me questions. He told me that he had been wondering why people like to flock around me; and that this article has answered the question.
If you are ready to be a people’s person, if you are ready to talk and people will listen to you, if you are ready to make friends and influence people positively, then read on. I will share with you principles that will work for you because they worked for me.
Go the extra mile for others. I realised that in life, the people that are more inclined to help you are those you have helped in one way or the other. This is coherent with the equity theory, which states that in every relationship, people evaluate their gains and pains. An average person wants to be friends with people that are better than them. That is, people they can gain from. A powerful person learns to make positive imbalances in his/her relationship with others by giving more than they receive.
Be a giver. When you are always giving, the other person may feel indebted to you in some ways. Moreso, understand that every human may be selfish or self-centered by nature. Therefore, you may not expect others to make sacrifices for you when you have never sacrificed anything for them.
When you help others, you help yourself too. Remember that when you point a finger at the other person, the remaining fingers will be pointed at you. Renowned motivational speaker and writer, Zig Ziglar, says this: “You can get anything in life by helping enough other people get what they want.”
Make history. Be a part of someone’s history. Some people come into our lives and go like that, while some come into our lives and make us better. Your success story may be incomplete without some people who gave you a helping hand when you felt like throwing in the towel.
Few years ago, I was at an event and Professor Pat Utomi was a guest speaker. He said: “There are two types of immortality; seeing God face to face, and living in the heart of men.” You can be immortalised in the hearts of men. It will be bad if after your physical death, everything about you dies. You can die physically, and still be alive, only in the hearts of men.
Be principled. One thing common to powerful people is that they are principled. They don’t just do something for the fun of it. They do everything they do for a reason. They know what they want in life and know exactly how to get it.
Discipline yourself. Let people know your core values. Start now by identifying things that matter most to you in life, and prioritise that list.
Remember that being powerful is not about manipulating or oppressing others, but by understanding the new laws of power.
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
Your New Year resolution is still achievable
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
THE third quarter in the year is almost drawing to a close, and you might still wonder if there is need to talk about your New Year resolutions at this time.
If you ever set a goal at all for 2010, this moment might just afford you the opportunity to pause and take a look at how much success you have made in reaching your objectives at this time.
One thing is clear: we all woke up into the New Year thinking of how to better run our lives, make more money, achieve more success and make fewer mistakes.
This means that New Year’s resolutions are decisions made to commit to change programmes in certain areas of our lives.
Whether you believe in making New Year’s resolutions or not, two things are clear: if you must leave where you are now, you must stop living the way you’ve been living your life or stop doing what you’ve been doing.
Jim Rohn put it strongly, “If you don’t like your life, change it. You’re not a tree!” You, as God’s created being, have the in-built capacity to change and transform your life. Two, even if you don’t make New Year’s resolutions as such, as long as you plan on the things to achieve for yourself in 2010, this article will be useful to you.
Things you can do to still achieve your New Year’s resolutions in 2010.
Be specific and reasonable with the goals you set. Know what areas you want to change in your life in 2010 and then be reasonable about how you intend going about them. Set priorities. Start with small goals and work your way up to the big ones.
Don’t bite more than you can chew: Take it easy on yourself. You’re human, not a machine. Don’t set too many goals, which will then be hard for you to keep and cause you to fail and feel disappointed and hopeless. Make about two to three goals at a time.
Be very clear about the bad habits that you wish to kick out of your life or goals that you desire to achieve.
Write your goals down: After you’ve clearly realised and defined your weaknesses and bad habits, write them down in a notebook. Write down all your goals in a notebook. This will make you mentally and physically committed to taking action. Bad habits are all the behaviour and personality traits that block your way in life and make it difficult for you to achieve your dreams and ambitions.
Picture your goals daily: Read your goals at least twice a day, first thing in the morning and also before you go to sleep in the night. Mentally picture your goals. See yourself in your mind’s eye succeeding with all your goals and ambitions. Smile and tell yourself all the time that you have the willpower, the self-control and discipline to run your life and to achieve all that you desire. This is a good way to programme your mind and thoughts.
Go for and obtain tools/resources that can help you actualise your goals and ambitions: You need to obtain the necessary tools and resources you require to make your goals and ambitions succeed. Information and its correct application is power. To search and obtain the right information is going halfway to solving your problems.
Read good books on subjects that can help you achieve your goals: The more you read good books, articles and magazines the more educated, intelligent and sharp you’ll be. You can find time to read. Any time you have free time, read a good book!
Network with family members, friends and colleagues: Go out and meet your friends and discuss solutions to their problems as well as yours. Join clubs, associations and groups and mingle with others. Make friends with those who share in your passion and are going your direction! Be bold and communicate with others.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DeAim Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@yahoo.com
Showing posts with label Goodlife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goodlife. Show all posts
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Fruit confectionery market
(Biz tool Kits)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
LAST week, we started our series on fruit packaging business. This is the concluding part. The fruit confectionery market also consists of four product categories: Jams, jellies and preserves; Fruit rolls, bars, and snacks; Pie fillings and Fruit butter.
Liquid fruit juice drinks
These come in four different forms:
• Frozen concentrate: This is diluted with water after purchase.
• Dry concentrate: This is also diluted with water after purchase.
• Reconstituted liquid: This has been concentrated but is diluted prior to sale.
• Unconcentrated beverage called Not From Concentrate (NFC).
The latter two types are also known as Ready To Drink (RTD) juices.
The Manufacturing Process
The process is as follows:
• Harvesting/collection
• Cleaning/Grading
• Extraction
• Concentration
• Reconstitution
• Pasteurisation
• Packaging/filling
Byproducts/waste control
Byproducts from fruit juice production come from the rind and pulp that is created as waste. Products made with these materials include dehydrated feed for livestock, pectin for use in making jellies, citric acid, essential oils, molasses, and candied peel. Certain fractions of orange oil, for instance, known as d-limonene, have excellent solvent properties and are sold for use in industrial cleaners.
Quality control
Quality is checked throughout the production process. Inspectors grade the fruit before the juice is extracted. After extraction and concentration, the product is checked to ensure it meets a number of the nation’s quality control standards.
Target market
• Individual consumers: Infants, school children, adults —. Young adults, nursing mothers, working professionals, etc.
• Corporate Consumers: Schools, business organisations, worship centers, marketplaces, eateries, posh and local restaurants, hotels, formal gatherings and events, parties and celebrations
Technical and other requirements
NAFCDAC’s registration is important and inevitable to operate in this industry. Some manufacturers of bottling water machines have made the machines in such a way it can be used for both water and fruit juice production. But this has to be done under stringent supervision and care to avoid contamination of both products.
Income Potentials
Let’s take for instance Lagos State with an unofficial population of about 18 million people (from the state’s website). If 25 per cent of this number take one form of bottled fruit juice product, this translates to 4.5 million potential customers. If this market consumes a bottle of fruit juice once a week, it means this market equals the sale of 18 million bottles a month and 216 million bottles a year from one state government in the country. Now, if you as a company produce 200 cartons of 12 bottles daily for 20 days in a month and 10 months in a year (to factor in capacity underutilisation) at N600 per carton, your monthly income would be worth N2.4 million and N24 million per annum and a profit in the region of about N11 million. Imagine if you’re selling your products in 6 more states in the country? And like I hinted earlier, you can combine this with your packaged water business.
Additional Information/Value Added
AS a value added for consumers, the addition of vitamins and other essential health-promoting minerals can help to further promote your brand in the market, making you the brand of choice for many Nigerian families who use your products for beverage and health purposes.
For space constraints, to make a success of this business, you’d need a comprehensive business plan to guide you in the area of marketing, branding, technical and business architecture for the business, etc, so you can experience competitive advantage from the start.
The Future
Future processing improvements are likely to come from the use of computer controlled sizing and grading of fruit. Fruit juice formulations will see changes as the trend towards adding more nutrition-oriented ingredients, such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, continues.
In addition, future formulas are likely to be blends of fruit juices with other more exotic fruit flavours, or even vegetable juices, like carrot, like what is being done by fruit juice producing companies in the country today.
bridgetolotu@gmail.com, Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd.
You have all it takes
(Life Coach)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
JOHN Foppe, a renowned motivational speaker, has no hands. He has developed himself so much that he uses his leg to drive his car. His core message is that there is ability in disability.
In the context of this article, a disable is someone, who is not using his talents to make a positive difference in the world. Nobody is disabled except the person, who has not discovered his place in the world.
What limits you is you. There are no limits anywhere. We only have limits in our minds, based on how we have been conditioned from childhood. When you don’t challenge your proposed limits, you will limit your ability to perform and achieve extra ordinary results that are mind blowing.
You are here on a mission. I told participants that they are created to solve a problem, and not to be problem to others. In other words, there is something only you can do. There is a problem that only you can solve. There is a solution that only you can provide. You need to uncover all your latent talents.
Don’t limit yourself. If you don’t limit yourself, then nobody can limit you. No one can limit you without your own permission. Do all it takes to achieve your dreams. Fly. If you can’t fly, run. If you can run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. If you can’t crawl, get someone to carry you. By every positive means, make something of your life.
Discover the real you. Who you are today may be a shadow of the real you. The real you is a champion. The real you is a celebrity. The real you is a superstar. The real you is a hero. The real you is a winner. The real you is unstoppable. You may not look like a success now, but time will reveal the real you.
Create the future you want. Everybody leaves either by default or by design. Living by default means living your life the way it comes. If you wake up in the morning without a plan of how to spend that day, then you will be on the receiving end in the sense that things will happen to you.
Make things happen. You can either be the object or the subject in life. When you are the subject, you determine what exactly you want. You create the circumstances that you desire. When you are the object, someone else is in charge of your life. Decide to happen to things. Don’t wait for things to happen to you.
Be in charge of your life. Your life is your life, and when you don’t decide the kind of life you want to live, the society will decide it for you. Learn to live your own life positively. You can inspired by others. You can learn from others. But when you begin to look at other people’s life to determine your own, you are trying to become another person, and not you.
Focus on what you have. The way to become successful is by capitalising on those things that you already have to live a better life. What you don’t have, you don’t have. So it is important to commercialise what you have a natural flair for. If you like to sing, you can make money from singing.
Get customers. The profit you will earn from developing your natural endowment and making it profitable is dependent on how effective you are at getting people to be interested in your product/ services.
Learn to advertise. Let people know what you have to offer you and they will patronise you.
Take action. Marketing yourself is not about knowing what you can do to make money alone. You have to wake up earlier make some calls, some handbills and send some e-mails. By all means, market your skill, and then you will smile to the bank.
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
LAST week, we started our series on fruit packaging business. This is the concluding part. The fruit confectionery market also consists of four product categories: Jams, jellies and preserves; Fruit rolls, bars, and snacks; Pie fillings and Fruit butter.
Liquid fruit juice drinks
These come in four different forms:
• Frozen concentrate: This is diluted with water after purchase.
• Dry concentrate: This is also diluted with water after purchase.
• Reconstituted liquid: This has been concentrated but is diluted prior to sale.
• Unconcentrated beverage called Not From Concentrate (NFC).
The latter two types are also known as Ready To Drink (RTD) juices.
The Manufacturing Process
The process is as follows:
• Harvesting/collection
• Cleaning/Grading
• Extraction
• Concentration
• Reconstitution
• Pasteurisation
• Packaging/filling
Byproducts/waste control
Byproducts from fruit juice production come from the rind and pulp that is created as waste. Products made with these materials include dehydrated feed for livestock, pectin for use in making jellies, citric acid, essential oils, molasses, and candied peel. Certain fractions of orange oil, for instance, known as d-limonene, have excellent solvent properties and are sold for use in industrial cleaners.
Quality control
Quality is checked throughout the production process. Inspectors grade the fruit before the juice is extracted. After extraction and concentration, the product is checked to ensure it meets a number of the nation’s quality control standards.
Target market
• Individual consumers: Infants, school children, adults —. Young adults, nursing mothers, working professionals, etc.
• Corporate Consumers: Schools, business organisations, worship centers, marketplaces, eateries, posh and local restaurants, hotels, formal gatherings and events, parties and celebrations
Technical and other requirements
NAFCDAC’s registration is important and inevitable to operate in this industry. Some manufacturers of bottling water machines have made the machines in such a way it can be used for both water and fruit juice production. But this has to be done under stringent supervision and care to avoid contamination of both products.
Income Potentials
Let’s take for instance Lagos State with an unofficial population of about 18 million people (from the state’s website). If 25 per cent of this number take one form of bottled fruit juice product, this translates to 4.5 million potential customers. If this market consumes a bottle of fruit juice once a week, it means this market equals the sale of 18 million bottles a month and 216 million bottles a year from one state government in the country. Now, if you as a company produce 200 cartons of 12 bottles daily for 20 days in a month and 10 months in a year (to factor in capacity underutilisation) at N600 per carton, your monthly income would be worth N2.4 million and N24 million per annum and a profit in the region of about N11 million. Imagine if you’re selling your products in 6 more states in the country? And like I hinted earlier, you can combine this with your packaged water business.
Additional Information/Value Added
AS a value added for consumers, the addition of vitamins and other essential health-promoting minerals can help to further promote your brand in the market, making you the brand of choice for many Nigerian families who use your products for beverage and health purposes.
For space constraints, to make a success of this business, you’d need a comprehensive business plan to guide you in the area of marketing, branding, technical and business architecture for the business, etc, so you can experience competitive advantage from the start.
The Future
Future processing improvements are likely to come from the use of computer controlled sizing and grading of fruit. Fruit juice formulations will see changes as the trend towards adding more nutrition-oriented ingredients, such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, continues.
In addition, future formulas are likely to be blends of fruit juices with other more exotic fruit flavours, or even vegetable juices, like carrot, like what is being done by fruit juice producing companies in the country today.
bridgetolotu@gmail.com, Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd.
You have all it takes
(Life Coach)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
JOHN Foppe, a renowned motivational speaker, has no hands. He has developed himself so much that he uses his leg to drive his car. His core message is that there is ability in disability.
In the context of this article, a disable is someone, who is not using his talents to make a positive difference in the world. Nobody is disabled except the person, who has not discovered his place in the world.
What limits you is you. There are no limits anywhere. We only have limits in our minds, based on how we have been conditioned from childhood. When you don’t challenge your proposed limits, you will limit your ability to perform and achieve extra ordinary results that are mind blowing.
You are here on a mission. I told participants that they are created to solve a problem, and not to be problem to others. In other words, there is something only you can do. There is a problem that only you can solve. There is a solution that only you can provide. You need to uncover all your latent talents.
Don’t limit yourself. If you don’t limit yourself, then nobody can limit you. No one can limit you without your own permission. Do all it takes to achieve your dreams. Fly. If you can’t fly, run. If you can run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. If you can’t crawl, get someone to carry you. By every positive means, make something of your life.
Discover the real you. Who you are today may be a shadow of the real you. The real you is a champion. The real you is a celebrity. The real you is a superstar. The real you is a hero. The real you is a winner. The real you is unstoppable. You may not look like a success now, but time will reveal the real you.
Create the future you want. Everybody leaves either by default or by design. Living by default means living your life the way it comes. If you wake up in the morning without a plan of how to spend that day, then you will be on the receiving end in the sense that things will happen to you.
Make things happen. You can either be the object or the subject in life. When you are the subject, you determine what exactly you want. You create the circumstances that you desire. When you are the object, someone else is in charge of your life. Decide to happen to things. Don’t wait for things to happen to you.
Be in charge of your life. Your life is your life, and when you don’t decide the kind of life you want to live, the society will decide it for you. Learn to live your own life positively. You can inspired by others. You can learn from others. But when you begin to look at other people’s life to determine your own, you are trying to become another person, and not you.
Focus on what you have. The way to become successful is by capitalising on those things that you already have to live a better life. What you don’t have, you don’t have. So it is important to commercialise what you have a natural flair for. If you like to sing, you can make money from singing.
Get customers. The profit you will earn from developing your natural endowment and making it profitable is dependent on how effective you are at getting people to be interested in your product/ services.
Learn to advertise. Let people know what you have to offer you and they will patronise you.
Take action. Marketing yourself is not about knowing what you can do to make money alone. You have to wake up earlier make some calls, some handbills and send some e-mails. By all means, market your skill, and then you will smile to the bank.
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
Jos keeps talking
(Strictly for the young)
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
ON Tuesday, March 16, several young men and women travelled to Abuja, and joined those already in Abuja, to say, Enough is Enough.
These young men and women left school and work, took the day off, went to the National Assembly, and demanded to be heard. Enough is Enough they said. We do not have electricity (we would have said stable electricity but really!), water, and more.
And now, when there isn’t some form of violence in Jos, it is State Houses getting blown up. As if that was not enough, nothing is ever said to us. Not about the state of the President’s health, nor what steps are being put in place.
Enough is Enough was not only a peaceful rally in Abuja. It was also a trending topic on twitter, as those who were there kept those who were not there updated, while those, who could not be there physically, showed their support on the social networking site. There were facebook status updates and notes, and blog posts.
The Nigerian young adult was speaking.
And they were demanding to be heard.
DID they get heard?
Not by the people they were trying to talk to. Sources say the speaker of the House left the building, possibly to avoid speaking with the teeming youth at the gate, who were first cordoned off by police, but managed to fight their way through (peacefully, thankfully).
But they were heard!
They were heard by their peers who were either supported or felt it was a waste of time. They were picked up by conventional media, including Channels Television, this paper, and CNN. And they were definitely heard everywhere else!
They will keep talking. But some say talk is cheap.
The other day on my radio show, I asked a simple question. What can the young person in Nigeria do, to be heard, to get change, to move Nigeria forward?
I will s.h.a.r.e with you some of the answers we got!
• Vote. Even when it feels like it does not matter. Vote. We didn’t vote the last time. So can we really talk now?
• Keep talking. Talk is cheap, and so it should be used. Seminars! Symposiums! Every medium open to us! Talk about it
• Stand for election. This is interesting! For we see young people in law, in music, in movies, in fashion... but where are the policy makers? Where are the young people in governance and politics? (or politricks)
• Pray. Seems so simple, and possibly too simple. But it never hurt anyone to get down on their knees, or stand up, or raise their arms up and just offer up a simple sincere prayer.
• Listen. And learn. So how did we get here? Are we asking? Are we learning? Or are we just accepting the status quo and imbibing the very habits we condemn. How many of those at the rally have paid, will pay, or will collect, a bribe? How many have cheated their fellow man? How many young people abuse the positions they are in? How many people cheat during JAMB? How many? How many pay taxes (even though we do not see the corresponding rewards. If I pay, I should be paid!). How many young adults are truly ready to change the status quo? How can we be a voice where words are short?
THINGS seem futile sometimes, and in all honesty, there are days I sit and wonder what will happen, and how I fit in. But I do know that we cannot fit in by burying our heads in the sand, not speaking out, and hoping it will all blow over.
We must sing, speak, stand. Do something.
And as for Jos... It could happen to any state. So with this, we plead-
• Jos’t stop the violence
• Jos’t keep the peace
• Jos’t see the bigger picture
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
‘Stucked’ and other Nigerian words
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
IN one of his songs, the musician, Lagbaja sings ‘English no be your mother tongue ... so ta bon...’ and sometimes, it seems quite clear that some of us take this seriously and proceed to ‘ta bon’ almost gleefully.
Take for instance the time I first heard this new word, ‘stucked’, I was sure the speaker had made a mistake and was soon going to correct himself, but I waited in vain.
I am sure that if we’d been talking about the weather or something equally mundane, he might have been able to notice his error, but alas as we were talking about our very own ‘man in Purdah’ (to quote a newspaper headline), otherwise known as ‘The ‘Sicking’ President’ (as against ‘The Acting President’), his emotions got the better of him.
‘I really feel for the man. He has been ‘stucked’ to machines and being in one place for over three months now,’ he said.
‘Em, oh yes,’ I muttered mainly to myself as I struggled to unravel and ‘re-piece’ (my Nigerian word) together the sentence.
‘And where did they ‘bought’ the billion naira ambulance for him, eh? They have ‘waste’ so much money,’ he continued as he gesticulated furiously.
By this time, he was getting more agitated and I was sure this could only get worse because usually most of us are less able to control ourselves when we get worked up. I didn’t have very long to wait before he continued.
‘Prices of everything have go up because fuel queues is everywhere, people are died in Jos and the man (otherwise known as ‘The ‘Sicking’ President’) have not even ‘spoke’ to us!’
I quickly found something that needed my urgent attention because trying to decipher what he meant whilst also trying to keep a straight face was almost killing me. As soon as I left, I heard someone else say, ‘Yels oh! The whole something is just ‘disturb’ me!’
LATER that day, my little boy, aged three, asked ‘Mummy did you ‘bought’ this for me?’ and I laughed and laughed especially when I remembered the 40-plus year old man I had been speaking with earlier who could very well have made a sentence like this one.
As I corrected my little boy, I couldn’t help thinking that it just goes to show the level of decay in our educational system along with everything else.
Electricity supply is ‘babbas’ (another Nigerian word), we lack good, affordable healthcare for all, we have arguably the worst roads in this hemisphere, etc.
Last week, I was speechless when I saw the horrible photograph which was making the rounds showing a scene from an accident/robbery attack.
This week the photographs from Jos have been indescribable. To think that we could do this to ourselves is mind-boggling, shocking.
We have so very many issues to deal with in this nation and the last thing we need is a ‘Sleeping President’ who perhaps needs a kiss from his ‘Mrs Charming’ to reawaken.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
ON Tuesday, March 16, several young men and women travelled to Abuja, and joined those already in Abuja, to say, Enough is Enough.
These young men and women left school and work, took the day off, went to the National Assembly, and demanded to be heard. Enough is Enough they said. We do not have electricity (we would have said stable electricity but really!), water, and more.
And now, when there isn’t some form of violence in Jos, it is State Houses getting blown up. As if that was not enough, nothing is ever said to us. Not about the state of the President’s health, nor what steps are being put in place.
Enough is Enough was not only a peaceful rally in Abuja. It was also a trending topic on twitter, as those who were there kept those who were not there updated, while those, who could not be there physically, showed their support on the social networking site. There were facebook status updates and notes, and blog posts.
The Nigerian young adult was speaking.
And they were demanding to be heard.
DID they get heard?
Not by the people they were trying to talk to. Sources say the speaker of the House left the building, possibly to avoid speaking with the teeming youth at the gate, who were first cordoned off by police, but managed to fight their way through (peacefully, thankfully).
But they were heard!
They were heard by their peers who were either supported or felt it was a waste of time. They were picked up by conventional media, including Channels Television, this paper, and CNN. And they were definitely heard everywhere else!
They will keep talking. But some say talk is cheap.
The other day on my radio show, I asked a simple question. What can the young person in Nigeria do, to be heard, to get change, to move Nigeria forward?
I will s.h.a.r.e with you some of the answers we got!
• Vote. Even when it feels like it does not matter. Vote. We didn’t vote the last time. So can we really talk now?
• Keep talking. Talk is cheap, and so it should be used. Seminars! Symposiums! Every medium open to us! Talk about it
• Stand for election. This is interesting! For we see young people in law, in music, in movies, in fashion... but where are the policy makers? Where are the young people in governance and politics? (or politricks)
• Pray. Seems so simple, and possibly too simple. But it never hurt anyone to get down on their knees, or stand up, or raise their arms up and just offer up a simple sincere prayer.
• Listen. And learn. So how did we get here? Are we asking? Are we learning? Or are we just accepting the status quo and imbibing the very habits we condemn. How many of those at the rally have paid, will pay, or will collect, a bribe? How many have cheated their fellow man? How many young people abuse the positions they are in? How many people cheat during JAMB? How many? How many pay taxes (even though we do not see the corresponding rewards. If I pay, I should be paid!). How many young adults are truly ready to change the status quo? How can we be a voice where words are short?
THINGS seem futile sometimes, and in all honesty, there are days I sit and wonder what will happen, and how I fit in. But I do know that we cannot fit in by burying our heads in the sand, not speaking out, and hoping it will all blow over.
We must sing, speak, stand. Do something.
And as for Jos... It could happen to any state. So with this, we plead-
• Jos’t stop the violence
• Jos’t keep the peace
• Jos’t see the bigger picture
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
‘Stucked’ and other Nigerian words
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
IN one of his songs, the musician, Lagbaja sings ‘English no be your mother tongue ... so ta bon...’ and sometimes, it seems quite clear that some of us take this seriously and proceed to ‘ta bon’ almost gleefully.
Take for instance the time I first heard this new word, ‘stucked’, I was sure the speaker had made a mistake and was soon going to correct himself, but I waited in vain.
I am sure that if we’d been talking about the weather or something equally mundane, he might have been able to notice his error, but alas as we were talking about our very own ‘man in Purdah’ (to quote a newspaper headline), otherwise known as ‘The ‘Sicking’ President’ (as against ‘The Acting President’), his emotions got the better of him.
‘I really feel for the man. He has been ‘stucked’ to machines and being in one place for over three months now,’ he said.
‘Em, oh yes,’ I muttered mainly to myself as I struggled to unravel and ‘re-piece’ (my Nigerian word) together the sentence.
‘And where did they ‘bought’ the billion naira ambulance for him, eh? They have ‘waste’ so much money,’ he continued as he gesticulated furiously.
By this time, he was getting more agitated and I was sure this could only get worse because usually most of us are less able to control ourselves when we get worked up. I didn’t have very long to wait before he continued.
‘Prices of everything have go up because fuel queues is everywhere, people are died in Jos and the man (otherwise known as ‘The ‘Sicking’ President’) have not even ‘spoke’ to us!’
I quickly found something that needed my urgent attention because trying to decipher what he meant whilst also trying to keep a straight face was almost killing me. As soon as I left, I heard someone else say, ‘Yels oh! The whole something is just ‘disturb’ me!’
LATER that day, my little boy, aged three, asked ‘Mummy did you ‘bought’ this for me?’ and I laughed and laughed especially when I remembered the 40-plus year old man I had been speaking with earlier who could very well have made a sentence like this one.
As I corrected my little boy, I couldn’t help thinking that it just goes to show the level of decay in our educational system along with everything else.
Electricity supply is ‘babbas’ (another Nigerian word), we lack good, affordable healthcare for all, we have arguably the worst roads in this hemisphere, etc.
Last week, I was speechless when I saw the horrible photograph which was making the rounds showing a scene from an accident/robbery attack.
This week the photographs from Jos have been indescribable. To think that we could do this to ourselves is mind-boggling, shocking.
We have so very many issues to deal with in this nation and the last thing we need is a ‘Sleeping President’ who perhaps needs a kiss from his ‘Mrs Charming’ to reawaken.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Fruit juice packaging business... A money-spinner
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
Business Description
Fruit juice packaging business products made from choice fruits to the delight, entertainment, health and nutrition of consumers. Start-up cost as low as N10 million or more depending on the size of investment.
Can be jointly carried out with packaged water, as the machines for both businesses are almost similar.
• Potential first year earnings: N24 million
• Breakeven time from initial investment: very rapid (can be between 1 to 2 years)
• Future growth potential: very high
• Dynamic, fast-growing industry
• Possible for Small business or Cooperative-based organisations
• Not much staffing required, especially at the beginning
Now, the interesting world of fruit juice business is a whole breadth of product lines ranging from blackberry, apple, orange, pineapple, tangerine, banana, guava, mango, lemon, grape, coconut flavours/products, etc, or a combination of two or more of these fruits.
Fruit juice business in Nigeria
Nigeria is blessed with fruits of various shades, colours, names, multiple nutritional values, tastes, and health composition. However, we have not been able as a nation and people to exploit our fruit juice industry to the maximum.
My colleague and his mother visited their village in the eastern part of the country recently and he discovered that the grandmother’s orchard, which had been abandoned by the woman’s children — since every one of them now resides in the city — was littered with ripe but rotting fruit wasting away on the ground.
Fortunately, he and his mother were able to salvage some ripe ones on some of the trees, which they brought back to Lagos. The story is the same everywhere. We are wasting resources as a nation in every sphere of our human life. From Benue (which is incidentally, the Food Basket of the Nation) to Bayelsa, Aba to Abeokuta, our fruits are wasting away and denying us of the monetary and nutritional values they would have given us as a nation, industry and peoples. Fruit juice business therefore is an investor’s haven, as there are still untapped markets and opportunities in that industry.
Fruit juice products market
This market consists of three often-overlapping product classifications: Storage method, flavour, and juice content. The storage method classification includes refrigerated, shelf-stable bottled, frozen concentrate, aseptic, canned, frozen fruit juice bars, and shelf-stable liquid concentrate.
The flavour classification includes orange juice, fruit drink, apple juice, fruit juice blends, grapefruit juice (including 100 per cent grapefruit juice and grapefruit juice cocktails), tomato/vegetable juice, lemonade (including limeade), and grape juice. The juice content classification includes 100 per cent fruit juices and fruit drinks.
Packaged fruit market
The packaged fruit market consists of four product categories: Canned and bottled fruit; dried fruit; frozen fruit; and maraschino cherries. The canned and bottled category includes applesauce, peaches, pineapple, mixed fruit, pears, cranberry sauce, and citrus. The dried fruit category includes raisins, other mixed fruit, prunes, dates, and glazed fruit.
bridgetolotu@gmail.com
The Devil’s Highway
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
SOME years ago, when I first started writing this column, I found myself often having to explain what it was all about.
After a while, I was able to fine-tune my response to questions about the column by saying, “Just Life”, is about life even if only it’s from my perspective. Some weeks I might find, really quite easily, topics to write about but some weeks are tougher. Some weeks all I have to do is just go about my normal daily stuff and usually something happens which can be built into a story. Some weeks I get the proverbial ‘writer’s block’ and need to really work at getting a story out.
I have also found that whilst some issues can be looked at humorously, some cannot. Issues like child abuse, breast cancer and a few others are really quite serious and should be treated as such.
Now, last week has been particularly tough because I came across something so horrifying I was left speechless. I, like many other Nigerians, came across the shockingly gory photograph of the robbery incident along Lagos-Benin Expressway, which many have said should be renamed ‘The Devil’s Highway’.
I don’t know how that would sound, you know, would anyone of us want to say to anyone ‘Oh, I’ll be travelling on ‘The Devil’s Highway’ tomorrow’? I know I wouldn’t.
IT was such a shock to see the extent some otherwise supposedly ‘happy’ Nigerians among us were willing to go to get money and how merciless they could be to those who didn’t have any.
The irony was that the robbers (who usually are thought to be people pushed by desperate circumstances to crime) could not find it in their hearts to have pity on those whose situation may very well be the same or similar to theirs. But then again, which robber (except perhaps Robin Hood) could be said to have a heart?
Some reports state that the photograph is actually an accident scene and not a robbery attack. Whatever it is, the fact is it’s horrible to even imagine such a thing could actually have happened.
For a long time now Nigerians have complained about the deplorable state of the road and the regularity that brutal armed robbery attacks occur on that stretch of road.
Not much has been done about it. Do we need Einstein to tell us that without jobs for the unemployed, security measures put in place and a provision of basic needs for all, this mayhem will continue?
And when we talk about more security on that road we do not necessarily mean more police checkpoints. There are already too many as is and all the policemen seem to be doing is lining their pockets and filling their stomachs.
PERHAPS, the government awaits a time when Nicodemus will predict the death of a few more thousand souls, which will hopefully include a few ministers and a handful of governors, perhaps, something will then be done.
But since this isn’t likely to happen, is there going to be any action then? We can do little else but to wait and see.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
Business Description
Fruit juice packaging business products made from choice fruits to the delight, entertainment, health and nutrition of consumers. Start-up cost as low as N10 million or more depending on the size of investment.
Can be jointly carried out with packaged water, as the machines for both businesses are almost similar.
• Potential first year earnings: N24 million
• Breakeven time from initial investment: very rapid (can be between 1 to 2 years)
• Future growth potential: very high
• Dynamic, fast-growing industry
• Possible for Small business or Cooperative-based organisations
• Not much staffing required, especially at the beginning
Now, the interesting world of fruit juice business is a whole breadth of product lines ranging from blackberry, apple, orange, pineapple, tangerine, banana, guava, mango, lemon, grape, coconut flavours/products, etc, or a combination of two or more of these fruits.
Fruit juice business in Nigeria
Nigeria is blessed with fruits of various shades, colours, names, multiple nutritional values, tastes, and health composition. However, we have not been able as a nation and people to exploit our fruit juice industry to the maximum.
My colleague and his mother visited their village in the eastern part of the country recently and he discovered that the grandmother’s orchard, which had been abandoned by the woman’s children — since every one of them now resides in the city — was littered with ripe but rotting fruit wasting away on the ground.
Fortunately, he and his mother were able to salvage some ripe ones on some of the trees, which they brought back to Lagos. The story is the same everywhere. We are wasting resources as a nation in every sphere of our human life. From Benue (which is incidentally, the Food Basket of the Nation) to Bayelsa, Aba to Abeokuta, our fruits are wasting away and denying us of the monetary and nutritional values they would have given us as a nation, industry and peoples. Fruit juice business therefore is an investor’s haven, as there are still untapped markets and opportunities in that industry.
Fruit juice products market
This market consists of three often-overlapping product classifications: Storage method, flavour, and juice content. The storage method classification includes refrigerated, shelf-stable bottled, frozen concentrate, aseptic, canned, frozen fruit juice bars, and shelf-stable liquid concentrate.
The flavour classification includes orange juice, fruit drink, apple juice, fruit juice blends, grapefruit juice (including 100 per cent grapefruit juice and grapefruit juice cocktails), tomato/vegetable juice, lemonade (including limeade), and grape juice. The juice content classification includes 100 per cent fruit juices and fruit drinks.
Packaged fruit market
The packaged fruit market consists of four product categories: Canned and bottled fruit; dried fruit; frozen fruit; and maraschino cherries. The canned and bottled category includes applesauce, peaches, pineapple, mixed fruit, pears, cranberry sauce, and citrus. The dried fruit category includes raisins, other mixed fruit, prunes, dates, and glazed fruit.
bridgetolotu@gmail.com
The Devil’s Highway
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
SOME years ago, when I first started writing this column, I found myself often having to explain what it was all about.
After a while, I was able to fine-tune my response to questions about the column by saying, “Just Life”, is about life even if only it’s from my perspective. Some weeks I might find, really quite easily, topics to write about but some weeks are tougher. Some weeks all I have to do is just go about my normal daily stuff and usually something happens which can be built into a story. Some weeks I get the proverbial ‘writer’s block’ and need to really work at getting a story out.
I have also found that whilst some issues can be looked at humorously, some cannot. Issues like child abuse, breast cancer and a few others are really quite serious and should be treated as such.
Now, last week has been particularly tough because I came across something so horrifying I was left speechless. I, like many other Nigerians, came across the shockingly gory photograph of the robbery incident along Lagos-Benin Expressway, which many have said should be renamed ‘The Devil’s Highway’.
I don’t know how that would sound, you know, would anyone of us want to say to anyone ‘Oh, I’ll be travelling on ‘The Devil’s Highway’ tomorrow’? I know I wouldn’t.
IT was such a shock to see the extent some otherwise supposedly ‘happy’ Nigerians among us were willing to go to get money and how merciless they could be to those who didn’t have any.
The irony was that the robbers (who usually are thought to be people pushed by desperate circumstances to crime) could not find it in their hearts to have pity on those whose situation may very well be the same or similar to theirs. But then again, which robber (except perhaps Robin Hood) could be said to have a heart?
Some reports state that the photograph is actually an accident scene and not a robbery attack. Whatever it is, the fact is it’s horrible to even imagine such a thing could actually have happened.
For a long time now Nigerians have complained about the deplorable state of the road and the regularity that brutal armed robbery attacks occur on that stretch of road.
Not much has been done about it. Do we need Einstein to tell us that without jobs for the unemployed, security measures put in place and a provision of basic needs for all, this mayhem will continue?
And when we talk about more security on that road we do not necessarily mean more police checkpoints. There are already too many as is and all the policemen seem to be doing is lining their pockets and filling their stomachs.
PERHAPS, the government awaits a time when Nicodemus will predict the death of a few more thousand souls, which will hopefully include a few ministers and a handful of governors, perhaps, something will then be done.
But since this isn’t likely to happen, is there going to be any action then? We can do little else but to wait and see.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Charades
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
CHARADES, believed to have its origins in 18th-century France, is a classic party game that’s generally fun for all ages. It is a game of pantomimes where you have to “act out” a phrase without speaking, while the other members of your team try to guess what the phrase is as quickly as they can. Whichever team guesses an agreed number of phrases correctly in the shortest possible time wins.
Phrases chosen are usually titles of books, TV shows or movies, or famous quotes and sayings.
These are written on individual pieces of paper, which are then folded and then put in separate bowls, one each for each team.
Team members each take turns picking these pieces of paper from the other team’s bowl; you read its contents to yourself and then without speaking, help your team try to guess the title by giving gestures, clues and signals till a member of your team guesses the title or time runs out.
Sometimes in our day to day life we play games very much similar to ‘charades’ especially in relationships and office politics. Women, especially, are usually guiltier of this as half the time they leave men guessing, only telling them when they are ready what is on their minds.
These days we have come to see that our politicians’ (and those around them) can also be really good at playing ‘charades’. I, mean who would have thought that anyone could keep us all guessing for almost ninety days about the state of anyone’s health!
WE, Nigerians haven’t had too many clues about what is wrong with the President, what state he is in etc but with the little we’ve been given, a lot of guesses have been made by virtually everyone.
Pity though that no one has come forward to tell us if we are right or wrong. When after an embarrassingly long delay, our ‘representatives’ went to visit him, they were turned away. Perhaps the doctors caring for Mr. President didn’t take them seriously!
After all, who goes to visit a sick boss, friend, etc months after the said sick person was hospitalised?!
The fact that there has been no word directly from Mr. President doesn’t help matters much and the fact that nothing has been done to refute or dispel the rumours (and they are many) is worrying, to say the least.
And, although South South leaders have been reported to have strongly condemned the way President Umaru Yar’Adua was brought into the country (he was brought in the dark because there was a power outage at the airport) without informing the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan or us, the common Nigerian, the only response we’ve had (as at the time of writing this) has been that press statement released by the Special Assistant to the President on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi made on Wednesday. In the said press statement Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was pointedly referred to as ‘Vice President’.
THIS game of ‘Charades’ being played really shouldn’t go on for much longer. How difficult can it be to tell us all what the true situation is so we can make necessary changes and move on? Unless of course some are afraid of the outcome of those changes and would rather leave things as they are, which is ultimately, us with two heads, one visible and the other invisible but very much in control, it would seem. A headless body is as much of a monstrosity as a two-headed body.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Five things we wonder
(Strictly for the young)
My friend lives in America. We have not met officially ever. I cannot shake his hands, and he cannot touch my face. But we see. You see, there is this thing called a webcam. I know what he looks like because we have pictures of each other. And just the other day, we spoke. On the phone. And also online. You see, technology (or, te ki ina lo ji) is a special thing. Even when someone is far away, you can still be in touch. It doesn’t matter if they are ill, or healthy, young or old, follower or leader. The issue is, when will we admit that in this day and age, with the leaps and bounds being taken technology-wise, confirmation and communication are just clicks away.
• “I am the Minister of Information and I have no information”. When great quotes are made and re-quoted through the years, I doubt the speaker thought they had stumbled on something that would last. And Professor Dora Akunyili might have said many things that fateful day when she spoke up and out about the current situation with the President, but the one we will all take away is that simple sentence, which was criticism, condemnation and plea all summed up together.
• So how did the interview process for the new Super Eagles Technical Advisor go? Were they given times, made to sit outside an office and then ask their interests and hobbies? Did they wear suit and ties? And how did the negotiation go, I wonder? And why are we paying so much? And will we win the World Cup? And Congo? Really? Really?!
• How can one person make a difference? How can you make a difference? You could write a book, sign a petition, buy a teeshirt, join a walk, tweet, donate your status update, pray, talk about it, cry about it, write a letter, go to Taruwa, call a radio station, talk to someone... The point is, the things we care about might seem bigger than we are... But all it ever takes is one.
• Why was ‘We Are the World’ remade, if they could not be bothered to keep the heart and intention of the original song? Why did Justin Bieber start that song and get a solo? Why was there autotune? Why did all the rap artistes on that track actually deliver such a weak rap? If you are not going to do it well or better, then don’t do it at all. We will admit though that watching the video makes the song a little easier to listen to. But we don’t care.
And there you have it folks. Our random things to wonder about on an average Sunday like this!
It’s a few weeks to Jeans for Genes 2 so please support the cause!!!
www.thesegenes.blogspot.com, tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
CHARADES, believed to have its origins in 18th-century France, is a classic party game that’s generally fun for all ages. It is a game of pantomimes where you have to “act out” a phrase without speaking, while the other members of your team try to guess what the phrase is as quickly as they can. Whichever team guesses an agreed number of phrases correctly in the shortest possible time wins.
Phrases chosen are usually titles of books, TV shows or movies, or famous quotes and sayings.
These are written on individual pieces of paper, which are then folded and then put in separate bowls, one each for each team.
Team members each take turns picking these pieces of paper from the other team’s bowl; you read its contents to yourself and then without speaking, help your team try to guess the title by giving gestures, clues and signals till a member of your team guesses the title or time runs out.
Sometimes in our day to day life we play games very much similar to ‘charades’ especially in relationships and office politics. Women, especially, are usually guiltier of this as half the time they leave men guessing, only telling them when they are ready what is on their minds.
These days we have come to see that our politicians’ (and those around them) can also be really good at playing ‘charades’. I, mean who would have thought that anyone could keep us all guessing for almost ninety days about the state of anyone’s health!
WE, Nigerians haven’t had too many clues about what is wrong with the President, what state he is in etc but with the little we’ve been given, a lot of guesses have been made by virtually everyone.
Pity though that no one has come forward to tell us if we are right or wrong. When after an embarrassingly long delay, our ‘representatives’ went to visit him, they were turned away. Perhaps the doctors caring for Mr. President didn’t take them seriously!
After all, who goes to visit a sick boss, friend, etc months after the said sick person was hospitalised?!
The fact that there has been no word directly from Mr. President doesn’t help matters much and the fact that nothing has been done to refute or dispel the rumours (and they are many) is worrying, to say the least.
And, although South South leaders have been reported to have strongly condemned the way President Umaru Yar’Adua was brought into the country (he was brought in the dark because there was a power outage at the airport) without informing the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan or us, the common Nigerian, the only response we’ve had (as at the time of writing this) has been that press statement released by the Special Assistant to the President on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi made on Wednesday. In the said press statement Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was pointedly referred to as ‘Vice President’.
THIS game of ‘Charades’ being played really shouldn’t go on for much longer. How difficult can it be to tell us all what the true situation is so we can make necessary changes and move on? Unless of course some are afraid of the outcome of those changes and would rather leave things as they are, which is ultimately, us with two heads, one visible and the other invisible but very much in control, it would seem. A headless body is as much of a monstrosity as a two-headed body.
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Five things we wonder
(Strictly for the young)
My friend lives in America. We have not met officially ever. I cannot shake his hands, and he cannot touch my face. But we see. You see, there is this thing called a webcam. I know what he looks like because we have pictures of each other. And just the other day, we spoke. On the phone. And also online. You see, technology (or, te ki ina lo ji) is a special thing. Even when someone is far away, you can still be in touch. It doesn’t matter if they are ill, or healthy, young or old, follower or leader. The issue is, when will we admit that in this day and age, with the leaps and bounds being taken technology-wise, confirmation and communication are just clicks away.
• “I am the Minister of Information and I have no information”. When great quotes are made and re-quoted through the years, I doubt the speaker thought they had stumbled on something that would last. And Professor Dora Akunyili might have said many things that fateful day when she spoke up and out about the current situation with the President, but the one we will all take away is that simple sentence, which was criticism, condemnation and plea all summed up together.
• So how did the interview process for the new Super Eagles Technical Advisor go? Were they given times, made to sit outside an office and then ask their interests and hobbies? Did they wear suit and ties? And how did the negotiation go, I wonder? And why are we paying so much? And will we win the World Cup? And Congo? Really? Really?!
• How can one person make a difference? How can you make a difference? You could write a book, sign a petition, buy a teeshirt, join a walk, tweet, donate your status update, pray, talk about it, cry about it, write a letter, go to Taruwa, call a radio station, talk to someone... The point is, the things we care about might seem bigger than we are... But all it ever takes is one.
• Why was ‘We Are the World’ remade, if they could not be bothered to keep the heart and intention of the original song? Why did Justin Bieber start that song and get a solo? Why was there autotune? Why did all the rap artistes on that track actually deliver such a weak rap? If you are not going to do it well or better, then don’t do it at all. We will admit though that watching the video makes the song a little easier to listen to. But we don’t care.
And there you have it folks. Our random things to wonder about on an average Sunday like this!
It’s a few weeks to Jeans for Genes 2 so please support the cause!!!
www.thesegenes.blogspot.com, tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
The A – Z of water packaging business
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
LAT week, we started a discussion on water packaging business, here is the conclusion of the series: Water Purification Technology
The packaged water business requires a high level of water purification so consumers’ health wouldn’t be compromised for monetary considerations. Those already in this business and those venturing into it could utilise the latest water purification system called Reverse Osmosis Purification System.
This system removes all contaminants, odour, harmful chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and totally dissolves solids and pathogens. It has been discovered that chlorinated water is carcinogenic. The US Council of Environmental Quality says that the risk of having cancer is 93 per cent high among people who drink water treated with chlorine.
Gradually, concerns are being raised as to the hazards created by chlorine-treated water as research now shows that not only does chlorinated water cause cancer, it also leads to immune system impairment, diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, hormonal imbalances and reproductive dysfunction in men and women.
It is therefore of utmost importance that those going into or already in packaged water business should mind the health of the consumers and upgrade their technology, totally eliminating the use of chlorine as is now done by the Coca-Cola company in Europe, Namibia, and the US and some other parts of the world.
Target Market for Packaged Water Products: The target market for packaged water products includes everyone, from the young to the old. It covers school children, workers, schools, business places, worship centers, marketplaces, eateries, posh and local restaurants, formal gatherings and events, parties and celebrations.
Technical and other requirements: Organisations that are into packaged water are to seek registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is the regulatory agency in the country that monitors and controls the food and drugs sector. NAFDAC insists that water and water-based industries must not be close to a cemetery, abattoir, petrol station, refuse dump, sewage system, saw mill, etc.
Owners of this business need to get clearance from NAFDAC before commencing production. The technical and architecture of the business will determine its overall success. For instance, in this business, the owner needs bottling/sacheting water machines, a factory environment for production, cloak room, packaging material room, finished product room, a water treatment plant (using preferably Reverse Osmosis Purification System), borehole or a water source, and so on.
Income Potentials: Let’s take for instance Lagos State with an unofficial population of about 18 million people (from the Lagos State website). If 85 per cent of this number patronise packaged water products, what we have will be 15.5 million potential customers. If 75 per cent of the market take sachet water, then the number comes to approximately 12 million, while 3.5 million represent those who take bottled water.
If your business captures 1 per cent of the sachet water market, you will be serving 120,000 customers. If every day, each one takes three sachets of water on the average, we are talking about 360,000 sachets.
Since a bag of sachet water contains 20, this means you’ll be selling 18,000 sachet water bags daily.
If the cost of producing a bag is N40 and you’re giving it out at N55, you’ll be making N15 per bag as profit and N270,000 daily.
For a 24-working day period in a month, you will be talking about N6.48million as profit monthly and N58.32 million for a nine-month business year (factoring in the rainy season).
If you achieve 50 per cent of your income potential in the first year, you’ll be talking about N29 million profit. I have not worked out the income and returns on bottled water.
You however need a good and comprehensive business plan to show you how to effectively market and promote your packaged water products, build a strong and effective business and technical architecture and evolve a workable corporate strategy for overall business success, competitive advantage and customer growth.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
How to get what you really want
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
IN life, you can really get all the good things you want like buying a new car, building a new house, getting an award, finding your true love, and the list goes on.
The tips I will show you are simple, but effective to help you get what you really want in life. The tips are determination, vision and focus.
Determination: One day, a disciple asked a wise man what it takes to obtain wisdom. The sage led the disciple to a river and plunged his head under water. After a few seconds, his anxious follower began struggling, afraid that he was going to drown. But the teacher continued to hold his head under water. The student’s struggle grew harder.
Finally, the wise man let him go just before he would have drowned and asked him, “When your head was under water, what did you want most?” “To breathe,” the frightened boy answered. “Well, there you have it.”
How bad do you want to succeed? Understand that there are different levels of determination. To be among the top 10 people in your field, you need a red-hot desire. The proof of your determination is dependent on the amount of comfort you are willing to sacrifice, to achieve your dreams.
Vision: Paint a picture of your future. The first time I was asked what I’d like to be in future, I replied that I would like to be a medical doctor. I usually picture myself then putting on a white overcoat with my stethoscope to diagnose patients. Today, I am an emotional doctor. That’s what life coaches are.
A life coach is a healer. He/she helps others to determine their emotional problems by asking open-ended questions and let the ‘coachee’ come up with his/her own unique solution.
Determine your life vision. While growing up, the charming, easy-going and humble youngman D’banj had one major ambition: To be the biggest living African artiste in the world. By and large, today, he has achieved his ambition. D’banj has recorded songs with notable artistes such as Ruggedman, Dare Art Alade, Sasha, JJC and 419 squad and others. He has also performed alongside international artistes like Bennie Man, Wayne Wonder, Ja Rule, Nas and Nelly.
Once you have a vision for your life, just like D’banj, then you need to focus on that vision, taking one step at a time towards its attainment.
Focus: To focus means to bring to view or concentrate on an image. If a photographer does not focus on the image, he/she will only produce a blurred picture.
Focus on your focus. D’banj is one artiste that has mastered the art of focusing on one thing at a time. That is the ‘koko.’ The ‘koko’ as used by D’banj is his focus at the moment. The ‘koko’ can be powerfist, Globacom, a new product, a nite club, or simply an event.
When you focus on your focus, people will focus on you. “A trained genius can never be hidden.” ( E.W. Kenyon).
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
LAT week, we started a discussion on water packaging business, here is the conclusion of the series: Water Purification Technology
The packaged water business requires a high level of water purification so consumers’ health wouldn’t be compromised for monetary considerations. Those already in this business and those venturing into it could utilise the latest water purification system called Reverse Osmosis Purification System.
This system removes all contaminants, odour, harmful chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and totally dissolves solids and pathogens. It has been discovered that chlorinated water is carcinogenic. The US Council of Environmental Quality says that the risk of having cancer is 93 per cent high among people who drink water treated with chlorine.
Gradually, concerns are being raised as to the hazards created by chlorine-treated water as research now shows that not only does chlorinated water cause cancer, it also leads to immune system impairment, diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, hormonal imbalances and reproductive dysfunction in men and women.
It is therefore of utmost importance that those going into or already in packaged water business should mind the health of the consumers and upgrade their technology, totally eliminating the use of chlorine as is now done by the Coca-Cola company in Europe, Namibia, and the US and some other parts of the world.
Target Market for Packaged Water Products: The target market for packaged water products includes everyone, from the young to the old. It covers school children, workers, schools, business places, worship centers, marketplaces, eateries, posh and local restaurants, formal gatherings and events, parties and celebrations.
Technical and other requirements: Organisations that are into packaged water are to seek registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is the regulatory agency in the country that monitors and controls the food and drugs sector. NAFDAC insists that water and water-based industries must not be close to a cemetery, abattoir, petrol station, refuse dump, sewage system, saw mill, etc.
Owners of this business need to get clearance from NAFDAC before commencing production. The technical and architecture of the business will determine its overall success. For instance, in this business, the owner needs bottling/sacheting water machines, a factory environment for production, cloak room, packaging material room, finished product room, a water treatment plant (using preferably Reverse Osmosis Purification System), borehole or a water source, and so on.
Income Potentials: Let’s take for instance Lagos State with an unofficial population of about 18 million people (from the Lagos State website). If 85 per cent of this number patronise packaged water products, what we have will be 15.5 million potential customers. If 75 per cent of the market take sachet water, then the number comes to approximately 12 million, while 3.5 million represent those who take bottled water.
If your business captures 1 per cent of the sachet water market, you will be serving 120,000 customers. If every day, each one takes three sachets of water on the average, we are talking about 360,000 sachets.
Since a bag of sachet water contains 20, this means you’ll be selling 18,000 sachet water bags daily.
If the cost of producing a bag is N40 and you’re giving it out at N55, you’ll be making N15 per bag as profit and N270,000 daily.
For a 24-working day period in a month, you will be talking about N6.48million as profit monthly and N58.32 million for a nine-month business year (factoring in the rainy season).
If you achieve 50 per cent of your income potential in the first year, you’ll be talking about N29 million profit. I have not worked out the income and returns on bottled water.
You however need a good and comprehensive business plan to show you how to effectively market and promote your packaged water products, build a strong and effective business and technical architecture and evolve a workable corporate strategy for overall business success, competitive advantage and customer growth.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
How to get what you really want
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
IN life, you can really get all the good things you want like buying a new car, building a new house, getting an award, finding your true love, and the list goes on.
The tips I will show you are simple, but effective to help you get what you really want in life. The tips are determination, vision and focus.
Determination: One day, a disciple asked a wise man what it takes to obtain wisdom. The sage led the disciple to a river and plunged his head under water. After a few seconds, his anxious follower began struggling, afraid that he was going to drown. But the teacher continued to hold his head under water. The student’s struggle grew harder.
Finally, the wise man let him go just before he would have drowned and asked him, “When your head was under water, what did you want most?” “To breathe,” the frightened boy answered. “Well, there you have it.”
How bad do you want to succeed? Understand that there are different levels of determination. To be among the top 10 people in your field, you need a red-hot desire. The proof of your determination is dependent on the amount of comfort you are willing to sacrifice, to achieve your dreams.
Vision: Paint a picture of your future. The first time I was asked what I’d like to be in future, I replied that I would like to be a medical doctor. I usually picture myself then putting on a white overcoat with my stethoscope to diagnose patients. Today, I am an emotional doctor. That’s what life coaches are.
A life coach is a healer. He/she helps others to determine their emotional problems by asking open-ended questions and let the ‘coachee’ come up with his/her own unique solution.
Determine your life vision. While growing up, the charming, easy-going and humble youngman D’banj had one major ambition: To be the biggest living African artiste in the world. By and large, today, he has achieved his ambition. D’banj has recorded songs with notable artistes such as Ruggedman, Dare Art Alade, Sasha, JJC and 419 squad and others. He has also performed alongside international artistes like Bennie Man, Wayne Wonder, Ja Rule, Nas and Nelly.
Once you have a vision for your life, just like D’banj, then you need to focus on that vision, taking one step at a time towards its attainment.
Focus: To focus means to bring to view or concentrate on an image. If a photographer does not focus on the image, he/she will only produce a blurred picture.
Focus on your focus. D’banj is one artiste that has mastered the art of focusing on one thing at a time. That is the ‘koko.’ The ‘koko’ as used by D’banj is his focus at the moment. The ‘koko’ can be powerfist, Globacom, a new product, a nite club, or simply an event.
When you focus on your focus, people will focus on you. “A trained genius can never be hidden.” ( E.W. Kenyon).
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Simple ways to discover your true lov
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
ONE of the greatest emotions in this world is that of love. When a person is in love, he/she will begin to side-rule some of his/her personal principles to accommodate the other person’s behaviour and attitude.
It is even believed that nothing is wrong when love is right. One of the greatest sources of happiness is seeing and being around those you love.
Today, as you think of actualising your plans of taking your prince charming or Cinderella out for a lunch or dinner with your gift romantically wrapped with ribbons alongside your scintillating rose flower, it is important that you understand that you were created to discover, develop and deploy your true love.
Remember your first love. For some girls, their first love lingers on their mind and they polish that memory when they retire to their bed at night and fantasize. It is believed that first love never dies.
Trigger your childhood memories. Once in a while when someone books a coaching session with me to get direction on how to find their bearing in life, I ask them if they can remember what they were good at childhood.
The truth is that you can develop your ‘childhood talent’ into a skill and make money by doing what you love.
Don’t be too much in haste. There are times that a guy is too desperate to get a girl. For this reason, he may be choking the girl by not giving her a breathing space, and that will have a negative effect. In real life, you have to learn how to follow due process. Every product will need to pass through a process; otherwise, the output will be bad. Don’t be worried because you don’t know what you live for. You can employ the services of a professional life coach to help you discover, develop and deploy your talents.
What belongs to you is yours. When you find out that a girl is giving you unnecessary problems, it could be an indication that you are with the wrong person. That is why it is better to make your friend become your life partner than to make your soulmate become your friend.
Don’t over-labour yourself. Once you realize that you are over-labouring yourself that could be an indication that you are in the wrong place. Your job is meant to bring you joy. If what your present job brings does not make you fulfilled, then, perhaps, you are doing someone else’s job.
Find your place. Every animal has a natural habitat. A fish cannot fly. When a fish is in the pond, it does not struggle for survival. It survives naturally. But once the fish is outside the pond, it will start struggling for survival. So if you don’t want to struggle for the rest of your life, carve your own niche.
Love grows. It is believed that communication, togetherness, and understanding are the backbone of every relationship. When there is chemistry between two people, staying together will make the love grow.
Spend time to develop your talent. Your talent is like raw gold, and it has no usefulness until it has been processed. Your talent will not make you successful until you develop it into a skill.
Make sacrifices. One proof of love is the degree of sacrifices you can make for the person you love. When you discover your talent, then you need to make sacrifices to develop that talent. Don’t kid yourself. In the words of the defunct Plantation Boiz “The road is rough and tough but you have to be strong, hold on to your dreams in what you do.”
Success is a habit. I realized that the easiest way I can advance my career is by developing my skill habitually. That is I’m always attending seminars, going for training, buying self-help books and listening to tapes. You too can advance you career. You have all it takes to make yourself a success. Take charge!
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
The A – Z of water packaging business
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
Whatever business you intend starting must come from within you. It must stir you up from the inside. However, you can also get some insights into what kind of business to go into by reading up on sample businesses like the series we are running now. In fact, as one professional put it, “Many individuals are not really sure of what business to start – but they know they’re in love with the concept of entrepreneurship. If you aren’t positive which business to start, don’t apologise: As long as you pour the same enthusiasm into a venture once you pick your star, you can be as successful as the individual who always knew which field to enter.”
Snapshot of Business: Water packaging business provides packaged water products to quench the daily thirst of people. This business is an evergreen type because it will continue to be relevant as long as there is human civilisation. Even as you read this piece, you might be sipping a packaged water product.
• Start-up cost as low as N10 million or more depending on the size of investment
• Potential first year earnings: N30 million
• Breakeven time from initial investment: very rapid (can be between one to two years)
• Future growth potential: very high
• Dynamic, fast-growing industry
• Possible for small business or cooperative-based organisations
• Not much staffing required especially at the beginning
Background to business
The Earth has 1,386,000,000 km3 of water total but only 2.5 percent of that is fresh water (i.e. 35,029,000 km3 or 9,254,661,800 gallons of fresh water).
Why is fluid important?
Water is essential for the growth and maintenance of our bodies and is an important component in the diet. The British Dietetic Association guidelines state that an average adult should consume 2.5 litres of water of which 1.8 litres (or 5 x 330 ml cans; 7 x 250 ml glasses) must be in fluid form, the remainder being obtained from foods. For children to maintain their correct water level of 60 to 70 per cent body weight, they need to consume up to 2 litres of fluid every day. This intake needs to be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity in order to avoid dehydration.
What are the effects of dehydration?
Dehydration is caused by consuming too little fluid and can cause symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration. Adults eliminate around 2.5 litres of water per day, through urine, perspiration and respiration. In children, this varies greatly according to the outside temperature, age and activity level of the child, as well as other factors. Children do not instinctively drink enough to replenish the fluids lost during prolonged activity or play periods and evidence has shown that they consequently become dehydrated. Research has shown that children are more likely to drink sufficient liquid to replace lost fluids and maintain hydration during activity when presented with flavoured beverages.
What are our main sources of fluid in the diet?
The body gets its water from three sources:
• Water itself or in beverages;
• Water in solid foods, which contains wide ranging amounts from 5 per cent in biscuits, 60per cent in steak to 90 per cent in the juiciest fruits;
• Water produced in the body as a by-product of chemical changes that convert food into cell material (about 10 per cent).
Water is the major ingredient of all drinks and a wide range of drinks is available to fulfil this role. Carbonated and still drinks are 86 per cent water, dilutable drinks are 65 per cent water undiluted and 86 per cent when diluted, fruit juices are 90 per cent water and bottled and sachet waters are 100 per cent water.
Packaged water products?. Water is classified as bottled water or sachet water (pure water) if it meets all applicable standards, is sealed in a sanitary container/package and is sold for human consumption. Bottled/sachet water cannot contain sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavours, extracts or essences) and must be calorie-free and sugar-free. Flavours, extracts and essences, derived from spice or fruit, can be added to bottled water, but these additions must comprise less than one percent by weight of the final product. Beverages containing more than the one-percent-by-weight flavour limit are classified as soft drinks, not packaged water. In addition, packaged water may be sodium-free or contain “very low” amounts of sodium. Some packaged waters contain natural or added carbonation.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
ONE of the greatest emotions in this world is that of love. When a person is in love, he/she will begin to side-rule some of his/her personal principles to accommodate the other person’s behaviour and attitude.
It is even believed that nothing is wrong when love is right. One of the greatest sources of happiness is seeing and being around those you love.
Today, as you think of actualising your plans of taking your prince charming or Cinderella out for a lunch or dinner with your gift romantically wrapped with ribbons alongside your scintillating rose flower, it is important that you understand that you were created to discover, develop and deploy your true love.
Remember your first love. For some girls, their first love lingers on their mind and they polish that memory when they retire to their bed at night and fantasize. It is believed that first love never dies.
Trigger your childhood memories. Once in a while when someone books a coaching session with me to get direction on how to find their bearing in life, I ask them if they can remember what they were good at childhood.
The truth is that you can develop your ‘childhood talent’ into a skill and make money by doing what you love.
Don’t be too much in haste. There are times that a guy is too desperate to get a girl. For this reason, he may be choking the girl by not giving her a breathing space, and that will have a negative effect. In real life, you have to learn how to follow due process. Every product will need to pass through a process; otherwise, the output will be bad. Don’t be worried because you don’t know what you live for. You can employ the services of a professional life coach to help you discover, develop and deploy your talents.
What belongs to you is yours. When you find out that a girl is giving you unnecessary problems, it could be an indication that you are with the wrong person. That is why it is better to make your friend become your life partner than to make your soulmate become your friend.
Don’t over-labour yourself. Once you realize that you are over-labouring yourself that could be an indication that you are in the wrong place. Your job is meant to bring you joy. If what your present job brings does not make you fulfilled, then, perhaps, you are doing someone else’s job.
Find your place. Every animal has a natural habitat. A fish cannot fly. When a fish is in the pond, it does not struggle for survival. It survives naturally. But once the fish is outside the pond, it will start struggling for survival. So if you don’t want to struggle for the rest of your life, carve your own niche.
Love grows. It is believed that communication, togetherness, and understanding are the backbone of every relationship. When there is chemistry between two people, staying together will make the love grow.
Spend time to develop your talent. Your talent is like raw gold, and it has no usefulness until it has been processed. Your talent will not make you successful until you develop it into a skill.
Make sacrifices. One proof of love is the degree of sacrifices you can make for the person you love. When you discover your talent, then you need to make sacrifices to develop that talent. Don’t kid yourself. In the words of the defunct Plantation Boiz “The road is rough and tough but you have to be strong, hold on to your dreams in what you do.”
Success is a habit. I realized that the easiest way I can advance my career is by developing my skill habitually. That is I’m always attending seminars, going for training, buying self-help books and listening to tapes. You too can advance you career. You have all it takes to make yourself a success. Take charge!
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
The A – Z of water packaging business
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
Whatever business you intend starting must come from within you. It must stir you up from the inside. However, you can also get some insights into what kind of business to go into by reading up on sample businesses like the series we are running now. In fact, as one professional put it, “Many individuals are not really sure of what business to start – but they know they’re in love with the concept of entrepreneurship. If you aren’t positive which business to start, don’t apologise: As long as you pour the same enthusiasm into a venture once you pick your star, you can be as successful as the individual who always knew which field to enter.”
Snapshot of Business: Water packaging business provides packaged water products to quench the daily thirst of people. This business is an evergreen type because it will continue to be relevant as long as there is human civilisation. Even as you read this piece, you might be sipping a packaged water product.
• Start-up cost as low as N10 million or more depending on the size of investment
• Potential first year earnings: N30 million
• Breakeven time from initial investment: very rapid (can be between one to two years)
• Future growth potential: very high
• Dynamic, fast-growing industry
• Possible for small business or cooperative-based organisations
• Not much staffing required especially at the beginning
Background to business
The Earth has 1,386,000,000 km3 of water total but only 2.5 percent of that is fresh water (i.e. 35,029,000 km3 or 9,254,661,800 gallons of fresh water).
Why is fluid important?
Water is essential for the growth and maintenance of our bodies and is an important component in the diet. The British Dietetic Association guidelines state that an average adult should consume 2.5 litres of water of which 1.8 litres (or 5 x 330 ml cans; 7 x 250 ml glasses) must be in fluid form, the remainder being obtained from foods. For children to maintain their correct water level of 60 to 70 per cent body weight, they need to consume up to 2 litres of fluid every day. This intake needs to be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity in order to avoid dehydration.
What are the effects of dehydration?
Dehydration is caused by consuming too little fluid and can cause symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration. Adults eliminate around 2.5 litres of water per day, through urine, perspiration and respiration. In children, this varies greatly according to the outside temperature, age and activity level of the child, as well as other factors. Children do not instinctively drink enough to replenish the fluids lost during prolonged activity or play periods and evidence has shown that they consequently become dehydrated. Research has shown that children are more likely to drink sufficient liquid to replace lost fluids and maintain hydration during activity when presented with flavoured beverages.
What are our main sources of fluid in the diet?
The body gets its water from three sources:
• Water itself or in beverages;
• Water in solid foods, which contains wide ranging amounts from 5 per cent in biscuits, 60per cent in steak to 90 per cent in the juiciest fruits;
• Water produced in the body as a by-product of chemical changes that convert food into cell material (about 10 per cent).
Water is the major ingredient of all drinks and a wide range of drinks is available to fulfil this role. Carbonated and still drinks are 86 per cent water, dilutable drinks are 65 per cent water undiluted and 86 per cent when diluted, fruit juices are 90 per cent water and bottled and sachet waters are 100 per cent water.
Packaged water products?. Water is classified as bottled water or sachet water (pure water) if it meets all applicable standards, is sealed in a sanitary container/package and is sold for human consumption. Bottled/sachet water cannot contain sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavours, extracts or essences) and must be calorie-free and sugar-free. Flavours, extracts and essences, derived from spice or fruit, can be added to bottled water, but these additions must comprise less than one percent by weight of the final product. Beverages containing more than the one-percent-by-weight flavour limit are classified as soft drinks, not packaged water. In addition, packaged water may be sodium-free or contain “very low” amounts of sodium. Some packaged waters contain natural or added carbonation.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Fashion for a cause!
(Strictly for the young)
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
SO, in 2008, Swe Bar came alive! It was a little show we called Jeans for Genes! It featured music, and fashion — designers used denim to design some fabulous pieces!
The models were beautifully made up by Labelle’s Touch, and the houses including, Byge, Beampeh and MY Q turned up with interesting designs.
T-shirts were on sale; from ‘These Genes Celeb’ inscribed tees, to patterned ones, it really was these genes day!
Toyin Adesola, author of Still Standing, read excerpts from her book, which chronicles her journey, living with sickle-cell.
Artistes such as Etcetera, Divine Brothers, M.P, M.I, Jesse Jags, Bez and L’il Flow performed, while spoken word and poetry was supplied by Sage and Chiedu Ifeozo, Ebuka and Shade Ladipo hosted the event, which had celebrities such as Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and the UnRulies strutting the runway.
IN 2010, Swe Bar will come alive again as Fashion meets Music! It’s Jeans For Genes 2, and it is strictly, a t-shirt party!
Designers such as OUCH (who recently showed his line at the Waldorf-Astoria), Toni Payne, 5VE and more, will show their collection while artistes like Skuki, Lami, Loose Kaynon, Overdose, S.K.A.L.E.S and Hakym the Dream will perform.
As it is a sickle-cell awareness initiative, the hosts of the day will have information for the audience about the disorder, with one or two poets performing poetry specially designed for the show.
This year, the project will also be raising awareness about a lady living with sickle cell, who recently had to undergo an operation and needs help with footing the bill.
SICKLE cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin* S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin.
Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels.
When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disorder. There is currently no universally accepted cure for sickle cell disorder.
IN the past, These Genes has organised events like Jeans for Genes 1, Celebrity Auction, and Red and Blue Day, and also made appearances on shows such as Moments with Mo, Today on STV and Morning Ride.
This is their first event of the year, and with support from s.h.a.r.e, Swe, Zapphaire Events, M.Et.Al, Jus’ Kidding, X3M Music and more, Jeans for Genes 2 should be one of the biggest awareness based fashion shows, of the year.
For more information, please stay updated on www.thesegenes.blogspot.com.
Happy marriage… what you should know
• Start each day with a kiss — This one is not that hard; on the contrary; it can be healthy and nice.
• Wear your wedding ring at all times — most couples do wear the ring, however; their reasons might vary, so as long as they think of it as a sign of their commitment to their spouses, then they are on the safe side.
• Date once a week — It is very healthy; maybe not as often as once a week, let’s say every other week or that a date can be inside your home and that you don’t have to go somewhere fancy to have it, you get the idea, right?
• Accept differences — No one is perfect. However; healthy arguments are good for the relationship, hence; the most important thing would be learning how to compromise with one another.
• Be gentle — a person is supposed to be the closest to his/her spouse, being gentle is crucial to keep them close enough or they will find that comfort elsewhere.
• Give gifts — nice small gifts are appreciated every once in a while
• Smile often — Smile always because it is contagious and you are more likely to be smiled at when you show your teeth more often!!
• Touch — intimacy between married people is very important and touching is a means of communication that reflects closeness, connection and love; it is your way of keeping the spark alive.
• Talk about dreams — dreams of the future that is; if you don’t share your dreams with your spouse; then who?
• Do what the other person wants before he or she asks — of course; you need to know your spouse so well to be able to do this one. I guess this comes with time as you grow to know each other but seek to get that knowledge; don’t assume that it will come to you!
• Listen — this could be the most important one ever, but note that you should listen with empathy and not just hear what they are saying; you should get involved.
• Encourage — positive support and being there for one another is also very important; seek their support and give them yours and be generous!
• Do it his or her way — sometimes; you need to do things their way just to show how much you love them and respect their feelings.
• Know his or her needs —what good is a spouse if he/she does not know the needs of their significant others? This should be your primary concern!
• Call during the day — but don’t over do it and be obsessed with calling him/her. Give them their space but also show them that you think of them by a 2-minutes phone call saying “how are you doing?”
• Slow down — and don’t jump to conclusions; always give the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear them out.
• Cuddle — yes; intimacy is very important and reflects love and deep feelings.
• Ask for each other’s opinion — absolutely; whose opinion would you seek if not your spouse’s? Your decisions will reflect both your lives and not only your own, so their opinion is important for you to make the right move.
• Show respect — all the time; whether you are alone or among others. Showing respect is more important than showing love.
• Celebrate birthdays in a big way — this does not mean a big party; just show them you care about their personal occasions.
• Apologize — and don’t be too stubborn to admit that you made a mistake, because apologizing can clear things between you and allows you to move on from the conflict in a healthy manner.
• Forgive — from the heart and not only in words; forgive them and mean it.
• Set up a romantic getaway — this sounds like fun every once in a while; no harm in that!
• Ask, “What can I do to make you happier?” — in other words; communicate and keep it going, because one’s needs might change along the way, and what they used to like a couple of years ago might not be appealing to them now; so make sure you ask them what does make them happy and do it.
• Be positive — even when it is a negative era of your lives; always try to show the full half of the cup.
• Respond quickly to the other person’s request — show them that you are doing this because you care for them the most.
• Talk about your love — again; communicate. Always tell them as well as show them how much you love them and how happy you are because of having them in your lives.
• Treat each other’s friends and relatives with courtesy — even if you don’t like their family and/or friends, you treat them with respect and courtesy for the sake of your spouse; they deserve that much.
• Admit when wrong — don’t be too arrogant to say it.
• Be sensitive to each other’s sexual desires — more importantly; understand these desires and keep the communication going.
• Pray for each other daily — and do it from the heart.
• Say “I love you” frequently — don’t assume that they know you love them; everyone likes to hear it, so say it!
• End the day with a hug — show closeness and again; intimacy.
• Seek outside help when needed — if you reach a point when you feel that you cannot solve the problem alone; seek the help of someone you both trust before giving up, or go for professional help as a last resort. Never feel ashamed of that; seeking help is a lot better than giving up and doing your very best to solve your issues. You owe it to yourself and to them to do
www.anolitasmind.com
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
SO, in 2008, Swe Bar came alive! It was a little show we called Jeans for Genes! It featured music, and fashion — designers used denim to design some fabulous pieces!
The models were beautifully made up by Labelle’s Touch, and the houses including, Byge, Beampeh and MY Q turned up with interesting designs.
T-shirts were on sale; from ‘These Genes Celeb’ inscribed tees, to patterned ones, it really was these genes day!
Toyin Adesola, author of Still Standing, read excerpts from her book, which chronicles her journey, living with sickle-cell.
Artistes such as Etcetera, Divine Brothers, M.P, M.I, Jesse Jags, Bez and L’il Flow performed, while spoken word and poetry was supplied by Sage and Chiedu Ifeozo, Ebuka and Shade Ladipo hosted the event, which had celebrities such as Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and the UnRulies strutting the runway.
IN 2010, Swe Bar will come alive again as Fashion meets Music! It’s Jeans For Genes 2, and it is strictly, a t-shirt party!
Designers such as OUCH (who recently showed his line at the Waldorf-Astoria), Toni Payne, 5VE and more, will show their collection while artistes like Skuki, Lami, Loose Kaynon, Overdose, S.K.A.L.E.S and Hakym the Dream will perform.
As it is a sickle-cell awareness initiative, the hosts of the day will have information for the audience about the disorder, with one or two poets performing poetry specially designed for the show.
This year, the project will also be raising awareness about a lady living with sickle cell, who recently had to undergo an operation and needs help with footing the bill.
SICKLE cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin* S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin.
Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels.
When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disorder. There is currently no universally accepted cure for sickle cell disorder.
IN the past, These Genes has organised events like Jeans for Genes 1, Celebrity Auction, and Red and Blue Day, and also made appearances on shows such as Moments with Mo, Today on STV and Morning Ride.
This is their first event of the year, and with support from s.h.a.r.e, Swe, Zapphaire Events, M.Et.Al, Jus’ Kidding, X3M Music and more, Jeans for Genes 2 should be one of the biggest awareness based fashion shows, of the year.
For more information, please stay updated on www.thesegenes.blogspot.com.
Happy marriage… what you should know
• Start each day with a kiss — This one is not that hard; on the contrary; it can be healthy and nice.
• Wear your wedding ring at all times — most couples do wear the ring, however; their reasons might vary, so as long as they think of it as a sign of their commitment to their spouses, then they are on the safe side.
• Date once a week — It is very healthy; maybe not as often as once a week, let’s say every other week or that a date can be inside your home and that you don’t have to go somewhere fancy to have it, you get the idea, right?
• Accept differences — No one is perfect. However; healthy arguments are good for the relationship, hence; the most important thing would be learning how to compromise with one another.
• Be gentle — a person is supposed to be the closest to his/her spouse, being gentle is crucial to keep them close enough or they will find that comfort elsewhere.
• Give gifts — nice small gifts are appreciated every once in a while
• Smile often — Smile always because it is contagious and you are more likely to be smiled at when you show your teeth more often!!
• Touch — intimacy between married people is very important and touching is a means of communication that reflects closeness, connection and love; it is your way of keeping the spark alive.
• Talk about dreams — dreams of the future that is; if you don’t share your dreams with your spouse; then who?
• Do what the other person wants before he or she asks — of course; you need to know your spouse so well to be able to do this one. I guess this comes with time as you grow to know each other but seek to get that knowledge; don’t assume that it will come to you!
• Listen — this could be the most important one ever, but note that you should listen with empathy and not just hear what they are saying; you should get involved.
• Encourage — positive support and being there for one another is also very important; seek their support and give them yours and be generous!
• Do it his or her way — sometimes; you need to do things their way just to show how much you love them and respect their feelings.
• Know his or her needs —what good is a spouse if he/she does not know the needs of their significant others? This should be your primary concern!
• Call during the day — but don’t over do it and be obsessed with calling him/her. Give them their space but also show them that you think of them by a 2-minutes phone call saying “how are you doing?”
• Slow down — and don’t jump to conclusions; always give the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear them out.
• Cuddle — yes; intimacy is very important and reflects love and deep feelings.
• Ask for each other’s opinion — absolutely; whose opinion would you seek if not your spouse’s? Your decisions will reflect both your lives and not only your own, so their opinion is important for you to make the right move.
• Show respect — all the time; whether you are alone or among others. Showing respect is more important than showing love.
• Celebrate birthdays in a big way — this does not mean a big party; just show them you care about their personal occasions.
• Apologize — and don’t be too stubborn to admit that you made a mistake, because apologizing can clear things between you and allows you to move on from the conflict in a healthy manner.
• Forgive — from the heart and not only in words; forgive them and mean it.
• Set up a romantic getaway — this sounds like fun every once in a while; no harm in that!
• Ask, “What can I do to make you happier?” — in other words; communicate and keep it going, because one’s needs might change along the way, and what they used to like a couple of years ago might not be appealing to them now; so make sure you ask them what does make them happy and do it.
• Be positive — even when it is a negative era of your lives; always try to show the full half of the cup.
• Respond quickly to the other person’s request — show them that you are doing this because you care for them the most.
• Talk about your love — again; communicate. Always tell them as well as show them how much you love them and how happy you are because of having them in your lives.
• Treat each other’s friends and relatives with courtesy — even if you don’t like their family and/or friends, you treat them with respect and courtesy for the sake of your spouse; they deserve that much.
• Admit when wrong — don’t be too arrogant to say it.
• Be sensitive to each other’s sexual desires — more importantly; understand these desires and keep the communication going.
• Pray for each other daily — and do it from the heart.
• Say “I love you” frequently — don’t assume that they know you love them; everyone likes to hear it, so say it!
• End the day with a hug — show closeness and again; intimacy.
• Seek outside help when needed — if you reach a point when you feel that you cannot solve the problem alone; seek the help of someone you both trust before giving up, or go for professional help as a last resort. Never feel ashamed of that; seeking help is a lot better than giving up and doing your very best to solve your issues. You owe it to yourself and to them to do
www.anolitasmind.com
Mastering the art of decision making
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
ONE of the cardinal principles of achievement is effective decision making. Every successful person you know is probably an effective decision maker. The decisions you make daily are either ‘making’ or ‘breaking’ you. When you fail to make the right decisions, you become vulnerable to wrong decision making.
Decisions are different from wishes. A wish may be a fantasy or a mental picture of a desirable state without conscious determination to achieve it. Conversely, decision making is all about choosing the things you want in life.
You can decide to be rich or poor, or happy or depressed. Consciously or unconsciously we make decisions that determine our lifestyle. If you are poor, it is probably because you have not decided to be rich. If you are sorrowful, it is probably because you have not decided to be happy. If you are a ‘nobody’, it is probably because you have not decided to be a ‘somebody.’
In the game of life, there is nothing like indecision because indecision is in itself a decision.
Accept responsibility for your life. Whatever happens to you in life, accept responsibility for it. Don’t blame someone else for your failure. Note that there is a ‘you’ aspect to every experience in your life. Nobody can decide for you without your permission. Don’t blame the society, the government or the country for your woes. Decide to make your life better instead. You can make it big in this country.
The key to making effective decisions is to break complex tasks down into simple, and manageable task, and measuring the effectiveness of the decision made and how it affects your life positively.
Some decisions like reading a book at least every week, will require you to be accountable to someone.
Make one decision at a time.
When a decision is complex, it is easy to become overwhelmed, or stressed out. Take a decision per time, and take action. If the decision is to be made by a group of people, get only a few people, especially the key office holders.
Think about the future.
In making your decisions, think about the outcome. If you decide to get rich quick through unfair means, for instance, think about how that will affect your image negatively. Remember that a good name is more desirable than riches. If a decision does not have a long-lasting positive impact, you can ditch it.
Don’t make decisions in a hurry. Every decision probably has a consequence. There are times that you begin to see the negative effect of the decision that was made without being able to change it. Think for at least two minutes before making a decision. Every time you want to make a decision is an opportunity to make the right one.
As I grew up, I came to the understanding that it is my decisions, not external factors, that determine my destiny. I decided to learn as an apprentice at Awesome Associates as a consultant, and that decision has helped me in my professional life. I learnt the rudiments of life coaching and consultancy then. Today, that decision has paid off in spades.
Take time to decide your career path. An average person spends about 20 years, building one career. Before you apply for that job, ask yourself if you will like to spend the next five years or thereabouts in that company.
Understand that one of the greatest decisions you will ever make is who to marry and your career path. Choose them wisely. Take time out to think about the career path that will make you fulfilled.
Give yourself enough time.
A wise man once counseled: “A minute spent in thinking is worth two in execution.” Give yourself time to consider the pros and cons of your decision. Think about the effect of your decision on yourself and on those around you. The best decisions are those that affect you and others around you positively.
You deserve to be recognised. You deserve to be great. You deserve to be rich and wealthy. You deserve to be healthy.You deserve to have all the good things of life. The only thing you need to do right now is to decide all the good things that you want for your life, and start attracting them.
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
Making money from ice block-making
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
RECENTLY, we attended a business breakfast meeting for top executives and business owners. After the meeting, we gave out our magazine to the attendees. One of them called us and asked if we could prepare a business plan for his cousin.
The business plan was on ice block making. Our research threw up some interesting findings: Ice block business has come to stay despite poor state of power supply.
The business plan was an eye-opener for him. Today, he is offering us another brief in a different industry.
ICE-block business is important in this country located in a hot region of the world. Besides, our economy is such that majority of our people get involved in hard labour to make ends meet.
These two important facts necessitate the high intake of water by especially the people, who drive the economy at that level. Therefore, one can imagine the volume of water that is taken on a daily basis irrespective of the season we are in.
And of course, most people prefer to take their water or drink chilled as this makes the liquid tastier and better appreciated.
In addition, the nature of the economy does not permit everyone to own a refrigerator at home so as to ice their water and other drinks. And even among those that own a refrigerator, only a small percentage can afford to power it with the right generating set because of epileptic power supply.
This is an opportunity that can be taken advantage of by smart entrepreneurs or investors.
Ice Block Making
Ice is water that has frozen into a solid state. Ice block is the block shape the water poured into a cellophane bag or a container takes when it is frozen. It is a product developed to provide cold effect to otherwise warm or lukewarm packaged water, soft drinks or fruit juice products with the intent to give the consumer the pleasure of taking such fluids chilled or cold.
With increase in the number of packaged water and fruit juice products, carbonated soft drinks and in the market, ice blocks will help to make them more enjoyable, tastier to consumers’ palates and preserve them for a longer time.
Target market for ice block business.
With current poor power supply, ice-block business will remain relevant because the target market is wide and varied. If the product is not needed at the individual level, there are organisations/institutions whose work/products require constant icing.
The market for ice-block here includes:
* Drink sellers dealing in carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and fruit juice beverages;
*Packaged water sellers dealing in sachet and bottled water products;
*Party people or individuals or groups having one festivity or celebration or the other; Carbonated and fruit juice beverages manufacturers e.g. Cocacola, Pepsi, ChiVita, etc.
∑ Restaurant and fast food vendors; Cafetaria (what some popularly call buka);
∑ Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of drug products requiring cooling effect to preserve the efficacy and potency of some of their drugs.
• Hospitals and clinics also need it
for the treatment of patients and
for preserving certain drugs and
vaccines.
• Hawkers who sell their drink, water and juice products during traffic and who need to ice these items to attract buyers, among many others.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
ONE of the cardinal principles of achievement is effective decision making. Every successful person you know is probably an effective decision maker. The decisions you make daily are either ‘making’ or ‘breaking’ you. When you fail to make the right decisions, you become vulnerable to wrong decision making.
Decisions are different from wishes. A wish may be a fantasy or a mental picture of a desirable state without conscious determination to achieve it. Conversely, decision making is all about choosing the things you want in life.
You can decide to be rich or poor, or happy or depressed. Consciously or unconsciously we make decisions that determine our lifestyle. If you are poor, it is probably because you have not decided to be rich. If you are sorrowful, it is probably because you have not decided to be happy. If you are a ‘nobody’, it is probably because you have not decided to be a ‘somebody.’
In the game of life, there is nothing like indecision because indecision is in itself a decision.
Accept responsibility for your life. Whatever happens to you in life, accept responsibility for it. Don’t blame someone else for your failure. Note that there is a ‘you’ aspect to every experience in your life. Nobody can decide for you without your permission. Don’t blame the society, the government or the country for your woes. Decide to make your life better instead. You can make it big in this country.
The key to making effective decisions is to break complex tasks down into simple, and manageable task, and measuring the effectiveness of the decision made and how it affects your life positively.
Some decisions like reading a book at least every week, will require you to be accountable to someone.
Make one decision at a time.
When a decision is complex, it is easy to become overwhelmed, or stressed out. Take a decision per time, and take action. If the decision is to be made by a group of people, get only a few people, especially the key office holders.
Think about the future.
In making your decisions, think about the outcome. If you decide to get rich quick through unfair means, for instance, think about how that will affect your image negatively. Remember that a good name is more desirable than riches. If a decision does not have a long-lasting positive impact, you can ditch it.
Don’t make decisions in a hurry. Every decision probably has a consequence. There are times that you begin to see the negative effect of the decision that was made without being able to change it. Think for at least two minutes before making a decision. Every time you want to make a decision is an opportunity to make the right one.
As I grew up, I came to the understanding that it is my decisions, not external factors, that determine my destiny. I decided to learn as an apprentice at Awesome Associates as a consultant, and that decision has helped me in my professional life. I learnt the rudiments of life coaching and consultancy then. Today, that decision has paid off in spades.
Take time to decide your career path. An average person spends about 20 years, building one career. Before you apply for that job, ask yourself if you will like to spend the next five years or thereabouts in that company.
Understand that one of the greatest decisions you will ever make is who to marry and your career path. Choose them wisely. Take time out to think about the career path that will make you fulfilled.
Give yourself enough time.
A wise man once counseled: “A minute spent in thinking is worth two in execution.” Give yourself time to consider the pros and cons of your decision. Think about the effect of your decision on yourself and on those around you. The best decisions are those that affect you and others around you positively.
You deserve to be recognised. You deserve to be great. You deserve to be rich and wealthy. You deserve to be healthy.You deserve to have all the good things of life. The only thing you need to do right now is to decide all the good things that you want for your life, and start attracting them.
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com
Making money from ice block-making
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
RECENTLY, we attended a business breakfast meeting for top executives and business owners. After the meeting, we gave out our magazine to the attendees. One of them called us and asked if we could prepare a business plan for his cousin.
The business plan was on ice block making. Our research threw up some interesting findings: Ice block business has come to stay despite poor state of power supply.
The business plan was an eye-opener for him. Today, he is offering us another brief in a different industry.
ICE-block business is important in this country located in a hot region of the world. Besides, our economy is such that majority of our people get involved in hard labour to make ends meet.
These two important facts necessitate the high intake of water by especially the people, who drive the economy at that level. Therefore, one can imagine the volume of water that is taken on a daily basis irrespective of the season we are in.
And of course, most people prefer to take their water or drink chilled as this makes the liquid tastier and better appreciated.
In addition, the nature of the economy does not permit everyone to own a refrigerator at home so as to ice their water and other drinks. And even among those that own a refrigerator, only a small percentage can afford to power it with the right generating set because of epileptic power supply.
This is an opportunity that can be taken advantage of by smart entrepreneurs or investors.
Ice Block Making
Ice is water that has frozen into a solid state. Ice block is the block shape the water poured into a cellophane bag or a container takes when it is frozen. It is a product developed to provide cold effect to otherwise warm or lukewarm packaged water, soft drinks or fruit juice products with the intent to give the consumer the pleasure of taking such fluids chilled or cold.
With increase in the number of packaged water and fruit juice products, carbonated soft drinks and in the market, ice blocks will help to make them more enjoyable, tastier to consumers’ palates and preserve them for a longer time.
Target market for ice block business.
With current poor power supply, ice-block business will remain relevant because the target market is wide and varied. If the product is not needed at the individual level, there are organisations/institutions whose work/products require constant icing.
The market for ice-block here includes:
* Drink sellers dealing in carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and fruit juice beverages;
*Packaged water sellers dealing in sachet and bottled water products;
*Party people or individuals or groups having one festivity or celebration or the other; Carbonated and fruit juice beverages manufacturers e.g. Cocacola, Pepsi, ChiVita, etc.
∑ Restaurant and fast food vendors; Cafetaria (what some popularly call buka);
∑ Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of drug products requiring cooling effect to preserve the efficacy and potency of some of their drugs.
• Hospitals and clinics also need it
for the treatment of patients and
for preserving certain drugs and
vaccines.
• Hawkers who sell their drink, water and juice products during traffic and who need to ice these items to attract buyers, among many others.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd
Sunday, 14 February 2010
A different kind of Val
(Strictly for the young)
TOSYN BUCKNOR
YES. If the men in your life have suddenly left on business trips, or emergency lecture retreats, or have headaches, or swollen faces that means they cannot be seen in public, or accidents or dead grandmothers (different from the ones that died last year and the previous year, because they have parents and step-parents), or creditors they are hiding from, or emergency facial surgery, or chicken pox, then yes! It must be the day dedicated to St. Valentine!
I have been the best girlfriend this month. No way was I going to let myself be broken up with before this momentous occasion; the time when one gets gifts because it is mandatory, and one doesn’t care to be honest!
It is almost like your salary -- pay me my money/give me my gift! And since I have spoken at length about the people who like to say Valentine’s Day is commercialised and they feel you should show love everyday (boring, yawn, where is the remote, change the channel), today, I would like to dedicate my article to those lovely people who once again, have forgotten to buy a gift!
(Gengen!)
It’s Sunday, it is Valentine’s Day, and it is the day you are about to become a lonely person, because you forgot to shop. You had all the opportunity in the world oh! From January 1st till today, but life got in the way, and now it’s too late. Or is it?
Think about it; those who have bought their gifts already have the most boring gifts ever -- chocolates, wine, perfume, cake, shirts, shoes, trip to Dubai (chei! Bore me anytime with this one), teddy bears, and so on. But you have a chance to turn your forgetfulness round and make it good!
Here are some cool gift ideas that I bet you never thought of!
Water: Don’t laugh! Water has moved on from the tap water we all drank from when we were still content to run around in our shorts and before we thought boys (or girls) were disgusting, and then when we thought our world would end without them.
In fact, that is the point!
We have moved on. Sadly so!
So, this Valentine’s Day, get your loved one a borehole... or at least some bags of pure water to last them for a long while!
Generators: The reason for this is self-evident. Love is all about caring about the other person, and the perfect love gift should reflect what the other person needs most.
What do we need most in Nigeria? Power! And since PHCN is currently on a break (they must be, we don’t have light), then the best thing to do for your loved one today, is quickly buy a generator. Or two.
For the second backs the first one up. In other words, one generator, and ‘the other NEPA’
OjutiNEPA or Candles: OjutiNEPA are some creative lamps that will make for great ‘thinking outside the box’ gifts. And as for candles? Oh come on! When did we stop being creative? Candles are the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day!
Pick up the roses you see on the road as you go (or steal from other peoples’ bouquets to make yours), and go with a number of candles.
To be on the safe side, splurge on the scented, non-‘cele’ white variety. You will be killing two birds with one stone — creating romantic atmosphere for dinner, and, providing light since PHCN is still on break. (What, you thought they would be back by the time you got to my next line. Where do you live? Ghana?)
Petrol: Hello!
What better way to say ‘I love you’ than to queue for hours for petrol so your beloved does not have to?
Score!
Mosquito Repellants: Since the mosquitoes in Nigeria now carry picnic baskets, complete with cutlery and napkins to feed on us, it is clear that we must also wage war on them. So while the other lovelorn people are buying scented lotions and oils and perfumes, you combine yours- lotion and mosquito repellent.
AS you get to the end of this article, you may find yourself welling up with gratitude as once again, SuperTosyn saves the day!
If you want to say thank you, please send me a gift. But I am old-fashioned and boring; after all, my idea of the perfect night is one spent in front of the television. Keep my gifts simple and boring. But please keep that trip to Dubai; I am not trying to be put on a watch list!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
Running your school business (2)
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
DEPENDING on the type of school you intend establishing, make sure there is value addition to your educational offerings.
You can offer computer education, skills acquisition/technical educational classes, etc, and include facilities like a swimming pool, a basket ball court, a football pitch; or added offerings such as Literary and Debating Society, Writers’ Club, Computer Classes, Art and Craft, Cookery Classes, etc.
These facilities/offerings will set you apart as a top educational services provider in your neighbourhood. They will also determine the class of pupils that’ll attend your school and the fees you’ll be charging.
Pricing for your school
This is determined by what category of students you want to serve. There are schools for low-income, middle-income, middle-upper and high-income families.
The category you fall into will be determined by the following factors: your target market; your location; your educational offerings; the facilities you have; the composition of your staff; fees charged by the competition, etc.
Carry out a market survey regarding the average pricing by the competition. Your pricing depends on the category you are serving.
Nevertheless, whatever category you are, you can lead the pack by adding extra value and incentives to the normal educational offerings of your school business.
Above all, lavish your student population with compassion, love, understanding and support for their growth and development.
When you love and treat children right, they will disturb their parents not to stop them from attending your school as long as they live in the neighbourhood where your school is.
Do you know that at a population of 2,000 students at N50,000 school fees, your income as a school would creep into N300 million. And from the calculations made, it also means that the more school fees you charge, the more your income would be.
Another thing is this; you don’t have to start big. With vision, determination, hard work and excellence, you can build an educational institution that can meet the intellectual needs of our people, while creating a successful business in the process. For space constraints, I wouldn’t be able to go into other details.
But with a good business plan, which my company can provide for you, you would know how to register your school, develop an HR plan, put in place an aggressive and creative marketing plan, design necessary financial statements and other important components to guide your operations and be able to further make money for the business through exploiting different backend opportunities.
There is a need in the education sector today. You can be a part of those who will help in the development of future Nigerian leaders. Education is the bedrock of any society, and a lack of education will make a people inferior and subservient to other nations. Apart from the business angle to it, your input in this sector can turn many rough diamonds into pure, precious and priceless diamonds, giving birth to the nation of our dreams.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
TOSYN BUCKNOR
YES. If the men in your life have suddenly left on business trips, or emergency lecture retreats, or have headaches, or swollen faces that means they cannot be seen in public, or accidents or dead grandmothers (different from the ones that died last year and the previous year, because they have parents and step-parents), or creditors they are hiding from, or emergency facial surgery, or chicken pox, then yes! It must be the day dedicated to St. Valentine!
I have been the best girlfriend this month. No way was I going to let myself be broken up with before this momentous occasion; the time when one gets gifts because it is mandatory, and one doesn’t care to be honest!
It is almost like your salary -- pay me my money/give me my gift! And since I have spoken at length about the people who like to say Valentine’s Day is commercialised and they feel you should show love everyday (boring, yawn, where is the remote, change the channel), today, I would like to dedicate my article to those lovely people who once again, have forgotten to buy a gift!
(Gengen!)
It’s Sunday, it is Valentine’s Day, and it is the day you are about to become a lonely person, because you forgot to shop. You had all the opportunity in the world oh! From January 1st till today, but life got in the way, and now it’s too late. Or is it?
Think about it; those who have bought their gifts already have the most boring gifts ever -- chocolates, wine, perfume, cake, shirts, shoes, trip to Dubai (chei! Bore me anytime with this one), teddy bears, and so on. But you have a chance to turn your forgetfulness round and make it good!
Here are some cool gift ideas that I bet you never thought of!
Water: Don’t laugh! Water has moved on from the tap water we all drank from when we were still content to run around in our shorts and before we thought boys (or girls) were disgusting, and then when we thought our world would end without them.
In fact, that is the point!
We have moved on. Sadly so!
So, this Valentine’s Day, get your loved one a borehole... or at least some bags of pure water to last them for a long while!
Generators: The reason for this is self-evident. Love is all about caring about the other person, and the perfect love gift should reflect what the other person needs most.
What do we need most in Nigeria? Power! And since PHCN is currently on a break (they must be, we don’t have light), then the best thing to do for your loved one today, is quickly buy a generator. Or two.
For the second backs the first one up. In other words, one generator, and ‘the other NEPA’
OjutiNEPA or Candles: OjutiNEPA are some creative lamps that will make for great ‘thinking outside the box’ gifts. And as for candles? Oh come on! When did we stop being creative? Candles are the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day!
Pick up the roses you see on the road as you go (or steal from other peoples’ bouquets to make yours), and go with a number of candles.
To be on the safe side, splurge on the scented, non-‘cele’ white variety. You will be killing two birds with one stone — creating romantic atmosphere for dinner, and, providing light since PHCN is still on break. (What, you thought they would be back by the time you got to my next line. Where do you live? Ghana?)
Petrol: Hello!
What better way to say ‘I love you’ than to queue for hours for petrol so your beloved does not have to?
Score!
Mosquito Repellants: Since the mosquitoes in Nigeria now carry picnic baskets, complete with cutlery and napkins to feed on us, it is clear that we must also wage war on them. So while the other lovelorn people are buying scented lotions and oils and perfumes, you combine yours- lotion and mosquito repellent.
AS you get to the end of this article, you may find yourself welling up with gratitude as once again, SuperTosyn saves the day!
If you want to say thank you, please send me a gift. But I am old-fashioned and boring; after all, my idea of the perfect night is one spent in front of the television. Keep my gifts simple and boring. But please keep that trip to Dubai; I am not trying to be put on a watch list!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
Running your school business (2)
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
DEPENDING on the type of school you intend establishing, make sure there is value addition to your educational offerings.
You can offer computer education, skills acquisition/technical educational classes, etc, and include facilities like a swimming pool, a basket ball court, a football pitch; or added offerings such as Literary and Debating Society, Writers’ Club, Computer Classes, Art and Craft, Cookery Classes, etc.
These facilities/offerings will set you apart as a top educational services provider in your neighbourhood. They will also determine the class of pupils that’ll attend your school and the fees you’ll be charging.
Pricing for your school
This is determined by what category of students you want to serve. There are schools for low-income, middle-income, middle-upper and high-income families.
The category you fall into will be determined by the following factors: your target market; your location; your educational offerings; the facilities you have; the composition of your staff; fees charged by the competition, etc.
Carry out a market survey regarding the average pricing by the competition. Your pricing depends on the category you are serving.
Nevertheless, whatever category you are, you can lead the pack by adding extra value and incentives to the normal educational offerings of your school business.
Above all, lavish your student population with compassion, love, understanding and support for their growth and development.
When you love and treat children right, they will disturb their parents not to stop them from attending your school as long as they live in the neighbourhood where your school is.
Do you know that at a population of 2,000 students at N50,000 school fees, your income as a school would creep into N300 million. And from the calculations made, it also means that the more school fees you charge, the more your income would be.
Another thing is this; you don’t have to start big. With vision, determination, hard work and excellence, you can build an educational institution that can meet the intellectual needs of our people, while creating a successful business in the process. For space constraints, I wouldn’t be able to go into other details.
But with a good business plan, which my company can provide for you, you would know how to register your school, develop an HR plan, put in place an aggressive and creative marketing plan, design necessary financial statements and other important components to guide your operations and be able to further make money for the business through exploiting different backend opportunities.
There is a need in the education sector today. You can be a part of those who will help in the development of future Nigerian leaders. Education is the bedrock of any society, and a lack of education will make a people inferior and subservient to other nations. Apart from the business angle to it, your input in this sector can turn many rough diamonds into pure, precious and priceless diamonds, giving birth to the nation of our dreams.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Making income from school business
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
With a population estimate of about 150 million, Nigeria offers a huge market potentials for different kinds of businesses. For instance, educational services will do, and are doing well because of the huge market for quality education and tuition, and when operators of these services meet certain metrics for success in that industry.
Nigeria’s population is estimated to be growing close to three per cent yearly. This means more children are born here than in most nations of the world. Rather than see this as a disadvantage either as a government or a business owner, it can be turned into a big advantage.
LET me share this story with you. In the estate where I live, getting one’s child into a secondary school is a tug of war, as there are few available spaces, while there are several thousands of applications to these schools every year.
This does not reduce the fact that the fees charged in most of these schools per session can pay the entire cost of university education for so many of students in public and even private institutions.
There is no doubt, need for more schools in Nigeria. There is need for well-built, well-planned and well-structured schools for the country.
With the decline in standard of education since government took over schools from missionaries and faith-based organisations, the educational sector has been deprived of the same quality manpower, dedication, attention and funding it actually requires to meet the human capital needs of the country in this century.
Our public schools are a shadow of themselves. Dilapidated buildings, roofless classes, classrooms without basic teaching tools e.g. furniture, blackboards, relevant texts, etc, all represent the picture of modern public schools in the country.
This explains why we have many half-baked and not well trained graduates from our public primary and secondary school institutions today than we had two or three decades ago.
THIS piece is meant for individuals who have a passion or desire to go into school business in the country. School business will sell when you keep to the following metrics:
Develop a strong vision of what educational services you want to offer and identify the market you want to serve.
Go all out to give impact. Set high standards in your school. For instance, by Primary 3 or 4, your pupils should be able to read and write intelligibly even if it means writing short notes.
Make your environment very inviting. Your school doesn’t have to be expensive to have a picture of excellence. Make sure classrooms are neat and tidy and free of dirt and dust.
Have a business plan for your school business. Your business plan will help you capture your vision and set targets for the growth and destination of the business.
Work with a bank or banks to grow the school. Take advantage of the opportunities that our banks are giving to entrepreneurs/business owners to grow and develop your business.
Make sure your target market is aware of the existence of your school. This of course will be highlighted as part of your marketing and promotional plan in your business plan.
Look for ways to develop back-end businesses that will fetch more money for your school.
Invest in your students. Build them up. Help them discover, harness and develop their potentials. Help each child become a better citizen morally, academically and socially.
Look for ways to continuously give added value to your students, the parents and your community.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
With a population estimate of about 150 million, Nigeria offers a huge market potentials for different kinds of businesses. For instance, educational services will do, and are doing well because of the huge market for quality education and tuition, and when operators of these services meet certain metrics for success in that industry.
Nigeria’s population is estimated to be growing close to three per cent yearly. This means more children are born here than in most nations of the world. Rather than see this as a disadvantage either as a government or a business owner, it can be turned into a big advantage.
LET me share this story with you. In the estate where I live, getting one’s child into a secondary school is a tug of war, as there are few available spaces, while there are several thousands of applications to these schools every year.
This does not reduce the fact that the fees charged in most of these schools per session can pay the entire cost of university education for so many of students in public and even private institutions.
There is no doubt, need for more schools in Nigeria. There is need for well-built, well-planned and well-structured schools for the country.
With the decline in standard of education since government took over schools from missionaries and faith-based organisations, the educational sector has been deprived of the same quality manpower, dedication, attention and funding it actually requires to meet the human capital needs of the country in this century.
Our public schools are a shadow of themselves. Dilapidated buildings, roofless classes, classrooms without basic teaching tools e.g. furniture, blackboards, relevant texts, etc, all represent the picture of modern public schools in the country.
This explains why we have many half-baked and not well trained graduates from our public primary and secondary school institutions today than we had two or three decades ago.
THIS piece is meant for individuals who have a passion or desire to go into school business in the country. School business will sell when you keep to the following metrics:
Develop a strong vision of what educational services you want to offer and identify the market you want to serve.
Go all out to give impact. Set high standards in your school. For instance, by Primary 3 or 4, your pupils should be able to read and write intelligibly even if it means writing short notes.
Make your environment very inviting. Your school doesn’t have to be expensive to have a picture of excellence. Make sure classrooms are neat and tidy and free of dirt and dust.
Have a business plan for your school business. Your business plan will help you capture your vision and set targets for the growth and destination of the business.
Work with a bank or banks to grow the school. Take advantage of the opportunities that our banks are giving to entrepreneurs/business owners to grow and develop your business.
Make sure your target market is aware of the existence of your school. This of course will be highlighted as part of your marketing and promotional plan in your business plan.
Look for ways to develop back-end businesses that will fetch more money for your school.
Invest in your students. Build them up. Help them discover, harness and develop their potentials. Help each child become a better citizen morally, academically and socially.
Look for ways to continuously give added value to your students, the parents and your community.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Why businesses fail (2)
(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
LAST week, we started with reasons for business failures; this week, we are concluding the series. We discovered last week that Asokoro and Maitama in Abuja (preferred locations of our client) did not meet any of these criteria.
This is because Microfinance Bank business as you know is a “mass market” business. It is not to serve the interests of the elite; it is designed to meet the needs of micro fund users and micro-credit needs of the poor, micro and small businesses and low income groups. This is the spirit of the microfinance initiative.
Abuja is a modern city with all the trappings and appellations of elitism, modernity, upper class and highbrow neighbourhoods.
Locating an MFB in this city comes with an expensive capital outlay, is not close to the target market as more than 60 per cent of the workers in the FCT, from our findings, live outside the city in places like Yanyan, Maraba in Karo LGA, Masaka, etc.
Even the residents in the estates within the city are not the target market or right market for microfinance services. They are the elite and do not need microlending and microfinance services.
Furthermore, getting workers that would run the bank would also be a Herculean and an expensive task as most of the professionals drive into the city every morning to work and leave in the evening for their homes.
We concluded that if our client was to site his bank in Abuja, it would have to be based on the following reasons: Establish the head office in Abuja and have cash centres around the markets and suburbs, especially in Masaka and Maraba, and a few other places within the city, etc, where the target market is; Establish the bank as a social or political project.
On the other hand, our research in Lagos favoured some areas in the city as meeting the criteria we had set for choosing the right location.
At the end of the research, our client was saved the pain, stress and economic losses this kind of investment in the wrong location could have brought on him. He then began to look at how to start an MFB in Lagos.
If not for this market survey/feasibility study, our client could have probably lost the N50 million he had wanted to invest in the project.
By spending about 1 per cent of that amount on the market survey and business plan we later prepared for him, we saved him from losing his capital to bad business decision and furnished him with adequate information on how to successfully and profitably operate his microfinance business.
What does this teach SMEs? Don’t start a new business, launch a new product/service, change into a new line of business without carrying out a market survey or doing your due diligence regarding the said business or product.
This is because whatever product you are going into will not be consumed by you or by the members of your family.
So, it is important you look at what the market needs, how the market sees or will see this product/service, examine the capital outlay for the product and the expected income, examine how long it would take for you to recoup your investment or break even, examine the challenges and threats your new product will face in its desired location, look at what the competition is doing, and what the reaction of your competitors will be and the impact of this reaction on the success or otherwise of your product, etc.
This is why we encourage start-ups to get a business plan before launching their businesses.
No matter how little the effort is, getting adequate information regarding your business, your target market, your marketing strategy, business structure, investment dynamics and other imperatives will make your foray into business a success while helping you escape failure in the marketplace.
Business is both an art and a science. The art aspect deals with how the human elements are successfully fused in a marriage of common goal and destiny, while the science aspect means that you can actually research, observe, gather facts and analyse same to arrive at an objective conclusion regarding the business or develop some predictability in your results or outcomes. Businesses therefore fail because of the lack of or inadequate information and due diligence carried out before the launch and during the life of such enterprises.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Free advice
(Strictly for the young)
SO once again, here I am being totally random! And in my randomness, here I am with free advice.
How much of my own advice do I take? The answer friends, is blowing in the winds!
• Never take coffee in the morning and Power Horse at night. You will just bounce off the walls and miss school the next day.
Think about it! What is it we are constantly trying to stay awake for? Sometimes I wonder if we enjoy any of the things we indulge in.
You go for a random party where everyone has this smile on their faces, and you know, you just know they would all rather be home, but somehow, it would be un-cool to not be here! Okay o!
• Everything good for you is bad for you, and everything bad for you is good for you.
This is one of my most loved theories! People are always telling us what to eat, and what not to eat.
Do and not do. But no one has ever told me why agbo is bitter and coke is sweeter. Why it is easier to give in to temptation than to resist it, and why watching television is so much fun but apparently burns no calories. Leave me jo!
• The secret to losing weight is wearing bigger sized clothes.
This is self-explanatory.
• Never have friends that are prettier than you.
Nor smarter. Your friends should be shorter, so you always look tall, bigger, so you always look small, and pretty dumb, so you are easily, the sharpest tool in that friendship shed!
• Love is like walking under a bus, getting hit by a train, sinking at sea, crashing your car and going insane (Culled from Hey Mum by Bachelor Girls)
The real tragedy is... it feels so good that we get right up and do it all over again. And again.
• Love is pleasure, love is pain, love will simply drive you insane!
• The Road less travelled is less travelled for a reason
• There are no Wrong or Right decisions; just decisions that work in the moment. I once tried to make a decision and spent so much time trying to make the decision that I ended up worrying about making the decision that I never did make the decision. Look at me now?
There are times when the only way to solve an equation, is via the very simple, very apt, mini-mini-mani-mo!
• Maybe we reincarnate. Or maybe we live once. But if we live well and hard, then once is enough Abi?
So, stop waiting for that afterlife or other life before you fully live! If you can jump, jump! If you can swim, swim! If you can sing, sing! There is more to life than simply being alive!
• Whatever you are feeling right now has been felt before, is being felt somewhere else, and will be felt again.
You are truly not alone. Sometimes when you s.h.a.r.e with someone, you see that it really is not as bad as you think it is. Unless it is the stain on your wedding dress. But then again, who wants to focus on the wedding when the big picture is the marriage itself?
•. Meaningless. All is meaningless. And this is not meant to be gloomy. It’s just, after all is said and done, it is all hype. And you should not believe the hype!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
LAST week, we started with reasons for business failures; this week, we are concluding the series. We discovered last week that Asokoro and Maitama in Abuja (preferred locations of our client) did not meet any of these criteria.
This is because Microfinance Bank business as you know is a “mass market” business. It is not to serve the interests of the elite; it is designed to meet the needs of micro fund users and micro-credit needs of the poor, micro and small businesses and low income groups. This is the spirit of the microfinance initiative.
Abuja is a modern city with all the trappings and appellations of elitism, modernity, upper class and highbrow neighbourhoods.
Locating an MFB in this city comes with an expensive capital outlay, is not close to the target market as more than 60 per cent of the workers in the FCT, from our findings, live outside the city in places like Yanyan, Maraba in Karo LGA, Masaka, etc.
Even the residents in the estates within the city are not the target market or right market for microfinance services. They are the elite and do not need microlending and microfinance services.
Furthermore, getting workers that would run the bank would also be a Herculean and an expensive task as most of the professionals drive into the city every morning to work and leave in the evening for their homes.
We concluded that if our client was to site his bank in Abuja, it would have to be based on the following reasons: Establish the head office in Abuja and have cash centres around the markets and suburbs, especially in Masaka and Maraba, and a few other places within the city, etc, where the target market is; Establish the bank as a social or political project.
On the other hand, our research in Lagos favoured some areas in the city as meeting the criteria we had set for choosing the right location.
At the end of the research, our client was saved the pain, stress and economic losses this kind of investment in the wrong location could have brought on him. He then began to look at how to start an MFB in Lagos.
If not for this market survey/feasibility study, our client could have probably lost the N50 million he had wanted to invest in the project.
By spending about 1 per cent of that amount on the market survey and business plan we later prepared for him, we saved him from losing his capital to bad business decision and furnished him with adequate information on how to successfully and profitably operate his microfinance business.
What does this teach SMEs? Don’t start a new business, launch a new product/service, change into a new line of business without carrying out a market survey or doing your due diligence regarding the said business or product.
This is because whatever product you are going into will not be consumed by you or by the members of your family.
So, it is important you look at what the market needs, how the market sees or will see this product/service, examine the capital outlay for the product and the expected income, examine how long it would take for you to recoup your investment or break even, examine the challenges and threats your new product will face in its desired location, look at what the competition is doing, and what the reaction of your competitors will be and the impact of this reaction on the success or otherwise of your product, etc.
This is why we encourage start-ups to get a business plan before launching their businesses.
No matter how little the effort is, getting adequate information regarding your business, your target market, your marketing strategy, business structure, investment dynamics and other imperatives will make your foray into business a success while helping you escape failure in the marketplace.
Business is both an art and a science. The art aspect deals with how the human elements are successfully fused in a marriage of common goal and destiny, while the science aspect means that you can actually research, observe, gather facts and analyse same to arrive at an objective conclusion regarding the business or develop some predictability in your results or outcomes. Businesses therefore fail because of the lack of or inadequate information and due diligence carried out before the launch and during the life of such enterprises.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Free advice
(Strictly for the young)
SO once again, here I am being totally random! And in my randomness, here I am with free advice.
How much of my own advice do I take? The answer friends, is blowing in the winds!
• Never take coffee in the morning and Power Horse at night. You will just bounce off the walls and miss school the next day.
Think about it! What is it we are constantly trying to stay awake for? Sometimes I wonder if we enjoy any of the things we indulge in.
You go for a random party where everyone has this smile on their faces, and you know, you just know they would all rather be home, but somehow, it would be un-cool to not be here! Okay o!
• Everything good for you is bad for you, and everything bad for you is good for you.
This is one of my most loved theories! People are always telling us what to eat, and what not to eat.
Do and not do. But no one has ever told me why agbo is bitter and coke is sweeter. Why it is easier to give in to temptation than to resist it, and why watching television is so much fun but apparently burns no calories. Leave me jo!
• The secret to losing weight is wearing bigger sized clothes.
This is self-explanatory.
• Never have friends that are prettier than you.
Nor smarter. Your friends should be shorter, so you always look tall, bigger, so you always look small, and pretty dumb, so you are easily, the sharpest tool in that friendship shed!
• Love is like walking under a bus, getting hit by a train, sinking at sea, crashing your car and going insane (Culled from Hey Mum by Bachelor Girls)
The real tragedy is... it feels so good that we get right up and do it all over again. And again.
• Love is pleasure, love is pain, love will simply drive you insane!
• The Road less travelled is less travelled for a reason
• There are no Wrong or Right decisions; just decisions that work in the moment. I once tried to make a decision and spent so much time trying to make the decision that I ended up worrying about making the decision that I never did make the decision. Look at me now?
There are times when the only way to solve an equation, is via the very simple, very apt, mini-mini-mani-mo!
• Maybe we reincarnate. Or maybe we live once. But if we live well and hard, then once is enough Abi?
So, stop waiting for that afterlife or other life before you fully live! If you can jump, jump! If you can swim, swim! If you can sing, sing! There is more to life than simply being alive!
• Whatever you are feeling right now has been felt before, is being felt somewhere else, and will be felt again.
You are truly not alone. Sometimes when you s.h.a.r.e with someone, you see that it really is not as bad as you think it is. Unless it is the stain on your wedding dress. But then again, who wants to focus on the wedding when the big picture is the marriage itself?
•. Meaningless. All is meaningless. And this is not meant to be gloomy. It’s just, after all is said and done, it is all hype. And you should not believe the hype!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
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