NOT MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Sit down and work on your business and on your ideas until it announces you to the world as a person of value. Stop moving from place to place and chatting idly with people all over the places.
Mistake 2: Not minding your own business: While on a personal retreat outside Lagos, I called my pastor on phone around 11.30 p.m. (we had mutually agreed on the time) to discuss some issues. I started by apologising for not linking up with him for almost seven months even though I see him in the church most of the time on Sundays. His response got me thinking for a week: “The key thing is to spend time to sort out your life first. Leave other people out of it initially. God will not reward you for the time you spend in other people’s business when you should be on your desk working things out. When you fix things, get back and we would understand, and gladly, welcome you back as long as you are able to make it. The truth is that you will only remain in people’s reckoning when you are doing well and they perceive that you can add value to what they are doing. The moment they can’t see that value most people (including me) will have to look elsewhere.”
I almost abandoned the earlier discussion I came to have with him in order to ponder on his words. But I have found that to be the truth and I have thanked him for that candid advice. One of my advisers who has been able to build a company worth N0.8 billion from N80, 000 seed money in five years shared an experience with me that reinforced that truth. When he wanted to start his business, he had contacted one of his closest friends to help him with money. Before that time, they used to hold meetings in his friend’s private bedroom. That, however, changed when the issue of money surfaced. According to him, the next time he visited his friend, he asked him to fill a visitor’s form and that he should see his son first for clearance . Humiliated, my friend took time to meditate on the turn of events and he resolved to do everything possible to make it. He sold virtually everything in his house to raise the necessary money. In less than four years, he steered the company (an international IT franchise) into international reckoning. Guess what! His old friend has been on a hot chase asking them to partner! We were reflecting on that incident a couple of days ago and this is his conclusion: “Don’t ever boast that you know anybody until you have worked yourself into reckoning in their books.” I hope the message sinks. Sit down and work on your business and on your ideas until it announces you to the world as a person of value. Stop moving from place to place and chatting idly with people all over the places. It does not matter where your business is located once people can perceive value in what you are offering, they would search you out. Believe this also: your mentors and friends would pardon your being incommunicado if you are able to make it!
Mistake 2: Bringing partners too quickly into your business without seeing what you can do first to advance the business personally: One of my mentors told me that he had lost three businesses to what he calls youthful exuberance. He said: “When young people come to me these days and say that they want to go into partnership with this and that person, I usually tell them to soft-pedal. The real dimension of a business cannot be easily discovered at the initial stage. It takes some trial-and-error attempts and it is dangerous to bring in people in when you have not yet explored other options. My advice is that you should start your business small at first and grow it with as little financial outlay and personnel encumbrances as possible. When you are sure of the nature of the business, you can then, bring in joint venture partners who are not necessarily shareholders. These are people you can do business with and share profit. The arrangement can be disbanded once the transaction is over. It is a need-based partnership” It is a good piece of advice I suggest you meditate on.
Mistake 3: Abdicating accounting and marketing function as the CEO. If you are not on top of the financials of your company, you are not on top of anything. When you now combine that with lack of interest in how what you produce is sold, it is safe to say that you don’t have a company. My mentor shared his experience: “For more than five years after I started my business, it was struggle every inch of the way. I was busy spending money on production and money was not coming in. The agents did everything they liked. By the time I knew what was happening I was already sitting atop N21million in debts. I had to call in friends who are consultants to help me out. They came out with two recommendations: First, I had to learn everything about how to interpret financial information coming from my accountant; and second, I should spend less time in the office as money is made outside while you are networking and not when you are sitting down in your cosy office. It was tough initially but I had to learn those two aspects of the business and that saved the company from bankruptcy. You don’t have to be an accountant to know how to interpret financial information, you can learn it. You can also learn how to meet people and introduce the company. Today, our business is a huge success in the true sense of it.” I think that is a wise counsel you should absorb into your spirit and soul!
Mistake 4: Failure to qualify those who have access to you: The biggest mistake you can make is to allow unrestricted access to yourself. The truth is that everybody wants an aspect of you, and people would do anything to extract what they want, irrespective of your discomfort. It is your responsibility, however, to create mechanisms for qualifying access to you otherwise you would lose out in life. One of my mentors said this: “There is always a people’s pressure. You must, however, ensure that you fit people into your schedule, not the other way round. When people invite you for an occasion, you should be the one to determine if it fits your schedule or not. The antidote to this is to fix your schedule for at least a year ahead. Put the time you would spend with your spouse in the calendar and make those times irreversible. I remember when someone important invited me for a speaking engagement, I told him I was not free on the day he fixed, but when he checked my diary as we were looking at it together, and he saw that I filled time with family, and he said but I could fix it on that day. I refused flatly. You must protect your personal schedule from external invasion.” Store this in your soul; it would add more years to your productive lifespan
culled from Ayo Arowolo's billionaire's capsules
Monday, March 15, 2010
Business and life mistakes to avoid 1
BUSINESS AND LIFE MISTAKES TO AVOID 1
GET GOD INVOLVED
Our next mentor, a fascinating real estate billionaire, is in the queue, as I hinted in my last article. I felt impelled, however, to let you in into some very valuable thoughts emanating from my circle of mentors and advisers. They should help you to maximise whatever tips you might have picked from my series on how to invest wisely in 2010. They say it is the little foxes that spoil the show and you would do well to guard against that small stuff that can throw spanners into your life’s works.
Over the past couple of weeks, I had been paying scheduled visits to some of my mentors and a number of my advisers. My goal basically, was to pick their brains. I wanted to find out what I had missed out in few areas over the years so that I could correct them. I had not seen a couple of them for an upward of 10 months even though we chatted occasionally on phone. What I found out were quite revealing, and I believe they would help you too to normalise few things that have gone wrong either in your business or personal life.
I have been able to distill their observations and comments into about 30 nuggets that you should not only read, but you should make your commandments for life and business. I believe the tips were genuinely and frankly shared with me. Just before I start out on the tips, let me share these observations with you.
During my discussion with one of mentors (He is a consultant of international repute who just retired a few years back) in his office in Ikoyi, Lagos, I asked why he had not shared with me before what he was now sharing, his reply was surprising: “My advice is available to those who ask for it. I could not advise you on what you did not ask me about.” That to me is a very big lesson. It means that help is always available to those who care to ask for it. It also means you can be consumed by adversity in the midst of wise counsels. I hope that sinks. Always ask for help when you need one. It can be in the area of career, business and life generally.
The second observation: I had gone on appointment to see another mentor (sorry, business coach!) to discuss a few issues. He listened to me attentively, but surprisingly, he did not answer any of my questions. He observed that I had not been following most of the advice he had been giving to me without getting back to him on my reason for that. He said he would like to play the role of a coach and not a mentor and what that would mean was that he would give me an assignment and I would have to discuss my progress on that before giving me another one. His concern was that a protégé could go off tangent even in the face of multitude of counsellors. The highpoint of the meeting was that he asked me to close my diary for a week to attend a coaching class he would be organising. I was there at his instance for a week, (9.00a.m. to 4.00p.m. daily). Listening to him pours his heart out on many life and business issues, it was a feeling of regrets that enveloped me. I was saying to myself, I had access to this person all those days and I was never able to access such incredible nuggets of wisdom from him. In any case what I picked in those five days were enough to last a lifetime. They form part of the 30 nuggets I would be sharing with you in the next few weeks as the time permits before I bring our next mentor on stage. Let us get going.
TIP 1: Failure to give spiritual matters prioirities over material things. My business coach who is in the same line of business as I am was very emphatic on this issue of spiritual imperatives. His words: “I have tried all the sides and I can tell you that any man who does not take spiritual issues very seriously is wasting his time. I don’t care what it is you believe in. You must believe that there is an unseen force that has a hand in how your life turns and you would do well to learn how to relate with that Higher Power. You should believe this: that everything your hands can touch; everything your nose can smell; everything your eyes can see and, indeed, everything your senses can perceive is only a fraction of the possibilities. Far more things that you can imagine exist outside the physical plane and it is your responsibility to learn how to tap into that realm.”
There are spiritual laws governing the universe and that is why you observe that certain things happen on their own accords. You don’t have to pray for rain to fall; rain would come down when the cloud is full. Night and day come on their own, whether you cooperate with it or otherwise. Animals know how to ride on the laws of nature to maximise their existence. It is only human beings that try to work against the laws and, of course, this belligerent attitude has dire consequences.”
When I asked him to explain some of the spiritual principles one can apply he offered this: “Meditation is one of them. You must build this into your daily activities. At the end of everyday, spend some time, about 30 minutes or so, to reflect on what happened during the day and when you can afford it spend time alone to reflect on what you are doing, your life, your business and everything. If you do this regularly you would discover that you have access to information that you thought was not immediately available to you”.
“The truth is that every one has a solution to whatever challenge he or she might face at any time if only he would take time to think and look within. Unfortunately, most people run helter-skelter at the slightest appearance of a challenge. They do not know that help is available to those who desperately and diligently seek it.”
Culled from Ayo Arowolo’s billionaire’s capsules
GET GOD INVOLVED
Our next mentor, a fascinating real estate billionaire, is in the queue, as I hinted in my last article. I felt impelled, however, to let you in into some very valuable thoughts emanating from my circle of mentors and advisers. They should help you to maximise whatever tips you might have picked from my series on how to invest wisely in 2010. They say it is the little foxes that spoil the show and you would do well to guard against that small stuff that can throw spanners into your life’s works.
Over the past couple of weeks, I had been paying scheduled visits to some of my mentors and a number of my advisers. My goal basically, was to pick their brains. I wanted to find out what I had missed out in few areas over the years so that I could correct them. I had not seen a couple of them for an upward of 10 months even though we chatted occasionally on phone. What I found out were quite revealing, and I believe they would help you too to normalise few things that have gone wrong either in your business or personal life.
I have been able to distill their observations and comments into about 30 nuggets that you should not only read, but you should make your commandments for life and business. I believe the tips were genuinely and frankly shared with me. Just before I start out on the tips, let me share these observations with you.
During my discussion with one of mentors (He is a consultant of international repute who just retired a few years back) in his office in Ikoyi, Lagos, I asked why he had not shared with me before what he was now sharing, his reply was surprising: “My advice is available to those who ask for it. I could not advise you on what you did not ask me about.” That to me is a very big lesson. It means that help is always available to those who care to ask for it. It also means you can be consumed by adversity in the midst of wise counsels. I hope that sinks. Always ask for help when you need one. It can be in the area of career, business and life generally.
The second observation: I had gone on appointment to see another mentor (sorry, business coach!) to discuss a few issues. He listened to me attentively, but surprisingly, he did not answer any of my questions. He observed that I had not been following most of the advice he had been giving to me without getting back to him on my reason for that. He said he would like to play the role of a coach and not a mentor and what that would mean was that he would give me an assignment and I would have to discuss my progress on that before giving me another one. His concern was that a protégé could go off tangent even in the face of multitude of counsellors. The highpoint of the meeting was that he asked me to close my diary for a week to attend a coaching class he would be organising. I was there at his instance for a week, (9.00a.m. to 4.00p.m. daily). Listening to him pours his heart out on many life and business issues, it was a feeling of regrets that enveloped me. I was saying to myself, I had access to this person all those days and I was never able to access such incredible nuggets of wisdom from him. In any case what I picked in those five days were enough to last a lifetime. They form part of the 30 nuggets I would be sharing with you in the next few weeks as the time permits before I bring our next mentor on stage. Let us get going.
TIP 1: Failure to give spiritual matters prioirities over material things. My business coach who is in the same line of business as I am was very emphatic on this issue of spiritual imperatives. His words: “I have tried all the sides and I can tell you that any man who does not take spiritual issues very seriously is wasting his time. I don’t care what it is you believe in. You must believe that there is an unseen force that has a hand in how your life turns and you would do well to learn how to relate with that Higher Power. You should believe this: that everything your hands can touch; everything your nose can smell; everything your eyes can see and, indeed, everything your senses can perceive is only a fraction of the possibilities. Far more things that you can imagine exist outside the physical plane and it is your responsibility to learn how to tap into that realm.”
There are spiritual laws governing the universe and that is why you observe that certain things happen on their own accords. You don’t have to pray for rain to fall; rain would come down when the cloud is full. Night and day come on their own, whether you cooperate with it or otherwise. Animals know how to ride on the laws of nature to maximise their existence. It is only human beings that try to work against the laws and, of course, this belligerent attitude has dire consequences.”
When I asked him to explain some of the spiritual principles one can apply he offered this: “Meditation is one of them. You must build this into your daily activities. At the end of everyday, spend some time, about 30 minutes or so, to reflect on what happened during the day and when you can afford it spend time alone to reflect on what you are doing, your life, your business and everything. If you do this regularly you would discover that you have access to information that you thought was not immediately available to you”.
“The truth is that every one has a solution to whatever challenge he or she might face at any time if only he would take time to think and look within. Unfortunately, most people run helter-skelter at the slightest appearance of a challenge. They do not know that help is available to those who desperately and diligently seek it.”
Culled from Ayo Arowolo’s billionaire’s capsules
Thursday, February 11, 2010
WISDOM KEYS
1. LIFE WILL NOT GIVE YOU WHAT YOU DESIRE BUT WHAT YOU DEMAND
2. THERE ARE NO TRUE ACCIDENTS IN LIFE, ITS CONTROLLED BY THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
3. THE LAW OF HISTORY SAYS THAT HISTORY TENDS TO REPEAT ITSELF i.e WE DONT ALWAYS LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. A WISE MAN LEARNS NOT ONLY FROM HIS MISTAKES BUT FROM OTHERS
4. THERE ARE ONLY 2 PAINS IN LIFE, THE PAIN OF SELF DISCIPLINE AND THE PAIN OF REGRET
5. HE IS A FAILURE WHO BLAMES OTHERS FOR HIS MISTAKES
6. MONEY IS A MAGNIFIER OF THE INTENTS OF THE HEART OF A MAN. IF YOU TRUELY WANT TO KNOW A MAN'S HEART, TEST HIM WITH UNLIMITED MONEY
7. GO TO THE ANT THOU SLUGGARD, CONSIDER HER WAYS AND BE WISE.
HAVING NO OVERSEER, RULER OR GUIDE PROVIDETH HER MEAT IN SUMMER AND GATHERETH HER FOOD IN THE HARVEST."THE ANT IS A DISCILINED FELLOW"
8. EXCEPT A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALL TO THE GROUND AND DIE IT ABIDETH ALONE...
9. COURAGE IS THE ABILITY TO LAUGH INSPITE OF TROUBLES BASED ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. EVERY PROMISED LAND REQUIRES COURAGE TO ENTER
10. SUCCESS IS A FUNCTION OF CHARACTER MORE THAN IT IS OF ACTIVITY. IT IS NOT AN EVENT IT IS A PERSON.
2. THERE ARE NO TRUE ACCIDENTS IN LIFE, ITS CONTROLLED BY THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
3. THE LAW OF HISTORY SAYS THAT HISTORY TENDS TO REPEAT ITSELF i.e WE DONT ALWAYS LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. A WISE MAN LEARNS NOT ONLY FROM HIS MISTAKES BUT FROM OTHERS
4. THERE ARE ONLY 2 PAINS IN LIFE, THE PAIN OF SELF DISCIPLINE AND THE PAIN OF REGRET
5. HE IS A FAILURE WHO BLAMES OTHERS FOR HIS MISTAKES
6. MONEY IS A MAGNIFIER OF THE INTENTS OF THE HEART OF A MAN. IF YOU TRUELY WANT TO KNOW A MAN'S HEART, TEST HIM WITH UNLIMITED MONEY
7. GO TO THE ANT THOU SLUGGARD, CONSIDER HER WAYS AND BE WISE.
HAVING NO OVERSEER, RULER OR GUIDE PROVIDETH HER MEAT IN SUMMER AND GATHERETH HER FOOD IN THE HARVEST."THE ANT IS A DISCILINED FELLOW"
8. EXCEPT A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALL TO THE GROUND AND DIE IT ABIDETH ALONE...
9. COURAGE IS THE ABILITY TO LAUGH INSPITE OF TROUBLES BASED ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. EVERY PROMISED LAND REQUIRES COURAGE TO ENTER
10. SUCCESS IS A FUNCTION OF CHARACTER MORE THAN IT IS OF ACTIVITY. IT IS NOT AN EVENT IT IS A PERSON.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Ideas Rule the World
Many years ago,a young man was working with the cocacola company. He was a casual and factory staff. One day,he told his collegues "i have an idea that can make cocacola available in every home in the world."
His friends told him "tell us the idea." He said "no i want to speak with the board of directors about the idea."
The report got to the board of directors and the young man who would never have met the board was invited.
He said to them"what will you give me if my idea succeeds"
They agreed on a percentage and then he told them the idea-"BOTTLE IT".....
Before then cocacola used to be in big tanks where you would go and fetch/buy whatever quantity you wanted.
That is the IDEA that has made cocacola a name on the lips of 6billion people on the earth.
BELIEVE IN YOUR IDEAS!!!
His friends told him "tell us the idea." He said "no i want to speak with the board of directors about the idea."
The report got to the board of directors and the young man who would never have met the board was invited.
He said to them"what will you give me if my idea succeeds"
They agreed on a percentage and then he told them the idea-"BOTTLE IT".....
Before then cocacola used to be in big tanks where you would go and fetch/buy whatever quantity you wanted.
That is the IDEA that has made cocacola a name on the lips of 6billion people on the earth.
BELIEVE IN YOUR IDEAS!!!
the power of GOALS
A multi billionare made an assertion "i have a secret that will make any business succeed 100times what they are now. If you can pay one million dollars, i ll give it to you"
People were skeptical but because this man has results, they paid.
He then said "these are the keys
1. HAVE A GOAL
2. WRITE IT DOWN
3. BREAK IT DOWN INTO PURSUEABLE ELEMENTS
People were skeptical but because this man has results, they paid.
He then said "these are the keys
1. HAVE A GOAL
2. WRITE IT DOWN
3. BREAK IT DOWN INTO PURSUEABLE ELEMENTS
10 SECRETS OF PERSONAL SUCCESS
10 SECRETS OF PERSONAL SUCCESS
1. Take 100% responsibility for your life.
2. Give up excuses and complaining.
3. Create your future from the scriptures and not from your
past.
4. Believe it is possible.
5. Determine and understand your purpose in life.
6. Believe in yourself
7. Anticipate obstacles and look for opportunities in everything.
8. Set a goal that commands your thought, vibrates your energy
and inspires your hope.
9. Get out of your comfort zone.
10. Act as if it is impossible to fail.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FACT AND FAITH
FAITH FACT
Faith provokes the super- Fact operates in the natural.
Natural .
Faith is a spiritual fact. Fact is a natural fact.
Faith is of the heart Fact is of the head.
Faith dominates the spirit Fact dominates the natural world.
tual world.
Faith celebrate the impo-
ssible.
1. Take 100% responsibility for your life.
2. Give up excuses and complaining.
3. Create your future from the scriptures and not from your
past.
4. Believe it is possible.
5. Determine and understand your purpose in life.
6. Believe in yourself
7. Anticipate obstacles and look for opportunities in everything.
8. Set a goal that commands your thought, vibrates your energy
and inspires your hope.
9. Get out of your comfort zone.
10. Act as if it is impossible to fail.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FACT AND FAITH
FAITH FACT
Faith provokes the super- Fact operates in the natural.
Natural .
Faith is a spiritual fact. Fact is a natural fact.
Faith is of the heart Fact is of the head.
Faith dominates the spirit Fact dominates the natural world.
tual world.
Faith celebrate the impo-
ssible.
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