TIME!

How important is time to you? What do you spend your time on?   There is a general axiom that says "Time waits for no man".  Successful entrepreneurs and businesses men invest their time wisely in things and activities that enhance their ventures and businesses. More importantly, they account for every time they spend each day to ensure they have judiciously used their most priceless possession - TIME. Successful people have not time to waste. Every second of the day is priceless.

To be a successful entrepreneur, watch what you spend your time on. Make sure to use your time, invest and focus on the goals and targets you have set for yourself. The time people waste on watching tv, playing video games, chatting with friends and playing around with their mobile phones etc can be properly channelled to more meaningful gains. To determine whether you will be successful in life, observe what you spend your 24 hours on. That way, if your are truthful enough to yourself, you will know where your life is heading to.

To begin a new leaf in managing your time to successful ends, start by at least spending 2 hours of your day on your goals and then gradually increase the time from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 5 hours a day. By the time you know it, you are close to achieving your goals and would be happy knowing how you use and spend your time.

Invest your time in your future. You can be better!

~Don Nwokedi

ATTITUDE

ATTITUDE

Everything depends on attitude!

Napoleon Hill, one of the richest man of his days in wealth and wisdom- a great entrepreneur made this beautiful remark, "Our attitude shapes our future". After decades of this assertions, research has proven that everything including one's success, achievement as well as failures depends greatly on ATTITUDE- behaviour and opinion towards people and things. To make it simple,  attitude is good or bad and good attitude beget good life while bad attitude beget bad life and leads to suffering.

 Right/good attitude is important to any entrepreneur and anyone who seeks  success in life and business. To be able to have your own business and manage it successfully, for instance, you must have the attitude of saving. Ability to save money or resources and channel it to greater purpose requires much discipline- an attitude lacking in many young people today and the reason a lot of people are poor. 

An entrepreneur's attitude to his staff, customers and clients determines  how successful his ventures will be. Clients will always seek out business that care about their needs and feelings and patronize them so also your staff will take their jobs and roles seriously when they are given a sense of belonging and ownership of the venture.

Your attitude they say determines your altitude in life. keep the right attitudes. Jettison any attitude that does not go well with eople and your business. Learn discipline and apply them in your life and the sky will be your starting point.

SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR (START & OWN YOUR BUSINESS)

Many people have wondered if they can ever make it in the business world. Some even think they can never be able to do or own a business- they simply don't know how to. Some think they can never own a business since they can never get the capital (money) to start up one. Well, anything is POSSIBLE if you believe.

 Here are a few steps on how to start and own a business.

1. IDENTIFY A NEED. Think of a need. Any good business must first and all solve a need. Ask yourself, what need do people feel around your environment? What is that thing people stress so much to have access to in your area that you can make it easy for them to reach. The person who started tying ice water in simple nylon bags saw the need for people to have access to chilled water especially during hot season and make it readily available anywhere. That's how pure (sachet) water business was born. Today sachet water business has generated employment for countless number of people.

2. PLAN. Start a plan on paper on how you can solve the need you have identified. Your plans should include more research on the need you have identified. You can begin by asking questions to get more insight. Never be afraid to ask questions.  Get information on what it will take you to provide the services or goods that will solve the identified need(s), what it will cost, and what strategy you will employ to make your business a reality. Be elaborate on your research and make sure to write them down for reference to assist you in finally making decisions.

3. TAKE ACTION (decide). When you have your plans laid out after a thorough research on the need you intend to solve (the business), make a decision to act on your plans and discipline yourself to follow them through. You may meet challenges on the way but never quite. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Do not be in a haste to see progress. Progress should be slow but steady. Start with small wins. For instance, if you need to start your business with N5000 but you don’t have the money. Don’t be quick to throw the idea away, rather think of how you can raise the N5000 over a period of time. You can give yourself say, one month, a year or more to raise such funds by committing yourself to doing something that will earn you the money gradually till you reach your target.

4. SEEK HELP. As longs as you show yourself a responsible, determined and honest person (traits you need to succeed in the business world), do not be afraid to ask for help. It can be from friends, family members or organisations. Seek avenues that will aid you in reaching your goals. Use the internet where it’s possible to get information on people or organisation that might be willing to offer any kind of help in the areas of business you seek to venture. Use every legitimate avenue to actualize your dreams. Never be shy and never give up!

5. THINK BIG. START SMALL. Earlier I stated you should focus on small wins. It is important not to think that you must start big, rather think big and start small. Your idea may be a multi-million naira earner, but you can start with a few hundred nairas to get to your target. Many businesses today started small and then went on to expand. You must not start in a big way (mistakes many entrepreneur wanna-be make) learn to start from the scratch, one step at a time while focusing on other growth strategies.

6. NEVER QUIT. Don’t give up in the face of challenges or mistakes that may cost your goals a great deal. Many small businesses never survive beyond five years, research has shown. Those that survive are those that refused to give in to challenges and circumstances. Thomas Edison was asked why it took him 10,000 trials to invent a lightbulb, he said he only found 10,000 ways of making it happen. So, no matter how many times your new business is faced with challenges, learn to be strong and not give up. Challenges are part of the ingredients to the success of any business. They give you the required experience to survive the unknown.

Have a wonderful time in your journey to becoming your own boss.

You can be better!