A day in life of a small business

He thinks I'm a mugu - Part 2

2008-10-31T04:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so after my anti-mugu message, I decided that you know what, these guys must be getting lots of these everyday... What is that going to change? At the end of the day, I believe that I'm not in the position to "discard" any human being for their actions. I don't know what put this person in the position he is today, I didn't grow up with him, I don't know anything about him - Why then am I so quick to condemn him as a person? The action (419) should no doubt, be condemned. I am strictly against taking advantage of people regardless of the situation, and I will not condon it at ALL. However, I say that I want to change things, I want to make a difference, especially with the situation surrounding 419. Is this the most effective way of going about it? After some prolonged reflection, I "repented" over my first e-mail and sent this one :

Hello Sir,

You sent me an enquiry the other day, asking about a Black Sony Ericsson
K550i phone. We both know that you are not really buying that phone for
your son, as you claim and that you are trying to swindle me. I do not
know what drove you to start doing this - whether it is hardship or greed
- and I do not know how profitable it is for you either. I can guess that
you probably don't have a job, and are looking for a way to survive -
Well, you don't have to give up and start doing this because if you are
caught and thrown into jail, will it be worth it? You do have good
qualities which I believe would help you in job-seeking - and if you can't
find a job for yourself, then why don't you create one for yourself? You
seem quite intelligent, and you write very well, therefore you must be
educated to some level.

I can give you a second chance and suggest this to you -
Look around our website and look for something that you would be able to
sell quickly. We currently have cheap USB drives which do very well, or
Mens office shirts. Invest a small amount and buy a small number of items
and re-sell to the people around you - your friends or family. These are
quality stuff from the UK, not mass products from China: You can easily
make 100% gain on top of what you have bought. Not only will you create a
decent source of income for yourself, but you will also gain the respect
of people in the general public. You will know that your hands are clean,
and any money you make is decent, and you have not defrauded anyone to
earn it. And when God sees this, even he will bless you, and your
business.

Think about this e-mail.
Thanks

Sounds like a cheap marketing shot, I know but I really really wanted to help. However, One month later and still no reply

He thinks I'm a mugu !!

2008-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

I've not gone awol o! Just trying to sort out plenty of stuff!! Anyways, here is another one of my encounters with these 419 boys. Don't they rest - even after seeing "Nigeria" all over my website? Can't they guess that at least I know something - if not much about Naija? Na wa o!

Enquiry I received from a "customer" today:

I like the item you placed on the site and i want to buy it for my son in Nigeria as a birthday gift if you can send it to him in Nigeria then send me your payment info like payment mode,Name,address,cost,plus shipment cost, so that i can make the payment tomorrow and u too can send the posting receipt after sending the item so that u can receive your money.

James Jull (What kind of name is James Jull?)
07024015257 / milner_20@yahoo.com/

My response:
Hello James,

I appreciate your interest in the above item. My guy, our account details
are in Naija so we will only accept bank payments into our account with
ETB. We will ONLY send the phone after we have CONFIRMED from our partners
that the money has been paid in.

If you are worried that we want to do you 419, the same way you want to do
us 419, then we can come up with another arrangement. Pay 30% of the the
total cost of the phone plus shipping and we can send the phone to our
agent in Lagos. You can pay the remaining 70% when you go to pick it up
from them - They are located in Ajah, Iddo and Ikoyi. However, this is
subject to a N1500 administration fee.

Let me know which option suits you best, and I will send you an invoice
right away. I know the phone is not for your son anything - you hve to PAY
for it if you want it. No Paypal nonsense.
Thanks

2008-08-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

So it's another month gone - Just like that. Time travels so fast, I have realised that if I don't do whatever-it-is-i-need-to-do NOW, then that's it. I'm not going to do it! Oh dear...

Well, I put out another advert for my website in the newspaper - from which I got about 30 leads same day. About 4 of those 30 were valid, and wanted to order straight away. I now realised that for a business which is based inside the computer (One of the biggest toold used in 419 scams), one has to invest a considerable amount into proving that one is genuine. This is because 9 times out of 10, customers are very doubtful about what they see on the internet.

I do not blame them - I would be cautious myself, as you are more likely to hear negative stull to do with computers + money in Nigeria, than positive stuff. Anyways, that's the situation we have put ourselves in. Online purchasing has been crippled even before it can walk, and it will take a lot to fix the damage that has been caused.... Now, I have to spend my precious time devising a way to prove that what I advertise is "real".

Lessons from my television

2008-08-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been spending some time lately watching the last series of The BBC show - The Apprentice. Where "16 business tycoons of tomorrow" so to speak, compete against each other in a series of delegated business tasks to be Sir Alan Sugars next apprentice. It's one of the only things I watch on tv, as it makes me feel like I've snuck into a board meeting of some top company and I'm following the executives as they go about their business.. Not only this but I get to see whether they have made the right decisions or not...Sweet!

One thing I've noticed in this episode so far is that the ones who are the first to be booted out are the ones who 1."Have never failed at anything before", 2. "Never use the L(Losing) word" 3."Have extremely high IQ - and are therefore more intelligent than everyone else". The last one sounds to me like conceit. There is a difference between self-confidence and conceit and in my opinion, self-confidence ends when others are being brought into the picture and comparisons are being made. That's where conceit, if not arrogance begins.

The task in hand was that all the "tycoons" were asked to go to a popular shopping centre, take peoples photographs and sell these photos back to the people. Both teams were run differently, but the results were slightly similar. Team A's strategy was to bring a David Beckham lookalike and offer photos with him for about £25.00. I'm not sure hot they came to choose this approach, but I'd expect that that it was probably a suggestion from one of the team members. Helene, the project manager was very authoritative - in the sense that she delegated tasks to various people, with a "make sure you do it" kind of attitude. This shows assertiveness, and may be necessary sometimes. However, I do feel that a good leader should try to "take care of the goose that lays the golden eggs" sometimes as well. The team member who was asked to process the photos on the computer put her hands up immediately they delegated the role to her. She confessed that she wasn't very good with technology. The team leader basically replied that she "shut up and get on with it", forgetting that if someone is challenged, they are challenged - besides technology is not something you can learn in one hour. In my opinion, the team leader was running away from the job - because she knew she wasn't too computer-friendly. Why then did she not "do unto others as you would like them to do to you", and acknowledge that Lucinda was also computer-shy? At the end of the day, they won the task, but inmy opionion, it was the David Beckham guy that made it possible. His appeal to the customers was probably greater than the damage done by Lucindas tecnophobia. Verdict: Helene - Authoritarian, not considerate of team members strenghts and weaknessess.

The other team lost. In my humble opinion, I guess their idea was a little harder to sell than the David Beckham face. Why? Because the idea came out of 1 head when there were about 6 heads present that could have provided a better alternative. 2 heads are better than 1, and 6 heads are better than 2 but Simon wanted to do it all by himself because in his words "if given a chance, he would turn this round on its head and should what a great business person he was". Hmm. No wonder he didn't listen to others very much - Because he wanted to show how good he was. He was extremely passionate about the task though, I must say, but his way of managing that passion wasn't the best. He wanted to do it all himself, and didn't want to delegate anytjing at all. I'm sure if you left him, he would sit by himself and set up the whole thing, take all the pictures himself and sell everything himself. I did feel sorry for him towards the end though. He looked like he was going to cry , and that shows how much passion he had for the project.
Verdict : Simon - Very passionate, authoritarian. Not considerate of his own weaknesses.

Here is a link to the episode in question :
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
I guess that's it for the post. Wow - I got lost in it and it's not 3:31am. Must go to bed now!

The plunge (2)

2008-07-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a couple of weeks since I beat my chest (ouch!) and howled out my motivational piece. I did try to fire up everyone/thing in the pipeline but unfortunately I guess it was just me who was interested... Take for example - I decided to change my web domain name as "Awoof" (like I've been told before) in the eyes of the average Nigeria sounds like a huge con. ("Awoof" = FREE). Bad taste eh? Well what can I say? I'm older and wiser... The domain name change took 2 weeks - simply because my Web guy / Programmer guy was had family over from his country and had to take them to Hydes Park Corner on Day 1, Alton Towers on Day 2, To see the London Eye on Day 3 and so forth...

Finally my brethren, the work has been done, and I'm ready to advertise!!

The plunge

2008-07-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much time has passed since I started my business venture... What is it - 2 years? since I started small, thinking of ways in which I could improve, without actually improving. Even though I did take the plunge, I've always been very careful so as not to bite off more than I can chew, seeing that I am (now WAS!) studying for a degree full-time. I have to go into this full-time (especially as exams are over, and I haven't got an excuse anymore). I guess it has come to the point where it's now or never. I have to advertise. I have to tidy up my website and put it out there, let's test for the first time whether it works or not. In the past, I have relied on Facebook advertising and referrals for business, as I didn't want to oversell myself. But I guess it's time for the little steps to be taken.

To anyone out there who also has a big ocean in front of them which they are contemplating crossing - My only advice is that it's better to take the plunge sooner than later. Even though it doesn't work out the first time, it will go down in history that you tried.

Today, I take the plunge.

2008-06-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

If you remember, a few posts ago, I was griping about some supplies I was expecting from China which ended up in Lagos under the wrong name. Well guess what, after 6 months of phonecalls, MSN chats, more phonecalls I was finally able to get the goods sent back to China and re-sent back to me in England. After all said and done, Mr. Supplier had the "effontry" to ask me to "contribute" towards the carriage costs AGAIN to UK. The joker.... I just told him that if he wanted us to continue doing business, he should just fulfill the order I placed with him. Simple. What a joker!

So now, the goods are here, I strongly doubt that I'll be ordering anything from China again for this venture. Don't get me wrong, the goods are ok - But I cannot hand over all my hard work to someone whose business standards are questionable. With my friends, family, strangers etc I can tolerate many things but when it comes to business, No. Simply because in business, many are dependent on me and I wouldn't want to let them down - Now even when it's someone else's fault...

Yeah yeah, lest I forget .. Guess who now moderate the "Starting a Business" section of Nairaland.. Hehe, no guess again...

What next?

2008-05-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Guess who is potentially now a graduate? Well, yours truly...! Exams are over and I have my life now - Hurry! I've fulfilled my promise to party for one full week non-stop and actually, partying isn't all that. I think business is sweeter ;-) And to make up for all that time I've wasted, here I am!

It's about time..

2008-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

To prove that I'm still breathing. I guess I do have a time management issue afterall. Please bear with me while I try to sort it out :-)

So what's been happening in businessville? I guess not too much as it's all about Univille these days. I graduate in a few months and my final exams are looming... Business has been pushed to a corner..

Anyway, the business front hasn't totally being quiet... You know it never is.. I've been thinking lot about the recent turn in the global economy, and I have concluded that the way forward is... No, you guessed wrong - It's FARMING. Yes, farming. Not fish/grasscutter/poutry farming but crop farming . Corn, Sugarcane, Rice, Yam, Fruits. Because come to think of it, people will always eat. People MUST always eat. Must other businesses have a specific target market which require the products/services. In griculture, every human requires food... Now the problem is that these days, everyone wants a white collar job and no one really wants to till the ground. Those who are tilling the ground broad are thnking God that they put seeds in the ground and money comes out...

And the questions of the moment...How does one encourage young people to go into agriculture? How can women be useful on the agricultural front? How does one manage farm?

Awoof - Live on Punch!

2008-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, your dear old Awoof made it live to the Punch Nigeria newspaper - Wednesday edition, page 29. :-)

Ok, it was only a tiny classifieds ad but yeah, this lady was still in the newspaper! Ok, I have stock to clear before Valentines Day, which I've been pushing on Facebook... I did get quite a few good leads on Facebook though, to be honest. I made one confirmed sale, but I had to readvertise like every 3 days. I then decided to just buy a place in The Punch, especially as I'd been talking to the editor for quite a few months now about advertising..

I wasn't too sure what I'd write to draw people's attention, so I picked my Valentines item and the astonishing price plus "from the UK", (for the benefit of Chinaphobes) and then in the body of the ad, listed other things, my contact details and that I'm willing to call back. Well, my sisters and brother - I got no less than 40 calls requesting information.

Among these were 2 confirmed sales for as early as tomorrow... Therefore, I've officially sold ALL my stock and am currently ordering more... hehe. Reflecting on my day, I think I've made one mistake though - I've priced my stock too low, as I pu tprice before everything else. I forgot that quality also matters and my products are great great quality.. I'm sure that even my customers would marvel at the sort of quality they are getting for so little..

My mistake. I guess I can fix that by telling future callers that this is an introductory price and isn't guaranteed to be stay the same forever... I wonder how I can do this? Any tips on "changing mouth" efficiently?

Press release?

2008-01-25T02:09:00.001-08:00

Interesting article in the Fridays newspaper. It seems Mr. Arthur Chukwuka is just trying to sell his trucks, but at the same time, it's a business plan worth considering - To anyone who is looking for a business to invest in. Why not check out the haulage business? As for me, I think I'll have to write a similar press release on my products... Hmmm That could work... :-)

Here's the article for anyone who's interested :

FOR people who understand the operation, transport business is a lucrative job. Its returns can be predictably instantaneous and abundant. Those in the business of transporting bulk materials testify that it is a money-spinner, if you master the skill well.
Currently, the business is taking the operators to the neighboring West African countries like Togo, Ghana Benin Republic, Senegal and Gambia.

E x p e r t s attribute the trend to the increase in the production capacity of companies operating in Nigeria.

According to Alhaji.Mohammed Nasiru, an Lagos-based truck owner, “With one or two sound trailers, you can find yourself in the millionaire club.” Recalling what he took into the business about two years ago, he says, “Do you know that I started with only N200,000? And I am now worth more than N60m.” But he says this is not automatic. “You have to be fully involved in the business, even if you employ drivers for your truck. They need to be constantly monitored, although you have to convince them too that you are genuinely concerned about their welfare. You have to keep the vehicles in perfect condition.” Nasiru says that it is much better to invest in it when you are ready to enough funds to plough into it. This will guarantee good profits and returns on investment.

To start the business, he says, “The first thing that anyone who wants to go into the business must do is to secure an open space. This will provide the parking for trucks before and after every trip.

“The space can also serve as the maintenance y a r d .

Maintenance yard, apart from the open space is vital for the cleaning and maintenance of the vehicles.

Office space can also be carved out of the open space, which is necessary, as you would have to deal with individual and corporate clients.

Nasiru also gives other things that are required for the business to thrive. He says, “The next most important thing you need to do if you are to succeed in the business is to get capable hands, with rich experience in the haulage business, using trucks and trailers.

“This, you can begin by recruiting a manager.

The manager must have a lot of experience, because he is the one that will assist you to recruit qualified and responsible drivers who are the next most important players in the haulage business.” The transporter says it will cost about N6-8m to have a functional truck. However, he adds that you may not pay the whole amount at once.

You can work out an arrangement with the importers of the vehicles, local dealers and some financiers. But he warns against rushing into any deal without fully understanding the conditions. he urges you to consult any trusted experts before signing any agreement.

Other experts note that some local dealers may not have the patience to wait for about one or years for the repayment.

The banks can also assist in making facilities available for the purchase of the trucks or trailers, when they are convinced about the viability of the investment.

Nasiru explains that a truck or trailer can make up to four to five trips a month to various parts of the country, especially from the southern part of the country to the northern part. Trips to neighboring countries are also picking up.

Corroborating the position of Nasiru on the profitability of the haulage business, Mr.

Yakubu Isyaku, an executive with a Lagosbased Izu Chukwu Transport says that it is possible for a truck to rake in more than N1m or in a month He says, “There are many companies that want to carry goods from one part of the country to the other. These include cement, flour, iron rod and other imported goods.

“A hard working driver can make up to four or five trips a month, and each of those trips can not be less than N300,000.” He says, despite the fact that a lot of the money is spent on the maintenance of the vehicle, the driver and his conductor, the company will still have a good portion of the money as profit at the end of the month, when accounts are reconciled, and salaries are paid.

“Indeed, the haulage business has never seen a better time than now, in terms of profitability,” says Arthur Chukwuka, a dealer and importer of new and used trucks in Lagos.

He adds, “Look at Alhaji Aliko Dangote, in spite of his numerous trailers and trucks running across the roads of Nigeria and West Africa, he still hires trucks to move his other products that his trucks can not carry.

Whichever way one looks at it, the business of haulage is expanding, and it is only wise investors that can invest in it.

Chikuka advises anybody going into the business to reserve some money for advertising and networking to get the right clients and sustain their interest.

Frustrations

2008-01-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

It's increasingly annoying that I'm finding it difficult - Very difficult to concentrate. I've been awake at the library for 8 hours straight now, but I don't know what I've achieved. When I came here at 8pm, I had a list of aims to meet before 6am. One of them includes creating a questionnaire on attitude management - I know nothing about this, and therefore have had to read a book. It has taken me 7 hours plus and I still am no wiser. I'm very upset at this stage and I don't know what to do. I have to get this questionnaire ready for 10am this morning. I simply MUST. I'm so upset right now, and I have to leave the library at 6am or I'll get a parking ticket from the ever-so-diligent, ever-so-early ticket inspector who will ensure he comes to work on time in order to catch people. I need help. I just don't know what to do.

It doesn't help that I do not have time to spare. I have to submit this project in approximately 8 weeks and I have gone nowhere with it so far. To make matters worse, I have an exam on Monday which I only just found out about this Monday. Plus I HAVE to create and send out a products list for the next 2 months to meet my target. And also send off the materials for flyers to the graphic designer who I'll be working with. As if that's not enough, EMS Lagos has still refused to release my parcel, as my supplier in China was apparently lying about changing the adressee details with EMS...And he has refused to fax me the change of addressee documents... I simply have to get that parcel off them. I don't know how but I want it so bad I've even dreamt that I stole it from them...

Sorry it's not an interesting or inspiring post today. I do not mean to rant but I'm very very frustrated at this stage.

Now now now....

2007-12-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

Now now now, christmas has come and gone... Now now now, we'll be in 2008...

I hope everyone's had a good christmas...For me, I've had a busy one.. I went to my aunts house for christmas and also to help with the babysitting over this period as we hosted a big christmas party...You know what Naija parties are like now... I'm sure if it wasn't so cold outside they would have set on eor two small canopies in front of the house... Well, on getting home lo, and behold another "aunty" had arrived from Nigeria with 2 extra children. This brought the total number of children aged 4 and below to a grand total of 5. 5 strong, healthy, active, vicious, energetic children, including a 1 year old with a very powerful voice... Let's just say I lost a lot of weight this christmas...

Busineswise, I'm also losing weight... There's a Chinese company I usually order from, for my eBay runnings. Since their products were such good quality, I decided to use them for my new business venture which I'm thinking of starting in Nigeria come 2008. Theory being "If it's good enough for the UK, it's good enough for Nigeria abi?". Needless to say, their goods are good quality, and their prices are quite reasonable. Besides, one of their products the exact product I need to focus on, as it's easily affordable by the average Nigerian.

Well, I placed a test order of a 150 products and asked for them to be sent to my contact in Nigeria. The representative, whom I've ALWAYS transacted business with gave me a quote, I paid without arguments. Goods were shipped by air freight. One week later, goods were delivered in Nigeria, but in my name. I "wasn't in", so they were sent back.... Problem is, I live in the UK and it's going to be a bit tricky getting me down to Lagos to collect the parcel. I've asked for my rep to change the addressee again and again but Lagos says they haven't received any such instruction. Now I don't know what to do... Suggestions are very very welcome!!!

While you're still thinking of that guys, have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's a pulse!!

2007-12-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Just to confirm that I'm still alive! It's only 10,000 word disertation plus some reserch that's standing between me and my blog!!! But there are plenty new going-ons around! I will be back once I get a little breathing space!

2007-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a long day/week/month! It's amazing how quickly time flies... Now now now, it was 1st January and I was wishing a Happy new year to all my long-losts and promising to keep in touch more often, as it is not a fight... Now now now, it's October the 20th, we're more than 3/4ths into the new year and I haven't really been too good in that area =( It doesn't help that I now work 7 days a week - 40 hours unpaid and 16 hours paid. My unpaid hours are at the hospital, and are mandatory as part of my course, while my paid hours are in a lovely ethical shop. I've been studying their business model and modes of operation... Very educative indeed! I so would love to implement a few of their methods when I relocate and settle in Nigeria.

In my last post, I promised to review the Time Management book. Well, the book turned out not to be by Anthony Robbins. (Stupid ******re!) Instead though, I got a book by Brian Tracy on Time management and it was excellent. He gave some very sound advice, and advises one to always prioritise tasks, with the most important tasks at the top. It seems like just plain old common sense, but one would be surprised how easy it is to just decide to do "just this little thing" and then it ends up taking ALL of ones time (e.g chatting on web messenger.) Brian advises, not to cut things like that out altogether, but to do the most importatnt tasks, earlier on and then use the "saved" time for less important tasks, or for relaxing purposes. I was able to find some a transcribed version of this book, one with all the main points, and it anyone is interested, they can look at it here.

I giess that will have to be it for the time being. Oh, and by the way, I'm looking for a graphic designer to help me create a small newspaper advert. If anyone knows anyone who would be willing to deliver in about 24-48 hours, can you please let me know? I do know graphic artists, but these are big people/services. Mine is just a small, one-off project. Thanks guys, and thank you to all those who have been putting up with my erratic posts. (Catwalq, Big head and "imbre" Nyemoni) - Thanks!!

So far so good...

2007-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Uni, all my fellow bloggers who have had their summer holidays abruptly cut short by the necessity we have thrust on ourselves called University. So far, so good... I'm now a final year student (hurray!) and it's saddening the amount by which our Cohort shrunk this year. The lecturers were absolutely merciless when it came to marking.. Well, I can only Thank God that I was one of the lucky ones who made it into final year. It's not harder work, but it's more work. If I had 2 essays to write before, now I have 6. I have rapidly graduated from writing 1,500-word essays to instantly manufacturing 10,000 words.

On the other side, business has been very challenging. I'm still working on a new idea, and I've pondered on whether it's worth taking on. At the last minute, I decided "You know what, let's take this on as one lives only once". It's a big risk because it's a previously unexplored area in Nigeria but Nigeria is just the best place for this venture. So I spoke to Remi from Punch and he asked me to write an article on some my ideas and he'll cover them and even pass them on to other local newspapers - Free publicity!!! :-) (Handy especially as my advertising budget is so tight)

I'm currently developing this article and I never realised there would be so much research involved! Coupled with my project and debates and essays plus placement starting Monday, I'm clueless as to how I will fit it all in. I guess I'll have to think carefully about how I would allocate the time slots I have free in the day... While I'm doing that, I'll listen to this audiobook I downloaded - Time Management by Anthony Robins. I'll sum it up in my next post , so you guys know whether or not it's worth investing in.

Thoughts....

2007-09-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

I think I need professional help. I have a problem - A gift or a curse, you can look at it either way. The problem is my head. No there is nothing physically wrong with the head, and I’m not mentally challenged but, the thoughts inside are driving me crazy. Even when I try to get some rest, I’m constantly thinking and I can’t help it. Idea after idea flows into this head of mine, some of them make it into my mind but they ones still up there are all jumbled up together, and need unscrambling. I feel like I have no credit on my phone and someone has put me in a room full of top-up vouchers, but each or them are tightly and painfully scrunched up … (Hmm, this kind 2007 analogy sef…). I feel like I’m hungry, and have made my way to the kitchen, but the rice is still in the bag, the tomatoes are still in the shopping basket and the maggi is still on the shelf. I feel like I’m chatting on MSN, Nepa takes light, I have 15minutes of power left in the UPS and there’s petrol in the generator.

Petrol in the generator. Is that my only alternative to Nepa? So the light goes off, and I don’t have a generator - Do my options end there? What else can I do? Should I start inventing something new to replace a generator? What if I haven’t studied Engineering-or-some-similar-fantastic-course? And how about those who have studied Engineering-or some-similar-fantastic-course? Why don’t they think of ways we can replace “The Generator”? No resources? No government support? Etc? I guess we’re all too familiar with the situation.

So, is it absolutely, and totally impossible produce a solution to a problem without the almighty government getting involved? Is it ok to just sit back and drop an idea, just because you lack support? Is it ok to stop thinking, just because “Nothing has ever come out of it in the past?”. Is it ok to not to top-up my phone in this room of plenty, just because my nails are too short (I agree with you, this analogy is horrible). Is it ok to remain hungry, just because my mortar is broken and I can’t grind anything? Make una helep me oo…

See me see wahala o...

2007-09-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

For some reason, it's just not my day. The firms I deal with are really putting me to ttest. I'm trying the best I can, but I feel like all my efforts are being worn down by their incompetence, and this is reflecting on me. I don't want to be just another "Well, what do you expect from Naija businesses" person.... I believe that there are still Nigerian businesses that are capable of delivering high standards of customer service, and I want to be one of them. Ok, I'll stop ranting now - Here's the gist of what happened :-

May '07 - First week of business, I sat at my desk/screen, looking at the phone, phone was looking at me. Everything was ready, I had distributed a thousand flyers around Lagos, met up with about 50 people in 2 weeks, passed business cards around, recited and revved my sales pitch until I could have explained to someone who had flung my room door open in the middle of my nap. Yes, I was ready. And yet when the phone finally rang, I was still shaky. Needless to say, I had my first order and man, it was bigger than I expected.

I jumped up quick-quick-fast-fast and got everything ready. I called up my suppliers and kpa kpa kpa all my products landed quicker than lightening. All except for one. The major one. I had spoken this guy earlier and when it was itching him to sell, he gave me fantastic prices I couldn't disagree with. Now, I was ready to buy, and even urgently, 17.5% VAT jumped out of nowhere. VAT which I had earlier assumed was included in the advertised price. If I didn't have a customer to impress, I would have just fashied the guy and asked him to go and eat his stock. However, there was no room for shakara in this case. I just paid for the stock, full of bitterness in my heart and nicely asked him to ship them down immediately. 1 week and like 5 phone calls later, the goods came. He didn't even have the courtesy to let me know he was spending the week at his warehouse or wherever until I asked... Meanwhile, I kept having to make long-distance calls to my customer to re-assure her that I hadn't played 419.....

Now half the job was done and the goods were finally sent. I called to find out if she had received them and she had. Only that they had charged her extra - Fees which no one earlier mentioned. Apparently the office in UK had not communicated my payment to the other end therefore they wouldn't release the goods without collecting payment.

September '07. About 15 calls later, the office still hasn't relayed the message, I've had to refund my customer out of my pocket and I'm also about to wear shokoto and sort this matter out one and for all. In their defence, they keep apologising and saying, "Oh, we'll look into it, there's no need to come all the way down..." but nothing dey happen literally.... I'm just not a happy bunny right now...

Now you see me... Now you see me again :-)

2007-09-05T16:43:00.001-07:00

It it with great embarrassment that I type this entry, more than a month after I promised to be more regular on my postings. I do apologise to anyone who requires my heartfelt apologies, and to my dear old blog , for starving it for so long.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had to move house twice, as I decided to take up a summer letting in town. (Student tenancies last only 10 months around here, so one would have to rent afresh, deposit and all, for the 2 months of summer - Stupid idea, and wasteful to the landlords if you ask me). I stayed back in town was to enable myself concentrate on my business-related stuff and for once, be able to to control what I do during this period.

Has it paid off? Well, so far, to my amazement, one of my old ideas has jumped out of my “To do later” pile and has demanded attention before I regret it and wish I’d done something earlier. In a frenzy, I have written out a marketing strategy, business plan, estimated cost outlay, advert templates, advertising strategy and what-else-have-you. I have presented my ideas to investors (That’s another story) and finally, to my father who has decided to support me financially. I’ve spoken to people at Punch Newspaper, Success Digest and I’m currently pursuing The Guardian for publicity. I’ve booked a consultancy slot with an eperienced team of business advisors, to whom I’ll pitch my idea to solicit advice in any areas where I might be going wrong. I’ve bought a domain name and website and I’m just waiting for the gunshot before I start running. That’s my problem. Once I get hold of something new that appeals to me, I grab it by the neck and pursue it into the ground, milk it dry of every potential, if, maybe and but and not let go until I reach emotional satisfaction. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I do not know - Especially as this behaviour of mine extends into other areas of my life. The other day, I was at Dorothy Perkins and Woe Betide this beautiful top that I set my eyes on that day. I hurriedly grabbed it, tried it on, paid for it at the counter, went back to the changing room, put it back on….. before I could breathe normally again and continue my shopping….

The things that keep us going

2007-07-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my AWOL, and I can tell you that it was totally unavoidable. I had to go away into London for a placement programme as part of my course.. But fear not, people.. I'm back! And I've swiftly got myself back in gear for my dear old business...

On Thursday, I attended a seminar, organised by the Business Startup Community and I can say it was excellent, at the very least. There were three speakers at the event - Mortton Patterson, who spoke on descision making in business. He stressed the importance of being able to differentiate between 'Wants' and 'Needs' when making decisions. In his own terms, "Wants are Wishes and Needs are Necessities", and he went on to give practical steps to help in making sound decisions.

Next up was Jill Durdin from the UK Intellectual Property Office. I particularly needed this lecture as I had been considering acquiring a copywright/trademark in the future but I was clueless as to at what point I would need them, how to go about getting them or even what they were !(I previously never associated trademarks with IP!). Jill laid out all the terms and briefly explained them accordingly.

- Trademarks protect reputation/goodwill

- Patents protect ideas ( as well as Technological innovations)

- Copywrights protect creative work

The last but not the least was a short but explosive talk given by The Can Can Man, Ben Kench. He started by charging the atmosphere for the first couple of minutes with a few "Who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire" themed questions, before passionately delivering his lecture themed "Small Business, Big Future." The sheer passion with which he delivered his message directly communicated his point across. He stressed the importance having passion for what you do - So much passion that you pass some along to your potential customer and get them caught up in the frenzy! I cannot fully convey the amount of motivation Ben transferred to me through this 2-dimensional medium but you can take a look at one of his videos, and see what I'm talking about. Plus he was very very open, welcoming and very ready to give advice to anyone who as much as e-mailed him - He offered to e-mail everyone the lecture powerpoint slides of the day. That I'd say is someone who's truly passionate about the job!

Well folks, thanks for visiting and I'll update you guys more regularly from now on!

On a different note, I just realised Angelique Kidjo is performing at the Barbican in Sepetember - Ooh

**Edit** I was just re-reading this post for errors, when my news generator came up with this interesting New York Times News Article on Electricity in Africa (which I hurriedly grabbed!)

So I don't have a 1st class degree....

2007-06-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Getting more erratic are we? I had started getting used to the 'Saturday evening posts' but in a recent turn of events, I just ceased bothering with the timing of blog posts. Perhaps, being secretary, purchaser, receptionist, accountant, manager, telesales operator, IT technician is beginning to take its toll on the blog.... Well, as long as my 'team' and I keep posting, we're happy!

Over the past couple of weeks,even though I've been apparently inactive in other areas, I've been learning quite a lot. I decided to take on the advice I've been given and invest in the worlds greatest asset - The Brain. I've been reading (or listening) to quite a lot of useful material (I'll review these later) and I've come across a not-to-common-phrase : Emotional Intelligence or Business Emotional Intelligence - whichever rocks your boat. This is basically the study of the underlying personal characteristics and skills whch makes some "2nd or 3rd-class graduates" more productive than some "1st class graduates". In other words, it is the reason why many intelligent intellectuals don't "make it" without some outside help. My personal belief is that since no one is born with 100% talent, therefore skills which are lacking can always be learnt (or bought, depending on the size of your pocket.)

Since my pockets aren't that deep (yet), I'll be learning. Vision2learn offers a FULL Emotional Intelligence Course for free... Yes, free. I'd grab this ASAP if I were me.

And here is a mini video tutorial on Business Emotional Intelligence:

How to take your new product to the market

2007-06-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

I know it’s weird for me to be making two posts in one week (and no, judgement day is not here either)but I just think that this article by Tamara Monosoff is a really really good one and is worth keeping.. Enjoy :-)

So you’ve invented the next great gadget, and you’re sure it’ll be a hit. In fact, you’ve got cartons of inventory stored in every room of your house that you’re itching to sell, sell, sell. Your test market said they love it, but how can you reach the legions of consumers you’re sure will want to buy it?

Welcome to Sales 101. While there are countless books you can read about sales and marketing, here’s a relatively simple, proven strategy that’ll enable you to build your market and grow your sales.

Create a Sales Plan
First, define your market as accurately as possible so you have a deeper understanding of exactly who you’re selling to. For example, instead of all women, it may be working women with above-average incomes and kids under age 5. Instead of all men, it may be divorced men in their 40s with six-figure salaries. The more specific you get, the more accurately you’ll be able to target your sales and marketing efforts, choosing the sales channels most receptive to your product.

Next, you’ll need to develop a sales plan. Before you groan, “Another plan,” understand this can be a simple document for your eyes only that’ll help you organize and think through your sales strategy. Write it in a way that makes sense for you. Typically, it should include the following:

Sales goals: These goals should be specific and measurable, not something like selling a million units. Base them on the nature of your product and try to break them down into manageable parts. For example, sell 50 units to end-users in 30 days and sell 100 units to local independent retailers in six months.
Sales activities: These are your tactics–how you plan to make the sale. You may say you’ll sell direct-to-consumer through a website or via craft shows, for instance. Or this part of the plan may include activities like developing a sell sheet to send to independent retail stores.
Target accounts: Your sales plan should also include the accounts you want to sell to. If it’s end-users, for example, plan how you’re going to reach them through eBay, classified ads or your website.
Timelines: Put dates to all of the above elements so you can define your steps within a realistic timeline. Don’t forget that your timelines should be fluid–if you’re underachieving, your sales plan can help you figure out why and define the corrective steps you need to take.
Finally, follow a proven process for growing sales over time. While it would be fabulous to have Wal-Mart carry your product right out of the gate, it may not be realistic. Most large retailers want to see a track record of successful sales before agreeing to take on a new product.
Build Your Market
To build your market, begin by selling directly to end-users. This’ll give you confidence that there’s demand for your product and will also create referenceable customers that you can contact for product and packaging feedback before you hit the bigger leagues. So where can you reach your end-users?

The web is one highly effective channel, and you can reach your market through your own website or via a site like eBay. You can also tap into your own personal network as you begin. Host a home party to share your product with friends and friends-of-friends, sell through local community groups and e-mail your network.

Once you get feedback directly from your customers, refine the packaging and price point before approaching your next market–wholesalers. You’ll probably start with small, independently owned, local stores. It’s a good idea to start with them before hitting larger chain stores because it’s easier to get in touch with the direct decision-maker, and they’re more inclined to take on new, unique or hard-to-find items to differentiate themselves from larger stores. To sell to these retailers, be prepared and bring a product sell sheet, photos, product samples (if possible) and a succinct introductory letter to explain what’s in it for them, highlighting your product’s profit margin, features and benefits, and proven sales record.

Expand to New Markets
Once you’ve established sales strength with independent retailers and are ready to support new markets, it’s time to sell to the big guns. Of course, exactly who those big guns are will depend on your product. For some, it’s powerhouse general mass retailers, like Wal-Mart and Target, while other products will fit more specialized but equally powerful retailers, like Williams-Sonoma, The Sharper Image and Sephora.

Note that when dealing with these major accounts, the sale is just the beginning of the deal. Handling fulfillment, returns, rollbacks, slotting fees, advertising and more will require strengthening your business’s infrastructure and resources.

But back to the sale. What’s the best way to approach a larger retailer? Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Get the correct buyer: One of your biggest challenges is finding the right buyer within a large organization, so do your homework. If you’re experiencing roadblocks, consider hiring a distributor or manufacturer’s rep who already has established relationships in your industry.
Be prepared: Develop a presentation and have professional-looking sell sheets ready. Your product should also have packaging that’s ready to go.
Know your target: Understand what products they already carry and how yours will fit in. Don’t waste your time pitching to a retailer who’s unlikely to carry your product.
Take advantage of special programs: Some mass retailers, such as Wal-Mart, have local purchase programs that give managers authority to try local items. And other retailers may have different initiatives, such as minority business programs.
Be patient: It can take up to a year or longer before you see your product on store shelves, so don’t get frustrated. And if the final answer is no, try to turn it into a learning experience.
Finally, remember there are other sales channels besides the traditional brick-and-mortar retail store. Catalogs, TV shopping networks and online stores can also be excellent methods for reaching your customers.

From : Entrepreneur.com

Lessons, Lessons!!!

2007-06-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well well well, how’s it going people?

I’m just sitting here, listening to an audiobook called ”Rich Dad, Poor Dad“. All I can say is - What a powerful book!! So far, it makes it clear how important it is for one to actually start thinking about finances. When I say think, I don’t mean ” What next to buy” or “How much is left in ones account” but I mean thinking about the future, drawing a realistic picture of how much comes in, goes out and what can be done to make more come in…. According to Robert Kiyosaki, “You need to understand the difference between an asset and a liability. An asset puts money in your pocket and a liability takes money from your pocket. The rich understand the difference and buy assets, not liabilities.” This is one book I’ll be reading (listening to?) again and again…

Other than that, I’ve made my first major mistake!! I underpriced a couple of items, simply because I was given quotes minus VAT. Whether this was on oversight or a deliberate deceitful marketing strategy, I do not know… I wouldn’t like to think it was the latter, though. This leaves me in a very compromising situation… What do I do now with pending orders? How can I make such a drastic change without leavin a negative impression on my precious prospective ”re-customers”? I’m barely out of the door and it would be highly unprofessional to say (after receiving payments) “Oh, I’m sorry, the prices just went up therefore you’ll have to pay the difference or we can’t fulfill your order…” Well, I guess this one would have to be on me. As with everything in life, this is a lesson that has to be learnt. I wonder what other mistakes other start-up businesses make and how it affects them in the long run. With mine, I only lost a few hundreds, so it could have been worse. At this point then, I guess we aren’t finished at the drawing board. There is still more planning to be done. Phew!

Interlude : A little deviation...

2007-06-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

After watching the news last night, and hearing (once again) about how Africa has been (nearly) let down by the G8, I wondered what "mammoth-sized radical change" we would need to prove that the G8, Paris club etc etc can never take away our problems. In other words, we are signing ourselves up for unecessary debts... Nigeria, for one has more resources than many countries which aren't so dependent on aid. We simply keep "needing" external aid because our resources are mismanaged. I guess this is a practical example of how (Like my friend, apekanuko says) you can give a man a fish for years and nothing comes out of it, as opposed to just teaching him how to fish.

I believe that, at this point, we can longer live our lives based on what we get from others. If interested parties do want to help like they say they do, they should be invited to invest in providing resources with which to learn new skills. If these resources are available, people could learn to fend for themselves and take care of their families. For a start, motivational and entrepreneural talks and resources to light the fire, just like Smeresources (but for free). Funding for business ideas could act as an incentive for people, (young people, especially) to set their already-made plans in motion... There is a wealth of ideas out there, which are crippled by lack of funds. However, on the positive side, there are a few little-known opportunities out there, helping people make their dreams a reality!.

On a practical note, touching Africans at the point of their needs would go a long way. We don't need luxuries yet - we are still talking about basic amenities. Amenities like : Clean, constantly running water which would a.)Provide jobs for many people who are competent, and who really need these jobs. b.) Reduce the infection rate of typhoid fever and other water-borne diseases, hence prevent people dying unnecesarily. Other basic amenities, we need are stable electricity, a proper, national waste disposal service, good or even free education for children (at least, children under a certain age) and the list goes on.

Like I always say, we are not at all powerless. If the government cannot step up to their rold and do what is required of them, then I believe individuals can take some of these projects up. Yes, they are not a days - or even a years job but if the will is born, and the determination is there, then resources would be all that we need.

Back!!!(With presents for everyone!)

2007-06-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

I apologise for apparently being M.I.A... I can only lay the blame on exams... But fear not, I'm back in action, and I've brought my Awoof goody bag with me!!

First off, here's the promised Powerpoint lecture (From the Business StartUp Live Seminars back in April), courtesy of Alex.

Also, not being a very eager candidate for picking up the phone to randomly introduce services to customers, I've come to accept that this is a very candid part of any start-up business that deals with customers. The saying (from one of the first business lectures at Uni) goes : If you can't afford to employ someone with the skill, then you learn it. I guess I'm nowhere near the employing thing (yet) therefore, I'll have to learn.

Only after realising this did I discover where teachers make their money from. I've seen Telesales courses go for discounted rates of up to £895.00!!! I think to myself : "People pay this much to pick up the phone and talk to other people? This money-making thing must be easier than I thought!!" Well, like said NatWest, I knew there must be aother way and after hours of tedious labour, here it is : SalesHelp. From Emotional Selling to How-to-get-past-the-gateman tricks, I found this a priceless resource - no long boring lectures, no beating about the bush.... just the raw data that you came for. My favourite is the deceitful "Wrong Extension Trick", with which you get your "target's" (Person you want to sell to) number. Basically, you dial any random extension that comes to your head and pretend you've been tossed around from receptionist to porter,therefore you were sick and tired of life etc. Could they please give you the direct number to dial so as to stop getting tossed around? It is suggested that you sound very very fed up, because "if they feel sorry for you, they will help you". Sneaky, but worth a try. Plus this was compiled by 12 seasoned sales people so I would guess that they know an ikle bit of what they were talking about...

So that's my edition for the day, the posts get more frequent now, Naijavixen - I promise!

Who said young people don't make big money? Want proof?

2007-05-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

I know I'm due for an update but dang, these exams won't let me!! However, there has been a lot of progress business-wise over the past couple of weeks. I've spoken to a few people, who have spoken to a few people etc and yeah, things are looking up.... The only problem is that I've gone into overdraft!!!! Well, I guess that's one of the sacrifices we have to make isn't it? Good things don't come easy, and I can bet this dream had better be a really good one.

Recently though, even with the progress around me, I've found it a bit difficult to focus and have often wondered whether this is the right thing. My quest soon took me to a Business Week, where I found some very very inspiring news. Europe's Young Entrepreneurs. Some very inspiring stories there, I tell you. The one that particularly caught my eye was number 2. - Desitouch, featuring the 25-year old Karm Singh who started an itunes/Myspace/Youtube for South-Asian Entertainment content. Did anyone else notice that he (along with a few other's featured on the site) wasn't European? Kinda interesting isn't it? Not to mention the articulately designed, professional, eye-catching site. (Introduce me to your webdesigner, Karm?) Speaking of websites, did anyone notice also that 100% of the featured businesses had one? Even the ones that had absolutely no apparent reason to be online. (Bin-liners online, anyone?) Well, I guess one cannot emphasize enough the value of a .com/.co.uk/.com.ng /dot-whatever-it-is-just-as-long-as-theres-a-dot-somewhere adds to a business, especially in this generation.

Which reminds me of the seminar the Easily Rep gave 3 weeks ago at the Business Start Up Exhibition. Some guy named Steve kindly e-mailed m the powerpoint file for that presentation. It's coming up on the blog shortly for everyone to download free of charge...

Honestly, it's annoying the way my thoughts link up with each other BUT speaking of freebies - if anyone is interested, I guess I have found the "Awoof" offer of the month. Anyone who makes regular international phone calls would find this piece of information invaluable. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to my aunt on the phone and she mentioned that she didn't have any use for phonecards anymore. Being a phone-addict, my ears pricked up at this new revelation and I itched to hear more. Apparently, there's a new service which allows you call abroad (Yes, Including Nigeria!) using your inclusive minutes (in your phone package if you're on contract). You just dial the access number and once you have been granted access, dial your number and you're ready to go! NO FEES WHATSOEVER!!! Well, till the end of May for T-Mobile users... But hey, I don't get paid for this advert, I checked my phone bill and there are absolutely NO charges, my aunt has been using them since March without any charges either... I just thought I'd be nice and share... Shall we call it ATM? ("Awoof of the Month" not "At the mo",silly!)

Salad cream

2007-05-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, this post wasn't included in the grand scheme of things but you can't really help the things you come across on the internet can you? It's encouraging how we Nigerians, in the face of the system are being forced to think of new ways to be productive. I came across this Salad Cream Venture proposal on the internet, authored by a Fajinmi Ayobami. He has apparently done all his homework and has in a way justified the feasibility of this venture. He has also outlined the resources required and from the information presented, I would expect that if need be, he'll be able to produce a step by step analysis of the cost of starting and running this venture.

However, he has said something about salad cream being made by "cooking, mixing and pouring into bottles". I hope he didn't really mean that! While that outlook might appeal to the investor as it might not go down to well if some work isn't done on the customers side of the coin. What immediately comes to my mind in response to that line is the Marks and Spencer food adverts where fish and sauce is described in the most "sinful" voice as "Traditionally cured Scottish Gravlax salmon with creamy mustard and dill sauce"... Food porn as one blogger puts it...

Well, here's the article, and the author's details if you or someone you know happens to be interested...
(Culled from BusinessDay)

Nigeria needs to solve her unemployment problem through the strengthening of the productive sector of the economy. Micro, small and medium scale productive units shall among others provide employment; enhance growth of gross domestic product and consequently national income.
FAJINMI AYOBAMI
Investment justification

Salad Cream is eaten by majority of Nigerians and foreigners and this product is imported to Nigeria from Europe at the defrayment of our scarce foreign exchange.

With the population of Nigeria at 140million and huge in influx of foreigners everyday, there is no doubt a huge market exists for this product.

Eateries such as Mr Biggs, Tantalizer, Tetrazzini and a host of other restaurants use this product daily. The production process for salad cream is quite simple and inexpensive. Raw materials are available locally. In this regard, a wise and forward looking investor should take the advantage of this investment window by investing in salad cream production.

Salad cream production in Nigeria will compete favorably well with imported brands in the market place. If produced with high quality standard locally, the federal government will surely ban the imported brands to boost the production of local industries.

There is no single producer of salad cream in commercial quantities yet in Nigeria.

Materials

Cassava starch, sugar, vegetable oil, vinegar, mustard, egg, and water. In this regard, sourcing of raw materials cannot pose any problem.

The profitability of the project is not in doubt, constant percentage return on in investment is well above 50 percent, and profit after tax amorally is in excess of N10 million. The project is technically feasible; production process is simple with locally fabricated machines. Management of the production outfit can effectively be manned by middle level manpower. This will surely reduce social vices, create multiplier effect in the economy, indigenize the economy, and boost the productive and agricultural sector of our economy and provision of wholly owned Nigerian products for Nigerians and foreigners.

Technical information

Salad cream is produced by cooking and mixing together all ingredients proportionately. After mixing, it is poured into a bottle with tight lid, labeled and ready for the market consumption.

To establish the project, a bankable feasibility report, showing technical details of company formation and production which can be used to use to source for capital from our various banks.

This will highlight steps towards procurement of appropriate accommodation, purchase and installation of processing equipment, recruitment and training appropriate staff, procuring raw materials and project takes off.

The writer can assist serious minded investors to start this business. The proposed plant has a capacity for 320 bottles per eight-hour work a day operating at 60 per cent capacity for 240 days per annum.

A total of 57,600 bottles will be bottled for sale at a conservative price of N180 each, this will generate initial turnover of N10.36 million from which 30 per cent profit is projected. This project will surely attract financing if supported by a well packaged and bankable feasibility report.

Special feature
•90 percent local raw material.
•Local plant and machinery.
•Extensive and vibrant local and export market.
• Short pay back period.
•High return on investment.

This is no doubt a good project writer can be contacted through :

Tel:- 08051975015, E-mail :- walthas61@yahoo.com

The juggler

2007-04-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Work
School
Work
Schoo... (Plop!) No, let's try again.. This time we'll put school on top

School
Work
S...(Plop!)

No matter how you try, it's not an easy task juggling work and and school tasks efficiently. Meeting deadlines and demands can bean ardous task and one who is determined to succeed must be prepared to develop the stamina to cope with the demands.

Ok, the moment of truth is over, lets recap the past few weeks where I've been at the mercy of NEPA (Or is it now PHCN, Please Hold Candle Nearby like some people say) and have been unable to write very much.

Before I left, I realised that for the project I had at heart, I would need some serious funding. Just so it's up to standard from day 1. I've seen a lot of Nigerian websites and businesses that have lots of potential but their presentation has been anything but standard. Good customer service for one isn't at all implemented, and one would have to wait in a queue for hours, just to get an answers to an enquiry. I experienced this while waiting in a bank in Lagos. I had to pay some cash in over the counter - Not only were the staff being obviously rude to customers (Telling them to go out of the way etc) but when we finally got to the counter, the staff sitting behind the table completely ignored my greeting! And this was at 10am in the morning. I hate to think how she would have treated customers who walked in at 1pm, 2pm and 2.55pm! Some other examples on bad customer service in Nigerian business were discussed on Nairaland. The Small Business Administration offers free Customer Service tutorials for anyone, regardless of their location who is interested. So does the e-learning centre. (This is actually a real course that caries certification once completed!)

Well, back to my original point about "the project", I made a decision to generate the funding myself and after developing and redeveloping the plan, I ended up with a mini-me business plan. I hunted around for a good webdesigner to bring the site to live... I found this really really great romanian who after haggling the prices with (all the years spent shopping at Balogun market and Tejuosho market weren't wasted, mum), I managed to knock of 20%.

Site completed within a couple of days, I needed flyers. Being a graphic artist as well as a web designer, he came to the rescue yet again! This time, he also referred me to a printer who pinted 1000 flyers for about £30.00 About 50% less than many adverts I see... (Thank God for networking!)

So armed with my flyers, my strategy and my plane ticket, I boarded the plane to Lagos.

ExCel after Exile

2007-04-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am finally back from my long, self-planned exile. My 3 weeks in Nigeria were very very exhausting, but at the same time motivating and fulfilling. I have returned with my sack full of experiences, stories and not to forget business strategies to share.

However, lets put first things first. I came across an Entrepreneural Exhibition holding in London. If you haven't heard about it, it's run by the Business Startup Live! people. It's also absolutely free, so I guess that question has been answered (for those with tight budgets). It holds on the 27th and 28th of April 2007, at the exCel centre in East London. If you're driving (especially from East London), it's not in a london congestion charging zone so that's £8.00 saved :-) For directions, you can visit www.streetmap.co.uk, put in the postcode - E16 1XL, and print off the directions. If you're taking a train, the DLR train headed for Beckton stops at ExCel. You could click here to find your exact route there by entering your location and destination information.

I would have loved to go on Friday, but alas! I have coursework to submit by then (which I can guarantee that I wouldn't have finished by Friday morning). From the free tickets and programme brochure I was sent, some speakers i've asterisked are : Stelios Iannou (EasyJet guy), Rachael Elnaugh, Jonathan Jay, Sarah Goodwin & Howard Graham (speaking on how to use the internet to your advantage).

I got my free tickets (plus 2 spares, just incase anyone's interested!) from Bstartup . There's lots more information there, I can't wait to go and add some more points on the business trolley on Saturday!

When eBay items don't sell.

2007-03-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is from the eBay hawk in me and is for all fellow eBay hawks out there, who operate big mental eBay businesses. Whenever we log on to eBay, we like to check for the items with the most bids, the members with the most feedback, the items they sell, how many items they manage to sell in a day, their listing style that generates so many sales etc. We just like to observe…. and plan.

Speaking of planning, have you ever planned a listing? No I don’t mean the prospective I’ve-got-to-list-this-CD-on-eBay-when-I-get-a-chance kind of planning. I mean you do some real work before listing that item on eBay. You took pictures of that CD from 15 different angles - left view, right view, top view, inside view, close-up view… etc, You “hovered” around eBay a week before to check out the best selling times for that CD, You looked at your competitors listings to note what people look for before they buy the CDs, You offered Paypal, You offered zero (or next to zero) postage, You mentioned that CD wasn’t coming from China so it would be with your customer the next day - even if you had to sit outside the post office with your Sidekick phone. And no one bought the CD.

You didn’t take no of an answer. You immediately relisted the CD. (Maybe the right person wasn’t there at the right time, surely they’ll see it now). After the end of the listing, no one still bought the CD.

I know the feeling. I had a similar experience, only that I relisted my item about 4 or 5 times before I realised that the person who I was trying to advertise my item to probably wasn’t seeing it. Why wouldn’t they see it? Afterall they are on eBay - The auction site with 100 million members. (And 25million auctions running). Maybe they were looking at something else. Since I was selling an accessory to a product, I figured out that they were probably looking at the product itself. Since this accessory wasn’t a very popular one, maybe I could capture a buyer attention while they were looking at the main product. How? List in 2 categories!

The idea being that (apart from listing in the parent category 5 times to no avail), people looking in the second category were either considering buying the product or had bought the product and were just checking to see if they could have gotten a better deal.

At my 6th attempt at listing, I ended up having 2 watchers (Something I couldn’t boast of before) and at the end of the listing, I had 4 bidders in total haggling for prices.

Morale of the story is, If it doesn’t work the first time, think about where your audience is. Are you reaching them? Look at your competitiors keywords and listings. Now, are you reaching them?

Teacher : Experience.

(Ladies and gentlemen, let’s call it a day)

All chorus : A day.

I can end Nigeria's fraud problem

2007-03-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

....Or can't I?
Anyone who has ever searched for anything on the internet must be aware of the Nigerian 419 scams splattered all over. From eBay to local classifieds websites to even Nigerian websites, desperate people are inventing new ways to con people out of their hard-earned money.

The question is : How can we bring an end to this and save our already tainted image? I guess the answer to this question lies at the very root of the problem, as the saying goes : There is not smoke without fire. What is the "fire" underneath 419? Who are the people and why do they do this? I tried to google in "419 statistics" there were no profitable results. I guess I'll have to go with "head statistics" then. Most of these people range between 14 and 45. Most of them are usually secondary school dropouts, secondary school graduates who cannot make it into university. University drop-outs, job-seekers, layabouts etc. What these people have in common is that they need to find a source of income, for self and for family, by hook or by crook, even if it is at the expense of others in foreign countries, or even at the expense of their own lives.

How can we give these people alternative routes acheiving their goals? By creating new jobs? If so, how can one create options which are free and fair to everyone and do not depend on one having "connections", first class honours or being under 40 years of age? Do we encourage young people to start their businesses? (Theory being if 1million young people employ 10 people each....) If we decide to go down that route, we will need to support them. Financially and otherwise.. no be for mouth (Not just by speaking) Or do we develop one BIG wheel which we can churn from one end, while they can churn the other, providing them with a source of income without making them have to invest money they do't have? Hmm that sounds feasible. That is what Awoof is all about. Inventing that wheel. Synergy. Empowering people. Stomping out 419.

Sell for others, Earn for yourself!

2007-03-10T02:12:00.000-08:00

Call me late to the party but I just stumbled on another way to earn money from one's website. I was just looking through the Amazon site the other day when I stumbled across their Associates Program. (Ok ok, I didn't "stumble", I clicked on "Make Money").

Well, my verdict is : Lots of people write about lots of things which lots of books have been written on.. Ok, I'm confusing myself now but if for example, one had a website on African Culture and they wrote about their last holiday to Nigeria, uploaded a few pictures, talked about some dishes they ate, etc. Readers could read that entry and want to know more about the dance or the food. They could immediately start "googling" some terms in order to find out more.

Now, if that blogger had a couple of links to a few books, music or even pieces of sculpture (Yes, i was just as surprised when I found African sculptures on Amazon!) People could be tempted to click on these links and buy (Eureka!)

Same goes for people with websites about business, electronics, music, software etc... It's free to join the program, so there is any money at stake, Amazon stocks all the products so you're not running a shop, you're merely advertising someones shop. I think it's worth a try!!!

One large pizza please,oh and on your way can you please....

2007-02-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, It's been nearly a week since I started this blogger account. Well what's new?
1.I figured out that I wouldn't want to keep this blog to myself therefore, it would be open to the general public to edit. (Under my scrutiny of course.... We don't want lost property ending up here ;-))

2. I am compiling a list of UK courier services so I can make enquiries at the appropriate time. I have also the question out to the general public. Who knows? Someone somewhere might have just what I need.

Heres what I got so far :
1. Business Post (Was highly recommended) http://www.business-post.com/index.asp?d=main&h=contact-us.asp&p=general-contact.html&s=8&s2=1
2.Royalmail http://www.royalmail.com
3.eCourier (Very interesting looking site I must add!) http://www.ecourier.co.uk
4.Parcel2go. (They keep mentioning that delivery and collection are not guaranteed...should I bother?) http://www.parcel2go.com

The first 3 will definitely get calls from me concerning quotes... About the last one, I'm a bit skeptical. If a parcel delivery company isn't sure that they are going to deliver, then maybe my next option should be the pizza people...

Apart from that, I have got a telephone line! Very crappy reception though, (sometimes I speak in fast-forward without realising it!) but it's still a number, so I guess...

It's 22:55 and I want to cup of Horlick sor Peppermint tea to relax...
Who shall I send?

day one

2007-02-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

Now open for business! And listed in the Blog directory
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