Three years! Wow, I cannot really believe it: This site has existed for three years and today marks the beginning of the journey of bringing educative, informative and thought-provoking contents to you. I am really not sure of how to contain the emotions I feel but looking back at the decision to float this site, I cannot believe the amount of people that have been exposed to it and have reasoned with my points of view. Some have decided to continue enjoying my contents while others have been polarized by it and visit it whenever they find something beneficial and some have been totally disgusted by it and stayed away. The stats so far speaks for itself; 1.7 million Page loads, 535 thousand unique visitors, 219 thousand returning visitors, 12 thousand approved comments, 280 articles and 1 blogger.
These kinds of result only comes from God considering that 95% of my posts have been from Lagos, Nigeria where there is hardly electric supply, poor internet bandwidth and other social amenities that are not favorable to this cause. Thank you father for continuous inspiration! Another thing that amazed me is that 55% of the readers of this site are living in Nigeria which means most people take their limited internet time whether from Café or from their company to read my posts. To this, I am very grateful to you. I cannot forget those that God placed on my way through their blog to encourage me start this journey; Toyin Lamikay, Gbenga Sesan, Adeolu Akinyemi and Mona.
This site has been more of a blessing to me than to you; I have learnt to give my knowledge and point of view which most of time distills and clarifies itself through writing. However, I am sometimes not happy when people misinterpret what I write but I get encouragement from the fact that writing is a relative communication medium where people interpret what they read from their own limited knowledge; people do not see things as it is but see it from who they are. One memorable incident was when I was contacted through this site for a speaking engagement and after a series of mail back and forth, we agreed on the price, type of hotel accommodation, means of transport but we did not agree on the topic.
I decided to call and I realize the issue came from the reading of my site; he could not see the connection between entrepreneurship and getting a job. He believed that I am diametrically opposed to getting a job and he wanted me to speak about getting a job because he had procured a bulk of my book – JOBFinder. First things first, why would I take 5 years to write a book on getting a job if I am opposed to it? In order to understand entrepreneurship; you need to read the article I wrote from Hyatt Hotel in Dubai. Please click HERE. When you start reading my articles from wee back, you would realize that entrepreneurship, business, personal development, talent enhancement or job is just a means to what I preach about. I am dedicated to financial freedom; by empowering Nigerians financially through thought-provoking words.
I want Nigerians to choose to be rich basing most of my references to the bible. One of the poorly interpreted parts of the bible is the encounter of the rich young ruler with Jesus. The rich young ruler felt unfulfilled despite all his wealth and keeping the law. Jesus prescribed a solution which is eternal and effective. This was simply the interpretation, the guy had an issue and Jesus prescribed a solution which he could not follow because he clearly had not formed the habit of giving. The problem was definitely not the accumulation of wealth because this made Jesus very happy when Jesus knew he accumulated his wealth through the right process but letting go was the problem.
I realize that most times when I am praying for something, God shows me seed to sow but I refuse to sow it because I hold on to the seed as if it were my all in all. I am at that stage not different from the rich young ruler. I refuse to sow the seed and I still want to be happy; this is one of the paradoxes of man – eating a cake and still wanting to have it. When I hear people complain, whine and bother about their situation, I realize they are not different from the rich young ruler; they keep on holding to what they have and expecting a better one. Jesus defined this act as wickedness in the parable of the talent when you bury what you have without increasing it. There is too much emphasis on John 3: 16 instead of Genesis 1:28 which is the foundation and the basis of all law of man. The former reference talks about redemption while the latter talks about purpose.
There is another issue that keeps coming up; the issue of self employment versus business. Everybody can be self employed but not everyone can run or own a successful business. The fact that you are working for someone doesn’t mean you are not self employed, you just cannot build any business with the skills you have. I have seen so many people struggling because they do not know the difference between self employed and employed: There is no difference at all. No matter how self employed you are you would need someone to employ your services or procure your product. The difference may arise on the fact that you choose the time to work.
A good example is the hip hop musicians and rock and roll musicians in the United States. Most of the hip hop musicians are self employed but they have contracts with recording companies (no matter how you spin it, it means they are employed); but they have been able to leverage on their names to build businesses in fashion, endorsements, music labels etc unlike the rock and roll musicians who stick to being self employed without building any business. You would realize that the hip hop musicians are very relevant and make money from their residual income even when they stop singing.
It does not matter which one you are incline to; employed, self employed or running/owning a business; the bottom line is to be financially free where your residual income takes care of your living expense. The difference is not in which inclination you take but the thoughts that accomplish you. Jesus warns us not to take thoughts of what to eat, drink, wear but to live more purposefully. Financial freedom gives you room to live purposefully and dwell more on your calling.
To commemorate three years of this site existence, I would be hosting a Mastermind Meeting on the 13th of June, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. which would leave you seriously thinking about your finances and the best way to get out of rat race. This meeting is not about “Delayed Gratification†but more of how to use “Delayed Gratification†to motivate you to increase your income. It would be a roundtable affair for only 12 people. Highlights of the meeting are indicated below:
1. Every participant would be playing the Rich Dad 101 Cash flow board game and putting your financial decisions to the test. If you have never played the game, this is your chance to develop a New Eye.
2. Every participant would be going home with Rich Dad’s “You Can Choose to be Rich†Audio Book which is 12 CD’s of Over 12 hours of motivation and information. Hear Robert Kiyosaki and his team of advisors explains the six strategies for wealth and how to take control of your cash flow, and so much more. These Audio CDs cover almost all Kiyosaki’s book.
3. Every participant would be going home with the book; “Money Mastery: 10 principles that will change your financial life foreverâ€. A 312-page book that would change the way you think about money and show you how to master your finances.
4. Every participant is entitled to a three-course Chinese buffet.
5. A roundtable discussion on “Sellingâ€. It’s not just acquiring assets; you need to be able to sell it whenever you want. I would share principles from my unpublished book: “Jesus Sells: 5 Principles of Kingdom Sellingâ€. This is one of the most dreaded topic for executives and yet a prerequisite to financial freedom.
Some readers have booked earlier on for this meeting; I would send you a mail ASAP but for those who are interested in attending and have not booked; please click HERE to participate in this golden opportunity. For commentators, I am interested in criticism of this site; either constructive or destructible. For every comment on this post, you would receive “The One Minute Millionaire†by Robert G. Allen and Mark V. Hansen. The best critique (as chosen by ME) would be given a chance to attend the Mastermind meeting above FREE.
I would also be sharing with every reader, the thoughts of two great men who are financially free and have gone about it in different ways. These two great guys have been Forbes richest man in the world at one time or the other and have been one of the greatest charity donors in the world. They are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet; while Bill Gates got financially free through building a business, Warren Buffet confirms that his worst investment is in building a business. You can listen to the 25 minutes interview with both of them together by clicking HERE. Have a fun filled week!
Listen to this podcast
Loading ...
19 comments
No ping yet
June 12, 2009 at 5:18 pm (UTC 1)
Congrats. May God continue to increase you in all ramifications.
See you at the top.
NB: Pls don’t 4get to reply me as per the Electromate, most preferably through my mail. thanks.
June 12, 2009 at 8:18 am (UTC 1)
Success does not come easily, i know for you to have come this far, you must have done a lot of hard work.Congratulations! but don’t stop, bcos the sky is your stepping stone.
June 11, 2009 at 5:44 pm (UTC 1)
Congratulations Dipo, but what is happening to our money with nospetco?
June 11, 2009 at 1:49 pm (UTC 1)
Congratulations on the third anniversary of the “Agent of Change” called dipotepede.org. Your inspiring thoughts moved me to start my football blog and this brought forth a gift that I knew always had but never used; writing.
As you go forward into another year, may you continue to enjoy that richness of His grace that makes the impossible possible and which moves mountains out of the way!
June 9, 2009 at 9:15 pm (UTC 1)
Congrats Dipo! A sage said something like “the reward of success is more work…”. To more…………….!!
June 9, 2009 at 1:10 pm (UTC 1)
ALL I CAN SAY IS TO THANK GOD FOR HAVING SOMEONE LIKE YOU.
WITH ALL BEST WISHES
June 9, 2009 at 10:30 am (UTC 1)
There were some typographical errors in my last post, which I have corrected hereunder:
Dipo, I must first congratulate you on your efforts in making this site worth its onus. I stumbled on this site during the era of «invest today and reap tomorrow» or is it the «wonder banks» in 2007. As I was about making this comment, I was tempted to look at one of the hot topics then – NOSPETCO. It is not funny that we learn investment in hard way. It is part of knowledge. Your site then attracted more comments probably because your articles were focused on investment and motivation. Today, however, (though you have defended this in one of your articles) you seem to abandon your first love. Why?
You have not been wanting in most of your articles but your inability to support those that look up to you is evident. Without mincing words, there were some investments which many people joined based on your recommendation and seeing that you were a member as well; only to discover that you have made money and found your way out. Why?
You seem to be too busy with so many things. There is nothing wrong with that. Infact, I salute your courage as a generalist. You seem to have redefined the adage «Jack of all trade master of non» to «Jack of all trade, master of all».
As one of the top 5 commentators sometime in 2008, you voluntarily gave a price of ipod (or something I am not sure now), till date nothing has been received. Lost in transist?
This is your personal site. Agreed. This is also gives you the right to allow or disallow any comment. I wish to however advise that you allow people to display their email addresses after comments, if they want. It will not hurt. It may attract more comments to your site.
Your site displays quotation marks differently. I don’t know if it is from my side only or it is a general thing.
Despite the perceived shortcommings, you are doing a great job. Please note the words of William Ward «There are three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others and sharing with others». God bless.
June 8, 2009 at 11:29 am (UTC 1)
Dipo, I must first congratulate you on your efforts in making this site worth its onus. I stumbled on this site during the era of “invest today and reap tomorrow” or is it the “wonder banks” in 2007. As I was about making this comment, I was tempted to look at one of the hot topics then – NOSPETCO. It is not funny that we learn investment in hard way. It is part of knowledge. Your site then attracted more comments probably because your articles were focused on investment and motivation. Today, however, (though you have defended this in one of your articles) you seem to abandon your first love. Why?
You have not been wanting in most of your articles but your inability to support those that look up to you is evident. Without mincing words, there were some investments which many people joined based on your recommendation and seeing that you were a member as well; only to discover that you have made money and found your way out. Why?
You seem to be too busy without so many things. There is nothing wrong with that. Infact, I salute your courage as a generalist. You seem to have redefined the adage “Jack of all trade master of non” to “Jack of all trade, master of all”.
As one of the top 5 commentators sometime in 2008, you voluntarily gave a price of ipod (or something I am not sure), till date nothing has been received. Lost in transist?
This is your personal site. Agreed. This is also gives you the right to allow or disallow any comment. I wish to however advise that you allow people to display their email addresses. It will not hurt in their comments. It may attract more comments in your site.
Despite the perceived shortcommings, you are doing a good job. Please note the words of William Ward “There are three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others and sharing with others”. God bless.
June 5, 2009 at 8:12 pm (UTC 1)
You are actaully doing a great work here Mr Tepede. The Lord is your strength . Keep flying.
June 3, 2009 at 2:31 pm (UTC 1)
Well….what else can i say?Bcos my other contributors have said it all.
Dipo,you are really a blessing to this generation and generations yet unborn.Keep on the good words,we are all praying for you.God will continue to bless you and the entire members of your family.
I think you deserve a gift from us all (a personal suggestion).Have a wonderful day ahead.
June 3, 2009 at 9:48 am (UTC 1)
seems like yesterday innit?may God continue to bless you.may you continue to walk in wisdom.
thank you for all that you are.
June 2, 2009 at 6:29 pm (UTC 1)
thanks dipo, seems only like yesterday when i stumbled on your site but its been worth every minute of it. also met some wonderful people thru you, adeola, ada etc.
may his grace continue to be with you.
can only encourage you, cant criticize you.
balogun
June 2, 2009 at 4:24 pm (UTC 1)
Hmmmm! biggest blogging influence ever; that’s what i call this chemistry!
I can’t imagine how glorious and dignified it feels to be a part of this ” 3 year celebro-fiesta” sometimes i just wonder the trace of your imaginations. Yes, i know y’ll attribute it to God, but i want to say that there are things you must have gone through to be able to think so widely, leaving almost nothing for your readers to contribute.It shows the depth of your thoughts. For me, I’m fine by the contents, i go back asserting what i’ve read + the comments left on the webpage. That alone is worth transformation.
Dipo, pls. endeavour to always increase the number of people enjoying your offer; sometimes its discouraging, haba!
I cant remember getting a gift 4rm you…
June 2, 2009 at 3:47 pm (UTC 1)
Dipo,
i may not criticise this site but commend it as a very informative site. For me i have got more information from it than any site except google and the recent facebook. when i was about to join Globacom ,the first insider information i got was this site also got to know about club freedom as well as other viable information which had helped me in over two years now.
You have really done well.
My concern here is about the jos section that use to be lively before but has been dormant since last year.
What i would advise is that you need to create more interactive platform on this site, not that it should be for reading your write up alone .
BRAVO
June 2, 2009 at 12:26 pm (UTC 1)
Your posts have been great these 3 years!!!! God bless you and your family. It has been nice knowing you.
June 2, 2009 at 12:17 pm (UTC 1)
Hello Dipo…
I here want to Congratulate you for this three years of not relenting in your effort to use your blog as a medium to be a blessing to thousands of Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
All efforts an exertions put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is WORSHIP.
What else can i say but to pray for God to strengthen you and give you more divine insights that will be of tremendous blessing to your readers—including my humble self.
Taking a cue from the Style Plus song…I say to you…Three years don waka…you still dey carry go…
God bless you Sir.
Have a great week Ahead.
Christian
June 2, 2009 at 12:08 pm (UTC 1)
Hi,
Everyone is born a champion, but losers are made, because they develop failure habits, poverty mentality and continue to practise these. It is not uncommon for people to think that men and woemn who become very rich were just lucky, and that life offered them a favourable braek. In acquisition of wealth, perish the thoughts of waiting to be lucky, and focus on dreaming, planning and hard work for the attainment of your desire.(How many honest rich people do you know that made their money from good luck schemes e.g lottery) It is high time we begin to work on our mind for as a man thinketh so he is.
May God bless u Dipo. I have made a choice to be rich becuase we will always have poor people around us. It is matter of choice.
Kudos to u Dipo, you have been a blessing to this generation.
June 1, 2009 at 7:37 pm (UTC 1)
This is splendid. All i can say is WOW. I must confess, i only started blogging 1 yr and 3 months ago. I am really a kid in this. I know i will get better.
I must confess, blogging blesses the blogger more than the reader. This is because, the joy to make others successful drives us to expand ourselves.
I came in contact with your blog not quite too long but i must say a big thank you. My first comment here was critical but i’m happy you handled it well. As for me o, there is nothing else to criticize.
Thumbs up
June 1, 2009 at 5:54 pm (UTC 1)
Totally awesome Dipo, Congrats and Well done.