My dear readers, I have never been so wrong in my life; this was an A list biopic of George W. Bush. The film was so intriguing and captivating that I had to rewind some parts and watch again. The part that really got me thinking was the crucial board room session in the White House when they debated on going to Iraq or not without much evidence of Iraq having weapon of mass destruction. Collin Powel, the then Secretary of Defense, opposed going to Iraq despite his being there when W’s father won the operation desert storm. There were so many of the cabinet members for the war (all having their special interests at heart). The final decision to go to Iraq was made by W himself.

 

 

Sometime in life, we blame ourselves for the decisions we make or the decisions of those around us that directly affect us but our decisions are a consequence of what we sow and the decisions we make are sometimes beyond our comprehension. In 2^nd Samuel: 19, the soldiers were surprised and felt betrayed at King David crying for his son, Absalom’ death after all the atrocities he committed against the king; sleeping with his fathers’ wives in the open; rebelling against the king; killing king David’s son Amnon; etc. What they did not understand was that everything that Absalom did was not his fault but a prophetic word that God declared through Prophet Nathan for David’s abuse of authority and only King David knew this.

 

 

After King David killed Bathsheba’s husband and married her, Prophet Nathan declared God’s word in 2^nd Samuel 12:10-13; “therefore, murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah’s wife. I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did this secretly but I would do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.”

 

 

God watches over his spoken word; his word does not return to him void but accomplish that which he had sent it no matter who you are. This was King David, a man after God’s heart. King David was sober because he knew it was his fault that Absalom committed all the atrocities he did; it was simply God’s word coming to effect. The same thing happened to W; according to the film; before he ran for president, God called him and told him to run for president because there was a crucial decision that he was meant to make. At the time, W was the least likely candidate to run for president and he was not even the one that won the popular vote in fact the election was rigged to bring him to the presidency.

 

 

It does not matter what you do, this was simply God’s word and it would definitely come to effect. God’s word is not a popularity contest; it is his word and his word is for the good of common man despite our opposition. The whole world was in awe when W was elected the second time because the whole world did not know that W was called of God. Being called of God may not make you popular (check Jonah in Nineveh or the martyred Stephen) but would make you fulfill His spoken word.

 

 

W’s boardroom in the white house reminded me of Ahab’s decision to attack the Syrians at Ramoth Gilead. Collin Powell was like Micaiah who was against attacking Ramoth Gilead amongst 400 prophets that were for it. The problem was that the 400 Prophets were fulfilling God’s prophesy through what Prophet Elijah told King Ahab that he was going to die. There was nothing in this world that Ahab could have done, his decisions were already prophesied. This was exactly what happened to W; his decision was to attack Saddam and it was prophesied when he was called. He could not really justify his decision despite the lying spirit flocking him.

 

 

Despite the world’s disagreement with W on this decision; the decision has brought fruits that can never be denied; Iraq has been freed from the tyrannical Saddam; sanctions have been lifted off Iraq; Iraq has become a democratic state; Iraq’s economy has a huge projection of getting better; Americans have a forever grateful ally in the middle east and the list goes on. The impact of this war to the world has also ushered in the first black president to the United States ushering hope to the rejected. This war despite the world’s criticism would mark a turning point in the world’s policies.

 

 

I know there are so many people in the night periods of their lives; out of a job, left by your lover, threatened by your employers, career indecision, etc. These stories are simply to tell you to stop struggling because all the prayers and fasting of King David did not stop Bathsheba’s first child from dying. You simply need to align yourself to his spoken word because that is where the power lies. How would you know his spoken word if you do not get close to God. Your running up and down everyday would not get you to your destination, it is by following Jesus advice to Martha; “only one thing is needful and Mary has chosen it”.  

Listen to this podcast

 

 

 This was not my first observation about this different in attitude between people; another scene came up but it was with a different front. A guy told me he wanted to leave his job and I asked him why. He told me he was tired of working for someone and wanted to venture on his own. I told him I would not advice him to leave his job then he said what started confirming my revelation; he said that I preached about people being on their own was a better way of life and it is written all over my site. I asked him where he saw such statement as I knew I had never written such. He said if I did not write it verbatim, I implied that entrepreneurship was a better way of living. I immediately agreed with him that entrepreneurship was a better way of living not being on your own. He was obviously taken back by my last remark and the confusion was written all over his face. 

 

  

Please, kindly permit moi to explaining things; entrepreneurship means being opportunity minded not being on your own. There is a Hausa petit trader that has been on my street for thirty years because he is not seeking opportunity in his field of business. He has been doing the same business for the past thirty years without any physical expansion; he is not an entrepreneur despite the fact that he is on his own ‫ being self employed is not the same as entrepreneurship. There is also another guy I know; he started working in paid employment (GT Bank to be exact) since he was 19 and now he is the part owner and Managing Director of Access Bank. He is definitely an entrepreneur and when you hear him speak like I have done, you will feel that kick in your stomach just like the meeting of the mother of Jesus and that of John when they were both pregnant. 

 

  

Now, not everybody can be an entrepreneur; people are wired to be either entrepreneurs or administrators. You can be more successful as an administrator than an entrepreneur; all you need to do is discover which particular one aligns with you and be very successful at it. Steve Balmer, M.D. of Microsoft Inc. is definitely not an entrepreneur but a very good administrators but Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric is definitely an entrepreneur. No one is better than the other; they are both important in achieving the objective that was set up. I am an entrepreneur through and through because I always seek out opportunities to conquer but in choosing a personal assistant, I prefer to take an excellent administrator so as to prevent unnecessary fiction but in partnering to achieve my objective, I prefer an entrepreneur to garner ideas to sustain my vision. If you an administrator; stay loyal, do your work well. You would be recognized as a faithful employee and you would grow. 

 

  

This particular site is not for everybody but for entrepreneurs; those that are seeking opportunity to increase their state of economic position. There are so many entrepreneurs in Nigeria that are loyal employees which is very cool but most of them fail to utilize their gifting instead dedicate about 80 to 90% of their capital (money, skill and resources) on their job. This is the issue I am trying to correct. According to the Standard Money Management Technique, only a maximum of 20% of your capital should be in any particular investment be it job, Forex trading , Commodity Trading, Property Development, Business, Stocks, etc. Putting all your egg in one investment may seem to be working but supposing it fails; supposing you lose your job through no fault of yours or lose all your money in stocks due to general recession. Nothing is ever sure except the Holy Spirit inspires you to do it just like he told Isaac to stick to the land despite the economic recession. Ask investment bankers in Bear Sterns and they would be in the best position to advice you. 

 

 

 It is this ability to seek opportunity that differentiated the taxi guy from the 16-door car man. While some seek and take opportunities, others remain in their comfort zone and expect to be like those that take opportunities. Did I hear you say the 16-door car man may have come from a wealthy home? Do you think it is easy to maintain the money you inherit? Well, that may be true but what makes this man move in slow motion and the taxi guy move hastily. Could it be the amount of money they possess that differentiates them? Do you think physical money changes your walking step? Well, let me ask the question in another way; do you think it is the thought of having money that changes your walking step? I am sure most of you would agree with the reframed question. So it is the thought not the physical money that affects you. If for example you entered a lottery competition and the numbers were drawn in your absence and you won 5 million naira. If you were in a bad mood, your mood would not change even if you have 5 million naira physically. As long as it has not reached your mind level, there would be no change in your attitude but immediately it reaches your mind level, your attitude change; you start walking in slow motion. 

 

  

This revelation has made me understand that being wealthy is of the mind not of the physical possession. When you think you are wealthy, everything you do gears towards that particular direction. I gave myself a target this year of an income of 250 million naira; giving myself this target makes me think very big. I know there is no job in Nigeria that can give me that money so I venture into things that can give me that particular money. I drop projects that I feel cannot get me the amount I craved for. This is the thing that has been making me work hard to achieve this target. This year I have not done much business but read, learn and intern despite this I have been making more money than I earned as a paid employee. Most of the travelling I am doing is basically a research and learning process for me. Why am I doing all this? I am doing all this so that I can develop the eye to recognize the opportunity that can make me the 250 million naira. Even if I don’t get this amount, I would have developed my mental access for recognizing opportunity. Check this out: Two men live in Lagos; one sees NEPA problem, Traffic problems and Population Issues, another man sees how to make money from supplying electric device to substitute NEPA, supply fuel economy device to reduce fuel consumption during traffic and the population is just an icing in the cake for him to turn over his money continuously. 

 

 

 

Wait! It is not all about the money. David in the bible was bringing food for his brother in the army when he saw the opportunity to change his life and that of his family.  He saw Goliath tormenting his nation and asked the soldiers what would be given to the person that kills goliath. The soldiers told him; money, king’s daughter and tax holiday for his family. He then uttered a sentence that meant a lot “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine disturbing God’s people?” This means he wasn’t only for the reward though that was his first question but a deeper worry about the challenge of his nation. All the soldiers knew the reward but none of them were willing to face goliath; this can be interpreted that money motivation is not enough to be wealthy. You must develop a passion for something bigger than yourself. Writing on this site is a passion for me because I know someone out there would benefit from it. If one person gets the message, he/she can turn the nation around. I devote a lot of resources to maintain this blog; I remember one night around 3.00 a.m. when the inverter went off and my generator refused to start and the temperature was quite high, I went out of the house, sat on a hard bench with my laptop amidst mosquitoes and started typing “THE CULTURE OF A SUCCESSFUL INVESTOR” in the moonless dark, because I had not updated my site for one and the half week. My wife thought I was insane; well, the truth was I totally agreed with her but I was driven by a force beyond me to help someone out there and keep someone informed.   

 

 

  If I was the taxi man that has spent 25 of his life in Dubai as a taxi driver, I would have known the city inside out. I would have known where to get things at the best quality; best price and I would have known the needs of each nationality that comes to Dubai. Driving the taxi would be a leverage for him increase his earning and by now he would have left taxi driving and own a big time tourist company but I cannot blame him because he may just be an administrator and nothing in this world you do can change his situation. This is why I am reviewing those that have registered and paid for the “Invest in Gold” Training because it is not for everybody but for those seeking opportunity to be financially free. Because of the other jobs that are lined up for me, I may have to postpone the training but until I confirm this, I cannot give an official word on this. Well it’s time to zap; I have to run on the treadmill for 60 minutes and enter the Sauna to free my nerves. I would be back………     

Listen to this podcast

  

It was just few days after I wrote my first JAMB (a prerequisite exam to enter any Government-maintained university in Nigeria), my elder brother brought in an old dingy snooker board to the house which he apparently collected from his debtor who was unwilling to pay him. He dumped the snooker board in one of the garages and went to university every morning for his undergraduate program hoping to sell the snooker board during the holidays to offset his debt. Immediately I saw the board, I saw the opportunity to create a business out of the board to pass away time till my JAMB results surfaces. Prior to this time, I had never done business so I was anxious at the attempt (what would people say? Would my friends not laugh at me? What would my parents say? What if I failed? Would my brother agree to such thing?). Despite my fear, I asked my brother who immediately agreed (anything to bring back his money).

 

 

Remember, my motivation was to have something doing while waiting for JAMB result and apparently going to the university so I entered an unchartered region in my life with no-money motivation except to create something I could be proud of.  Let me spare you my merchandizing tactics; the business was an instant hit in my neighborhood and all the teenagers and youths in the environment came from far and near to play snooker in my compound for a unique price of ten naira. In two weeks, my brother had recovered his money and immediately recognized the business opportunity so he cut a deal to give me 20% of the profit (what can I say? He is human). I took it knowing what my motivations were and I maintained the momentum of the business with competitions, promotions and strong interpersonal relationship. All the strategy for running this business was inside of me; neither did I read a book nor did I train under any business man to execute this apparent successful strategy.

 

 

When I look back and think of all the expensive training I have done in business (customer service, pricing, competitive advantage, supply chain management, etc) from my former companies; I can’t help but laugh at the share waste of money. If I had known all these knowledge intuitively in a passion to create a successful business, then I must explore the inner workings of myself today. This leads to the topic at hand; the topic at hand is guaranteed returns. Everybody wants guaranteed returns on anything they invest in but from experience I realize that you can never get a guaranteed return. Let me expatiate: I started this write-up with the snooker business where it became an instant success but I failed to tell you how the business was faring before I finally took off to the university. After 2 months into the snooker business, there was a huge drought; people stop coming for what I could not place my fingers on. Every attempt I made to revive the business did not bring the usual traffic and I saw myself selling myself short in order to maintain the business; reduce prices, beg people to play, etc. 

 

 

After sometime, I decided not to sell myself short anymore and stuck to my guns. 3 weeks into this decision, the business started booming again. It boomed 3 times the initial success that my brother brought in a second snooker board to accommodate the crowd. This was a huge lesson for me and after undergoing other businesses and entering the cooperate world; I learnt there was no constant returns in any business even if it booms like the wild fire. This was the major reason the NOSPETCO idea was a hard sell for me; a very hard-sell though I was tempted emotionally, my rational experience did not buy the Oil Business idea. As long as a business exists, there would be unforeseen and unpredictable cost, smart competitors, “force majures” and micro-economic hindrances. Even the Low return interest rate given by Banks always fluctuate not to talk of a company with no hedging function. The idea that it rather collects money from individuals rather than Banks was simply a hog wash as the cost on the borrowing funds from individuals was far higher than the Banks.

 

 

Okay, it’s not that I have not opened my eyes wide open to invest in investment vehicles that guarantee returns even when I know it was not feasible. The fact is that all “my investment go bad” last year promised guaranteed returns but this should not be oversimplified because there are actually some guaranteed returns which I would reveal shortly. This is why in order to understand the true nature of investment and the controlling indexes that can give leverage to investment; one must follow the thinking pattern of great investors that walked on this planet earth and understand their personalities and characteristics that guarantees returns. God said as long as the earth exists; seed time and harvest shall not seize. This simply means it takes time to sow but harvest has not time limit; it simply a function of the time you sow that determines your harvest. It is imperative to know that if you constantly sow into an investment vehicle (with a consciousness to really learn from early failures), there would be a guaranteed return.

 

 

Last week, I got a call from one of my readers that wanted to interview me for a newsletter to be circulated to youths.  One of the questions that hit me was “who has been your role model as an entrepreneur?” Then I immediately answered without much thought “Steven Covey, Mohammed Yunnus, Robert Kiyosaki, Sheik Zayed and Steve Pavlina”. After a while, I started rationalizing my choice of role models; “why did I not call Bill Gates and Warren Buffet?” I knew I rationally wanted to be wealthier than Bill Gates and Warren Buffet put together but I knew in my heart of hearts that being like these wealthy investors was not me; I would rather empower people with knowledge than ultimately seek wealth. It gives me the kick to teach and empower people through various communicative platforms but of course, one must also be financially independent. This was why I totally connect with my choice of role models without much ado. The interview question really made an impact on me because I have really never answered those questions myself though I have asked people on various occasions.

 

 

This interview question led me to think of guaranteed returns and why some people are sure of making returns from their investment even when the odds are not favorable. God has placed seasons (fruitful and unfruitful) in our lives so we may constantly know we are humans. Every investment/business platform does not guarantee returns but the investor who understands that every variable return can be controlled to guarantee returns. It is the investor that guarantees return and not the investment vehicle; this is why a deep knowledge of investment is vital to every individual and not relying on anyone (broker, investment guru, etc) to chart his/her courses in life. I remember my first lesson on guaranty vs. warranty; I was importing some electronic goods so I asked for guaranty from the producer and he corrected me by saying “what we give is warranty not guaranty; guaranty means we are sure the product would not fail so you can sue us or collect your money back but warranty means we would replace or repair anything that goes wrong”.  Nobody or investment vehicle can guarantee returns but in taking a peek at the lives of some great investors, we can see the characteristics and attribute they use in guaranteeing their investors.

 

 

Sheik Zayed was a man of history; he was the first president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one of the rulers of Abu Dhabi (Capital of UAE). His impact in UAE gained him the name the father of the Emirates Nation and he truly deserves it by turning a country filled with tents, camel and desert into a metropolitan city filled with modern houses, computers and cars. It is noteworthy to understand the history and culture of the United Arab Emirates and to fully appreciate the efforts he took to turn the country around. For all those seeking to be financial independence; it is very vital to study this great mind that change the destiny of his people and made them a model nation to emulate. UAE comprises 7 independent states namely; Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Qaiwain, Ajman, Fujairah and Ras al Khaimah. Each state has its own laws and rulers but in 1971, Sheik Zayed who was the ruler of Abu Dhabi at that time convinced the 6 other states to form a federation to enhance security.

 

 

Before the federation was formed, Abu Dhabi and Emirate States known as the Trucial States was a country filled with desert, tents and camel before the discovery of Oil. You and I know (using our country Nigeria) that it is not the Oil that turned the country around but the ruler that guides his country wisely and peacefully until a model nation is born. Sheik Zayed used the following elements and characteristics to turn the country around to guarantee returns:

 

 

 

1.       Uniqueness  

 

«To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.» ‫ E.E. Cummings

 

 

It is your uniqueness that would give you leverages to guarantee your returns. I have learnt this from personal experience but Sheik Zayed confirmed this through his art of keeping the tradition of the states despite variety of influences. UAE never adopted Democracy, Monarchy or any style of political maneuvers but it maintained its ruler ship style to guide his country to glory. His first exposure from the desert was his trip to Europe in 1953 where he learned what to adopt and what not to; he was the first to build a school in Abu Dhabi after arriving from Europe using his own finances not the finances of the state because his brother Sheik Shakhbut was the ruler at that time. He knew that he needed education for power but kept his tradition.

 

 

The ability to maintain your uniqueness gives you a leverage to guarantee your return. It prevents dilution of characteristic like integrity, discipline, resilience, etc which was needed to sustain Abu Dhabi during the desert years and would keep his people from greed and unnecessary corruption of funds when the Oil Money came through. All the characteristics that kept you through your wilderness life must be maintained if you want to continuously guarantee your wealth.

 

 

2.      Networking

 

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion but woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up. Again if two lie together, they will keep warm but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not easily broken” ‫ Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (NKJV)

    

 

When the British Force began leaving the Trucial States in 1968, Sheik Zayed who had been chosen as the leader of Abu Dhabi over his brother, knew his state that just discovered Oil in 1962, would be attacked soon by greedy neighboring Arabs. He decided to go one on one to the other Emirate states and convinced them to form a federation and register under the United Nations as a country. This finally came through in 1971 and they shared resources in order to sustain the rest of the country.

 

 

You need to understand the powers of networking if you are keen on guaranteeing your returns. When you join any investment vehicle, it important you network with people who are on the same investment journey in order to help each other through the journey. There would be information sharing, resource control and loss absorption.  An experiment was carried out in UK and it was found that we are 6 people from everything we need in life. The more you network, the more your returns are guaranteed.

 

 

3.      Marketing

 

“Although Marketing is the pricing, promotion and distribution of products/services, it is so subtle that most people miss the strategic intent that is inherent in marketing that simply giving part of your resources to aid your fellow neighbor is marketing” ‫ Dipo Tepede 

 

Sheik Zayed understood what would preserve his nation from collapsing and being under siege from his neighboring country, he simply gave 28% of Abu Dhabi’s income for the assistance of Arab Islamic and developing countries to keep them in good relationship with his country. It is only the wise that understands the subtlety that Sheik Zayed employed in order to guarantee his investment.  

 

 This is a crucial lesson to all ardent investor who place their investment in states where their neighbors are impoverished. Giving some part of your returns to elevate those around you is a marketing strategy with the intent to guaranteeing your investment. But given off your returns is not the only marketing strategy there is, the ability to devise a plan to sustain your return is marketing like hedging which is a means of guarding against financial loss. 

  

4.      Sales   

 

“Nothing happens in any project, except a sale is made”

 

Sheik Zayed has the ability of convincing other nations to buy into his ideas by condemning all use of violence in the name of religion. He was also able to openly reject all links to terrorism and publicly ask the leaders of Iraq to step down and go into exile to avoid war. He was able to project UAE as a country of peace which was good grounds for economic activities. His power to convince his fellow independent states were expressed when the governing council comprising the 7 independent Emirates State leaders elected him 5 times to rule them (voting by the 7 State leaders takes place every 5 years).

 

 

Can you imagine that a man was asked to lead for 38 years when the other 6 state leaders had the chance to be at the helms of affair? This is the power of sales and it is very useful especially in investment even if the investment does not involve sales. Convincing people to join your investment vehicle sustain that investment. All investment vehicles are premised on people, if people do not patronize them the investment would fail. Imagine the share price of a company shoots so high and you have nobody to sell it to, it’s a waste of time. In fact the rise and fall of share price depends on demand and supply. Is it property? You need to sell it well to make maximum returns…… 

 

 

 I WOULD LIKE TO SPECIALLY APPRECIATE THOSE THAT MAKE COMMENTS ON THIS SITE (WHETHER POSITIVE CRITICISM OR ENCOURAGEMENT) AND PRAY THAT THEY WOULD NEVER LACK ENCOURAGEMENT IN THEIR QUEST TO FUFILL THEIR GOD GIVEN ASSIGNEMENT. AMEN. THANK YOU!  

       

Listen to this podcast

This is what I got in my mail box today and I would love to share it with you:

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very
interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!
2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.
3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town

Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he
needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.
4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.
5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.
6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year.
He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO's only two rules.
Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder's money.
Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.
7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.
8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had
scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates
became a devotee of Warren Buffet.
9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: «Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and
Remember:
A. Money doesn't create man but it is the man who created money.
B. Live your life as simple as you is.
C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what makes you feel good.
D. Don't go on brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.
E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend them on who really is in need rather.
F. After all it's your life then why give chance to others to rule your life.»

Listen to this podcast