My search for a job after my compulsory one year military service exposed me to an insight that has guided me throughout my career. There is nothing as demoralizing, heartrending and pathetic as competing with your peers for a limited position. The most painful part of this experience is the lack of awareness that there are better alternatives. Wait! I think I should correct myself; I believe we were aware but on a subconscious level, but we chose to stick to pursuing a goal that had a 99% chance of not happening ‫ thirty thousand fresh graduates seeking for ten advertised position.

It actually seems like madness but it keeps happening again and again; we keep pursuing dead-end situations; it almost seems as if we enjoy the wild goose process rather than the end. Day-in day-out, people jump from one test center to the other, hoping (earnestly hoping) that it would be different this time, but it remains the same. Fast forward to present times, I realize the same program functioning; we are looking for the “in” thing; we are focusing all our power and energy depending on a path that we are subconsciously aware would produce the same failed result ‫ why jump into an MLM program when you know it would fail? Why? When you know only a few people would reap the benefit just like the limited advertised position?

A story in the bible aroused my interest (John 5); it was about an impotent man in the midst of other impotent men (the bible referred to these impotent men as lame, blind, paralyzed limbs, etc). These impotent men struggled to get into a pool that had the potential to heal them but there was one limitation ‫ only one person can be healed at a season ‫ the first person to jump into the pool. This caused the said impotent man to dwell in the same position for thirty eight (38) years waiting seasons upon seasons without ever achieving his dream of being potent.

The solution to this impotent man’s problem was an alternative to the pool; he dwelt so much on the pool as a panacea that frustration set in (38 years); “I can’t be potent for I have no one to help me into the pool at the movement of water. While I am trying to enter, someone else always gets in ahead of me”. Does this man’s situation sound familiar? It sounds very familiar to me; when I could not get a job on time, I blamed my parents lack of connection; when my salary was not commensurate with my peers, I blamed the company I worked for; when my business was not succeeding amidst friends that were succeeding, I blamed my choice of business and ultimately the government.

I never cared to look at another alternative; it was an alternative that was easy to figure out but somehow, we miss it. Jesus told the impotent man; “stand up, roll up your sleeping mat and go home”. I was inspired with this advice during those job-hunting days that in one of the test centers crammed with about twenty thousand fresh graduates, I refuse to take the recruitment test instead I stood up, rolled up my sleeping mat and went home. I decided to depend on the power within me; I researched, developed and created my first book ‫ it was a book for job seekers. It increased my financial worth till I wanted more, so I joined the bank.

I realized something quite funny; I developed the power within me instead of running a wild goose chase that when I joined the bank, I rose up in ranks faster than my peers. Hence, I stuck to this winning formula ‫ always develop the power within you and with time, you would be the leader. Forget about the external stimuli ‫ your salary has not been increased for some time, focus on developing the power within you rather than join your peers complaining. If you focus on developing the power within you, a company that is better would appear in your radar.

Standing up (or developing the power within you) is not as easy as I am making it appear; it involves some certain process that you must pass through. It is by developing the power within you that you gain you more freedom. The stories are all over the place ‫ a certain accountant friend of mine was earning 35K a month and keeps complaining, he developed the power within himself through certifications and now works with Oando for 500K a month. A theater arts graduate with no hope for a good paying job in Nigeria developed the power within her with a degree in film making and has produced the first Nollywood film on a 35mm Camera with Hollywood actors.

The moral of this article is simple; your destiny is neither in the hands of any person nor organization; if you develop the power within you, you would surprise yourself. The process of standing may require a lot of fallings but when you stand, you stand. The mat in the Bible story above signifies all the resources that is within you (talent, money, people, etc.). Jesus did not say, take another person’s mat, He said; “roll up your own mat”. Please, I would appreciate it if you do not ask me what the latest business is instead ask me what can you engage in to develop the power within you. Have a lovely week!

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For you to experience compound interest, you must do the same thing over and over again through a protracted period of time. During the challenging periods of not working in a formal organization, I was comforted by God, every time I was tempted; one of the stories that flashed my mind was in the bible; it was about some entrepreneurs, who dealt in fishing; on a particular day, they had done all they could, but result was not in sight. Frustrated and dejected, a stranger asked them to lend him their boat and they obliged. After using the boat to address some people, the stranger asked them to do the same thing they have been doing all day. Naturally, they complained but did it anyway, the result was the opposite of what they experienced earlier on; this was how it was reported in the book of Luke; “ when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break.”

Compound interest is actually one of the greatest powers in the universe; it always starts so slowly and ridiculous that it is ignored by a lot of people. One of the best examples of compound interest that I was told was from an Agel proponent named Sola Popoola; he cited a 30 day experiment; if you live in Lagos and you were asked to fly to Abuja to collect one naira knowing that if you come every day, the money you would collect would double the previous amount. This means if you fly to Abuja on Monday to collect N1; on Tuesday, you would collect N2; on Wednesday, you would collect N4; on Thursday, you would collect N8, etc. Would you prefer take this round trip to Abuja everyday for 30days or you would rather just take one million naira now. Let’s face it, why should anyone stress himself everyday to do the first scenario when he can just take the one million naira now and the amount you are going to collect in the first scenario appears ridiculous. If you patiently do the Arithmetic, you would realize that the first scenario would not just break your account but it is the true path to freedom.

This is how the figure goes:

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 32768, 65536, 131072, 262144, 524128, 1048256, 2096512, 4192034, 8386048, 16772096, 33544192, 67088384, 134176768, 268353536, 536707072

At the end of the 30 days, you will be making approximately 537 Million Naira; even if the round trip flight is 50K daily which is equivalent to 1.5 Million Naira; it is coins compared to what you stand to gain. This is exactly how compound interest works; it looks ridiculous and ordinary at the beginning but spirals into something larger than you can imagine: The key is constancy! The ability to stay true to something you believe despite the external reception and perception. There is nothing as discouraging as doing the same thing again and again especially if you a company executive being told when to work and when to lunch; boredom sets in because the initial challenge has been resolved; it seems like you are moving like a zombie but whatever you are doing at the moment lies the seed to your destiny. The ability to see the importance of what you are doing lies in the compound interest perspective. If you put a different perspective to what you are doing at the moment, you would see amazing results.

Your thoughts should not be focused on change but on the energies that can be harnessed in what you are doing at the moment. I know it’s kind of difficult like the fish entrepreneurs that toiled all night and caught nothing and are told to do the same thing they have been doing. I can imagine their thoughts when they were told; “this guy is insane; does he have an idea what it takes to do what I do; I have tried this business and I know the inside out of it, it does not work in Nigeria; people are just not feeling it as they should; I am chasing a pin in the hay stack because nobody has ever achieved in these fields”. You can give all the excuses you want but changing what you do does not solve the problem because what you are changing to poses its own sets of challenges; and if you have not developed the ability to go through challenges and be successful, then you are just taking unnecessary journeys like the Israelites chasing the promise land.

The catch clause is; “launch to the deep”; go deeper than you have always been doing because there is gold in it. When it feels like you have exhausted all the options, it’s time to get a new eye. It’s time to adopt the compound interest perspective; no matter how insignificant it appears, just continue doing it. It is the constancy that breeds the power; you don’t have to pray 1 hour on Sunday and forget to pray till the next Sunday; just take as little as 10 minutes every day to speak and listen to your Heavenly father. Remember, whatever you do, there is a deeper level you have not touched that is why the problem persists; you can harness the fish entrepreneurs principle ‫ give whatever you have to God despite your current situation and listen to His perspective on the issue; it would definitely shift your perception and your face would be crammed with smiles.

It has been a wonderful year; this piece ends the articles for this year. Thank you very much for staying with me through the year; I really do appreciate it.  I cannot go without wishing you a wonderful Yuletide season and a Happy New Year in advance. I would also leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein to ponder on; “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, I am not sure about the former”.

For those who are going to be spending times with family; I would suggest five great films of 2009 that would improve your perspective and make for great entertainment this holiday. You could either watch it at the cinema or via the Mobile Moviz:

1. Avatar
2. 2012
3. The Blind Side
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. 9

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What can I say but to appreciate my faithful and loyal readers that have been with me through this revealing year ‫ 2009! I am offering a Get One Totally FREE to all my readers who are interested in the items below. Please, kindly note that this bonanza ends on the 24^th of December, 2009.

1. Car Vacuum Cleaner: For every car vacuum cleaner purchase, you get one car vacuum cleaner totally FREE. You could make the FREE offer a Christmas gift to a loved one. You could also enhance your competitive edge towards the offer of a brand new tricycle. To know more about the car vacuum cleaner, you may click HERE and to make the bonanza purchase, pls click HERE.
2. HDD Player: It’s time to enjoy great movies with your family this yuletide season with over 300 superlative movies preloaded in one portable mobile device that can play on your big screen TV or you want to watch it privately with your laptop or computer. For every HDD player you buy, you get one car vacuum cleaner and one web cam totally FREE. To know more about the HDD player, you may click HERE and to make the bonanza purchase, pls click HERE
3. HDD Recorder: This is another chance to get the HDD Recorder with great gifts. You get more than 200 movies and have the chance to record your favorite TV programs. This is an invaluable products and it comes with a 16.67% discount: Formerly = 36K; Now = 30K. You also get one car vacuum cleaner totally FREE. To know more about the HDD Recorder, you may click HERE and to make the bonanza purchase, pls click HERE
4. Car Pressure Washer: If you have ever been interested in car wash business or you are fascinated about your cars; this is the time to obtain the car pressure washer at an extremely cheap price. Formerly=120K; Now=90K. For every car pressure washer you buy, you get one car vacuum cleaner totally FREE. To know more about the Car Pressure Washer, you may click HERE and to make the bonanza purchase, pls click HERE
5. UV Water Purifier: Clean water is one of the cheapest and the quite vital to our well being. If you are interested in keeping your water totally safe for cooking and drinking; then you need the UV Water Purifier. . For every UV Water Purifier you buy, you get one car vacuum cleaner totally FREE. Former Price = 25K; Now = 16K. To know more about the UV Water Purifier, you may click HERE and to make the bonanza purchase, pls click HERE

Have a wonderful Yuletide Season…..

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In the previous posts of this particular series, I explained two significant questions that a paid employed executive should ask him/herself before taking the plunge; the questions are simple but evoke powerful meditations: “do I want more responsibility and restrictions?” You may click HERE to read more on this. “What is my net worth?” You may click HERE to read more on this. The third question would definitely give you the right perspective and be able to clarify your goals and aspirations in life and localize it to every decision you decide to make. For everything you are facing right now (e.g. your boring work; your overbearing boss; etc) is a seed to your destiny and your persistent attempt to disconnect with it indicates your lack of understanding of what it means to be in congruent with your purpose. An obese lady that decides to slim must first acknowledge and love her present body; taking ownership of her present body is critical to the sliming process. If not, the tendency to backslide during the process or return to the original size after losing several pounds is inevitable.

The Obese lady rationalizes her reasons; “my husband likes slim ladies”; “all my friends are slim”; “the world agrees that slim ladies are beautiful”; “obese ladies are perceived as being lazy”; “obese ladies always have health issues”. No matter how valid these reasons are, she would never be slim; even if she successfully loses some weight, the chances of returning to her prior state are 99.9%. The concept of acceptance and ownership must be displayed and formed in her attitude where she is not enslaved by external thoughts but the inner driving of her spirit and conscience. The litmus test is quite easy and it’s not congruent with a purposeful individual: Any form of showery, sucking-up and delusion is definitely not parallel to purpose. To put it plain and simple; if you are concerned about what people think about you; if you buy a new car because your friends are buying new cars; if you place yourself in a pseudo level that you think some people are beneath you; then self employment is not for you.

Successful self employed people are inert to circumstances, values and emotions like guilt, resentment, anger, materialism and need for approval. The executive leaving his job for self employment is likened to an obese lady losing some pounds. The executive should understand that he/she is simply gambling with every aspect of his/her life (economic, social, political, geographical, etc) except he/she can define his/her purpose on this earth. Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life, simplifies your life, motivates you, focuses your life and prepares you for eternity. All these attributes are necessary elements to your success as a self employed person. You cannot know your true purpose on earth without a personal relationship with God; this is very vital to knowing your purpose. Bertrand Russell, an atheist, concurs with this truth by saying; “unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”

Without purpose, whatever decision or direction, we plan to take is like chasing waterfalls. Continuously improving what you're doing now rather than gravitating towards the latest shooting star idea (which of course is more fun) or jumping at untested waters. Waterfalls are pretty and fun to watch but there is gold in the river that you are used to. Whatever you are doing now, no matter how boring or challenging it appears to be, inherent in it lays the treasure to your destiny. In as much as I am a proponent of entrepreneurship and freedom; I do not believe in purposeless pursuits and do not endorse an untested direction that you have all the opportunity to test. Your heart may be thumping and everything within you may be craving for this route to self employment but slow down dear, chasing intangible dreams with no thought of the consequences it may have on your family, is totally irresponsible.

If you are truly sincere about clarifying your purpose, I would recommend a book by Pastor Rick Warren titled “The Purpose Driven Life”. It is a very easy to read book that has 40 chapters for you to read one chapter daily with your wife, friend, group or partner. My wife and I are currently reading this book and it has truly shaped our relationship, business, parenting, career for the better. You can pick one for yourself by simply ordering online at www.laternabooks.com for N1050. I would advise anybody that is contemplating leaving his job, to buy this book and take the 40 days exercise of reading one chapter daily with your partner. After the 40 days of reading this book with your partner and you are able to embrace more responsibility than you already have while preparing for more restrictions and you are also able to truly define and acquire your net worth, then my heart and blessing goes with you as you take the journey to an adventurous life of true freedom………….

`

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Anyway, I am suppose to be finishing the series on the questions one must ask him/herself before quitting his/her job and plunging the self-employment route but some very urgent and valuable information I must disseminate before the deadline:

If you know an accountant with a BSc. or HND degree, that has 3 years experience and above, he/she can demonstrate the ability to manage people and he/she doesn’t mind working with a popular estate management firm around the Ikeja environ. The total package is 1.2 million p.a. Please, kindly click HERE to show interest before 25^th, November, 2009. Please, put “vacancy” in the subject form. Please, kindly spread the news around. Thank you.

This is a chance to invest in your future home as the price of land is increasing at an astronomic rate especially around the proposed fourth mainland bridge and in the heart of the Ijede Road of Ikorodu. There is a huge discounted price of 560K per plot for an estate land which ends on the 30^th of November, 2009. Please, kindly click HERE to show interest or ask for more details. Please, put “land” in the subject form. Please, kindly spread the news around. Thank you. PRICE FOR LAND = 800k: DISCOUNTED PRICE = 560k

We are doing a massive sale on some of our products and all discounts ends on the 30^th of November to allow entrance of new products for the Christmas season:

HDD Recorder: Great product for an upwardly mobile executive who knows the importance of backing up data in a large storage medium. Who also knows the importance of managing time by watching his/her favorite television program at his/her time. This is a better alternative to the DSTV PVR decoder as it records more than 200 hours digital programming in AVI format which means you can watch those programs on your laptop or computer. Another beauty is that it comes with 200 preloaded movies with more than forty 2009 latest films which you can watch directly on your TV and if you have an LCD TV with a HDMI port, you would be sure to watch HD format movies. You can know more about the HDD Recorder by visiting www.mobilemoviz.com. You can click HERE to order as there are limited stocks for a 25% discount. PRICE FOR HDD = 36k; DISCOUNTED PRICE = 27K

MP4 Players with touch screen functionality and in built camera. This light weight 2.8 inch TFT LCD screen PMP has a 4GB memory and SD memory card slot. It is preloaded with the latest movie: 2012; The Doomsday. It goes for a 20% discount. Other features include FM stereo; you can record your favorite music or program directly from radio to the memory. For every purchase of this MP4 player, you are eligible to 5 movies of your choice FREE that can play in the MP4 player. It is also preloaded with the MP3 audio files of Obama speeches and Midnight Soul compilation. You can click HERE to order.  PRICE FOR MP4 PLAYER = 15K; DISCOUNTED PRICE = 12k

If you have been a regular reader of this blog; the Car Vacuum Cleaner should not come as a surprise to you. However, there is a competition out there to win a brand new tricycle; to know more about the competition, please kindly click HERE. Apart from the competition, you had a chance to double your initial investment on this product but with the discount that we are offering, you now have a chance of a 120% return guaranteed. This particular discount is only for those who have joined the program but if you are new, you could still make the 100% return. For those who can see, you should know that Christmas season is the best time to sink this product. You can click HERE to order. I would be announcing the winner of the brand new tricycle before January 31^st, 2010; this is how the race is going though:

The intrapreneur ranking is based on highest cartons possessed directly from me and when there is a tie, the first person to pay for goods takes a higher rank. Have a lovely week! Always remember, that if you work smart, you can then play hard.

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“I am trying to go it on my own but the challenge I face now is getting financiers who are not asking for an arm and a leg in return. Tell me, how did you handle funding for your business? I would appreciate your insight”

Let me start by telling you a secret I found out: “money is a byproduct of doing something well and marketable”. Looking for money is not that imperative when going on your own; I lost some of the money I saved up during my first year of leaving my job because of bad decisions which comes from lack of experience and bad judgment. What you need is to accumulate experiences and grow a network base; if you can successfully do this, then you would start rejecting money like I do.

I have a microfinance bank literarily begging to give me money; I have some Nigerians in Diaspora who are constantly telling me they are ready to give me money if I can forward them a business proposal; almost all the products and goods that I sell are not mine; people send me stuffs on credit and the list goes on. Finance is the least of your problem if you can prove competency; competency can only be proved through series of experiences; experiences are obtained by learning from failed projects. So you see, the cycle goes round and round.

What I am trying to tell you is that the best way to succeed on your own is to leverage on integrity not on money. Money is a means to an end. There would be no purpose in earning money, in saving it, or even stockpiling it under your bed if it had no buying power. So, what you really like when you say you like money is what money can buy. Money is a byproduct; let me repeat it again, money is a byproduct, a side-effect, a spin-off; money should not be what you are after, what you should be concerned about is integrity. Your aim should be doing all your best to build integrity in whatever field you venture in. Once the integrity is built, then money is the aftermath. You do not need the kind of money you are looking for to build integrity.

Integrity does not jump on you from the sky; you need to obtain it through some sort of sacrifice. The whole concept of branding is based on building integrity but before a product becomes a brand, it undergoes series of investment. I remember a business seminar in Ibadan I was invited to speak at; and one of the participants asked me a question concerning capital for business. So, I asked if he was more interested in capital or the profit. He said he needed the capital to make the profit. So I quizzed him further; “can you see a way you could make the profit without the capital?”

If your answer is NO like the participant’s answer, then you are not ready to leave that job. I would not advise anybody that wants to leave his job to source for capital; I would advise the person to develop a third eye for the business through a minimum of one year internship in the business. During this one year, the person would understand “ebb and the flow” period of the business; the person would witness firsthand what was done during the ebb period to survive it. The person would begin to question him/herself if he/she has the temperament to sustain such periods and what could be done to make such periods worthwhile.

Your internship also gives you the opportunity to develop networks with your target audience; you would be able to gauge your level of influence to sink the product/service you are interested in. This is one of the most crucial aspects of slugging it out on your own; the ability to gauge your level of influence. This is one of the reasons I introduced the Car Vacuum Cleaner program so you can gauge the level of influence you have with your own colleagues you laugh, gist, pray, etc with. Just because you talk to someone does not mean you can influence the person; you do not need to find that out when you have left your job; it may be too late then.

Seriously, it does not have to be the Car Vacuum Cleaner, it can be any other product/service but you must prove to yourself that you can assert some level of influence before you leave that job. When you can ascertain this influence and integrity, it gives you a sense of security that you can survive whatever comes your way; the real illusion about money is that it creates security. Security does not come from accumulating wealth. I know many people who are extremely wealthy and still very insecure. In fact, if you feel insecure right now, having more money will only increase your feelings of insecurity, since you will then have even more to lose. This is why I do not support people who want capital to start-up, I prefer they gain experience first.

If someone asked you today to state your net worth, what would your answer be? In what context would you be inclined to estimate your worth? Most people tend to equate their personal worth with whatever material assets they possess. You are NOT your net financial worth. Your real worth lies in your ability to create. All of your skills, your knowledge, attitudes, education, experience, and contacts are worth a great deal more than anything else you own. Your real bank account consists of whatever makes all the rest of it possible. People who are truly secure know that if everything were taken away from them today, they would still have the means of getting it all back. Whatever they did once, they can always do again.

This is where I stop on the second question you must ask yourself before you leave your job; “What is your net worth?” And remember, if you work smart, you can then play hard….

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First, I blamed it on the surprise element; prior to the said date, I have hardly seen rat in the compound (not to talk of such a huge one) but I was not satisfied with this particular answer. If someone had asked me out of the blue if I was terrified of rats, my default answer would have been NEVER but coming face to face with one was a different thing entirely. It was not as if I had not seen rats before, I have seen plenty; there were always running away but seeing one face to face in the bonnet of my car made me realize that what we say we believe in (most cases) is mental concurrence.

If someone asks you if you believe in heaven; I am sure your default answer would be YES (well, for most Nigerians) but when faced with an opportunity to die like an airplane about to crash, you would definitely begin your rounds of prayer petitioning God to spare your life. Why? When we know heaven is far sweeter than earth. The same scenario happens to people who want to be wealthy but are unwilling to face the process and pressure of being wealthy. Mr. Rat taught me the concept of “belief” as used by Jesus notably amongst them is: “anything is possible to them that believe”; not some few things; A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

Somehow, just in a spam of the moment; the sudden fear, I felt for Mr. Rat may have saved me from making a huge mistake. I realize the reason I give up on things is because I do not believe in it; I may have worked hard every day to create the thing but I never believed in it: When I witness a lady give up on a relationship because of the challenge; when I see young men take up a job amidst their business difficulty; when I review my past failures and the reasons I quit the projects. I am privilege to deal with youths and when asked why they prefer to get a job rather than to start a business; the answers are always quite reveling.

Wait! Don’t jump into conclusion, I am not saying getting a job is wrong; I am only saying the reasons they give is always contradictory. The answers include; “no capital; harder to maintain a business, etc”. The fact is that getting and maintaining a job requires the same patience, creativity and energy that maintaining a business requires. It’s just based on what they believe. It takes time, attitude and effort to get a plush job, learn the job function and be seasoned in it; the same applies to business except most people dabble into business without going through a period of internship and learning curve.

However, I have come to realize that believing something takes time; it’s not something you hear or read and totally agree with, it’s something that totally aligns with your spirit, mind, heart and body. These four parts must merge into one entity before you can forge ahead and say you truly believe something. The fear I felt when I saw Mr. Rat proves that my mind and body agrees with my “I don’t fear rats” attitude but my spirit and heart totally rejects it. The same applies when I cannot logically articulate the reason I believe something. The best way to explain this is using the “romantic love” scenario; if a man is drawn to a lady without fully understanding the reason but feels at peace whenever he is in her presence. If you ask the man to explain his reason; he may try to color up some reasons but he knows he cannot really point his finger to it.

Despite the fact that the man’s spirit agrees with the lady; if difficulty arises, the man is likely to quit. Most times, we believe something in our spirit and heart but we cannot articulate it; this belief will wane away when faced with the moment of truth. This is why when you believe something in your spirit, you must seek to mentally understand “WHY”. If you can mentally accent to what your spirit believes, then it would be difficult for anything to dissuade you from what you believe. The car vacuum cleaner program, I started two months ago, clearly helped some entrepreneurs in the work force to mentally understand the process of what it takes to be on their own:

They were able to understand the rejection, the patience, the turn-around and finally the abundance that comes with entrepreneurship. For those who took part in this exercise, were able to double their investment and best of all were able to obtain a life-skill that would be valuable when they are inspired to leave paid employment. They are also are in the running for the keke POeT; I have decided to raise the stake by including an Apple Iphone to the second place intrapreneur in the car vacuum cleaner program. Understanding what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the mental (reading and listening) and the body (participating in entrepreneurial ventures like the car vacuum cleaner program) would strengthen their resolve and belief in their spirit and heart. Click HERE if you are interested in the program.

I wrote last week on the concept of Plan B and the importance of having one to improving your economic flow. The VOLTRON seminar comes up this Saturday and will be very important and strategic to your income flow. I have decided to sponsor 3 of my readers for this very important seminar that would change the way you see money; if you are interested, please kindly click HERE. I got to go and always remember, if you work smart, you can then play hard.

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Plan B is not actually a passive income stream but is popularly defined as a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan fails (e.g. Wikipedia). This is where I have a problem with the whole “Plan B” thingy; the concept of failure! Let’s highlight the reasons why a “Plan A” can fail:

1. Circumstances beyond control: For some reason, the line of business you are involved in gets hampered by government policy, undue competition or natural disaster. If you are an executive, the company may be insolvent and the axe falls on you or your boss is just not into you and wants you out.
2. Risk: This term is evaluated based on circumstances and position. You realize the business you are in is quite risky and cannot sustain you for a period of time; it could also mean the only reason you are in is because of the money and that is not aligned with your value.
3. Fear: You give-up every time you encounter a challenge and the fear that you may not succeed is the reason for the failure.

This is not an exhaustive list but the fact is if you fail at Plan A, you are more likely to fail at Plan B. Then why do you need a Plan B? First, you do not need a Plan B as a fall back (this is not a good attitude to take) but you need a Plan B to boost your income stream albeit with an active involvement. A Plan B is not meaningful if you are not actively involved but the key word should be that “time and money invested should not be directly proportional with the income stream”; it should be inversely proportional with a focused, constant and concentrated effort.

Let me give you a typical example, I have a friend that is actively involved in importation of goods but works in a bank full time. You have to be actively involved to be in importation or you are as good as flushing your money down the drains but importation does not require much time and the money you invest in it could be inversely proportional to the returns. The same applies to a real estate agent that trades in commodities. Trading in commodity derivatives requires a 30-60 minutes a day trade and the money is inversely proportional to the ROI. Imagine, investing $2000 to make $50, 000.

Despite the fact that Plan B does not take your time and does not involve a lot of capital stream, you need to undergo training for it. The training is very important; if you take your time and adhere to the training, you are sure of an effective Plan B. There is another thing about an effective Plan B that should be considered; after undergoing the training and putting the effort, is the result going to be worth it? This is a very important question that most people do not take time to evaluate.

Every time, I think of my undergraduate days, I realize what I went through to achieve economic independence from my parents: Spending 5 years for a 4-year course because of incessant lecturer strike, attending lectures, reading till day break to pass some of the exams, etc. I realized that my first year offer at a job was bigger than all the investment in my 18-years education. This is what I mean by training and effort; I knew that going to school would give me financial emancipation and would make life easy for my children not to talk of my children’s children.

The same thing applies to Plan B though for most Plan B, you do not need to spend 18 years like you did for the formal education. A day to 4 days training with 30 days application can give you an effective Plan B for life. This is why I am yet to reply those who applied for the VOLTRON seminar because I wanted them to know that this Plan B may take some effort from them and they would need to make an investment of fifty thousand naira (N50, 000) for the training at Sheraton Hotel on the 24^th of October, 2009. This is the only investment you would need to make to set you up for a minimum of 5 million naira in 12 months.

Despite the fact that I have more than 30 people who have shown interests in the Seminar, I am actually looking for only 5 people who I can work with and show them as proof that the system works. I really don’t want to talk much on this but to reiterate the fact that every Plan whether A, B, or C requires some form of efforts and training. This is different from passive income which requires passive effort. If you are ready to boost your income with an effective Plan B that can set you up for life and make a difference in your life and your family, please click HERE. Always remember that if you work smart, you can then play hard………

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What about guys that kill themselves everyday to get money and put it into pocket filled with holes? What intuitively amazes me is that I was once this kind of guy; being wise with coins and being foolish with the big pounds. For example, I could work so hard and lose money because I was not properly informed; I am worse than the man that won the lottery and lost his money. Please, don’t ask me why? Anyway, I would tell you: the man that won the lottery did not have to work hard; he was doomed to lose the money ‫ easy come, easy go. But (a big BUT!); a man that wakes up to work every 5.30am and gets back at 8.00pm minimum after going through a rigorous traffic regime, needs to re-evaluate himself and the way he/she spends money.

Let me give you a typical example of rational thinking and emotional thinking; this is a true story though; we were all in our office in VI when someone announced that there is a mini flat in VI for rent and it costs like 350K p.a. (this was 7 years ago). “What? That’s too much” was the consensus statement; “A very good mini flat on the mainland cost like 150K”. Well, I was curious so I asked the guy about the mini flat and asked him to take me there; it was situated in a beautiful estate with constant light and water; the parking lot was awesome and the caliber of cars I saw gave me an idea of the kinds of people that stayed there and best of all, it was a working distance to my office. I did not waste time; I sat down with my diary and pen and did the calculation:

I was a bachelor and this was the result; it would cost me a minimum of 312K per annum to transport myself to VI assuming there were no unwelcomed circumstances like accidents, theft, etc. It would cost me more than 150K to power my generator with fuel, I detested going to the well to fetch water, I have to park outside my parking space if I come late, security was questionable, I wake up at 5.00 am in order to get to the Island early, my car visits the mechanic every other Saturday and I spend nothing less than 5K, I hardly have time for myself not to talk of my fiancé then and the constant stress involved everyday was totally not worth it. I did not wait to finish my analysis before I told the landlady I was interested; it was definitely a no brainer.

Fortunately for me, the landlady was travelling to London the same night and asked me to pay a 100K, gave me the keys and collected the rest when she came back 6 months later. Every time, I remember this story, I told myself; “I would never follow the crowd and disperse things at face value”. I cannot start to tell you the amount of money I saved and not to talk about the less stress I encountered to get to work. We lose money almost every day by trying to save money. It’s not that I am always thinking rationally (far from it) but I realize that most emotional purchases I make are always wrong. The rationale behind every emotional purchase is that the “heart wants what it wants” (lol).

However, I recently encountered a product that met both rational and emotional thinking. It is the Mobile Moviz Recorder. Imagine, watching a match between Manchester United and Chelsea and you got called for an emergency meeting, I am sure you would miss it except you have a PVR Decoder. A PVR decoder is on the high side and it records up to 80 hours while the Mobile Moviz Recorder is quite moderate in price and records up to 300 hours.  The best part of the Mobile Moviz Recorder is that it is portable (just 2.5 inches) and mobile. You can transfer what you record on your laptop and show your colleagues and friends the highlights of the event. The beauty of it is that it can also act as a storage device for all your data because it has a 500GB space, Imagine losing that all important data because you cannot back it up.

The emotional part for me is that it contains 100 movies in it (you can add far more) with more than fifty Christian movies like “Facing the Giants”, “The Problem Women Battle”, “The Perfect Strange”, “Sex and the Vatican”, all the series of “Love Comes” and “Not Easily Broken” by T.D. Jakes. It also contains 2009 Hollywood movies, latest series, some exclusive documentaries like the Premier league; How Arsenal was created, etc.  They have movies you can hardly find anywhere. To get more feel on the movies, you can click HERE. Imagine, going to your friends place and seeing a program you love, with your Mobile Movie Recorder, you can easily record it and share it with your wife or colleagues. When I started using this device, I realize how indispensable this device is; the ability to focus on something else while you can record your favorite program. You can time-set the recording, pause it, to avoid ads, rewind and re-play. If you are a traveler, this is going to be your best friend. To know more about the Mobile Moviz Recorder, click HERE.

What can I say? I am sure you have learnt from the lottery winners that it is not really about acquiring wealth but maintaining the ones you have through avoiding subtle foxes that spoil the vine. It is important to evaluate what you buy; you may be spending more than you think. Information is quite critical at this age and a little research would make your life totally stress-free; dont be in a haste to acquire more when you have not fully maximized what you have. There is no difference between the rich fool and penniless fool; it’s just a matter of time before you see both of them for who they are (lol).  The Car Vacuum Cleaner is still available and there is serious competition for the keke POeT: However, there are plenty guys in it now so I would publish the first ten guys next week. To know more about Mobile Moviz Recorder and the Car Vacuum Cleaner, you may click HERE. Anyway, have a lovely week, if you work smart, you can then play hard.

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Wow! I am sure most of you in Nigeria would start reminiscing on those elementary and high school days but on a serious note, the concept of Voltron came strongly to me on our 49th Independence Day as I was speaking to a handful of executives and entrepreneurs at the Sheraton Hotel and Tower on the Art and Science of Networks. The program was organized by Agel Integrated Networks to promote financial independence: Speaking about financial independence on the same day Nigeria is celebrating its 49^th birthday was a bit of cliché for me but this particular program opened my eyes to the potential of true networks in solving Nigerian issues.

When I am talking about Networking; I am not talking about a group of people coming together to solve their individual problems. This is actually the number one flaw of the “agreement theory” which reminded me of the prayer session that took place between my wife and I; I realized a sharp contrast between one particular prayer point and the rest of the prayer points ‫ there was more passion in her voice and you could particularly feel a connection between us. Immediately, a bible verse flashed at me; “if two or three shall agree as touching anything on this earth, it shall be done by my father in heaven.”

I realize that either praying together or coming together does not constitute an agreement; it requires something deeper and bigger that bothers the said party. The fight against apartheid in South Africa exemplifies what it takes to come out from a deep seated shackle. It requires those who are ready to give their life to the cause knowing full well that a victory symbolizes a generational freedom. It simply means solving this issue is not just a present need but a future generation need. I realize that the resonance that took place in the prayer meeting between my wife and I was addressing an issue that would outlive us and this victory is well understood by both of us.

Most people have penned down the issue of Nigeria on Leadership; however, true this may be, it does not address the root issue of self-centeredness and self delusion of the followers: Every leader comes forth from a group of followers who accept and endorse such leadership no matter how they criticize and verbally back stab the leader. The leader reflects the minds of the followers; if we are too self-absorbed not to participate in the electoral process, why are we too generous to criticize it?  Why do we hold on to our lives and expect a change? Why do we make fear our best friend and want to embrace faith?

The same sets of questions applies to financial freedom; as I watched the last speaker of the Agel conference, talk about how small and ridiculous amounts of money can be compounded in a matter of time, I knew the solution lies with Networks of people who understand the implication of breaking the chains of the vicious cycle of poverty. I realize that leveraging on the 1% of a 100 people is far bigger than leveraging on the 100% of one person. This is the panacea of all issues but these100 persons must speak the same language thus confirming God’s word that “there is nothing this people have decided to do that cannot be done”.

Thus, we need the concept of the Voltron force to breakthrough; a group of people speaking the same language (purpose, belief and expectation) to heal Nigeria of her issues. If we also need to break out of the rut of chasing a financial emancipation, we need a Voltron force: A force that is ready to sacrifice and believe that victory over financial kwashiorkor is an inheritance for their children’s children. Though I was opportune to speak in this Agel financial seminar, I learnt more by listening to the speakers. I was also glad when they extended an invitation to me to bring people who are interested in attending the next seminar. My readers were the first to come to mind: If you are tired of the rat race or you need an effective Plan B, I would advise you to click HERE and write Voltron Seminar as the subject head. This would surely worth you while.

If you are also interested in watching the highly entertaining and addictive Voltron Anime on High Definition platform, you may click HERE to get it completely FREE from Mobile Moviz. You would get the complete 72 episodes of VOLTRON ‫ DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and the complete 52 episodes of VOLTRON ‫ THE VEHICLE FORCE. Have a wonderful week and remember if you work smart, you can then play hard!

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“All things are possible to them that believe” ‫ Mark 9: 23

I would like to start by tweaking the title of this post to “The Reason I don’t Succeed”. After experiencing a memorable “JOBFinder’s” Seminar in Ibadan this weekend (check the picture above), I kept isolating my successes from my failures and wondering which integrated elements are responsible for the individual outcomes. I realized that my “Potential” is constant despite my failures or my successes so the problem of failure has nothing to do with my potential. What about the “Actions” I take in order to succeed? “Actions” could be a combination of strategy and tactics. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that the “Actions” I take is very important to whether I succeed or fail but the actions I take is a function of my “Belief”. So the four parameters discussed so far are:

Belief ‫ Potential ‫ Action ‫ Results

The four elements above are quite crucial in justifying the difficulty in implementing what you know is right; an obese individual having the knowledge that sugary, fatty and high cholesterol diet is not good for him/her still makes it a staple. We intuitively recognize that we need to do better than we are doing but we rather spectate than participate. We listen to a motivational speech, we get all hyped and excited but we fail to follow through on what we have heard. We buy books, tapes and CDs but we prefer to stick to reading and listening to knowledge rather than act on what we have learnt. We fail to act because we do not believe; we fail to maximize our potential because we do not believe enough. If we do not maximize our potential and act on what we know, the result would likely be a failure. This simply means the root of all results starts from your belief.

Take a chill pill! If an entrepreneur who strongly and passionately believes in a project that he/she invested all his/her funds in it and the project fails, does this nullify my earlier assertion? What defines “Belief” is not in the initial passion or the massive action like investing your funds; “Belief” is defined by enduring on a project till the project becomes successful. Enduring does not mean doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different result (that is insanity), enduring means an unwavering position of success amidst failures and seeking every avenue to come to that unwavering position of “success”. Mark 9 pointed this out succinctly when Jesus disciples could not heal the boy with the dumb spirit but Jesus was able to heal the boy and the disciples asked Jesus; “why could we not cast him out?” Jesus answered them by saying; “this particular healing could only be done by fasting and prayers”.

This particular passage points out the fact that despite the disciples experience and passion about healing the boy with the dumb spirit, they did not get the right strategy. A dichotomy was involved; the disciples believed but still had “unbelieve”. The “unbelieve” was not deciphering the right strategy to succeed. Like most people who believe so much in a project and jump into it with all their resources but fail because they do not understand the right strategy or tactics to succeed only means they believe but have some “unbelief”. This is why Jesus statement rings true; “if only you believe, all things are possible to them that believes”. This belief means belief without any unbelief. Most times in order to reach the level of “pure belief”, you must fail forward.

This is why we must understand the cycle of “Belief ‫ Potential ‫ Action ‫ Results” to get to the position of “pure belief”. No matter the project or our passion towards the project, our belief is not totally pure; we enter most project with a double minded frame (would this be successful or not? Let me just try it). This particular attitude does not allow you to maximize your potential and if your potential is not totally maximized, your action would be partial thus the result would be minimal. If on the other hand, you put your best and maximize your potential and you put the right action in play, even if the result is not as massive as you expect, momentum would be achieved. The result (no matter how little) would reinforce your belief.

I remember my first attempt to make money online through this site; my target was a 100 USD in a month. I was in paid employment so I had to murder all social life on weekend in order to attain this. I was inspired by the Holy Spirit so my passion was quite on the high side. I maximize my potential to learn in the night and implement on weekend; I gave it all though I enjoyed it. At the end of the month, I made 2 USD. This was far below what I envisioned but I realized something about myself; “I was able to make money without any crutch like my parents or a job and since the online system produced something through my effort, I realize there was potential in it; all I needed to do was to look for a model who was making money online and follow his model. Despite finding great models and implementing their system, my online income was crawling and it took a cumulative of 5 months to get the 100 USD. I could have given up especially when my salary was about a 100 USD per day.

Compare a 100 USD per day to a 100 USD per 5 months and the latter involved a lot of hard work. It was an easy decision from the data above but I chose to stay with the site because I knew intuitively that true success is limited without freedom. If I cannot on my own make money, I can never be entirely free and it helped that I had a crutch (my job salary) to rely on so it was not really a risk to continue putting my best into it. Almost a year after this, I could make a million naira in a day through this same site. Well, what was I doing working, if I could generate a million naira in a day though I have not been able to achieve that in recent times but it showed me the power of believing in something. All things are indeed possible to them that believe because if you purely believe, you would never quit, you would search for the answer until you get it.

Well, since I cannot just inform you without proffering a solution on how to believe; I would share with you 5 ways to preserve and enhance your belief:

1. Find a big enough “WHY?” The big picture of whatever you decided to engage in must be ascertained. If I take on this project and I become successful, my children’s children can never beg for bread. I would develop my self-respect and move towards attaining my freedom if I engage in this project. Find a big “WHY” and no matter the odds against you, you would stick to it until you gain success. I recommend the film “THE SECRET” to help you visualize and come to the understanding structuring a big “WHY”.

2. Condition your mind everyday towards the outcome you desire. This is where you watch the company you keep; this is where you go all out to keep company with those things that align you to your desire no matter the cost. Psalm 1 points out this obviously when it says a bless man does not walk in the counsel of the Ungodly, nor stand in the ways of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Anything that is outside your purpose is a SIN no matter how benevolent or kind it appears. I recommend the film “FACING THE GIANTS” to condition your mind. I have watched this film three times in the past one week.

3. Get a coach or a mentor. I don’t know who your mentor is but most mentors do not have the time for a protégé except you are working directly under them. The best way to get mentors is to buy their books, tapes, interviews, go to their seminar if they speak. Because one man cannot exhibit all you desire, you can have mentors for business, one for relationships, one for parenting, etc. One mentor, I consistently keep since I left my undergraduate program is Robert Kiyosaki (the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad); I have all his books, tapes, games, etc. The games are obviously one of the best resources to aid you into financial freedom. I recommend the e-game of Cash Flow 101 to simulate your desires.

4. Get an accountability structure or group in place. It is important to join a group of people who are moving in the same direction of where you are going. It is also important to let someone account for your actions. I have been thinking of getting a group of 5 serious guys (male and female) who are serious about meeting every month on the subject of business enterprise and opportunity. These kinds of meetings are important to the success of each person involved. I realize I learn and believe more when I teach than listen to people teach. This meeting would force everyone involved to teach something. I just need 5 serious individuals and I am sure we can start something.

5. Turn Frustration to Fascination: I left this to the last part. One of the easiest things to do is to get frustrated with a project that does not meet the promise you envisioned. Frustration keeps you down and re-enforces FEAR; the number one killer of dream. It is only a minority of people that can turn frustration into fascination ‫ embedded in a frustrated project is gold mine. Frustration develops as a result of rejection and it takes practice to develop a thick skin. You are not born to handle frustration; you practice to handle it. This is why I recommend the CAR VACUUM CLEANER sales to aid you review and understand your level of influence amongst your colleagues. The taste is in the pudding not in the wishing.

P/S: The sales of the CAR VACUUM CLEANER has reached wide and far of Nigeria from Abuja to PH down to Port Harcourt. I am interested in getting an agent in Kaduna and Kano. If you are interested in procuring a unit of the CAR VACUUM CLEANER, please kindly click HERE and you would be directed on who and where to get it from. For those who have requested for the film; FACING THE GIANT; I would get across to you soon. If you are interested in any of the recommended film or group joining as indicated above, please click HERE.

Have a lovely week!

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Over the weekend, one of the readers of this blog came over to my domain to collect the Armani Wrist Watch he won for being the best commentator for the first quarter of this year. Since, I did not give anything to the best commentator for the second quarter, I have decided to combine the second and third quarter and give out something massive to the winner. I hope it won’t be Emeka again because he seems to continue winning my gifts.

Every financial move that has ever existed comes with its casualties; the casualties are always the laggards who prefer to spectate during the initial process and wait to see the result of those who are participating in the game. This has always been the case since the Old Testament days ‫ Abel was able to sacrifice more, hence experienced a higher authority to Cain; Cain was grieved with envy and killed his own blood brother.

These contemporary times, our envy is enveloped in murderous sarcasm, cynicism and criticism. We seat in our comfort zone and cheer while others do well and bicker while others fail. We are so glad that we did not take part in the game because of the failure experienced by the participants. We fail to understand that the same participant that failed earlier would be the star tomorrow in the next big move.

The moves have the same pattern; let’s take Nigeria as a case study ‫ in the earlier days when you graduate from university, companies were lining up with a Peugeot 504 official car to employ you. Only those that sacrificed to go to university early enjoyed this privilege. Then stocks, after it was real estate, a little while, it was NOSPETCO and after that, it was online MLM and everyone is wondering what the NEXT big move would be.

The NEXT big move would only be picked by those who are participating not spectating; those who have dared; those who have failed; those who have tried; those who have pushed; those who are always willing to go on a limb. For those who sit at the corner and watch, you would not know when the NEXT big move would pass by. There is really no voodoo, no magic, no mysticism about this prophesy, it’s a sure thing; the guys that get in early will reap the reward.

Over the weekend, I watched an inspirational Christian movie titled; “FACING THE GIANTS”. I hardly cry when watching a movie but this movie touched me so much that I began crying (uncontrollable tears). There were so many defining moments about this movie but the relevant one to this article is a parable shared by the man who delivered the confirmed word of God to the coach about the praying farmers:

Two farmers after experiencing drought prayed for rain independent of each other. One farmer after praying prepared for the rain by clearing, digging, planting seeds while the other farmer wanted to see the rain before doing any work. Who do you think would please God? This farmer that wanted to see the rain before working, must have justified is inactivity (just like the servant with the one talent); “how can I waste all my time and money working and rain does not fall?”

This particular conversation that goes in the heart of the inactive farmer is the crux of this article; the fear of losing outweighs the potential of winning. We focus too much on losing and we really don’t understand that losing guarantees winning. If you don’t lose something, you cannot gain another. We focus too much in our comfort zone and fail to understand that the only way up is by going down. We fight so hard to stay status quo and expect a turning point.

The only reason why you are not moving ahead is because you are unwilling to lose anything. You want the luxury of success but you fail to understand that success is limited without freedom. You have an assurance of a monthly salary but you still find it difficult to spare a portion of it towards your dream. Your excuses are always bills to pay; just like Jesus told his disciples concerning the woman that poured an expensive perfume on Him; “Bills you would always have but the opportunity to grab your dream won’t come all the time”.

A lady told me about a dream of owning a cosmetic shop when she resigns; so I told her blatantly to test the waters first. She did not understand me so I told her to buy and sell stuff while she was working. This would give her a feedback on her state of preparedness. Her next statement could have ordinarily put me off her case; “How can I be selling cosmetics to my colleagues; that belittles me. When I open my exquisite shop, then I can invite them to come”.

So I asked her; “how are you going to invite them?” She really did not understand where I was taking my question to so I asked another question, “what makes you sure that when you invite them, they would come?” They already have cosmetic shops they go to what would give them the confidence to come to yours especially when you are no more their colleague and see no reason to be loyal to the emotional ties.

She immediately grabbed my point; “if I sell on a small scale now, I would be able to draw a following and also be able to ascertain my level of influence”. She actually drew the words out my mouth. If your dream is to own your business one day or you want to be financially free, it’s time to start testing the waters. The Car Vacuum Cleaner is still available to test your level of influence and sharpen your intrapreneural skill. You may click HERE to order; you have nothing to lose but everything to gain. There is also a workshop training you to develop your own business plan; click HERE to know more. I would love everybody to watch the film; “FACING THE GIANT”; if you are interested in owning a copy, click HERE. The NEXT big move is for people who are preparing and sharpening their entrepreneurial skill…….

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The picture above is one of the most popular sites to visit in San Francisco, USA but from 1934 to 1963; it housed the most dangerous prisoners in the United States. This particular house was built on a rock which makes it impervious to criminal escape. The records claimed that nobody has ever escaped this prison alive but there were rumors of several attempts and some Hollywood films suggest some possible escape from this fortress. Alcatraz is the name of this site and it is popular called The Rock.

Every time, I look at this picture, my mind immediately conjures up the words of Jesus about a house built on the rock. Jesus vouched that this house is impervious to any uncertain threat or calamity. Uncertainty is one of the most feared elements of any human being; almost everyone has a hidden question about tomorrow: The African leaders that hold on to their position longer than they promise is afraid of what it is like not to have power; the wealthy man that keeps on making wealth is bothered losing everything; the salary worker heading for pension is bothered losing his standard of living and the list goes on.

Imagine living in China and the news that filtered in this morning; “A powerful typhoon toppled houses, flooded villages and forced nearly 1 million people to flee to safety on China's eastern coast before weakening into a tropical storm Monday”. You worked your entire life running out of your house from 6a.m. to beat traffic and return by 8 pm because of the same traffic; you use your proceeds to build your dream house and the storm takes it away. In the United States, we hear of Hurricanes like Katrina; in China, we hear of earthquakes and typhoons; in Sudan, we hear of genocides and in India recently, we heard of terrorist attacks.

What you hold so dearly today can fizzle out tomorrow but Jesus gave us a panacea to this issue; “build your house on the rock”. Jesus did not exclude this uncertainty from happening to you but makes you understand the preventive measures. Jesus did not say “IF” the storm comes, Jesus said “WHEN” the storm comes; he emphatically points to the fact that the storm would come but you have the potential to prevent it. In Nigeria, we are mostly too self involved to understand what it means to face natural disaster but the funny part is that a disaster does not really warn you, it just happens.

Luke 6:46 «Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but do not do what I say? (47) I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and hears my words and obeys.(48) That person is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the floods came, the water tried to wash the house away, but it could not shake it, because the house was built well. (49) But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods came, the house quickly fell and was completely destroyed.»

There is a parallel story in Mathew 7: 24 ‫ 29. It’s not about reading, understanding, analyzing or hearing the words of Jesus but doing them. The implementation is always the most difficult part for humans. Last week, I put up a typical example of the parable of the talent for Nigerian work force; I gave them a chance to double their talent. Well, it is important to truly understand the meaning of talent, it is impossible to be exact about their value, and different kinds of talent were in use during Jesus time. However, even the lowest value for a talent puts it as worth several thousand denarii (an old Roman Silver coin), and a denarius was the usual payment for a day's labor. So a talent was the value of many years of work by an ordinary person.

The parable tells of a master who was leaving his home to travel, and before going gave his three servants different amounts of money. On returning from his travels, the master asked his servants for an account of the money given to them. The first servant reported that he was given five talents, and he had made five talents more. The second servant said that he had received two talents, and he had made two talents more. The last servant who had received one talent reported that knowing his master was a hard man; he buried his talent in the ground for safekeeping, and therefore returned the original amount to his master. The master called him a wicked and lazy servant, saying that he should have placed the money in the bank to generate interest. The master commanded that the one talent be taken away from that servant, and given to the servant with ten talents, because everyone that has much will be given more, and whoever that has a little, even the little that he has will be taken away. And the master ordered the servant to be thrown outside into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I truly understand the man with the one talent; he was scared of losing his money just like most of us are. Despite the fact that he was paid every month by his master, he was still scared of losing his money, he was not concerned about what he could possible gain by trading his one talent. He was so scared that he had to bury it not understanding that the storm may come and the one talent may not be enough to get him out of the crisis. He did not understand that the lessons you gain from implementation is more valuable than the talent you have at the moment. Even if he had lost the one talent, he would have learnt something from the experience and the conversation with the Master would have been different. The Master would definitely not be able to give any more talent to the guy with the ten talents.

The more we watch our fellow colleagues succeed by taking their destiny into their hands, the more we become prisoners of our own flesh (envy sets in). If you bury your talent, it would eventually be given to the guy that traded with his own. Those that build their house on the rock know that the rocky foundation takes time to build. A tiny step in the right direction all you need to start the process; if you know that one day, you would have to own your business (no matter how small), you have to start building the foundation while working; you have to test your power of influence. There is still room to be an exclusive agent of our car vacuum cleaner in your sphere of influence and get the chance to double your income. The following companies have been taken:

Mobil

Zenith, Island Environ

Visa Phone, Island Environ

Bank PHB, Island Environ

Etisalat, Banana Island

Alcatel-Lucent

FIN Bank, Island Environ

Kaduna Town

Glo Warehouse, Ikeja

PHCN, Island Environ

If you are in any of these companies and you are interested in obtaining the car vacuum cleaner, you could contact me by clicking HERE and you would be directed on whom to meet. If you don’t know anything about the deal, you may click HERE. If you are still interested in sharpening your intrapreneur skill to build a rock foundation, please, click HERE.

Have a wonderful week!

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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 forever”. 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 “Selling”. 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 Selling”. 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!

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So, let me attempt to correct this mistake; I am a professional blogger, a social entrepreneur and a business consultant. These three sides of my professional life are themed into empowering Nigerians financially. As a professional blogger, I go into Joint Venture (JV) with so many guys that are interested in sinking their products; we go into various deals and I make sure the readers of this blog get a discount from the market value of whatever I offer. I make sure I spend time in validating the authenticity of the products before I offer them to my readers. This is a win-win situation.

 

 

The business model is just like a TV station that generates money through ads. This works quite well with me; all the people I enter JV with smile to the bank and my readers get a sizeable discount on goods sold. 286 plots of land have already been sold in the SET GARDEN estate and a sizeable amount was bought by readers on this blog. The Realtors of the land gave me a huge discount; land that was valued at 900K was given to me at 410K Naira. Those that knew the value rushed it at the price but the land has however increased to 510K after my initial deadline. The Realtors have given me till 3rd of April for the 510K offer because they plan to further increase the price after this date; if you are interested in getting it at 510K, click HERE.

 

 

As a social entrepreneur, I import social-conscious goods like tricycles, motorcycle parts, helmets, etc that empower below-average Nigerians financially. I enter partnership with some companies in India and China in order to make this work effectively. At the beginning of this year, I sold Helmets and I sold it all off; this blog played a huge part in getting it done. I was able to sell it at a lower percentage for my readers than other channels. 3 weeks ago, I got another consignment of helmets and it remains just 400 pieces; for the entrepreneurs (mostly out of Lagos) who want to make quick bucks from selling helmets, can contact me by clicking HERE.

 

 

As a business consultant, I do some marketing consulting for some up and coming companies in Nigeria; I hope to do more on this but more jobs are coming from out of Nigeria. This quarter, I also met with some of my readers personally and gave them information on “Importation from Vietnam”. I actually enjoyed this meeting very well and I sold e-books to those who could not attend; this e-book was written by the Vietnam Czar; it costs 6K ‫ if you are interested, please, click HERE to download the NDA and send the scanned signed copy to dipotepede [at] poetsolvers.com.

 

 

I also launched my podcast this quarter, if you have not seen it, click HERE. I am not yet a pro at speaking to a mike without the presence of a crowd but I am sure I am able to pass across the message. I also did some speaking engagements this quarter which were quite memorable. I am also accepting bookings to speak; please, kindly click HERE to get an overview of the kinds of speaking engagements I accept.

 

 

This quarter, the dollar kept rising and rising but I was able to proffer two solutions to hedge this economic killer; earn money in dollars and convert your money to universally acceptable assets. To earn your money in dollars in a weekly basis, I introduced those who had $250 capital and were interested into this program. I am also going to introduce 10 guys who are very ambitious and smart the secret of trading in bullion gold in the London Open Market. I am very sorry; I may not be able to produce any e-book for those who miss this opportunity.

 

 

This quarter, I was able to interview only Marwa Rakha ‫ the relationship expert. I hope to do more interview in the next quarter. In the next quarter, there would also be more mouth watering deals and I am also hinted of the possibility of some land deals in Agbara. I may also do some more roundtable seminars if I am still in the country. There would also be more “thought-provoking” articles and podcasts. Please, always remember to pop in.

 

 

I want to use this opportunity to appreciate my readers who have been there with me all this while. I also would need your FEEDBACK on this site; just tell me what you think about the site ‫ either good or bad OR both. The person with the most heartfelt critique or praise would receive a surprise present from me; you would truly appreciate this present. Please, kindly use the comment box to air your opinions. Thank you very much for reading through; may God grant you all you wish for in Jesus name; Amen!

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