Be Your Own Boss (Entrepreneur Movement)

As far as business and entrepreneurship is concerned, branding plays a key role. Let's face it, you are first seen before you are heard. But being a brand is more than just being aesthetically pleasing. We have come to see that personal branding has become more of a necessity and requirement than a mere competitive edge. Unfortunately, many business men and entrepreneurs do not know this and have become prone to personal branding errors. In this post, we will learn of real life personal branding errors and mistakes and how to avoid them.

      We cannot deny how incredibly important social media has become in today's business world. Brands are built with more social media work these days. Unfortunately, if you are a small player or a startup, getting the attention of people on social media can prove to be a herculean task.  It is at this point that you need to focus on getting the attention of a social influencer just so you can leverage on their already established popularity. It is not as easy as it sounds but with the steps written here, you wont find it as hard as most people do. Influence

     A skill that is of utmost importance to entrepreneurs nowadays is the ability to understand the times, to know what ideas will make profit at any point in time. 2016 was a year of relative hardship (not so relative to some people though) for a vast majority of Nigerians. The Nigerian Naira was on a free fall, oil prices did not want to feel left out so it fell too, and then there's MMM that I dont even feel like talking about.  It is everyone's hope that 2017 will be much better than 2016. While we are hoping, here are some ideas you can consider. source: businessnewsdaily.com

     As far as business finance is concerned,  crowdfunding is a relatively new term but certainly not a new method.  Crowdfunding works with the same principle as fundraising, and it basically involves soliciting for funds, large or small, from individuals.      In recent time, crowdfunding has been made easier due to the presence of websites that help nonprofit organizations, businesses and people raise money.      Crowdfunding has become a useful tool in the hands of entrepreneurs to generate capital.  Here's how it works.  Crowd

      So,  you have made the decision to become an entrepreneur and the only thing holding you back is the idea of what business to start. It could be because you have too many ideas in your head and you cannot settle for one,  or maybe you do not have any idea at all but you are convinced the entrepreneurial road is your path. The selection process is tricky and mentally exhausting but with the right kind of guidance,  it can be really easy.  If you're struggling to decide which niche best suits you,  the post will do you a lot of good. image credit : gembaacademy.com

      The process of hiring staff can be insanely tricky.  The decision to hire a person or group of people is one of the hardest and most important as it is these people that will determine to a larelge extent how successful you start up will be and how much it will grow.  The decision should be given a lot of thought and planned out meticulously.  Who is the right candidate? 

      Having to face a panel that would leave no stone unturned when scrutinizing your business idea or proposal is not exactly the easiest task in the world. It takes an insane amount of composure and belief in your plan to make your pitching perfect.  Composure may not be enough sometimes and questions may arise that would raise doubts about the viability of your idea. The Perfect Pitch

   Somehow in our present version of reality,  the word 'Entrepreneur' has become more fashionable than it used to be a couple of years back, largely because of the scarcity of well paying jobs the world over.  More and more people want to run their own businesses,  some even have fantastic ideas but cannot get it out of their head because of the lack of necessary funds to bring these ideas to life.  Photo Credit: viconsortium.com

      There are several reasons to open a website.  For a vast majority,  it is to make money,  adding value comes later.  But how do you make money on a website that can not even keep it's readers? You may have tried your best,  paid for ads,  spammed several pages and tried every means necessary,  but it's not working. Internet 

     Too many people are of the opinion that being an entrepreneur pays more when you do it alone.  Let me tell you something about that theory,  it does NOT hold any water.  Gene Marks of The Marks Group once wrote "There was once a time when it was just me. I was providing computer services. I was working a lot of hours but I wasn't making much money at it.... Today I'm making a lot of money because I'm supervising 10 people who are providing computer services for me.  I'm making money off them. "      Sure,  you may be making a couple of bucks here and there but it is nothing compared to what you'll make if you decide to do it with people.  Here's why. Sole proprietor 

     The most important and fundamental need of any organization is the right kind of people with the right attitude to run the business.  They are called committed employees and their well being as well as their growth should be handled meticulously.      Employers should learn to understand the emotions and personalities of their staff in order to get the best out of them.  A successful businesses is made based on the effort of the team and your business will fail irrespective of your level of commitment if your team is not as committed. A great player does not make a great team.     Below are a few tips to help you grow your employees and assist them in their individual careers: Employees 

      As you begin to to journey into the world of business,  you will realize that a name and reputation play a major role in determining the success of the business.  You will have to make a brand, a reputable one, out of your business.  In your attempt to establish yourself as a major player in whatever field you choose to go into,  there are rules you should play by and mistakes avoid.  Here are some common mistakes to avoid when trying to establish a brand.  Brand

     University life is a giant leap towards adulthood and if you intend to become an entrepreneur after University,  there's no amount of reading or attending of seminars or coaching that can prepare you enough for the real world.  The transition from amateur student entrepreneur to real life business man can be tricky and complicated.      To this end,  i have compiled a couple of lessons I have learnt in my own journey to help smoothen your transition.  I hope it helps. University Of Benin 

     In recent times social media has become an important tool for marketing.  Businesses that have learnt to use social media have seen significant growth  in revenue and reduction in the cost of advertising.     In the first part   of this social media series,  we learnt how to use facebook to widen our reach and expand our audience. Today, we'll be learning how to use Snapchat to grow our market.  Snapchat 

     Leadership is a skill set every entrepreneur must possess.  Without it. businesses fail,  enterprises crumble and dreams die from wrong decisions.  We all have mentors we look up to and there are lessons we have learnt from their lives  ( business wise and otherwise) . Majority of entrepreneurs see Bill Gates as a role model  ( the ultimate role model)  as a matter of fact,  we have role models who have him as their role model in other words , he's your role model's role model ( pun intended) . If we are to learn about leadership,  we might as well learn from the very best. The man himself. Source: thetab.com

     The first step to starting any business or creating a brand is to have an idea of what you want to do. The idea is the very foundation on which every other thing pertaining to the brand or enterprise is built.  But what exactly makes an idea a good one?  I am of the opinion that it is the return on investment of that idea that determines how good the idea is.   Unfortunately,  it takes more than just a good idea to create a profitable venture. Good ideas on paper do not necessarily translate to success in reality.  What is the reason for this?   Good idea,  bad idea

      Marketing in the last decade has evolved from just TV adverts, posters and billboards to targeted and customer specific adverts on the internet.  The internet guarantees a wider reach and a bigger audience than TV,  posters and billboards combined. Facebook has been a key player and a veritable tool in the hands of internet markerters,  not just because of the numbers they can provide in terms of audience, but because they can ensure that your post ad gets to an audience interested in it. Let me tell you something creepy ( depending on your stand point) Facebook 

     When you hear Steve Jobs,  Mark Zuckerberg,  Bill Gates,  what comes to your mind ( apart from money)  ? Guys that made it as entrepreneurs right?  I guessed so. But for every successful entrepreneur ( with varying degrees of success),  there's a thousand more who didn't make it because the became disillusioned after coming in for the wrong reasons ( some reasons are hilarious by the way) . What's your reason? 

     I am not going to pretend it's all sunshine and rainbows when beginning a business.  It hardly ever is.  It's more of sunshine,  thunderstorm, thunderstorm, hurricane,  whirlwind and rainbows.  The failure of some start-ups could cause the owner more than just the financial pain.  It's an unpredictable world out there,  but the signs of  a failed start up remain the same.      Below are some signs you should look out for,  and nip in the bud before it destroys your business. Downward Sloping 

     Are you tired of your day job and intend to start your own,  but still need the security of your day job just in case starting up your start-up (pun intended) does not exactly go well?  There are many others like you,  and the transition can be quite harrowing especially when your day job is not one that gives you joy.  In truth, you may have the ambition,  but sometimes, ambition is not just enough. You need drive and motivation.      Here are some steps to ease you through the transition process and help you avoid them pitfall of discouragement. 9-5 Job