Hello lovelies 😁

I can vivivdly remember Mr Anonymous saying "you don't need capital to start, you only need a good Idea". I felt he was blabbing but the next paragraph explains what I later understood from what he said.

You dont have to keep waiting to get what you want, but rather you use what you have yo get what you want. This has greatly worked for me.

A lot of people get scared of starting small. Starting small has only helped me to learn what works and what does not.

I recall my passion to impact lives with my thoughts, write-ups and knowledge. I started with what I had at the moment which was "a facebook page" but now I own a blog.


I also recall how I got my first speaking appointment. I was a bit nervous as a I walked into the school to see the principal to tell him about my intentions to speak to the graduating class. I never regreted it, it's been 4 years now and still counting.


It's been 7 years I set out on pursing my art skill. I recall I had insufficient money to pay for my art school tution. But I started with the little I had and I was finally asked to stay even after I exhausted the period I paid for.


I recall how I started up an idea which is now a reality (afrowearz) 6 months ago. It started like a child's play. I went to the market and randomly bought a few clothings to try out what was going on in my head. It came out really nice. For more details of afro wearz check here


Dear friend, I don't know what that idea is, but stop waiting for everything to be perfect. Just start. The picture only gets clearer when you start.

I will love to hear you share your views, opinions and experience in the comment section.

Am glad to have you read my blog post.
Nagode 🙏 (Thanks in Hausa)

There I was, doing my own thing on social media, instagram to be precise when l stumbled on a particular IG account that caught my attention. I quickly checked out the account and I was so thrilled infact being thrilled is an understatement. I saw a perfect picture of team work, a fun filled and work friendly environment. I fell in love with the brand almost immediately, so I quickly clicked the follow button without thinking twice. I was so eager to know who the CEO was as I could not tell from the pictures I saw. I clicked the link in bio and I somehow linked to the CEO's account. You should know I did not waste anytime to hit the follow button. I got a dm almost immediately saying "Hiya, ☺️ Thank you for following me. I really appreciate 🙏🙏🙏. Do enjoy the rest of your day. ✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾" and that was how conversation started. If you know me lately, I love to meet new people and sustain a long conversation with them especially when I find them interesting and inspiring.

Fast forward to 6 months later, I finally met him 😀, mhennn it was so worth it. I just sat there with him wondering how someone could be so knowledgeable, hardworking, disciplined, humble and self motivated to succeed. He redefined my view about a lot of things if I must succeed. I would not be going into details because I am trying to suppress the story teller in me.

I know you have been wondering who this person is right? The next few paragraphs says it all.


Mr. Oghoghozino Otefia is the founder/ CEO Aggital Works. He is highly result oriented and, adent about creativity and project delivery. With years of experience, he has worked and deliverd projects for various businesses, organizations and individuals in Nigeria, Canada, Germany, India and the United Kingdom.

Oghoghos passion is to continuously extend the limit of creativity and innovation through providing creative digital solutions for individuals, start-ups and existing brands. Currently, he leads a team of young, dedicated and creative experts and also serve as the MD/CEO at Aggital Works; a digital agency in lagos, helping businesses fully grasp the fast developing digital age through creative innovations, intelligent design and project delivery.


The agency which is just one year, has imprinted its mark in the creative industry. Also, he is currently working on Aggital Academy; a learning management system to enhance and develop the skill and knowledge of people, businesses and organizations through very interactive eLearning courses which can be taken both online and offline.
 He is a certified facilitator/ trainer and force to reckon with in the digital and creative industry.

I know you are interested in knowing the story behind the glory. Just continue reading to find out. A little hint; you would be inspired.


VM: How old are you? 
Mr. Zino: 27 years old

VM: Tell us about your childhood, what influenced your ideology about work?
Mr. Zino:Well, I'd say I came from a family that was once wealthy, we had everything we wanted but at some point, my dad lost his investments in some share and got broke and things really became so
hard. So, I grew up understanding that life is not a bed of roses. At 17, I took the initiative and decided to stop collecting money from my parents. Over time, I got into so many things which music was one of them. I played the guitar and even learnt to
play the trumpet, I rehearsed so much that I could outplay lots of people in the industry and went for shows upon shows and earned money, this in itself shows the amount of hard work I put into what I do.


VM: What’s your educational background?
Mr. Zino: I studied computer science. But initially I wanted to study chemical engineering because the plan from childhood was to complete schooling and my dad fix me up in a good place to work. It was so bad that I wrote JAMB five times. I was sort of too proud to take the courses I was always offered, so I had to go rewrite jamb all over. And one thing that played a key role in my life is the God factor; He guided me to try my hands on computers. I eventually went to the National Open University, then because I was very good, I got my first job while schooling in a corporate environment. I worked with Harrybaker for five years and I got the job by my skill not by any connection. While I was there I did some professional certification, then I also I discovered I was good at management even though I know how to code and design websites. It was not easy at all, working and schooling. But I knew where I was headed so I tarried.
DA:  What inspired you to start up your own digital company?
Mr. Zino:  Well, I was called into this by God Himself as He made me understand there's a need to creatively transform businesses, organizations, individuals, basically life in general and make all fit for the digital age, like we all know the digital age is fast approaching, and any business, organization or person who does not move with the trend will not thrive the digital age. So I was inspired by this need which God called me to meet.  It also forms part of my call in life.


DA:  When you decided to startup, what were the steps you took?
Mr. Zino:  I have been "cutting PPs" as a web developer before, I equally had a computer and a router, so first, I had to bring in a graphics designer, who started working with me in my house, then we moved to an office in Lekki where we operated like we own the office, but paid monthly to use the space, then after a while I decided to bring in more people, get our own office space, furnished the office with tables, chairs, then got computers, got another generator, and gradually moved to becoming what we are now.


DA:  How much did you start up with and how were you able to raise funds?
Mr. Zino:  I cannot give an exact figure but the running cost is well over 7 million naira within a year. About raising fund, I initially applied for CBN YEDP Loan, which I was supposed to get 7 million naira, but I eventually didnt take the loan even after i have gone through the whole loan process and have been approved because God told me He never instructed me to take the loan, so basically its has been savings and God's provision.


DA:  How did you expand from being a web designer into a reputable company?
Mr. Zino:  After working on so much web projects in the past and delivering global standards in every project I executed, I got so much referrals and my client base expanded, so when the call came to start the company, the transition was swift.

DA:  How were you able to get the right team members to work with?
Mr. Zino:  About this, i will say through the help of God, because while it was time to hire people, names came to mind, which means i already knew them, and thats a policy I implement; hiring friends who buys into your vision.


VM: How did your team grow together up to this point?
Mr. Zino: At Aggital, our culture is “Work is fun and the job still gets done”. Most of us stay in the office apartment which helped us understood ourselves better and established a good relationship as to work. We go out to fun many times as a way to establish team bonding. Here in Aggital, We operate and Holocratic system that allows people work in circles, roles are defined around the work, not people, and everyone is bound by the same rules, CEO included.
Rules are visible to all, so this makes everyone work with their minds, no boss, no oga, we all are working towards a particular goal. The point I'm trying to prove to the world is that Work can be
fun, and the job still gets done. I will write a book on this sometimes later using Aggital as a case study.


DA:  What major mistakes are small digital companies making in this current age?
Mr. Zino:  One major mistake small digital agencies make which i like to talk about is their inability to conduct a proper feasibility study as to understanding the market they are going into before launching out.


DA:  What is your advice to young entrepreneurs?
Mr. Zino:  My two-fold advice to young entrepreneurs is one; do not focus on Making Money for now, but Adding Value. Secondly, be diligent irrespective of whatever happens, and in no time you will see yourself growing faster than you imagine.

I hope you had a great read? I am eagerly looking forward to hear from you in the comment box.

Thanks for reading.

Intetview section extracted from valour Max (VM) and dilianne (DA) www.dilianne.com

I was so eager about attending the Youth Entreprise Conference organized by Akin Alabi. Before this conference I was so excited about making a blog post of the entire conference but right now I am thinking if I actually want to do so. My reason is not farfetched.  I arrived the venue an hour behind schedule. The conference started by 10:00 AM but I arrived at 11:00 AM. On my arrival at the venue, I saw so many people standing outside the hall. The hall was full, “Gbam!” (A sound made when surprised). “I had to find my way in” I told myself.  I finally made my way in but I was to stand, obviously all the seats were occupied. After standing for a while, my legs started feeling weak and almost immediately I sighted a cute slim guy seating. Immediately I walked up to him and said “please could I seat with you?” that was how I finally got a seat. Story time over, now to the lessons leant.


The first speaker I met was Akin Alabi. He shared his success story but he emphasized on the following points;
1. To become successful, you have to stop making excuses.
2. As an entrepreneur sell what people want to buy.
3. Before you create a product, find a market.


The second speaker Olashile Abayomi CEO Soupamarket, shared her success story about how she started her food business. She moved from being mocked to being made. Today she delivers soups and stew within and outside Nigeria. She presently consults for Nestle, Maggie and Cadbury. She emphasized on the following;
1. Seek God first.
2. Stay through with your vision.
3. Remain exclusive and avoid competition. 4. The only competition you have is you.
Have a niche for yourself.
5. Avoid unnecessary company and mange your time properly.
6. Trust your process and avoid comparison.
7. Always mind your business.

These two speakers left me with lessons I would never forget in a hurry. Eight speakers were present for the conference but I only listened to two of them. Don’t give me that unserious look. Don’t forget I was late and I was sitting at the rare back where the noise was so much.

Another interesting part was the One Million Naira grant, were 10 business owners won One Hundred Thousand Naira each. It was nice watching various people pitch their businesses. What made everything super amazing was buying “The small business big money” by Akin Alabi at Two Thousand Naira which was an awuf price for that day from Five Thousand Naira.

In conclusion,
The conference was amazing. I learnt some really key things which I already shared. I look forward to attend YECO 2020 by Gods grace and I definitely would not be late again because I already learnt my lesson in a hard way. I also encourage you to attended YECO 2020

I would love to hear from you especially if you attended the conference or ever attended any YECO conference.  If you didn’t attend I would still love to hear from you in the comment section.

Thanks for reading.

For a while I struggled with following through on a book, I either stopped half way or two chapters into the book. This became an issue of concern to me because I could remember vividly while growing up; I almost read all the stories on lantern series. I realized that I started reading 16 books in 2018 but only finished one. I knew a self check was needed so I asked myself some candid questions and also made some research.

In the next few paragraphs I would be sharing helpful tips that I discovered which will keep your reading habit intact all through the year and even beyond.


1. UNDERSTAND YOURSELF
You have to first of all understand what inspires you, what interests you and what works for you. Do you prefer reading a book where the author drives his point home in form of storytelling or probably citing examples? Or do you prefer books with just facts and data? For me, I love reading books where the author drives home their points by citing examples and also in form of storytelling.

2. ENJOY WHAT YOU READ
You shouldn’t place yourself under pressure. You don’t always have to read what is trending especially when you don’t enjoy it. Read books that you enjoy, books that inspire you, books that spark up something in you and books you can connect with. Avoid reading boring books.


3. IDENTIFY YOUR NEED PER TIME
As human beings, our needs vary per time. At every point in time there is a book that meets a need. Reading the book that meets your need helps you stay committed to reading that book. I remember a time I really had the longing to build my faith but I couldn’t really lay my hands on any faith based book. I stumbled on a book about making marriage work, though I read the book a little, I didn’t finish it because it was not meeting my need at the time even though it was a very insightful book. I recall another time I wanted to know more about business, finance and investment; I read the book “Business of the 21st century” which I almost finished before my phone was stolen. This book met the need at that particular time because it was an eye opener to most of the things I needed to know.


4. KNOW YOUR READING STYLE
Know what works for you. Some people have a particular reading area which makes them feel comfortable while reading while others don’t have. For me, I love to read especially non-academic books lying down on a sofa with my head on the arm of the sofa but for some serious study especially academic books I would prefer my reading table and chair. Some people prefer lying on the bed while others will prefer staying outdoors. Find what works for you and stick to it.

5. KNOW WHAT FORM OF BOOK YOU PREFER
I enjoy reading eBooks but I easily get distracted especially reading from my phone even after I tried several times to discipline myself but it didn’t work, so I decided to stick to reading more of hard copy books. Yours could be eBooks, just go with what will help you develop a consistent reading culture.
6. JOIN A BOOK CLUB
I didn’t know much about book clubs not until I visited a family member in 2018. I observed how my cousins wife read at every spare moment she had; I was also thrilled at how eager she was every Sunday to attend her book club. This inspired me to think of joining a book club. A book club will help you develop a good reading culture; expose you to various book reviews and discussion. I highly recommend it.


CONCLUSION
Jim Rohn said “reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary”. You can’t afford to be an ordinary person, because the more you read the more you know. Remember that knowledge is power and power makes you stand out.

I hope this piece was quite educating and to hesitate to drop your contributions in the comment box.

Thanks for reading 😀

I grew up in a society where almost everyone had the saying “opportunity comes but once”. Do opportunity really come only once in a lifetime? I tried to figure out what was in the minds of those who coined this saying and all I could figure out in my opinion (IMO) was that, people should do best with whatever opportunities they are presented with. Therefore life presents us with opportunities, time to time but never take an opportunity for granted. Whatever opportunity you have, do well to maximize it to the very best.


We might have lost some opportunities in life but never carry the mindset that another opportunity would not surface. This mindset will only stand as a stumbling block for other opportunities. So friends, no matter the opportunities you might have lost in 2018 there is “no shaking” (meaning no problem). All you need do is keep an open and sensitive mind. Even our God is a God of a second chance.


Remember, everyday life presents us with opportunities to rewrite our greatness story again.

Conclusion
Never take any opportunity for granted. Never carry the mindset that opportunities lost is forever lost; it might just take time but remain optimistic about life. Remember the saying “once there is life there is hope”.

Do you think you missed an opportunity to lunch that your dream idea? Hey no! You can take steps to start again. Do you think you missed the opportunity of that your dream job? “Umba noh!” (Meaning no in Igbo dialect Nigeria) you didn’t.


You only become a failure when you accept defeat.
Destiny Madu says “There are two benefits of failures, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work and second the failure gives you an opportunity to try again”


I will love to hear your own opinions and contributions about this topic; so am eagerly waiting for contributions. Thanks for reading.


Have a great 2019 ahead.

Growing up we all have been conditioned to the idea of having a new year resolution at the end or the beginning of the year. Often than not, these resolutions only end up in our journals forgotten or hung sickly on the wall by the side of our beds. As days roll into weeks and weeks into months, the resolution get unnoticed. Research has shown that only 8% actually achieve their new year resolutions. It’s really frustrating when you don’t achieve your set goals for the year and trust me I have been there. Here are three steps that will help you stay productive about your resolutions for the year.


1. Avoid too much on your plate
As a result of falling short of a particular year resolution, we tend to make endless list for the new year. Instead of doing this, keep the list very simple. Make room for unseen contingencies. So instead of saying “I will read a book every month, you could say “I would read a book every two months or a book every quarter that way it feels more realistic and achievable.


2. Set measurable goals
Don’t be too ambitious when setting your goals. don’t go all general about your goals make it specific. Here is a vivid example of what I mean; instead of saying you want to cut down on your intake of junk, especially when you do that everyday. It would be better to say Wednesdays and Fridays are junk free days. This makes this goal more measurable.


3. Get others informed
When you keep friends and family informed about your goals, they help you stay in check and serve as reminders. For me, one of my goals for the year is learning how to drive, though I haven’t started, my entire family keeps ringing the bell in my head. I would definitely do that before the year runs out. OOPS! I just told you about this goal so am sure to get some reminder from you too.


So guys lets plan for a more productive 2019 and I hope you had a great read. I would love to hear your opinion and contributions at the comment section.

Thanks for reading!

Sometimes last two weeks I did a post on dethroning inconsistency. In this post I will be sharing practical ways to remain consistent with your goals.

Let’s walk through this together.

What has been consistent with majority of us has been inconsistency and I must say same has happened to me too. Now I am fired up about accomplishing a task and half way through it, I am completely out of track. I have always wondered why inconsistency was so common and so cheap, and then I realized that self will never allow you do those things that bring you closer to your dreams. That is why I have the saying that states “the first enemy of you is you, if you can get rid of self then you have destroyed your major enemy”.
Here are the 6 practical steps which can change inconsistency to consistency;


1. Discipline
 This has to do with being able to abide to certain rules. You don’t have to be all hard on yourself by setting unrealistic goals. You can start from the simplest things such as sleeping /waking up time, exercise time, study time, chatting time, TV time, gist time and I could go on and on because the list is endless. Try to create a time table for each day and try doing that before a new day starts.



2. Seek inspiration
Continually read about successful people and how they were able to become successful. This will help keep you inspired to remain on your toes because success is not cheap. Locate people who will inspire you, read up their biography or autobiography and make sure you follow them on their social media handle. This will help you know that there is nothing extra ordinary about them just that they went the extra mile and they remained consistent.

3. Mind your company
The company you keep has a life lasting impact on you. Do well to keep the company of serious and goal orient minded people. This type of company of friends will always inspire you to remain on your toes. Remember the saying “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are” and I say “show me your friend and I will tell you where you are going”.


4. Now mindset
The major brain behind inconsistency is laziness and procrastination. Most times we push what is for now to later and later it never gets done. Whenever you feel like doing what is for now later, speak loudly to yourself saying “I have to do it now not later”. This works for me a lot because I believe in the saying “be careful what you say to yourself because you are listening”.


5. Reward your wins
Naturally as humans we are motivated by reward. For every week or day as the case might be that you get to pull through with your plans, you should give yourself a nice treat by getting something nice for yourself. It could be clothes, shoes, bags, wrist watches e. t. c. or you could probably treat yourself to a nice place. If you are a person who is addicted to taking a particular food or drink every day, you could tell yourself that “if I don’t finish the outlined task for the day I am not entitled to take that bottle of drink or whichever as the case might be”.


6. Have a purpose
Having a purpose will help you define your action. That purpose will serve as a drive to keep you committed to achieve your goals.



I hope you found these tips insightful? Will also love to get more tips from you; just drop your comment in the comment section. Thanks for reading.

After putting all his savings into a business he started while in school, he continues to rise to the top of the entrepreneurship ladder. He is the CEO of EZRA footwares. This is a call to release the genie-in-you, if you are afraid, then do away with fear  because fear does not go away, you have to push it out the window!


DA: What year did you finish your college education and NYSC?

Kenrex: I finished from landmark University in 2017, I studied mechanical engineering. I just started serving.


DA: Which of your businesses did you start with and how did you raise funds for it?

Kenrex: I started with buying and selling of watches, then I learnt photography, was renting cameras at first till I saved up to buy mine, got some money to get a laptop too and learnt to shoot videos with the camera, started doing adverts for companies, both shooting and animated, used some of the money saved to build up a shoe factory. Then I have two others coming up early this year.


DA: What were the risks you took?

Kenrex: The risk I took was that I went all in on my savings, I was too sure of the plans and I used every kobo I had. Even though it was risky but I just said to myself “not every business has to be profitable, but learn which one is and which one isn’t before you’re old”


DA: What challenges did you face?

Kenrex: Major challenge was that I was in a private school, far from civilization, leaving school was limited and a complicated process, secondly I was studying mechanical engineering, and its not easy combining business with academics.


DA: How did you overcome them?

Kenrex: I started sleeping less and planning more, I had a weekly planner to know what and what I had to do that week, I usually prepare them on Sunday evenings.


DA: What inspired you to be creative and to take control of your life at a young age?

Kenrex: I read the stories of successful people and how they started at an early stage of their life, and the similar thing between all of them was that they thought and planned. People keep on saying there are no jobs, what about the people creating jobs, most of them might not have been born with a silver spoon. An example is the CEO of Coscharis motors.


DA: What are the top five books you’ve read that have inspired you greatly?

Kenrex: Think and grow rich, rich dad poor dad, success is your birthright, from trials to triumphs, currently reading the story of Elon musk.


DA: Who are your mentors?

Kenrex: My parents, Ubi Franklin and Elon musk.


DA: What actions do you take daily that contribute to your success?

Kenrex: I pray to God and ask for divine direction and protection, I take out my journal and write out things I want to do that day. Then at nights I do research on profitable things to venture into.


DA: What is your advice to young entrepreneurs?

Kenrex: My advice to young entrepreneurs is to relax and be patient, work at a normal pace, focus more on being productive than busy, don’t spend all your money.


Kenrex IG handle: Kenrex_

Interviewed by dilianne
www.dilianne.com

I live in an estate where there are very few shops. I am lucky to have four shops located around my house. Atinuke’s shop, Bunmi’s shop and Dobra’s shop which happens to be a 10 minutes’ walk from my house. Atinuke's shop, Bunmi's shop and Dobra's shop are located beside, in front and behind my house respectively. Cece's shop a 15 minute walk from my house and it’s located at the right hand side of my house.

So which shop do you think would be my favourite?

No need to rack your brain, because I know you think my patronage goes to those shops around me but no! You are wrong. My favourite shop is Cece’s shop. This is simply because they are always available and have variety of goods compared to the others, so I don’t waste my time trying others out.

So what am I driving at?

In whatever you find yourself doing, remain consistent because that is the only ticket to gain recognition and influence about what you do and what you stand for. It will help build loyalty in people towards you.


Consistency is doing little things everyday that brings you closer to your dream. But it is sad how inconsistency has become the most common sickness around us today.

Do you remember those goals you set at the beginning of the year, and the various milestones you set to achieve ? If we are sincere, we will realize how inconsistency has been a king in our lives. What is more painful is that inconsistency will never allow us to practice the business of our dreams.

I intentionally decided to remain consistent in the remaining two months of the year. I intend to achieve this by doing those little things I need to do daily. You can make that intentional decision also.

Have you been able to dethrone king inconsistency from your life? How were you able to achieve that? I will love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.