yes you can

if others give up on you,
do not give up on yourself........

when they belittle you,
please do not belittle yourself............

even when they ignore you,
do not ignore yourself.....................

when life seems unfair,
still remain fair to all........................

you if you are challenged,.
do not turn and hide..................

stand bold and hold on,
tap yourself on the shoulder........

say to yourself............. " I CAN AND I WILL"

BEATING THE ODDS

Tragedy to Triumph: 7 Entrepreneurs Who Beat the Odds

Starting a business is, by its very nature, a challenging endeavor, and achieving entrepreneurial success under any circumstances is a great accomplishment. But some startup founders have more obstacles to overcome than applying for a bank loan or learning how to market a product. These seven entrepreneurs defied incredible personal odds — including serious diseases, extreme injuries and even blindness — to start their companies.

Patrick Bet-David (PHP Agency)

Like most entrepreneurs, Patrick Bet-David's childhood strongly influenced his views on pursuing opportunity — but not in the way you might expect. Born in war-torn Iran, Bet-David fled the country with his mother in the late 1980s. They then spent two years in a refugee camp in Germany before immigrating to the United States when Bet-David was 12. 

After struggling in every school subject but math, Bet-David joined the army after high school. He served as a member of the 101st Airborne Division for several years, then bounced around among different jobs until he landed a position at financial firm Morgan Stanley. Despite having a head for numbers, he failed to get an interview based on his skills or experience. 

"I don't have a four-year degree," Bet-David said. "I got hired at Morgan Stanley because my résumé had a joke in it that made [the branch manager] laugh. He said, 'If you can get me to laugh at your résumé, I want to meet [you].' Then I sold him in the interview." 

Despite working his way up at this top financial firm, Bet-David said he was not satisfied. He was bored, and felt like something was missing, he said. That missing piece fell into place when he started his own business, PHP Agency (short for People Helping People), in October 2009. Now, his financial services company has more than 5,500 representatives in 33 states. 

PHP Agency offers services such as life insurance, annuities, mutual funds and 401(k)s and has dealt in transactions totaling billions of dollars. The company is one of the fastest-growing financial services firms in the country. 

"I never could have predicted this," Bet-David said. "I was the kid that parents told their kids to stay away from, because they thought I would never amount to anything."

Isaac Lidsky (ODC Construction)

Imagine starting and growing a successful business, but never being able to see the fruits of your labor. This is exactly what happened to Isaac Lidsky, who was diagnosed at age 13 with a disease that completely robbed him of his sight by age 25.

"Initially, I was depressed and terrified," Lidsky told Business News Daily. "I had preconceived misconceptions about disabilities and limitations, and I felt helpless. Family, friends and several angels in my life helped me to develop the vision to overcome blindness as I lost my sight."

Though his vision was failing, Lidsky graduated from Harvard College before he turned 20, founded and sold a tech company, and earned a law degree that landed him a job as a Department of Justice lawyer. Today, Lidksy serves as the CEO of home building company ODC Construction, which has built tens of thousands of Florida homes, and which brought in more than $68 million in gross revenue last year. 

Lidsky attributes his business success to his ability to let go of his internal fears and take control of his situation.

"I had mental images about blindness and the limitations it would impose upon me and my ability to achieve," he said. "I discovered that those mental images were a self-limiting fiction, not a natural truth about the world. 

"At the same time, I learned that the ultimate responsibility for my life and my limitations begins and ends with me," Lidsky continued. "It is my responsibility to proactively identify ... obstacles in my way and to look for solutions. There is no limit to the human ability to adapt or the human imagination to create. There are practical solutions for discrete challenges. It is our responsibility to find them and use them to accomplish what we decide to achieve for ourselves."

Chad Mureta (App Empire)

Chad Mureta was running a real estate business when the unthinkable happened: A devastating car accident left him hospital-bound, nearly taking his arm. His business couldn't continue without him being physically present, but Mureta's mounting medical bills meant he had to find an alternative source of income.

After reading a magazine article about mobile apps during his hospitalization, Mureta decided to try his hand at producing mobile applications. At the time, the industry was relatively new, but he felt the growth potential was worth the risk, he said.

"Lying in my hospital bed, I decided to take a Hail Mary shot and get into this industry," Mureta said. "I needed a new business and decided to jump in with both feet. Immediately, I started sketching out ideas for my own apps on pieces of paper. Soon after, I found a development company and outsourced all work to create my first app."

Mureta took out a loan for $1,800 to produce his first app, Fingerprint Security - Pro. It soon became one of the 50 most popular apps in the App Store, earning him $140,000 in the process. From there, Mureta founded and sold three app companies — Empire Apps, Best Apps and T3 Apps — and currently runs a blog called App Empire. He has produced 46 apps to date, and authored "App Empire: Make Money, Have a Life and Let Technology Work for You" (Wiley, 2012).

Mureta advised other entrepreneurs not to be intimidated by their lack of experience in an industry if they see an opportunity. With a thirst for knowledge and the willingness to find and connect with the right people, anyone can begin to carve out an entrepreneurial path for him or herself, he said.

"I'm still not a tech guy," Mureta said. "I couldn't tell you how to program an app, but I can tell you how to make it a success. I researched the market [and] the consumers, and saw opportunities for people like myself. I kept researching and kept expanding my knowledge to grow my business and income."

William Nobrega (CQS International)

A high percentage of startups end in failure. What happens to the entrepreneurs behind them, the individuals who sank all their time, energy and money into businesses that ultimately went under? While some entrepreneurs land on their feet, others, like William Nobrega, have a more difficult time recovering.

In early 2014, the American entrepreneur was broke and living in a small, windowless room in Hong Kong after his startup had failed. He had a new business idea, but with all funding options exhausted, there didn't seem to be much opportunity to make his new idea a reality. But that didn't stop Nobrega from persevering and working toward his dream.

"As a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, I lived by the motto, 'Failure is not an option,'" Nobrega said. "So I did what most successful entrepreneurs have done in the past — I continued to push forward with an unwavering commitment to the mission. We brought on team members with the same passion and dedication, and they have been the backbone of our success. Investors that have dealt with many new ventures can sense intestinal fortitude, which has been critical to securing financing for our new venture."

CQS International, an e-commerce insurance company that utilizes proprietary mobile and location-based technology to generate instant sales, was founded less than a year ago and is already valued at more than $170 million. Nobrega admits that there were "a few miracles along the way" that helped him secure investor funding and get the business going, but none of it would have happened if he had given up on his dream.

"Never quit," Nobrega said. "If you believe, and you really need to believe, then you would be willing to sacrifice everything to achieve the mission. If you are fortunate enough to serve with the right team, they will have the same mentality. You will run into obstacles all along the way, but how you deal with them and how you overcome them will determine your success. A team that's cohesive will work miracles."

Jason Pinchoff (PINCH NYC & The Linda B. Pinchoff Foundation)

Dealing with a health crisis or the death of a family member is never easy, but for Jason Pinchoff, tragedy struck all at once. In 1992, Pinchoff lost his father and sister in a car accident. Later that year, he lost his mother to breast cancer. This series of personal misfortunes led Pinchoff to found the Linda B. Pinchoff Foundation, an organization named for his mother and dedicated to supporting and "bringing a voice" to families affected by cancer.

"My first approach was to work 80 hours a week and not tell anyone what was going on," Pinchoff said. "I realized so many people become silent due to disease-related issues, which is one of the main reasons I launched the foundation. It gave me a chance to use my history to help others."

Through his journey of self-healing, Pinchoff recalled the lessons he learned from his family. He was raised to keep fighting and never allow any situation to stop him, he said. This instilled perseverance, helping him push past his fears and follow his passion — which ultimately led him to start a clothing company, PINCH NYC, to help support the Linda B. Pinchoff Foundation.

"Being an entrepreneur is one of the greatest highs, but it comes with a lot of stress and a lot of worries," Pinchoff said. "You have to be ready for the good and bad ... and never let any of that stop what you believe in and what you are doing. I see too many people who want to start a small business but [fail] because they don't truly have that heart, which no book can teach you. You have to be willing to risk several hard years for great years ahead."

Barry Shore (Dlyte.com)

When businessman and entrepreneur Barry Shore was 55, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder that rendered him paralyzed from the neck down. Once a strong and vibrant man, Shore suddenly found himself unable to do anything more than turn his head from side to side. Though most people with the disorder make a full recovery, Shore has been struggling to overcome GBS since his diagnosis in September 2004.

"I can walk with the help of a cane and swim ... but I can no longer live the hustle-and-bustle life of running the daily operations of a business," Shore said. "So instead I use my passion, spirit and creativity to inspire those I work with."

It was that passion, spirit and creativity that led Shore to found Dlyte.com, a gift card e-commerce company, in 2012. He drew on his 20-plus years in the gift card industry to create a business that allows consumers to earn cash-redeemable points for every gift card they purchase from the site. 

Throughout his decade-long struggle, Shore has remained optimistic and refused to let his disease stop him from thinking, planning and dreaming.

"You need perseverance," he said. "Stay positive and always think. If you keep trying, the answers will be forthcoming. As Nike says, 'Just do it.'"

Gigi Stetler (RV Fun Club & SoLongPain)

Life hasn't been easy for Gigi Stetler, a single mother who didn't complete high school. Early on in her career, her trusted father-figure mentor betrayed her, and on top of that, she was attacked, stabbed and left for dead in her own apartment. Not only did Stetler live to tell the tale, but she also carved out a niche as a successful female entrepreneur.

An accomplished businesswoman and author of "Unstoppable: Surviving Is Just the Beginning" (JAS Literary Publishing, 2009), Stetler is the sole proprietor of an RV dealership, working in a heavily male-dominated industry. Recently, she founded the country's first and only RV membership club, the RV Fun Club, and has also launched an all-natural supplement line called SoLongPain.

"It was very early on in my life that I had to come across hurdles," Stetler said. It was "sink or swim, and sinking wasn't an option. What kept me going was an inner drive, an inner hunger to prove to myself and others that anything is possible. Yes, there came many obstacles, but I never stopped. I always found a way to move around the obstacle."

Stetler said that many individuals, especially those who suffer personal tragedies or lose their jobs or businesses, feel defeated and want to quit on their dreams. But this, she said, is the wrong approach to take.

"Don't give up, don't give in — just get back up and start rebuilding your life as quickly as possible," Stetler said. "If you're having a bad day, take your right hand and put it across your heart. If it's still beating, then be grateful and make it happen."

originally from

www.businessnewsdaily.com/7929-entrepreneurs-personal-obstacles.html#sthash.4ZAHmY4R.dpuf

by 

Nicole Fallon Taylor

- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7929-entrepreneurs-personal-obstacles.html#sthash.4ZAHmY4R.dpuf

developing your creativity

starting from next week, we will be exploring creativity and how you can become extremely creative.

we will be looking at, the source of creativity, the dimensions of creativity and how to tap into the secret store of creativity.

do not miss it, it will be mind opening

STARTING UP IN AFRICA.

STARTING UP IN AFRICA...

THE OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS.

starting a business in Africa, can be a herculean task. The reason is that the cultural, developmental and bureaucratic hurdle are enormous. The number of "tiny" business in Africa is larger than any other in the world. Most of the small or medium size businesses in the continent are not qualified to be called such, because they cannot match up with their contemporaries around the world.

However, in Africa, there are numerous opportunities to engage and build real businesses around. These include,


Agriculture, with the large arable land in Africa, and the ever growing population, agricultural start up in Africa is an opportunity to harness. Unfortunately, the bottle neck system of governance and the import dependent nature of the populace have hindered the growth of this important sector.

E commerce,  with the advent of the internet and peoples affinity for easy life, electronic shopping is another hub for building a business in Africa. Many of these online shops are cropping up every time, most of them offering world class services , this sector in future will account for a huge chunk of internally generated revenue.

Human resource management. The continent has 1.111 billion people in  it, which is 16.14% of the world population, there is a huge demand for human resource managers. These people are skilled in harnessing the African population to increase population. Human management consultancy business is already shaping the business terrain of Africa.

Social entrepreneurship.   Africa has  great social problems ranging from, hunger to sexual and gender injustices. The problem offers an opportunity for a new crop of businesses who provide dynamic solutions to them. If this opportunity is leveraged great successes will be recorded for start ups in it.

Environmental    sciences.  Environmental related businesses will grow in Africa, because Africa generates huge amount of waste. With the poor waste management practices in the continent, a proactive waste management business will definitely make giant strides. Areas like recycling, environmental education, safety consultancy, and sustainable green technologies would be a great relief to all.

finally Africa is a VIRGIN ground full of nutrients for maximum business growth. If the African millennials can explore,and refine the vast resources and opportunities within, in the next two decades we will emerge as global champions.

By KCHARAVRD

THE ANTI SOCIAL MEDIA AND HOW TO AVOID IT.

THE “ANTI” SOCIAL MEDIA and five ways to AVOID it

One of the greatest joys of living in the 21^st century is the internet. With the advancement of the internet, life has become easier, better and faster.

The internet has provided numerous platforms for actualization of dreams of billions of people across the globe. The information flow had never been this fast and smooth. The internet introduced also fast means of communication through the social media, allowing people thousand kilometers apart to keep in touch within seconds. In fact the internet has made over night billionaires and created trillion dollar businesses.

However, with its amazing benefits, the internet especially the social media has introduced a whole lot of unthinkable evils. One core disadvantage of the social media is the shrinking of the visible society. The virtual society or the social media has created a gully gap in the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the world. People hardly have real life conversations with others, this has led to an increase of isolation related psychological diseases like depression, insomnia, mood swings and many others.

The society has now become porous, and people now has little or no privacy, there are thousands of hackers, snooping around people virtual lives to obtain delicate information, furthermore, the virtual society kills creativity especially for people who are prone to beautiful distractions.

 Every time you spend on a social media, you are probably losing one minute of creative productivity except it is used for promoting your creative ideas. The truth is that the social media has caused more social decadence than any invention in history.

According to the bestselling author J.T. Ellison, your social media habit can be doing more harm than good if you don’t use it well. How Social Networking Kills The Creative Spirit

http://jtellison.com/how-social-networking-kills-th/

For more negative effects of the social media, you can ask Google, it will do that better than me. Now let us find ways to avoid these social media evils.

1)      HAVE A TIME AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE:

This is very crucial, especially for those who deal with people. Nothing is as annoying and time consuming as phone interruptions in critical situations. Take time every day to be away from phone. This will help you concentrate on  the task at hand, and put your best in it. It will also give you time to think well. Self-discipline is vital in this resist the temptation to pick up your phone during this time. You will be very surprised at how productive you can be if you silence your phone for thirty minutes a day.

2)      JOIN REAL LIFE GROUPS.

Join real life groups around you. This can be a sport club, a volunteer group, your trade union or your religious group. This will help you have basic human connections, increase your communication with people outside the online forums. It will also give you a support group that stands by you always. The truth is, being in a group is always motivating, improves your relationship with others, makes you accountable to others, increases your efficiency and brings about shared ideas. There are groups around you, identify one that adds value to you and join.  

3)      HAVE A HOBBY OUTSIDE YOUR PHONE.

Most people have virtual hobbies that keeps them hooked on the screen for hours. Unfortunately, these virtual hobbies drain their creativity, increases isolation and causes delusions. Having a real life hobby keeps you in touch with your environment. It also helps you recharge yourself, increases your health, and ultimately prolong your life. Virtual hobbies has left people to be poorly developed in vital areas of life. Many are professionals in the virtual hobbies but armatures in the real life game.

4)      TALK MORE TO PEOPLE WITHOUT MEDIA:

Although, the social media has facilitated an increase in communications and information flow, it should not replace one on one discussions with others. When you talk more to real people, you can gauge their emotions, see their reactions and expressions, understand them better and increase your inter relationship skills. Talking to people outside the social media increases trust, builds confidence, especially for those who are public figures. One sure way to network effectively, is through real life conversations.

5)      BUILD NON MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS.

Whether career relationships, romantic relationships or religious relationship, having one outside your virtual society is very important. Have contacts you communicate with without your screen. These people know you away from your Facebook profile. They know the sound of your laughter, they know the smell of your fragrance, and they know your real behavior and values. These people are trust worthy and can vouch for you any time anywhere.  They are your core group.

Finally, the benefits of the social media are overwhelming, but its contribution to societal decadence should not be overlooked. Life had been without it, and life will also continue without it. To have an all-round growth it is important to have a life outside the media. This will increase your efficiency, and improve your life in a whole new way. Don’t allow your life to revolve around screens.

Thanks.

MONETIZING YOUR MIND

 FIVE WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR IDEAS

The world is ruled by IDEAS. Everything around you used to be an idea before, it became reality.

You have an idea right now, am sure of that, you also may had at one point in your life had ideas that are really potential money spinners. Everyone who has the ability to think, can bring out concepts and ideas that can change the whole world.

However, nobody has a monopoly of ideas, as you are thinking and conceiving ideas, others are doing same. Don’t be surprised to see someone doing exactly what you thought was a unique idea. In fact one of the easiest thing to do is to dream or imagine.

However, to have an idea, is one aspect, making it a realty is another thing. One idea well executed can bring you enormous fortune, fame and power. No wonder billions of people are striving to birth that ideas in their mind.

Do you have an idea that you think can bring profit, then these five tips will help you make extra money from it.

1.        CLARITY :

Nobody pays for what they don’t understand. If you want your ideas to be profitable, you must make them clear. That is, they must be clear to you first so you can effectively sell it to others. To clarify your idea, seek to understand the basic work-ability. How will this work, what are other things involved in making it a reality, who are the people who needs my idea. With a clear image of your idea, work on yourself, then you can now move on to step two.

2.       ACTION:

Action is eloquence! Action is key to the door of wealth, action gives you access to great income. You can only make money from your ideas when you activate it. People do not care much of what you think, rather they care about what you do. They question is, what actions are you taking towards making your idea a reality. The tangibility of your idea moves people to buy into it. What guarantees your profit is engaging your ideas in real world activities. Like NIKE I am telling you to “JUST DO IT”.

3.       BE SOLUTION BASED:

Your idea must provide solution to a problem, before it can make you money.  Do you pay for what does not solve a need for you? No! Likewise the rest of us. I don’t pay for what I don’t need.

If your idea does not meet a need somewhere, it will be very hard to earn money from it. One thing I have come to cherish of recent is problem, because it gives me an opportunity to build a solution idea around it then, sell it to those who have similar problem for a fee. So what solution does your idea provide?

4.      BE PEOPLE ORIENTED:

For profitability, put people first. Do not be consumed by the uniqueness of the idea and forget the people who need it. This may seem similar with the last point but it is different in the sense that we have many solution based ideas that failed due to the negligent approach of the idealist towards the society.

So, you must have a solution based idea, as well as a people oriented approach. You and your idea must respect the society’s norms and culture before it can be profitable. It must be legal and genuine for its growth and prominence to be viable. Respect is reciprocal, so build your ideas around people.  

5.       PASSION:

For profitability, passion is not negotiable. You must be passionate about your idea, business, and life in general. A passionate lifestyle is contagious and when positive, it can attract huge followers and profit. Passion determines how much you sacrifice for the idea, passion and hard work can never be separated. If you see a hard working person, you will notice an unwavering passion for the work. If you want your idea to bring in some income, be passionate about it, then with time the world will pay to have a piece of it.

If you noticed I never mentioned much about money, this is deliberate because money is just an aid to profitability, profits can come in differs means and money is one of the means. However, if you try out these points, you will definitely make profit and more money than you can imagine.

By K.C.HARVARD 

five sure ways to have more money in bad economy

Have more in less

Money is never your problem.

Money is not everything and will never be.

Money won’t solve most of your problems and it can never give you all solutions, so? I want you to get it into your mind that money is just an aid not an end.

In this period when everything is sky rocketing and money circulation is tight, I am confident that we all need that extra pound, dollar or naira. Unless you are already a billionaire, or have millionaire parents, you will at one time need an extra cash to oil the engine of your life.

 You will agree with me that there is somebody you know who seems to always have more money than you, and you have been wondering what is his/her secret. Now listen up let me tell you how to HAVE MORE IN LESS. This is what am applying in my life and it is working.

1.        MICROMANAGE:

 If you definitely want to have more, you must learn how to manage the limited resources you have. You will be surprised to see what one dollar, or hundred naira would sum up to in a long while. This is what I meant; if you spend one dollar (#350) on snacks two days a week, which will amount to 1*2 *4 in a month. That will give you $8 a month, then 8*12 will give you the total for a year. That is $98 in a year which is #33600 in Nigeria. The essence of micromanaging is to cut unnecessary expenses, then channel the money to something more productive.

2.       USE YOUR NETWORK:

In this era, who you know is vital. Make use of your contacts in legitimate ways. Mark the word LEGITIMATE, don’t depend on what you know only, but ask for reference from your contacts. This works well because it reduces added charges on some services. When you are introduced by a good person, stress of building trust is reduced because you are banking on your referee’s “trust bank” and this when utilized brings in good discount.

3.       GO GREEN:

Go green with your lifestyle. Recycle everything if possible, when I say recycle, I mean that you have to reuse, reduce and recycle. That is, REDUCE that quantity of what you accumulate or buy, REUSE what you have as far as they are good and function well, RECYCLE them over and over again. You can recycle your car, house, clothe and kitchen waste. Yes! Use your waste in the garden, this will save you some money too. Just go green.

4.      FIND ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF INCOME

Never depend on a single source of income. This will cause you stress especially when that source is affected by bad economy. Find other means to make passive income, there is always means to do that like; starting a part time business, monetizing your talents, sale some things and many more. If you don’t have an idea, you can Google. HOW TO MAKE PASSIVE INCOME.

5.       SAVE:

Finally, if you want to have more in less, always SAVE, SAVE AND SAVE. No matter how small, save a substantial amount every time money enters your hand. By saving, you will always have more to do important things while others run around looking for funds.

BY K.C.HARVARD