Why Jeff Walker is the $400 Million Dollar Man -- And 7 Lessons You Can Learn From Him

As seen on Forbes.

We’ve all heard of the $6 million dollar man. But what about the $400 million dollar man? Meet Jeff Walker– Internet Entrepreneur Extraordinaire.
Yes — it’s a new day when a common man barely earning enough to scrape by and feed his family can leverage the Internet into an empire responsible for $400 million in sales over a 15 year period.
Yes — Jeff is a common man. Just like me. Just like you.

You see, he is the Founder and CEO of a company called Internet Alchemy, Inc located in a little town in Colorado. Never heard of it, right? Yes — I hadn’t either.

But therein lies the beauty of this story. A humble beginning: common man, in dire financial straits, turns on the Internet in his humble abode in the middle of nowhere, and starts to tinker. Starts to play around with selling investment advice via email. Has a total of 19 email addresses to start. And his own second email address and his wife’s are two of them.

Fifteen years later — he’s still a humble man; living in that small town in Colorado and driving a Ford pickup truck — but he’s sold $20 million of his product called Product Launch Formula which has been directly responsible for helping other business owners rake in a cool $400 million of their own cash.
One day I happen to come across Jeff and one of his emails. Intrigued with his ability to write (I’m very fond of good writers) and the story he told of his $20 million dollar decision, I decided to reach out to him. After spending an hour in a great conversation — I came away with a remarkable picture of how he grew his business from scratch into the powerhouse it is today.

 

Lesson #1: “He who dares — wins.”

There is no doubt about this one. If you dream of being an entrepreneur and having your own business — but sit around on your fanny doing nothing about it but dreaming, then you’re dead on your feet. You’re pretty much out of the race before the gun even cracks it’s pop.
According to Jeff, “Getting started is key. The SAS, which is the British Special Forces equivalent of the Navy SEALS; have a saying; “He who dares, wins.” And I think when you’re starting out, you have to dare. You have to say, “I’m going to change my life”. And when I started out, I was still a full-time, stay at home dad; full-time studying the stock market, and preparing to go back to school. But you just have to find the time to get started and realize it’s going to be serious.”

 

Lesson #2: Baby Steps and Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour Rule

Other than fools who fall for those guys advertising on late night TV selling their program which guarantees instant overnight success — no one serious about starting and building a viable business believes in this concept of “instant wealth”. Of course, we all want to desperately believe it can happen to us. But the problem is the media in general over-hypes the super success stories who seem to come to life overnight. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger with their billion dollar payday from selling Instagram are a perfect example.
Jeff lays it out like this: “It’s about baby steps and moving towards your goal. First having the guts to even have that goal and then steadily moving towards it. I sent my first email out to 19 email addresses and I just kept on grinding it out. Then I started getting one new subscriber a day and then three new ones a day. So I just kept on taking those baby steps. I think a big part of it is the ability to delay gratification — being willing to put in the work now knowing it’s not going to pay off for three months or six months or two years. And just as a side note; I’ve now written more than 10,000 email broadcasts so there’s this magic 10,000 hour number from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers — which is one of the reasons our company is at the top echelon of our market.”

 

Lesson #3: Relationships and Connections are EVERYTHING.

Of course you’ve heard the old “it’s not what you know — it’s who you know” routine, right? But as the words ramble off your tongue and pretty much glide effortlessly in the grey matter between your two ears, maybe you should read it again: “It’s not what you know — it’s who you know.”
Listen, just like Sir Richard Branson’s article in Entrepreneur on networking, the key to your success in business is relationships. Period.

Even Jeff strongly agrees: “My business in terms of traffic is largely driven through joint ventures — through partners who drive me traffic. One of the things I’m good at is building relationships with people. I was a kid in high school who got along with every group; the jocks, the stoners, whatever. I’m a middle child. I’m naturally easy going. I just get along with people and I’m one of the most networked people you’re going to find in this business. Even with people others might see as competitors, I end up working with them. So that’s one of my strengths is being able to build those relationships. And that’s another one of the reasons we are so successful.”

 

Lesson #4: Focus on Your “Unique-Abilities”

You are you. You are unique. But the key is in knowing what makes you unique. So you must dig deep to find out. Look in the mirror and ask yourself what you do better than anyone else. Your top core competencies. And once you figure out your core competencies?
I’ll let Jeff tell you; “I take three days a week where those are the only things I do on those three days. So I mean literally — they’re on my calendar. They’re my focus days and my whole team can see them and know the house better be burning down if they’re going to contact me. My goal is to truly focus on my “unique-abilities” during those days. Completely focused, no interruptions, not looking at anything else, no text messages, no Skype, nothing. Then I think if you can focus at that level, you don’t need to do a heck of a lot. It’s like exercising. If you can exercise at a very high intensity, you don’t need to do a ton of it.”

 

Lesson #5: New World — Give First; Then Receive

Do you want to know the core secret of what Jeff teaches entrepreneurs and business owners that has led to over $400 million in collective sales?

First Give; Then Receive.

That’s it. In a nutshell. The days of shoving product and services down the throats of blind customers are over. The vast reach of the Internet and social media have forever changed the model. And this is the discovery Jeff made — which has led to his powerful methodology of selling and doing product launches.
And a story Jeff told me when I asked him a question about his picture with Tony Robbins paints the perfect story of this in action. As Jeff explains it; “I call it abundance juice and it’s about investing a lot of time in relationships and helping people before I ever ask them for anything. So with Tony, I literally flew out to see him on my own dime to spend a day with him and coaching him. That’s why I was there. Did that pay off? Yes, it paid off — but not for another year. So being able to give first — then wait to receive is key.”

 

Lesson #6: Opportunity Discernment

As an entrepreneur begins rolling along and making progress in their business, something really cool happens. Opportunities start flooding through the door. This is a good thing, right? Yes — but only if you have the ability to differentiate between the ones you should go after, and the ones you should let slide on through.
Entrepreneur and author Perry Marshall called this skill the most important one for a business owner to have in the 21st century. It’s called “discernment”.
And this is a skill Jeff has honed to a science. As Jeff puts it; “Once you get some success, then the most important thing is opportunity costs and selecting the right opportunities. Because as you gain more success — more opportunities start to come your way. You get into the deal flow so picking the right one, picking the right horse, is extremely important to your success.”

 

Lesson #7: Never Stop Learning

As a part-time journalist and full-time follower of entrepreneurs; I can tell you one thing most every successful entrepreneur I’ve met has in common. Their insatiable drive to learn. I have the same problem myself. Constantly devouring book after book; article after article; magazine after magazine. Steam coming out my ears.

And so it was with great pleasure to hear Jeff having the same genetic trait of fanatical learning; “Part of my success is a result of my desire to keep on learning and studying. I mean I’ve studied incessantly over the years. And I still study incessantly. I was driving in Durango just yesterday listening to marketing tapes, listening to the business tapes, listening to self-improvement tapes. Of course they’re not tapes anymore, but you get the point. And having coaches and mentors is also a part of that. My current coach for the past 3 years is Dan Sullivan — a strategic coach who taught me the concept of “unique-abilities”. Having mentors, coaches and role models is critical.  Absolutely critical.”
Toward the end of my conversation with Jeff, I asked him if today was the best time in history to start a business.

“Yes, absolutely. I mean literally anyone today could be a publisher in five minutes or less and when you’re a publisher — you’re in business.  You can go to Google and for a few bucks – you can be driving traffic into whatever site you want.


I think these days, it’s not only easier to be an entrepreneur and easier to start, but it’s easier to make this impact where you can take an enterprise and grow it by 10X or 100X because of the leveraged nature of our communications, information and our technologies. Whereas back 50 years ago, you would have to build this huge factory and infrastructure. Very few people had access to that capital.  People just couldn’t physically do it. But look at today. It all goes back to Moore’s law and the rapidly expanding capabilities and leverage we all have access to. It’s unreal.”
Yes Jeff. Unreal indeed.
A common man discovers how to be an independent publishing guru, creating massive amounts of content and leveraging his relationships to create over $400 million dollars in wealth for businesses worldwide.
Nicely done my friend. Nicely done indeed.

How to Sell in 60 Seconds

 
Q: I've always equated selling with telling, and lately I've noticed that my prospects cut me off when I am giving them my pitch. What's the best way to get my point across and win the sale?
 
A: I would imagine that this month's question has value to all of us in sales and marketing. Let's face it:

Buyers are more educated than ever before. What we sales and marketing types need to focus more on is understanding our prospect's world--and the best way I know of to do just that is to ask intelligent questions.

Here's a rundown of the best questions to use and when to use them. My strong suggestion is that each and every one of us should ask a whole lot more questions and speak a whole lot less.
When interacting with a prospect, you must first seek to understand what's going on in the other person's world. Then and only then will your ideas be accepted and understood by the prospect.

The best way to do this is to set strict limits on your own "talk time." Keep it under 60 seconds. Yes, you read right: You must never, ever speak for more than 60 seconds without asking for approval to continue. This approval comes when you ask open-ended "prompting" questions. Generally speaking, these questions:

• Cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
• Do not lead, control or try to manipulate the other person.
• Enable dialoging.
• Begin with the words "when," "what," "how," "why" or "where."
• Require thought to be answered.
• Encourage the other person to reveal feelings.
• Build rapport.

The opposite of an open-ended question is a closed-ended question. Closed-ended questions, unlike the kind we've just examined, put an end to effective dialoging and will not get you any closer to a second appointment. Therefore, you should totally avoid this type of questioning as a means of getting approval to win another 60 seconds.

One example of a closed-ended question might be, "You're interested in attracting new customers, right?" The best place to use the closed-ended question is in a situation where you need to validate or confirm what you think is going on in your prospect's world. Generally speaking, closed-ended questions:

• Are useful to give feedback during a dialog.
• Can be used to obtain specific information and/or confirm facts.

During a dialogue, if you need to make sure that you've heard the prospect correctly, you can use what's called a clarifying question. These questions, too, can win you a fresh 60 seconds. A good clarifying question might begin with the words, "So, if I understand you correctly, you're saying that...". Warning: you should always preface your clarifying question with a statement such as this and then creatively paraphrase what you think your contact's main point is. It's a really bad idea to parrot back what you've just heard your prospect say. That approach may be perceived as condescending, sarcastic and disrespectful. Generally speaking, clarifying questions:

• Secure the other person's approval and prove to a greater degree that you've got a good understanding of what he or she said.
• Express in your own words what you just heard.
• Clear up differences in the definition of words and phrases being used.
• Clarify the meaning of "global" words (like "always" and "never").

Typically, once you clarify with your prospect, you can then use a developmental question to move the dialog in a desired direction to further understand the prospect's purpose and/or result he or she wants to achieve.

These questions, too, can win you another 60 seconds of time to talk--once the contact has responded to your question, of course. Generally speaking, developmental questions:

• Encourage the other person to elaborate on what he or she just said.
• Begin to make it possible for the other person to show his or her true feelings about the topic at hand.
• Obtain further definition of what's under discussion.

Optionally, you can also use a directional question to win another 60 seconds. These questions steer the dialog to a certain direction that a developmental question just uncovered. Directional questions are like a roadmap of your conversation and allow the dialog to take another path, one that's beneficial to uncovering the prospect's purpose and needs. Generally speaking, directional questions:

• Move the dialog from one logical topic to another.
• Invite the other person to participate in an informational exchange.
• Can be used to replace a closed-ended question you were tempted to ask.

Important: Don't fall into the trap of using directional questions to control or manipulate the prospect in any way. This will destroy any business rapport you've built and reduce your chances of getting a second appointment.

Another question type you can use to earn another 60 seconds of talk time is called an opinion question. This kind of question is extremely helpful in revealing where a prospect stands on any particular issue, and it can be used to give you more insight into someone's unique needs. Opinion questions are also a nonthreatening way to ensure that the other person is actually engaged in the dialog. As a general rule, opinion questions:

• Ask a direct question in a nonconfrontational way.
• Get the other person to speak frankly and openly.
• Allow the opportunity to share feelings.
• Show esteem and respect for the other person.
• Help to extend and prolong dialogues.

Finally, you can use what I call a social proof question to justify another 60 seconds of talk time. This is an indirect way of getting the other person to realize that his situation is similar to that of other people you've worked with. As with any other reference to a third party, there is the chance that your contact will respond favorably to what you cite within the question. On the other hand, there is a chance that the social proof you introduce will be looked upon as competitive or irrelevant to what's being discussed. So these questions can be tricky. Generally speaking, social proof questions:

• Introduce a third party that is relevant to the discussion.
• May increase confidence that you can address the purpose and needs of the other person.
• Validate the other person's reasoning.
• Can be used to address concerns or problems before they arise.

Intelligent use of each of these question types will encourage your prospect to begin to show his or her true feelings about whatever subject is under discussion. Build business rapport with prospects, and they'll be less likely to tune out while you're delivering your pitch.

By Entrepreneur.com

FOCUS!FOCUS!! FOCUS!!!--- Did Dangote start his Sugar factory, Salt factory, Cement factory, Oil refinery factory at the same time?

By Toyin Omotosho

You have 47 facebook pages that you manage all by yourself.

You have 3 Fiverr accounts with all sorts of Gigs

You have 10 blogs where you try to make money from Addynamo and Adsense.

You import small tiny products online to sell so that people can call you an importer when you don't even know how to sell them.

A month later, you are organizing a seminar on importation business. You do that one again and you jump to something else.

You have various ebooks that you also want to sell and make money from with the "half assed" marketing system you have for them.

You are on Clickbank, JVZoo and other Affiliate networks trying to make money as an affiliate marketer.

You heard about CPA the other day and now, you are burning data trying to make the CPA thing work.

It is only a matter of time before you get the next best thing and you jump to it again.
==========================
YOU ARE A MASTER OF NOTHING!
==========================

And that is the main reason why you have been struggling online since all these years.

Yet, you never blame yourself. You only blame the guys who sell you all these business opportunities.

Business opportunities that could have worked only if you would just sit down and pay attention to one of them and work it out.

Business opportunities especially online are DIME a dozen. They are everywhere but you have to know that none of them will work for you unless you have a good enough mastery of it.

People have the freedom to sell whatever they like. And you should also have the wisdom to choose what suits you best and run along with it.

It is time you changed your thinking. Your mentality.

If you don't, 8 years down the road, you will still be blaming everyone apart from yourself because it seems like the demons of financial struggles are after you.

There are people who think they will suddenly get a financial breakthrough after going for a deliverance in church without changing their mindsets.

They forget the role of wisdom.

=============
WISDOM PAYS.
=============

And wisdom is knowing the RIGHT things to do and DOING them.

For instance, wisdom is for you to stop wasting your time and energy trying to make all sorts of business models work for you at the same time.

For crying out loud, realize that you have limited resources.

Your understanding of these business models is limited.

Your human resource is limited because you are your only employee.

Your capital is limited.

Heck!

Your internet data is even limited. You only use 1GB per month.

Don't you think settling down for just one PROVEN method that is long lasting is what you should be doing right now?

I have been into information marketing since 2007 and I am still on it because it is really HUGE and highly profitable when done right.

I know because I know someone who does $30 million a year selling information products because he does it right.

It was only recently that I started sports betting (as the owner, not user) because I had some extra money to put into it.

That is how it works.

Did Dangote start his Sugar factory, Salt factory, Cement factory, Oil refinery factory at the same time?

THINK about that.

That is my word for you this Sunday.

P.S - Don't be selfish. Share with others who can gain from this short post.

Enjoy!

Getting Financial Support To Run Your Business By Success Digest

The growth of a business does not diminish the need for funding to, for example, introduce new products or services; expand into new markets; hire or contract additional help; expand facilities or purchase new equipment and machinery. While it can be quite tough getting the loan, managing it effectively to keep the business on the growth path consistently, is equally challenging.

This week, SuccessDigest airs the views of people who not only succeeded in getting loans but have utilized such loans effectively to expand and grow their businesses.

Mrs. Tolulope Ajose, Md/Ceo, Xtra Sparklean Ventures

Type Of Business She Is Into
Ajose says, “Xtra Sparklean Ventures is into the manufacture of liquid detergents, soap and customized cleaning agents, which has also been broadly classified under chemicals industry. We have been in the industry for close to a decade with our products tailored towards hygiene and health, because good hygienic practices are the best readily available preventive measure against communicable diseases”.

The Organization That Funded Her Business And How She Got To Know About Them
Ajose says, “Bank of Industry (BOI) is the organisation where I got the funds from. They marketed us at Pan Atlantic University, venue of a business seminar which our company attended. It is a business school - BOI marketed their services to all the attendees of the seminar and told us the effectiveness of their fund”.

How She Got The Fund
Ajose says, “To make the process faster, we applied as a cooperative body, the cooperative now disbursed the fund to individual entity”.

How She Used The Fund To Grow Her Business
Ajose says, “Based on my type of production business, I set the fund on buying machines, raw materials and packaging materials. With it, we were able to get the first mixing machine we have, then buy packaging materials in bulk from the company for our customized event containers. Then we bought raw materials in bulk for more volume production instead of buying retail and risking adulteration. This was precisely in February 2012 - meanwhile, the process started in April 2011”.

How Much She Got And At What Interest
Ajose says, “BOI gave us a million Naira (N1 million) at five percent interest per annum”.

How She Paid Back
Ajose says, “Interestingly, we have paid back from our proceeds. The payback was in the span of 30 months which is to end in August, 2014. Since I accessed the fund as a cooperative, paying back is through the cooperative's account with postdated cheques written to BOI from our cooperative accountant”.

Was Loan Given At The Start Up Or After The Business Had Reached A Certain Growth Level
Ajose says, “We had kick-started the business before we applied for the loan. This is to tell you that we just used the loan, mainly for the business's expansion”.

Was The Entire Fund Injected Into The Business?
Ajose says, “Yes, because that is what the fund was meant to cater for - equipment, raw materials and working capital”.

 Challenges She Faced Before She Got The Fund
Ajose says, “I will say the major challenge is getting all the paperwork done - paperwork, documentation, guarantors, tax clearance, bank statements, among others. Also, how to put up a viable business plan is a challenge. But we were able to stand, by doing the neccessary documentation as a group. If you must know, there is no shortcut to getting it, as the processing time was long. We also learnt how to write an acceptable business plan.

“Another challenge is gathering a group of people together for the same purpose, which I will say wasn't easy. Also, we had to pay 10 percent of the loan as down payment. Getting that was not easy too. But all in all, we were able to scale through the hurdles and we have the loan for the purpose we planned it for”.

How Much Her Business Is Worth Today
Ajose says, “Well, as it is, this might be confidential a bit. I can as well say the business has not yet gotten there, but let's just say the business has tripled its initial stage”.

The Secret Of Her Success
Ajose says, “Well, as I have earlier said, I'm still in the process, still on the journey, not there yet, but the summary of everything is God's grace and determination. I can say I have been able to repay the loan and the business is still standing, on what condition? Well, I will say every business person needs determination, as staying power.

It is not an easy path to tread, but with God, it is possible. So, when challenges come, that is not the time to quit to another business, but the time to hold on. We really need to believe in what we are doing and see the big picture despite the many hurdles.

“Well, the growth of the business did not stop there. We sought for other avenues to grow. Selling in unconventional ways, improving on the product outlook, and projecting the business for more expansion”.

Mr. Atere Raphael, MD/CEO Raphgate Chemicals Nig. Ltd.
Who He Is And What Business He Is Into

Raphael says, “ I studied mathematics. I had it in mind that when I finish my training as a teacher I will get a job but unfortunately none of my kind of job was coming; somehow I was employed in a paint manufacturing company, Penguin Paint Nigeria Limited.

There I started as a pioneer member of staff. I started from handling raw materials of the company; to production; to quality control; to marketing - I worked virtually in all the various departments before I rose the post of a general manager in that company.

“After a while the company folded up because we couldn’t meet up with production because my boss was working in another company and we could not meet up with basic requirements for the company, so after some years everybody went on their own-so with the my exposure in the company I decided that I was going to start something, having worked for a paint manufacturing company for 6 years and gone back to stay at home.

“At some point I thought of putting my CV together to get a job, but still I wasn’t seeing the kind of job I wanted, so I decided to go a try something in line with what I was doing before which is paint manufacturing-but I still needed money, I still needed more practical training, practical teaching, so I decided to attend Fate Foundation, and I enrolled in one of their programmes to get practical training and viable knowledge, and we were thought how to run a successful business.

“After graduating from Fate Foundation, I started immediately on a skeletal level but in the year 2009 I was able to register the business as a limited liability company; and today, to the glory of God, our product is out, Horse Paint; and it is doing very well in the market”.

How He Got Funds For His Business
Raphael says, “I was in my house one day, when a client called because I was already doing some painting work, so the money I got from that job was what I used as start up, before I decided to go to LAPO (Leave Above Poverty Organization) Micro Finance Bank to get a loan.
At some point I also went to First Bank Micro Finance Bank. That was how I started, but one day I was just at home when a friend called me from Fate Foundation to inform me about the YouWiN! programme that the Federal Government has introduced to help small businesses. So, that was how I got to apply for the programme, and from stage to stage I passed all the tests and I qualified for N10million to run the business”.
The Different Stages Involved

Raphael says, “The very first stage was all about your idea: What can you do? What are you doing? Is it profit oriented? What is the potential of the business? Does your product have the market? These are basically the things they want to know, and this also applies if you are applying for a loan in a micro finance bank or any other financial institution. They want to know how possible it is for you to trade with the money you are getting and still make profit.
“The second stage is about your business plan, what your plan for the business is in the next 5 years, what your cash flow is and what your cash flow will be in the next 5years, and because I have learnt the trade and I grew in the business, these were the things I had known and understood in the business and because I had been putting all of these things to work before  YouWiN! came. I have used other financial houses and we are still very active with a few of them because we have a very good track record.
So when YouWiN! came, it also helped to grow the business and the business is still growing, and we still need more money to expand the business.
“The third thing was that you need to know what to do and how to do it, and who will do it well. Then, you must have the market that will buy the product from you.
 It is not all about knowing what to do, but you must also know how to sell it, you must also be sure you have people on ground to do the thing that is needed to do in your absence.

“The most critical thing that you must have is the market, and this were a lot of people miss it. They don’t really think about the market. They are only concerned about the money. This is a very big challenge in the business world, because they lack money and other resources… management skill, so even if it is their money if not properly managed, they will lose it”.

How To Overcome The Challenges Of Getting Loans From The Banks

Raphael says, “The major challenge when it comes to taking loans from the banks or any other financial institution is making sure you are able to pay back the loan you got.
For us it was not as if we were saints; we do default but once it happens, we get back to the bank, apologize for our default, pay all the fines that are attached to it, then we move forward.

The interest is very high, you pay up to 60%-70% per annum but we don’t have any other option, we have to pay it and move on.

“When it comes to taking loans from banks, you must be disciplined in following the purpose for which the loan was taken to ensure that the money is invested based on the original purpose - because we were actually spending the money on what we promised it will be used for, when the bank inspection units and monitoring units visited us unnoticed, they always found our records straight.

“If your records are not in other, you may have issues with financial institutions because they want to be sure that the money will be spent accordingly.

“Also, apart from the bank you need to ensure that your product is well accepted in the market. Having a ready market is a very big challenge.

If people are not buying your product, no matter how much you’ve invested, how much packaging you have done, you will be killing that business unknowingly. If you are able to solve this problem of having your product accepted in the market place, then you are in business”.

Was Loan Given At Start Up Or After Business Had Grown To A Certain Level?

Raphael says, “The very first ever money I used to start business was gotten from a client job and after which I got to LAPO, but the N10 million I got from YouWiN!  programme came in four parts.

Like I said, the monitoring units, people from the Federal Government in Abuja, from SMEDAN, from the Federal Ministry of Finance were visiting unannounced, at different points, at different days to check our records to ensure that the ones we sent were in order; also to ensure transparency and integrity.

Once they find that you have integrity, when you are due for the next level of funding, the application will be approved and the money will get to you.”

How Much His Business Is Worth Today

Raphael says, “I can’t categorically say, but I know we have grown: this was a business that started in the backyard of my house in a rented apartment. Today, the business has machines running into millions; we have our own structure; we have our wonderful employees who are able and cooperate a lot.

We have painters because before the business started fully, I was a painter, which was what brought the initial capital. Now, we sell our own locally produced paints, and we sell paint chemicals. We have clients all over Nigeria.

“I wake up each day and I look back and I thank God for helping us this far; that some of my senior members of staff are so committed to this job.”

Advice To Entrepreneurs

Raphael says, “I will just make it very simple: Be determined, be focused, be enterprising.

“Be determined: it doesn’t matter whether it is your money or a bank loan, be sure you don’t  throw it away carelessly; be sure you are doing everything possible to use the money for its original purpose. Don’t take bank loan given for business to complete your house in the village, be determined that the business will succeed.

“Be focused: don’t have plan b; don’t think of an option - many so-called entrepreneurs after facing a challenge and think of going to get their CV to go get a paid job, don’t be moved by distraction.

Even when the bank is trying very hard to frustrate your efforts, keep on: at the worst, get money from one bank to settle another so that you can move on and keep the fire burning.

“Be enterprising: here I will not advice anyone who is just starting a business to go for loan, because I didn’t start with loan. You must start with what you have, because the banks will frustrate you if you are not ready to start with what you have.

You need to know the nitty gritty of the business to be enterprising enough to start as you are before you start to ask for loans.

“Finally, you must be very friendly to people and know how to manage people, because you will be working with people and must be ready to manage them to get their best all the time. See you at the top”. 

Mr. Hule Aondokator (or Kator), CEO of Kator Hule Enterprises

Who He Is And The Kind Of Business He Does

Kator says, “My name is Hule Aondokator (or Kator). I was born on the 15th of June, 1982. I am not married. Educationally, I trained as an Agricultural and Environmental Engineer at the Federal University of Agriculture in Makurdi where I obtained a bachelors degree in 2010.

I am also doing a Masters in the same field and same university. Last year, 2013, I was selected alongside 49 other business owners across Nigeria by the Entreprises Development Center of the Pan-Atlantic University in a Diamond Bank PlC sponsored programme, themed, ‘Building Entrepreneurs Today’ (BET3), where I obtained a Certificate in Entrepreneurship Management. I have also been privileged to be a YouWiN! awardee, benefiting from the FGN's programme by N9.6 million. I am the CEO of Kator Hule Enterprises - which has its head office in Makurdi. I am a writer with several books in manuscript form.

One of my works (Business Plans And Proposals, An Engineered Approach To Writing Winning Business Plans) will be out by October this year. In terms of work experience, I worked with Research Writing Center online from 2009 to 2011 as a freelance technical writer. I am deeply involved in youth development”.

 How The Concept Of His Business Come To Him

 Kator says, “The idea that took me to the YouWiN! was packaging of fish products. The idea was born out of the need to make fish products more hygienic and more easily accessible and affordable.

I conceived the idea in 2008 and had been working hard on actualizing it; thank God the YouWiN! came”.

How He Got To Know About YouWiN! And When He Got Their Funding

Kator says, “I heard about YouWiN! the very first time the Honourable Minister of Finance spoke about it on TV in 2011. I knew that my time had come. I believed her, and believed YouWiN! was going to be a success, because of the Minister's reputation. My business received funding up to NGN9.6 million from the Federal Government's youth empowerment programme.

Ever since receiving the award, the experience has been both exciting and very challenging. It is exciting because it provided me with the confidence to start a life.

Since winning the YouWiN! funding, I have become more hopeful of realizing my visions and dreams in life. I happened to come from a highly less privileged background, socially speaking, and winning the YouWiN! funding enhanced my self-confidence and also built up my belief in Nigeria as my country.

Getting the YouWin! funding has provided a challenging experience because it appears this goodwill and support from the government has set me up in such a fashion that my failing in life is something I cannot even imagine; this has shot me to public light and I now have as many fans as critics.

1.“YouWiN! will be a better programme if the funds will be released in a timely manner. Although the payment process is transparent, most times the tranches are unusually delayed.

And it affects young businesses, especially startups. Policy implementation has to be matched with consistency for effective results.

2. The programme has to come with more intense business trainings. A certificate in entrepreneurship management for all awardees will not be bad. If government can risk putting so much into businesses, there should be the risk to invest more in developing the business owners.

“Lastly, young people should believe in YouWiN!, it is real” .

 How were you able to use YOUWIN! funding to grow your fish packaging business? Did you buy more machinery, hire more staff, introduce new products?

I was not into active business before YouWiN! Quite alright, I had some entrepreneurial experience prior to YouWiN! but the programme launched me into the true world of entrepreneurship. At the age of eleven, I started off as a lifestyle photographer. I practiced photography until I was 22 (when in my university it became difficult for me to combine the two).

So, when YouWiN came, it was entirely a fresh opportunity for me to venture into entrepreneurship again. There is something I need to say; in my second year in the university, I made up my mind that I was going into entrepreneurship fully. This means that I had prepared my mind completely that I was not going to work with any organization or the government after school.

And it appears that everything worked as planned because YouWiN! came. I started the new business with YouWiN! money completely from the scratch. I leased a place for 15 years, renovated the building to taste and acquired machines, and hired staff.

What were the challenges you encountered while growing your fish business and how were you able to overcome them?

Talking about challenges, maybe I have to take a deep breath before answering this one. Entrepreneurship is a continuous journey for me. It has become part of my DNA.

I believe I am wired for this. I can say I have a digital nervous system that responds to entrepreneurial challenges. As part of my big picture in life, I am working on opening the first private university in Africa to be attended completely free of charge.

 Why such a university?

I believe strongly in building human capital as a resource for transformation and development. I know that there are people who are very intelligent but sincerely don’t have the opportunity for good schools.

So this university is all about providing the best of education to people who deserve it. Every morning, I remind myself 'Kator, this is why you are here!' When I am awake at night, it is because I want to see this dream come to pass. And I know I will actualize it.

Although, with fine dreams, when the YouWiN! grant came, I pretty messed up at first (smiles). This is true. As a young man who is eager to make an impression, I hurriedly picked a clean EOD (Honda, 2005) and cleaned myself up. Of course a car was part of the business plan I submitted to YouWiN!, but it wasn't supposed to be such a luxury car.

Although, the car brought me 'good luck' and connected me with the who-is-who in the local sphere (and linked me with serious businesses worth much more than the YouWiN! grant), I have sold it and invested the money into the business because I later discovered I wasn't quite prepared for such luxury-spending so much on fuelling and the rest.

With the car, family and friends increased their demands. I would get a call anytime of the day or night (someone requesting I should pick them up somewhere). You see, these sorts of things are not part of business. They are sinkers.

How do one solve ‘sinkers’ challenge for good business growth?

My sincere advice is: Do only what you plan to do. If you are going to succeed in business, or even in life, every morning before you go out, plan exactly what your day should look like. This plan should match your Big Picture in life. Anything that comes along the day that is not part of that plan is not worth going along with.

We plan our poverty if we fail to plan our profit. The truth is, anyone who fails to plan his or her time for self-profit, will have someone else help them use the time for their own benefit.

Business challenges?

In terms of business, the challenges are there. Quite ok, I have been privileged to have some of the finest people work with me - majorly graduates - it is common to have employees who are difficult to handle. They are people who simply have a way they want to go.

So, you give an instruction and get terrible results. And this is a massive challenge because it can compromise quality or render the organization a bad image. For example, one of my businesses is a laundromat.

Laundry business is a delicate business. If you spoil a customer's cloth you can hardly get that customer back. And sometimes, your business spoils a cloth, you won’t even know until the customer returns it with a long face.

That's when you know how embarrassed you can be! And no one in your processing line would like to accept the responsibility.

As regarding this fish business, I am doing something else with it now but I will rework it back into the initial plan later in the year. The drift became necessary because of lack of funds to produce at a breakeven capacity.

 If you are in business, you will understand that manufacturing businesses often have more challenges than other business types-particularly in Nigeria where we keep having issues with power supply and poor transportation structures.

 Some people get loans and waste. What strategies did you adopt for your business that made it a success?

Oh, I am not different on this one. I wasted my money too. But, maybe I am lucky because my recovery was quite quick. There are two essential ingredients for success: God and Confidence. I can assure you that confidence propels greatness more than anything else; more than skills and intelligence. If there is any other element needed for success, it would be strategic planning - and strategic planning does not have a rigid rule; it all depends on prevailing situations.

Please advise an entrepreneur who gets such funds or business loan on how to use it in growing their business.

My advice to people who are lucky to get business support of any sort? Keep the money and keep any eye on it! Your business needs money. And your business' money is not your money! Liquid money is very important for the smooth running of your business! A business funding support may be a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, make sure it is always an opportunity.

There are of course people who get such support and do everything to protect it but their businesses still fail. Majorly, most people put too much money into capital equipments.

Too many people are too eager to impress; we have so and so machines! Machines don't bring money in business, people do! Invest more in people, then! If a process can be handled cheaper manually, then there could be no need for automating it. Just make sure manual labour delivers it faster! There are so many processes that your business can outsource.

Outsourcing is one fine thing I discovered with business. It means you don't have to be doing everything in your organization. If there is a company elsewhere that can do much of your work, then push the responsibility on to them and make sure you have a good quality check. It will save you more.

 It will reduce your operating expenses. By the way, no matter what happens, your operating expense should not be more than 50% of your total investment.

Hope you have learnt something from this post, if you have then try and drop a comment for other readers.

Make sure you check back because we shall be featuring a high profile business person this week...

See you lerra.

Pastor E.A. Adeboye's message: "Signs and Wonders" from RCCG Holy Ghost Service - Day 5

SIGNS AND WONDERS . HOLY GHOST CONGRESS 2012 DAY 5

Minister: Pastor EA Adeboye


Bible Text: Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

What is a sign? A sign is an evidence that what you claim to be is true. Pharaoh said in Exodus 5:1-2 that he didn’t know who God was and He wouldn’t let Israel go but in Exodus 12:29-32 , after God had shown Pharaoh a sign, He begged Israel to go. All the Pharaoh who said you will not go , God will show them a sign in Jesus name.Amen!

Also in Daniel 3:14-15, Nebuchadnezzar said if the three hebrew boys did not bow down to his image, he will throw them into the fiery furnace and see which God will deliver them but in Daniel 3:24-29 after God showed him a sign, this same Nebuchadnezzar said there was no other God apart from the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As God lives, before the end of the month, those who are asking “where is your God?” will begin to say “there is no God like your God” in Jesus name. Amen

 
What is wonder? Someone once said a wonder is that thing that happens that makes you wonder. A wonder is a miracle so big that makes your mouth fall open involuntarily when it happens. In Acts 3:1-10 when the man who has been lame for 40 yrs suddenly began to walk, leap and praise God, everybody in the church began to look at him in amazement. When God said He will give a sign and that a virgin will give birth to a son, He was indirectly saying He would make the impossible become possible! By the grace of God, all the things that seem impossible in your life will become possible in Jesus name.Amen. 

A virgin conceiving was very unscientific and that story still doesn’t go down well with science and medicine but our God can do wonders that surpass science. When God said to Abraham in Gen 18:9-14 that a 90yrs old woman would have a son, Sarah laughed because deep inside her she thought that would be impossible but when our God hears the word impossible, He is eager to do something! Whenever someone tells you your case is impossible, begin to rejoice because there is a God who can make the impossible possible. 

There are 3 aspects of a man’s life 
(1) Physical aspect 
(2) Social aspect 
(3) Spiritual aspects 

 If you trust God in all these areas of your life and exercise faith, you’ll begin to experience signs and wonders.

The social aspect of a man includes his social status, financial capability, material wealth and possessions. In making a virgin conceive, God is showing that He is capable of bringing something out of nothing. There is a God who can bring water out of rocks according to Exo 17:1-6, He is the same God who can take the little you have and turn it plenty. Do you have a financial problem? Do you believe this God can solve your problem? If you believe, be it unto you according to your faith. 

 Almost every thing we do is controlled in the spiritual. Before anything happens in the physical, it happens in the spiritual! Before calamity fell upon Job, something happened in the spiritual, God and the devil had had a conversation. A blessing is a spiritual force, when people bless you, they are sending help your way in the spiritual realm. Just as a blessing is a spiritual force, a curse is also a spiritual force. The God who can make the barren conceive has the spiritual ability to control all things. Do you believe that whatever your spiritual problem the God of wonders can heal you? If yes, be it unto you according to your faith! Amen. 

In Luke 1:31-37, When the angel told Mary she was the one God had revealed a long time ago to Isaiah and that even though she was a virgin she would have a son, Mary asked the angel how it would be fulfilled because she didn't understand how it would happen . There are certain things that when God says He will do , you will be so overwhelmed wondering how God will make it happen but the bible tells us it is not by power nor by might but by the spirit of the Lord. The spirit of God will work wonders in your life in Jesus name, amen. 

Who Qualifies for signs and wonders?Mary was a virgin not a harlot, she was pure and holy. People like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who experienced signs and wonders kept themselves pure. HOLINESS IS THE MASTER KEY TO SIGNS AND WONDERS. Only those who live a holy and pure life will qualify for signs and wonders. 

If you are living in sin, you cannot experience signs and wonders. Isaiah 59:1-2 says “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”</p> So if you are still living in sin, confess your sins to God, ask for mercy, give your life to Jesus and He will turn your life. 

Prayer Points 

1. Praise God because you are able to make it tonight
2. Father, please perform a wonder in my body so that i will never be sick again
3. Father, perform a wonder in my marriage so that it will become a model for others to copy
4. Father, perform a wonder in my family so that we will never know sorrow again
5. Father, perform a wonder in my finances so that i will soon be lending to nations,
6.Father, anoint me so heavily so when evil forces see me coming they will run
7. Father, any evil left in this year, keep it far from my home
8. Father any signs and wonders left in this year, send them to my home
9. Father before the year ends, let my testimonies be complete and perfect
10. Father, forever let me be a channel of blessings
11. Personal prayer point 

Pray for 20mins***

ONE OF IT KIND---THE FIRST EVER BLOG READERS CONTEST IN NIGERIA IS HERE...Click Here To Get In!!!

Just came back from church, and am wowing seriously….What’s making me wow is nothing much that the post I made yesterday has climbed from an ordinary post to the 2^nd most read post on my blog…This has never happened.

Check it out at the picture below

Also I want to celebrate my blog becoming two months old, the fact is that I have been blogging since 2008 that is roughly six years ago and to be candid what I have accomplished with my two months blogging throughout my blogging years I have never achieved this and I’m proud of myself.

That is the main reason I decided to put up the Gibforum Readers Contest and I have been getting positive results and response since yesterday…Check out these pictures

The first one is from my blackberry messenger account while the second is from my facebook account.

If you have made a comment and I have not approved it please don’t get angry or cheesy once I get on to the admin section I will do so.

Hope you’ve joined the reading contest to do so click here

Just do so because you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain don’t just be on the internet chatting and posting your beautiful pictures …

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See you lerra.

Lazarus Uwakwe

MUST READ:How You Can Grab a Sum Of #5,000 Cash and other Bonuses Worth #110,000 By Doing Something Realy Simple

GIB FORUM READERS REWARD CONTEST

This contest is to basically reward our loyal readers, the contest is open to everybody but for one to partake then one must

1.Be a member of the Facebook group General Business Information Blog to do that add me on Facebook by clicking here then send me a message requesting to be added to the group and if you are already a member then skip this part.

2.Add fifty members to the group.

2. Now that you a member you are now very free to participate in this contest.

Contestants Key Rules

a.Read and share our posts to your social media and others.

b.Make as many valuable comments as possible.

After doing these you are fully qualified to win our #5,000 package coupled with other benefits.

OUR TOTAL GIVEAWAY PACKAGE

1.First the Sum of #5,000 cash will be awarded to the person

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