Entrepreneurial Capitalism - Skills Acquisition, Community Empowerment and Microfinance

What is the strategic link among abundant resources, human development and economic development? What is the critical and strategic connection between human capital and economic progress? Why does income inequality persist in spite of significant economic growth? What are some sure paths to social mobility? What are some sure paths to the middle class-the most critical stabilizing force in all societies? Some answers to these nagging policy questions loom large and inform current debates on prudent policy options to cope with the intractable problem of high unemployment of graduates from institutions of higher learning in developing nations in general and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular.

A meta-analysis of extant academic literature suggests income inequality is persistent in both developed and developing nations in spite of demonstrable and significant economic growth. There are many theoretical, structural and empirical reasons for the widening gap between return to capital and labor on one hand, and compensation to management and workers on the other. For example, capital tends to be more productive, more mobile and receive very favorable tax treatment than labor in many jurisdictions.

Further, global competition, innovation, slower productivity growth, and marginal rate of technical substitution may be depressing wages even in developed nations. Moreover, the benefits of globalization continue to accrue more unevenly to highly skilled labor than to low skilled labor. Finally, periods of economic growth tend correlate with increasing income inequality because different economic sectors as well as individuals do not grow at the same pace.

As we have already explained in many publications on this topic, human capital analysis deals with acquired capabilities which are developed through formal and informal education at school and at home, and through on the job training, experience, and mobility and longevity in the labor market. Please note that nations as well as individuals are portfolios of distinctive competencies that derive from resources and capabilities. Many nations in the developing nations have plenty of resources but lack capabilities-the ability to put them to productive uses.

Clearly, mere possession of resources alone is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for economic development. Functional human capital that manifests in enhanced productivity and innovation is the critical and strategic link between resources and economic development. A preliminary analysis of macroeconomic data indicates that the problem of economic stagnation is not peculiar to developing nations nor confined there. Indeed, for many years in developing nations such as Nigeria, significant percentage of all graduates from institutions of higher learning are underemployed, have contract jobs with no employment benefits or no jobs at all even after the National Service and certification.

Many labor market experts and social observers are apt to point to the glaring lack of requisite knowledge and employable skills in high demand. While this may be true, lack of functional education that leads to employment is only part of the problem. There is significant and gathering empirical evidence suggesting that many of the employed university graduates in Nigeria go without pay or regular compensation for extended periods of time and still others are on contract employment with meager income and no employment benefits or guaranteed ongoing employment.

Before you postulate that skills acquisition is neither a panacea nor the fastest way to employment, please note that employable knowledge and skills are necessary but not sufficient condition for social mobility. This explains in part why many graduates from Colleges of Education and Technical Colleges in very high demand in tightening labor markets do not fare significantly better than those from Liberal Arts or even Business and Engineering Schools.

Therefore, the purpose of Skills Acquisition projects adopted by the Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center (OSAC) is to help graduates and entrepreneurs take effective steps toward functional education, knowledge and skills acquisition, self-employment, self-reliance and financial independence. As sure paths to the middle class and upward social mobility, any knowledge and skills acquisition project must focus on producing entrepreneurs-a crop of graduates with burning desire for self-employment, self-reliance and financial independence. The graduates must not only have requisite knowledge and skills of their specific trade but must be entrepreneurs who are business savvy with demonstrable grasp of business management knowledge and skills. Please note that all entrepreneurs are business owners but not all business owners are entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are special breed of business owners that assume every risk in pursuit of profit and financial freedom. Without the entrepreneurial class other factors of production-land, labor and capital including technology remain dormant and are classified in our profession-financial engineering as non-performing assets. As some experts aptly put it, once you decide to work for yourself you never go back working for someone else. Generally, people don not plan to fail, they simply fail to plan. Additionally, freedom whether spiritual, economic or political is indivisible and must be pursued relentlessly. The passionate drive toward financial freedom is the critical difference that sets entrepreneurs apart.

The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center Model:

The concept of Skills Acquisition as a vehicle for community empowerment and development is not new. The concepts, principles and challenges are well established in the relevant academic literature. Please see a textbook on same topic for a complete historical sketch on Skills Acquisition principles that informed many Trade schools and Technical colleges, Apprenticeship programs, etc before the Nigerian Civil War. The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center (OSAC) concept is focused on practical and technology-oriented programs of study.

The OSAC predominantly will offer vocation and career-focused, accredited certificate programs to students drawn from the Niger Delta Region with Imo State as hub and magnet for industries. The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center will fully integrate functional skills and micro-financing to make the vision of self-employment, self-reliance and financial freedom a reality for our graduates. The Private Public Partnership (PPP Model)-OSAC key strategy is well established and proven. When the relationship with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is fully formalized, the OSAC intends to leverage our network with global institutions, articulation agreements with institutions of higher learning in United States, Okigwe in diaspora and friends of Okigwe to execute our mission and attain our strategic objectives.

And because our associates live in the target communities, they bring contextual familiarity to community-based issues. This allows OSAC to avoid policies, analyses and programs which are not tethered to reality. OSAC will seek creative collaboration and strategic partnerships by engaging with global institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, USAID and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with common mission and NDDC through information sharing, dialogue, and consultation at global, national and state levels. Knowledge is OSAC strategic weapon.

Some Operational Guidance:

Many new ventures fail. Therefore, a critical objective of effective skills acquisition projects is to help new entrepreneurs minimize the failure rate of new ventures. Entrepreneurs must have a strong grasp of business fundamentals such as effective management of people, process and products. Additionally, entrepreneurs who undertake new business ventures should proceed with a known probability of success. The OSAC project will integrate microfinance, knowledge and skills acquisition with the 3Ms of successful small business venture (Money, Management and Marketing).

As you know, many non-business majors such as architects, dentists, pediatricians, and lawyers, etc go through university without taking requisite business courses. However, upon graduation they become small business owners of private practice. These deficiencies are then made up in a hurry through on the job training or hiring business managers. However, without a working knowledge of the fundamentals of business enterprise, small business owners become totally dependent on business managers. Agency problem arises when the interests of business owners are divergent from the interests of business managers whether they full-time employees or outside help. Agency problem aside, small business owners must understand what the numbers mean to provide effective leadership, oversight and control. Therefore, the OSAC curricula will include the role of appropriate business systems and functional areas of business anchored on sound management principles and current industry best practices.

A preliminary review of failed small businesses indicates a common pattern: Lack of attention to the 3Ms of business enterprise: Money, management and marketing. Additionally, many small businesses ignore the business entity concept: The activities of a business should be recorded separately from the activities of the owners. Indeed, the personal activities of a small business owner should be separate and distinct from the activities of the business entity. Many small businesses get into trouble for failure to draw this distinction, particularly with respect to cash flows and uses of cash derived from business operations.

Proposed Programs of Study

There will be seven programs of study at OSAC: The School of Information Technology, the School of Drafting and Design, the School of Electronics Technology, the School of Business Technology, the School of Agricultural Technology, the School of Health Technology and the School of Nursing. The OSAC will impart skills and knowledge that our graduates can use to pursue employment opportunities in today's world.

The OSAC programs of study will blend traditional academic content with applied learning concepts, with a significant portion devoted to practical study in a lab environment. Advisory Councils will comprise of representatives of local businesses and employers that will help each OSAC program periodically assess and update curricula-learning modules, equipment and laboratory design.

Some Strategic Objectives

(1) Beyond the development of human capacity and the building of a continually growing pool of trained workforce, the OSAC will encourage the culture of self-employment and self-reliance for employment and job creation. The ultimate aim of the OSAC will be to encourage the continuous upgrading of our domestic productive processes and capacities and innovation-the adoption of new ways of doing things.

(2) OSAC envisions Financial Literacy seminars under the rubric of Business Technology program that will afford our communities access to income-generating workshops, empowering and reinforcing their self-reliance. Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center with integrated Microfinance programs will provide access to credit, adequate training and cultivating in our graduates the importance of saving and investment.

(3) OSAC plans to provide tools and training to increase farming production at the local level. The Niger Delta Region in general and old Okigwe-Otanzu Otanchara in particular have the natural endowment and the requisite human capital to become the food basket of the South-East. OSAC will encourage community farms where they can implement new techniques and fully mechanized agriculture and industrial food processing.

Prof. James Gaius Ibe, is the Principal-At Large/Chairman, of the Global Group, LLC-Political Economists and Financial Engineering Consultants; and a senior professor of Economics, Finance and Marketing Management at one of the local universities.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_Gaius_Ibe/74593

Is Starting a Business the Right Move For You?

Dream Big

Dream big, work hard, and stay humble are the best words of advice anyone can give you, and self-belief goes a long way. It's okay for young entrepreneurs to have big dreams; don't underestimate what you are capable of. Steve Jobs was only 21 when he co-founded Apple. Don't let the opinions of others impact your future. Don't just think you can do it... KNOW you can do it. Believe in yourself and your dreams. Include others and get help from people you trust, people who have achieved what you want to achieve, to fulfill your dreams.

I'm proud to say that many have helped me along my path, and I've helped many. Without the help of people more experienced than myself, my latest achievement wouldn't have been possible. Many others were a part of my newest project, an e-book about photography, and it's one of my greatest joys to help other dreamers succeed as well. From the business owners and clients I serve, to the talented team I've hired and trained, to other entrepreneurs and friends who are business owners.

Work Hard

Working hard is a relative concept; the hours we work, how hard we work, and the magnitude of what we're trying to achieve are as different as each of us. But "hard work" has a common denominator no matter which way you slice it: how you handle yourself when things go wrong. Because they will. The next best piece of advice anyone can give you is this: be resilient when things get hard. You'll get rejected, over and over again, but don't lose faith in your goals. You may fail in the beginning more than you'll walk the path of success, but if you dream big, work hard, and fight failure, you'll change history by making it better.

Stay Humble

Another one of my favorite nuggets of wisdom: don't be a jerk. This world needs fewer loud mouths. Just stay humble. Most successful people don't take credit for the work they do. Instead, they build up their team or others around them. Ordinary people do change the world; it doesn't matter where you come from, what school you went to, or how you grew up. Don't let anyone ever tell you no as you keep moving your dreams forward, but at the same time, keep a humble attitude on your way to the top and remember that you can always learn, grow, improve, and benefit from the knowledge of others.

Passion

While all of this lofty advice sounds great, your passion for what you love to do is a must. Without it, none of this other stuff matters. Writers, athletes and even scientists, famous or not, love what they do because it's their passion. You have to find yours. Define what you love to do and why you love to do it. Be specific: what do you love about the field you're pursuing? Is it helping people? Is it being creative? Is it the feeling you get when someone responds a certain way to your work? Is it being part of something larger than yourself?

Being a business owner is not about calculating figures, networking, balancing your finances and profit margins. Many successful business owners associate their business with passion and love, even when they face challenges, work long hours, and experience financial difficulty. Things can get scary and tough: your passion is the only thing that will carry you through the turbulence. It's important to not just like what you do; you have to LOVE what you do.

Reevaluate Where You Are

If you are stressed at your job 8 hours a day, you may want to rethink what you are doing professionally. When you are stressed doing what you love, it feels more like 15 minutes of your day versus 8 hours. Being fully invested in something that is your passion and not just filling a role makes time feel different, changes your energy, and makes everything about what you do and how you produce better. Find your niche, whether it's people, a product, or a field. And once you find it, while you'll most likely love the majority of what you do, there may be aspects of the business you don't like.

When we turn a passion into a business, especially when we own that business, we have to wear many hats... some of which are less enjoyable than others. For example, finances and accounting aren't my forte or my passion, but I make sure the stuff I don't like takes up only 20% of my time so that the stuff I love takes up 80%. If these figures are ever flipped, you're doing it wrong.

Ambition or Passion?

Don't mistake ambition for passion. Wanting to advance and striving to get ahead are ambitious qualities. Taking on projects and filling your plate are ambitious. Stepping into unknown territory and taking risks are ambitious. But if ambition isn't fueled by passion, it will be easy to burn out. Your motivation has to be right if you plan to stay the course. Many business owners seem overly ambitious, but honestly they just love what they do. That passion will make you believe in yourself even more, helping you to pursue things you might otherwise be afraid of or not care to. Of course, you have to be smart about it (sometimes an excess of passion can make people reckless), but If you love what you do, you tend to do a lot. That's why you'll be perceived as ambitious.

Finding the One

Finding your passion is a journey in itself. The discovery process is an amazing, transformative experience that you'll look back on with awe. You may not know right now what your passion is, but keep pushing forward and you'll find it. Sometimes passion may find you as well, so let yourself be inspired. Tune in to the things that make you tick, make you think, make you feel.

Most people find their passion by just getting out there and trying different things. Eventually something is going to stick and you'll come up with an idea that you know will work, and you'll love turning it into a new reality for yourself. Finding your passion is like finding your true love. You'll go on many dates and, ten dates later, you'll find "the one."

Redefining Your Goals

What is your life goal? If it's "to get rich," you have the wrong mindset. What do millionaires and billionaires say? When they started out, they loved doing what they did, and the money just happened. You may have to walk away from a secure job and start anew with a lower-paying position or bringing in very little money when you first strike out on your own. But your passion will translate to the faith that carries you through. As long as you maintain a mindset of an inverse ratio of passion to money, you'll be in good shape.

Personally, my passion for and love of photography has made my business more successful than I ever dreamed. I started at the bottom just like everyone else, but I was lucky to have had the same mindset as other successful business owners. Passion is what drives me to always work hard, focus on my business, push forward, improve, serve, and persevere, because I love what I do. If you have a full-time job and it wouldn't be wise to quit and start all over right now, then follow your passion on the side until you can get out. You'll eventually be able to make the jump, and when you do, you'll appreciate the experience that much more.

Hi, I'm Andrew Ludewig, owner of MTI Photography http://www.mtiphotography.com/ and author of Photography: Basics, Business, and Best Practices. I love hearing from other business owners, photographers, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Have you recently started a business or are you thinking about starting one? Need advice on taking the plunge? Join the conversation by commenting or visit my website to contact me anytime. I'd be glad to start a dialogue with you. Until then, do what you love and love what you do. Until next time!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andrew_Ludewig/2279111

Tips For Overcoming Fear And Overwhelm In Your Digital Business

When starting out on your business, the entrepreneurial journey cannot and should not be rushed. It is different for everyone because it's a personal journey.

Often, new entrepreneurs in our community who feel overwhelmed send me little emails asking me "how long I think it will take for them to start seeing some sign of life in their new business"

If you are an entrepreneur and you find yourself often asking this question, know that you are not alone. But asking such questions certainly doesn't help produce your success.

It is such a poor quality question that the best you can possibly get out of this frequency is more overwhelm and self-doubt.

In my little greenhouse this question was presented to me yet again by a new member who just joined our mastermind. She is not a newbie as an entrepreneur and has been struggling her way into success for a long time in her traditional business.

As she now seeks to transition into the online business, she's realizing that those same methods can only produce the same old results, which is a far cry from her heart's desire. The new freedom and success that she would love to enjoy in her digital business is going to require a new mindset.

When she asked me " how long is it going to take?" I told her the same thing I am going to tell you, if that's something you often wonder.

It will take only as much time as is needed for you to manifest the prosperity you desire.

Stop asking such low quality questions! They can only sabotage the goodness that's trying to make its way into your life.

Albert Einstein is among the brilliant minds whose known to place emphasis on asking high quality questions.

If you go to Google and type in a low quality question, you can only receive a low quality answer. All the answers are there, but you will only have access to the answers that come close to your question.

Similarly, if you go to life and ask such low quality questions, you can't possibly expect the highest and best answers to make their way into your experience.

So, do yourself and your business a huge favor and stop sabotaging your incubating success with those negative thoughts. This is why we have meetings in my little greenhouse, because I realized the need to create a space where fellow entrepreneurs can come and feel safe enough to dream, to mastermind and to nurture the seeds they've sown in their business.

Since fear is one of the biggest evils in the world, we must always be on the lookout for the tricks and seductive measures it may use to lure us in.

It isn't that fear is powerful; rather it's our minds that haven't been properly trained and developed.

After many years of poor mental and spiritual diets, our mental muscles are frail and so when we have a big dream, when we go after prosperity and freedom through digital entrepreneurship, we've got to make sure that certain measures are also at hand to help strengthen and develop the right mental attitudes and maintain the right atmosphere.

So if you have been struggling with overwhelm, that's OK just learn to move through it quickly.

If you are the kind of person who feels like you have too many ideas that you don't know which action to take first, that's OK too, just don't allow yourself to become paralyzed by that.

I can't tell you how many people I talk to who feel stuck because they don't know whether to podcast, shoot videos, publish articles, write a book, create a course or do webinar trainings first.

Listen, the choices in the online world are endless, if you get caught up in the hype that marketers sell us each day over "which big thing to do now to gain 1000 subscribers fast" you'll never start anything!

Stop being blown away by the winds of online marketing and start following your own game plan.

Designing your digital lifestyle and living life on your own terms begins with learning to carve out your own best path, not blindly following gurus.

If you struggle with thoughts such as:

• What if I fail?
• What if I become too successful and end up losing my family relationships, friends etc.
• What if more success means more hard work?
• Will things change if I have more money?
• Who am I to really think I can create an online empire.

These are all just patterns of thought that form your paradigms. It is the paradigm that you seriously want to work on so that you can renew your mindset to one that favors the growth and success of your business.

The topic of paradigms and your mind would require an entire lesson of which time doesn't permit here, but I certainly encourage you to check out our website because there's a downloadable complimentary lesson on the mind and paradigms.

For now, here are a few tips that will help

Whenever you catch yourself in that space of overwhelm, self-doubt, discouragement and fear, do the following:

1. Take 6 deep breaths paying close attention to your breathing.

2. Acknowledge the achievements you've made in your life. There are certain things you've accomplished so far, bring those to mind, acknowledge that, and celebrate it.

3. Connect to your vision and ground yourself in that. Reconnect with why you're even choosing this entrepreneurial path. What is your big "why" - and this is where your purpose comes in.

If the driving power for this chosen path isn't something deep, passionate and beautiful, you won't be able to fuel yourself into victory. The right desire is all-important; so make sure you get very clear on yours.

4. From this space of having connected with your vision and falling back into alignment with it, consider what you have now, where you stand, that you can use to move forward.

Learn to start with what you have, where you are, not what you don't have.

Stop seeing what you don't have or what's missing in order for you to move toward your dream and start finding what you've already got working for you. And I will not accept that you don't have anything - there's always something.

We live and move and have our being in the midst of divine intelligence and divine love; there's got to be something no matter how small that you can use now. Ask the divine power breathing you, and He will give you a clue as to what you could use.

5. It's time for inspired action. Take just one baby step action today that will move you toward your vision.

Something that will move you a step closer in the direction of your dream and that desire that you hold in your heart. It doesn't have to be anything big, just make sure it's meaningful, in service to your dream and that you enjoy doing it.

Finally, may I encourage you to just allow yourself to be in the flow of your life and the season that you're in.

If you stop trying to force things to become what they aren't yet ready to be, you'll dissolve many of the aches, pains and frustrations that currently surround you.

Life is perfectly unfolding, divine intelligence is all around you and as long as you do your part to the best of your ability and in true faith, life will always deliver far richer manifestations than you could ever produce through willpower.

Recommended resource: 3 Things That Will Help You Develop A Growth Mindset As An Entrepreneur: http://www.boldbeautifulblissfulu.com/3-things-will-help-develop-a-growth-mindset-as-an-entrepreneur/

Author Janette Getui is the founder of Bold Beautiful Blissful U. Janette is considered the prosperity junkie and she's an internationally published author who helps individuals get breakthroughs that the masses still consider impossible.

With her down to earth, simple and almost childlike approach to spiritual science and new thought teachings, she strives to remind others just like you, that all things are possible for the mind that learns how to tune into the right frequency.

Her personal journey from an uneducated slum child to the digital entrepreneur speaks volumes of what is possible for you, when you learn how to cultivate the right mindset and get bolder.

Visit our main website: http://www.boldbeautifulblissfulu.com

Connect with Janette:@janettegetui

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Janette__Getui/1662232

5 Steps To Take To Ensure Your Degree Certificate Does Not Block Your Financial Success In Life

I strongly believe that you are going to find this article both eye-opening, refreshing, challenging and true because practical research and facts have been considered to ensure that you get to receive help from it.

You will get an epiphany.

Between the lines you will have a revelation like no other and most certainly you can thank me later. If you don't get the revelation, read this post again and again then come and thank me or send a postal mail or email or call using the details provided on this article.

Now to the 5 steps...

But before that, I would love to bring to your attention a true story that will prove useful now and in years to come.

A story is told of a certain African farmer who had 5 acres of land that had a stream at the lower side of the farm full of clean water. Sometime later, this farmer heard of people getting massive amounts of wealth from selling diamonds that they found on their pieces of land and he decided to sell his acres of land to go in search of those precious jewels and become rich.

Several months later, his body was found hanging on a tree because he searched with no luck and he became frustrated which made him decide to take his life.

Back in the farm that this farmer sold, the friend of the new owner came to visit him and upon close scrutiny of his fireplace he saw a large rock that this new owner had put to decorate his fireplace. He looked closer and noticed that this rock was in real sense a diamond in its natural form and in amazement he told the farmer that it was the largest diamond that he had ever seen.

Curious to know how he had come across such a large diamond, this friend asked him where he had found it. The farmer said that he had found it at the stream that was at the lower side of the farm and that there were thousands of other such stones smaller in size strewn all over the bottom of the stream.

True to what the farmer said, they went to the stream and saw them which made them dig up more. They discovered that the diamonds were occupying a whole acre of land, free and clear.

The land originally sold to this new owner was full of the same precious jewels that the previous owner went looking for after selling his land for so cheap a price.

You see, the now dead original owner made a mistake of not first doing his research to know how diamonds looked like when natural and went blindly in search of the elusive jewels whereas his own land had a whole acre of diamonds that would have made him rich beyond his expectations.

This story illustrates how today in the modern world people go in search of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow without knowing that there is no gold there.

Many look at the wrong places instead of first focusing on one thing...

The resourcefulness of their mind that has been given to them for free at no charge.

The mind of man when properly harnessed and equipped can create so much for the owner but it has become the least used resource when people want to get solutions to their problems or situations that are affecting the community.

However, it will no longer be like this to whoever takes action and follows every of the steps outlined in this article and every other resource made available here.

You see, we are in an age of what I would term as learned helplessness whereby many look to jobs and bosses as their only source of provision whereas there would be much more reward if they chose to look beyond the jobs and make use of their freely given minds to get more out of life.

The time of telling children to go to school, get a degree, get a good job, marry, get children, retire and then die is far outdated than the stone age and it is time that those who want more out of life learnt to know that opportunities exist all around us just waiting for that soul that is ready and willing to live beyond the comfort zone of just paying the bills and into a zone of leaning on your edges to do all that you can to create an impact in your environment and beyond.

And so to help you get started on being the best version of yourself and not be hindered from the success that you deserve, below you will find five simple steps that you can take today and come out of learned helplessness which may kill the spark in you.

Step 1: Think Outside The Box

This is a common term and today it will make a different meaning than what you may have ever thought it meant.

You have heard it said that good things come to those who wait?

WRONG!!

Good things come to those who show up and take massive action.

Good things come to those who dare to take action even when everything within them says no.

Good things come to those who invest in themselves without counting cost.

Good things come to those who keep moving on even when the present

circumstances do not give them the motivation or reason to keep moving on.

Good things come to those who have the mentality of an eagle and not that of an oyster. An eagle soars to go look for whatever it wants whereas an oyster is tossed to and fro by the sea waves and eats whatever the ocean brings on its way.

For you to think outside the box, it means that you are willing to keep moving on when everything within you shouts to you to stop.

To think outside the box means you have to be uncomfortable with average.

To think outside the box means that you don't want to forever be chained to a job rather you have in place the strategy to become your own boss before old age starts showing signs of approaching.

There is so much we can say about thinking outside the box but for now let's go to the next step...

Step 2: Increase Your Skills Outside Your Field of Expertise

I will not say much in this but if you ever want to go far in life equip yourself with practical knowledge that is able to inspire you to action.

There are lots of free online courses that are far much better than a university degree that you can take advantage of and learn a skill that is able to finally pay you more than your job.

And if you dare look more keenly, you will find what you seek...

Step 3: Get Entrepreneurial Genes

Most education systems have put millions of people in learned helplessness and made them stick to one line of thinking without knowing that there is so much more outside the comfort zone of a job.

To put it in plain language, never depend on a single source of income: JOB

Leverage your earnings and pocket money to start a side business using part of the little that you get.

Some side businesses need zero capital and others need very little capital.

Learn business skills like market research which will help you know how to identify the needs in the community which you can solve and cash in on them.

Step 4: Don't wait for retirement

A research has been carried out and it has been confirmed that 70% of people are in jobs they hate or work for bosses they hate which in turn has led to poor service and inferior products.

Whoever is reading this article ought not to be in that category because you will get a blueprint of how you can come out or avoid getting into the chains of a job or a boss you loathe.

You need to set goals to retire early and start your own corporation before your strength is gone.

You need to consider getting your hands dirty and start cultivating your own plantation as early as in your 20s or 30s or 40s.

Simply put, don't work for 40 years in a job just to pay the bills, desire much more than that!!

Step 5: Get a Mentor or Mentors

The final step in all this is to ensure that you model somebody who is doing what you desire to be doing.

Mentors make your success come faster than you had anticipated because you learn from their mistakes which saves you time so that you don't make the same mistakes that they made.

Mentors don't need to be meeting you face to face. You can have a mentor who you have never met or will ever meet by interacting with them virtually. Read their books, watch their videos, listen to their audios, follow them on social media and study their thought patterns through their words. And then think as they think.

In conclusion, being just an employee never gave anyone financial freedom and there is need to learn new ways to create your own economy in such a way that despite tough economic times, you can always have various skills and opportunities that you can leverage.

There is so much more within you and you need to activate your success genes by investing in yourself and buying what is able to expand your mind and grow you into a better, more knowledgeable version of yourself.

We would not want you to miss on the chance to have faith in your ability to take action and it is of great importance that you do whatever it takes to ensure that the next 90 days are going to be far much better than the last 90 days.

Life's too short for ordinary.

It is known that 99% of Being a Multimillionaire is Deciding To BE ONE. It's not what you do. It's not how hard you work. It's not even what your "job" is. I have sought to open up a lot of what could otherwise have remained hidden to millions of people and through a step by step guide, there is a blueprint that has been made available for those who want to bet on themselves and take massive action.

Click the link below and let us interact more:

http://www.financiallyfreebeforegraduation.com/the-book/

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Raymond_Comba_Mvuria/2317871

Women Entrepreneurship

'Women entrepreneurship' is like a discipline for a child that begins at home. Women have been entrepreneurs in different ways. A house wife is an entrepreneur as she manages her time, strategizes and plans on ways to secures her children's future, passionate about her home and family and wears so many more different hats for a successful life.

Today, we have given it a name "Entrepreneur" as she steps out into the arena. In today's world, women have scaled greater heights in different industries.

Women entrepreneurs have to find a balance economically and financially both, home front and career. It is always a great idea to be active and inculcate a habit to be part of local networks of women entrepreneurs. This helps to enhance the role of women entrepreneurship, where their self owned business involves directly the policy makers at local, regional and national levels.

Women play a very important and vital role in every aspect of life thereby needs a great balance between work, personal life, family life and social life.

The main reason for most start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures to fail are the operational costs and overheads thereby directly affecting sustainability.

Kinderdance adds its value to increase the awareness of the need to create the appropriate framework conditions, both at national and local levels, to foster and support women's entrepreneurship (measures to facilitate women's access to entrepreneurship, e.g., education and training, facilities to balance work and family life, access to finance, access to networks, etc.). Women entrepreneurs contribute a great deal and can make to local economic and social development.

Women entrepreneurs unlike a struggle before have been accepted and encouraged by extended support from the family and friends. Awareness through media and parents in today's world wanting the best for their children, irrespective of a girl or a boy has helped in increasing numbers of women entrepreneurs. There is a segment though that is still conservative and with the way the Indians are adapting to the western culture, it is not going to be too long to overcome such social pressures.

It is always a great start for any woman who organizes herself and is able to dedicate to it with passion, seek opportunities and aggressively bonds with her decision making. I strongly believe the "Persistence is the key to success. When you are 100% passionate about the product and 10 times more passionate about the business concept, you are in the right direction".

Wadhwani Foundation

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Atul_Raja/2224543

Superior Business Skills

Every major business empire and successful entrepreneur has used seven basic business skills to build their empires. Be it John D. Rockefeller, General Electric, Apple, Microsoft or any other FORTUNE 500 company, these seven skills are the cornerstone for all business and entrepreneurial success.

The seven skill sets of successful entrepreneurs are:

1. Sales
2. Marketing
3. Product Development
4. Raising Capital
5. Negotiation
6. Networking
7. Cashflow Management

The first four skill sets should represent 80-90% of where an entrepreneur needs to invest his time in building his business, especially in the startup phase. Many new entrepreneurs make the nasty habit of focusing on things such as getting office space, office equipment, stationary and even develop the ultimate business plan. Instead, the entrepreneur needs to focus on one thing: creating and keeping a customer. Customers represent sales. Nothing happens until a sale is made. Before that, nothing happens until marketing starts. My business mentor always stressed to me that the entrepreneur must create a customer before creating a product or service.

Product development comes after a market demand is created or met. As a former partner in a publishing company, I worked with authors who wrote the book before starting a marketing campaign. I began to search for what made authors successful with moving units. All successful authors create a campaign as they write the book. In other words, they create a demand by developing a platform. It can be through blogging, social media, interviews or other marketing tools to create a buzz.

Networking is essential to an entrepreneur's success. The successful ones create alliances to build and maintain power. No successful entrepreneur can operate with an emperor's mentality. Even the most powerful needs friends. Negotiation is important to resolve conflicts and discuss possible deals, acquisitions, mergers and takeovers. Part of negotiations is building credibility and trust with the other parties involved at the Round Table.

The final skill set, cashflow management, is the life force of every successful business. If cash is king, then cash flow is God! Effective cash flow management means you are generating enough revenue to meet your fiduciary obligations and responsibilities while having surplus for working capital to invest in the company for growth. Many times, entrepreneurs focus on profit, not realizing that there could be "leakage" in the revenue model. If you're bringing in $1.50 in revenue and $2.00 is leaving in expenses, cash flow is compromised. Cash flow management needs to create a "positive imbalance" in your financial statements.

Master these skill sets, and you can put yourself in the position of a business titan and have an empire of your own.

Chris Johnson is the founder of Liberty Hall Press, Inc. He is a business coach, speaker and architect of the AFRONOMICS program. He intends to publish books on business, self help, entrepreneurship and economics.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Chris_Johnson/2281565