The 3 Ways to Split Your Time to Grow Your Business

Even the most passionate and dedicated business professionals need a break from time to time. You work too hard and too much at one thing and you're sure to burn out. That's why Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer suggests balancing your time

How To Start A Profitable Local Food Packaging Business With As Low As N40,000

Three Leading Industry Players Reveal:

• Hot Selling Products To Package And Make Money From
• How To Do This Business Without Owning Equipment

The Right Way To Build And Sell Simple Websites For Great Profit!

Discover:

• Failure-Proof Path To Generating Income From Few Hours Of Work Making And Selling Simple Websites On The Internet
• Fast Selling And Profitable Websites To Build
• How To Command High Price For Your Websites

The Right Way To Handle Your Business Accounts

 I want to dedicate this write-up to Alhaji Raheem A. Adejumo of blessed memory. He’s responsible for the insight that made it possible for me to have a

How This Entrepreneur Went From Trailer Park to Partners With Facebook in a Year

March 25, 2015 was a day that Jeremy Greene will never forget. It was the day Mark Zuckerberg went all-in on his company.

At Facebook’s F8 developer conference, Zuckerberg announced the latest iteration of Facebook Messenger. It included a direct integration of PingTank, the social-media app Greene created that lets users customize photos with animation overlays. Overnight, PingTank was on 600 million mobile devices. The app is regularly touted by celebrities like Tyga, Akon and Mel B., and is backed by legendary venture capitalist Tim Draper.

It’s a story torn from the script of The Social Network: Brilliant software engineer goes from reject to red carpet after his app takes the world by storm.

Except for one tiny detail. Make that several tiny details.

Jeremy Greene isn’t an engineer. He barely graduated high school. He grew up in Waterville, Maine, not Silicon Valley. And a year before the F8 announcement, he was living in a trailer park, on his last five borrowed dollars. He spent his formative years lost in the foster system. “They took me away because my mom couldn’t care for me and put me in a kid’s shelter,” Greene says of his troubled upbringing.

Despite his struggles, he conceived, built and launched PingTank -- and then sold Facebook on his vision -- without spending a day in the shoes of the tech elite.

Greene’s meteoric rise from Salem’s Lot to Silicon Valley was achieved through extraordinary hustle and deathless determination, irresistible salesmanship and a team he hired of mad geniuses who work and live out of the “PingTank mansion” in Hollywood (not Silicon Valley)—where the team’s latest marketing stunt involved Greene getting “arrested,” a helicopter and an impromptu performance by Tyga.

His speed, unconventionality and boldness make him dangerous to competitors and have brought in millions in venture capital for the young company. His latest move? He made 12-year-old Sammy Parsley PingTank’s VP of youth marketing. It’s just one example of how Greene acts instantly on things you’ll see everyone else hesitate at.

 “Jeremy is a force of nature who creates value out of thin air and runs through brick walls that stop others in their tracks. And that’s exactly the kind of person investors like me like to back,” says Rafe Furst, co-founder of Crowdfunder and a PingTank investor.

The school of hard knocks

Jeremy’s hustle, salesmanship and knack for leveraging star talent came from some lessons learned in the school of hard knocks. When he was 15, his mother relinquished her possession of him to the state. He tried to run away and the state put him in juvenile prison.

“You’re in your boxers in a room with no windows that’s freezing cold and smells like piss,” says Greene.

When he got out of juvie, a series of positive role models helped him get an education (he’s the first in his family to graduate high school) and move into his own place. He started working on his lifelong dream: music. “I realized music was my only way out, and I started using technology to get there,” Greene says.

His timing was perfect. Before the days of 10-second messages and live-streaming video, MySpace was king, especially among musicians and their fans. So Greene started creating music and uploading it to the social-networking site. His popularity grew fast -- a little too fast. People started distributing his music illegally instead of paying for it. One day, he confronted a hacker who was giving his tracks away.

“The hacker said, ‘Look, I’m actually helping you. I’m putting your music out into the world,’” Greene says.

Most people would thrash back. But Greene was hustling to survive; he wanted the most exposure possible.

“I asked him, ‘If you can hack my page, can you also hack MySpace?’” The answer was yes. Greene convinced the hacker to promote his already popular music further by gaming the MySpace algorithm. In one of those anecdotes that seems less strange the more you get to know Greene, MySpace didn’t shut him down; they offered him a record deal.

“MySpace said, ‘We know you’re hacking us, but we don’t know how, and we can't prove it. But your music is so good, we’d like to sign you,’” Greene says. He met with the head of MySpace’s record label, and walked out with a deal.

What followed was massive popularity on the social-networking site and a record deal with mega-producer Diddy, who found Greene through the site. Greene soon was collaborating with will.i.am, Pitbull, Chris Brown and LMFAO.

But the success didn’t last. He parted ways with his record label and, eventually, went broke. His friends stopped calling. And prospective record deals dried up. He couldn’t afford his own place, so a friend bankrolled his rent at a trailer park while he worked on revitalizing his music career.

“I just knew there was something bigger for me,” Greene says, when asked why he didn’t just quit. “I knew something would eventually happen if I kept going.”

He was right. Something did happen. Greene saw a movie about the world’s youngest billionaire.

Building a better social network

Greene and his longtime friend (now PingTank CTO) Derek Myska watched The Social Network late one night in 2012 and realized they’d found their rocket ship.“ After watching The Social Network, I instantly knew we had to build something,” Greene says. He went to bed that night on fire with the idea of starting his own company—and woke up with the idea for PingTank fully formed after having a dream about it, he says.

PingTank was born. Greene envisioned it as a new way for people to communicate. While users could "like" content on Facebook, there weren’t many creative ways for them to vividly express themselves through photos. PingTank wanted to change that. The app allows users to choose from hundreds of animations and lay them over photos on Facebook Messenger, iOS, Android and apps like Instagram. Users can “ping” the creation (the app’s version of the “like” button) or “tank” it if they dislike the photo.

Myska, who has a computer-science degree, built the app. Greene, already a master promoter, sold it along with their third co-founder Christopher Dawes, who did event promotion. PingTank attracted 2,500 users in the first few weeks after launch through an email list Greene had from his MySpace days. And that’s when the trio knew they were onto something.

There was just one problem: They were all broke.  Success wasn’t just the best option, it was the only option.

Salvation came in an unlikely form. Greene connected with acclaimed music producer Lars Halvor Jensen on, of all things, Facebook by cold messaging him about his producing career. They bonded over music and set up a Skype call to talk further.

“The first time I Skyped with Lars, I’m sitting wrapped in a blanket,” Greene says. “He asked me what was going on, and I told him I had nothing.” Greene’s heat in his trailer had been turned off, and he couldn’t pay to turn it back on. Jensen immediately sent him money to survive.

The music producer didn’t just invest in Greene, he invested in PingTank. He’s now the company’s President and CFO. With Jensen on board and cash in the bank, Greene turned his sights on a man he knew could turn his social-network dream into a Silicon Valley reality.

'You’re probably looking at the founder of the next Facebook.'

In one of his trademark bold moves, Greene cold emailed legendary venture capitalist Tim Draper. He got Draper’s email by reverse engineering his secretary’s email address and plugging in Tim’s name instead of hers.

Just 20 minutes later, Draper invited him to come pitch the company in-person at his entrepreneur accelerator program, Draper University.

There was only one problem: The pitch was happening the next day in Palo Alto, Calif.

“I told Lars that Tim wanted to meet with us. The very next day.” Greene says. “And we were on the other side of the country in Maine. But Lars said, ‘You get one shot.’ We had nothing: no presentation and barely a website.”

Jensen stayed up all night writing a business plan and putting his own unique spin on their pitch to appeal to Draper’s unconventional ways. (For example, he has had people do jumping jacks or give high-fives before pitching.)

The PingTank mascot was a penguin, so Jensen rented a penguin costume and picked Greene and Myska up from the airport wearing it (nearly getting arrested by airport security in the process). They drove straight to where Draper was, and wearing a penguin suit Jensen stood beside Greene as he pitched one of the world’s most prominent venture capitalists in front of a room of young entrepreneurs.

“I told my story, that I had just come from a trailer. I was honest,” says Greene. The team’s passion, honesty and commitment to standing out from the crowd paid off. 

“When I was done, Tim turned to everyone in the room and said ‘You’re probably looking at the founder of the next Facebook,’” Greene recalls.

Draper should know. He passed on an early opportunity to invest in Facebook. But he didn’t make the same mistake with PingTank. He invested right after Greene’s pitch.

“I told Tim, ‘I don’t need your money, I need you.’ I knew that once I had Tim, I could get everybody,” says Greene. He meant it. With Draper as an investor, Greene sold everyone from celebrities to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (thanks to Draper’s connections) on the app.

Most seem to see what Draper does. “PingTank has the potential to allow a whole new brand of communication,” he says.

Draper’s involvement was just the beginning. PingTank has raised $2.2 million to date, has 17 employees and boasts over a million users.

Not everyone, however, is bullish on the company. One investor who passed on the company, Zachary Zeldin, said he isn’t sold on the company’s vision.

“We don’t believe that the influencers and partnerships that [PingTank is pursuing] will be as large of a driving force as [PingTank is making] them out to be,” Zeldin says.

It’s a valid concern. But it’s not slowing down Jeremy Greene or his vision for the company.

Greene has been the voice of the company since the beginning but that role is taking on new meaning. He’s rebooting his music career as a way to promote PingTank. He’s launching concerts on college campuses to spur student adoption of the app. He will also soon be rolling out a Snapchat competitor called ReallyYo. Like everything Greene does, you can be sure it’s going to be big.

After all, Greene did his time in the foster system and the trailer park. Now that those are behind him and the chains are off, he’s moving at a pace that makes even Silicon Valley look slow.

Culled From Entrepreneur.com

7 Truths Every Millionaire Knows About Business

When I walk into a store, I always tell the salespeople, "Sell me something."

Especially when I love the store. At Samsonite, the luggage retailer, I expected superior service. My needs were basic. For my international flight to Austria, I needed a garment bag that I could carry onto the airplane.

The saleswoman was too busy talking with her girlfriend. She paid little attention to my needs, even when I told her to "Sell me something." When I found the garment bag by myself, I asked her about the dimensions to see if it would fit on the airplane as 'carry-on' luggage. Of course, I would never buy a carry-on bag that I couldn't 'carry-on' the airplane.

I needed to know the length, width, and height of the garment bag. That's all.

My saleswoman affirmed that the garment bag was ideal for a carry-on. She told me that she's been working there for 10 years and all of her customers loved the bag, especially as a carry-on. I fully believed her. After all, she's been with the company for 10 years. 

Delighted, I bought the bag for a great price. As I walked down the mall, I went to another luggage store and listened to a woman give me an excellent sales pitch on her luggage. She complimented my current bag, but assured me that it wouldn't fit as a carry-on. Dumbfounded, I checked the facts online.

She was right!

On Amazon.com, it confirmed that my bag was too big. I went back to Samsonite and asked for a refund. The saleswoman argued with me and reluctantly gave my money back. Her girlfriend was grinning from a distance as she rocked back and forth in her seat with the attitude of an impatient chimpanzee at the zoo. 

"Ma'am, do you have a tape measure?" I asked. She ought to check the size, I thought. "I don't carry that on me," she said. After 10 years of working with luggage, I thought she would. Neither did she have a pen when I had to sign the receipt to return the merchandise. Nonetheless, she still scoffed at me as I walked out of her store. Her girlfriend did laugh too.

I believe this way of doing business is unacceptable. 

From that experience, I'm honored to share with you seven truths every millionaire knows about business:

1. Know Your Numbers

Every season, I buy suits. I know my size in every conceivable way (including European sizes). When I ask the salesman to "Sell me something," he better measure me and tell me exactly what size I am. If he comes out with something that is three sizes too big, I'm leaving immediately.

Surprisingly, a vast number of business people don't know their facts and figures. You must know your prices and dimensions of everything you offer. If you're branding yourself as an expert, you better have superior knowledge about your industry. It's easy to learn about everything that you offer. When information is present, feast on it, even when no one else is making proper use of it.

2. Know Your Tools

I bought three dress shoes yesterday from a remarkable salesman. He offered me a "shoe-horn," which is an excellent tool to help you slip on your shoes. At fine restaurants, I receive immeasurable joy when the host "checks" my coat in the closet. I am also astonished when the server uses a "crumb-catcher" when I finish the courses before my main entree. 

Many of us have the right tools available for our business. However, we need to learn how to use them with excellence. You don't have to know everything about your tool and its history; you just have to know how to use it. When you dazzle your clients with the tools which you've mastered, they will applaud you to the bank. Trust me, I'm a master of the microphone. 

3. Know Your Time

My personal trainer is stupendous when it comes to his time-management skills. Every time we train, he's always done exactly at 60 minutes, with precision. I'm often amazed at how he does it, especially since he keeps me so busy that I don't have the time to check the clock myself!

Those who know their time will be able to control their schedules. If you're always running late on the services that you offer, you don't have the right to increase your business. Conversely, those who master the clock will have the power to master serving all of their clients with the utmost diligence. 

4. Know Your Energy

As I prepared to eat my mouth-watering lobster, a clumsy server started to "sell me" on why he was the best server in the restaurant (he wanted me to come back to him on my next visit). As he continued his speech, while catching his breath, he told me why the other servers were slow and why he made the most money on his shift.

Verily, this man was deceiving himself in unprecedented ways. He thought that running back and forth kept him busy and earned him more money. However, the exact opposite was true. Despite being young, he ran out of steam each night because of his misdirected energy. This made him serve in a sloppy manner. Working harder will never beat working smarter. 

5. Know Your Personnel

I personally have an army of aides who help me do my work successfully. My editor, Maureen, is top-notch at what she does. If I handed her this article, which I did, she would flip it to me error-free within 24 hours. My lawyer, Chris, will get me an answer within a few hours if I ever needed his help. It only takes a few clicks or dials to know everything in the world.

Knowing your personnel can help you to create an impeccable business. If you have the right people aligned with your business model, you will be unstoppable. Every area in your business demands expertise and you must put the best people in place. Always pay your people top dollar if you can, lest they leave you unexpectedly 

6. Know Your Money

Most "professionals" don't know what's in their bank accounts. They know within the hundreds of dollars, but not pennies. Everyone in our society gets charged with fees that they never even realize. As they go along with their lives, they're getting ridiculous fees from products and services that they rarely, if ever, utilize. 

When you know your money, you'll grow your money. You should know exactly how much you earn, spend, and save. You must always seek to have a surplus at the end of every month. If you do, your profits will increase by incalculable measures. Knowing your financial affairs is the surest ways to become wealthy.

7. Know Your Customer

I saved the best for last. Your real boss is your customer. They pay you. In fact, all the money that you will ever receive will come from other people, so you better take care of them. Ensuring that your customer is satisfied should be your highest priority. 

You'll also want to go the extra mile when you can. Use people's names, over-deliver on your promises, understand their deepest, long-term needs. These are the simple elements that must be acknowledged if you want to succeed in business. No matter what industry you're in, knowing your customer is the best and most effective way to increase your business. Ask your customer.

Which of these truths do you need to learn more about in your business?

Culled from Entrepreneur.com

Why Fashion Design Business Is Really Hot Right Now!

Animasaun Aderayo,creative director @ De'rayo

The fashion business never runs out of existing, and that is because human beings basically love fashionable items and will continue to buy them.

As long as one can be creative, they can continue to churn out different products and keep their customers for life.

To give an insight into this huge and highly lucrative industry, SuccessDigest met with two successful fashion designers recently and they didn’t hold anything back on how the business works, and how to exploit the unlimited opportunities available.

They are:
Mrs. Modupe Agboola, Owner of Emanuelher styles. She has been in the fashion business for about 5 years now, and says that being a fashion designer is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

And Animashaun Aderayo, a Creative Director at De’rayo. She studied entrepreneurial and business management at the Nigeria National Open University. She has a passion for African prints and is fully into the production of sweet fashion and leather works combined with Ankara to make shoes, bags and accessories.
Enjoy our discussion with them:

What led you into fashion business?
Modupe says, “I will say it’s my passion for the art, because before now I was into business of buying and selling, that I was doing very well, and at times I will just feel this sense of unfulfillment  and it wasn’t making me look at myself despite the money I was making in the business, to have achieved anything. I was always thinking that I could do more even with my passion for creative things.

“Fashion has always been on my mind, when I newly completed my senior secondary school certificate exams, I told my mom that I wanted to learn about fashion design, that I was not really interested in going into the higher institution of learning, that I was ok with my SSCE, that I was just going to learn the fashion thing for the mean time but she insisted that I have to further my education, that if I start now I will not want to go back to continuing my higher learning.

“So I heeded to her wish and I went to further my schooling, and after school I got married and somehow I started business. After I had my last child, I had to go and enroll for training in a fashion school because it was just too obvious that I can do more than the trading business I was already doing successfully. And fashion has to do with art, if you are a lover of art, until you express yourself that push to it will always be there.

“Even though at school I studied marketing, but art and fashion were just a gift and passion that I have and I wanted to express it, so after the training I went ahead to start. And as I progressed in the art of fashion, I kept imagining how I could always do things differently, how to improve what has been done. Most times, my imagination may look impossible, more often than not, I have always achieved my imaginations because in fashion anything is possible.”

Animashaun says, “It is all about what your heart goes for, I have always loved fashion and all that goes with it, so after my studies I did a few of product marketing but at some point I decided to follow my passion instead of going about marketing other people’s products, I said let me employ myself. That was how I started, I took interest in the fashion world, how I can contribute to that industry, and my passion for it, to see that my works is loved and accepted by all and the determination to keep that dream alive.

“I can say that some of the things I learnt in school have also helped in managing the business till date. I started with 10,000 Naira. If you have the capital fine, but if not start with little that you have, the business will keep growing once you cultivate the habit of putting the profit back into the business.

“Why most business don’t grow after starting small is that they fail to reinvest the profit back into the business, they don’t want to delay gratitude, you must delay gratitude if you must grow your business, don’t eat your profit just like that.”

What do I need to start or go into the business of fashion, making stuff with Ankara or other fabrics?
Modupe says, “The very first thing you need to have is the passion for the trade or business, passion is so important that if you are not passionate about this business, you will soon be frustrated by your very customers, when issues come and it will definitely come, because it is not easy meeting the needs of man, it is that passion that will keep you going.

“Then you need to be trained, you need to be taught, you need the knowledge, and you need the knowhow. Training can help you really discover your passion, help you develop stamina for the business. Then after training, you need to start work, you need to begin practice in real-time the things you have been taught, to begin to do it the way you were taught and redo it another way, and another way.

“Your creative mind has to be seen in all your works, don’t just do it the same old way, do something different, and a little different. While you are training, you will only get a little, don’t expect to know all through that period of training, the real training starts when you have stared out on your own because it is while you have started that you can really tell that you are creative and that you can do it, when you are alone, when nobody is watching you, when nobody is giving you ideas. And in fashion, we keep learning every day, so to think that you have arrived after your few months of training will lead to your failure in the business.

“Find a place to start, I did start from our home because I was already in business making money, it wasn’t difficult for me to buy one sewing machine which I started with, if you are wise and smart you could raise the money to start on your own while you are still training just in case it will be difficult or you will not find the money to get at least a sewing machine when you are ready to start.

“It is not compulsory that you must rent a very big shop or even a small one, as far as I am concerned, a sewing machine, a pair of scissors and a measuring tape, and you are good to start. And with N15, 000 you can get these three items and start work and as you grow you are enlarging, it is a gradual process, fashion business is not something that needs so much capital to start, that is if you don’t have it, but the truth is, it is good to start small, so that the mistakes you will make at the beginning will be small too.

“Another thing that is very crucial is your mind; you have to deal with your mindset to know that you are sure of what you are doing and have this mentality of I can do it, because what kills most businesses is the negative mindset owners have towards their business.

“Still talking about the training, it is based on what the individual wants, like when I got my own training it was all about fashion. I was trained for about six months, but you may want to extend or reduce the training period. It also depends on how smart you are able to grab the things you are taught, I am very sure no master or trainer will want to send out a half baked student, it will definitely speak some days.

“You may just say I want to learn only the accessory aspect of fashion or everything, but some trainers may not be able to give you everything as in both the Ankara and other fabric accessories in addition to the main fashion design, so you may have to learn them at separate places.”

Animashaun says, “The very first step is to have interest in designing and it will raise lots of questions such as, “How do I go about making designing? “You have to get trained, the N10, 000 I had was used to acquire the knowledge. You can enroll into a fashion school or learn from a shoe and bag designer that is very creative.

“The basic thing you need is a sewing machine because the training process takes you through how to make flat shoes, slippers and sandals, all kinds of bags and different accessories, how to cut and sew, how to combine colours and how to know best and quality fabrics, etc.
 
“Then after the training you move to what do I need regarding the materials and equipments? Now, if you don’t still have the money to buy all these things, you can start with other people’s money, how? Advertise yourself as a fashion designer and with special treats in finishing your accessories with Ankara to friends and before you know it someone will give you money to make one. Don’t wait until you have all the millions of naira before you start.

“At the place of your training you would have had an idea of what to charge and where to get the materials needed cheaply, so, you get to work, once that first job is delivered neatly, and the customer is satisfied, you have just gotten a business. And from that profit, you could make another one you want to market to another person or someone is already interested and made a deposit, and you completed the job from that profit, you get you full money after job was delivered.

“From there you start to build the business, I can assure you if you are determined to own a business and you keep putting back, if not all but a larger percentage of your income into that business, before you know what is happening that dream to own a business will just come to pass.

“And because you are also passionate about the business this will help you through tough times because all occupations have their hazards, but determination keeps you moving till you are successful.”

What are the things you can do with Ankara or any other fabrics?
Modupe says, “You can do a lot with fabrics generally; the Nigerian fashion industry has really promoted the use of Ankara fabrics even in the international market. We can make Ankara bangles, Ankara journals, Ankara ipad case, Ankara necklace; Ankara earrings, Ankara bible cover, Ankara shoes, Ankara bags and purse, Ankara wrist watch, Ankara paintings curtains and window blinds, etc and these are hot selling items in the market place.

“Ankara painting is very unique and trendy now, what we used to do before is to embellish the fabrics with beads, stones and what we call embroidery, but now fashion has gone one step further than those stuffs, there are fabric paints that are designed for painting on fabric to create designs not just on Ankara but also on lace, denim, and Jeans materials that will change the look of that fabric.
“At this point, the art sense in you will have to come to play, but you have to learn it and be creative with the way you go about the paintings. When I first came in contact with someone painting fabric, I was like is this real? So I branched in to make enquiries and eventually I went to get that knowledge from her, it cost me N80, 000 for 3months training.

“The beauty about this fabric painting is that you don’t even have to know how to sew, just get a tailor to sew the dress for you, all you need is the knowledge of the painting, and be creative in your designs and package your stuff to sell. In fact, that is what the woman that trained me does. You will not find one sewing machine in her shop, but you will always meet her painting with enough jobs to do.

“The painting is for both male and female dresses, in fact, there is this woman I know that paints only for children, and with hand wash you can manage these fabrics such that they cannot spill or wash away in colour. The colours are high quality fabric paint that will last as long as the fabric last. And you can charge even more because it is unique and if your design blows their mind, your bank account will be rising as well.

What will you consider as challenges in this business and how have you been able to overcome them?
Modupe says, “The very first challenge I had was the lack of electricity, because almost every bit of fashion needs electricity, lack of electricity was a major challenge I had then but, thank God that has become a thing of the past now, because the power supply has improved.

“Another challenge is yourself, your mind, you must be able to determine within you that you can do it, you must be positive about what you want to do.

“Been able to manage your time is also an issue, if you can’t really put time to the things you want to do per day, you won’t get anything done. And you need time to keep practicing every day. In fact one day my husband complained that he regretted that I went to learn fashion and I asked why? He said because he does not have my attention again, then I said I’m sorry, but I have learnt the trade already it cannot be taken away now, that I will adjust. It was going to be a very serious issue, but thank God we have crossed that level.

“Another very serious challenge are your customers, you must know how to manage your customers because they are in different level of understanding, and different character. There are some customers that will ask for something very simple and they are ready to pay you anything for if. And there are also some that will come and describe heaven on earth kind of style, but to pay the money will become an issue.

“So you must understand the different kind of customers you have and be able to manage them, they are the reason why you are in business, understand their temperament and be able to satisfy them accordingly. This is why your passion for the business is very crucial because when some unhappy customers get to you, insult you or even cheat you, you may feel like quitting but if the passion is there, you will remain focus and understand that this one will soon come and go.

“I have heard from some of my colleagues who have parked out because they couldn’t cope with the pressure and heat from their customer and because the market is very competitive, it is very easy for you to lose all you customers over one unhappy customer, so we must mind our customers.”

Animashaun says, “Financial constraints and lack of manpower, the needed funds in starting and running the business are challenges, but if you are so determined and you follow the things I shared earlier you will be able to overcome the financial challenge because you need cash to always get materials from the market. I was able to overcome that by being a shrewd business woman, the profits I was making was put back into the business.

“Most Nigerians are money oriented, they are not driven by passion so they are not experts at what they do, so it becomes usually difficult to employ artisans in Nigeria, but over time I have been able to get a few guys that are ready to do what you ask them to do after series of training them to know what you want from them, and some after they have learnt they feel they can be their own boss too, they just leave, what do you do? You try to get someone else to do the job.”

Will you say that fashion business is lucrative?
Modupe says, “Of course yes, and in all ways because while I was still in the business of buying and selling I was really making money, I was selling condiments, pure water, frozen foods, and kerosene in retails. I had a very big tank then, and because of my location in the heart of Agege market in Lagos, that business was really booming, I have different big shops for each of them.

“Like I said, I was prospering and the business was flourishing, I just knew that I was not fulfilled within, the cash flow was great, but you cannot touch your capital, but the cash flow in the fashion business was not as fantastic as the other business. But I can get a customer to pay let’s say N8, 000 for skirt and blouse and I will spent less than 30% of that money to complete the job, the 70% is up to me to spend, another customer will come again, the knowledge is in my head. I can’t spend it but in the other business it is not so, you have boundaries if you must continue in that business.

“A business that you make between 70 and 80% profit is very lucrative, and a business that you determine how much you make and spend without boundaries, I love this business. “

Animashaun says, “What you charge can vary from one location to the other because if you decide that you want to target the international market, what is charged locally may not work for you, so you charge based on one, your target market’s buying power, quantity, and design.

“We sell a purse for N2, 000 and it will cost about N900 to produce that purse, so you have a profit of N1, 100, for male shoes, we sell N6, 000 and it cost about N3, 500 to produce, you have a profit of N2, 500; we sell earrings, bangos and bracelets for N500 each, which cost N250 to produce. That is, you are making minimum of 80% returns for each product that is produced.”

How do you get customers?
Modupe says, “My customers are my friends, I am a very social person and because I was in business before, I have made most of my customers my friends and they love my work, and because I try to be creative in my work, I cannot sew 10 dresses for you and you will find similarity, all my dresses are unique unless you specifically ask for same pattern and design.

“If you treat them well they will not only come back, they will come back with others, that is what I do, you can never come to me and leave angrily, whatever the issue is we must settle it, because we must have some misunderstanding, but they must be resolved.

“It is also the passion that I have for the business that have kept me doing things that whao my customers for these past 5years.”

Animashaun says, “We get customers through referrals from satisfied customers, and because we have a factory that does mass production for other designers we are constantly busy, we don’t only service individuals we also service other designers and marketers that resell our products.

“We produce for designers, our major target markets are people between the ages of 16 and 65 and we reach them through social media, including Facebook, Instagram, market hubs, dealdey and konga. Our customers are everyone who wears shoes, and uses bags and accessories. Our primary target is Nigeria, Africa, and eventually the whole world.”

Final word to would be fashion designers
Modupe says, “You cannot just wake up one morning and decide that you want to go into fashion business, you must have passion for it, because if you don’t you might still be in the business but you can be sure you are not where you should be. You might be stagnated and limited, it is the passion that will keep driving you.

“You must keep learning everyday because the industry is still growing in Nigeria, so there is need to be innovative and creative, research and discover better and unique ways of satisfying your customers on a regular basis, give yourself targets and endeavor to meet these targets.”

Animashaun says, “Fashion industry in Nigeria is still evolving and has come a long way, there are more areas to explore and leverage on that have not received enough attention. The future is very bright for anyone interested to come into the industry now. 5years from now I see our stores opening nationwide.”

Culled From SuccessDigest!!!

Building A Business Around Your Passion

I’ve seen several “ordinary people” who have taken a hobby that they love and transformed it into a viable business venture. When they come to me for advice on starting a business, they often express how they don’t feel satisfied with their current career and are searching for more satisfying work. Though the entrepreneurial desire is there, many lack clarity about what they really want to do.

4 Simple Steps To Turn Something You Love Into A Viable Business
Your Product
Brainstorm all the different ways to create a business around what you love. You have a wealth of knowledge inside of you that you can monetize in several ways. Consider why people come to you for advice. What information do you possess that can be refreshed, repackaged, remodelled, reinvented and rebranded?

Your Promotion Plan
Create a portfolio by putting together samples of your work. If you offer a cleaning service, create a coupon to clean one room free. Don’t be afraid to give away free services or products. Prospects like samples to see if they really want what you’re offering.
Next, secure your business name, get business cards, and start thinking about your website. You will need an online presence to grow quickly.

Your Platform
Who do you see buying your product or service? Write down a full, detailed description of your ideal client. Create a client avatar: give them a name, age and personal style. Consider what they read, where they go, who they spend time with, and what they value. Then go make friends with your ideal customer. Network with people daily and let them know what you’re doing. You can do this easily with online social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.

Proven Process
Most dreams fall short between what to do and how to do them. That’s why getting help from a coach can provide you with the business wisdom and blueprint you need to succeed. These proven processes not only save you a lot of time, money and frustration, they also help build your confidence to keep going.

5 Qualities You Need For Startup Success
There are a few skills you need to have, or need to cultivate, in order to succeed as an 21st century entrepreneur.
Here they are, in no particular order:

Determination: You have to cultivate a mindset of ruthless determination. When you do, you’ll not only succeed in business, but you’ll also dramatically improve your life. You’ll bump into a lot of problems, and you’ll want to give up, but those that succeed keep going, and they don’t let anything hold them back.

Delegation: You have to learn to delegate what you’re not good at. Design and technical stuff frustrates me, so I pay someone to take care of them. It doesn’t have to be expensive if you’re smart. It’s all about finding ways to make things easy for you, so you can focus on your strengths.

Pragmatism: You have to be practical in business. If you’re not getting the results you want, something has to change. Leave your ego at the door. Forget about what might work and learn what does work. Learn from people who get results.

Action: While I think learning is great, there comes a time when it becomes irrelevant. At some point you have to stop buying courses and reading more books. You have to apply what you’ve learned to get real results. You have to constantly ask yourself what you can DO with what you’ve GOT.

Focus: This is YOUR business. You’re not here to play around. You’re here to create value and sell that value to the right people. Learn what tasks bring in revenue, make customers happy and make your life better, then perfect those.
Work with these ideas and you are on your way to building a successful business around your passion.

-------SuccessDigest

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