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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Laykaysax - Leke Obasan #inthespiritofenterprise

 Hello fam! It's been a while. A lot has been happening and now I feel like an octopus with many legs or is it hands now, hehe. I now co-host the SME business Platform show on Inspiration FM! Yaay me. So between that and the enterprise radio show, I get to meet and chat with loads of interesting people. These people remind me that there is hope, it is not all bad!

It pays to follow your heart, let us not dwell on the negativities in the news, from what I have seen, you can make it anywhere. You just need to overcome your fear, believe in yourself and surround yourself with the right people. People who motivate you, complement you and tell you the truth when you need to hear it.

So trust me, I have a huge line up of inspiring entrepreneurs to showcase and I can't wait. Today we'll start with Leke Obasan. It is not a lie that your talent will make room for you. Whatever it is you are good at, cherish and develop it, one day it would be your gift to the world and you would never be poor again......

Enjoy.

Tell us about yourself

I am a young Nigerian who grew into being a saxophonist, second child of three children, spent all my formative years in Ogun State, graduate of animal production and health, what else? Okay, I am not tall, I am dark, I like to think of myself as almost good looking when I am in a good mood.

Tell us about your business

My business!! I am a Professional Saxophone player, on the surface what I do is just thrill people at events, make people kiss themselves legally *smiles* enhance moments, create moments, make people dance, bring memories and also create them, I could go on and on, but I will wait for your call. 

I like to call myself a Music Service Provider, I fill the needs of entertainment at events, even when I don't play, I could script out music for your event and ensure you have a perfect blend of music, seamless transition of songs, so when there are multiple performances or you have a Dj and a live band, I make sure there is no single issue in their transition and also ensure they are playing what suits the moment, I ensure you have the right sound system, not some multi colored black with a sound cone in it.




What inspired you to pursue music full-time? 

Well, I just never saw any other thing, so I could rephrase the question to what can motivate you out of music? At a time I used to think a lot of money somewhere else could have done that until I proved myself wrong. I find utmost satisfaction here and I smell some really plenty money sometime soon.




Did your family support this?

The support was not there from the beginning, I have heard stuffs like I sent you to school to read and you are playing sax all around the school. Sometime back in school days that I brought Cobhams +CAMP NIGERIA to school and we had more than a thousand people in attendance and my mum was there too, that sorted that part, then similar situations made my Dad become more than enthusiastic.

Why did you choose the saxophone?

Again I can't give a reason, I'll say the saxophone found me, funny right? I play an array of other instruments but the day we found ourselves, I told myself something. Right now the saxophone is the main chic whilst others are ......



What main challenges have you faced in this line and how did you overcome them?

Usual challenges. Having the patience to go through the process, been going through the phases one by one, sometimes I feel like I can't hold on again, but I also self motivate, use some friends who we do the same thing and are successful to tell myself its only a little while. Then I keep going and fire again.

How would you summarize your journey so far?

Intriguing, challenging, tasking but also rewarding.

Given the chance will you do this again?

Absolutely Yes!!! I want to make you blush like "who suck blood" now.

What advice do you have for others looking to pursue professions similar to yours?

Just keep going even in the face of discouragements, let discouragement feel bad, be self motivated and finally never get complacent.


www.laykaysax.com
YouTube channel (laykaysax)
Instagram @laykaysax

You can view some of his videos here



Vivek Pasi the passionate engineering artist #inthespiriofenterprise

This is not the usual entrepreneur showcase. Vivek doesn't even do this as a business. But I saw one of his sketches of +Kennedy Adetayo one day and I just had to ask , who did this?! He told me a young engineering undergraduate he met on instagram did it for him.

I have a soft spot for engineers, then this engineer has this great talent and he is passionate about it! Whaat! I told Kennedy I had to have a chat with him. He connected us and the rest is history. He didn't hesitate to send me all the pictures of the work he's done so far. I just couldn't help but wonder how he keeps the balance with this great gift and school, engineering school for that matter. 

Here's a summary of our chat. I hope this inspires someone.....

Enjoy.


Tell us about yourself

My name is Vivek Pasi and I belong to India. By education I'm an Engineering graduate in Electronics and Communication & Engineering.

Tell us about your passion for art

I don't Draw/Paint for business, it's just a hobby cum passion of mine. When I was a kid I used to sculpt ( Making statues of clay of our Gods and colouring them afterwards ( that was no business but fun)) and that's how I started trying my hands on painting/drawing and also one of my bad habit as a kid was to draw random stuff on the back side of my notebooks. So I'd say that these were the few things what actually brought me into drawing.

How have you maintained a balance with your engineering school work?

Well honestly I haven't been able to do much with my drawing skills and that's because I haven't been able spend much time with drawing because of studies and stress but these days I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with drawing.

I had left drawing because of engineering for a few years then It's been hardly a few months I came in to Instagram where I came across really good artists from around the world that actually gave me a boost and forced me to draw and eventually I sat and drew a few things and posted them on Instagram where people actually appreciated my art skills and that's what encouraged me a lot and forced me do draw more.

What role has social media played in getting your work recognized? How has this helped you?

+Kennedy Adetayo  (@ 4qhen) was one of my few followers at the beginning who actually appreciated my work and asked me to draw him and that's when I felt that people actually believe that I have got skills to draw, finally I drew him and I must say his was the only drawing what filled me with confidence and made me realise and felt that yes I can draw anything I wish ( that's what where I was lacking before "the confidence") before that I never used to take people work because I thought what if I couldn't draw them? , what if they didn't like my work ? Now I'd say that I've overcome that weakness( hesitation/lack of confidence).



Your pencil sketches stand out, tell us about that.

Well you said pencil sketching but I'd like to add few more thing to your words that it's not just pencils sketching what I do but I do all possible categories/classes of drawing i.e Abstract, Portraits, Illustration, Illusion, Nature and etc with all possible applications like Graphite(Pencils), Ink, Colour Pencils , Watercolours, Oil Paints and Charcoals.






Where do you see your art taking you in the future?

To be honest, I can't really say about where my art could take me in the future, I'm just trying to discover the choices.

But yes in few years I'd really like to see myself on such a platform where I could share my skills with others and help them develop theirs.

How can interested people find your work?

I'm not into social networking that much but I can still be reached out at https://instagram.com/attempting_arts (Instagram) andhttp://fineartamerica.com/profiles/vivek-pasi.html (Online Art Gallery)


Monday, March 23, 2015

#NigeriaDecides : Support Your Candidate as The “Next for Nigeria” App Launches


It's less that a week to the elections, are you ready? We have had presidential debates, vicious name calling campaigns and massive disfiguring of our highways and environment in general. Trust me, I can't wait for this cup to pass over us! Lol

Before it passes over us however, we will be having our own election special tomorrow on #strikedanvil - there will be no name calling, promise. But hey, I bet entrepreneurs would want to know what plans the two main parties have for entrepreneurs.

I know that some of us have decided based on other criteria that are of interest to them, that's fine. We want to talk to the others who still need that final push based on entrepreneurship. Tune in tomorrow as we host two youth representatives from APC and PDP sharing their parties plans for the SMEs.


We have representing PDP;

Emmanuel Odoemelam is an accomplished editor and publisher with almost a decade experience. He is also a social entrepreneur and an alumnus of the School of Media and Communication PAN-Atlantic University. He is a frequent guest on radio programs. Emmanuel is currently the program director of SME Business Platform on Inspiration fm 92.3. 

He is the best selling co-author of The Land is Green for Entrepreneurs. He also holds a certificate in Developing Innovative Ideas for New Venture from the University of Maryland USA. He is very passionate about people living life with mission, purpose and vision. He is a PDP enthusiast and has consulted on various issues regarding youth enterprise with the current government.

Representing APC;

Bosun Adedokun
is an educator, entrepreneur and public policy analyst. His over a decade experience in the school system has seen him worked personally and alongside other professionals with top rated school brands in the area of School Improvement Planning, School Turnaround, Business Process Reengineering, Staff Capacity Audit, Enterprise Development, Performance Management amongst others. He believes in an education system that works for the best interest of the child first and other stakeholders. 

He provides support for a state school and two proprietary schools as an independent board member. He holds a first degree in marketing and postgraduate training in Education Management and Leadership & Organization Development. He is Cambridge Education Representative and also an Education Reforms Fellow at Incubator Africa. He is a community leader and also a card carrying member of the APC.


Meanwhile of all the photoshopped election pictures, this is the funniest I have seen! Nigerians are such interesting people.



Next up is this app...... read about it;

PRESS RELEASE: 

In keeping with the ever increasing use of technology within the Nigerian political landscape, the newly launched "Next For Nigeria" smartphone app is set to further revolutionize digital campaigning. Described as an election app with a twist, clever use of a magic-like technology called Augmented Reality which blends the real-world overlay digital media brings voters face to face with Presidential Candidates via personal video messages which are triggered when a user points their phone camera to a political party logo. The app is sure to sway the minds of undecided voters. The young peoples’ expression and voice regarding their decision for Nigeria’s future will be shared through these apps and distributed through popular social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.


Sample : *Note, it is just a coincidence that it is an apc sample we have, the app is for any party!

With the March 28th election date drawing ever closer, the tech-savvy Nigerian electorate are sure to ramp up campaigning efforts, with Next For Nigeria providing a fresh approach to campaigning previously seen.

Simply search "Next for Nigeria" on your Google Play store and download the app. It is free. Start the app and take a selfie from within the app and post on instagram or twitter cc @next4naija and use #Next4NaijaSelfieContest


Strike the anvil - How to Close Deals....

In case you missed the live episode on how to close deals with +Babalola Salami of Greatar marketing. You can listen to our new podcast.

Enjoy!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

From Passion to Empire with Microsoft Lumia #opportunities

Do you have an idea? Do you believe in that idea? Need funding? Here's your chance!



Be one of 5 people to win up to 3.5 million Naira to bring your business and ideas to life. That's not all, you also stand a chance to get mentored by top successful entrepreneurs which include, Nigerian beauty entrepreneur, Tara Fela-Durotoye, entertainment mogul and founder of the Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori and founding partner of leading careers and jobs website, Jobberman, Opeyemi Awoyemi.

As part of its commitment to supporting the development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services would be awarding N3.5m to 5 Nigerians with brilliant business ideas in its +Microsoft Lumia 535  Dual SIM activation, tagged from “Passion to Empire”, which would run from February 16, 2015 to March 31, 2015.

Meet the mentors:

"<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tara_Fela-Durotoye.jpg#/media/File:Tara_Fela-Durotoye.jpg">Tara Fela-Durotoye</a>" by <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Aaoe&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Aaoe (page does not exist)">Aaoe</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>. Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0" title="Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> via <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/">Wikimedia Commons</a>.
http://commons.wikimedia.org
Tara Fela-Durotoye is a trained lawyer who pursued her dream of becoming a successful make-up artist is the CEO of House of Tara International and designer of the Tara “Orekelewa” Beauty range, Inspired Perfume and the H.I.P Beauty range.

She emphasizes the role of passion in attaining success in these words: “When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, that’s when you will be successful.”



http://www.oxfordafricanetwork.org
Multi-talented Nigerian entrepreneur, Audu Maikori, is famous for his globally acclaimed record label, Chocolate City, which represents a number of international artistes. Also a trained lawyer, Maikori is an entrepreneur, social activist and poet. An example of one that has transformed his passion to a business empire. One of his abiding aspirations is to build the biggest entertainment empire in Africa.

http://www.bellanaija.com/
Opeyemi Awoyemi is the co-founder of Nigeria’s leading job search-engine, Jobberman. The groundbreaking job search site began as the dream of young Awoyemi and a couple of friends. Dream turned to reality for him during the 2009 industrial action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). 

An eloquent testimony to the empire Awoyemi has made of his passion is that the Forbes Magazine has listed Jobberman as one of the Top 20 Tech Startups in Africa.

Lumia, An entrepreneur's phone:

Lumia smartphones and tablets, including the Microsoft +lumia 535 Dual SIM, specifically, provide business tools every entrepreneur needs to achieve the extraordinary. The Lumia 535 Dual SIM offers five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display protected with Gorilla Glass 3, unique selling propositions that make it a perfect device for #entrepreneurs who want to do more on the go.

‘From Passion to Empire’ initiative is aimed at testing the viability of young entrepreneurs’ ideas, sharpening their skills and expanding their frontiers through intensive business coaching aimed at helping them transform their business ideas to empires.

At the end of Passion to Empire, five people with the most brilliant business ideas would be awarded the sum of N3.5m each, in addition to being mentored by these successful entrepreneurs. They will also undergo three days of training at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University.


How to Participate:

To participate in “Passion to Empire”, interested entrepreneurs need to buy the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM or any other Lumia smartphone or tablet, 

1. Make a video detailing how you plan to grow your business (You can do this on your phone)
2. Label the video with your name and IMEI number

All the best guys......

Friday, March 6, 2015

Read all about it - Emeli Sande #musicfriday

I wake up not knowing what to do today
But i wake up with a knowing....
I'm made for greatness!
There's so much I have bottled up..

Shhhhh.....
I see life through so many different eyes.....
It's hard to maintain eye contact..
Its a constant struggle within me
Hell! There's a war within me
I'm trying to seperate these thoughts, things I see..
Give them form...
Shoot! It's harder than I thought!
I don't know which to let out first..
Maybe I'll just let it out anyhow
Form or no form
And hope it makes sense!!
Or maybe I'll just carry on with life as it is
Keeping all I see through these different eyes, to myself
For fear of things, I comprehend not......

This is how 'read all about it' by Emeli sande makes me feel! It's an awesome, 'fabtastic' song. It's a song that speaks to your soul!! It speaks volumes of truth!!! All of you out there that have it in your power to save a certain person or situation but fear won't let you be!! Listen to this song and speak out!! Hehehehe. True though! *seriousface*
The rhythm and the lyrics of this song!! Gosh!! Over fabulous!!

Enjoy!!

link is here if you can't see the video below;



If you haven't seen these hungarian dancers shadow the song for Britain's got talent. You need to see it. It will make you feel the song even more. - click here

I cry everytime I watch this performance. It's just absolutely amazing.



EMELI SANDE
Read All About It (Culled from Metrolyrics)

You've got the words to change a Nation (I hope you hear that!)
but you're biting your tongue (why? what are you afraid of?)
You've spent a life time stuck in silence
afraid that you'll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song

So come on, come on
Come on, come on

You've got a heart as loud as lions
So why let your voice be tamed
Maybe we're a little different
there's no need to be ashamed
You've got the light to fight the shadows
so stop hiding it away

Come on, Come on

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till
the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it,
read all about it, it oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-ooooh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-ooooh

At night we're waking up the neighbours
while we sing away the blues
making sure that we're remembered
cause we all matter too
if the truth has been forbidden
then we're breaking all the rules

So come on, come on
Come on, come on,

Lets get the TV and the radio
to play our tune again
its 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events
there's no need to be afraid
I will sing with you my friend

Come on, come on

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oooh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-ohh
oh-oooh

Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful people
so when did we all get so fearful?
Now we're finally finding our voices
so take a chance, come help me sing this
Yes we're all wonderful, wonderful people
so when did we all get so fearful?
and now we're finally finding our voices
just take a chance, come help me sing this

YEAH

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it
oooh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oooh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh
oh-oooh

I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
so put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
they can read all about it
read all about it
oh.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

WomenX : Unleashing the Exponential Power of Women Entrepreneurs #2015

All the business women in the house please stand up!

This should interest you.

Are you a woman entrepreneur looking for these opportunities?

1. Growth potential
2. Business Expansion
3. Job creation
3. Sustainability
2. Adding value to your business.

Then APPLY for WomenX Scholarship today!



The Global Women Entrepreneurs Program, Womenx, is an innovative and global program developed to support Women Entrepreneurs.

The Enterprise Development Center, Pan-Atlantic University in collaboration with The World Bank will:
  • Provide practical Business Education through a blended learning approach (online and in-class training)
  • Help strengthen Women Entrepreneurs network
  • Offer mentoring
  • Create linkages between financial institutions and Women Entrepreneurs.
Selection criteria will be as follows:
  • Company must be owned / managed by a woman
  • Should be a functional business (at least 6 months in operation)
  • Business must have at least 5 Employees
  • The Enterprise must have high growth potential
  • High local content will be an advantage 
Application is hereby requested from qualified female business owners for the first round of WomenX Scholarship. Download Application form!

Completed forms should be sent by email to: aosinaike@pau.edu.ng and copy edc@pau.edu.ng

Short-listed applicants will receive an invitation for an interview.

Selected Scholars will be required to pay N75,000 as their counterparts fee for the 12 months scholarship Program. Class training will be in Lagos and Abuja.

See flyer or visit: www.edc.edu.ng for more information

or Call Adeola on 08174583169 for general enquiries

Monday, March 2, 2015

How to close deals...... #strikedanvil

Hello fam!

Last week we talked about how to get your foot in on #strikedanvil and we had a great time. We concluded with cold calling, leveraging on relationships and elevator pitching as some of the top methods. Today we move on to the next stage which is closing these deals, getting your sale in and collecting your money! I can see some smiles here :-). That's the bottom though, line isn't it?



Let's take a quick trip back to what we said last week about proposals and pitching especially to large corporates; they get at least 100,000 proposals in a week. Already they are swamped with the frustrating task of reviewing so much information. Suppose yours makes the final shortlist, what next? How long before you convert this to cash? Some business deals take days to close, some months or even years. How do you know what to do, how to follow up, when to move on?

The first step is to look at what the limitations or barriers are. The five main reasons why a prospect will turn you down include, price, time, money, stalling and the product. Address all possible objections that will arise from this before you pitch.

One thing I heard at a training I was at with +Google Nigeria that has stayed with me is "Don't sell, stroysell" - +Lanre Aina. The world is changing everyday you have to move with it. Embrace videos and digital technology to get your sales in.

Based on a quick research I did, here are a few of the important steps in closing out deals;

Be selective

This takes us back to defining your target as we highlighted last week. That's just the first step, as cocky as this may sound, you should be selective about who you want to work with. Some prospects will only frustrate you and make your team lose confidence. Focus on the ones that value your offering and avoid problem prospects.

Build a relationship

We all know, the end result is money, but the most important element of any sale is to add value, especially if you want repeat business. If you don't understand your prospects and their needs, there is no way you can add value effectively. The time spent getting to know your prospect is time well spent and it affects how it all turns out in the end.

Be upfront about pricing

When your prospects know the price, even if it's just a range, upfront, they can make their buying decisions faster. This way you can focus on getting them sold on your product and making them understand why it is priced that way. This is not cast in stone however, it may work for some and not work for others. Also depending on what the price is, you might want to land softly.

Build Trust with Honesty

"Sealing the deal isn't too difficult once the client knows that he or she can trust you. First, I listen carefully, so I understand exactly what a client wants and needs. Then I'm completely honest about the resources I'll need to achieve the result they seek. This builds trust and when a client sees that you know your business well enough to recognize your own limitations, they know you're being truthful. As a result, they want to keep you involved."

Andrew Arroyo, EO San Diego
Owner, AARE
Be Persistent

After all is said and done, don't quit following up. I have a mentor who sets reminders for follow up calls, mails or whatever every week. Sometimes he just calls to check in, without necessarily talking about the business deal. People need to be constantly reminded that you are there. It's even worse these days when there are so many distractions and competition is steep. Don't assume they are thinking about your deal, keep calling, mailing and texting periodically.

Joining us in he studio this week is Babalola Salami of Greater Marketing.

Babalola Salami is the Chief Executive and founder of GreatAR Marketing Ltd, he has over 10 years marketing communications experience in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He has worked on many blue-chip companies both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He is a massive sports fan, enjoys baking and he likes to think of himself as a good cook.
We would like to interact with you too. What has worked for you and what hasn't?

Tune in today, tuesday, 3rd March to www.enterpriseradiong.com or connect through the app and call us on 09090000061/2 or tweet at us @eradiong. Look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers!