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Building A Thriving Business (What's at the VERY CORE) Pt 19

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The homo-sapien is the longest surviving salient species from the Paleolithic era. How? Because we were forced to form bonds to survive. We had to trust each other to inform us of danger when we fell asleep or that the hunters and gatherers would bring back enough food for the rest of the tribe, while the care-givers took care of the homestead. There was cooperation. Everyone knew their roles and what they had to do, to keep the tribe functioning. This survival instinct still exists today, but it’s only exhibited by a small fraction. If we aren’t vigilant, our lack of trust could affect our very existence. Our Biology Why is the majority denying their biology? Because it’s uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable to be the ALPHA. The alpha is the leader. In some spaces they could be the strongest/most resilient, the smartest, the most courageous or even the most talented. They’re the ones that get the perks, favours   and honours, because we expect them to sacrifice themselves for
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Building A Thriving Business (What's at the VERY CORE) Pt 18

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Everything in life is a game! But which game are you playing? According to Simon Sinek, renowned management consultant and Dr James Carse, there are two types of games; the infinite game and the finite game. The finite game has known players, an agreed upon objective, with given set of rules, constraints or time frames. After every game, there is a winner and a loser. And, even after the game is over, the players still exist, till a new game comes along. Not the same for an infinite game. An infinite game has both known and unknown players, with the objective to perpetuate the game for as long as possible; that is, those with the will and resources can stay in the game for as long as possible, because they’re fighting for a just cause, not just the satisfaction of reaching finite goals. Moreover, there are no pre-defined set of rules or constraints, hence, no one can be declared as the winner or loser. What Game Are You Playing? The problem occurs when you don’t know what game y
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Building A Thriving Business (What's at the VERY CORE) Pt 17

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Africa is the next growth region . Like China was in the early 2000’s, Africa is primed for the next economic boom. With a 1.2B consumer market, of which about half are under the age of 19; Africa’s working population will surpass that of China in 6000 days. So, as a big firm, you should be looking to take your place and increase your footprint in the major cities of Africa, starting from those which are growing nicely, such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi to vulnerable growers like Lagos and Luanda. And the transition will be smoother than China, as the region is an eager adopter of digital and mobile technology. With over 120m users of mobile financial services, and 636m smartphone connections by 2022, entrepreneurs have an opportunity to leverage the rising mobile data traffic to address untapped markets and unmet needs. Africa's Next Baobab To become the next big firm, Africa’s next baobab; you as an entrepreneur need to think long term, while solving the short term needs of yo
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Building A Thriving Business (What's at the VERY CORE) Pt 16

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I'm back again on the question every business leader needs to periodically ask; which is,  what business am I really in?  And in this post, I will be discussing a response, few know about. Popular African speaker, Vusi Thembekwayo relayed a remark he heard from a CEO,  businesses don't compete against businesses, rather value chains compete against value chains.  Where are you along the value chain in your market, and what is the value chain of your business? Let's take a deep dive into this question, so every entrepreneur can understand, what kind of player they are, in order to position themselves for success. The Goal Of Every Business Most businesses that sell products are retailers, selling directly to the customer, but that part of the value chain is price and volume sensitive; and there are many competitors in that arena. As an entrepreneur, your goal should be to invest in scaling up the value chain, to become the  source.  That's where most of the revenue
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What are YOU Becoming !? Pt 9

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Your current identity exists because of the disciplines you’ve been engaged in, and pending any changes, will keep engaging in, in the future. Take an example of someone whose identity isn’t one of a fit person. No matter the effort he puts into becoming fit, he won’t be able to sustain it, because his identity doesn’t match that of a fit person. You need to keep shifting your identity, with your NEW results, skills, emotional state or character. Let’s examine another example. Happy people, aren’t in that state, because of what happens to them or for them, but because of who they’re becoming. They’re happy because of the promises they keep to themselves and others. So, whatever they experience doesn’t change their emotional state. The same goes for peaceful people; they’re peaceful because of what they’ve come to understand about life. UNDERSTANDING brings REST. Ways To Shift Your Identity Your disciplines are the EVIDENCE for your current state in life. The same goes for success.
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What are YOU Becoming !? Pt 8

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The discussion in this post is the culmination of weeks of discussing about what constitutes an attractive character, emotional state, and beneficial belief system. Just like success, which is dynamic (see post, What are YOU Becoming!? Pt 7 ), your character, your emotional state and belief system are dynamic as well. You can transform from being unreliable, fearful, doubtful, dishonest, lazy, sad, lethargic, to becoming trustworthy, courageous, honest, happy, passionate, confident, determined and fully persuaded. These are what make up part of your personality, the real you; your IDENTITY. Recap In the post, Being Resourceful Pt 8 , my colleague, talked about the transformative effect of a NEW controlling story/belief system that leaves an impression on you. And, he revealed that the transformation begins in the mind, by meditating on the words that make up the story. He further said, that by backing the story with EVIDENCE, it causes the transformation to coalesce in the soul (you
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Building A Thriving Business (What's at the VERY CORE) Pt 15

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In my last post, I ended the discussion by talking about your ideal customer. This week, I will carry on from where I left off, by reiterating that, if you know your ideal customer, you'll know how to sell to them. However, selling starts with your value proposition. What can you offer them, that solves their problem, dissolves their doubt, makes life more pleasant, in a genuine way, that they can relate to or admire? And can you make the proposition unique , such that the competition find it difficult to emulate? Your Area Of Excellence The value proposition, doesn't just stop at making a statement or promise. You, also have to create the value, and provide this value better than anyone else in the market, for a prolonged period. Providing constant value, that the customer raves about, comes from constant innovation. And, to get the highest and best yield, the innovation should be mainly focused on your business's intangibles, such as sales, marketing, advertisement a
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