The Making of Bella Naija Brand

Uchenna Jennifer Eze popularly known as Uche Eze is the Founder and Managing Director of BainStone Limited (Founded 2009) and BellaNaija.com (founded 2006)-a pioneer online media industry in Nigeria. She was born in 1983.

Uche Eze’s early education actually started in Nigeria before she moved to Canada. She graduated in the year 2006 with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada.
She got married to Bode Pedro, son of the former deputy Governor of Lagos State. on Saturday June 16, 2012 and she was blessed with a set of twins on April 9,2015.

Uche Eze started BellaNaija as a time-filling hobby in the same year she graduated, while in Canada and shortly before she resumed her first ever post-graduation job with Shell. The blog was just to occupy her boring moments. However, prior to starting the blog, Uche Eze was a big time lover of fashion, consequently, she made fashion the initial subject of her blog. Uche Eze afterwards, lived in London UK for a year and then moved to Nigeria.

In the year 2008, PUNCH rated Uche Eze the No., 22^nd person amongst 100 people that shaped the year 2008. In 2010, she was nominated for Future Award for “The Best Use of Technology”. Also in the same year, She was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Fashion Communication Award, during the African Fashion Week held in South Africa. Oprah Winfrey featured Uche Eze in a popular show, “Beauty Around the World” in February, 2010, together with Jessica Simpson and Lisa Ling where they discussed beauty trends in their respective localities.

Uche eze had her work experience at Shell Canada, Cadbury Middle East & Africa Unit based in the UK, and Cadbury Nigeria.
Uche Eze’s BellaNaija.com, a website that is aimed at developing and managing, innovative and exciting online media content, generates over one million viewership on monthly basis.
The website has won several awards including the Outstanding Contribution to Fashion Communication Award in 2010. The founder of BellaNaija, Uche Eze is a Fellow of TEDAfrica. She was selected as a Nigeria Leadership Initiative – NLI Associate.

Top 7 Tips For Starting A Catering Business

Catering is as an evergreen business proposition. Most catering businesses start because a person's cooking hobby has won praises from family and friends, but the majority get shut within a few months due to lack of proper business planning. Catering is not just cooking and serving, it involves many factors related to business operations. This article discusses the important ones necessary to succeed with your own catering enterprise.

Top Tips for Catering Business

While maintaining quality, taste, hygiene and freshness in the food is of paramount importance to any catering, it is equally important to look at other aspects of the business.

 1. Get Prior Hands-on Experience: Before starting on your own, it is always better to get a hands-on experience with reputable caterers. Such direct work offers real exposure to small details,risks,challenges, bottlenecks and grey areas of the catering business, without you making a large financial investment on your own. This experience will not only help you learn the tricks of the trade, but will also serve as an opportunity for a realistic self-assessment about your preparedness and temperament for catering

2. Monetary Assessment: How will you attract clients to get orders (advertising and marketing)? Where will the staples and other food ingredients be sourced from? Which localities will you serve (markets)? Where will the food be prepared (your in-house location/client location)? How will food be transported to maintain freshness? How many helpers and vendors would you need (staffing)? All need to be considered, while keeping in mind your available budget and a realistic business assessment.
3. Infrastructure Requirements: Depending upon the local laws, you may (or may not) be allowed to start catering from your home-based kitchen. You may need to rent out a dedicated commercial kitchen space, or take orders on the condition that clients arrange for the location of preparation (like, at a wedding venue). Beyond the food items and ingredients, you may need to arrange for necessary cookware, bakeware, serving cutlery, and even transportation. Instead of buying upfront, renting such equipment on an as-needed basis is a good option, especially when you are just starting and are tight on budget.

4. Pricing and Cost Consideration: Basic food staples may not show wide price swings, but other mandatory add-on ingredients (like chocolate, or exotic fruits) may show high volatility in prices. The further out an occasion is when a caterer takes the order, the more risk she runs on price uncertainty. It is best to keep pricing on an ad-hoc basis, and provide quotes considering any adverse price moves.

5. Get on Approved Caterer Lists: Most ceremonial venues maintain a list of approved caterers, and getting on that list assists in getting more business. While startup caterers may not be able to get into that list immediately, you should keep trying after having arranged for a few successful local catering gigs.

6. Network and Promote: Online social networks can help spread the word about your newly started catering business, but there are other mediums to consider. Joining an organization like National Association for Catering and Events of your country can help you network with established businesses. Through their conferences and meetings, you can learn the industry best practices to run your business more efficiently. Serving your unique food items through a food-stall during a local community event can also assist in getting you the much needed marketing.

7. Keep the Backup Ready: Beyond your ideal preparations, there are a few things that could go wrong despite your best efforts. For example, what would you serve if the kiwi fudge you put on the menu cannot be prepared because kiwis are not available at any nearby market? Who would be the backup if your main cook calls in sick? What are the terms in case of a last-minute event cancelation? Having a backup plan ready, and getting the client buy-in to those in advance, always helps.

Written by Suobita seth

9 Things to do Instead of Spanking your children

Research confirms what many parents instinctively feel when they don’t like to spank their child, but they don’t know what else to do. From my research,i realise that spanking teaches children to use acts of aggression and violence to solve their problems. It only teaches and perpetuates more violence, the very thing our society is so concerned about. This research further shows that children who have been spanked are more prone to low self-esteem, depression and accept lower paying jobs as adults. So, what do you do instead?

1 – Get Calm
First, if you feel angry and out of control and you want to spank or slap your child, leave the situation if you can. Calm down and get quiet. In that quiet time you will often find an alternative or solution to the problem. Sometimes parents lose it because they are under a lot of stress. Dinner is boiling over, the kids are fighting, the phone is ringing and your child drops the can of peas and you lose it. If you can’t leave the situation, then mentally step back and count to ten.
2 – Take Time for Yourself
Parents are more prone to use spanking when they haven’t had any time to themselves and they feel depleted and hurried. So, it is important for parents to take some time for themselves to exercise, read, take a walk or pray.
3 – Be Kind but Firm
Another frustrating situation where parents tend to spank is when your child hasn’t listened to your repeated requests to behave. Finally, you spank to get your child to act appropriately. Another solution in these situations is to get down on your child’s level, make eye contact, touch him gently and tell him, in a short, kind but firm phrase, what it is you want him to do. For example, “I want you to play quietly.
4 – Give Choices
Giving your child a choice is an effective alternative to spanking. If she is playing with her food at the table ask, Would you like to stop playing with your food or would you like to leave the table?” If the child continues to play with her food, you use kind but firm action by helping her down from the table. Then tell her that she can return to the table when she is ready to eat her food without playing in it.
5 – Use Logical Consequences
 Consequences that are logically related to the behavior help teach children responsibility. For example, your child breaks a neighbor’s window and you punish him by spanking him. What does he learn about the situation? He may learn to never do that again, but he also learns that he needs to hide his mistakes, blame it on someone else, lie, or simply not get caught. He may decide that he is bad or feel anger and revenge toward the parent who spanked him. When you spank a child, he may behave because he is afraid to get hit again. However, do you want your child to behave because he is afraid of you or because he respects you?
Compare that situation to a child who breaks a neighbor’s window and his parent says, “I see you’ve broken the window, what will you do to repair it?” using a kind but firm tone of voice. The child decides to mow the neighbor’s lawn and wash his car several times to repay the cost of breaking the window. What does the child learn in this situation? That mistakes are an inevitable part of life and it isn’t so important that he made the mistake but that he takes responsibility to repair the mistake. The focus is taken off the mistake and put on taking responsibility for repairing it. The child feels no anger or revenge toward his parent. And most importantly the child’s self-esteem is not damaged.
6 – Do Make Ups
When children break agreements, parents tend to want to punish them An alternative is to have your child do a make-up. A make-up is something that people do to put themselves back into integrity with the person they broke the agreement with. For example, several boys were at a sleep-over at Larry’s home. His father requested that they not leave the house after midnight. The boys broke their agreement. The father was angry and punished them by telling them they couldn’t have a sleep-over for two months. Larry and his friends became angry, sullen and uncooperative as a result of the punishment. The father realized what he had done. He apologized for punishing them and told them how betrayed he felt and discussed the importance of keeping their word. He then asked the boys for a make-up. They decided to cut the lumber that the father needed to have cut in their backyard. The boys became excited and enthusiastic about the project and later kept their word on future sleep-overs.
7 – Withdraw from Conflict
Children who sass back at parents may provoke a parent to slap. In this situation, it is best if you withdraw from the situation immediately. Do not leave the room in anger or defeat. Calmly say, “I’ll be in the next room when you want to talk more respectfully.
8 – Use kind but firm action
Instead of smacking an infant’s hand or bottom when she touches something she isn’t supposed to, kindly but firmly pick her up and take her to the next room. Offer her a toy or another item to distract her and say, “You can try again later.” You may have to take her out several times if she is persistent.
9 – Inform Children Ahead of Time
A child’s temper tantrum can easily set a parent off. Children frequently throw tantrums when they feel uninformed or powerless in a situation. Instead of telling your child he has to leave his friend’s house at a moment’s notice, tell him that you will be leaving in five minutes. This allows the child to complete what he was in the process of doing.Aggression is an obvious form of perpetuating violence in society.

  Written by Kathryn Kvols
Kathryn Kvols is the president of the International Network for Children and Families and the author of Redirecting Children’s Behavior.

Man jailed for repeated rape of his teenage cousin

A Kilkenny man who claimed he was in a consensual sexual relationship with his younger cousin has been sentenced to 10 years for rape and sexual assault of the then 14-year-old.

The man (48), who cannot be named to protect the identity of the now 32-year-old victim, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury last month of 15 counts of rape and oral rape and one charge of sexual assault following a trial.

The abuse started when the victim was 14 and and living with his 30-year-old cousin in Kilkenny.

The victim told gardaí­ he was first raped by the man after he came into his bedroom one night and threatened to shoot both him and his father if he told anyone about “what was about to happen” before raping the teenager.

Haiti President Quits Without Successor

Haiti President, Michel Martelly, has stepped down at the end of his term amid tension over how he is to be replaced.
 No successor has yet been chosen as opposition supporters challenged a deal to select an interim leader.
Under the latest agreement, parliament would elect an interim president and install a transitional government for a four-month term.
The runoff vote to elect his successor was shelved because of fears of violence and allegations of fraud. It will now be held on April 24, with a new president due to be sworn in on May 14.
Mr Martelly is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election, but has thrown his weight behind Jovenel Moise, a banana exporter who won the first round of the presidential election in November.
But the result has been contested by the opposition challenger, Jude Celestin.
He accused the electoral authorities of favouring Mr Moise and threatened to pull out of the runoff vote.
Haiti is still struggling to recover from a huge earthquake in 2010

Turkey Sets New Border Camps For Syrian Refugees

Turkish aid workers have been setting up tents and distributing supplies for thousands of new Syrian refugees kept from entering Turkey at the border.
Some 35,000 people fled a Syrian Government offensive in the Aleppo area last week, trying to enter Turkey’s Kilis border region.
But Turkey had so far, closed the border to most of them despite appeals by EU leaders to let them cross. The country already shelters more than 2.5 million refugees from Syria’s war.
Meanwhile, analysts said that the EU was also giving mixed messages, calling one day for Turkey to allow in, those fleeing persecution, but the next voicing frustration that Turkey is not doing enough to stem the refugee flow to Europe.
Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, would be in Ankara on Tuesday to hold talks with the Turkish Government.
The BBC reports that in November, the EU clinched a deal with Turkey, offering it €3bn (£2.3bn; $3.3bn) to care for Syrian refugees on Turkish soil.
About 4.6 million people had fled Syria since the Civil War began in 2011.
Another 13.5 million were said to be in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.
On Thursday, 60 donor countries, who had a meeting in London, pledged billions of dollars to ease the plight of Syrian refugees.

The One Thing You Must Do to Preserve Your Marriage

As Divorce rates continue to rise and families continue to split apart, couples who love each other are being turned off to the idea of saying 'I do.'  However, if all couples would follow one simple rule, marital bliss could truly be attainable.
The rule is simply this: forgive. This is sincerely the best thing you can do in your marriage and really the only way to keep your marriage intact for the rest of your life. Forgiveness is a voluntary and intentional process by which you have a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense.

It takes letting go of negative emotions such as anger or vengefulness, and the ability to wish the offender well. Studies have shown that forgiveness inspires love and can be healing in many ways.

Use these tips to help your marriage if it must be lasting: 

1.      Look at both sides of the story 
There are often simple explanations for frustrating behavior, but you have to be willing to see both sides. Too often, spouses jump to conclusions and immediately go into blaming mode instead of looking reasonably at both sides of the story. If everyone looked at themselves first before attacking their partners, many fights would be dispersed before they even began.

When you can view both sides honestly, it is easier to find forgiveness because you see what part you contributed in the fight.

 2    Practice a policy of open honesty, but not necessarily all the time

Some spouses operate on the premise that honesty is the best policy no matter the circumstances. In reality, this is not true in marriage. Telling your wife she looks ten pounds heavier than she did a year ago is not going to help either one of you.

If you are furious about something your husband did, it is usually better to not bring that subject up right away. Let the anger abate so you can discuss the situation in civil terms. When you hear that honesty is important in a marriage, it is. But it doesn't mean cruelty or lack of tact is necessary. Honesty means not lying about how much you spent shopping and if your husband asks how you are, do not say 'Fine' when you don't mean it. If you need to, schedule a time each week that is your 'honest' time. When you have both had a chance to air your grievances, it will be easier to follow number 1 above.

 3.      Imagine your spouse dying or leaving you 
This isn't something that you usually hear recommended in a marriage. But it is a simple and powerful way to remind yourself of how much you love your spouse. When you are feeling especially angry, think about how you would feel if he or she died before you sorted out your feelings. Would this incident be of importance? This is not to say that you should pretend to be happy all the time because he or she might die. This is just another way to look at your marriage and realize how much you do love each other and want the marriage to go forward.
By following these three simple guidelines, you will find that you can forgive your husband or wife more quickly. Love always follows forgiveness, so put these ideas into practice to strengthen your bond and ensure that you are truly together until death do you part.

 Written by Marni Feuerman

8 Lies That Destroy Marriage

Imagine meeting with an engaged couple a few weeks before they are married. With excitement they describe how they met and how their relationship developed. The husband-to-be proudly describes how he set up a perfect romantic evening so he could pop the big question.
Then they surprise you by saying, “We want to get married and have some children. At first we will feel a lot of love for each other. Then we’ll start arguing and hating each other. In a few years, we’ll get a divorce.”
Who would enter marriage intending to get a divorce? And yet, divorce is occurring at alarming rates. A large number of people in my church have been hurt deeply by divorce—they’ve been divorced themselves, or they’ve felt the pain of a parent or relative divorcing.
 Here are eight lies that has destroyed marriages and you must guard against

Lie 1. "My happiness is the most important thing about my marriage.”  
As a pastor, I can’t tell you how many people have justified breaking up their marriages by saying, “I have to do this. God just wants me to be happy.”
But according to God’s Word, a spouse’s individual happiness is not the purpose for marriage.
The Bible says in Colossians 3:17: “Whatever you do in word or deed,” do for the glory of God. While all parts of creation are to glorify God, mankind was made in God’s very image. Through marriage, husbands and wives are to reflect His character and have children who will reflect His character … all the way to the end of time.

 Lie 2. “If I don’t love my spouse any longer, I should get a divorce.”   
It’s a tragedy to lose love in marriage. But the loss of human love can teach us to access a deeper love—the very love of God Himself. That love is patient and kind … it never fails (1 Corinthians 13). It even cares for its enemies.
When human love dies in a marriage, a couple can enter into one of the most exciting adventures they’ll ever have: learning how to love each other with God’s love. Romans 5:5 tells us that this very love “has been poured out within our hearts, through the Holy Spirit.”

 Lie 3. “My private immorality does not affect my marriage.”
A lot of people think, I can view pornography in the privacy of my home. It’s just me and my magazine, or computer … it doesn’t affect my marriage.
Oneness in marriage is hijacked by sexual immorality. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:15, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?”
In the 21^st century, there are many ways to join oneself with a prostitute: physically, through the pages of a magazine, on a computer’s video screen, etc. Paul’s advice is the same today as it was thousands of years ago: Flee immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18).
If you take your emotional and sexual energy and spend it on someone else, there will be nothing left for your spouse. Those who continually view pornography or engage in sexual fantasies are isolating themselves.

 Lie 4. “My sin (or my spouse’s sin) is so bad that I need to get a divorce.”
The truth is God can fix our failures—any failure. The Bible says to forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us (Colossians. 3:13).
“But,” you ask, “Doesn’t Matthew 19:9 say that God allows divorce in the case of sexual immorality?” Yes. I believe that it does—when there is an extended period of unrepentance. Yet, nowhere in that passage does God demand divorce. When there is sexual sin, we should seek to redeem the marriage and so illustrate the unfathomable forgiveness of God.
Some of the greatest life messages I know are the marriages of people who have repented from sexual sin and spouses who have forgiven them. Their lives today are living testimonies to the truth found in Joel 2:25: “… I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”

 Lie 5. “I married the wrong person.”
Many people have told me, for example, that they are free to divorce because they married an unbeliever. “I thought he/she would become a Christian, but that didn’t happen. We need to get a divorce.” They recall that they knew it was a mistake, but they married anyway—hoping it would work out. Others claim that they just married someone who wasn’t a good match, someone who wasn’t a true “soul mate.”
A wrong start in marriage does not justify another wrong step. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good,” says Romans 8:28, “to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

 Lie 6. “My spouse and I are incompatible.” 
I don’t know a lot of husbands and wives who are truly compatible when they get married. In marriage, God joins together two flawed people.
If I will respond correctly to my spouse’s weaknesses, then God can teach me forgiveness, grace, unconditional love, mercy, humility, and brokenness. The life of a person who believes in Jesus Christ is developed by responses to not only happy things, but also to difficulties. And those very difficulties include weaknesses.
That is why we are told in Colossians 3:12-13 to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.” My spouse’s weaknesses are not hindrances. Instead, they are the doorway to spiritual growth. This is a liberating truth.

 Lie 7. “Breaking the marriage covenant won’t hurt me or my children.”
When divorce enters a family, there are always scars. I know this firsthand; although I was an adult when my father committed adultery and divorced my mother, decades later there are still effects. Many consequences of divorce never go away.

 Lie 8. “There’s no hope for my marriage—it can’t be fixed.” 
This may be the most devastating lie of all. Because in more than four decades of counseling couples, I’ve seen God do the seeming impossible thousands of times. In a dying marriage, He just needs two willing parties. God knows how to get us out of the messes we get ourselves into.
 If you begin to think, There is no hope for my marriage, realize that, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
We must combat the lies about marriage. The truth will set us free (John 8:32). God can fix anything!

 Written by Bill Elliff

Kopacz vows to contribute help refugees.

Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz announced this week that Poland is prepared to offer financial assistance in Europe’s vow to help refugees.
 The news comes after this week’s European Union summit in Brussels during which it was decided that EUR 1 bln should be raised to help refugees currently located in camps outside the EU. The funds, which will be a collective effort, will be channelled through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme.

However, despite the Prime Minister’s statement, the exact figure Poland will contribute has still to be announced. “I cannot today declare a specific figure but at next week’s Council of Ministers we will be working on adopting these resolutions and will decide on a figure. We will then be submitting this to the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission,” Polish Health Minister Marian Zembala said after the conference.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to have a dig at the government’s political opponents, by declaring that the move demonstrates the future unity between Poland and the EU. “Our opponents who say we should turn our back on the EU are merely wishing to harm the country,” she said.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HANDS

Many people are unfruitful because they believe they are not qualified to do what God calls them to do! God has given men and women gifts from his great armoury so that God's generosity can flow through you but many people cannot see what they carry because they cannot see.
Pharaoh was coming behind and in front of moses and the people was the red sea and moses cried to God.How did God answer? "Moses, what is in your hand?"
 Exodus 4:2 "And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
For Moses, it was a staff. It wasn't a crown, scepter, or sword. It was a simple stick. And it became one of the greatest supernatural weapons in human history.
 So what do you already have in your possession? Speaking ability? Artistic ability? Money? Friendships? All of us have something we can use to accomplish our part in God's work here on earth as we serve one another.
 God has not created anyone without something that would bring them to their promised land. He (God) doesn’t make mistakes. There is something that God has placed in your hands to make you great. Many times, we don’t attach much value to what’s in our hands. We always think what we have is not worth anything. Instead we focus our attentions on what God has placed in somebody elses’ hands! The fact that someone may be prospering as a nurse or doctor does not mean that’s the only thing to study. We are not satisfied with the very thing God has placed in our own hands!
 There is something in your hands that may appear useless to you but when you believe in yourself and pray,it can bring you into limelight.People are notorious for saying things like: Who knows me? Nobody will take me serious? I only have a high school diploma!
Everything you need to succeed in life is in your hands. 
Most of us have made useless what God gave to us. Friends, even if all you can do is “TALK”, then talk and make money from talking if that is what can bring you into limelight! That thing in your hands that you ignore, that seems useless to you, perhaps a dream, might be the VERY THING that would make you great. Those things (or people) you do not cherish, recognize, or honor may be the key to your breakthrough!!!!!
 It was the same rod that Moses thought was USELESS that he used to provide water for the Israelites and part the red sea! Something in your hands will take you to your next level. What you have in your hands is enough to turn you into what God wants you to be.

I remain yours
Dipo Olatade

HOW TO SUCCEED IN A BAD ECONOMY

These are important practices that have helped me not only stay in business but grow my business over the past three years which I feel are important to share.
You have to be happy when the economy of your nation is bad because you have the solution in your hands.
Whether you are a business owner or executive or a salesperson or customer service representative you may find some benefit from these ideas.  I believe that the success of our great nation and continent is dependent on the success of small business.  Without successful small business and entrepreneurs we will lose innovation and drive.  In order for small business to survive in the new global economy we must adapt and act quickly, with these few ways.
1.    Remember Your Core Values 

Remember when you started your business or your new job?  Why did you start that business?  Why did you get that new job?  Did you find wrongful practices in your industry that you felt should be changed?

When I started my business in September 2007 I saw many things wrong with my industry. I saw competitors price going higher and clients and providing less than professional services. I felt that businesses in our nation deserve better quality work and fair pricing.In tough times it’s imperative that we remember to stick to our core values.  If you value honesty, integrity, and loyalty to your customers then make sure you remember to apply these virtues every day.  You may have bad days and you may have good days; the economy may be up and down; your sales may be up or they may be down.  At the end of the day it’s your values that will drive your success.

2     Stay Innovative; Don’t try to Re-Invent the Wheel

I recently attended a seminar in A Beachy environment about innovation.  The seminar reinforced my own philosophy of always doing things differently.  Keeping your methods diverse will help you become more innovative.  Innovation is the key to growing your business – coming up with new ideas and new methods will allow you to get ahead of your competition. 

Innovation doesn’t mean re-inventing the wheel.  If you have ideas that work and they work well then don’t waste your time trying to fix something that isn’t already broken.  Instead you should focus on areas that you know can use improvement. Always think outside the box.

 3.    Don’t Hide from your Customers

As the owner of a small business that provides professional services I deal with other businesses on a daily basis.  One of the biggest problems I’ve seen with businesses is that when the economy is down they will hide from their customers.  When business is slow the worst thing you can do is hide in a corner.  When demand is low and supply is high you must make yourself visible. 

So how do you make yourself visible?

There are traditional forms of advertising but as I’m sure you’re already aware they can be very costly.  It is important that you evaluate your advertising and marketing efforts regularly and measure your Return on Investment.  Additionally you should look for new effective methods of getting your name out there.

 4.    The Customer is Always Right, Always

Growing up my father always told me “The customer is always right”.  This is the golden rule of business and it is something that I live by. 

I remember when I was in Middle School my oldest sister worked at an ice cream shop.  At dinner one night she told my family about something that made her upset at work.  A customer had complained to the owner that the ice cream he was given was too melted to enjoy.  Rather than offering him his money back or giving him a new ice cream cone the owner of the store said “I don’t need your business.  If you’re going to complain then get out of my store and don’t come back.”   Well that customer didn’t come back and the ice cream shop went out of business later that summer.

 Customer service goes a long way.  Whether you are a large corporation or small business the most important part of business is customer service.  Without your customers you won’t have a business.
 So how can you improve customer service? 
You can start by coaching your employees regularly about customer service.  They may try to fight it at first especially if they think you are being redundant but as long as you make sure you get your point across then they should understand.  After all it’s not just your business they are representing but they are representing themselves as well.

 5.    Stay on Target

The final practice I will leave you with is making sure you stay on target.  When you formed your business or started your new job you most likely had goals.  If you ever wrote a business plan then you came up with short term and long term goals. 

When money gets tight sometimes it’s easy to forget your goals.  If your short term goals seem out of reach then it’s okay to adjust your short term goals to adapt to the present situation while still keeping your long term objectives in place. 

When supply is high and demand is low you should lower your prices to keep sales up.  When supply is low and demand is high it’s okay to increase your prices to grow your business by implementing new technologies, hiring new personnel, or reaching out to new markets.  When you are doing well is when you should begin implementing marketing campaigns so that you won’t have to worry about breaking your piggy bank to advertise when business is slow. 

It’s good to set goals that are beyond your reach or the reach of your sales force.  It will keep you and your sales team on your feet and prevent you from slipping into a comfort zone.

Written by Israel Koffi Abrobah.

Israel Koffi Abrobah is a counselor and business man residing at Accra Ghana.He is a writer,a motivational speaker and a business consultant

How Battling Depression Led Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to stardom

Years before he found much success in the entertainment business,Dwayne Jonson was at a career crossroads.
 At 23, Johnson found himself living in his parent's small apartment after failing to make it into the NFL and being cut from the Canadian Football League. His aspirations of being a professional football athlete were crushed, leading to a battle with depression.

Now twenty years later at age 43, the star has put a positive spin on his dark days.

"I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you're not alone. You're not the first to go through it," the wrestler turned actor revealed in his latest interview.
"I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], 'Hey, it's going to be okay.'"
Johnson remembered receiving a call from the head coach of the team that let him go about a month and a half later. He was asked to return to the Calgary Stampeders but it was then that he made a career-defining moment.
"I hung up the phone, and my dad said, 'You're going to do it, right?'" Johnson recalled. "I said, 'No I don't think so. I think I'm done with that. My gut tells me I'm done.'"
He then decided to follow in father Rocky's footsteps and go into the family business of professional wrestling.
"He said, 'You are throwing it all away. It is the worst mistake you will ever make,'" Dwayne said of his father's initial hesitation. "I said, 'Maybe I'll be no good, but I feel like, in my heart, I have to do this.'" After retiring in 1991, Rocky began training his son, who eventually found massive stardom in professional wrestling as "The Rock."
The rest is history! Johnson was named 2015's Top-Earning Movie Star by Forbes of the year.

M-NET’S TINSEL AUDITIONS IN GHANA!

In an exciting announcement today, M-Net has confirmed that it will be holding auditions in Accra this week to search out new Ghanaian talent for its popular soap opera Tinsel! As with all soap operas Tinsel is jam-packed drama, passion, secrets, betrayal, and so much more, set against the background of a Lagos based film studio in which romance, ambition and family feuds turn the boardroom into a battleground, and life into a rollercoaster of emotions and adventure!
Now, the series is searching for fresh new faces and as part of their search, they’re stopping here!
For two days, the series will audition actors and actresses who’ve been specifically selected to attend a casting session by the Tinsel producers but don’t worry if you’re not called. There will be one day for open auditions, at the Holiday Inn Hotel (Accra Airport) on Wednesday February 17 from 08.00 – 17.00, on a ‘first come-first serve’ basis. So if you think you have what it takes, are 18-years and above; and if you are fluent in English, then bring yourself and proof of identification to the venue and try out your on-screen skills. However wanna-be Tinsel stars should bear in mind that producers are looking for individuals who preferably have some acting experience. Tinsel currently features Ghanaian actor and entertainer Chris Attoh. For more information on Tinsel and other M-Net productions, please log on to www.mnetafrica.com. Tinsel is screened daily, Monday to Friday at 20.30 CAT on M-Net on DStv.

The Lion of Bourdillon,Bola Tinubu: A Politicians Wet Dream

Just the other day, I read an article on Linda Ikeji’s blog(and yes I follow her blog)-”wink”.The article was entitled-”The plot to cut down Tinubu’s power in South West”. As the title suggests,the article was all about Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Apparently,”Tinubu’s political life was in mortal danger”. “President Buhari together with men and women,Tinubu ,had helped along the way were hatching plots to politically castrate him”. Tinubu was too powerful; “but ,wait,he is known to have indeed helped and stood by people in their careers”….. The article was replete with innuendos,sub rosa plots,shadowy sources, conjectures,harzarded guesses and contradictions.In summation – “sensationalist”.

He has been called “The Lion of Bourdillon”. Leading up to the 2015 general elections,he was targeted and the dedication to smearing him was ramped up to rival the vitriolic thrown at the candidate,President Buhari.It was astonishing to behold.He was not on any ballot,let alone being a candidate for that election.Seldom,in politics anywhere has a “privatus”,yes politician, not on the ballot in an election been so persistently and single-mindedly targeted.Well,they knew; ”He was Key”.

This is the ultimate fantasy of every politician called to that terrain;”To be Key”.But alas this man who dared to dream,who dared and stayed his course had gone and done it.Literally reached for and lived the ultimate dream; ”He was the Key”.

He has been referred to by commentators in different variations as –“The most successful Nigerian Politician in this era”. Well,to be sure, he is that. And if that is his greatest glory,it is also his greatest burden.

He has become a “Caesar”. “Endowed with,the brains,brawn,charisma,ability and resource to make many in his world seem small in comparison”.He has complained about the target on his back! Well, he has been targeted before,he is targeted now and he will continue to be targeted.

But,I need not tell the Jagaban that ,for I suspect he is an astute student of history.”There will be many who will hide their small knives in their togas”,ala Caesar,wishing to do him harm.The lessons of history have helped those who pay heed not to repeat it.

Unfortunately for his detractors though,President Buhari will not do their bidding.And that ,historically is remarkable,because men at the height of their power ,vain men,are wont to have giants standing close.Whatever your thoughts about him; ”and hits could not be scored against him in that way leading up to the elections” - President Buhari is a principled,honourable man.He is not vain and petty.

I dare say that, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,will yet outlive and outgun his “Brutuses”. Because his politics lean towards – “Unification rather that Divisionism”, I say-“Soldier on Capitan”, for like his mentor and hero; Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he is at his core – “A Nigerian Nationalist”.

 This platform is dedicated to the - Renaissance of Nigerian Nationalism.

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Written by Victor Ikhatalor

 victor@mytribenigeria.com,
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