GET SET BEFORE YOU ARE 40!

I remember vividly, I was 19years old, when my mum handed me this article "Get Set Before You Are 40". I kind of think I will do the same for my daughters, maybe more! Why not?!

Anyway, I had kept that hard copy since then, and each time along the years when I accidentally come across the article, it seem to make sense the more. Over the years I have tried to search for the author, but couldn't find it, please if you find it, kindly let me know.

I am not 40 yet (just for the record) but I don't have a decade left and this article seem to be phenomenal.

Just in case you are already 40, I believe in a God that restores time (Joel 2:25), and if you are not 40 yet, take heed...happy reading!

GET SET BEFORE YOU ARE 40

You think work gets harder after 40? Well for some people, it actually gets easier. The responsibilities may be heavier but after 40, you should be valued for your experience, skills and judgement, rather than the ability to work 18hours a day. And take heart, most of the rewards of success tend to accumulate after the age of 40, if you do the right things before then.

First, do your homework. Learn everything you need to know about your business or profession before 40. For example, Captain Okon who is a pilot and Chairman of ADC Airlines learnt how to fly an aircraft in his 20s, got his command the rudiments of running an airline in his 30s and by 40, he had already mastered the business. Many other successful people have similar experience.

Learning and mastering your trade ought to be behind you at 40. Burning the midnight oil is okay at 20, may be even 30, but nobody should have to sit up all night learning something new at 40.

Develop your own style. Before 40, learn what you like and what you are most comfortable with, whether it is the way you dress or simply the small touches that sets you apart from other people. You can experiment in your20s and 30s, but establish your own style by the time you are 40. No one looks more insecure than a man or woman trying to redesign his or her look in mid-career. You like suspenders? Fine! Make them your trademark. You work better with flowers on your desk? Display them every day.

Try to put your emotional life in order; it is a great help. It is hard enough to succeed without taking on complicated personal problems that sap your energy and divert your attention. Besides, unhappiness is a disease, which gradually eclipses interest in everything else.

Of course, all difficulties can’t be avoided and one has to rise above them, but those who have managed to put their personal lives in order by the time they are 40 are generally more successful than those who haven’t.

Know your strengths. Know who you are and what you are good at. Know the things you enjoy doing and do better than anyone else.

Know your weaknesses. Accept the things you don’t do well, can’t stand, or won’t do. If you are not comfortable with numbers but enjoy creative work, don’t force yourself to sit in a numbers job just because it pays well or is what people expect. Get into the kind of work you enjoy before you are 40, otherwise you may be destroying your real chance of real success.

Make a start at putting away your “quit” money. Put away the first million bucks you make. That’s your “I quit” money. Nothing is more depressing than absolute dependency – the knowledge that you can’t afford to quit your job or take a risk in changing careers.

Form a network. You must establish a network of friends before your 40^th birthday. This means you have to do favors for them, support them in their projects and listen to their problems so that they will do the same for you. Remember, a network is not established overnight; it is the result of working on it for decades. In business as in politics, you need a lot of people, spread out in the right places, which you can rely on because they can rely on you.

Learn to delegate. Delegation is halfway to success. A person who cannot delegate will find himself handicapped in a number of area. At 40, you should be an expert at trust and selecting people.

Get the right people and trust them.

Learn when to keep your mouth shut. More careers are aborted by careless talk than by anything else. Learn to keep quiet and look wise; people will naturally suppose that you know more than you probably do. Don’t gossip and don’t talk about your plans. A reputation for keeping secrets far outweighs the easy popularity that retailing gossip may win you. The farther you go in your career, the truer this is. In higher management, secrecy is golden.

Be loyal. If you haven’t established a reputation for total loyalty by the time you are 40, you are going to be haunted by this defect for the rest of your career. A reputation for disloyalty will make you a pariah in business circles. Finally, keep your sense of humor. Nothing lasts forever, not even success!

-Anonymous

Business Opportunity for the EMPLOYED! And even the unemployed

Just for the record, I am gainfully employed with more than 5years of working experience with a small family of two lovely girls.

You will agree that nothing is more depressing than absolute dependency; the knowledge that you can’t afford to quit your job or take the risk in changing careers.

Towards the end of last year, I was doing a lot of brainstorming for the kind of business I can implement without significant interference with my regular salary job.

While search results showed several opportunities ranging from online stuffs (quite difficult for me to understand) to real estate (high capital involvement), I decided to come up with a list of what the business should have. They include:

•     Reasonable start-up capital (not more than N50k); there is no amount of money that is used in biz that cannot be lost N50k or N50m
•     Reasonable operating cost
•     Time involvement should be flexible enough as not to interfere significantly with my regular job
•     Profit margin should be greater than interest on fixed deposit or Treasury Bills (something >10%)
•     Potential for growth

As you would guess, it was quite difficult.

Nevertheless, I came across one that had some process I normally have issues with and that is network marketing. I closed my doors completely and didn’t give any attention. However, with a second look I realized it is more of what I would refer to as an “Hybrid” i.e. a mix of both business and network marketing. In fact, after proper analysis, I figured out that there are more immediate business gains (Direct Income) than could be anticipated in the network marketing benefits (Passive Income).

So I decided to give it a shot; I started precisely in November 2011. Because of the nature of my job, I tend to be very meticulous with numbers and would rather err towards too much recording than no-record at all. By my records I had a net profit (SP-CP) of N38,860, N17,710 and N32,505 for the months of December, January and February 2012 respectively! I am not kidding! I decided not to bother so much on the Network marketing; nonetheless, I registered 1 and 2 for the months of January and February 2012 respectively. The total money earned from the network marketing was N816, N349.50 and N596.70 for the months of December, January and February 2012 respectively.

I have waited this long to benefit directly before sharing this with people, especially to you as an employee.

It is FM (Federico Mahora) Group Products.

Let me highlight some of the benefits here as best as I can:

Direct Income

You would have a catalogue (soft and hardcopy) through which your intending customers can make their choice.

You will also have a sample kit (portable folder-like) of 20-150 perfumes from which your customers can choose the fragrance that suits them.

The prices are clearly indicated on the catalogues for your customers so there is nothing hidden or secretive.

However, you have another pricelist catalogue (for your own keeps) from which distributors prices for all products are clearly stated.

With these, you can immediately know how much direct income you are making from every order made.

You simply pay the distributors price in getting the products and collect the catalogue price from your customer at delivery or even before - depending on your business model.

I can assure you that you will have a margin of nothing less than 20% on every product! You wouldn't believe it!

No Stocking of Product

From my explanation above, you would realize you won't have any cause to stock any product as you are properly equipped with samples and clear catalogues

Low start up Capital

You will need to get the sample kits I mentioned above after registering as a distributor - I would do this for you.

The amount you would pay varies from N5,150 to N15,700 and it would also determine the amount of samples you would get.

My advise is, if you are out for selling more of make-ups, then get the N5,150. But if you will also be inclined in selling perfumes more, then get the N15,700 kit

If you would agree with me, this is a reasonable amount to experiment (to say the least) with a business.

Quality Products

FM products are made in Poland and of high quality as most of the brand names we know.

No Pressure

There is a multilevel marketing side of the business that does not put you under any pressure in anyway.

One of the issues I had with some MLM is that I couldn’t imagine myself selling health product to people without being qualified, I considered it a sensitive area. However, I consider it very easy and comfortable for me telling people about perfume – who cannot appreciate good fragrance afterall.

Feel free to do your own research and you can use the following links as a guide

http://cedarstouch.fmcontact.com/

www.fmgroupng.com

www.fmluxury.com

I can be reached by email on ppossession@yahoo.co.uk, cedarstouch@yahoo.com or joseph_nuga@yahoo.com

If you need to speak with me, send me a mail, and I would give you my personal nos.

Oops..! I have in fact exceeded my own expectation of writing about this business in two pages; I guess I would stop here to respond to comments and inquiries from you.

Joseph Adenuga 2012

My Dream For Nigeria

In 2010, coinciding with Nigeria’s 50^th year of Independence anniversary, I had an assignment to write on the Nigeria of my dreams. Something close to the popular “I have a dream” speech of Martin Luther King. I did not know how to begin but with the help of a dear friend (she is reading this now) who helped me with a draft, then I was able to come up with the Speech and delivered it nicely. I hope you find it inspiring!

50 years ago, a nation was presented to the world. A country christened NIGERIA, which her name comes from a combination of the words "Niger" (the country's longest river) and "Area".

Our land is richly blessed with millions of acres of arable land and lush vegetation expressed with the green colour of our flag.

Our desire for peace and unity within our country is radiantly expressed with the white colour.

Underneath our great country lies an abundant storage of some of the world’s most valuable resources: crude oil, gas, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone just to mention a few.

We boast of some of the world’s best human capabilities in arts, finance, literature, business and sports and proudly represent the world in the advancement of human life.

We are ethnically blessed beyond measure, with its rich and diverse cultural heritage from the different tribal groups.

We possess all these great potentials for everything bright and beautiful;

However, we have been through many things in the last fifty years.

We have experienced and survived wars, corrupt government, hunger, loss of lives through avoidable plane and road crashes, increased crime rate, communal clashes; embezzlement of funds by public and even private custodians and brutal mismanagement of our resources.

Our industries have moved on a continuous scale of progression and then regression.

Today, as a people we stand beaten and torn apart, like a rag doll with limbs seperated from body.

Today, our cry for peace and stability echoes from the mountain top and reaches down to the depth of the earth.

Yet there is hope!

There is hope that our educational system will no more be an embarrassment that strongly discriminates against her citizens but a platform that impacts applicable knowledge and morals to the people.

There is hope that our locally made goods that are now considered inferior and dispelled like the birth of a still born will be made from the highest quality standard that you can get anywhere in the world.

There is hope that our health institutions that currently echo the cry of an inconsolable mother whose children have been stolen from her arms by a string of cruel illnesses will be a place where hopes are restored and shouts of rejoicing.

I see peace in our land, from the north to the south like a blanket spread over this nation, I see abundant peace. A place where tribes are inconsequential and unity binds our hearts in temperance and love.

I see a future where our leaders have fully given their lives to serve and not be served. A government that is truly defined ‘by the people for the people’. An institution that is free of corruption and misuse of public office. Leaders who strongly appreciate the call and privilege of their roles.

I see the development of our infrastructures and the provision of essential requirements copiously accessible to the needs of every citizen of this country. A place where food, shelter, medical care and education is unarguably a right of everyone.

I see our youths engaging their hearts and minds in noble endeavors, totally free and nurtured in an environment of trust and accountability.

I see Nigeria proud and full of grace.

I see our mouth filled with laughter and our tongues with singing. And this is our hope and our faith and the reason we would vote this time.

The reason we won’t allow ourselves to be fooled by the sweet mouthed glutton wolves not even in sheep’s clothing.

The reason we would put principles beyond personalities, tribes, ethnicities or even religion.

The reason we would stand until our vote is counted and our vote counts.

It is the birth of a new Nigeria and I see the giant of Africa rise again.

Thank you.

Joseph Adenuga Nov 2010