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How To Retain Extraordinary Workers in SME

Monday, October 10th, 2016

To keep your extraordinary employees happy and productive in your start-up company or small business, you must learn how to motivate them. This is particularly important when they need to help you overcome the challenges you will encounter while growing and stabilising your business. Remember that your most talented workers are most likely doing the job of two or more people and you will still want them to remain loyal to the company even in difficult times. Here are some vital tips on how to motivate your best employees:

 

Engage Them in Inclusive Goal Setting

Set corporate goals that can be broken down into quantifiable objectives for your top talent. These objectives will motivate your employees to be more productive, and when they are achieved, they will provide a strong sense of accomplishment. It is vital to let your exceptional staff see the big picture and help them understand how each task or project they do fits into it. This will motivate your talented employees to exceed your expectations.

 

Set Smart Weekly Goals

Break down your lofty corporate ambitions and targets into simple and achievable weekly goals. Then set them before your talented workers, requesting that they create action plans to achieve them. For instance, instead of telling them that you want to make a profit of $100 million dollars this year, tell them that they should focus on acquiring 100 new customers every week or make sales worth $2 million by selling products worth 20,000 to each of the 100 customers each week.

 

Give Higher Responsibilities

Talented workers love to demonstrate their work and results to others. So give them an opportunity to lead discussions at meetings. Instead of presiding at every meeting, learn to become a coordinator while your best talent share their opinions. This will help them to become partners in the business and enable them to develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Not only will they be eager to prove their worth, they will also be motivated to follow their suggestions through with action until they make their ideas a reality.

 

Provide Feedback and Rewards

Give feedback every week to each team and individual. From the onset, design a feedback system that is transparent and inspiring. Attach points to each person’s performance and let them have a dashboard that shows them how well they are performing on a weekly basis. At the end of each month, put the results together and provide a reward that will be of value to your workers. Rewards can come in diverse forms such as awards, badges, special recognition, cash, and special privileges.

 

Express Your Trust in Them

Tell your top talent that you trust them to perform above and beyond your expectations. Making statements like, “I believe in you, I know you have the talent and exceptional ability to meet and exceed this performance goals”, can arouse a strong desire for excellence in your workers. Before you realise it, they will start to work hard to fit into the image you have painted for them with your words.

 

Foster Growth and Continuous Education

Exceptional employees will want to get to the pinnacle of their career. You can use this inner desire as an avenue to motivate them by providing with opportunities to take classes and acquire prestigious industry certifications. Let them know that you are committed to help them grow professionally. In addition to formal learning, you should also provide more challenging tasks and opportunities to perform roles such as team leader and project manager, especially when they have demonstrated their commitment on simpler assignments.

 

Discover Each Employee’s Inner Passion

Focus on each individual’s personal aspirations and do your best to help them achieve what they desire. Sit down with each of your talented employees and ask them questions about their professional and personal lives. Find out the type of tasks they like and the ones they will want stop doing. Strive to match each project or task to their passion and abilities. Very soon they will begin to see more as a mentor than as a boss. When this happens, their commitment to you and your company will take a new turn.

 

Using creative techniques to motivate your extraordinary workers can drastically improve their performance and keep them in your company even when they could have opted for more lucrative jobs in larger companies. If you help your workers to see the big picture in what they do, and offer regular feedback and rewards for good performance, they will become more productive. And your workers being productive is exactly what you need in order to maintain your business successfully growing.

 

Mila Payton is an economist by profession. Besides working in profession, she enjoys writing, and is always eager to tackle interesting business, entrepreneurship and career stories. While looking for answers, she can be found on business events worldwide.

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Posted in Entrepreneur, Guest Post, small business, Tips & Tricks | 2 Comments »

Unbelievable Xbox Offer For Nigerians from Jiji.ng

Wednesday, May 4th, 2016

Consumers love great deals. Millions of consumers globally spend lots of time online looking for the best deal before they part with their cash. Nigerians are in no way different. While there are many online stores promising fantastic deals to the consumer, Jiji.ng stands out as the best shopping portal for Nigerians.

xbox_offer_jiji

 

Jiji is offering the Xbox One to Nigerians at an unbelievable price! One would have thought that this deal is impossible considering the present dollar to naira exchange rate. You don’t have to take my word for it, simply go to Jiji.ng and type “Xbox One” in the search box and make one of your dreams come true (while the offer last!)

xbox_jiji

Now you can’t say you were not given the opportunity to get this modern miracle gadget with sensor control system, home cinema and TV system of the next generation! Having kept my promise, here is a brief information about Jiji.ng for those that have not visited the website before. You must not read my long epistle, you can just jump over and get a first-hand experience. The website is so user-friendly, you won’t get lost.

Jiji Is More Than A Web Store

Jiji.ng is not a web store, it is actually a shopping portal where you meet sellers and buyers who desire to get the best deal of each transaction. When next you need to buy gifts for the people you really care about, check on Jiji.ng. Irrespective of your budget, you will get great deals on new and pre-owned items being offered by sellers from different geographical locations. There are practically hundreds of thousand of offers to choose from.

xbox_jiji_offer

Jiji Is User-Friendly

Jiji.ng pride itself as being the biggest and the most user-friendly classified website in Nigeria. It caters for the differ needs of sellers and buyers from the different demographic group. It provides a huge selection from hundred of thousands of offers at affordable prices.

All these are provided free for both sellers and buyers. If you have something to sell, you can simply post advert for free on Jiji. All you need to do is to post a picture of the item and description of the features of the item. Once you click submit, your advert is made available to the millions of internet users in Nigeria.

 

Sell Faster, Buy Smarter at Jiji.ng

Jiji has become the best shopping spot in Nigeria because it works on its own unique principles. It is not a web store, it doesn’t sell stuff. However, Jiji knows everything about trade and creates the best possible conditions for making sellers and buyers comfortable. Jiji provides a safe platform for seller and buyers to communicate directly without the interference of a middleman with the attendance extra cost!

jiji_classified

As a buyer, if you see any item you like, you have the opportunity to read the detailed description of the item and also contact the seller via phone or email for additional information. Jiji is indeed a modern marketplace, where people come when they want to sell or buy something.

Jiji emphasises safety by providing guidelines for conducting online transactions. Buyers are warned not to part with cash until they have proved the authenticity of the seller. As a seller gains reputation from the commendation of previous buyers, such seller is given the prestigious VERIFIED status.

 

Assorted Offers

Jiji provides the unique opportunity for sellers to offer not only new items but pre-owned items as well. Often, the pre-owned items are usually great deals for buyers that are on tight budget. Also, the sellers get to make money from items they no longer need. If you are thinking of changing your phone or electronics to the latest model, you can simply sell the old on Jiji thereby reducing the cost of getting the new model.

jiji_marketplace

Now, you can get it. There are over 530,000 active offers on Jiji.ng and 10,000,000 monthly visitors. Jiji delights in providing the best shopping experience to everyone.

Note: This is a sponsored article.

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Posted in Entrepreneur, Nigerian | 1 Comment »

11 AWESOME PRODUCTIVITY TIPS FOR BUSY MOMPRENEURS

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016

Being a mom is no easy job. Once you bring a little person into this world, your life ceases being your own. Throw a marriage and business on top of that and you officially have the toughest job in the world – being a “mompreneur”.

Truth be told, being a mother, wife, and businesswoman all at the same time can be overwhelming. If you find yourself in such a position, you can probably attest that sometimes it feels like your mind is going to explode. While mompreneurs have arguably the most hectic lifestyles, the good news is you can still thrive in your business and motherhood. Not only is it possible, it’s also one of the most rewarding experiences a woman can experience.

In order to be a successful mompreneur, you have to adopt certain habits and ways of doing things that make you productive on a daily basis. So, with that in mind, here are 11 awesome productivity tips for busy mompreneurs.

11 Awesome Productivity Tips for Busy Mompreneurs

  1. Set Goals

Being productive begins with setting personal goals. Goals are an important component to achieving success in any endeavor, especially when it comes to running a business. When you are clear about what you want to achieve, this will motivate you to do more than the bare minimum. What’s more, goals prevent you from becoming distracted by unimportant matters and keep you on course even during tough times.
As a mompreneur, you need to set goals in your personal and professional life. Once you set your priorities right, it becomes easier to plan and get things done.

  1. Plan Ahead

Speaking of planning, this is one of the important skills of remaining productive. Planning ahead enables you to stay organized and work efficiently. Itemizing your priorities is a good way to avoid overwhelming yourself or putting off important things that might drag you behind.

There are many ways to plan ahead. For instance, you can make a to-do list for the next day every evening before going to bed. Alternatively, you can plan a weekly menu, stockpile groceries, then precook dinners and vacuum pack or freeze food to save time on cooking after a busy day at work. Cutting back on meal preparation can help you to spend less time cooking for the family and get more work done during the week.

  1. Do Not Try to Be Supermom

Being a mompreneur can feel overwhelming when you try to do it all. If you often feel like you don’t get enough time for family or fall behind on business targets, then ask for help. Consider hiring a sitter to watch your kids when you’re busy with the business or a house help to keep the household running smoothly. As soon as you can afford it, hire an assistant or employees who you can delegate tasks to. You can also include your kids in the business and ask them to lend out a helping hand during their free time in exchange for an incentive. Don’t hesitate to pay people to do tasks that are not in your zone of expertise as this allows you to focus your time on high revenue activities and become more productive.

  1. Define Your Boundaries (This is Crucial!)

This is an important tip for the stay at home mompreneur who has a home office. Although working from home has its many perks, there will no doubt be many distractions that can make you unproductive. It’s therefore important that you set clear boundaries for work and family time and stick to them. For example, avoid distractions such as TV, chores, and checking social media messages during work hours. The family must also know that mommy should not be interrupted during work time unless it an emergency. In return, be committed to quality family time when you’re not working.

  1. Take Frequent Breaks

When talking about getting more done in a day, taking frequent breaks may sound counterproductive. After all, most people think that increasing effort and time in something equals more work done and better results.

However, studies show that taking frequent breaks increases your capacity to do more work. Just like muscles need to relax after they tense up, you also need to relax and rejuvenate after short bursts of focused work.

Therefore, to become a productive mompreneur, remember to take frequent breaks in between tasks. Think of it this way: rather than increasing the time you work, you’ll be improving the quality of the time you work. By taking breaks, you will avoid fatigue, work more efficiently, feel energetic throughout the day and get more done.

  1. Limit Multitasking

Doing two things at the same time may seem like a great way to get more done, and sometimes it is. But science shows that productivity drops when multitasking because the brain cannot fully focus. As a mompreneur, multitasking may feel like you’re leveraging your time but the truth is you’ll be more predisposed to error and take longer to complete tasks. The lesson? Try to focus on one task at a time because you will work more efficiently this way.

  1. Keep to Your Schedule

It’s imperative to manage your time if you want to be a successful mompreneur. This means you need to establish a routine and stick with it. Being consistent with your routine will not only allow you to feel focused on what you need to be doing, it will also help you feel less overwhelmed.

  1. Exercise Regularly

Between raising kids, being a wife, and running a business, most mompreneurs rarely have time to exercise. In fact, hitting the gym or going for a jog might be the last thing on your mind when you have a pile of things to do. However, exercising regularly keeps you fresh, sharper, and energized for both your business and family. More importantly, excising often will make you less prone to falling ill, which can be a big setback for a mompreneur.

  1. Get Adequate Sleep

It’s easy to turn into a workaholic when striving for more productivity, but be wise and resist the urge. If you want to become an effective mompreneur, you also need your beauty sleep. Strive for at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Getting adequate rest will allow you to be at your best when running a business and being a mom at the same time.

  1. Let Your Motivation Drive You

One of the keys to success is staying motivated. As a mompreneur, remind yourself everyday why you’re in business. The reason could be anything from finding more time to spend with your kids, to striving for financial freedom or providing your family with a better quality of life. Be clear on why you chose to be a mompreneur and use it as rocket fuel to get moving and doing your best every day.

  1. Maintain a Positive Attitude

Being a mompreneur can be both physically and emotionally draining. You need to maintain a positive attitude at all times because that’s essential for success. Negative thoughts can keep you down and prevent progress. Therefore, you need to stop them in their tracks and instead embrace a positive attitude. One way to achieve this is to associate with like-minded women who are inspirational and provide moral support. Remember that positivity lets you keep sight of the bigger picture and pushes you to strive for success.

 

Conclusion

Becoming a successful mompreneur is no easy feat. As a mother, wife and entrepreneur, your work never ends. But if you manage your time well and follow the tips outlined above, you’ll soon learn striking a balance between your family and business’s needs are not that elusive after all.

 

Author Bio:

Uyo Headshot Closeup - 2016Uyo Okebie-Eichelberger, Serial Entrepreneur, Wife, Mom and Duke MBA, has successfully built a seven-figure empire in the maternity industry with You! Lingerie and Preggo Leggings, two leading designer brands of chic maternity/nursing intimates and apparel cleverly made for fashionista moms.

The former Kraft Brand Manager and her brands have been featured in several publications and TV shows like The New York Times, Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, CNBC, The Today Show, E! News, OMG!, The Daily News UK, Pregnancy & Newborn, American Baby and Fit Pregnancy.

Currently, Uyo Okebie-Eichelberger’s brands are sold online and in over 120 stores in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Uyo Okebie-Eichelberger recently partnered the world’s largest retailer, Walmart.com to launch an exclusive line of maternity/nursing lingerie called Love Xoxo by You! Lingerie.

She shares business tips on her blog: www.UyoOkebieEichelberger.com. Follow her social media pages on Twitter: @UyoEichelberger and Instagram: @Uyo

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8 Rules That Will Help You Create a Successful Business

Sunday, August 16th, 2015

More and more college graduates are opting to cope with the uncertainty of the job market by launching directly into business after graduation. Most people in employment are also opting for a side business to provide extra security should they lose their job or should they have to contend with a salary cut.

The threat of losing one’s job, or even becoming indigent, was bona fide by the 2008/09 financial crisis, as many people lost their homes and other property following the collapse of banks and companies from different industries.

Emerging world trends are also beginning to render most job posts irrelevant. For instance, most companies are fast becoming reliant on the internet for selling and marketing. This threatens the position of employees in sales and marketing positions. The same thing applies to software design jobs, where most companies are beginning to crowd source their ideas, thereby needing their software designers less and less.

With such trends, even those who still hold jobs find themselves in underpaid positions or find that their wages have stagnated. What’s more, the cost of living is not adjusting downwards to cater for these changes in the work environment, hence people have to work more to get more money to feed their families and maintain the standard of lives that they are used to.

Whatever your age, motivations for going into business, or the line of business you want to go into, your rate of success will be shaped by the same factors. Whether you are opening a physical store or an online business, there are some rules that apply in all lines of business and these rules create success.

Business Success

  1. Define what motivates you

Most people find motivation when they are at the lowest point in their lives. In every economic recession, there are those around you who usually seem to emerge unscathed. Most of these individuals tend to be very successful entrepreneurs, who have experienced firsthand what it feels like to be on their last dollar and have vowed to themselves never to go through the same experience again.

You too could find motivation from similar situations. If you have a family, the thought of what could happen if you are laid off could spur you into action. If you don’t have an additional source of income, it could mean that you might have to lose your home and have your family live on the street or in the basement of your parents’ house.

To prevent such a scenario, investing your time and money in creating additional income sources should become a priority for you.

  1. Go into a line you are interested in

Starting a business in a line of work that you understand is one way to guarantee success. This is simply because you understand the inner workings of your industry and are less likely to make mistakes.

Starting a business in another industry could mean having to upgrade your credentials by getting some form of education. This will cost you money and time. Not to mention, your full time job is already time consuming and draining, therefore having to switch your mind to a different line of work will require a lot of mental effort.

  1. Live within your means

If you like spending, you will have a hard time building a successful business. You will find that the less you spend, the more money you will have to inject back into your business to make it grow.

Avoid getting loans to buy things which will not make you money. Also, if you can, get rid of credit cards.  Once you succeed, you will afford any car you want and you can get credit cards.

  1. Surround yourself with the right people

You can learn a lot from the people you surround yourself with. Social media platforms serve as a meeting place for people, where plans are made and ideas are shared. If you have the right people in your network, you will find solutions to most of your problems from them.

Technology designers or application developers, for instance, help each other to develop useful applications without stealing each other’s ideas or competing with each other. Participants in such projects see this as an opportunity to learn new things.

  1. Learn to promote your brand

The only way others will know what you are up to is if you aggressively promote your brand. You have to develop a maximum of three key selling points for your products or services, then market them based on those selling points. Your marketing efforts have to be convincing enough to make people want to buy.

  1. Learn to manage your time

If you are poor at managing time, you will find it extremely challenging to juggle your full time job and a side business.

You can find a few hours a day to build your business by waking up early in the morning. If this is not possible, you can dedicate your weekends towards your business.

  1. Learn to take setbacks in stride

Any business will have set backs. You might find that your sales are not coming in as you expected or that customers are giving negative reviews to your product.

Instead of giving up, such challenges should motivate you to find solutions.

  1. It shouldn’t be all about the money

Money is good because in an economy that is driven by money, it gives you the ability to afford things. However, don’t go into business just to make money.

A sense of accomplishment and satisfaction are equally, if not more, important as money. Knowing that you created a product or are providing a service that people would pay money to use is indeed a big achievement and should not be ignored.

If you take the above into consideration when building your own business, you will not only become financially secure, but you will also build a business that is relevant to people’s lives. More so, if you are persistent in your efforts, your business could succeed to become your full time job.

About the author

Noella Tesi started a successful business after getting out of debt. Her past experiences in debt give her motivation for succeeding financially. Read on for more.

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Posted in Entrepreneur, Financial Intelligence, Guest Post, small business, Tips & Tricks | 9 Comments »

Lawsuit Funding Companies – Banking on the Small Entrepreneur

Saturday, July 18th, 2015

If you are a keen business executive, you must have observed the temerity with which small enterprises are fighting Fortune 500 in court. This is unusual considering these large conglomerates are flush with cash to crash plaintiffs.

Well, the secret lies in litigation financing, an aspect of financing that can help you safeguard your business even when the world around you seems to be crumbling.  Take for instance if an employee takes you to court over a case you have grounds to win.

Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur

Fighting Against All Odds

Fighting such a case can be devastating to your business if there is no other source of capital.  Luckily, litigation funding companies are bankrolling businesses in order to enable them fight any cases. Your enterprise might be facing one of the following situations:

  1. Intellectual property rights
  2. Disputes concerning assets
  3. Customer compensation suits
  4. Suits on unlawful termination or liability issues pertaining to your firm

Benefits of Lawsuit Funding

These are just a bit of legal issues your company can face at any time.  To survive then, you need to bank on a financial partner who trusts you will eventually win. Litigation funds help to pay attorney fees and clear other costs pertaining to your case. The advantage of these loans includes:

  1. Protection against bankruptcy due to a court case
  2. Spreading risks thus avoiding by avoiding litigation expenses
  3. Peace of mind in order to concentrate on your business as attorneys deal with your lawsuit
  4. Easy approval after assessment of the strength of your case
  5. No upfront fees and you only pay when you win. In essence, it is a no recovery no payback agreement which relieves you off any pressure.

The benefits go on and on but what you cannot deny is the fact that for once, the small business has a partner to lean on when the ground gets shaky.  You also feel more confident on your side as you will know these experts have already seen the strength in your suit.

Tips on Using Lawsuit Loans

Now that you appreciate the benefits of this kind of financing, it is time you started exploring the industry in order to identify the best firm to work with. Here are some tips on getting the best out of the deal:

  1. Weigh the options: While this might appear like a new industry, it has been in operation for a long time. This means there are many players out there therefore research and comparison is called for. You need to take time and examine as many companies as possible before picking the best.
  2. Understand every minor detail: It is critical to understand every aspect of the agreement to avoid disagreements in future. For an entrepreneur, more legal tussles can ruin operations and you must avoid them at all costs.
  3. Understand the application process: The agreement involves you, your attorney and the funding firm. A lot of research will be necessary but it is always crucial to follow the guidelines of your lawyer before applying.

There you have it; your business at last has a source of recourse in case you are slapped with weighty litigation.

BIO

Anita Burton is one of the most recognized legal writers for the last three decades.  Today, she focuses on aspects of the law that can help hapless citizens such as lawsuit funding companies.

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Posted in Entrepreneur, Financial Intelligence, Guest Post, small business | 1 Comment »

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