Archive for the ‘Entrepreneur’ Category

Stock Market Crash 2008: To Hold or Sell!

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

All over the world, the recent economic depression is biting hard on shareholders. The stock market in Nigeria is badly affected too. Musa Al-Faki, the Director General of the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission claimed that over 3trillion naira has already been lost in the past seven months. Some of my friends are selling off their investments in the stock market at huge loss! As, I watch the trend, I remember the lesson I learned sometime ago from a stockbroker. The Stock Market worldwide follows the same trend over decades. There will always be a crash sometime some date! Remember the market crash of 1987, some thought that was the end. Well, we lived through it.

So, the market has crashed again! Too bad, many are badly burnt financially, including yours sincerely. Many are selling off their investments at a loss out of panic. But is that the right thing to do? That same stockbroker teacher thought me not to panic whenever the market crashes. It is a matter of time, it will pick up again. It may not be as fast as you desire as an investor, but check the history books, you will confirm that it always does.

The financial news media are already reporting some slight improvement in the international financial market. So, it is advisable that you think twice before you hurriedly sell off your investments for peanuts. You may actually regret that decision in another six months down the line.

So like a wise entrepreneur, it is time to weigh your options carefully and take a decision that you are willing to take responsibility for. Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion. For expert information, consult your Accountant or Financial Adviser. Cheers.

Naija Hot Jobs

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Are You a Naija Looking for Hot Jobs?

Everywhere you turn, you see lots of unemployed young men and women moving from company to company looking for high-paying jobs in well established businesses. Different companies in Nigeria pays different wages to the same category of professionals. So, it is possible to have an accountant in Company A earning over $5,000 per year while the same professional can only earn a maximum of $1,000 in Company B.

Naija Hot Job

Luxury Car

In the language of the unemployed youth, vacancies in Company A will be classified as Hot Jobs, while vacancy in Company B will be classified as “Marking Time” or “Surviving“. Of course there are other terms used to classified jobs, but these are the common ones. You can get a dozen more from Nigerian Forum such as NairaLand, NaijaHotJobs, NigeriaBestForum, NewNigerians etc.

Which companies offer Hot Jobs in Naija? (more…)

Fighting Poverty In Nigeria

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

There is a global call to action today. Bloggers, great and small are called upon to examine poverty and share ideas on how it can be eliminated. It is a good opportunity for me to air my view about the pathetic approaches being use to fight poverty in Nigeria.

Cash Gifts to Unemployed Youth

This is the most foolish of all the attempts at eliminating poverty. The method is crude and produces negative result. States in Nigeria that employ this method (often tagged Poverty Alleviation Schemes) end up incurring budget deficits without producing any significant result (of course half of the amount budgeted for such schemes disappear into private pockets of greedy politicians). I see these schemes as a foolish policy. Foreign nations that support such schemes are not helping Nigerians in any way. (more…)

Internet Marketing

Saturday, October 11th, 2008

Internet Marketing

Millions of people come online daily. Gone are the days when only the rich can use internet. Now, it is possible for anyone with few dollars to connect to the internet and seek to make a fortune. Many newbie entrepreneurs want to be an internet marketer. I receive mails from readers who want to know how one can become an internet marketer. The sudden interest in internet marketing should not come as a surprise though.

Statistics shows that Internet marketing as of 2007 is growing faster than other types of media. In this new millennium, online advertising has grown to be worth tens of billions of dollars annually. PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that US$16.9 billion was spent on Internet marketing in the U.S. alone, in the year 2006.

A quick look at the ongoing electoral process in US shows that Internet marketing is playing a major role. The candidates for US 2008 Presidential election are utilizing Internet marketing strategies to reach constituents. You will be amazed at the level of awareness in remote places in the African and Asian countries about the progress being made by the various candidates .

So What is Internet Marketing?
We need to first get rid of some wrong conceptions. A lot of people view internet marketing as disjointed activities. Some ignorantly view internet marketing as having a website where you paste banners and text advertisements. (more…)

How To Receive Payment Online

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

Are you a newbie online Entrepreneur having no clue how to get payments for your online business activities? If you are getting confused with terms such as Merchant Account, Payment Gateway, Third Party Payment Processor and wondering what that has to do with collection of payment for goods and services you render, this post is meant to help you. For well established online entrepreneur, you may find some useful tips in addition to what you already know.

I often receive emails from my readers (especially those from Nigeria) asking for help on how to open a PayPal account or a US bank account. Reading through some of the requests, it is obvious that those asking for help do not even fully understand what their needs are and as such often ask for solution that does not fit their need. So, I will start with a little explanation on what an online entrepreneur requires to collect payment online and then make suggestions on how even a Nigerian Entrepreneur can collect payment online. (more…)