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Month: March 2018

  • 3 Reasons to Have Multiple Income Streams (Your Bank Account Will Thank You)

    3 Reasons to Have Multiple Income Streams (Your Bank Account Will Thank You)

    It’s recommended to branch out into different revenue streams to not only keep yourself mentally fit, but to keep your bank account fit as well.

    Starting a business requires laser focus. You have to constantly define your niche and distinguish yourself from the competition. You get better at flexing this muscle, the one that strengthens your message and expertise.

    But it’s not leg day every day–you need to work your other muscles for a healthy, balanced you. That’s why I recommend branching out into different revenue streams to not only keep yourself mentally fit, but to keep your bank account fit as well.

    1. Don’t put your eggs all in one basket.

    Having multiple income streams can come in handy if one income stream dries up. After two years in business, I’ve learned that you’ll always have peaks and valleys. Sometimes everyone is paying you, and sometimes your lead pipeline can look barren. I started a marketing and PR agency and spent that first year working my startup muscles: planning, strategizing, defining markets. If I hit a slow month, I kept working those same exercises. While it helped grow my business, I sometimes needed an intellectual rest day.

    During my down time, I doodled ideas for funny mugs and other products that made me laugh. I tested a few concepts for sale. When I cleared a profit in the first year of my marketing agency, I invested the capital in my e-commerce store. The store now generates passive income. To flex my creative muscle even further, I created Line & iMessage stickers, which provides me with monthly income. I’m also in the process of developing on-demand training courses and e-books for other potential revenue streams. 

    2. Side projects keep your creative muscle flexed.

    Being an entrepreneur requires both creative and business skills, but sometimes these skills need practice. My side projects give me a dose of creativity when sometimes marketing work requires me to wear only my analytical hat. When a client’s project demands market analysis, I can work on that during the day, and then take a break at night designing new products for my store. 

    Exercising your creative skills doesn’t just give you a back-up revenue stream; it also helps you be a better entrepreneur. When clients ask about branching out, I have firsthand knowledge of what it takes and how to do it.

    3. They can turn into partnership opportunities.

    When I started researching cryptocurrency, I immediately thought of ways to turn the lingo into pun-ny products for my store. I started selling a line of cryptocurrency mugs, which in turn started conversations with blockchain companies.

    Developing a secondary income stream is easier than you may think. Think about how you like to spend your off hours and research potential markets. Maybe you’re really good at explaining something that is a difficult concept for other people–create a course on an on-demand training site like Udemy or Skillshare.

    Start today and reap the benefits tomorrow!

  • BlockBank, Decentralised Low-cost Funding at Your Service

    BlockBank, Decentralised Low-cost Funding at Your Service

    The Blockchain technology is a force to reckon with in this generation as it is restructuring the present and laying a foundation for a foreseeable future. The future is beginning to take shape and it is obvious that the Blockchain technology is disrupting industries as we know them to be and sooner or later most industry would succumb to change. But, BlockBank has gone ahead into the future and is providing low-cost commercial products based on the blockchain technology.  BlockBank is leading the way into what future banks will look like by being one of the first worldwide banks based on Blockchain with the aim of providing secure and transparent services for decentralized commercial funding.

    Low-cost Loans for Businesses
    Unlike the traditional banks, BlockBank is designed to satisfy the fund needs of unreachable markets. This is why it is focused on providing low-cost funding and making credits available for those who do not have access to banks. It also aims to avail individuals with the opportunity to monetize their networks as well as provide them with monetary capital that they require in the form of loans. When you refer people to BlockBank, you get a commission, all you have to do is give your referral codes to users who need to take a loan and you get a 30% commission on the fees. This way Blockbank is helping business owners with loan needs get their loans while still affording the referer with a commission.

    Breaking Traditional Boundaries
    BlockBank is working towards breaking the boundaries of traditional banking by creating    a decentralised economy born out an expansion of payment possibilities, improved speed and security and of course minimum taxes. The Banks core will be based on smart contracts which will provide transparency, and deliver products to customers. This smart contracts will be powered by the Digital Direct Application Management System (DDAMS) blockchain. It will fill all the loopholes of the traditional banks with straightforward and direct services, low-cost loans (cryptocurrencies and fiat), security and maximum development of poor nations.

     

    Legal Mechanism for credit obligations
    The project had already concluded its predeal which started from 6, November to 15, December 2017. BlockBank’s ticker is BBRT and it had 10,000,000 tokens available, with a unit of its token equivalent to 0.2$. While the recently concluded pre-ICO lasted from 8, February to 15 March 2018 with a unit of BBRT for 0.6$. The upcoming ICO will last from 10, June to 10, October 2018 with a unit of BBRT for 0.7$. BlockBank has a solid business model which you can view from their white paper as well as a legal framework to enforce credit obligations and if a client does not fulfil their obligations in the credit contract, legal proceedings will be started in accordance with the credit agreement.

     

    Client Based Services
    The Block Blank platform is offering its clients financial planning services, commercial lending services and token ownership grants. Blockbank is offering low-cost funding and this is one aspect businesses today need to expand. Its platform includes multiple features designed to create an ecosystem based on the client needs. BlockBank aims to partner with the biggest banks in the world, minimize transaction cost and provide low-cost loan facility to anyone in the world as well as referral commission for clients.

    More details about this revolutionary Bank’s ICO can be found on their website.

     

    Source: ChainAfrica (www.chainafrica.org)

  • Digital Training Ghana Hits Kumasi

    Digital Training Ghana Hits Kumasi

    Entamoty Media’s Digital Training Ghana releases date for commencement of  Kumasi Training. The Training which is geared towards equipping young Ghanaians to learn digital Marketing  skills in this digitally appealing world has had its first cohort in Accra with an already intriguing success stories of participants; in April this year, ENTAMOTY Media will raid Kumasi for the second Cohort of the Digital Training in Kumasi. The training will be a 3 days Crush course ranging from Modules such as fundamentals of blogging, Professiknal social media pages Manager, Email Marketing, Google AdWords, Youtube Monetization, sms Marketing. The training will take place in early April and will happen at UCOM, Tech, Peduase.

    For many Ghanaians Digital Marketing might seem like a new and a sophisticated tech venture.

    A notion which is obviously far from the truth, the world is moving fast and the digital evolution is catching up with us quickly. There is therefore the need for us to accelerate our digital growth to remain globally competitive.
    WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING

    Digital Marketing, just as the name sounds, is the marketing of products or services using digital channels to reach consumers. The key objective is to promote brands through various forms of digital media. Others however believe Digital marketing extends beyond internet marketing to include channels that do not require the use of internet.

    Currently we have over 7.9 million active internet users in Ghana, the figures increase daily, as the nation keeps expanding internet accessibility to more areas; clearly this is a huge opportunity for brands and companies who wish to create online presence and Digital leads.

    WHY DIGITAL TRAINING?

    Amidst the emergence of digital technologies and their accelerating impact across society, Entamoty Media in collaboration with UAE African Mentoring Consortium presents the first of its kind the ‘DIGITAL TRAINING GHANA’ which is going to be the hub for training certified and professional digital marketers with in depth knowledge and intensive practical hands on exposure fit for the job market.

    WHAT DIGITAL TRAINING GHANA OFFERS

    Digital Training Ghana is the only Digital Marketing Training program where you get in depth Knowledge of all Modules of digital Marketing with Practical hands on Exposure. You Learn from the digital Marketing industry players on up to date developments in online advertising and Digital Dealings. To participate in any of the training near your Region please Follow @Digital Training Ghana and @entamoty on social media reach the Organizer via email Barimah@entamoty.com or WhatsApp messenger +233570570892 .

    According to CEO of ENTAMOTY media Barimah Amoaning Samuel, after Kumasi, the next training will be at Takoradi where most people have reached out to them already.  According to Barimah, Digital Marketing can minimize the rate of youth unemployment in Ghana if taken seriously. Check out video below !

    https://youtu.be/Vd1pFBCzSwc

    Source : Entamoty.com

     

    —
    ENTAMOTY Media Ltd
    www.entamoty.com
    2nd Link Road, Ability Square, East Legon

    PMB KA 200 KIA Accra.
    Ghana,
    +233570570892
    barimah@entamoty.com

    •Youth Empowerment
    •Radio Show (Entamoty Live On Class fm)
    •Digital Marketing
    •Blogging
    •Graphic Designing
    •Publicity

  • The Woes of Coal Impact in Ghana’s Future

    The Woes of Coal Impact in Ghana’s Future

    The lives of women are mostly affected by the impacts of COAL establishments. Thanks to WOMIN (https://womin.org.za/ ), we learnt that coal establishments have a lot of negative impact on our communities especially women such as health problems due to the pollution of water and air which causes miscarriages from drinking coal-polluted water and respiratory diseases. Women have to take care of their sick children from the coal extractives. The effects also bring about land grabbing and division of communities. Since the affected communities no longer have a source of livelihood, this causes the loss of food security and families are affected because they get broken (where men leave their women behind in search for an alternative source livelihood).

    FIG 1: THE PARTICIPANTS AT THE WOMIN TRAINING

    FIG 2: EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS NOT HARMFUL TO THEIR HEALTH OR WELL-BEING

    The establishment of a coal plant in Ghana would greatly affect the only source of livelihood for the Ekumfi communities since the citizens of that community fish. They depend on rain water for survival, what would happen to them when the atmosphere gets polluted? Culturally, our ancestral graves are going to be relocated and cultural heritage is going to be destroyed due to relocation of settlers.
    FIG. 3: OUR TOXIC TOUR BY GROUNDWORK (http://www.groundwork.org.za/ )
    The pollution from coal is massive to the extent that we spent less than an hour close to the mine. Even after exiting the location of the mine, I experienced a serious headache. Ghanaians cannot allow this to destroy our atmosphere and environment causing more illness and diseases in our beloved country. That is why 350 GROC (Ghana Reducing Our Carbon) is campaigning with the slogan #StopTheCOALDream in Ghana because coal kills.
    Many are of the view that coal is cheap but it’s health implications on our people and environmental are too expensive and it would be the best for the country to go Renewables which has long term benefits. The toxic tour also made us realise that coal can never develop a country because the environmental and health effects are too much.
    FIG. 4: A clear indication of blasting happening. Research has shown that the periodic blasting end up affecting children to develop brain tumours. Inhalation of the dust results in many illnesses.
    The name DeCOALonise is from Kenya. Across Africa, we are going to campaign on this and make sure we share in each country’s campaign to make our voices heard. The deCOALonise Africa campaign platform aims to unite campaigns and movements working to end the age of coal in Africa and move to clean renewable energy. We are uniting diverse campaigns with a call to halt new coal establishments in Africa. Together, we are more powerful. It is time to deCOALonise Africa Fast! https://decoalonise.africa/
    In South Africa, we discussed on the deCOALonise platform the journey so far. Everyone had a good understanding of the vision of what deCOALonise was for the platform. We got the opportunity to share our experiences and challenges from what each country (such as: Kenya, Ghana, Congo, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin and South Africa) is doing in fighting coal. This helped us to know how we can work together to best spread the word across the continent. We learnt about setting smart goals and ways of organizing good meetings (tips, strategies, rules and steps). Social media is a major campaign tool we can use moving forward and Chris shared with us the digital skills.

  • Time Management Techniques for Super-Busy People

    Time Management Techniques for Super-Busy People

    Wish there was a way to get more time in a day?

    Well there is. All you have to do is apply some basic time management techniques.

    Ready? Here’s what you have to do:

    #1: Recognize you can’t do it all.

    Too many of us are stretched too thin because we’ve bought into the time management myth that everyone can (and should) do it all. We should all work full-time, spend quality time with our children and spouses and pets, spend time with our friends, do volunteer and committee work, get involved in causes, work at staying fit and healthy, and spend time relaxing and rejuvenating ourselves.

    This kind of balancing act is best left to the Flying Wallendas. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are healthy and happy with how you’re spending your time. Decide what roles and activities are important to you and live your life accordingly.

    #2: Prioritize.

    The other part of the myth that we all can and should do it all is that everything is equally important. It’s not. Just look at your daily calendar on any given day. Is picking up the dry cleaning really as important as that meeting with a client? No. So if you have to choose between them, it’s easy to decide to leave the dry cleaning pickup for another day.

    Don’t just rush from task to task throughout the day. Review the list of what you have to do that day at the day’s start and then pick out the things that you ‘must do’ that day. (Try to keep these ‘must-dos’ to three or less for starters.) Then focus on getting those things done.

    At the end of the day, you’ll have a feeling of accomplishment, no matter what else got messed up or went wrong.

    #3: Learn to say “Yes” and “No”.

    The inability to say “No” is the cause of an incredible amount of misunderstanding and frustration. Instead of saying “No,” people say “Maybe” or “I might be able to do that” or “I’ll see”, creating the expectation that they will do whatever it is on the part of the listener and the pressure on themselves to do it.

    Then when they don’t do it, the person they said “Maybe” to instead of “No” is disappointed/annoyed/hurt.

    Make it a general rule not to say “Maybe” at all when you’re asked to commit to something. Learn to make quick decisions and say “Yes” or “No” instead. And don’t get hung up on elaborating. You don’t have to give extensive reasons for your decision. A simple “No, I can’t do that” is enough. The person you’re speaking to will appreciate your honesty and your disinclination to waste their time. And you’ll be without the pressure to fit in yet another activity or event you weren’t that interested in anyhow.

    #4: Unplug.

    Another modern myth that you have to disregard if you want to get more time is the idiotic idea that we all have to be reachable and ‘connected’ all the time. We don’t, and in fact, there are times when it’s important or useful to be unreachable to everyone or everything except the person or the task immediately in front of us.

    For instance, if your child is telling you about a traumatic thing that happened to him at school that day or you’re doing an estimate for a potential customer, you need to be listening to/communicating with the people right in front of you, not the ones calling or sending you email.

    So recognize this and ‘unplug’ yourself when appropriate. Make yourself the manager of your technology rather than being managed by it.

    Do not read every piece of email as soon as it comes in, for example, or feel that you have to personally answer every phone call. Don’t let incoming texts or tweets interrupt you when you’re working. Set aside particular times of day to read or listen and respond to email and phone calls. Read Top 11 Ways to Increase Productivity for more tips on working smarter so you can unplug more often.

    #5: Take time off.

    Many business people in particular fall into the seven day trap. They feel that the more time they pour into their business, the more successful their business will be. Before you know it, they’re working seven days a week every week and wondering why they feel so frazzled all the time!

    And is their business more successful? Maybe. Maybe not. You see, the success of their business depends on what they do, not on how much time they spend doing it.

    Consider this analogy: if you want to learn golf and you spend eight hours a day seven days a week golfing but are holding the club wrong every time so that every ball you hit has a pronounced swing to the left, what happens to your golf game? It doesn’t matter how much time you put into doing something if you’re not doing it right.

    So incorporate time off into your schedule. When you take time off, whether it’s an afternoon or a weekend or a week, you return to your work refreshed and more productive, able to accomplish so much more in the amount of time available. If leaving your business or work is a problem for you, read these tips for having a worry-free vacation.

    5 Time Management Techniques Equals More Time?

    No. You won’t magically get more time in a day when you put these time management techniques into action. But you will be able to more effectively manage the time you have. And in terms or what you get done and how you feel, that will make all the difference.

  • 11 Time Management Tips That Work

    11 Time Management Tips That Work

    Do you feel the need to be more organizedand/or more productive? Do you spend your day in a frenzy of activity and then wonder why you haven’t accomplished much? Then these time management tips are for you—they’ll help you increase your productivity and stay cool and collected.

    Time Management Tips

    1. Realize that time management is a myth.

    This is the first thing you have to understand about time management; no matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day.

    Time doesn’t change. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the time that we have. Appreciate this. Internalize it. And move on as soon as possible to the next tip.

    2. Find out where you’re wasting time.

    Many of us are prey to time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more productively. What are your time bandits? Do you spend too much time ‘net surfing, reading email, Facebook posting, texting, or making personal calls?

    In a survey by salary.com 89 percent of respondents admitted to wasting time every day at work:

    • 31 percent waste roughly 30 minutes daily
    • 31 percent waste roughly one hour daily
    • 16 percent waste roughly two hours daily
    • 6 percent waste roughly three hours daily
    • 2 percent waste roughly four hours daily
    • 2 percent waste five or more hours daily

    Are you a time waster? Tracking Daily Activities explains how to track your activities so you can form an accurate picture of how much time you spend on various activities, the first step to effective time management.

    3. Create time management goals.

    Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not changing time. A good place to start is by eliminating your personal time-wasters. For one week, for example, set a goal that you’re not going to take personal phone calls or respond to non-work related text messages while you’re working.

    (See Set Specific Goals for help with goal setting.) For a fun look at behaviors that can interfere with successful time management, see my article Time Management Personality Types. Find out if you’re a Fireman, an Aquarian or a Chatty Kathy!

    4. Implement a time management plan.

    Think of this as an extension of the third time management tip. The objective is to change your behaviors over time to achieve whatever general goal you’ve set for yourself, such as increasing your productivity or decreasing your stress. So you need to not only set your specific goals, but track them over time to see whether or not you’re accomplishing them. See also: Top Time Tracking Software Programs and 27 Time-Saving Apps for Small Business Owners.

    5. Use time management tools.

    Whether it’s a Day-Timer, a software program or a phone app, the first step to physically managing your time is to know where it’s going now and planning how you’re going to spend your time in the future. A software program such as Outlook, for instance, lets you schedule events easily and can be set to remind you of events in advance, making your time management easier.

    6. Prioritize ruthlessly.

    You should start each day with a session prioritizing the tasks for that day and setting your performance benchmark.

    If you have 20 tasks for a given day, how many of them do you truly need to accomplish? For more on daily planning and prioritizing daily tasks, see Start the Day Right With Daily Planning.

    7. Learn to delegate and/or outsource.

    Delegation is one of the hardest things to learn how to do for many business owners, but no matter how small your business is, there’s no need for you to be a one-person show—you need to let other people carry some of the load. Delegation in Business provides an overview of tasks you’d be better off delegating or outsourcing while Decide to Delegate provides tips for actually getting on with the job of delegating.

    8. Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.

    While crises will arise, you’ll be much more productive if you can follow routines most of the time.

    For most people, creating and following a routine lets them get right down to the tasks of the day rather than frittering away time getting started.

    9. Get in the habit of setting time limits for tasks.

    For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it. Instead, set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it. (The easiest way to do this is to assign a solid block of time to this task rather than answering email on demand.)

    10. Be sure your systems are organized.

    Are you wasting a lot of time looking for files on your computer? Take the time to organize a file management system. Is your filing system slowing you down? Redo it, so it’s organized to the point that you can quickly lay your hands on what you need.

    11. Don’t waste time waiting.

    From client meetings to dentist appointments, it’s impossible to avoid waiting for someone or something. But you don’t need to just sit there and twiddle your thumbs. Technology makes it easy to work wherever you are; your tablet or smartphone will help you stay connected. You can be reading a report, checking a spreadsheet, or planning your next marketing campaign.

    Your Time Belongs to You

    And here’s the most important time management tip of all. You can be in control and accomplish what you want to accomplish—once you’ve come to grips with the time management myth and taken control of your time.

  • Sales vs. Business Development: What’s the Difference?

    Sales vs. Business Development: What’s the Difference?

    Sales and business development. Just two different ways to refer to the same activity — getting your company’s product into customers’ hands. Right?

    Actually, sales and business development should not be considered the same job at all.Instead, think of the two roles as complementary halves of a whole.

    It’s true that both positions exist to help grow your business, but they achieve this end in different ways. Read on to understand the division between sales and business development, and learn what parts of the sales process each team owns.

    The Difference Between Sales and Business Development

    1) The definition of business development

    First things first. There are two types of activity commonly referred to as “business development,” but they bear little resemblance to each other in both job function and importance within an organization.

    What is business development?

    In the traditional sense, business development refers to activities designed to expand your organization’s reach into a new market — for example, forming partnerships with other businesses to sell Company X’s product to Company Y’s customers.

    The type of business development we’re talking about here, however — also known as sales development — is a specialized sales role.

    What does an SDR do?

    Business or sales development reps (BDRs or SDRs, respectively) are tasked with researching, prospecting, and qualifying leads before passing them off to the sales team to further develop and close.

    This means that SDRs do not carry quotas — although they are responsible for bringing in enough qualified leads that generate a certain amount of business, they are not directly responsible for closing deals.

    2) What is sales?

    Sales is all about closing. After receiving a qualified lead from an SDR, sales reps take the deals across the finish line. Sales reps might perform some additional qualification in certain circumstances, but their primary objective is to close deals. Sales reps are also responsible for demonstrating the product, handling prospect objections, and drafting contracts.

    3) Why divide prospecting from closing?

    According to Bryan Gonzalez, a sales development analyst at research and advisory group TOPO, there are two primary reasons why the sales process has been split into sales development and sales — the increased difficulty of reaching buyers and the benefits of specialization.

    Reaching a buyer “now requires a larger effort by smarter people,” Gonzalez said. “More research and more touches on a lead are required to connect, and it’s not as valuable to have someone with a quota on their head doing that.”

    So taking a cue from Henry Ford, companies have split the sales cycle into specialized areas of responsibility to maximize efficiency and output.

    Closing is no easy feat, and it doesn’t make sense to have your top sales reps spend time researching companies and hunting for leads if they’re best at selling. In the same vein, prospecting and qualifying is neither a fast nor simple process. Separating prospecting from selling allows each team to focus all their energy on one task, instead of dividing their time between two different and time-consuming objectives.

    Another advantage of splitting the two roles is the ability to mold reps from an early stage in their careers and cut down on hiring costs, says HubSpot’s global director of business development Justin Hiatt.

    “A sales development team takes some of the prospecting and qualifying burden off your quota-carrying reps’ shoulders,” Hiatt writes. “But its grander purpose is to become a training ground for your sales organization. It’s a place for your SDRs to prove they can become quota-carrying reps and should feed new reps into your organization every year. “

    4) Are there any overlaps in the sales development rep (SDR)/sales rep role?

    Yes and no. SDR and sales rep positions don’t have too much crossover when it comes to day-to-day activities, unless your reps are also responsible for some of their own prospecting. However, the teams should be hyper-aligned. Both SDRs and sales reps must understand your organization’s ideal buyer persona and be able to spot good fit opportunities.

    5) When should an SDR pass a lead to sales?

    The point at which an SDR passes a lead to a salesperson will vary from company to company. It rests on how your sales team defines what makes a lead “sales qualified.”

    There are several different frameworks for sales qualification: BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline), ANUM (Authority, Need, Urgency, Money), and GPCT, to name a few.

    But no matter what framework you use to qualify leads, SDRs should become adept at uncovering the following:

    • Whether they’re talking to a decision maker. If the contact is a low-level employee with no purchasing power, it’s imperative to figure that out sooner rather than later.
    • Whether the company could use your product. If your product or service solves a problem that doesn’t exist in your lead’s industry, it’s not a good idea to pass that lead along to a sales rep.
    • Whether the lead’s problems can be solved by your product. Every company has different needs. Digging a little deeper to find out exactly where a lead needs help is critical to determining whether or not your product can solve the problem.

    Many organizations have their SDRs go a step further than this basic qualification to get a better sense of whether a lead is ready to buy. They require SDRs to look for two additional pieces of information:

    • Whether the lead needs a solution in the near future. It’s possible that at the time your SDRs first make contact with a lead, their problems aren’t serious enough to warrant a purchase. This doesn’t mean the lead is dead, but passing it along too soon is a waste of sales reps’ time.
    • What kind of budget the lead is working with. This isn’t the time to get into specific pricing breakdowns or negotiations, but it’s important to know if your product is priced in the same ballpark as what a lead can afford.

    Throughout the qualification process, SDRs should spend the majority of their time asking questions and listening to the prospect. However, it’s also important that they educate leads about what solutions your company offers and start demonstrating their value so any potential misalignment is rooted out early.

    6) How should a sales development call differ from a sales call?

    As outlined above, an SDR’s responsibility is to find out as much as possible about a lead’s company, pain points, and need for a solution. Early conversations should revolve around gathering this information.

    A sales conversation should pick up where the SDR left off, with the endgame of getting a deal signed. Sales calls can cover a wide range of things — here are just a few examples:

    • Demonstrating how your value proposition applies to your prospect’s business pain
    • Comparing your product to your competitors’
    • Setting up a trial of your product, if applicable
    • Product demonstrations
    • Price breakdowns
    • Implementation plans
    • Contract terms

    The degree of separation between business development and sales will vary from organization to organization. Especially in smaller companies, sales reps might be responsible for both prospecting and closing, and that’s okay. But as you grow, separating and clearly defining the roles of the two teams will allow each to focus on what they do best, and help your business reach new heights.

  • Twitter Will Ban Cryptocurrency Ads in Two Weeks, Says Report

    Twitter Will Ban Cryptocurrency Ads in Two Weeks, Says Report

    Following in the footsteps of Facebook and Google, Twitter is reportedly planning a ban on advertisements related to cryptocurrencies.

    Sky News reported Sunday that the U.S.-based social networking giant is looking to roll out a policy in the next two weeks that will block ads associated with cryptocurrency wallets, exchanges and initial coin offerings, with limited exceptions.

    In an email response to CoinDesk, a Twitter representative said the company would not comment for now, but also did not deny the report.

    The move is notable as Twitter has come a popular forum for, not only blockchain industry enthusiasts and firms, but also celebrities promoting crypto token offerings that have been frowned upon by regulators, as well as scammers impersonating real accounts in order to hoax investors.

    It also follows a comment earlier this month from Jack Dorsey, CEO and founder of Twitter, indicating that the firm would double down on its efforts to tackle the scourge of crypto scammers on the platform.

    Meanwhile, Google and Facebook have both recently implemented policy changes to remove cryptocurrency-related ad content.

    Facebook said in a blog post in late January that it would block “ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency.”

    Internet giant Google announced just last week that it would include cryptocurrency in its restricted list starting in June, effectively banning ads for crypto exchanges and token sales.

  • Fuel Your Engine Fuel Your Body Promo Launched

    Fuel Your Engine Fuel Your Body Promo Launched

    Finally we have seen a local company partnering with a foreign one for a successful collaboration; this is something that we don’t see often. The Twellium company who are the producers of Rush energy drink and other range of bevegares together with Shell Ghana, the  nation’s number one fuel center have rolled out a mega promo Called “FUEL YOUR ENGINE FUEL YOUR BODY PROMO”; check out all the deatails below.
    Purchase fuel from selected Shell Stations and get your body energized also fueled with RUSH ENERGY DRINK.
    For  every 80gh cedis fuel you buy, you get  a FREE rush energy drink. How cool is that ? Don’t be too excited yet, also you get to enjoy 10% Discount on all Twellium products you buy from any shell outlets across the nation.
    Every driver is cautioned to have a sound mind in a Right mental state anytime behind the steering wheel, and undoubtedly Rush energy drink is all they will need for energy and safe driving.
    RUSH ENergy drink, a premium prodcut from Twellium Industries. One of ghana’s finest and affordable  energy drink. Come on  what are you waiting for? Fuel your your and fuel your body as well!
    This promo runs from now till the end of April 2018
    Terms and Conditions apply.
    By Barimah Amoaning Samuel
  • Profile of Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, The Star of Africa

    Profile of Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, The Star of Africa

    Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka is a mysterious but great man to have surfaced on the earth. He is a preacher, inventor, innovator, Physicist, Chemist, Biologist, agriculturalist, philanthropist and the Star of Africa. He is the world’s greatest multi-dimentional scientist and technologist of all times and has carried out the greatest philanthropic activity in Ghana. He funds all these exercises with revenue from his numerous investments.

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  • 5 things young entrepreneurs must know if they want to be a Dangote

    5 things young entrepreneurs must know if they want to be a Dangote

    His net worth is over $18.3 billion, he is the wealthiest man in Africa and his investment cut across different industries in the continent of Africa and other parts of the world. In the near, Arsenal fans shouldn’t be surprised if Dangote becomes the majority shareholder in your club as he hasn’t hidden his love for the club.

    He is arguably one of Nigeria’s most priced export to the world. He has mentored many and at the same time young Nigerian entrepreneurs want to be like him. But there is a caveat, Dangote did not get to where he is today by mere bravado. He started in 1978 and currently operates in sub-Saharan Africa. It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work. So, do you want to be like Dangote? If yes, here are 5 things you must know.

    Stay focused and believe
    There are uncountable things that distract young entrepreneurs. If you are not disciplined and focused you will definitely derail or go off tangent. In a country like Nigeria where the business environment is a bit unfriendly, being focused is not negotiable. Electricity will be interrupted, and government bureaucracy will frustrate you, don’t lose hope. Keep believing. Things will work out like it worked out for Dangote!

    Take Baby steps
    Dangote Group of Companies wasn’t built in a day. It was a gradual and painstaking process that require years of sacrifice and denial. So, to be a Dangote, you must take baby steps no matter how minute it may be. Spend wisely, and celebrate success moderately. And before you know it, your business name will be on the pages of newspapers.

    See Also:  How to Discover and Achieve Your Personal goals

    Know when expansion
    Depending on how dogged you are and manage your finances, you should know when your business has outgrown its baby steps. When your business is ready, make the expansion gradual. The mantra think global and local should be your strategy.

    Don’t be afraid to take risk or fail
    The fear of failure has prevented some entrepreneurs from taking risks. Risk is very good as far as it is not foolhardy. Shelve your fear as a budding business man. It is good to be cautious but don’t be overly cautious that you refuse to important business decisions because you are afraid of its outcome. For Dangote, his textile business crashed in the 1990s. He had no choice than to let go 6400 workers and shut down his business.

    Don’t focus on a single market or product

    Dangote was a trading. After expanding trading business, he didn’t stop there. He diversified into other businesses like banking, cement, and oil and gas. In fact he Dangote recentlyacquired Twister BV, a gas processing plant in the Netherlands.

    WRITER: Damilola Faustino (Freelance Content Developer)

  • The Traits of a Servant Leader

    The Traits of a Servant Leader

    There is a dilemma of disbelief in people that they can’t be servant-leaders. The only thing needed is to know that you are a Potential servant-leader. You are naturally designed to add value to people who inspire 100s to equip other 1000s. (more…)

  • The Paypal Story… Why Ghana must be whitelisted

    The Paypal Story… Why Ghana must be whitelisted

    Ghana has being on PayPal’s blacklist for a decade now and that has made internet business a headache for many people who want to try their luck there. With the booming internet market and the unstable nature of the local currency, PayPal would have been the savior of many young entrepreneurs who want to secure their jobs and their money.

    (more…)

  • Meet Director Henry KD, CEO of HKOGH Motion Pictures.

    Meet Director Henry KD, CEO of HKOGH Motion Pictures.

    Director Henry KD (born Henry Konadu Denkyira) is a Ghanaian Music Video Director, Art Director and Cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of HKOGH Motion Pictures, a production company that specializes in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.

    As one of Ghana’s youngest and visionary Music Video Director, he shot his first TV commercial for Unilever Ghana in 2012. The following year, he was involved in a passion driven documentary video for Ghana’s maternal health. He directed 15 episodes of the TV comedy series ‘Paddy Wahala.’

    KD has directed music videos for recording artists across an array of genres and generations, including Obaapa Christy, Rose Adjei, Luther, Nero X , Nana Quame, Stream Boiz, C-zar, lyrical Benarfa and a host of others.

    Speaking to Northerngh.com at his North Kaneshie office, he revealed that he initially did free jobs till he became popular and known by his clients before he started charging for his services.

    Director KD started at Alliance Francais Gh, then later realized he had passion for drama. That was when he enrolled at Nafti Film School. There he pursued Degree in Film Artistic and ended up becoming an Art Director.

    We saw the religious side of Director KD when we asked him to advise the youth of today.

    “Let God be your helper to apply your creativity in your career”, he said.

    He also mentioned Tyler Perry as his childhood hero and added that he still remains his hero.

  • Successfully Making the Jump From Employee to Entrepreneur

    Successfully Making the Jump From Employee to Entrepreneur

    My transition from employee to business owner has turned out very well, but the path wasn’t always so clear. While working toward my law degree, I clocked time as a legal intern. I quickly discerned I wasn’t quite cut out for the 9-to-5 lifestyle. It meant getting up early, rushing my prayers and rituals, and making a 9 a.m. court start every day. To put it mildly, it was a horror.  I began my first foray into entrepreneurship during this period. It led to an epic failure and a whole lot of debt. I got out of my depression after reading the story of Urbanladder, a furniture company started by Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivatsa. The two had found themselves in a situation similar to mine and were dissatisfied with their jobs — one at McKinsey & Company and the other at Yahoo. It was only much later that I was able to define the actions that would make my leap of faith a success. I share them here in the hopes they can help others who are looking for more meaning in their career.

    Never jump without an anchor.

    You don’t become an entrepreneur simply because you have an idea. That’s just the first stage. You must prepare for entrepreneurship by researching your next moves.  The first anchor is information. While you’re nursing your idea, invest in gathering information, conducting feasibility studies and identifying resources that can help you articulate your plan. I made my first attempt based on my own assumptions. I’d stayed up late many nights, punching my calculator and making projections. I was confident it would work. But reality has a way of unraveling those dreams and showing them to be the figments they really are. I landed with a thud at the bottom of the barrel called “debt.” Later, I found online resources such as OGScapital, Bbplans and Business Plan Pro. These relatively inexpensive resources enabled me to build a business plan that’s tailored for me. Your second anchor is your day job. You might need to hold on to this anchor for a while longer than you want. Don’t let go until you see some proof of success. Your third anchor is your savings. New businesses never turn out the way they look on paper. They usually require more funding than you anticipate. Regardless of whether you’re able to secure outside funding, your own savings can serve as a cushion for you and your business.

    Avoid heavy-interest loans.

    No matter how badly you need money for your startup, avoid loans that will shackle you for the next 10 years. Some loans exert such steep interest rates that any first profits will be useless — and may remain so for many years. I learned this lesson the hard way. My first attempt at entrepreneurship started with a $125 loan at a 10 percent monthly interest rate (quite apart from the principal sum). It took me two years to pay off that debt. The saddest part? Even though the business didn’t work out, it still was my responsibility to repay the loan in full. I took a wiser approach the second time around. In fact, 80 percent came from my savings and income. Another large chunk came from partners who believed in my business vision.  

    Don’t get so desperate to break out and do your thing that you skip doing your financial homework. Locate great funding ventures, and take loans only at reasonable rates. Apply for government-backed startup grants or appeal to family and friends in a position to help. Whatever you do, don’t tie yourself down for the foreseeable future — even if you’re dead sure your business will be a gold mine.

    Start in familiar territory.

    This isn’t a general rule, but it sure helped me. I’d gone off on a tangent for my first attempt and started a cloth-printing and sales business. I made my second start because my law degree opened up an opportunity in property management. I soon found that door stayed open for the same reason. At first, I was drafting a few documents and agreements here and there. Soon, though, I was thinking about a full-grown property-management business. 

    My background in law and qualifications made people trust me and take a chance. Those new to a business often have the initial problem of convincing customers, partners and even top talent to trust them. Making a jump between vaguely related or unrelated industries may have side effects.

    Check up on the law so you stay clear of litigation.

    Carefully worded contracts provide protections for both parties. A fair number of legal firms represent clients who manage property, and this can present a tricky scenario. Quite a few former employees have fallen prey to litigation brought by previous employers. When I launched my property-management venture, I nearly was indicted for stealing my employer’s clients! More often than not, employment contracts contain clauses that prohibit workers from setting up direct competition within certain jurisdictions. Knowledge of these issues can help you properly plan your entrepreneurial journey and avoid backlash. No new business can thrive while it’s fighting litigation for breach of contract or under the faithless servant doctrine.

    Be content with starting small.

    The vision always is big in your mind, but baby steps never killed anyone. It’s safer to start a business as a side gig with minimal financial investments. This allows you to test the waters. Here’s one example: Instead of paying for a custom website, take advantage of various free website builders. If you’re like me, you might not have ready access to all the capital you need. Use your home address and employ your family in unspecialized roles. Baby steps help stabilize the boat. Decide what works best for you and yields the greatest benefit. A friend of mine started an online business last October that makes and receives all payments in bitcoin. While the uncertainties surrounding bitcoin as a currency prevent me from advising you to do the same, I safely can say he had the right attitude.

    Find a mentor.

    My mentor was younger than me and perhaps less experienced in life. But when it came to the business world, he had much to teach. I learned early on that good listeners have a better chance of doing well in their careers. Strangely enough, my employer — a successful property lawyer — also grew into a great business mentor.  Seek to listen and learn, but keep the spark — the uniqueness that made you pursue the idea. Don’t let people change your vision so much that you start missing your old 9-to-5, and you’ll have what it takes to enjoy a successful transition into entrepreneurship. 

    Writer: CHIDIKE SAMUELSON

    Chidike Samuelson is an expert in relationships of all kinds. As a counselor, he has helped countless people get through their relationship crisis and issues with Interpersonal relationships, Business relationships, Romantic relationships and Family Relationships. He offers General Relationship Consulting services and Freelance writing services at www.aislewitness.com.

  • What you need to know about Young and Wise Ghana.

    What you need to know about Young and Wise Ghana.

    Young & Wise GH is a Christian human capital development enterprise started and headquartered in Obuasi in the Ashanti region. Abraham Hammond is the CEO of Young and Wise Ghana.

    ABRAHAM HAMMOND, CEO OF YOUNG AND WISE GH

    They are committed to renewing paradigms and inspiring young people to develop their leadership potential and contribute to the socio-economic development of Ghana.

    Young & Wise GH is also sold out to transforming young people for Jesus Christ and preparing them for His return and currently has created three major platforms:

    DIVINE INTIMACY CONFERENCE

    On this platform, they engage the youth with activities such as music, poetry, drama and talk shows with the aim of addressing the spiritual challenges of 21st century.

    The youth is inspired to prioritize their personal relationship with God and fellow humans regardless of the present day challenges.

    Divine Intimacy 2017 will be coming on earlier next year, 4th January and the Founder and Head Pastor of Family Chapel International, Rev. Dr. Victor Osei will be the speaker.

    FRUITFUL VINE (LADIES CONFERENCE)

    This platform is a wakeup call for ladies to take part in the development of the society. Issues and challenges of ladies are addressed and successful women are given the opportunity to share their experiences.

    OBUASI MUST WORK EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT

    OBUASI MUST WORK is a call to Rediscovering the Original Purpose and Principle of Personal Leadership – SELF GOVERNMENT.

    It is a wakeup call for PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (one’s ability to discover and govern him/herself)

    Therefore this platform is to renew paradigms and inspire young ones to put their talents to work.