Many people think that capital is the biggest roadblock to starting a business. That is not true. Capital may be one of the roadblocks to starting a business but it is not the biggest roadblock. You can start a business with even no money only using your mind. You may, for example, envision owning a publishing house. Start by writing stories and features to the editor then become a free lance journalist, a newsletter producer and you will be on your way to your coveted publishing house. What about a dream to be an hotelier? You may start with food deliveries to offices, then to outside catering and eventually become an hotelier.
The following entrepreneurship steps will get you on the path to business prosperity no matter how much money you have right now.
Preparation
Remind yourself of the many reward of being self-employed then go ahead and prepare yourself for it. Motivate yourself with “nobody gets to be a millionaire working for another”. Observe role models, read success stories and find a mentor.
Ponder
Think about possible business ideas. What businesses fascinate you? What are your hobbies, interests? Can you turn them into business? Do a research on all the ideas at your disposal in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Screen the business ideas and settle on one. The internet will be of help. Talk to your spouse, friends, and children. They will assist you settle on an idea.
Plan
First you must have a business idea. Armed with the idea you can then start planning about how to turn it into a business and earn profit. It also helps to have a business plan for the selected idea. Be proactive when doing a business plan, make sure you look at what the competitors are doing to see what you can do differently. When developing a business plan, you may realize that the idea is not possible to implement for various reasons including the needed funds to start it. You may therefore scale it down, postpone it or even abandon it all together and think of another one within your reach.
Plunge
Armed with a business plan you can now invest and start your business. And by the way it is not true that every business start-up needs money. It is the Chinese who say that a journey of a million miles starts with a first step. Even in business start from where you are – with what you have. A business is like a person. It can be born (started small) and grow into a big venture. Just like a person it can get old and die. You may have no money but you have your physical and mental strength. Start using them, do not leave them idle; do not channel them to illegal activities.
Persevere
Even when you are doing something you love, sometimes you can lose motivation and want to give up. Business management for prosperity is a game of perseverance and financial discipline. Profit has to be earned. When economists talk of break-even they mean that it takes time for an investor to recoup the initial invested amount and start earning a profit. Talent may get you so far, but only perseverance will get you there.
Profiteer
Eventually you will begin reaping what you sowed. Pay yourself, you have worked hard for that money and you deserve to enjoy it. So, depending on how much you have, you can buy the dress you always wanted, take a vacation, remodel your house, and upgrade your car. But make sure you garner the profit. Do not squander all your profit. If you feel that you cannot resist the urge, open a different account for the percentage of profit you wish to pay yourself with.
Plan again
Armed with profit, do a plan for growth, expansion, and diversification, whichever suits you. Plan to go international – and why not! Indeed planning is a continuous exercise. Some businesses have a plan of buying new stock, new equipment or diversification. Whatever it is your business needs, think of a growth strategy and plan for it.
Plough back
Reinvest the profits you have garnered. When economists talk of retained profits they mean that some profit has to be retained in the business for re-investment. Remember reinvesting is your road to business growth and financial freedom. If you want the gap between where you are now and your vision to be reduced, reinvest.
Persevere again
After re-investment you will need again to break even. This requires another game of perseverance and financial discipline. Do not get tired even when things don’t seem too promising. Just think of your vision.
Prosper
Enjoy your effort but do not become complacent. The only time you can decide to rest is if you have achieved financial freedom (your passive income exceeds your expenses.)You will know you have gained financial freedom if your business no longer needs your presence to operate.
The ten steps have a strong business message: business prosperity is not for the faint hearted and you do not need to have a million to make a million.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Thank you for the woman that I am
Lord, there have been times when I felt so different,
So weird, so unlike the people that I know.
It has taken me a while to figure out that,
I am different by Divine design.
I am different because you have made me
with gifts and traits and a genetic combination that no one else has.
No one in all the ages of the world has ever been me
and no one ever will..
So I can celebrate the fact that You have made each tiny part of me unique.
Deliver me, Father, from feeling weird.
Deliver me from ever wishing that I were someone else.
Deliver me from envy and jealousy of other people’s lives.
Help me to discover the wonder of the woman that You created me to be.
Help me to understand what a rare and precious treasure I am to you.
Help me to realise that I can give the world some things that no one else can give in the same way.
Thank You, Lord, for the awesome, creative work
You have done as You brought me into being.
Thank you, Lord that I am who I am and that I have this life,
to live for your purpose and your glory.
Thank you for giving me the chance in life
to live my life well and
to be proud of the woman that I am!
So weird, so unlike the people that I know.
It has taken me a while to figure out that,
I am different by Divine design.
I am different because you have made me
with gifts and traits and a genetic combination that no one else has.
No one in all the ages of the world has ever been me
and no one ever will..
So I can celebrate the fact that You have made each tiny part of me unique.
Deliver me, Father, from feeling weird.
Deliver me from ever wishing that I were someone else.
Deliver me from envy and jealousy of other people’s lives.
Help me to discover the wonder of the woman that You created me to be.
Help me to understand what a rare and precious treasure I am to you.
Help me to realise that I can give the world some things that no one else can give in the same way.
Thank You, Lord, for the awesome, creative work
You have done as You brought me into being.
Thank you, Lord that I am who I am and that I have this life,
to live for your purpose and your glory.
Thank you for giving me the chance in life
to live my life well and
to be proud of the woman that I am!
The three white enemies of weight loss and good health
In addition to eating a peak performance diet to achieve rapid weight loss and improved functioning, you should develop the habit of eliminating the “three white poisons” from your diet. This change in your diet is so simple and yet so powerful that every one who tries it achieves success in weight loss and good health
The three white poisons are salt, sugar and flour.
When you take in more salt than you require, your body has to compensate by retaining water to hold the salt in solution. This causes you to swell up and feel bloated. Not only that, too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, fatigue, poor digestion, sleeplessness and nervous twitches, and a general feeling of tiredness throughout the day.
When you stop consuming foods that are heavy in salt, and stop putting salt on your meals, you will feel better immediately. The fact is that there is so much salt in the foods that you consume that you need no extra salt in your diet. If anything, you get too much salt without even trying.
• Eliminate All Sugars
The second white poison is anything that contains sugar of any kind. The excess consumption of sugar is so harmful for you that you can transform how you feel almost overnight by refusing to consume anything that has sugar in it. The average adult requires no extra sugar for adequate functioning and ideal health
Just by eliminating all products containing sugar and salt, your weight will drop almost immediately.
Develop the habit of eating foods composed of complex carbohydrates. A complex carbohydrate is contained in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products. These foods contain large amounts of energy, but they must be broken down in the digestive process for that energy to be available. These foods also contain large quantities of vitamins and minerals. In the process of digestion, these vitamins and minerals are released and freed up for your body.
On the other hand, simple carbohydrates, those made of sugar products, require no time to digest at all. They go straight into the blood stream. This is why you often get a “sugar rush” after consuming a sugar-based product, such as a donut or candy bar. What is worse is that your glucose or sugar level spikes just after you consume a sugar-based food or drink. When your blood sugar level spikes, your body immediately goes onto “emergency” status. It quickly secretes insulin into your system to remove the excess sugar. As a result, in one to two hours, you actually experience an “energy slump.” The excess insulin secreted by your body removes
so much sugar that you find yourself feeling fatigued and even light headed a couple of hours after consuming a sugar based food or drink.
• Avoid White Flour Products
The third white poison you must develop the habit of avoiding is anything that contains white flour. This includes breads, rolls, and pastries of all kinds, bagels and donuts. Carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and pasta will also make you fat. Whole grain products are different. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and first class proteins. They are exclusively complex carbohydrates. Not only do they satisfy your appetite in small quantities, but they also contain loads of nutrients that give you a feeling of satisfaction and lightness rather than feeling heavy and full.
The body is not very good at breaking down white flour products. When you eat them, they form a thick gluten that moves slowly through your digestive system, making you feel sleepy and causing constipation.
Another reason to avoid these foods is that the whiteness in a white flour product is achieved by first of all milling the wheat to a fine consistency and then removing most of the nutrients. What is left over is then bleached, which kills any nutrients remaining. What you end up with in a white flour product is essentially an “inert” food. It is actually dead.
The very act of eliminating white flour products from your diet will immediately cause you to lose weight, have more energy, feel lighter and give you greater stamina throughout the day.
As an exercise, you should look at the “contents list” on the labels of canned or packaged foods sold in your local supermarket. You will be amazed to find that most canned and fast foods are loaded with sugar and salt.
The three white poisons are salt, sugar and flour.
When you take in more salt than you require, your body has to compensate by retaining water to hold the salt in solution. This causes you to swell up and feel bloated. Not only that, too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, fatigue, poor digestion, sleeplessness and nervous twitches, and a general feeling of tiredness throughout the day.
When you stop consuming foods that are heavy in salt, and stop putting salt on your meals, you will feel better immediately. The fact is that there is so much salt in the foods that you consume that you need no extra salt in your diet. If anything, you get too much salt without even trying.
• Eliminate All Sugars
The second white poison is anything that contains sugar of any kind. The excess consumption of sugar is so harmful for you that you can transform how you feel almost overnight by refusing to consume anything that has sugar in it. The average adult requires no extra sugar for adequate functioning and ideal health
Just by eliminating all products containing sugar and salt, your weight will drop almost immediately.
Develop the habit of eating foods composed of complex carbohydrates. A complex carbohydrate is contained in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products. These foods contain large amounts of energy, but they must be broken down in the digestive process for that energy to be available. These foods also contain large quantities of vitamins and minerals. In the process of digestion, these vitamins and minerals are released and freed up for your body.
On the other hand, simple carbohydrates, those made of sugar products, require no time to digest at all. They go straight into the blood stream. This is why you often get a “sugar rush” after consuming a sugar-based product, such as a donut or candy bar. What is worse is that your glucose or sugar level spikes just after you consume a sugar-based food or drink. When your blood sugar level spikes, your body immediately goes onto “emergency” status. It quickly secretes insulin into your system to remove the excess sugar. As a result, in one to two hours, you actually experience an “energy slump.” The excess insulin secreted by your body removes
so much sugar that you find yourself feeling fatigued and even light headed a couple of hours after consuming a sugar based food or drink.
• Avoid White Flour Products
The third white poison you must develop the habit of avoiding is anything that contains white flour. This includes breads, rolls, and pastries of all kinds, bagels and donuts. Carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and pasta will also make you fat. Whole grain products are different. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and first class proteins. They are exclusively complex carbohydrates. Not only do they satisfy your appetite in small quantities, but they also contain loads of nutrients that give you a feeling of satisfaction and lightness rather than feeling heavy and full.
The body is not very good at breaking down white flour products. When you eat them, they form a thick gluten that moves slowly through your digestive system, making you feel sleepy and causing constipation.
Another reason to avoid these foods is that the whiteness in a white flour product is achieved by first of all milling the wheat to a fine consistency and then removing most of the nutrients. What is left over is then bleached, which kills any nutrients remaining. What you end up with in a white flour product is essentially an “inert” food. It is actually dead.
The very act of eliminating white flour products from your diet will immediately cause you to lose weight, have more energy, feel lighter and give you greater stamina throughout the day.
As an exercise, you should look at the “contents list” on the labels of canned or packaged foods sold in your local supermarket. You will be amazed to find that most canned and fast foods are loaded with sugar and salt.
A letter from God
A letter From God!
By Mary Mumbi Maina
One day God was looking down
Down at Earth
And alas! he saw the evil
Evil on earth
That day he sent an angel
An angel down to Earth
The female angel went for sometime
For sometime down to earth
And when she came back
Back from earth
She told God,
"Yes it is bad on Earth,
95% is bad and 5% is good.
It is that bad on earth
Well, God thought
For a moment about the earth
And He said
"I will send another one to earth
And this time a male angel;
Will be sent back to earth
So I can get both points of view.
Of how bad it is on earth
So God called a male angel
And sent him for some time to Earth
When the male angel returned
Really disappointed about the earth
He went to God and told him
"Yes it’s a decline down there on earth
95% was bad and 5% was good."
Disappointed at the people on earth
God felt He had to do some Good
So He sent a letter to the 5% on earth
That were good and encourage them a little
To be strong when here on earth
Something to help them keep going.
Do you know what on earth
The letter that was written by God said?
To encourage the 5% on earth
Oh! You didn't get one either?
By Mary Mumbi Maina
One day God was looking down
Down at Earth
And alas! he saw the evil
Evil on earth
That day he sent an angel
An angel down to Earth
The female angel went for sometime
For sometime down to earth
And when she came back
Back from earth
She told God,
"Yes it is bad on Earth,
95% is bad and 5% is good.
It is that bad on earth
Well, God thought
For a moment about the earth
And He said
"I will send another one to earth
And this time a male angel;
Will be sent back to earth
So I can get both points of view.
Of how bad it is on earth
So God called a male angel
And sent him for some time to Earth
When the male angel returned
Really disappointed about the earth
He went to God and told him
"Yes it’s a decline down there on earth
95% was bad and 5% was good."
Disappointed at the people on earth
God felt He had to do some Good
So He sent a letter to the 5% on earth
That were good and encourage them a little
To be strong when here on earth
Something to help them keep going.
Do you know what on earth
The letter that was written by God said?
To encourage the 5% on earth
Oh! You didn't get one either?
THE KENYAN `LAW’ MEETS THE LORDS’
Corruption at its best...gotta love this
On Tom Mboya Street, Nairobi ,Kenya A Pastor met a team of policemen who, quite naturally wanted '"Kitu Kidogo" (that is the household name for a bribe) from him, but since he wasn't prepared to play their games, they asked him to pull off and show his driving papers. Having gone through them, they had nothing to hold against the pastor, they asked him to open the bonnet of his car. A careful scrutiny of the engine number against that on paper revealed that letter U was written in such a way that it could be mistaken for letter V …. . The officer-in-charge yelled "stolen vehicle!!” The Pastor sensing trouble, even when he knew he had committed no offence, yelled back; "Am a pastor not a thief" The officer replied: "Please, leave that pastor thing...in any case, if you are indeed a pastor, then you must have a Bible in your car, bring it." The Pastor speedily brought out his Bible to proof his sanity.
"Please read Matthew 5:25-26 to me." Incredulously, Pastor opened to the recommended passage and read: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to a judge, and the judge may hand you over to th e officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny" The perplexed man of God "QUIETLY" made an "offering" of "some shillings to his newly found "preacher". The Officer collected his "kitu kidogo" and said to the pastor,
"End of service, go in peace and argue no more".
You can't beat such a cop at his game!
On Tom Mboya Street, Nairobi ,Kenya A Pastor met a team of policemen who, quite naturally wanted '"Kitu Kidogo" (that is the household name for a bribe) from him, but since he wasn't prepared to play their games, they asked him to pull off and show his driving papers. Having gone through them, they had nothing to hold against the pastor, they asked him to open the bonnet of his car. A careful scrutiny of the engine number against that on paper revealed that letter U was written in such a way that it could be mistaken for letter V …. . The officer-in-charge yelled "stolen vehicle!!” The Pastor sensing trouble, even when he knew he had committed no offence, yelled back; "Am a pastor not a thief" The officer replied: "Please, leave that pastor thing...in any case, if you are indeed a pastor, then you must have a Bible in your car, bring it." The Pastor speedily brought out his Bible to proof his sanity.
"Please read Matthew 5:25-26 to me." Incredulously, Pastor opened to the recommended passage and read: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to a judge, and the judge may hand you over to th e officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny" The perplexed man of God "QUIETLY" made an "offering" of "some shillings to his newly found "preacher". The Officer collected his "kitu kidogo" and said to the pastor,
"End of service, go in peace and argue no more".
You can't beat such a cop at his game!
A LESSON ON LOVE, FOR YOU MY FRIEND
A lesson for anyone who is single, not so single, a playboy/girl type ,engaged, married, Heartbroken, Naive, Still holding on….a lesson for you
To My Friends Who Are........... SINGLE
Love is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you just let it fly, It will come to you when you least expect it.
Love can make you happy but often it hurts,
but love is only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it.
So take your time and choose the best.
To My Friends Who Are........... NOT SO SINGLE
Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person”
It's about finding someone who helps you become
the best person you can be.
To My Friends Who Are........... PLAYBOY /GIRL TYPE
Never say "I love you" if you don't care.
Never talk about feelings if they aren't there.
Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart.
Never look in the eye when all you do is lie.
The cruelest thing a person can do to other people:
Is to let then fall in love when he/she doesn't intend
to catch them fall and it works both ways.
To My Friends Who Are........... ENGAGED
The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together
But how good you are for each other.
To My Friends Who Are........... MARRIED
Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry."
Not "where are you", but "I'm right here"
Not "how could you", but "I understand"
Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are"
To My Friends Who Are........... HEARTBROKEN
Heartbreaks last as long as you want
and cut as deep as you allow them to go
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks
But to learn from them.
To My Friends Who Are ........... NAIVE
How to be in love:
Be consistent but not too persistent,
Share and never be unfair,
Understand and try not to demand,
And get hurt but never keep the pain.
To My Friends Who Are........... POSSESSIVE
It breaks your heart to see the one you love
Happy with someone else
But it's more painful to know that the one you love
Is unhappy with you.
To My Friends Who Are........... AFRAID TO CONFESS
Love hurts when you break up with someone.
It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you.
But love hurts the most:
When the person you love has no idea how you feel about him/her
To My Friends Who Are........... STILL HOLDING ON
A sad thing about life is,
When you meet someone and fall in love,
Only to find out in the end that
It was never meant to be,
And that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it.
If that person doesn’t worth it now,
it’s not going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now.
TO ALL MY FRIENDS
My wish for you is
A soul mate whose love is:
Honest, strong and mature,
Never-changing, and protective,
Encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.
I wish you unconditional love
To My Friends Who Are........... SINGLE
Love is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you just let it fly, It will come to you when you least expect it.
Love can make you happy but often it hurts,
but love is only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it.
So take your time and choose the best.
To My Friends Who Are........... NOT SO SINGLE
Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person”
It's about finding someone who helps you become
the best person you can be.
To My Friends Who Are........... PLAYBOY /GIRL TYPE
Never say "I love you" if you don't care.
Never talk about feelings if they aren't there.
Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart.
Never look in the eye when all you do is lie.
The cruelest thing a person can do to other people:
Is to let then fall in love when he/she doesn't intend
to catch them fall and it works both ways.
To My Friends Who Are........... ENGAGED
The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together
But how good you are for each other.
To My Friends Who Are........... MARRIED
Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry."
Not "where are you", but "I'm right here"
Not "how could you", but "I understand"
Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are"
To My Friends Who Are........... HEARTBROKEN
Heartbreaks last as long as you want
and cut as deep as you allow them to go
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks
But to learn from them.
To My Friends Who Are ........... NAIVE
How to be in love:
Be consistent but not too persistent,
Share and never be unfair,
Understand and try not to demand,
And get hurt but never keep the pain.
To My Friends Who Are........... POSSESSIVE
It breaks your heart to see the one you love
Happy with someone else
But it's more painful to know that the one you love
Is unhappy with you.
To My Friends Who Are........... AFRAID TO CONFESS
Love hurts when you break up with someone.
It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you.
But love hurts the most:
When the person you love has no idea how you feel about him/her
To My Friends Who Are........... STILL HOLDING ON
A sad thing about life is,
When you meet someone and fall in love,
Only to find out in the end that
It was never meant to be,
And that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it.
If that person doesn’t worth it now,
it’s not going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now.
TO ALL MY FRIENDS
My wish for you is
A soul mate whose love is:
Honest, strong and mature,
Never-changing, and protective,
Encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.
I wish you unconditional love
Which One Are You???
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it.
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen.
He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil,
he placed potatoes in one pot,
eggs in the second pot
and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.
The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.
"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes."
She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.
Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
"Which one are you," he asked his daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
In life, things happen around us, things happen to us,
but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react? Will they make us
weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile?
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen.
He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil,
he placed potatoes in one pot,
eggs in the second pot
and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.
The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.
"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes."
She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.
Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
"Which one are you," he asked his daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
In life, things happen around us, things happen to us,
but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react? Will they make us
weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile?
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