Progress Has Power: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

1. Think success. To attain the kind of success that you want, you need to dream big. Every success story starts with big dreams. You need to have big dreams for yourself - which you want to be somebody rich, famous or fulfilled. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. But it doesn't stop in dreaming alone. You should actively visualize success in your mind that you can almost feel it, touch it or it is within your reach. Play this image back at every opportunity. What does it feel to triple your current income? How will your life change? What will your business look like if you achieved the million-dollar mark?
Successful entrepreneurs possess an attitude of openness and faith that you can have what you want if you can simply envision it as the first step on the path of action to acquiring it. Management gurus have taught us the power of visualization - seeing yourself in your mind as having accomplished your dreams. If you want to be a successful writer, envision yourself signing books for a throng of people who have lined up to have your autograph. If you want to be rich, picture yourself in luxurious surroundings holding a fat bank account. And the process of envisioning success for you should be a constant activity! You need to think that you are successful (or will be one) every single waking hour. A personal development coach shared me her secret to help her continuously visualize her goals for the moment: when climbing stairs, recite your goal with every step you take. So if you want more money, say "I will have money" in every step of the stairs. This technique will reinforce your goal and keep it fresh in your consciousness.
2. Be passionate with what you do. You start a business to change any or all part of your life. To attain this change, you need to develop or uncover an intense, personal passion to change the way things are and to live life to the fullest. Success comes easily if you love what you do. Why? Because we are more relentless in our pursuit of goals about things that we love. If you hate your job right now, do you think you will ever be successful at it? Not in a million years! You may plod along, even become competent at the tasks, but you will never be a great success at it. You will achieve peak performance and do what you have to do to succeed only if you are doing something that interests you or something that you care about. Entrepreneurs who succeed do not mind the fact that they are putting in 15 or 18 hours a day to their business because they absolutely love what they do. Success in business is all about patience and hard work, which can only be attained if you are passionate and crazy with your tasks and activities.
3. Focus on your strengths. Let's face it; you cannot be everything to everybody. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. To be effective, you need to identify your strengths and concentrate on it. You will become more successful if you are able to channel your efforts to areas that you do best. In business, for example, if you know you have good marketing instincts, then harness this strength and make full use of it. Seek help or assistance in areas that you may be poor at, such as accounting or bookkeeping. To transform your weakness to strength, consider taking hands-on learning or formal training.
4. Never consider the possibility of failure. Ayn Rand, in her novel The Fountainhead, wrote, "It is not in the nature of man - nor of any living entity, to start out by giving up." As an entrepreneur, you need to fully believe in your goals, and that you can do it. Think that what you are doing will contribute to the betterment of your environment and your personal self. You should have a strong faith in your idea, your capabilities and yourself. You must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the ability to recognize and fulfill them. The more you can develop faith in your ability to achieve your goals, the more rapidly you can attain it. However, your confidence should be balanced with calculated risks that you need to take to achieve greater rewards. Successful entrepreneurs are those who analyze and minimize risk in the pursuit of profit. As they always say, "no guts, no glory."
5. Plan accordingly. You have a vision, and you have enough faith in yourself to believe that you can achieve your vision. But do you know how to get to your vision? To achieve your vision, you need to have concrete goals that will provide the stepping-stone towards your ultimate vision. Put your goals in writing; not doing so just makes them as intangible fantasies. You need to plan each day in such a way that your every action contributes to the attainment of your vision. Do you foresee yourself as the next Martha Stewart of hand-made home furnishings? Perhaps today, you need to see an artist to help you conceptualize the new line of hand-made linens that you hope to launch. Intense goal orientation is the characteristic of every successful entrepreneur. They have a vision, and they know how to get there. Your ability to set goals and make plans for your accomplishment is the skill required to succeed. Plan, plan and plan - because without which failure is guaranteed.
6. Work hard! Every successful entrepreneur works hard, hard and hard. No one achieves success just by sitting and staring at the wall every single day. Brian Tracy puts it out this way, "You work eight hours per day for survival; everything over eight hours per day is for success." Ask any successful businessperson and they will tell you immediately that they had to work more than 60 hours per week at the start of their businesses. Be prepared to say goodbye to after-office drinks every day, or a regular weekend get-away trip. If you are in a start-up phase, you will have to breathe, eat and drink your business until it can stand on its own. Working hard will be easy if you have a vision, clear goals, and are passionate with what you do.
7. Constantly Look for Ways to Network. In business, you are judged by the company you keep - from your management team, board of directors, and strategic partners. Businesses always need assistance, more so small businesses. Maybe the lady you met in a trade association meeting can help you secure funding, or the gentleman at a conference can provide you with management advise. It is important to form alliances with people who can help you, and whom you can help in return. To succeed in business, you need to possess good networking skills and always be alert to opportunities to expand your contacts.
8. Willingness to Learn. You do not need to be a MBA degree holder or PhD graduate to succeed in your own business. In fact, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who did not even finish secondary education. Studies show that most self-made millionaires have average intelligence. Nonetheless, these people reached their full potentials achieved their financial and personal goals in business because they are willing to learn. To succeed, you must be willing to ask questions, remain curious, interested and open to new knowledge. This willingness to learn becomes more crucial given the rapid changes in technologies and ways of doing business.
9. Persevere and have faith. No one said that the road to success is easy. Despite your good intentions and hard work, sometimes you will fail. Some successful entrepreneurs suffered setbacks and resounding defeats, even bankruptcy, yet managed to quickly stand up to make it big in their fields. Your courage to persist in the face of adversity and ability to bounce back after a temporary disappointment will assure your success. You must learn to pick yourself up and start all over again. Your persistence is the measure of the belief in yourself. Remember, if you persevere, nothing can stop you.
10. Discipline yourself. Thomas Huxley once said, "Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not." Self-discipline is the key to success. The strength of will to force yourself to pay the price of success - doing what others don't like to do, going the extra mile, fighting and winning the lonely battle with yourself.

Bill Gates - Biography and History

Bill Gates was the founder and first chairmen of Microsoft.

By Mary Bellis, About.com Guide

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates listens during a press conference to launch a plan aimed at saving 10 million mothers and newborns in the poorest countries

Cetty Images/Rick Gershon

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Bill Gates came from a family of entrepreneurship and high-spirited liveliness. William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington on October 28th, 1955. His father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. His late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.

Bill Gates - Early Life

He had an early interest in software and began programming computers at the age of thirteen. In 1973, Bill Gates became a student at Harvard University, where he meet Steve Ballmer (now Microsoft's chief executive officer). While still a Harvard undergraduate, Bill Gates wrote a version of the programming language BASIC for the MITS Altair microcomputer. Did you know that as young teenagers Bill Gates and Paul Allen ran a small company called Traf-O-Data and sold a computer to the city of Seattle that could count city traffic?

Bill Gates & Microsoft

In 1975, before graduation Gates left Harvard to form Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. The pair planned to develop software for the newly emerging personal computer market. Bill Gate's company Microsoft became famous for their computer operating systems and killer business deals. For example, Bill Gates talked IBM into letting Microsoft retain the licensing rights to MS-DOS an operating system, that IBM needed for their new personal computer. Gates proceeded to make a fortune from the licensing of MS-DOS.
On November 10, 1983, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, Microsoft Corporation formally announced Microsoft Windows, a next-generation operating system.
On January 1, 1994, Bill Gates married Melinda French Gates. They have three children.

Bill Gates Philanthropist

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, have endowed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with more than $28.8 billion (as of January 2005) to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning.

MS DOS The Operating System History
From a Quick and Dirty Operating System a giant walks (ms-dos), in 1980, IBM first approached Bill Gates and Microsoft, to discuss the state of home computers and Microsoft products.
Windows 1.0 To Windows Beyond 2000
Windows is the graphical user interface for IBM and IBM compatible machines, this article discusses the origins of Windows and where Windows is heading.
Top Books on Bill Gates
Authorized and unauthorized books on Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and the youngest self-made billionaire in history.

Feature Stories on Microsoft

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

10 Things Successful People Did to Become Successful

10 Things Successful People Did to Become Successful

The internet and our book shelves are packed with information about ‘what successful people do’. But what about what they did?

What’d they do when they weren’t successful that brought them to their current stature? Sure, we can learn a lot from successful people. But I think we can learn a hell of a lot more from what got them there, than where they’re at now.

It’s true in any area of life, with success comes laziness. The guy who was grinding, getting up at 5 or 4 am had hunger. The guy who can go where he wants, when he wants, in any vehicle he wants, doesn’t have that same hunger. He does less, but makes more.

We look at the life of the uber successful and we think, man I’d love to have his life. But what about the risks he took to get there? What about the missed birthday’s, parties, and endless hours of work at a dream that he – and quite often only he – believed in?

The difference between the 10 things that successful people do, and the 10 things that successful people did, is sacrifice. What they did to get here is stuff that 99.999% of us don’t want to do. We don’t want to miss out. We don’t want to risk. We’re scared of both and we won’t achieve the success that they eventually achieve which allowed them to do what they want, when they want.

And so, here are the 10 things successful people did to get where they are now.

1. They didn’t accept their excuses.

We all have excuses. We sleep in because we feel ‘our bodies need the extra rest’. We go out for drinks when we should be tending to our dream or our mission, because we feel like we ‘need some fun’. We stop on rep 6 when we could have done 7 because, well, ‘what’s one rep?’.

Well, that one rep is everything. That early morning is everything. That night spent working rather than drinking is everything. And the most successful people in the world know this from the start. Yes they partied, but their work didn’t suffer as a result.

Where fun is #1 for a lot of us – and more power to you. The mission, whatever their mission that they hold with such regard is, is #1 for them. Whatever excuses they could have given themselves, they didn’t listen.

Mandela could have used his unjust imprisonment as an excuse to give into his anger. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually free others.

Listen to your excuses. Understand why you have them. Then figure out how you can use them for good.

2. It wasn’t just about them.
If you want to be really successful – and truly successful in life, not just in business – it can’t simply be about you. It can’t be about the result. The money. The ‘things’. It has to be about helping others in some form or way.

This goes in line with a later point about having a reason, but if something drives you that is greater than just the ‘ends’, you’re going to work harder, longer, and you’re going to give more to your project. The other thing that will happen, is people will help you along the way. They’ll root for you. You’ll have a tribe of men and women who’ll truly want to see you succeed because you’re not just doing it for monetary gains, you’re doing it for something greater than your own benefit.

Money can be a motivator, but it can’t be the motivator. Legends are never the one’s who are fixated on the almighty dollar. They’re the one’s who are fixated on helping others, or bringing about some kind of change that will benefit more than just themselves.

Yes you can make money by trying to make money. But there’s no fulfillment in simply making money. And isn’t that the point? Make your mission about more than just the man in the mirror, and you’ll begin to be proud of that same face that you see in the mirror.

3. Early mornings and late nights.
People who are on their way to achieving something extraordinary work better, and more often than others. It’s a simple fact.
Yes they neglect other areas of their lives and focus on this one mission that they have. But that’s what’s important to them. If going out every night and having drinks with friends is what you hold as the most important thing in your life, then that’s what you’re going to do.
There’s literally no substitute for hard work. Abraham Lincoln said, “Things may come to those who wait… but only the things left by those who hustle.” If you want to be successful, you’re going to have to out hustle everyone else.

4. The greatest commodity.
Energy is one of the greatest commodities we can have, and one that the most successful possess. Partially due to their passion and excitement for what they do and where they’re going, but many of them also understand the need to be in great shape.

One of Richard Branson‘s ‘key’s to success’ is staying in great physical shape. I always talk about how being in great shape gives us confidence, which in turn leads to a much better life. But is energy the greatest benefit to working out? It may be.

Keeping physically fit gives us a ton of energy which allows us to focus at the task at hand for a longer period of time. Some use stimulants like coffee (which I love), or even drugs (which I hate), to keep their minds burning bright for longer periods of time. But this tactic ends. It results in a crash and in the long run results in less productivity, happiness and true success.

By making training routine, we’re adding to the quality and duration of our time on this planet. We’re also increasing our level of productivity. Think of training as your energizer bunny. When everyone else crashes, you’ll still be going.

5. Principles.
History will be kind to me. For I intend to write it.
Winston Churchill had principles. The difference between him and his principles, and most others’ principles, is that he didn’t waver. He had things that he believed in, like freedom, and fighting for that freedom at all costs, that he stood firm even when he was the only one standing.

One of Apple’s principles are to bring change to the world through technology, and they do it with every product they release. What are your principles? What do you stand by? Identifying them is the first step. Living by them is a whole other story. The people who have become truly successful in life, not just in business, stood by their principles even when they were the only one standing.

Even if your principles aren’t popular, be true to who you are like Churchill was and history will be kind to you as well.

6. Wavering, yet unbreakable faith.
Everyone has moments – and long stretches – of doubt and even depression. Especially when you’re working towards something that isn’t guaranteed. The successful realized that on their way up, all you can do is control the things that are guaranteed. Things like their work ethic, focus, and discipline.

Here is a simple truth: if you don’t have faith in yourself, how can someone else? They won’t. If you don’t know that you’re going to make it, you probably won’t. You’ll get sidetracked, take an easy way out of a problem, or quit. Your doubt will feed that part of you that doesn’t want to work, sacrifice, and suffer for your end goal.

Those who have achieved greatness have doubt, but they also have faith. They have an understanding that it’s just a matter of time. They know that what they’re doing and where they’re headed is worth it, and will happen. Where they are now is just a part of the process and something the they have to appreciate and enjoy.

7. A reason.

Successful people have a reason that compelled them to greatness. Some had an idea, and an idea that they believed in so strongly that they gave their lives to it, and in return, were given a better life.

Abraham Lincoln‘s reason(s) had to do a lot with his view of himself in relation to how other’s viewed him. Where others saw a poor, illiterate boy, Lincoln saw someone capable of achieving more, even if he had to do it completely on his own. He also saw the need for change. A nation that preached freedom wasn’t free. He saw something fundamentally wrong with this and set out to change it. His why wasn’t about him. Which in turn made him one of history’s great men.

Successful people understand their why. Where everyone else knows what they’re doing, and even know how to do it. But those who had a reason, something that was beyond their own gains, pushed them to work harder and to do more than the guy who was simply after money.

We all have a reason. Make yours the reason for your greatness.

8. They persevered when others didn’t.

Maybe the biggest difference between these select few, is that they persevered. It might not have been that they had the most talent, the best idea, or the most breaks, it’s more likely that they persevered.
Take James J. Braddock, or even Nelson Mandela, for example. They didn’t achieve their greatness or success early on in their careers or in life like some. They achieved it after surviving. They survived while others literally died, or quit. In their cases it wasn’t just that they were the best, but they were the best because of what they endured, and they were the last one’s standing.

You don’t know when your breakthrough will come. What you do know, is that it will come someday if you work hard, smart, and help others along the way. If you do great work, your breakthrough will come. History is filled with men and women who persevered. They stuck it out longer than their counterparts.
What history is missing, is the thousands who quit just before their dream could be realized. Work hard, enjoy the journey, and never, never, never give up. It’s such a waste. At least give yourself the gift of sticking it out and realizing your dream.

9. Studied their craft.
Tony Guinn and Mike Tyson studied their craft as much as anyone. Guinn spent hours upon hours studying opposing pitchers. He studied their patterns and their tells. He was by far not the most athletic guy around, or even on his team, but he’ll go down as one of the greatest hitters of all time.
When people think of Tyson, they think of an animal. A man with a troubled mind and a troubled past. But what they fail to see is the student. No one studied boxing like Tyson did. He’d watch the same fights in the attic of his former trainer’s house where he lived as a young man.

He watched the greats. Studied guys like Marciano, Ray Robinson, Dempsey, and Liston. He studied more than anyone. And as a very small heavyweight, he’ll go down as one of the greats. Not because his talent was given; rather, because it was earned.

So these great athletes can study film, but how can we study our crafts? I’ll use myself as an example. Much of my job has to do with writing, and obviously fitness. So, I study those two things. I read books about how to become a better writer, ways to connect with the reader, and I simply read great books written by author’s who are much better at writing than I am. If you’re in sales, read and study sales. If you’re a marketer, then do the same with marketing.

Being a drone who simply goes through the motions is no way to achieve greatness. Assuming success is something you want, you have to study your craft, whatever it may be. Learn it inside and out. Become a wealth of knowledge. It’ll help you create great, inspiring, and unique work.

10. Risk.

Every great person since the dawn of time has risked something extremely important to them, in order to gain something the was even more important to them.

There have also been billions of people who had the capacity for greatness, but didn’t want to take the risk. It’s not that they lived a bad life by any means at all, but they never reached their true potential. Maybe because they didn’t have faith in themselves, or because they didn’t want to risk what they already had – even though it left them unfulfilled – in pursuit of something that wasn’t guaranteed.

Your big, audacious dream might be to marry the girl of your dreams and have a family with her. You risk might be to leave the career that you love in order to support her and your family. Your dream might be to bring change to the world, and everything else in your life that doesn’t help you on your mission might have to take a back seat.

Find your dream. Then risk everything to get it.

The words of truth

Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary - Steve Jobs.

World of Enterpreneurship

“The real thrill of entrepreneurship is creating something from nothing. This requires vision, creative thinking, a knack for getting things organized and a lot of hard work. Being an entrepreneur is no easy task and therefore entrepreneurs should be saluted”

(Nelson Mandela)

In recent times the concept of entrepreneurship has become popular in Tanzania and across the world. There are a number of reasons for this. But one I believe to be pivotal is the inspiration we have always received from entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs have kept us constantly thrilled with innovative ideas, amazing breakthroughs and their admirable courage to face the unknown and come up with solutions and inventions addressing pertinent problems that none of us have thought before and in many cases bringing to life things we have not contemplated possible. I ceaselessly wonder about the insight, conviction, courage, vision, determination and creativity that led the world’s second richest man, Microsoft Boss, Bill Gates to drop out from the most prestigious University in the world, Harvard, and go on to achieve incomparable success in revolutionizing technology which has put computers at the heart of global commerce and social communication. Like other entrepreneurs, Gates’ life story is an enduring example of an entrepreneurial spirit which necessarily entails taking risks and accepting uncertainty to pursue a dream with all the passion, energy and commitment to make it turn into a reality.

But the other side of the story is manifested in entrepreneurs who become ridiculed for their failed dreams or ambitions. The case in point is Thomas Edison, an American inventor who failed 1,000s of times before he invented the electric bulb. Like Edison, there are many successful entrepreneurs who had previously failed so many times before becoming who they are today.In the eye of an entrepreneur, failure is not an end in itself as there is no failure in business but only lessons to learn and challenges to overcome. This is despite numerous credible research findings that indicate that over half of the start-up businesses fail within the first three years and that many of the aspiring entrepreneurs lose hope completely but others stick to their vision but simply change their direction. There are a number of reasons for this and I will explore this interesting matter in several of the forthcoming articles. However, what is most important is to know and be irrevocably convinced of the fact that entrepreneurship is not an easy journey and that one should be more passionate about the journey than about the riches one may receive if becoming successful.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft

“Success is neither an event nor a point in time. Rather success is the long journey of achievements, counting one milestone after another. You need to celebrate every step on your way without forgetting that you still have a long way to go. You must also realize that the more you move ahead, the harder and smarter you must work to get to the next milestone”- Paul R.K Mashauri.

In this column, I intend to share my personal experience as an entrepreneur and the many lessons I have learned from other entrepreneurs across a range of sectors, most of whom were self-starters with humble beginnings starting from nothing and eventually building multimillion dollar empires.

I know there has been much debate over time about whether entrepreneurship can be taught or whether it’s an innate ability, a gift or talent that someone has been born with. I do not wish to venture into that debate here, but, I have come to realize through working and dealing with different entrepreneurs that some were born with special talents and opportunities that have helped them excel in the world of business and that others have grown from zero to heroes through a process of learning and acquiring of knowledge from various sources. This is the understanding that has motivated me to share my personal experience and wisdom from other entrepreneurs who I admire. I am eager to spread their business philosophy and experiences in hope that others will receive inspiration and guidance that will make a difference in their life and the society we live in.

We are living in an information age where knowledge is key to excelling in anything you do and it is my belief that everyone needs to constantly upgrade and sharpen his/her skills in order to be more effective and excel in what he/she is attempting to achieve.

My first enterprise, which was a newspaper I started after school before venturing into consulting, printing and car-hire, collapsed after eight months of existence. But there was so much I learnt and gained from that tough but very exciting experience. The practical experience of starting and operating a business taught me a lot including what works and what doesn’t in the entrepreneurship journey and inspired me to redefine my perception of what essentially entails success. Success is neither an event nor a point in time. Rather success is the long journey of achievements, counting one milestone after another. You need to celebrate every step on your way without forgetting that you still have a long way to go. You must also realize that the more you move ahead, the harder and smarter you must work to get to the next milestone.

Entrepreneurship: An Economic Perspective

Entrepreneurship is one of the four main factors of economic development; namely land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship. In economic terms the first factor of production that’s land refers to natural resources used by an enterprise. This includes ores and minerals mined from the ground as well as native plants and animals. The second factor that’s capital is always misunderstood to mean money. So many times I came across situations where I asked aspiring or self made-entrepreneurs of the challenges they face in business and lack of capital would come on top of their list. When I ask further what they mean by “lack of capital” I found that most of them use the term capital to mean financial resources. However, capital is the least form of capital. In economic terms, capital means all human creations used in creating wealth. For instance vehicles for a Car-Hire company or a cab-service company, camera for an audio visual production company and money for a finance company.

The third factor of production is Labor, This refers to human endeavors that produces wealth; both physical and mental, Depending on the level of business engagement, labor can be skilled or unskilled. Unlike the industrial age when human labor was demanded a great deal, modern business practices demand more of skilled than non-skilled labor as the machines can do what were to be done by human beings in a speed, efficient and effective manner that a human being can not.

The fourth factor of production and the most important of all is Entrepreneurship. This is the ability to make connections between the other factors and make them productive. Getting the other factors of production work together to create something that did not exist before. It requires vision, creativity and innovation.

Entrepreneurship: A Historical Overview

“One thing I have come to realize in business is that most of us have a lot of ideas but it takes an entrepreneur to see the window of opportunity, gather the necessary resources, provide the necessary leadership and turn that idea into a commercial output”-Paul R.K Mashauri.

The word “entrepreneurship” has its roots in French word entreprendre, referring to individuals who were “contractors” who bore the risk of profit or loss. Early references to entrepreneurship in the 14th century spoke about tax contractors-individuals who paid a fixed sum of money to the Government for the license to collect taxes in their region. This historical orientation of the word entrepreneurship offers a better understanding of who entrepreneurs were and what created a line of demarcation between business entrepreneurs, intra-preneurs and social entrepreneurs.

While the entrepreneurial attributes of creativity, innovation, vision, passion and perseverance can be seen in individuals working as employees in profit and nonprofit ventures (intrapreneurs and social entrepreneurs), a business entrepreneur based on the historical definition must have identified an opportunity and took the risk of investing his/her resources. That is to say the entrepreneur must have invested his/her capital for the expectation of making profit. This is critical because apart from doing things in a very unique way, an entrepreneur must make decisions regarding allocation of resources. He/she must be able to see the window of opportunity and intelligently allocate his/her scarce resources to maximize the potential.

Defining Entrepreneurship

Different scholars have defined entrepreneurship differently and the evolution of entrepreneurship itself has generated various definitions across disciplines. I however wish to use the definition offered by Robert Ronstadt of Boston University. He defined entrepreneurship as a dynamic process of creating incremental wealth. This wealth is created by individuals who assume the major risks in terms of equity, time and/or career commitment of providing value to some product or service. Ronstad’s definition of entrepreneurship encompasses various aspects of the entrepreneurial process that is necessary to transform a vision into reality. One thing I have come to realize in business is that most of us have a lot of ideas but it takes an entrepreneur to see the window of opportunity, gather the necessary resources, provide the necessary leadership and turn that idea into a commercial output.

New Keys to Business and life Success in 2012.

A New year inspires hope and expectations for positive change in business and life. But at the end of the first quarter this optimism sometime falls short. Many remains overwhelmed with immediate tasks and problems no different from the preceding years. So this is the challenge to you to stop doing the same things continuously. It the year of stepping away from insanity into a plan that works.

"Too many business owners focus solely on their profit-and-loss statements," says Dave Lavinsky, co-founder of Growthink. Since 1999 Growthink has helped its clients raise more than one billion dollars in funding to grow their businesses. "It's critical to focus more on the business assets," Lavinsky says. "What's going to allow you to expand your reach and grow your company?" he asks.

To develop and execute a business plan that will work for you in this New Year, Lavinsky, who an internationally renowned expert in the fields of business planning, capital raising, and new venture development, suggests focusing on assets like your client base, new employees, systems, and partnerships. "Putting your attention purely on profits can take you off track. More profits are nice, but more clients can be leveraged for significant future growth," he says. Focusing on deliverables is certainly important, but planning and execution is what will grow your client base, thus your company.

Lavinsky cites the following elements as key points in an effective business plan if that plan is intended as a blueprint to grow your business. He reminds us that if you aim to use your business plan to attract investors, there are many other financial pieces that you need to include. Make sure to visit GrowThink to learn more about those.

Mission Statement:

Lavinsky notes that most businesses either don't have a mission statement or they make it so general that it has no meaning. Think about what you're trying to achieve and include that big vision in your mission statement. Take a look at Growthink's mission statement as a great model.

SWOT Analysis:
a comprehensive SWOT analysis (assessing company strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities and market threats) is critical to assess your opportunities, generate ideas and focus on which to go after.

Marketing Strategies:

Take a good look at your current marketing strategies. In Lavinsky's experience, most entrepreneurs use only one channel to market their business. "Dig deeper and use different strategies," he says. "Do you use only radio advertising? Spread out your marketing dollars and include things like direct mail, pay per click, print advertising, and other marketing resources rather than just one avenue." Lavinsky suggests that you try a new channel each month and by the end of the year you will have another valuable business asset: proven knowledge of which marketing tactics work and those that don't.

Company Goals:

Set goals for a five-year target point. What income level do you plan on achieving in that time? Will you sell the company, remain at the helm, or go public? Plot your course, and then break down your goals and strategies into a one-year plan. Which opportunities are best to execute this year in order to achieve your five year goals?

Business Asset Goals:

Formulate projections on customer count, employee count, training, new equipment and other expenditures, like a new facility or office expansion. Be prepared for growth.

Key Performance Indicators:

Most entrepreneurs don't track things like visitors to their website, customers in the store, the percentage of sales in the store vs. the website, upsell percentages, number of sales, sales closed, proposals issued, etc. It's crucial to keep detailed metrics so that you can analyze problems. Don't simply look at those top line figures in your P&L, study your KPIs as well. For instance, if your team didn't upsell enough, it may be time to create new sales scripts. For example, if your website isn't converting enough sales, it's time to explore a different conversion tactic.

When determining what to include in your KPI details, Lavinsky recommends that you ask yourself these two simple questions: Of my top five direct competitors, which one would I purchase if I could? Then, what would I want to know to determine the best buy? So, for instance, would you purchase the company with the highest sales conversion rate, best Web stats, perhaps the most stable customer base? Now create a tracking method for those key factors, which are apparently very important to you.

Target Audience:

Define your customer in detail to maximize your marketing efforts. "Create your customer avatar," says Lavinsky. "Explore what is important to them, the real reasons they do what they do, and their key problems." Also include demographics such as gender, age, race, geographic location.

With your customer avatar well defined, you can find publications, radio shows, blogs and other well-targeted means to reach out to your customer. You can speak to them more effectively and achieve a much higher conversion rate. Be as specific as possible. Remember the 80/20 rule; 20 percent of customers represent 80 percent of profit. Who is your 20 percent?

Getting too niche? Lavinsky would ask you if you'd rather be a sardine in the ocean or a whale in a pond. "Niche down," he says, "and own your market. Once you do this you can grow into other markets." Also remember that you will still be serving people outside of your niche, it isn't as limiting as you may believe. Lavinsky reminds us that it is easier to start small and expand later.

Facebook is a great example of this is. It started at Harvard, and then expanded to other ivy leagues and eventually into the general populace.

Competitive Analysis:

Lavinsky stresses the importance of being prepared for the inevitable—competitive challenges. "Take a good look at your competition and define what steps they could take that would really frighten you. Imagine the worst case scenario and ask yourself if you could deal with it or if your business would be massively hampered," he says. The next step is to determine what you could do under your current circumstances to pre-empt it. "Make the assumption that they’re really good at strategy and that they do smart things," suggests Lavinsky. "Then make contingency plans."

If your competition acquires another company as a part of their growth strategy, for instance, what can you do now to control the impact of such a move? Again, selecting a well-defined niche and becoming known as the best provider in that industry would help to mitigate that risk.

Define your team:

"Even solopreneurs should have a team," Lavinsky says. "Don't try to do it all on your own." Consider your virtual assistants and other outside contractors, or employees if you have them. Where do you want them to be one year from now? What skills will they have developed? What training or mentoring is necessary to get them there? Is there anyone who’s not working out? Who do need to grow your company? How can you get those resources in place?

Operations Plan:

Finally, Lavinsky cites the importance of an operations plan. Looking at your five-year plan and what you want to accomplish, define your marketing strategies, any additional services or products to offer, and all of your key initiatives for the year. Lavinsky suggests creating a Gantt chart, so that you have a visual for each project.

Friday, May 25, 2012

the YUNA essay competition

Youth of United Nations Association of Tanzania (YUNA) announces an essay competition for secondary schools and higher learning institutions on the topics listed below. First, Second and the Third Winner from each category will be awarded 200 US Dollars in total, and certificates of participation will be awarded to 5 best entries of each category. Spread the Word.

TOPICS:

COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES: “Towards Rio+20: A letter to the President"
If you were to write a letter to the President of Tanzania and his delegation to the Rio+20 Conference (Earth Summit), what you would tell him, what demands would you want him to address, tell us what would you tell him.

SCHOOLS: "Sustainable Development and Me"
Tell us what you understand about sustainable development and how do you think sustainable development touch your life at home, at school, your community

Thursday, May 24, 2012

nguvu ya ujasiriamali nchini Tanzania

Nchi ya Tanzania inaaminika sana kuelekeza nguvu zake katika kilimo kwa asilimia 80..wajasiriamali wadogo wadogo ndio wamefanikiwa kwa asilimia kubwa kuifikisha nchi katika hali hii ya maendeleo japo sio makubwa sana lakini tuna kila haja ya kujivunia wajasiriamali tulionao hapa nchini.Mimi nikiwa miongoni mwa wajasiriamali wa hapa nchini nina furaha kubwa kuona tunazidi kusonga mbele badala ya kurudi nyuma..katika mambo ambayo naweza kujivunia ni pale napoona hata vijijini wameanza pata funguka macho na pia serikali inaanza kwa mbali kutambua mchango wetu mkubwa katika jamii nzima kwa ujumla..sasa basi naiomba serikali angalau ikubaliane na wajasiriamali na kuendeleza shughuli za uzalishaji kwani maendeleo sio ya mmoja bali ni kwa taifa zima kwa ujumla!!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

hi world

welcome to my new blog,i will send and share with you all the ideas about entrepreneurship matters.