Training! Training!! Training!!!
There is another great opportunity is available for you to attend our Cocktail training.
Register by sending your name, location to 08033151623
Training fee:3000 Naira
Date: 28th February, 2015.
Venue: No. 1 Isheri Holiday Inn, off Bodlad, By Grammar School Bus Stop Along Berger-Isheri road.
NB: Payments to be made on or before
23rd of February for registration and seat reservations.(including refreshments)
Come with a copy of your write up for free start up kits and you can also win our drink dispenser if you are the most deserving participant.
We have proven ourselves, we can do it again. hurry, spread the news, tell your friends
Obxfoundation. ... Empowering for tomorrow
BBM: 75EFCC2
Whatsapp: 08033151623
Referrals from this blog will get a discount. You'll need to get a passcode from us.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
From Our Mixologist
OBX FINGER FOODS
As a mixologist, I have come to realise that most Nigerians don't really know the varieties of "cocktail drinks" / recipes available.
Most times when clients call on me to cater/supply drinks at their events and when we get talking about cocktails, they mention just
CHAPMAN (and am like mehn I can do over
50 cocktail variation).
Then i begin to wonder if chapman is the
only "cocktail" Nigerians are used to.
So I ask myself why do we really love
chapman that much?
By the way here a few cocktails y'all should
try @ the next event Ʋ attend or bar.
1. Black Russian
2. Shirley Temple
3. James Bond
4. Lava Flow
5. Screw driver
6. Pinacolada
7. Mojito
8. Fruit splash
9. White russian
10. Banana shakes.
There's huge
potential in the cocktail arena as per Naija,
as it's quite untapped here. You can also be a pro at drinks. Join our latest ceos. #obxfingerfoods. #Empoweringfortomorrow. 08033151623 pin.75AEFCC2
As a mixologist, I have come to realise that most Nigerians don't really know the varieties of "cocktail drinks" / recipes available.
Most times when clients call on me to cater/supply drinks at their events and when we get talking about cocktails, they mention just
CHAPMAN (and am like mehn I can do over
50 cocktail variation).
Then i begin to wonder if chapman is the
only "cocktail" Nigerians are used to.
So I ask myself why do we really love
chapman that much?
By the way here a few cocktails y'all should
try @ the next event Ʋ attend or bar.
1. Black Russian
2. Shirley Temple
3. James Bond
4. Lava Flow
5. Screw driver
6. Pinacolada
7. Mojito
8. Fruit splash
9. White russian
10. Banana shakes.
There's huge
potential in the cocktail arena as per Naija,
as it's quite untapped here. You can also be a pro at drinks. Join our latest ceos. #obxfingerfoods. #Empoweringfortomorrow. 08033151623 pin.75AEFCC2
Business Tips For Perishable Goods Vendors
Good day people. It's been a while. How are you doing? How is the business?
In keeping with my promise of sharing the business tips I'm learning, I'll like to share some of my learnings while marketing pre-packed eggs.
I was (and still am) very convinced that God led me to start marketing the eggs. I was laying on my bed one Saturday when the Holy Spirit sent me to the kitchen and opened my eyes to the opportunity. Like Apostle Paul, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. I quickly made the necessary contacts. I will write about customer service in my next article, by God's grace. The responsiveness of the organization will be part of what will be reviewed in that article. All I can say here is that they are not shining examples in that regard.
I had done some back of the envelope calculations and concluded that the pack of 15 was most profitable to market. However, one of my business partners recommended that we get all the sizes and test the market response to all. So, we ordered 20 cartons (at competitive prices, of course). I was able to convince the supplier to deliver 10 cartons each in 2 installments, instead of supplying all at once. I had fantastic plans on how to quickly sell the eggs. The plan was to supply a sizeable number of the eggs to supermarkets and stores around. I was quite sure I could supply to them at competitive prices so I didn't sample opinions before asking the supplier to deliver the eggs.
The supplier had mentioned what they called "Recommended Retail Prices" but after a couple of unanswered requests, I stopped asking for that information. I came up with my price list.
Selling the first 10 cartons of eggs turned out to be more challenging than I envisaged. First of all, many of the supermarkets and stores I had ASSUMED would jump at my offer actually had other suppliers or were badly burnt by their previous experience with the particular brand I was marketing. I met a supermarket owner who had sworn not to stock that brand ever again.
Also, my business partners were not as enthusiastic as I was about the business for both valid and frivolous reasons. I had to have a frank talk with one of them and amazingly, the sales from that partner grew tremendously.
We were involved in a race against time. We had to get the eggs out to the final consumers in good enough time so that we wouldn't sell spoilt eggs to them. It was a HECTIC time for me. I would come back from work, say a quick hello to my people and head out to sell as much as I could of the eggs. I met the good and the 'not so good' types of customers. I think I'll write about the different kinds of customers and how I responded to them in another article. My suppliers were calling frequently to find out how many eggs I had liberated etc. Remember these were people I had challenges communicating with while planning for the business.
While I was engaged in all this 'hard work', I also submitted a proposal (including a price list) to a notable supermarket close to where I live. They already had a supplier but they received my proposal, anyway. It turned out that I was offering them the eggs at a cheaper price that their supplier was offering them (I wasn't selling below my cost price). I'll return to this soon.
Meanwhile, I had a meeting with myself and concluded that life couldn't be that hard, lol. I also decided to reduce the number of cartons I received from my suppliers, which meant that my cost price would be higher than I initially anticipated. I decided to give out the remaining eggs as a seed to the business. I used a few eggs to treat my hair (Please don't let me write about the fantastic diet that natural hair enjoys, lol).
I really wanted to quit the business but I remembered that one of my customers had paid me in advance for eggs to be supplied two weeks later. I also met a supermarket owner who encouraged me to keep at it. She collected some eggs and helped me sell some (God bless her heart). I also had some miraculous sales as I went out for my aggressive person-to-person marketing. One of the people I talked to about the eggs connected me to a community of consistent customers, though he didn't buy eggs from me.
I was on my way home one Friday evening when I received a text message from my dad asking me to call a certain number. I called him and he said he received a call from someone asking if we could supply eggs. His number is on the letterhead that I used for the proposal I submitted to the supermarket. I quickly called the supermarket and they asked if I could supply 5 cartons of eggs the next day. My suppliers require 72 hours notice before a supply. I mentioned this BUT I also asked them to allow me check with my suppliers if there was something we could do. I spoke with my suppliers and they happened to be able to get 5 cartons close to where I stay. I had to meet them somewhere to receive it. Another concern was that the money I had with them could not cover for 5 cartons. I needed to pay and I couldn't go into the banking hall to fill a transfer form. I had serious trust issues with online banking, particularly ATM transfers as they issue no receipts. I was willing to risk it in this case.
I called back the supermarket and told them that I would make the supply. I also had to make my hair that Saturday. I had asked the lady to come as early as possible. I kept monitoring the driver of the supply vehicle as we were making the hair. We were about half-way done with the hair when I had to meet up with the driver of the supply van. He was still going to deliver elsewhere so we needed to get there as quickly as possible. I quickly pulled a wig over the half-made hair and cleaned up.
We met with the driver at a filling station and received the eggs. We took them straight to the supermarket. The store manager then asked me for an invoice. Invoi-gini? I quickly told him that I would get the invoice to him by Tuesday. He told me that they only pay on Tuesdays and Thursdays; that if I had submitted the invoice on Saturday, my cheque would have been ready on Tuesday. Thankfully, he asked what name to write on the cheque. I asked him to write my name. He then told me that they typically do not do that but he would make an exception for this case. He advised that I open an account for the business. I raised that with my dad and I can say that we've settled that.
I was so excited about this opportunity. Things were looking good. Life was (and still is) good. I had steady customers buying at fantastic prices; I had a mega supermarket that would potentially buy in large quantities. I was getting ready to start ordering in large quantities at competitive prices again. I had even submitted my proposal (with my price list again). Then I got the order that changed everything....
This story will be too long as one post. I'll post the concluding part as soon as possible. Meanwhile, please share in the comments what lessons you believe are worth learning from my story.
In keeping with my promise of sharing the business tips I'm learning, I'll like to share some of my learnings while marketing pre-packed eggs.
I was (and still am) very convinced that God led me to start marketing the eggs. I was laying on my bed one Saturday when the Holy Spirit sent me to the kitchen and opened my eyes to the opportunity. Like Apostle Paul, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. I quickly made the necessary contacts. I will write about customer service in my next article, by God's grace. The responsiveness of the organization will be part of what will be reviewed in that article. All I can say here is that they are not shining examples in that regard.
I had done some back of the envelope calculations and concluded that the pack of 15 was most profitable to market. However, one of my business partners recommended that we get all the sizes and test the market response to all. So, we ordered 20 cartons (at competitive prices, of course). I was able to convince the supplier to deliver 10 cartons each in 2 installments, instead of supplying all at once. I had fantastic plans on how to quickly sell the eggs. The plan was to supply a sizeable number of the eggs to supermarkets and stores around. I was quite sure I could supply to them at competitive prices so I didn't sample opinions before asking the supplier to deliver the eggs.
The supplier had mentioned what they called "Recommended Retail Prices" but after a couple of unanswered requests, I stopped asking for that information. I came up with my price list.
Selling the first 10 cartons of eggs turned out to be more challenging than I envisaged. First of all, many of the supermarkets and stores I had ASSUMED would jump at my offer actually had other suppliers or were badly burnt by their previous experience with the particular brand I was marketing. I met a supermarket owner who had sworn not to stock that brand ever again.
Also, my business partners were not as enthusiastic as I was about the business for both valid and frivolous reasons. I had to have a frank talk with one of them and amazingly, the sales from that partner grew tremendously.
We were involved in a race against time. We had to get the eggs out to the final consumers in good enough time so that we wouldn't sell spoilt eggs to them. It was a HECTIC time for me. I would come back from work, say a quick hello to my people and head out to sell as much as I could of the eggs. I met the good and the 'not so good' types of customers. I think I'll write about the different kinds of customers and how I responded to them in another article. My suppliers were calling frequently to find out how many eggs I had liberated etc. Remember these were people I had challenges communicating with while planning for the business.
While I was engaged in all this 'hard work', I also submitted a proposal (including a price list) to a notable supermarket close to where I live. They already had a supplier but they received my proposal, anyway. It turned out that I was offering them the eggs at a cheaper price that their supplier was offering them (I wasn't selling below my cost price). I'll return to this soon.
Meanwhile, I had a meeting with myself and concluded that life couldn't be that hard, lol. I also decided to reduce the number of cartons I received from my suppliers, which meant that my cost price would be higher than I initially anticipated. I decided to give out the remaining eggs as a seed to the business. I used a few eggs to treat my hair (Please don't let me write about the fantastic diet that natural hair enjoys, lol).
I really wanted to quit the business but I remembered that one of my customers had paid me in advance for eggs to be supplied two weeks later. I also met a supermarket owner who encouraged me to keep at it. She collected some eggs and helped me sell some (God bless her heart). I also had some miraculous sales as I went out for my aggressive person-to-person marketing. One of the people I talked to about the eggs connected me to a community of consistent customers, though he didn't buy eggs from me.
I was on my way home one Friday evening when I received a text message from my dad asking me to call a certain number. I called him and he said he received a call from someone asking if we could supply eggs. His number is on the letterhead that I used for the proposal I submitted to the supermarket. I quickly called the supermarket and they asked if I could supply 5 cartons of eggs the next day. My suppliers require 72 hours notice before a supply. I mentioned this BUT I also asked them to allow me check with my suppliers if there was something we could do. I spoke with my suppliers and they happened to be able to get 5 cartons close to where I stay. I had to meet them somewhere to receive it. Another concern was that the money I had with them could not cover for 5 cartons. I needed to pay and I couldn't go into the banking hall to fill a transfer form. I had serious trust issues with online banking, particularly ATM transfers as they issue no receipts. I was willing to risk it in this case.
I called back the supermarket and told them that I would make the supply. I also had to make my hair that Saturday. I had asked the lady to come as early as possible. I kept monitoring the driver of the supply vehicle as we were making the hair. We were about half-way done with the hair when I had to meet up with the driver of the supply van. He was still going to deliver elsewhere so we needed to get there as quickly as possible. I quickly pulled a wig over the half-made hair and cleaned up.
We met with the driver at a filling station and received the eggs. We took them straight to the supermarket. The store manager then asked me for an invoice. Invoi-gini? I quickly told him that I would get the invoice to him by Tuesday. He told me that they only pay on Tuesdays and Thursdays; that if I had submitted the invoice on Saturday, my cheque would have been ready on Tuesday. Thankfully, he asked what name to write on the cheque. I asked him to write my name. He then told me that they typically do not do that but he would make an exception for this case. He advised that I open an account for the business. I raised that with my dad and I can say that we've settled that.
I was so excited about this opportunity. Things were looking good. Life was (and still is) good. I had steady customers buying at fantastic prices; I had a mega supermarket that would potentially buy in large quantities. I was getting ready to start ordering in large quantities at competitive prices again. I had even submitted my proposal (with my price list again). Then I got the order that changed everything....
This story will be too long as one post. I'll post the concluding part as soon as possible. Meanwhile, please share in the comments what lessons you believe are worth learning from my story.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
More Business Tips
Good day people.
I have a few tips and two stories to share
today.
An important tip I learnt AGAIN is
RECORD-KEEPING. I have confirmed BY EXPERIENCE that "the sharpest brain is
no competition for the bluntest pencil". Some people have been asking me
if I'm sure they are not owing me or not and I sincerely can't remember. I
enjoyed the Christmas break so much that I have faint memories of what happened
BEFORE the break. However, the things I wrote down 3 years ago are still
there...Be guided, be dilligent in record keeping. Someone told me that God
also keeps records...You can check Revelations 20:12 about the books God
keeps...
I'll tell you one of the stories now. I
usually surf around some of the Facebook business groups I belong to in search
of the "Next Big Idea". Once in a while, I stumble on those posts
that promise to make you millionaires but you have to send them your email
address. I followed up with one of such yesterday with a Facebook message. I
asked what this business was about. Find below excerpts of our conversations.
OP is the person that put up a post about a 'work from home' opportunity.
Adenike: Please I'm interested in the 'work
from home' opportunity you're talking about. Thanks
OP: Hi.
How are u. email xxxxx@yahoo.com. I will be your personal coach. I have
various programmes for you to join and I will help you all the way. Some you
have to pay and some are free.. Take a look at all of them. The first
programmes you will need to have someone that lives in the US , UK to sign up
under you to validate your account. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask
Yahoo Mail.
Of course I didn't respond to that. Then
there were follow-up messages which I ignored. From the initial post, it
appears that email addresses/phone numbers are the 'prize'. One would ask what
'harm' there could be in giving one's email address/phone out.
First and foremost, they are PERSONAL
details. Secondly, some people collect those email addresses/phone numbers to
sell to advertisers (at best) and malicious users at worst.
I'm quite amused by the number of people
that "sheepishly" share their personal details (and sometimes company
details) in unsecured environments, e.g group walls. You won't go far in
business if you don't exercise discretion. Don't wonder why you keep getting weird messages. You can read Proverbs 14:15 for more
on that.
I'll round up with my second/third story. When
I was younger, I remember that my parents got involved with one pyramid scheme
that seemed like a scam, even to my young ears. It turned to be a scam. My mum
got involved in another scheme that turned out to be a scam. I thought I was
wise enough in those matters. When I started earning a reasonable income after
graduation, my colleagues just won't stop talking about a scheme run by a
'wonder bank'. Their monies were growing in leaps and bounds. I decided to try
the scheme with 'change' (I think that was kind of wise). It turned out to be a
scam and my 'change' remains trapped there till date...Again, you may want to
meditate on Proverbs 14:15 as well as Proverbs 14:18. Don't be gullible;
understand what the business is about before you dash out your money.
#Tentmakers.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Business Tips 1
Good day
people. Happy new year once again. I promised myself to document any business
tips I pick along the way on this page. I have a few to share this morning.
I visited
an organization and was quite unimpressed with the state of their restroom. I
found it really funny that they had amazing codes to open an unkempt restroom.
I put up a post on my wall about the whole funny incident. A couple of people
made comments, one of whom is into Restroom Management. We are working on the Loo
Talk blog (www.lootalks.blogspot.com)
that gives information on how we can
modernize your restroom at optimal costs. The tip for me is the very obvious
one, LOOK OUT FOR A NEED AND MEET IT! You won’t have to struggle for the money
to come in…
My friend
and colleague sells airtime in the office. It’s great for us her customers
because we just send her a chat, she scratches and sends. I pay her when we
see. Of course, there are other avenues for reloading my phone but I find this
very convenient and less disruptive. This morning, I asked her to send me the
pin for airtime as usual. She sent me two pins for the two networks I asked
for. I loaded the first one with no drama. Then, it was time to load the second
one. I kept getting an error message. I was quite reluctant to tell her that I
was getting an error message. After about 4 attempts (I thought that your phone
gets blocked after 3 wrong attempts), I finally decided to ask her to check the
pin she sent to me. She checked again and sent the pin again. She had missed a
digit the first time she sent me the pin. I hadn’t checked the number of digits
that was sent to me (I usually confirm when typing in phone numbers that the
digits are complete). The lesson here for me is that you should pay attention
to details both as a seller/supplier and a buyer.
“Seest thou
a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand
before mean men.” Proverbs 22:29
“The hand of
the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” Proverbs 12:24
#Tentmakers
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
I spent some valuable time today explaining to a senior colleague why I couldn't proceed with what I was asked to do. I need some pertinent information from the client before I can move on. He was essentially trying to get me to carry out the task based on my 'experience' while waiting for the pertinent information from the client. I kept trying to get him to see why what he was proposing was an inefficient use of resources.
As we discussed, he said something that initially ...annoyed me but upon further reflection, I realised that it was the most valuable statement in what should have been wasted time.
He asked why I was being so insistent/difficult. He also said that I had been so easy to work with in the past. I was initially annoyed by the statement (I remained respectful). When I thought deeply about his statement, I realised that my 'cooperativeness' was one of the major stressors I dealt with in 2014. I obviously don't intend to do what he's proposing as it is an inefficient use of resources, including my time. I also realised that arguing with him was equally an inefficient use of my time so I stopped.
I decided that this year, I'll do all I can to minimize wasting my time while engaging in productive work. That's the summary of my New Year resolutions.
Tentmakers, please share your business/career related New Year resolutions.
As we discussed, he said something that initially ...annoyed me but upon further reflection, I realised that it was the most valuable statement in what should have been wasted time.
He asked why I was being so insistent/difficult. He also said that I had been so easy to work with in the past. I was initially annoyed by the statement (I remained respectful). When I thought deeply about his statement, I realised that my 'cooperativeness' was one of the major stressors I dealt with in 2014. I obviously don't intend to do what he's proposing as it is an inefficient use of resources, including my time. I also realised that arguing with him was equally an inefficient use of my time so I stopped.
I decided that this year, I'll do all I can to minimize wasting my time while engaging in productive work. That's the summary of my New Year resolutions.
Tentmakers, please share your business/career related New Year resolutions.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Tentmakers New Year Post
Happy new year Tentmakers. Welcome to 2015.
I wish I could tell you that 2015 will bring "so so and so". However, that'll be a terrible lie...How 2015 will turn out is generally up to you. There is the God-factor and how that works for you is also up to you.
This is the scripture in my spirit for you (Please take time to hear what God is saying to you PERSONALLY)
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and t...he unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:6-13).
I wish I could tell you that 2015 will bring "so so and so". However, that'll be a terrible lie...How 2015 will turn out is generally up to you. There is the God-factor and how that works for you is also up to you.
This is the scripture in my spirit for you (Please take time to hear what God is saying to you PERSONALLY)
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and t...he unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:6-13).
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