₦airaland Forum

“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.” – Robert W. Service.


It’s not the height of the mountain ahead that’s intimidating,
it’s the grain of sand in your shoe that’s killing,


you can’t change the size and height of the mountain,
but you can shake out the grain of sand and stop the pain
thats stopping you from reaching the mountain;


what is outside your control can’t stop you,
life’s biggest barriers are what you can bring under your control but refuse to.

So you can conquer the mountain

but you must first conquer yourself.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/28/robert-w-service-it-isnt-the-mountain-ahead-that-wears-you-out/

A budget is a quantitative expression of a plan of action in advance of the period to which it relates.


An effective budget should show what it would cost to enjoy desired benefits. The budget that clearly shows the relationship between cost and benefit is the Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB).


What is ZBB?


The ZBB adopts a cost-benefit appraoch that assumes that the cost allowance for an is zero and will remain so until someone (a manager) justifies the existence of the cost item and its associated benefits.


This makes it important to justify the contributions of every cost item to meet objectives of a company.


The ZBB requires that each cost element be specifically justified as though the activities associated with the budget were being undertaken for the first time. Where no approval is given, the budget allowance is zero.


ZBB is sometimes known as priority-based budgeting.


ZBB is best applied to less quantifiable activities like accounting, finance, production planning and other service support expenditure.

It’s also an effective budgeting method for non-profit making organizations and many forms in the service industry.


ZBB is implemented in stages.


What are the stages in implementing. ZBB?

First, ask, “What are the individually evaluated activities of the company?”
Group these activities or functions into decision packages. Before grouping these activities, it’s important to ask;

a. Are all or some of the activities necessary? What would be the consequences of not carrying out some or all of them?


b. What are the best approaches for carrying out identified activities? How much should they cost and what are their contributions to the company’s objectives?


Now, the decision packages should spell out anticipated costs and expected benefits.

They could have a base package; the minimum feasible level of activity and other packages that define higher activity levels expressed in a cost-benefit ratio. This type of decisin packages is known as incremental decision packages.


Alternatively, the mutually exclusive decision packages could be adopted. Here, costs and benefits of alternative tasks and expenditure for the same job are compared and the best is picked.

2. The next stage in implementing ZBB is the evaluation and ranking of packages. After preparing the decision packages, management ranks all packages on the basis of benefits to the company.

3. Resources are then allocated among different functions with those with high priority receiving attention first.


At this stage of the implementation, the packages are accepted in the ranked priority list or sequence to the extent allowed by the agreed expenditure level.


Why should a business use the Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB)?

What are the advantages of ZBB?

The focus of the ZBB is on value for money. ZBB emphasizes the relationship between application of resources and output of benefits.
This emphasis simplifies the work of identifying less cost effective activities.

2. The ZBB also enhances staff productivity and motivation. The staff, through the ZBB process, acquire better knowledge about their job functions and apply them. The expected benefits could be a great source of motivation.

3. The ZBB budgeting approach provides a scientific way to assess the relevance of the status quo in the light of available alternatives.

Existing cost patterns and expenditure levels are individually and thoroughly examined side by side their benefits. A cost element without approval is given a zero budget allowance

Finally, a well implemented ZBB should lead to an efficient allocation of resources to job functions .

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/27/what-is-zero-based-budgeting-stages-in-implementing-and-advantages-of-zbb/

In a relationship, you don’t deserve more than you give.


What you receive in a relationship is a reward for giving something to the relationship.

There’s no room for an entilement mentality in a relationship.


If an entitlement mentality is allowed, the passage of time would cause the beneficiary to show ingratitude for the good they receive..


Why should they tell you, “Thank you?” Isn’t it your job to bend over your back so that they can have what makes them comfortable. It doesn’t matter to them the pains you go through to deliver the goods..


As you continue to help your partner do what they could and should do for themselves, you soon get to the point where they see it as normal.

An attempt to discontinue is interpreted as “You no longer care about them”.


When a partner with an entitled mentality begins to feel this way, it’s time to stop and ask, “Do you really care about me or is this all about you?”

If it’s all about them then you really don’t matter. You’re in a wrong relationship.


The right relationship is meant to give two people the space and the support to enjoy the company of one another in peace. And also to enjoy personal comfort that’s difficult to have in solitude.


The right relationship is the one where each look out for the other and put in hard work and deep emotions (especially empathy) in equal proportions.


If a relationship is not right for you, it’s going to drain you of energy, bring you to your knees and eventually lay you down flat on your face.

When you allow a relationship to drive the life out of you, other areas of your life are going to be affected. Then you slowly but surely lose life stability.


So when you’re in a relationship with someone with an entitlement mentality, be bold to find out how much you matter. If you don’t matter, then something else or someone else matters ahead of you.

You’re giving much more than you’re getting back. And that’s bad for your personal welfare.


It’s bad because you’re happiness, good health and career progression are irrelevant to a partner with an entitlement mentality.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/26/why-entitlement-mentality-in-relationships-is-harmful/

What are you thinking about and how are you feeling right now?


Pause and check within you and tune into those thoughts and feelings that you want and desire.


Don’t think about bad things when good things are all you want.


Don’t entertain bad feelings when the good life is all about feeling good.


Make it a daily affair to stop yourself when you’re sliding. The abyss is dark and it holds no hope and doesn’t inspire confidence.


Slide no further, it’s time to turn around and go all the way to the top.


How to stop the slide? Think of something good and focus on that.


Feed your thoughts with beautiful images of what you want and where you want to be.


Open up yourself through your thoughts and feelings and bring a beautiful life to your home. You’re worthy of nothing short of this.


You’re born to win and to surmount all challenges.


Challenges will come but because you’ve the winning mindset, you will always turn them into opportunities.


So stop dwelling on the things you don’t want and inviting them into your life. You’re the architect and builder of your life.


Make up your mind to design and build a great life for yourself. Think and then live. Your thoughts and your feelings are your realities.


https://ayietim.com/2021/10/25/your-thoughts-your-feelings-your-realities/

Are you at this moment, feeling that twenty fours per day are not enough for you?


Not enough for you to meet deadlines and accomplish tasks?


Twenty four hours are enough for you and for everyone to achieve the goal of a happy life. There’s no scarcity of time to work, play and enjoy the gift of life.


The feeling of scarcity of time is a product of fear. The fear of missing out (FOMO), the fear of making mistakes and falling behind in your ‘competitive world’ are putting you under unnecessary pressure.


You can lift this pressure off you by;

Choosing to create your world around your strength and,
2. Learning the most effective way to manage your time.


Your success wouldn’t come from putting yourself through the pressure of trying to be someone you’re not..


It’s an attempt no one has succeeded at. If it’s an attempt in futility, then it’s a waste of time.


Invariably, refusing to make the attempt saves you a lot of time and lifts a huge portion of the pressure off you.


The time saved by choosing to be yourself wouldn’t still be enough until you learn to manage your time effectively.

Effective time management entails freeing your life of procrastination and fears that create time stealers and time wasters.


The fear of missing out is going to cause you to engage in distractive activities. Distractive activities derail the focus on productive tasks.


Focusing on performing productive tasks takes self discipline. Maintaining consistent self discipline comes from knowing what you really want in life.


And when you know what you really want in life, you’re going to be interested in managing your time effectively.

An effective time management creates an abundant of time mindset.


So, everyday when you wake up in the morning, be grateful for the gift of anotherday, Tony Robbins says,


“When When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”


It’s true! In conclusion, a feeling gratitude for the gift of a new day is the disappearing of the fear of scarcity of time.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/22/how-to-change-the-time-scarcity-mindset/

The capital maintenance concept states that a profit should not be realized until a business in the least maintains its value of net assets during an accounting cycle (usually a year).


The concept regards profit as an increase in the value of net assets during a given period.

The concept looks at profit (income) from Sir John Hicks’s perspective.


John Hicks’s definition of income (profit) is, the maximum value which a man can consume during a week , and still expect to be as well off at the end of the week as he was at the beginning.


Approaches to capital maintenance examine how the maintenance of wealth (capital maintenance) can be measured.

What are the capital maintenance approaches using historical costs?

1.Money capital maintenance.

The money capital maintenance is a suitable approach to capital maintenance when there is no change in prices.

This traditional approach says that a business that has net assets (capital) of $30,000 on 1st January must have $50,000 in net assets (capital) to be considered well off at the end of the period.

The approach measures an increase in the value at the end of the period provided, there were no share capital issued, withdrawn or dividends paid.

2. Real capital maintenance.

The focus of this concept is the maintenance of the purchasing power of shareholders’ equity when changes in general prices affect the business.

The concept pays attention to changes in the purchasing power of money, measured by retail price index.

3. Maintenance of specific purchasing power of the capital of the equity.

This concept uses a price index associated with specific prices affecting the business.

An example can be used to clearly illustrate the differences:

If a business that had net assets of $50,000 on 1st January and $59,000 on 31st December of the same year would have three different profits from the three measures.

If:

The general rate of inflation was 12 percent (measured by the retail price index).
2. The specific rate of price increase for the business’s goods was 17 percent.

Profits:

1

Money maintenance of capital ($) Real capital maintenance ($) Maintenance of specific purchasing power ($)
Net assets (capital), 31st December. 59,000 59,000 59,000
Less: net assets on 1st January:
A. Money maintenance 50,000 – –
B. Real capital ($50,000 x 12%) – 56,000 –
C. Specific purchasing power maintenance ($50,000 x 17%) – – 58,500
Profit 9,000 3,000 500
capital maintenance concepts using historical cost
A. The traditional system gives a profit of $9,000,


B. Real capital recognizes a fall in the purchasing power of money due to changes in prices in general.


C. The profit of $500 is an indication that goods which were bought for $50,000 at the beginning of year was bought $58,500 on 31st December of the same year.


https://ayietim.com/2021/10/19/what-are-the-capital-maintenance-concepts-using-historical-cost/

Photo by Eleanor Jane on Pexels.com
“Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win,
by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare.


“You are bigger than yourself doubt. Remind yourself of that each and every day.” – Caroline Ghosn.


That feeling of uncertainty about some aspects of your life can rob you of a golden opportunity to advance in life and live the life you truly deserve. Self doubt does more harm than this.


The lack of confidence in your abilities, can lead to low self esteem, indecision, anxiety and depression. The habit of self doubt can lead to emotional instability and life threatening health conditions.


The good news is, self distrust doesn’t have power over your life except you let it.
You can get rid of it, dismantle the obstacle of apprehension and go on to live a life at the highest level of self esteem.


Here are tips to help you get rid of self doubt:

Be ready to ‘unlearn’ and change.
Self doubt is rooted in beliefs we formed about ourselves during formative years.

Most of the doubts parents and adult relatives express about our abilities tend to stick to most of us through childhood to adulthood and sometimes, throughout a life time.


Few on achieving self discovery and becoming self aware, are able to break away from beliefs that feed self doubt.

So the first attempt to dismantle the obstacle of self doubt is to have the readiness to unlearn those misconceptions about you, taught to you by parents.


Make it a habit to ask deep questions about your abilities and the truth about success.

Dispassionate answers should affirm or disabuse your mind of wrong beliefs about you.


Armed with self awareness, self doubt would cease to be an obstacle on your path to a great life.

2. Where does your strength lie?

What is my real strength? It is important to know where your real strength lies so that you can focus on developing it.


People hardly succumb to the feeling of self doubt when they are in their element.

It’s dificult to believe that you can know how to do what you love to do and still don’t have a significant knowledge about.

It’s highly unlikely, that the gap between where you are and where you want to be (the best) would cause you to doubt your abilities.

Rather,, it should inspire you to learn more and work harder to close it.

Knowing and staying faithful your passion should help you set limits to what you take on.

There is nothing wrong with getting others to take care of those areas you have zero competences to handle.


Doing this should spare you the agonizing and debilitating feeling of self doubt.

3. Avoid comparing yourself to others.

When you find what you’re good at and enjoy operating from there, you tend to focus more on developing yourself to become the best of you.

What this near exclusive focus on self does is, it leaves you with no time to get into distractive comparison game.


No time for that, no time for unnecessary distractions, as you would be using every second to push yourself to achieve consistent peak performances.

It’s when you stop to look to your sides and begin to compare yourself to others that the feeling of self doubt begins to creep in.

4. Engage is positive self talk.


“Watch what you tell yourself, you’re likely to believe it.” – Russ Kyle.


When you begin to feel the early signs of self doubt, stop it in its tracks with positive self talk.

When You hear the silent but audible whisper,

‘Look Grattam, you will not be able to handle this one’, speak out and counter it with a firm audible self talk,

“Yes, I can do this. I have achieved bigger things than this in the past.”

Yes, you have past achievements to lean on for inspiration and for the confidence to counter the negative power of self doubt.

And if you were operating in your area of core competences, you wouldn’t have shortage of stories about overcoming similar challenges in the past.

Use those to stop the feeling of self doubt before it stops you.

5. Live in the presence.


“Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breath is a gift.” Oprah Winfrey

Living in the presence is very crucial to dictating the feeling of self doubt at its early innocuous stages.

What this means is that, it pays to be actively engaged in giving your whole to the task at hand.

Then becoming aware of your thoughts, perceptions and feelings at crucial moments when you must get the job done.

It’s difficult not to be aware of the feeling of self doubt when you’re in a conscious state.

6. Spend time with positive minded people.

To stop the habit of having self doubt, you have to stop spending time with people who constantly doubt your abilities and cause you to doubt them too.


Build a personal network of positive minded people.

Your network is your real net worth. So if you want to overcome self doubt and consistently produce at your highest level, you need to be around people who always tell you, “You can do it.”

You need people who will tell you when you fail, ‘Try again, I believe the result is going to be better the next time.”

Positive minded people will often express optimistic and encourage you not to allow failures make you doubt your abilities to succeed.

7. Trust in yourself.


“Believe in yourself and have faith in your abilities! Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale

We’re gifted with the abilities to overcome every obstacle to a beautiful life. We’re born with them untapped and untainted.


Unfortunately, the seed of doubt is sown in most of us while we’re still unaware of the power we have and how to use it.

This seed is sown out of love and the desire to save us from the problems of the world. But it grows along with us to become the biggest problem for many.

This biggest problem can be solved.

How?

By trusting in those abilities you have used in the past to achieve good results. And by also trusting yourself to get better and better.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/16/7-ways-to-help-you-get-rid-of-self-doubt/

David asked, “Wasn’t this always going to be about, ‘together in good times and in bad times?”


And continued without waiting for Gesha to answer, “I can’t recall us agreeing to sometimes having a ‘me’ time in ‘our’ relationship.”


If a relationship is about ‘we’, why should a ‘me’ time still be necessary?


If it’s necessary, wouldn’t a ‘me’ time lead to barely tolerable isolations? And wouldn’t that defeat the fundamental purpose of having a relationship?


Self care may create conflicts in a relationship but if it’s done the right way, it would strengthen the bond of togetherness.


Strengthening the bond that joins two together is the primary justification for self care in a relationship.


A relationship is started when two people realize that they need to partner with someone else to face life’s challenges and live a happy life.


After a relationship is begun, its continuity depends on how much partners are willing to compromise to arrive at things that promote common happiness.


Now, it’s important to find the correct answer to the question, “How much compromise is necessary for the health of a relationship and for the well being of partners?”


Partners should compromise in every area except areas that would affect their longevity, wellness and happiness.

What this means is that, partners should also have the time to pursue solo hobbies for the sake of their well being and happiness.


The only way they can achieve this is through self care; they need to find the time to spend a ‘me’ time in a relationship that’s about ‘we’.


Apart from the strengthening of bond, what other good things does self care do for a relationship?

It strengthens trust:
One of the ways of having a ‘me’ time in a relationship is to go on a solo vacation.

Allowing your partner to have a ‘me’ is a lot of sacrifice, not to mention accepting your better half to go on a solo vacation.

It takes a high level of trust to allow your spouse to go on a solo vacation. It’s vice versa, it shows that you have a significant level of trust in your partner, to leave them and embark on a solo vacation.

It would have been waved off as nothing if it was to go perform an official job responsibility. Otherwise it’s ‘unusual’ under normal circumstances, for half of a pair to go on a vacation alone with everyone consenting to it. This is trust in action.

The more this is done without any conflicts, the stronger the trust.

2. It refreshes the relationship:

Occasionally, going for that walk you enjoy alone or spending time with good old friends without having your spouse around is another way to self care. You come away feeling refreshed.

The freshness is contagious. Except you come back to meet a partner spoiling for a fight, you are going to carry the excitement into your relationship.


Wouldn’t the home be electrified if you came back to meet an excited spouse to share your excitement and happiness with? It would be a breath of fresh air.

All relationships need a breath of fresh air every now and then to energize it and increase its lifespan.

3. It actually minimizes conflicts:

Spending a ‘me’ time reflecting on the journey of your life should take you down the self discovery path.


The hard work that goes into building a relationship takes time, energy and focus.


With so much time and other resources committed to build a great union, little is left to invest in self discovery.

A ‘me’ time is an opportunity to sit down alone and do a productive self assessment.

It’s always a great time to ask. ‘How many of my personal goals have I achieved so far?” “How much of my potential have I used so far?” “Am I fulfilled yet?”

The answers you receive for these questions and others should help you redefine your personal goals. Then factor them into your relationship.

Aligning your goals with those of your relationship should minimize conflicts because focus is clearer and boundaries are clearly defined.

4. Self discovery can lead to new opportunities for couple:

Now, we know self care is a great opportunity for a continuous self discovery that fixes the focus on personal and general goals.

And it’s often in moments of self discovery that people become aware of opportunities to realize dreams and live happily.

A partner that discovers new opportunities during a ‘me’ is likely to share them with the other half. New perspectives could be given and discussed to birth better collective ideas.

As collective ideas, It would be easy to get the cooperation of both partners to put such ideas into action.

5. It exposes areas that need immediate attention:

A ‘me’ time is usually a good time to pause and do a critical assessment of a relationship.


During the assessment, areas of weakness needing immediate attention could be uncovered by a partner and brought to the attention of the other.

The couple would then explore ways to strengthen weak areas and by extension, add to the lifespan of their relationship.

A ‘me’ time is also a great time for a partner to ‘tell truth to self’ and make resolutions to make amends for the wellbeing of the relationship..

6. It gives the relationship authenticity:

Couples who find no qualms indulging about self care are comfortable in accepting each other for who they are.

A’ me’ time is sought by each half to engage in interests which the other half doesn’t find appealing and exciting.


It’s therefore an opportunity to be authentic to you and to your partner.


Doing those things that make you happy convey a deeper and stronger message in ways better than discussions. Remember that actions speak than words.


So it’s a great way to test the genuiness of your acceptability to your partner.

7. It improves the life span of both the partners and their relationship.

Where couple find happiness in doing things together and also allow each to seek solo happiness, the lifespan of a relationship is increased.

Only happy partners build happy relationships. Study proves that happy people who know that they are happy, have higher chances of living longer.


And happy people in a happy relationships will most likely want to live together as one for a long time.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/15/self-care-7-reasons-a-me-time-in-a-relationship-is-necessary/

The price of greatness is responsibility. A responsible life provides the clear way to understand “life purpose” and the path to achieve it .

A study found that people associated with “life purpose” were less likely to die from heart, circulatory, or blood conditions, compared with those without “life purpose”..

Living a purpose driven life is living a responsible life.


A responsible life means having control over your life and caring for others in good and in bad times.


A responsible life gives one a sense of duty or purpose in life.


How can you live a responsible life?


The following quotes should guide you:

“Take responsibility of your own happiness, never put it in other people’s hands.” – Roy T. Bennett.
2. “Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.Share this Quote.” Chuck Palahniuk.

3. “It’s in responsibility that most people find the meaning that sustains them through life. It’s not in happiness. It’s not in impulsive pleasure.” – Jordan Peterson

4. “People have forgotten this truth,” the fox said. “But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

5. “Adopt responsibility for your own well-being, try to put your family together, try to serve your community, try to seek for eternal truth… That’s the sort of thing that can ground you in your life, enough so that you can withstand the difficulty of life.” – Jordan Peterson.

6. “Everybody is responsible for their own actions. It’s easy to point the finger at somebody else, but a real man, a real woman, a real person knows when it’s time to take the blame and when to take responsibility for their own actions.”Marcus Smart

7. “People like to say love is unconditional, but it’s not, and even if it was unconditional, it’s still never free. There’s always an expectation attached. They always want something in return. Like they want you to be happy or whatever and that makes you automatically responsible for their happiness because they won’t be happy unless you are … I just don’t want that responsibility.” – Katja Millay,

8. “The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill.

9. “I believe I have a personal responsibility to make a positive impact on society.” – Anthony Fauci.

10. “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” – George Bernard Shaw.

11. “What we call our destiny is truly our character and that character can be altered. The knowledge that we are responsible for our actions and attitudes does not need to be discouraging, because it also means that we are free to change this destiny. One is not in bondage to the past, which has shaped our feelings, to race, inheritance, background. All this can be altered if we have the courage to examine how it formed us. We can alter the chemistry provided we have the courage to dissect the elements.” – Anais Nin.

12. “To say you have no choice is to relieve yourself of responsibility.” – Patrick Ness.

13. “Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences.” – Eckhart Tolle.

14. “The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.” – John C. Maxwell.

15. “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.Share.’ – Bob Dylan.

16. “I’m not perfect; I make mistakes all the time. All I can do is to try my best to learn from my mistakes, take responsibility for them, and do a better job tomorrow.” – Lana

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/14/why-is-responsibility-important-23-responsibility-quotes/

A lifetime is forward motion
along the way, you must have a combination
of pleasant surprises
and a fair share of unpleasant crises;
the end of the former is what no one want,
the end of the latter is what everyone want;
but crises has to run its full length,
from the beginning to the end,
in the midst of crises,
you need words of encouragement and real friends to help you survive It,
learn life’s big lessons
and become a better human being.

21 top time of crisis quotes.

“The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow. ” – H.G.Wells
2. “Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.” – Susan L. Taylor


3.”Youneverletaseriouscrisisgotowaste.AndwhatImeanbythatit’sanopportunitytodothingsyouthinkyoucouldnotdobefore.”-RahmEmanuel.


4.”Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.” – Brooke Foss Westcott.

5. “Finally figured out that not every crisis can be managed. As much as we want to keep ourselves safe, we can’t protect ourselves from everything. If we want to embrace life, we also have to embrace chaos.’ – Susan Elizabeth Phillips,

6. “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” – John F. Kennedy

7. “The very worst events in life have that effect on a family: we always remember, more sharply than anything else, the last happy moments before everything fell apart.’ – Fredrik Backman

8. “Any kind of crisis can be good. It wakes you up.” – Ryan Reynolds.

9. “In every crisis, doubt or confusion, take the higher path – the path of compassion, courage, understanding and love.” – Amit Ray, Nonviolence.

10. “You can’t relate to a super hero, to a superman, but you can identify with are a man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle.” – Timothy Dalton.

11. “But there was a special kind of gift that came with embracing the chaos, even if I cursed most of the way. I’m convinced that, when everything is wiped blank, it’s life ‘s way of forcing you to become acquainted with and aware of who you are now, who you can become. What is the fulfillment of your soul?” – Jennifer DeLucy

12. “Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.” – Charles de Gaulle

13. “I was starting to see that what looks like garbage from one angle might be art from another. Maybe it did take a crisis to get to know yourself; maybe you needed to get whacked hard by life before you understood what you wanted out of it.” – Jodi Picoult

14. “The biggest challenge or biggest crisis knocking on the doors of humankind is fear and intolerance.”Kailash Satyarthi

15. “There’s always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces an individual to look inside himself, it forces a company to reexamine its policies and practices.” – Judy Smith

16. “The world is a crazy, beautiful, ugly complicated place, and it keeps moving on from crisis to strangeness to beauty to weirdness to tragedy. The caravan keeps moving on, and the job of the long form writer or filmmaker or radio broadcaster is to stop – is to pause – and when the caravan goes away, that’s when this stuff comes.” – David Remnick.

17. “When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are.” – Magic Johnson.

18. ‘Don’t wait until you’re in a crisis to come up with a crisis plan.” – Phil McGraw.

19. “Successful people recognize crisis as a time for change – from lesser to greater, smaller to bigger.” – Edwin Louis Cole.

20. “Crisis is not a nine-to-five job… Crisis happens when you least expect it.” – Judy Smith.

21. “Crises is the best time to believe in possibilities, step out of your comfort zone and hope for the best.” – Ayi Etim.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/13/21-top-time-of-crisis-quotes/

Investment is a component of private spending that comes after consumption.

The decision to invest or not to invest is made after comparing the marginal cost of an investment option with its marginal benefit.


The interest rate paid for borrowing funds is the marginal cost while the expected rate of return on an intended business is the marginal benefit.


The decision to invest is made when the expected rate of return exceeds the interest rate. The excess is the expected profit.


Therefore, expected rate of returns and the interest rate are two key determinants of investment spending.


What is real interest rate?


Interest rate is the financial cost of borrowing the money capital required to purchase the real capital.

The impact of interest rate on investment is not limited to funds borrowed for financing. When a business uses money from savings to invest, it incurs an opportunity cost by foregoing interest income that would have been earned by lending the money.


Now, It is the real interest rate and not the nominal rate (or money interest rate), that is important to an investment decision.

What is the difference between nominal interest rate and real interest rate?


The nominal interest is expressed in a currency or current value while the real interest rate is expressed in currency of constant or an inflation-adjusted value. the real interest rate is the nominal rate less the rate of inflation.


An example should add clarity. An investment that is expected to yield a real (inflation adjusted) rate of return of 15 percent and the nominal interest rate is 20 percent would be considered unprofitable.

But assuming that there is a recurring yearly inflation rate of 15 percent, an investing business will pay back an amount approximately 15 percent less in purchasing power.


Recall, the nominal interest rate is 20 percent, the real interest rate is:


Nominal interest (20%) – yearly inflation rate (15%) = 5 percent.


The real interest rate of 5 percent is less than the expected real rate of return of 15 percent.

The investment will be profitable because the real rate of return exceeds the real interest rate by 10 percent (15% – 5%)..

The nominal interest rate is equal to the real interest rate plus the inflation rate. The nominal interest rates are the ones advertised by financial institutions.


You can use them side by side the inflation rate to determine the real interest rate.

Then compare the real interest rate to the expected rate of return on an investment option to reach an investment decision.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/12/what-is-real-interest-rate-and-how-does-it-affect-investment-decisions/

Whatever situation you find yourself,
express gratitude,

it sounds stupid,
but just do it

and see the amazing results
which have made many to conclude that, luck

and radical gratitude, are inextricably tied together in a knot.

https://ayietim.com/2016/01/27/does-radical-gratitude-bring-good-luck/

By rolling out the drums.

and treating yourself to a hug of self love;

realIties of life are the tall trees in the woods,

consistency of inspiration is the strength and the hope;

celebration of small wins born the hope and the courage,

to soldier on through battles, fear and rage,

it’s not going to be easy but you’re going to make it

so keep on celebrating the small wins as you move closer to the big win.

Marketing strategy is part of an overall business strategy. It is the composition of marketing programs created for the purpose of making profits and achieving other objectives of a business.


A good marketing strategy should allocate resources in a manner that guarantees that a business sustains the competitive advantage it has in the target market. The creation of a good marketing strategy requires management to have a thorough understanding of;

Its business environment,
Identified relevant resources and the best way to allocate them and,
Its business goals.
A good marketing strategy outlines tactical plans for salespeople. These tactical plans are designed to increase chances of closing sales and give the business a distinctive brand identity.

Such plans specify among others; the business’s product, communication template, distribution channels, pricing strategy and the target market.


What are the qualities of a good marketing strategy?

Realistic strategy:
A good marketing strategy must be realistic in the light of prevailing environmental factors and available resources.

This suggests that before a marketing strategy is implemented, its feasibility and capability to meet and surpass expectations should be tested.

Market research and financial assessment should be a must feasibility study steps. Testing a strategy before its implementation would minimize or eliminate the wasting resources on an unproductive marketing campaign.

2. Realistic time for strategic impact assessment(SIA):

A good marketing strategy should allow an adopted strategy to run for a reasonable period of time before its impact on the market is assessed.

Marketing is not magic; it takes an average of twelve months for marketing efforts to begin to bear fruits. Few strategies make instant impact but many strategies take patience, consistent efforts and passage of money months to produce expected results.

3. Clarity of marketing strategy;

A good marketing strategy should be worded and communicated in a simple unambiguous language. A clearly understood strategy creates room for seamless communication of feedback during implementation.

Feedback helps to know how to alternate among different methods of implementing one strategy till the winning formula is found.

4. Compatibility with other strategies;

A marketing strategy doesn’t stand alone, it’s part of an overall business strategy. Therefore, the implementation of a marketing strategy should not conflict with the smooth running of other departments.

Allocation of resources to the implementation of a marketing strategy should not deprive other departments of sufficient funding, time, attention and services of key staff.

5. Focus on one strategy at a time;

To develop a good marketing strategy, a business would have to focus all its marketing activities, time, attention and money on one strategy for a reasonable period.

This approach would ensure that available resources are not overstretched. It would also create room for effective monitoring of the process and consequently, the making of timely interventions.

6. A marketing advantage:

A marketing strategy is adjudged good when gives a business the marketing advantage in its target market.

Every marketing strategy sets standards for itself. When actual results from the field are equal or more than set standards, then the marketing strategy is a good one.

No profit oriented business is set up to ignore its target market. a profit oriented business that wishes to meet its going concern objective should develop and implement a good marketing strategy that gives it a significant market share.

7. Maximization of opportunities;

As stated above, good marketing strategy is one designed and implemented to help a business have a marketing advantage. A business with the marketing advantage is in pole position to maximize opportunities in its target market.

Businesses with good marketing strategies are market leaders and trend setters. This is because their strategies help them to be the first to spot opportunities and take advantage.

A good marketing strategy creates an evolving system that is continuously using feedback from the field to improve. This system easily identifies a need gap and informs management which take urgent steps to fill it.

In conclusion, a good marketing strategy is the one that gives a business significant speed to create or innovate, produce and distribute what consumers need. It also helps a business to make responses in a manner that earns it consistent high profits and market leadership.

.


https://ayietim.com/2021/10/07/what-are-the-qualities-of-a-good-marketing-strategy/

David Brin – “When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone.”


People demand privacy for themselves, so learn to respect that.

We will always want others to know that some aspects of our lives are not meant for public consumption.


We will not appreciate others and watching while we live like the real imperfect humans we truly are.


Sometimes, within our private lives, we shut out those we love, for a while so that we be alone with our thoughts, fears and fantasies.


At such times, love takes the back seat as we spend ‘me time’ in a relationship that is built so that ‘two can become one’.


This is no news to you, isn’t it? Humans ride life on two pedals of contradictions.

While we demand privacy for ourselves, we demand accountability for everyone.


We want to know things about others same things we don’t want others to know about us.

While we hide the ugliness in our lives, we go to great length to uncover the ugliness in the lives of others.

We take stories about other’s imperfections back to our privacy and entertain ourselves.


We don’t stop there; we mount moral high grounds to demand that others be held accountable for their words and actions.

We teach to others the lives we find too hard to learn and live ourselves. We don’t practice what we preach.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/06/david-brin-people-demand-privacy-for-themselves-and-accountability-for-everyone/

The following tools are used to determine interest and how it affects the total amount of deferred payment due (examples of such deferred payments include hire purchase, loans and other debt financing options}.

Simple Interest:
Simple interest is the method of calculating interest on loan. It is quick and easy.

The formula is given as:

Amount of simple interest (SI) = Amount due or Principal (P) x Interest rate (R) x Time (T).

Example;

An interest on a debt of $500 to be repaid after 90 days is to be charged at 15 percent per annum. The simple interest can be calculated as:

SI = $500 x (15/100) x (90/365) = $18.50 (use the attached spreadsheet as a guide for more calculations).

The worth of an investment can be determined at simple interest. For example, if $5000 is invested at 10 per cent interest rate, the worth of the investment after ten years could be calculated as follows;

Using the formula; Vn = P + PRT/100,
Where Vn is the future value of the investment,
P is the principal of the investment,
R is the interest rate payable
T is the time in years.

Vn = $5000 + ($5000 x 10 x 10)/100 = $10,000.

Simple interest rate doesn’t always represent actual rate charged, especially in hire purchase transaction.

For instance, a rate of 15 per cent is charged on a debt of $500 for a year, but $200 is repaid after four months, the ‘real’ rate is calculated by using the Annual Percentage Rate (APR).

The interest rate to be repaid is 15% of $500 = $75 – A,


The amount due is $500 for 4/12 = $167 – B,


($500 – $200 = $300) $300 for 4/12 = $100 – C,


The equivalent due for a year = $267 – D (B + C)


The ‘real’ rate of interest (APR) = A/D = 75/267 = 28.1%.(use attached spreadsheet for further calculations).

2. Compound Interest:

Compound interest is used to calculate interest when interest due is more than one year. The interest charged for each year is calculated on the basis of the outstanding amount at the beginning of the year.

The outstanding amount includes interest of all previous years.

The formula for calculating the final value (amount) of an investment, where the interest is compounded is given as;

Vn = P x (1 + r)n

Where Vn is the final value (amount),
P is the principal (amount) invested,
R is the compound rate of interest.

The worth $5000 in the example above can calculated at compound interest as follows;


The interest rate is still 10 per cent and the time is still ten years.

Vn = $5000 x (1 + 10/100)10 = $12,969.

Where the interest is compounded more than once a year, the formula is;

Vn = P x ( 1 + r/m)mn

Where m is the number of times interest is compounded per year and,
n is the term of maturity.

3. Present Value.

The present value; the worth of a future cash flow in terms of today’s money can be calculated using same variables as those of the compound interest formula.

Since present value is the reciprocal of compound interest rate, the present value formula is written as’

Amount (principal) invested (P) = Final Value (Vn)/(1 + r)n

Where r = the discount rate.
That is the rate at which a future cash flow is discounted to arrive at the present value

interest-rates-calculation-spreadsheetDownload.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/05/the-importance-of-interest-rates-and-their-calculations-spreadsheet/

Wouldn’t it be convenient to know how much the sum of money you invest today at a specific interest would be worth in the future?

In other words, wouldn’t it give you peace of mind to know the time value of the money invested today?


It would. As time passes, money losses value, therefore valuation of financial assets is that important function of financial management that measures the time value of money.


Knowing the present value should help you decide between investment and hire purchase options. Or decide among any other transactions that involve a delay in payment.


Definitions of key terms are necessary for the proper understanding of the valuation of financial assets:

What is a financial asset?
A financial asset is an asset that can easily be converted to cash in a short period of time. A financial asset is a liquid asset.

The value of a financial asset is associated with its ownership claim or contractual rights.

This value indicates the inherent risk and the impact of the forces of supply and demand on it.

Examples of financial assets are cash, bank deposits, stocks, mutual funds and bonds.

2. What is financial asset valuation?

Financial asset valuation is the process of determining the amount that a future cash flow from a financial asset, Is worth in terms of today’s money.

An accurate knowledge of a company’s financial assets is useful for determining a company’s net worth for investment and funding purposes.

3. What is the time value of money?

The time value of money concept states that the value of money (the purchasing power of money) changes over time.

The value of money is the amount of goods and services a given amount of money can purchase at a given time or over a period of time.

The value of money changes over time in response to changes in levels of interest rate and inflation.

The valuation of financial assets assesses the value of money based on market rate of interest and the associated degree of risk.

Therefore, simple financial tools which measure the impact of interest rates on future value of investments are used. They include;

Simple interest
Compound interest,
Present Value and,
Others.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/04/investment-decision-what-is-valuation-of-financial-assets/

Investment Decision: What Is Valuation of Financial Assets?

in need of someone to love, to fight with, to share our laughter with and to share our tears with.


Where do we find that one person we need to give us the emotional audience and support?


In relationships, which some lead to marriages.


Marriage is real beginning of the real test of how much support we can receive and how much of it we can give.


It’s often nice and cosy at the early stages when two people overlook unpleasant things and utterances in the hope that they will go away.


Do they really go away? Few do but most don’t. A spouse may choose to live with occasional unpleasantness and work hard with the belief that their hard work will smoothen out all rough edges. After that, everything will be fine.


It rarely turns out this way even after couples have weathered the early storm that wrecks many marriages.


Happenings outside homes, outside the control of couples, though not the only ones, are mostly the ones that have one partner really need the emotional support of another.


Rising to the occasion is a tough call for many and in many circumstances. Many fail to respond appropriately and provide sufficient support to help a partner through tough times.


Tough times occur in diverse situations and conditions.

Your spouse is angry;
Anger, the burning coal,
happens to all.
Only very few of us,
have the power to put it under control.

Moments of anger call for understanding and support. It’s hard if the anger is directed at you because you naturally are going to return the fire. Then things begin to snowball, the molehill gradually begins to take the shape of an intimidating mountain.

But a little patience and understanding are the basis of the support that helps the angry partner calm down. Calming frayed nerves is very necessary to prevent regrettable consequences.

A little thing like an occasional anger should not cause friction between you and your partner. It’s okay to disagree on some things but no disagreement should cause a division in your relationship.

Unity is very important because it’s common for anger triggers to be remote. It may be failure to get a pay raise; a friend breaks a promise, just about any trigger that’s not within the home.
When your spouse transfers an aggression or brings an anger home so to speak, support them emotionally through the low moment.

Be there for them; sometimes tell them you care in words, at other times, let silence and actions show them how much you care.


Do all you can to prove that your spouse is not alone.

2. Loss of job or loss of investment;

A loss of job is a loss of financial security. Financial security is what gives a lot of humans the feeling of confidence, a sense of pride and the access to most of their desires. The loss of it often causes a feeling of low self worth.


Your emotional support is needed to help your partner recover their self worth.

Let them know that a loss of job or investment doesn’t mean that they have failed in life. Let them know that they would bounce back and go all the way up to the top. That it’s just a matter of time, hard work, belief and persistence.

Be totally supportive in words and in actions. Your partner could easily be irritated at little things, well such moments would be tough for you but don’t give up and walk away.

Stay and do all you can to help a human being have their life back.

3. Disappointment;

Disappointments are a part of life. Expectations are not always met; our efforts don’t always produce the results we desire and people don’t always keep their promises to us.

When expectations are not met, don’t most of us get disappointed? Most of us do and when we do, we feel better after sharing our disappointments with someone we love and trust.


So when your spouse is going through a moment of disappointment, show an emotional support.

Empathize so that you could reach them at the deepest part of their disappointment. This should give you the right words of hope and encouragement to share and help.

4. Frustration;

Disappointment is bad, frustration is worse but a spouse going through a moment of frustration is not beyond help. Again , all you have to do is to give the right level of emotional support.

Words of encouragement should be served on a daily basis. Remind your spouse at every oppprtunity that you’re going to stand by them.

Act in a manner that gives them the belief they need to take bold actions that would get them out of frustration.

5. Depression;

The period a spouse falls into depression is one of the most challenging times in marriage.


More of your time is going to be needed, consequently other commitments are expectedly going to be neglected.

Not only that, it’s going to task your patience and understanding more than it would in normal times.

But giving more of your time is just the right way to give an emotional support to a depressed spouse.

The good news is that you have experts to take your spouse to for professional support.

6. Ill health;

One of the most emotionally draining moments is when a spouse is suffering from ill health.


As days of ill health increase so will the pressure on the stronger partner to sustain the provision of emotional support under emotionally sapping circumstances.

The sick spouse may be completed dependent on others to take care of themselves.

Their helplessness may cause them to be very irritating, have a negative outlook on life and sometimes, be unappreciative of sacrifices made to assist them.

If you’re the healthy spouse, don’t quit. Look within you and draw on the reserve of your inner strength to continue to be supportive emotionally.

7. Periods of uncertainty;

You will have to give full emotional support when a spouse is experiencing periods of uncertainty, maybe at the beginning of a new business.


A spouse facing a future of uncertainty needs constant reassurance of total support to lean on and draw confidence from.

You’ve to learn to read signs of hopelessness, frustration and quickly give words of hope and encouragement.


The task of giving an emotional support is a tough one but love makes it easy. Others are doing it, you too can do it for the one you love from the bottom of your heart.

https://ayietim.com/2021/10/03/7-tough-times-you-really-need-to-be-an-emotionally-supportive-spouse/

Some of the things you are going to see:


1.What is self care?

2.Why is self care important?

Areas of self care?
4.What are the things you should do to take care of your well being?

The pursuit of money and career excellence has led many to ignore taking care of their well being.


Many have sacrificed well being for other priorities only to have those things but have no good health to enjoy what were prioritized ahead of well being.


The consequences of ignoring self care are enormous. They include increase chances to fall into depression, a cycle of anxiety attacks and have recurring bouts of frustration, anger and sadness.


Life is meaningless without enduring feelings of happiness and inner peace. Self care has been clinically proven to increase happiness, improve energy, reduce stress, eliminate anxiety, improve concentration, reduce stress and improve other positives.

These are the reasons self-care is very important.


What is self care?


World Health Organization (WHO) defines self care as the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of health care providers.


Self care covers those routine activities we should engage in to maintain and promote well being. The following areas of self care have been identified;

Physical,
Emotional,
Psychological,
Financial,
Social and,
Professional,
Physical self care:
If you’ve not been there,
You wouldn’t realize from stories heard,
that imagination is a dream,
but experience is living the reality.

Your physical care is important. You need to be strong enough physically to attend to a significant portion of your daily routine.


inspireUplift
You have to be on the level of energy that see accomplish tasks with no stress and the feeling of frequent exhaustion. This level of energy comes from paying attention to your physical self care.

It doesn’t take much, you just to have to do the following regularly;

Go for a walk,
Eat healthy,
Engage in physical exercise.
Drink a lot of water,
Have enough hours of sleep daily.
. 2. Emotional self care:

Take care of your heart.
It’s the engine room of your life.

The experience of negative emotions like anger, depression and anxiety is a product of ignoring emotional self care. When you ignore it, you will not focus on taking precautionary measures to stop yourself from being a victim.

When you engage in emotional self care, you will be conscious of negative triggers or warning signs and steer yourself away from negative emotions. Or get yourself out at the early stage when it’s not yet harmful.

Emotional self care emphasizes self-love. This means that you shouldn’t do things, be where and with people that open you up to self-hatred. Have boundaries.

3. Psychological self care:

Your mental health is the foundation of a productive life. Mental health is boosted by routine psychological self care that constantly reminds to practice mindfulness and self discipline on a daily basis.

Set a goal and focus on achieving that one goal before moving onto another one. Maintaining the focus required to achieve the goal demands the avoidance of distractions that could derail you.

You can achieve laser focus by following a daily routine designed to keep you on the tracks of your set goals.

Practicing positive self talk, reading inspirational books and applying the acquired knowledge promote psychological self care.

4. Financial self care:

It’s not funny
when you lose money.

Having a personal budget and staying faithful to it is the best way to develop and maintain a good financial self care.

Be conscious of the sources of your income and what you spend your money on. Planning expenditure and resisting the urge to spend outside your budget will keep you conscious of your finances.

Overshooting your budget could cause you stress when you have to spend more on debt repayment and have little or nothing to pay common regular bills.

5. Social self care:

If you don’t want your needs
to bring you down to your knees,
then build a network of true friends
that will be there for you when the sun shines and when it rains.

We are made to need each other because no one is complete without others. So you have to build bridges and reach out to other people for the things you need to promote your well being.

Sometimes, those we share the social space and lean on for on for support disappoint us, get us angry and cause us pains. They say words and do things that have negative effects on our well being.

So if you’re interested in protecting your health, you’ve to be interested in your social self care.

You’ve to learn to be with only friends who sincerely care about you and your feelings. You’ve to be bold enough to cut off from those who talk down to you and diminish your self worth.

You’ve to choose to move in the circle of those who believe in you and encourage you to be the best of you.

You must never forget that you alone can decide to be on the path that leads to happiness or the path that leads to misery.

6. Professional self care:

Offer the best of you when it’s necessary
But know when to stop and where to draw the boundaries when it’s necessary.

Your professional growth and career advancement depend on the commitment to give your very best to your job, the people you work with and the people you work for.

On the opposite side, it doesn’t depend on not knowing where the boundaries should be.

Use your talent and your skills to do the best job you can. Share same ..


https://ayietim.com/2021/10/01/why-is-self-care-much-more-important-now/

You’re who you believe you’re,
your belief can inspire you to rise to unbelievable heights,


it can also stop you from achieving what you can;


where others believe in impossibilities,
choose to believe in possibilities,


When many around you worry about tomorrow,
believe that tomorrow is bringing the best to you,


where others believe it’s over and give up,
choose to keep hope alive and hang on,


you’ve everything to overcome the toughest adversity,


it’s all wrapped up in the power of real positive belief.,


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/30/the-power-of-real-positive-belief/

Insufficiency of fund to get all the things you need and do all things you have to is a real problem. It’s often a problem that arises from earning a low income. When there’s no immediate chance of a spike in income, the common alternative is to take a loan.

Many loan applications are rejected. The reason is usually the inability of applicant to meet lenders’ conditions for approval. In cases, where a loan application is approved, the beneficiary may default in repayment.

Sometimes, vague understanding of actual impact of interest rates, fees and other terms on the borrower’s financial health at the point of application may create problems later.

Therefore, it’s important to understand few basics about loan application, approval and repayment before taking a loan.

What is your income?
You have to put your income side by side the amount you want to apply for. Then do an objective appraisal to know if your income would be enough to meet obligations (repay principal plus interest) as they fall due within the allowed payback period (tenor).

Failure to do this or do it in an unbiased manner may cause financial distress in other competing areas that demand financial attention during the loan repayment period. How?

After the agreed periodic loan repayment amount is deducted, you may be left with an amount that’s is not enough to pay other necessary bills

You should know that lenders will always, give terms and conditions that minimize the risk of ending up with a bad debt. So as a condition, they would propose a periodic repayment amount that will be favorable to them but which may not be favorable to you.

2. How much do you need?

You should know for certainty, how much ‘you need’ and not how much ‘you want’. How will you know this?

You will have an idea of how much you need by knowing what you need a loan for. When you know the amount you really need, you will be in the best position to apply for and receive an amount that will be sufficient to take care of your need.

The benefit is the avoidance of applying for an amount that would either be barely enough or in excess of the amount needed. The aim is defeated when the loan is not enough. If it’s more than needed, the excess could be blown away on frivolous expenses.

3. What do you want to do with the money?

As mentioned above, before you take a loan, it pays to know what you need the money for. It’s not a good financial advice to take a loan to finance consumption.

When you set out to take a loan, always have it at the back of the mind that you will pay it back (amount plus interest). This is a fact.

Therefore, it makes sense to get a loan for the purpose of investing it in a profitable venture. A portion of the returns on investment should be used to defray the loan.

4. What are your assets and liabilities?

Assets are those things you have ownership of. They include your debtors (people who owe you). Your liabilities are what you owe. They include your creditors.

You should know the value of your total assets and total liabilities before you take a loan. Why is this important? Your assets represent future economic benefits which would be set-off against future obligations, your liabilities which the loan is going to be a part of.

The future economic benefits should be in excess of the future obligations to guarantee a hassle free loan repayment.

5. What is your credit score?

The success of your loan application will depend to a large extent on your credit score. A credit score shows your credit worthiness. The higher it is, the higher the chances of getting your loan application approved.

Your credit score is determined on the basis of your credit history.

6. What is your credit history?

What does your credit history say? Does it show that you met past loan obligations as at when due? If it doesn’t tell a story of your ability and responsibility to loan repayment, it’s highly unlikely that a lender would approve your loan application.

A lender would also want to know from your credit history, your regularity of payment of bills, your outstanding indebtedness, the percentage of your credit line so far used and the recent credit inquiries you made.


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/27/11-things-to-consider-before-taking-a-loan/

Achieving success at publicizing a good content remains the best way to attract traffic to the content (digital product) that promotes a brand, its products and services.


The success to a large extent, depends on picking appropriate internet marketing channels to get the content to the target consumers.


What then is an internet marketing channel?


Internet marketing channel consists of the content creator (producer or representative of a brand), the user (or consumer) and the preferred intermediary for transferring possession of the content to the user.


A good intermediary (channel) should make the end user have the content they want at when they want it and at where they want it. In essence, a good channel should satisfy in terms of time, reliability, design and place.


In summary, the marketing channel chosen should perform three fundamental functions namely, logistics, facilitative and transactional.


There are different types of marketing channels. They are the industrial goods, consumer goods, reverse and horizontal marketing channels. Others are the service, multi channel and electronic marketing channels.


The internet marketing channel falls within the electronic marketing channels. Internet marketing is used by many brands to drive sales now.

It has come to stay, there is no way a business can grow now without the use of internet marketing to broadcast and sell its products and services.


Brands have many internet marketing tools like blogs, audios, videos and social media platforms to choose from. The problem is in knowing the most appropriate to use at any given time.


The following considerations could guide a brand to choose the most suitable internet marketing channels that would add value and boost sales.

1. The product features consideration: Different types of content have different life span, varying degrees of complexity and seasonal relevance.

The type of content and lifespan depend on brand’s products, demand cycle and demographics. So all these should be considered during the process of choosing a marketing channel to publicize the brand and its products through internet marketing.

It will not be appropriate to publicize a content with longer lifespan the same way a content with a shorter lifespan is publicized.

2. The environmental consideration: The location of the target audience (market) is an important consideration when a choice of a marketing channel has to be made.

Except when an exclusive consideration is given prominence, an internet marketing channel that guarantees widest product delivery to target audience should not be overlooked for the one that doesn’t.

3. The exclusive distribution. If the prevailing marketing goal is to deliver to an exclusive market segment then an appropriate marketing channel should be chosen.

This choice is going to see the brand put all available marketing resources to get the very best out of them..

In other words, it’s going to create an effective and efficient internet marketing drive and save funds which would have been wasted on an unnecessary marketing campaign.

4. The intensive distribution. In contrast to extensive distribution, a brand may choose comprehensive to reach wider audience and generate big sales.

What is important here is to give a brand and its products maximum exposure to maximum number of customers possible regardless of the attendant high advertising budget..

5. The selective distribution consideration. A brand that adopts selective distribution as a marketing policy is selective in choosing internet marketing channels.

A brand may run promotions on channels selected on the basis of population of users and demographics.


It is important at this to take a brief look at some of the available internet (electronic) marketing channels, a brand may decide to go with;

1. Email marketing,- the form of marketing which is used to inform customers on a company’s email list about products, product information, innovations, discounts and other developments.

2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) – this is made up of steps taken to optimize landing pages of a company’s site and sponsored ads to increase the chances of site visitors taking desired actions.

3. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the use of social media channels to market a company’s products and services.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is used to improve the quality and the quantity of traffic to a site. It’s about creating search engine optimization friendly content to help search engines rank it high.

5. Affiliate marketing – is a advertising tool which a brand compensates a third party (an affiliate) to generate leads to the brand’s products and services.

https://ayietim.com/2021/09/24/5-considerations-for-selecting-appropriate-internet-marketing-channels/

The claim of profit in the financial statements of a business is not good enough metric for comparing performances with preceding years and with other businesses operating in the same sector.

A trend analysis must be done to have an accurate knowledge of the relative position of the business. This is the most reliable way to know if things are improving or deteriorating.

Trend analysis is used to evaluate business’s performances over time and with those of other businesses of same size in the same industry.

In reviewing trends and comparing businesses, ratio analysis is used to interpret relevant financial statements. The categories of ratios often used, are those which test the solvency, the profitability and the efficiency of businesses.

To analyze the solvency of a business over time and compare that with those of companies within the same sector, the current ratio is used.

The current ratio compares total current assets to total current liabilities.

The analysis of the profitability trend employs:

gross profit to sales ratio ,
the net profit after tax to sales ratio,
the return on capital employed (ROCE) – compares profit earned before interest and tax (PBIT) to funds employed to generate the return and.
Return on share capital (ROSC) – often compares profit before tax (PBT) to share capital and reserves. The profitability of how shareholders’ investment has been used is directly proportional to the value of the ROSC. The higher the ROSC value the higher the profitability.
The following ratios are used for the efficiency (how assets are used) trend analysis;

asset turnover measures the effectiveness at which assets are used to generate sales,
Debtors days – measures a business’s efficiency at handling its debtors,
Creditors days – measures how short term financing is used to fund business activities and,
Stock turnover – the number of times stock is replenished within an accounting period..
It is important to understand how the above ratios are calculated and how to use them for trend analysis.

What are their formulae?

Current ratio (solvency test) = currents assets/current liabilities
Gross profit to sales ratio (profitability test) = gross profit/sales,
Net profit after tax to sales ratio (profitability test) = net profit after tax/sales,
ROCE (profitability test) = profit before interest and tax (PBIT)/Total assets – current liabilities,
Return on share capital (profitability) = profit before tax (PBT)/share capital + reserves
Asset turnover (efficiency test) = sales/total assets – current liabilities,
Debtors days (efficiency test) = debtors/sales x 365,
Creditors days (efficiency test) = creditors/purchases x 365,
Stock turnover (efficiency test) = cost of goods sold/average stock.
The table below can be used to carry out the trend analysis of the performances of company A over five years and compare them with those of Companies B, C and D. All companies are of the same size and all operate in the same industry.



A current ratio
YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 YR5
company A
company B
company C
company D

B gross profit to sales ratio
YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 YR5
company A
company B
company C
company D

C Net profit after tax to sales ratio (profitability test)
YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 YR5
company A
company B
company C
company D

D ROCE (profitability test)
YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 YR5
company A
company B
company C
company D


You can download the comprehensive trend analysis spreadsheet below.

trend-analysis-spreadsheetDownload.

https://ayietim.com/2021/09/23/why-trend-analysis-interpretation-of-financial-statements-is-important/

What is Cost Volume Profit (CVP) Analysis?


For the sake of business sustainability, it’s necessary to have a clear picture of the interrelationships between costs, volume and profit at various levels of business activity. The study of these interrelationships is commonly called break-even analysis.


However, looking at the relationship from the perspective of break-even point may not give a business owner an accurate picture. This is because break-even limits the focus to only the level of activity where neither profit is made nor loss is incurred.


The reality is, the reactions of costs and profits are much more significant at levels of activity outside the break-even point. So, calling the interrelationships “cost volume profit (CVP) analysis” gives a clearer picture and a better understanding.


When should CVP analysis be used to aid business decision making?


CVP analysis is a useful short run decision tool. It’s important for assessing how marginal changes in the levels of activity affect the relationship between costs, output volumes, revenue and profit.


CVP analysis uses the marginal costing principles. What this means is that, CVP is relevant to the extent that existing cost patterns are not likely to change.


Businesses can use CVP analysis to take short run decisions about:

Their pricing policies,
Their choice of Sales mix,
Make or buy,
Acceptance or rejection of a special order at a lower than normal price
Dropping a product (among a range of products) which is considered to be unprofitable.

But cost behavior is likely to change in the long run in response to changes in methods and technologies. Therefore in the long run, CVP is not a reliable tool for making business decisions when existing cost structures are going to change.


Changes to existing cost structures go against fundamental assumptions behind CVP analysis.

What are these fundamental assumptions behind CVP analysis?


The cost structure is split between fixed and variable costs for all considered cost elements,

Fixed cost will remain unchanged and changes in variable costs will be proportional to activity.

Within an activity range, costs and revenues are considered to behave in a linear way,

Methods of production remain the same and the efficiency level is constant,

Every change is the level of stock is marginally valued,

Volume is considered the only factor that affects costs and revenues.

What are the CVP formulae?

They are:

Break-even point(in units) = Fixed Costs/Contribution per unit
2. Break-even point ($Sales) – (Fixed costs x sales price per unit)/contribution per unit. (for a single product)

3. Break-even point ($ Sales) = (Fixed costs x sales value)/ contribution (multi products).

Where Contribution – Selling price – marginal cost.

Download the free CVP analysis spreadsheet.

cvp-worksheetDownload


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/21/why-is-cvp-break-even-analysis-important-to-business-decision-making/

It’s the hardest ending to accept, when you’re told that what you thought was to going to last a lifetime is over.


You would want to believe that it’s a bad nightmare you’re going to wake up from. It’s not a nightmare, it’s real. The one you loved from the bottom of your heart and still desperately in love with is moving on and is suggesting, “You either move on too or rut’.


Well, the real nightmare is about to begin if you don’t know what choice to make. You’ve the choice to go agonize about it forever or cry a little bit then begin the process of healing your heart.


Choose the latter. Choose to love yourself whether someone else loves you or not. Choose to always take care of yourself because if you don’t, no one will.


The one, who has decided to leave you in the lurch and move on with life, will not spare the time to care at all to look back and empathize. Their focus is on happy moments there are probably sharing with someone else while you’re agonizing and weeping over spilt milk.


When a relationship is ended when you’re still in love, gather your mind, body and soul and move on. Immerse yourself in your work. Work harder than before, read inspirational books and try new things. Just do something productive that will challenge you mentally and physically. Set big goals and go for them.


The aftermath of a relationship breakup is definitely no time to get into a situationship. That would be increasing the chances of yet another relationship breakup. The aftermath of a relationship breakup is the time to choose live; live a good life.


In the aftermath of relationship breakup, choose self-acceptance over self-rejection and choose self-love over self-hatred.


You’re a treasure; a unique work of art, there’s no one else like you.


Now know this; There is someone special waiting to love you just the way you are. Waiting to love you sincerely for the rest of your life.

https://ayietim.com/2021/09/20/how-to-get-over-a-relationship-breakup-when-youre-still-in-love/

After putting in the hard work, you have to accept the fact that outcomes will not always be the ones you expect and understand that an unfavorable outcome isn’t a deterrent to try again.


You should accept the fact that many things are beyond the control of human beings. Human beings can only give their best, get better but a downturn in fortune, disaster, sickness and other natural crisis are part of us.

The possibility of the occurrence of a natural crisis shouldn’t be the cause of anxiety. Being anxious about the occurrence of an extraordinary event can’t stop one from happening. Some events are inevitable.

An anxiety attack is disruptive to a normal daily life. It can stop you from living an exciting life, making plans for the future and enjoying the moment while doing the things you love.

If there’s likelihood that a flood will come five years from now, why don’t you start now to build an ark? Go to work on getting coverage.
When the coverage begins take shape, it should give you something to focus on. And it’s unlikely that your focus will shift to worrying.

You could also stumble on exciting new discoveries while in the thick of building the ark. It may be a serendipity that leads to the awareness of a potential you never knew you had.


Spending the rest of your life exploring your new found passion would keep you sufficiently employed leaving little or no opening for anxiety attacks.


Start now to build that ark and break that anxiety cycle. Productivity provides an escape route from anxiety attacks. So rather than focus on the problem; the cause of anxiety attacks, focus on finding the solution.

https://ayietim.com/2021/09/19/build-an-ark-and-escape-anxiety-attacks/

“A bitten tongue is not cut off and thrown away,
the pain is endured,

love doesn’t stop occasional fights but fights can’t end an enduring love.”


It’s normal for couples to have occasional misunderstandings.

It’s expected; if it’s not happening then two people are play acting for the entertainment of one another.


A misunderstanding between a couple in some cases is a supremacy battle.
Partners exchange strong abusive words in an attempt to hurt one another and win the fight. In the process, someone’s character may be damaged.


The wounds may never heal and the wounded may never recover their true self-worth again.

And except both work real hard at exchanging love after the fight, it may mark the beginning of the end of real love in the relationship.

Love dies gradually until it’s completely gone. A loveless relationship allows two people to condone one another for as long they can fake it. But occasional fights don’t have to wash away love from a relationship.

When you have a fight with the one you claim to love pay attention to the words you say. Anger shouldn’t cause you to spit words that decimate your partner’s self-worth. Don’t try to win the fight.


A relationship is not a place for war between two people and there’s no room for competition.

So when there’s a fight, caution shouldn’t be thrown away. There will be a life after the fight and it’s conventionally expected that the bond should become stronger after every fight.


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/14/this-is-why-you-must-avoid-character-assassination-in-relationships/

Cc:
Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Seun

You are not the only one, everyone makes mistakes.

Those who set out in life to make things happen are never afraid to make mistakes.


Those afraid to make mistakes are just afraid to let the world know their weaknesses,
They fail to realize that no weakness has ever been an impediment to greatness;


Those who make things happen amplify their strengths to overshadow their weaknesses,


They make mistakes but still go on with the show after every mistake,
At the end, people pass on success stories of achievers and not their mistakes.


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/16/we-all-make-mistakes/

In the business of selling, having timely relevant information about your customers is very important. Then creating a marketing information system to store and continuously update the information is vital to the successful marketing of your products.


A marketing information system (MIS) is a dynamic set of processes created to generate, analyze, store and disseminate information necessary to take marketing decisions.

MIS should provide continuous flow of information about your customers and changes in their buying behavior, your competitors, prices, distribution channels, new technologies and government policies.
It should provide all relevant information needed to make informed marketing decisions that boost sales and increase profits. An effective MIS must have this ability.


Other key qualities of an effective MIS are:


1; An effective marketing information (or intelligence) system should provide information that could be accessed by all staff.

The information provided should improve the performance of planning, controlling and forecasting functions. It should also identify trends.


2. An MIS that is relevant must have the ability to identify marketing problems. It’s only a marketing information system with data that reduce uncertainty and increase accuracy that has this ability.


It is important to know that the accuracy of marketing information is increased by defining marketing problems in narrow terms.

For example, “By what percentage would sales increase if the price was discounted by 2%?”. The answer to this question should give a more accurate information than “Would price discount lead to an increase in sales?”


Is marketing information system the same as marketing research?


Although marketing research plays a key role in the generation of marketing information, it’s not the same as marketing information system.

What are the differences between marketing information system and marketing research?

Marketing research is used to generate information (facts and data) when it’s expedient and also on a non-recurring basis. A marketing information system on the other hand, is put in place to generate facts and data on a regular basis,

2. While marketing research is often carried out as part of a remedial action, MIS is expected to prevent a problem from occurring and solve one when it occurs,


3. MIS manages the flow of information generated by marketing research and,


4. Marketing research is within the broader MIS.

What is the scope of marketing research?

Marketing research is an integral part of MIS. It connects the public to the marketer through information. Marketing research could be any of the following;

Market research (or research about customer) that aims to understand market segments and market potentials. Market research also carries out analyses of trends, sales and demands,
2. Product research. This involves comparative analysis of competitive products, market testing, product-line research, packaging and customer satisfaction.


3. Market environment research that supplies information about the effects of technological, economic, political and environmental variables on sales,


4. Marketing communication research that generates information about sales promotion, sales force, advertising and public relations,

5.There is also the pricing research.

What is the marketing research process?

A marketing research that generates accurate and reliable information follows a process. The marketing research process first identifies the problem and then information required to solve the identified problem.


The next step is developing a research design. A good research design is a function of the purpose of the research. It is a control mechanism for data collection, analysis, testing of hypothesis and reaching of conclusions,

After the research design has been developed, data collection and data analysis follow. The last two steps are report of findings and a follow up on suggested recommendations.

Now, what are the benefits of marketing information system?

A good marketing information system reduces or eliminates completely loss or distortion of internal and external information gathered. This is possible because information is routinely stored as it is generated.

Therefore MIS provides a timely and complete information flow that helps management to make reliable decisions quickly.

2. A dependable MIS emboldens management’s anticipatory marketing activities. Management can use information from MIS to know the unspoken needs of customers and set up the process to fill them.

3.MIS gives management the information for continuous product performance.


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/15/marketing-information-system/

Business survival and success depend on reaching the break-even point and remaining in the region where total revenues are consistently more than total costs.


Credit sales contribute a significant portion of sales revenues. Businesses use credit sales as a marketing strategy to retain existing customers and win new ones.


It’s a strategy that creates the current asset item known as Accounts receivable or debtors.


Accounts receivable management is critical to the collection of debts as they fall due.


The collection of debts when they fall due is necessary for the avoidance of the depletion or total loss of working capital.


For this to be obtained, an accounts receivable management process that guarantees the collection of debts when they fall due must be followed.


Accounts receivable management process follows the establishment of:

A credit policy,
2. Credit terms,

3. Credit analysis and,

4. Collection policy.

What is credit policy?

A business’s credit policy spells out guidelines that regulate the granting of credit, the limits and other terms and conditions.

Certain factors have to be considered before a business formulates a credit policy.

These factors include projected sales volume and expected bad and doubtful debts to be provided for.

Also, what would debt recovery cost in terms of money, personnel and time?

The credit policy should not be too liberal to the extent that it leads to an increase in sales but lead to losses in forms of bad debts and debt recovery costs.

Another point to note is that, an effective credit policy should state credit terms clearly.

The repayment terms which cover credit period, discount percentages and allowed discounts periods should be stated clearly.

The discount period should encourage the consideration of cash purchases and discourage credit purchases.

Another fundamental part of accounts receivable management process is credit analysis.
It is important to assess a customer’s ability and willingness to meet their current maturing liabilities when they fall due.

Before you decide to allow a customer make a credit purchase, find out what the customer’s credit rating is.

Does the customer have a history of being a willful defaulter? The answer to this question is fundamental to understanding the willingness of the customer to meet current liabilities when they fall doe.

What about the financial strength of the customer? The financial strength helps to determine and set a customer’s credit line.

The credit line defines the limits to permitted credit purchase.

In carrying out the credit analysis of a customer, the following are worth considering:

1.Character of the customer,

2. Capacity of the customer to borrow,

3. Conditions under which the customer can make credit purchases,

4. Capital and,

5. Collateral security.

A reliable credit appraisal of a customer requires reliable and sufficient information.

Credit reports, bank reference letters, financial statements and suppliers are places to search for relevant information.

At this point, it should mentioned that an effective accounts receivable management process is incomplete without the formulation of collection policy.

You may regard this as the most important because the liquidity of a business significantly depends on the effectiveness of its debt recovery drive.


https://ayietim.com/2021/09/11/accounts-receivables-management-process/

Focus on your goals and ignore the noise around you. it’s a noisy world, there’s nothing you and I can do about that but we can make the choice not to allow the noise to penetrate us and take over our lives.


How? By knowing what our personal goals are and always keeping these goals in front of us. You can do this, but there’s a price.


You have to be prepared to disassociate with things that don’t matter and focus on only things that matter. That will put you in a group made up of very few people:


Humans are generally love to be in the crowd. This is conventional. So when you choose to remove yourself from where is conventional, people are going to put you where the ‘unconventional’ humans are.


Well…it’s not a bad place to be. It’s a blessing in disguise because you’re going to be among those who make the best use of their time to add real value to life.


You’re going to be among people who seek out the best in others and help them to be a light onto others.


You’re going to be in the midst of a constellation of stars; among those who talk little and show up to do the work that speaks louder than words.


So doesn’t it pay better to focus on your goals and ignore the noise?

https://ayietim.com/2021/09/09/focus-on-your-goals-and-ignore-the-noise/