The Chicken has finally come home to roost. I reserve my comment for now.

I think UBA have set the pace for online payments via their Africard and it cost next to nothing. I have been using it for months now without hassles. So if you want to start your own CC business, you will have to compete with UBA.

Take it or leave it,Dangote has a goal to be one of the top ten richest men in the world. He reducing his stake in other companies to concentrate on making Dangote cement, the world best. Expect his LSE listing anytime soon. I look forward to seeing his name on the top ten list of world billionaires. Go Dangote go.

I wish Nigerians can be patriotic as these Chinese.

To be sincere, i am tired of of these group of people called muslims. Why can't we celebrate at least 3months of peace in this country? Can't the United Nations carve out an Islamic republic for them in the desert...............Since the days of Ishmael, Muslims have always been the source of trouble. Maybe that's why the bible said "Trouble will always arise from the north."

If Dangote was in it for the money, he would have retired many years ago to enjoy the fruits of his labour. To passionate entrepreneurs, money is just a means to keep score. Dangote still remains my mentor and an inspirations to a lot of youths. Haters can go to hell and criticize him but it won't stop him from probably become the richest man in the world. Go Dangote.....Go

I think this thread can be of benefit to potential investors and entrepreneurs seeking haulage partnerships and information.

1990 till 2012 - Classic Leg-edis BENZ latest Model.....winks.....

Prostrate cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes, etc are diseases usually suffered by rich entrepreneurs and CEOs. Why? The reason is because they work their ass-off. Imagine Steve Jobs, working for Apple until he breathe his last breath. See Warren Buffett, running Berkshire at 81. To these men, it's has never been about the money. It's about the passion. They are so passionate about their businesses that they sometimes work 80 hours per week; shuffling between family, business, meetings, etc, while paying little attention to their health. I admire their passion, if only they will pay a little attention to their health.

P.S: Do you know how many hours SEUN sat in front of his computer while running Nairaland in its early days. Don't be surprised that he may suffer from eye problems in the future......*Just joking*..... But I am also guilty of this; staring at my laptop screen for many hours daily......

afam4eva: I think he was banned by google and he's still trying to resolve it. Google are too stern in their rules.

I thought as much too. Maybe he stepped on Google's toe while restructuring Nairaland. I think it's high time Seun Opens up Nairaland for direct private advertisers. Just my 2cents.

Quite an interesting topic. In my own opinion, financial freedom is all about how much cash flow you receive every month without actively working for it. This cash flow is to be compared with your monthly expenses. For you to be truly financially independent, the ratio of your passive cash flow to expenses should be 3:1.

aniffy4eva: Financial independence is really not about assets. Its more about cashflow (passive income). Let me explain

An asset is anything that generates passive income for you. So if you buy a piece of land and its value has risen overtime to N160m (ie $1m approx), that does not necessarily make it an asset, neither does it make you financially independent. Why? Cos your income from that piece of land is ZERO! Even though the resale value is $1m, it STILL doesn't generate any passive income until you SELL it. All you have is a psychological valuation of that land at a given point in time.

Let's compare that to someone who owns a transport business (with about 8 buses). This business is being run by a manager who makes a weekly deposit of N200k ($1,250) in his account. Total estimated value of the business is about N15m but he receives a weekly passive income of $1,250 more than the guy with an "asset" of $1m but receives zilch!

The scenario above shows the importance of financial intelligence.

Thanks, for your candid opinion; you have said it all. I never knew there were financially intelligent people on Nairaland. If we can discuss such topics; rather than tribal issues, we will move Nigeria forward

I doubt if his aim for listing on the LSE is to become the richest man in the world. Dangote is not getting any younger, so he is trying to put in place a strong structure that can thrive without him. Secondly, after critically reviewing Dangote, i can say that his got brains and a strong business sense. He is diversifying the company's structure; he doesn't want his entire company being dependent on a single country's economy. As for being the richest man in the world; i leave you with the quote below:

"Being the richest man in the world is not championship; it's all about competence." - Carlos Slim Helu

bestads: Salary will always be slavery no matter the company you work for,no matter the position and no matter the amount.

Salary is only a postponement of the day your job will end.

The list of the richest men in your locality,state,Nigeria,Togo,Gambia,UK,Iran,USA and the whole world has no single salary earner on it.
ONLY THOSE WITH THE LION HEART GET THE LION SHARE

ONLY THE RISK TAKERS BECOME RICH

ONLY THE BOLD GET THE GOLD

ONLY THE ADVENTUTOUS ADVANCE IN LIFE

ONLY THE BRAVE BECOME GREAT,SUCCESSFUL AND WEALTHY.

The MD of shell,chevron,agip,total,GTB,Zenith bank and other companies cannot bequeath their positions and salaries to their children if they are not the owners of these companies,but Bill Gates,Warren Buffet,Mike Adenuga,Dangote,SLOT,COSCHARIS,ELIZADE Can bequeath their companies and positions to their children ask Michael balogun of FCMB and Mike Adenuga


PLEASE START YOUR BUSINESS NOW and grow it

Don't try to mystify the entrepreneurial process and make entrepreneurs look like gods. Entrepreneurship is not about brevity, or lion heartedness; it's all about recognizing opportunity and doing all you can to tap such opportunity. As for the poster, before deciding on whether to pursue a job or self employment; first ask yourself this question:
Why do you want to be self employed?
Don't tell me you want to start a business because you want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg; you have to do it for the right reasons. If you choose the self employed route, do you have the capital to make it a reality? If not, go and learn how to raise capital or better still, get a job and save towards your plan. And lastly, becoming self employed is not a good goal to pursue because in the end, you are still employed. Rather, i will advice you aim to be a business owner; meaning your business can run without your presence. I am an entrepreneur and there's nothing glorious about the process of building a business. In fact, we entrepreneurs work harder than our employees and we also earn less in monthly income than our employees. I know a lot of entrepreneurs that earn less than bank cashiers. But our hope is not in monthly pay; we are working towards building a asset that will continue generating cash even after we pass away. Just my two cents.

cugresources: Passion + Ideas + Wisdom = Success! The problem is just Nigerians mostly want get rich quick short cuts, they want to become Adenuga in one week...and the ladies inspire most guys to think this way, making many to lose focus becos they want a short cut to get rich quick to impress some girls!! Wealth comes with time, if you work diligently for it, but always give it time!

No...Passion + ideas + Business sense + Long term plan = Success and wealth

Right on spot, but passion alone is not enough criteria for starting a business. It is just a driving factor.

@Poster, I think you have just made a strong point. No matter how truthful or open your spouse may be, somethings will never be talked about. And i think ladies keep more secrets than the men.

It seems you are all chicken hearted. Ye men of little faith, why are you all panicking? Have you forgotten that Nigeria is a country where the unimaginable is the norm. Welcome to the country where 3 month old babies struggle for their daily bread from their mother's bosom; a country where 10 year old kids smoke marijuana with reckless abandon and where 12 year old girls become pregnant. A country where over N600million is used for renovating a single apartment; a country where our pot bellied law makers engage in a free for all without recourse. Welcome to the country where the abnormal is the norm.

As for Union bank, i see nothing wrong in them going on strike. I expected them to fold up but i am surprised they are still allowed to crawl instead of being crushed. That bank is worth scrapping. LOL.

Our government has done their best. The challenge now rests on the shoulders of the youths of this country. Our youths should get creative and enterprising.

That book may be impractical to you but it has changed my life. You just need to read it with an open mind because it encompasses business, money, personal finance and investing. Now with respect to real estate, do you know that banks lend money to real estate investors in Nigeria? Take a look at Mowe, Ofada and Ibafon area between Lagos and Ogun state, do you think those estates were built with salaries? Those estates were built by private investors with loans from banks and equity from institutional investors. The problem lies not in the book, the problem lies with you; you have a poor mindset. Period.

Gurusmaster:

You can make money if only you are the focused one. So before you can make money you must have a dream.

I think a dream is just the starting point. You need guts to start a business or make money; you need guts to act despite tremendous doubts. Without guts, forget about succeeding.

infogenius:

It is easy if you are smart enough and have learnt the ropes. But it is not an overnight riches of a thing. It is just like the offline business that you have to know how business in general works.

Thank you chase4 for the reply.

fxjunkie:

Does anyone know about Google AdSense? What I'd like to know is how Google would money to someone in Nigeria or Malaysia.

Google has the capacity to send your money to you regardless of where you live.

And one more thing, nothing good comes easy but it still doesn't have to be hard.

Most people come to this forum to ask for business ideas and they get tons of it. But most of them don't act. Why? Because it takes guts to start your own business and many people on this forum chicken hearted.

In the business world, there are two kinds of people. Those with money but without business ideas and those with million dollar ideas but without capital. They all meet here on nairaland.