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If you've been following & enjoying this thread, you'll need to join our Whatsapp group to continue enjoying our tutorials. We intend to continue the tutorials there. So, don't miss out. Leave your whatsapp phone number here.

These are photos of some of the money-making sewing products for those in our Whatsapp group.

Here's our next tutorial........

Making A Dressed-Shaped Souvenir Bag

Materials

* Your desired bag material
* Sewing machine
* Scissors
* Tape rule
* Straight pins
* Belt for handles
* Machine oil(optional)

* Cut 2 pieces of belt of about 20" long.

* Cut 2 rectangles(front & back) of about 18"x12" from your bag material. 18" is width, 12" is length.

* Turn in 1" on the top edge of both front & back pieces & hem with your sewing machine, sewing in the belt handles in at once.

* Fold two inverted pleats each near the top edge on both front & back pieces at equal distances from the edge and pin.

* Make sure that the new width of your front & back pieces after folding in the inverted pleats is the same.

* Sew on your belt handle on top of the inverted pleats to hold down the pleats on both the front & back pieces.

* Remove the pins

* Make & sew a bow on to the front piece to decorate it.

* Bring both front & back pieces together, right sides facing & stitch together along the two sides with a seam allowance of half inch.

* Measure around the bottom of the bag with a rule tape & use this measurement to cut the bottom piece.

* Your measurement around the bottom of your bag should be around 34".

* Cut a rectangle of about 12"x 6" for your bottom piece.

* Pin the bottom piece to the body of the bag all around & adjust as necessary.

* Sew the bottom piece to the body of the bag & trim off excess materials.

* Turn right side out & you're done!

As you complete your sewing projects, please post photos of your work here for us to enjoy together. Thanks & happy sewing for profits.

Nigeriayouths20:
thank you for the thread.....
I'm sure hundreds will gain from it

Thanks for your encouraging words. Many more will truly benefit as some are already doing & that's our goal.

noncy21:
well done ma

Thanks, Noncy21. But we don't have you yet in the whatsapp group. Think you should drop your no.

Here's our next tutorial..........

Making A Dressed-Shaped Souvenir Bag

Materials

* Your desired bag material
* Sewing machine
* Scissors
* Tape rule
* Straight pins
* Belt for handles
* Machine oil(optional)

* Cut 2 pieces of belt of about 20" long.

* Cut 2 rectangles(front & back) of about 18"x12" from your bag material. 18" is width, 12" is length.

* Turn in 1" on the top edge of both front & back pieces & hem with your sewing machine, sewing in the belt handles in at once.

* Fold two inverted pleats each near the top edge on both front & back pieces at equal distances from the edge and pin.

* Make sure that the new width of your front & back pieces after folding in the inverted pleats is the same.

* Sew on your belt handle on top of the inverted pleats to hold down the pleats on both the front & back pieces.

* Remove the pins

* Make & sew a bow on to the front piece to decorate it.

* Bring both front & back pieces together, right sides facing & stitch together along the two sides with a seam allowance of half inch.

* Measure around the bottom of the bag with a rule tape & use this measurement to cut the bottom piece.

* Your measurement around the bottom of your bag should be around 34".

* Cut a rectangle of about 12"x 6" for your bottom piece.

* Pin the bottom piece to the body of the bag all around & adjust as necessary.

* Sew the bottom piece to the body of the bag & trim off excess materials.

* Turn right side out & you're done!

abisolaarshow:
Please add me. 08068786749. Thank u

Added.

More tutorials going on in our whatsapp group. You can participate by leaving your phone number here.

How's your sewing going, house? Expecting to see more photos of your works here.

Our next project comes up in a bit.

elsy5:
Here I am thinking it's the same taffeta 4 cloths..

Bag taffeta is different from fabric taffeta.

noncy21:
IS IT D SAME TAFFITA WE USE IN SEWING CLOTH?

Taffeta for sewing clothes is different from taffeta bag materials. Taffeta Bag material is stiff so it can hold & sit upright when sewn into bags.

elsy5:
Though I dint find. Souvenir material had to use leather.. here is my bag

You've done well, elsy5. We clap for you as the first to post the photo of your work. As promised, I'll send you your gift via whatsapp or bbm.
There's no material called "souvenir material". It's up to you to use any material of your choice.
I encourage you to try out the other projects we've taught in this thread.

Nice evening to you all. I changed my mind & decided to proceed to the next tutorial which is another design of souvenir bag. It's one of the souvenir bags posted at the beginning of this thread. It's called "Singlet Bag".

Enjoy!

This a simple utility bag that can be used personally
or given out as souvenirs at events or company
promotional gift.
I will show us how to make this bag. But you must
be able to sew because it is all sewn up, no gums!
You can use any bag material of your choice like:
* Taffeta
* Satin
* Leather
* Net etc
You can make any size you like.

Materials

* Taffeta(Plain)
* Belt(For handles)
* Scissors
* Matching thread
* Sewing machine

Procedure

* Cut 2 rectangles(13"x15" from your bag material.
13" is the width, 15" is length. These two pieces are
for the front & back of your bag.
* Cut another small rectangle for your bottom piece.
This measurement depends on the size of your bag.
For the size we are making, it will be 9"x4". 9" is
width, 4" is length.

Sewing Your Bag

* Fold your front & back pieces into two lengthwise
& draw lines to shape them into a singlet & cut out.
See pictures below.

* Cut a piece of belt as long as the width of your
front piece and stitch across the width of your front
piece towards the upper part of it. This step is
optional because it is just to decorate the front part
of your bag. Cut another belt piece, shape it into a
bow and sew in the middle of the belt you sewed
across the width of your bag as decoration.

* Fold your belt over the "neck" portion of your
singlet shape & sew to bind this portion first.

* Next, fold your belt over the "arm-hole" portion of
your singlet bag & bind. On reaching the tip (where
it meets with the neck), continue stitching your
folded belt alone to form the slender(spaghetti)
handle of the bag. When the handle is long enough,
attach the folded belt to the second arm-hole side of
the bag. Bind and finish off.

* Repeat this same step(3&4) to bind the back piece
of the bag both at the neck & arm-hole sections.

* Bring the front & back pieces together, right sides
facing & stitch together on the two sides.

* Pin the bottom piece to the body of the bag.

* Sew the bottom piece to the body of the bag.

* Turn right sides out and you're done!

Why Am I Still Unemployed?

Well, because you either lack the entrepreneurial drive or unwilling to unleash it!
Entrepreneurs are huge risk takers, problem solvers, economy drivers, job creators, and of course they are the hope of the people!
Without entrepreneurs, the future will be so bleak because the hope of college graduates, school leavers, and the labour force in general of leading decent lives with a good job will be dashed!
Many go to school to earn degrees qualifying them to become employees but very few ever think of becoming job creators to employ others!
Definitely, the ratio of 'employees-to-be' versus 'employers-to-be' is so imbalanced and is the reason many are suffering from the unemployment saga
today.
Come to think of it- where would you rather be? In the camp of 'employees-to-be' or 'employers-to-be'?
Afterall, all it takes to be an employer is the entrepreneurial drive coupled with the right knowledge of how successful businesses are run!
Since everyone has at least a talent, it means we all have something unique to us with which we can start a thriving business.
Many people who are successful in business today started dreaming about their business early and had ample time to process it.
If you are not an early starter, you can still make it big in business if you address yourself to it and go all out!
Start by finding the seed of your future business which is your talent coupled with your skills, training and experiences.
Look for a good niche where your strength will fits in, get a successful business coach to mentor you and start your own empire that will benefit not only you
but many others!
Your feedback is very important to us. Post them

I would like to know if you guys like the tutorial & would like to have more.
Also, posting pictures of your own bag following this tutorial will help us give you more. So, go ahead, sew your bags & post them here.
Waiting.........

Donpizzle:
gud job

Thanks.

This a simple utility bag that can be used personally or given out as souvenirs at events or company promotional gift.

I will show us how to make this bag. But you must be able to sew because it is all sewn up, no gums!

You can use any bag material of your choice like:

* Taffeta
* Satin
* Leather
* Net etc

You can make any size you like.

Materials

* Taffeta(Plain)
* Belt(For handles)
* Scissors
* Matching thread
* Sewing machine

Procedure

* Cut 2 rectangles(13"x15" from your bag material. 13" is the width, 15" is length. These two pieces are for the front & back of your bag.
* Cut another small rectangle for your bottom piece. This measurement depends on the size of your bag. For the size we are making, it will be 9"x4". 9" is width, 4" is length.

Sewing Your Bag

* Fold your front & back pieces into two lengthwise & draw lines to shape them into a singlet & cut out. See pictures below.
* Cut a piece of belt as long as the width of your front piece and stitch across the width of your front piece towards the upper part of it. This step is optional because it is just to decorate the front part of your bag. Cut another belt piece, shape it into a bow and sew in the middle of the belt you sewed across the width of your bag as decoration.
* Fold your belt over the "neck" portion of your singlet shape & sew to bind this portion first.
* Next, fold your belt over the "arm-hole" portion of your singlet bag & bind. On reaching the tip (where it meets with the neck), continue stitching your folded belt alone to form the slender(spaghetti) handle of the bag. When the handle is long enough, attach the folded belt to the second arm-hole side of the bag. Bind and finish off.
* Repeat this same step(3&4) to bind the back piece of the bag both at the neck & arm-hole sections.
* Bring the front & back pieces together, right sides facing & stitch together on the two sides.
* Pin the bottom piece to the body of the bag.
* Sew the bottom piece to the body of the bag.
* Turn right sides out and you're done!

The service year will come and go. Then what happens after that? Of course your next step will be to get a job. But from experience, not all ex-corpers are able to get a job, sometmes, many years after.

As someone with foresight, why not do something for yourself in advance to avoid the pitfall of unemployment or underemployment?

We've all got talents that can be harnessed to create empires that will serve us & others.

If you're creative- you enjoy & easily make things with your hands, you can polish & develop your talents into a thriving business.

It was during my years of unemployment at home after youth service that I discovered & started using my creative talents.

I want to use this thread to help you polish & use your creative talents to start a business of your own so you no longer need a job. I know however that it's not easy for many of us to do without a job. Our mindset is tuned becoming employees after school! But hopefully with time & learning, you'll imbibe the business man's mindset.

So, let's go.

I started with Bag making so I'll show us how to make some simple ones here. Not ankara bags o!
I hope you love & profit from these tutorials.
Enjoy.....

With the rise in popularity of online marketing, many proven offline methods are simply
forgotten when marketing campaigns are planned. Of course, online marketing is hugely important in today’s Internet- connected world, but offline engagement with customers still has unique and distinct value that shouldn’t be forgotten.
If you want to give your business a real marketing
boost this year, start looking outside the box. Here
are five forgotten offline marketing tactics that
don’t require a big marketing budget.

1. Engage in offline guerrilla marketing

Guerrilla marketing is a generic term for the use
of unconventional marketing strategies, and
because online marketing channels are so
narrowly structured, offline is the best arena to
flex your small business’s guerrilla marketing
muscle. So, starting now, ignore what you know
about marketing channels, and let your inner child
out to play.
Offline guerrilla marketing ideas:
Leave sticky notes in random places (bars,
coffee shops).
Use chalk to advertise promotions on a
sidewalk.
“Accidentally” leave a branded pen at the bank.
Donate branded bookmarks to your local
library.
Use sticky notes to create temporary images
on buildings, cars, etc.

2. Drop business cards

This is one offline guerrilla marketing strategy that
I want to talk about specifically. It’s more of a
necessity than an option. If you run a small
business, you must have business cards and dole
them out! Don’t just share them when you first
meet someone new. Drop them everywhere.
Places to drop business cards:
Leave a business card with your tip at a
restaurant.
See a public bulletin board? Put up a business
card.
Go to the library and place business cards in
books related to your business.
When you see a contest fish bowl asking for
business cards, drop yours in. Always.

3. Take pictures/videos of everything

Because social media marketing takes place
online, many business owners and marketers
forget that social campaigns can be boosted by
offline efforts. One way to do this is by taking
photos of company events and daily activities, and
then posting those online. Videos help too. If
someone from your company speaks at an event,
for example, record it and upload it to YouTube.
Real-life photos from the offline world show the
personality of your company and increase online
user engagement. Facebook posts with photos, for
example, receive 84% more clicks and twice as
many Likes than text-only posts, according to
Kissmetrics. And some of the most popular social
networks (Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr) are
image-based, making photos ever more important
for online marketing.

4. Donate gift certificates or products as prizes

By offering your product or service as the prize for
a local contest, you can build visibility for your
business while showing your commitment to the
community.
If your business provides computer repairs, for
example, you could donate a gift certificate for a 2-
hour repair to a local non-profit organization. The
organization may announce your branded prize to
a room full of sponsors. Your business could also
be listed in various publications, such as the
organization’s website, newsletter, or even a press
release.

5. Speak at events

Professional events offer a great way to meet new
people, share your ideas, and build brand
awareness. They’re even more effective if you
speak at them. Find a local event related to your
industry, come up with an educational topic you
can speak on, and volunteer. If you don’t yet have
the level of clout required to speak at an event,
attending events can be just as helpful.
Remember, you don’t have to adopt all of these
offline marketing strategies. Just try one. Write a
promotion on a couple sticky notes, and put them
in your pocket for the day. Who knows what could
happen.

Jayson DeMers is the founder & CEO
of AudienceBloom, a Seattle-based
content marketing & social media
agency. You can contact him on
LinkedIn, Google+, or Twitter.

Here are some paper creations....

noncy21:
WELL DONE MA. U AR NOT TOO FAST MA. JUST DAT AM YET TO GET MATERIALS. TNX

Have you got your materials now?
Waiting for you guys!

By the way, other tutors are welcome to teach us any of the listed sewing businesses at the beginning of the thread. Thanks all.

Do you know that paper has so many & diverse uses? Many beautiful creations can be obtained from paper.
I will show you some paper products & allow you see if you'd like to learn how to make some of them & set up a business of your own this way.
You will have to speak out so we can start to explore the possibilities together.

Successful Entrepreneurs Are Marketers! Marketing is one area most entrepreneurs find difficult to cope with or even understand. What is marketing? It is bringing the marketplace to desire your product or service! When you market effectively, the market will have no choice other than to buy your offer because they cannot resist it! The hunger or drive you've created in them won't be satisfied until they give you their money in exchange for what you are selling. The truth is that only 3 per cent of the market is actively shopping and actively looking for what your business offers. The competition for this small percentage is usually high because many businesses in the same niche are all looking to acquire a part of this percentage! The remaining 97 percent are divided into different categories thus: 7 percent - are open to your offer but not actively shopping! 30 percent- are aware for the future. They see they might need your product at a future time. 30 percent - are simply unconscious of their need for your product unless someone awaken them! 30 - the remaining percentage are simply uninterested in your product and should be ruled out or overlooked. From the foregoing, the entrepreneur has got to be a good marketer to be able to catch this huge and neglected market instead of scrambling for the actively shopping 3 percent! This calls for what is known as education-based marketing which allows you as the entrepreneur to enlighten and educate the market to see and feel a deep need for what you are offering. This can be done in various ways such as organising a free seminar, public speaking events, electronic media, webinars etc It is important to do this free of charge to enable so many people attend. This first simple step in bringing them in the door is very important and will lead to the next until your prospects become buyers. This education-based marketing should be 80 percent solid content and only 20 percent pitching to the extent your prospect won't even suspect you are going to sell anything! Their guards are down and they come to like and trust you. By the time you put in your offer, they just swallow it hook, line and sinker! You get it? It's awesome! You cannot leave the marketing of your business in the hands of other people who do not know your business as much as you do! Neither can you hire someone to do it for you. You've got to do it yourself and it all starts with your willingness to learn. No one was born a perfect marketer. It all comes by learning. You can learn from successful business owners or mentors. All the best in your marketing efforts. Your feedback or comments is very important. Take some time to drop some comments and thanks for doing so.

Change Your Context!
The age-long mentality of "go to school, get good grades and get a good job" is still been followed and believed strictly by many today. This is the reason many university and college graduates still believe they can only make a decent living from a job! An unemployed graduate of Economics came to my business school to make enquiries about acquiring a business skill. She's been trying to get a job for some time now without success. In the course of our discussion , I told her she wouldn't need a job anymore after completing her training coupled with the business building coaching program and setting up her own business. To my surprise, she could not agree with me that she doesn't need a job. She wanted to get the business skill and still keep looking for a job. As soon as she gets one, she would start on her job! Try as I did, she found it difficult to see herself as an employer of labour in her new business rather than depending on a paycheck and leaving her future in the hands of others. This barrier must be broken if we must overcome the problem of unemployment as a nation! If there are no risk-takers and those with the entrepreneurial spirit, where will people ever depending on jobs get them? The reason for mass unemployment is because of the huge disparity between entrepreneurs or job providers and job seekers! Entrepreneurs are too few! Majority of the population prefer to "play safe" and take no risks of starting businesses. There are those who think that college graduates must only work at white collar jobs. This is a very wrong notion and should be corrected. Such graduates wouldn't mind being employed in companies owned by school drop-outs who couldn't wait to finish school before exploring their dreams of setting up mighty business empires! People like Bill Gates of Microsoft and Honda are examples of such dropouts but with mighty business empires simply because of their dreams and drives. University graduates are not meant to be slaves, trading away time and effort for some stinking paychecks month in, month out! If anything, they should be in the fore-front of solving economic problems such as unemployment and poverty instead of hiding under the refuge provided by other 'daring' people not as knowledgeable! Acquire the entrepreneurial drive today and help solve the nation's economic challenges! Yes, you can do it!

THE SCHOOL CALLED MARRIAGE
Marriage is the only school where you get the Certificate before you start. It's also a school where
you will never graduate.
It's a school without a break or a free period.
It's a school where no one is allowed to drop out.
It's a school you will have to attend every day of your life.
It's a school where there is no sick leave or holidays.
It's a school founded by God:
1.On the foundation of love.
2.The walls are made out of trust.
3.The door made out of acceptance.
4.The windows made out of understanding
5.The furniture made out of blessings
6.The roof made out of faith.
Be reminded that you are just a student not the principal.
God is the only Principal.
Even in times of storms, don't be unwise and run outside.
Keep in mind that, this school is the safest place to be.
Never go to sleep before completing your assignments for the day.
Never forget the C-word...Communicate.
Communicate to your classmate and to the Principal
If you find out something in your classmate (spouse) that you do not appreciate.
Remember your classmate is also just a student not a graduate, God is not finished with him/her yet. So take it as a challenge and work on it together.
Do not forget to study the Holy Book (the main textbook of this school).
Start each day with a sacred assembly and end it the same way. Sometimes you will feel like not attending classes, yet you have to.
When tempted to quit find courage and continue.
Some tests and exams may be tough but remember the Principal knows how much you can bear and yet it's a school better than any other.
It's one of the best schools on earth; joy, peace and happiness accompany each lesson of the day.
Different subjects are offered in this school, yet love is the major subject.
After all the years of theorizing about it, now you have a chance to practice it.
To be loved is a good thing, but to love is the greatest privilege of them all.
Marriage is a place of love, so love your spouse. More grace from God.

LET’S SLAY THIS MONSTER CALLED
‘UNEMPLOYMENT’AMONG NIGERIAN GRADUATES!
It is no longer news that unemployment rate in our country and other countries around the world is so high and alarming. Yet so many graduates still believe they must enter the job market and keep increasing the already too high rate of unemployment. Such graduates think that they were meant for the labour market and have been prepared for just that by the school system. But things are changing and you’ve got to adapt to the trends!
Nowadays, graduates have to think of ways of contributing to the economy and not how to take from it.
Some other graduates erroneously think that some kinds of trades or businesses are for uninformed or lay people! The fact is if you take an ordinary business and do it in an extraordinary way, it becomes big business!
You simply need to get yourself prepared for a new way of looking at things.
This article will show you how to go from where you are right now –that is from being an applicant or job seeker to becoming a successful business owner and invariably, an employer of labour.
Far too many people are leaving their destinies in the hands of others whom they expect should give them jobs, leading to disappointment when the jobs are not forthcoming. The number of job seekers is simply more than the labour market can cope with!
The earlier graduates wake up to this reality, the better!
You can start a business and quickly turn it into a powerhouse, depending on the level of your business building expertise. It doesn’t have to take ages to build a successful business.
You simply need to change your orientation and mindset of becoming an employee to that of becoming a successful business owner.
You can achieve whatever you are able to conceive in your mind’s eye.
And of course the business you start does not have to be related to what you studied in college.
When I came out of college, I had the same mindset of getting a job but that was not to be for many years. I started to discover my creative talents while waiting at home. I learned how to use the sewing machine to make things and before long, I was in business. The first creative talent I discovered and tapped into was bag making. Without anyone teaching me how, I would just look at an already made bag and know how to cut and make my own sample!
I started producing and selling school children’s back packs in various sizes, travelling bags, diaper bags, shopping bags, fashion bags etc.
Later, I developed interest in Interior Designs. I got training on how to do interiors professionally and became an interior designer. That was when I floated my very first business called Stunning interiors.
I organized and held public training seminars on Soft Furnishings and trained a number of attendees on how to produce such items as curtains, tie-backs, various styles of top treatments, handmade rugs and throw pillows.
Till date, I still train people on Interior Designs plus I now run an entrepreneurial centre that trains people on various skills such as: Events Decoration, Bag Making, Fashion Design, Catering, etc.
Some of my alumni now have businesses of their own. It is important to note that the business I do today has no bearing with what I read In College! I got a teaching job after about 6years of graduation where I taught some subjects related to my course of study. It was struggling all along because the subjects did not agree with my natural abilities. I resigned
after 2years.
My mindset and orientation started changing when I read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Retire Young, Retire Rich. I started to imbibe the business person’s mindset while discarding my employee mentality.
There are many advantages you get to enjoy when you own build a business empire instead of being in paid employment.
* A business gives you the freedom to do what you want to do like travelling, spending time with your family and going out with friends.
* A business makes you financially free so you no longer have to worry and you can do and buy what you want without
having to think about it.
* A business makes you feel certain and in control of
your future.
* A business allows you to spend your time working
on things that you are interested in and passionate
about.
* A business shows the world what you are capable
of and makes you proud.
A job will do the exact opposite of these to you- meaning you are not in control of your future, you don’t spend your time working on only things that interest you and that you are passionate about and you can’t do or buy what you want all the time.
The proper place to start a business is to make a list of the things you enjoy and like to do. What are your passion, skills, talents, experiences? Write them down and focus on the major one(s) that give you the most joy or pleasure and that you do effortlessly like fun.
This will ensure that your business plays to your strength so you are having fun while working and easily do great work.
A business that plays to your strength will sustain your interest in it for a long time. It will also enable you beat your competitors hands down because they won’t be able to beat you at your game.
Many people have the misconception that money is the first thing you need to have to start a business and this idea is not true.
I recently encountered someone who shared his story. His story vividly illustrates the fact that money is not the first thing to start a business.
He had a friend who suddenly went from being penniless to becoming quite wealthy within a very short period of time. My friend was curious to know his friend’s secret.
His friend told him that the secret is to find something that interests you and become an expert in it! For some reason, this rich friend of my friend’s became interested in turquoise and went from knowing nothing to becoming quite knowledgeable about the gem, the various sources, the market and the players.
One thing led to another, opportunities presented themselves and before long, this friend became suddenly rich.
When my friend started his first business, whichwas an ice cream company, he had no money, no business experience, and absolutely no idea how to make ice cream. Five years later, his ice cream was judged to be the best in America by People Magazine!
What drove the growth of his business was the growth of his knowledge of ice cream. And what drove the growth of his knowledge of ice cream was his love for the stuff.
So, when you start a business, what must lead the way should be your own love for whatever it is you want to do. Loving what you do miraculously attracts all the necessary resources, people and
opportunities. You definitely don’t need money to start. Bootstrapping will stimulate your creativity.
Many wantpreneurs are asking “How do I start a business without capital?”
Lack of capital is not an excuse for not taking charge of your destiny. You can very well start a business without money by starting a Service Business. A service business is one that sells services directly to consumers or other businesses.
When you sell a service, you’re selling an intangible idea rather than a product. Examples of service businesses are:
*Dry Cleaning Pick-up & delivery
*Tutoring
*Business Plan Consulting
*Business Travel Management
*Specialized Staffing
*Book keeping
* Computer Repair
*Referral Service
*Video Brochure
*Computer Consulting
*Language Translation
*Office Support Service
*Seminar Promotion
*Public Relations Agency
*Copywriting & Proofreading
*Home Decorating
*Website Designer
*Computer Training for kids
*Photography
*Event Planning
In all of these examples, you provide people with a service and not a product.
So, who can sell a service? The answer is ‘anyone’ because we all have skills, knowledge or experience that other people are willing to pay for in the form of a service or they are willing to pay you to teach them.
The question is “what skills do you have that can be sold as a service? Any skills you have can be your best and most marketable asset. If you know how to play the piano, this is a skill other people willpay you to teach them. If you know how to build websites or market goods and services online, others are willing to pay you to render them that service. However, most people tend to underestimate or discount the true value of their skill sets and experiences thinking that other people can as well do what they do. This is not true because what easily comes to you does not come as easy to others.
Another way to start your business without capital is to partner with someone who has cash. You have the business skills and know how while he provides the financing.
If you have a knack for online business you can do with little or no money, you can consider the following:
*Writing
There are a number of sites that will pay for your articles or blog posts. Sites like Helium and Associated Content will pay for your articles or posts based on performance in terms of page views for anything you want to write about.
*Start A Blog of Your Own
You can easily set up a blog of your own in less than five minutes at Blogger without any prior idea of web design. They even went on to automate setting up Google Adsense so you can make money off your blog by displaying ads and getting paid when people click on the ads.
You can further make money from your blog by setting up affiliate programs for books, music, software etc and insert your affiliate links whenever you refer to those items.
Since you’ll need to get a lot of traffic to make six figures as a blogger, you must pick interesting topics, write well and tell your friends about your new business. You’ll be in for a successful
business in no time.
*Create Topical Resource Hubs
If you’re an expert on any particular niche topic, then you can put together an overview of the topic and assemble the best resources on the topic from the web and create topical hubs and be paid. Sites like Google Knol , Squidoo and Hubpages are very good examples.
Payments are based on a combination of ad revenue and affiliate fees. These sites have built-in supply of traffic and tools to
make it easy for you to create content.
*Advertising Other Peoples’ Products
If you already have a website or a blog, seek out vendors that offer related but non-competing products and see if they have an affiliate program. It
is advisable to stick to familiar products and brands
because they are easier to sell.
There are different ways to promote these products:
-Creating a dedicated sales page or website to
promote a particular product
-Place simple text or graphical ads in appropriate
places on your site.
-Include links to purchase products you recommend in a blog, a discussion forum or mailings to your list.
*Produce Your Own E-Books
If you enjoy writing, you may want to produce and sell your own e-books on your website. You do not need any software to get this done. You can assemble your e-book in Microsoft Word and then upload it to Adobe Acrobat and sell it as a PDF file. If you are experienced with Adobe Acrobat, you can also format it from the start as a PDF file. An e-book can be about any subject, anything that you have knowledge of can become an e-book.

Good morning house. Hope you're all busy sewing for profits. Let's hurry up so we can move on to the next projects. Weldone, all.

Good day everyone. I'm still waiting to see photos of our works.
I've got 2 more Souvenir bag tutorials ready but since you guys haven't posted your work yet, I'm going to hold on. Maybe I'm too fast for you. I'm still waiting to see how you've digested what you've been given already. Happy sewing.

noncy21:
tnx ma. pls can i get.those materials in a tailoring materials shop ?

Well, you didn't specify which of the projects you want to do because we've covered at least three different ones already. But most of the materials you'll get from Mushin.

noncy21:
hi house. just saw dis tread. welldone op

You're welcome on board, noncy21 Get your materials & join us.

A UNIQUE SOLUTION TO MASS GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA

Graduate unemployment has become an issue of national concern because of the threat it poses to the economy as well as causing retardation of the country's economic growth. Large numbers of graduates are turned out every year from the nation's tertiary institutions to join the already saturated labour market.

According to This Day Newspaper of 15 November, 2012, 60% of Nigerian graduates are unemployed. The Director General of the National Centre for Technological Management, Dr Willie Siyanbola was quoted in the same story as saying "There will be no solution to unemployment in the country unless all the graduates embark on entrepreneurship. It is the only solution to unemployment in Nigeria. There are over 4.5 million unemployed people in the country and I doubt if any government can cater for such number of people."

The government in recent times has embarked on various measures to solve the problem by providing skills acquisition centres to teach artisan skills to people including unemployed graduates. It is expected that this will help such graduates start businesses of their own thereafter and earn a living. The government has also made loans and grants available to aid young, enterprising graduates set up their businesses.

But I have a different view of the subject matter. The steps taken by the government seem to be a fire-brigade approach because it appears to be late for graduates to acquire skills or learn to do business after graduation. Most graduates finish school between ages 21-25 at their primes. At this time, graduates are ready to start living lives of their dreams; start earning, get married, start a family, take care of dependants or even go for further studies. It is not the time to start all over to look for a means of livelihood having spent all their lives in school preparing to earn after graduation.

The real solution is to incorporate entrepreneurship into every course on campus in order to prepare them to take the leap into business. In fact, they should be made to take on entrepreneurship projects while in school so as to have real life experience of the business world. They should start new businesses and also revive existing but ailing ones and nurture them back to health. All the while, these undergraduate entrepreneurs should be supervised by very successful business owners as mentors.

Working with and learning from successful business owners is the best way to learn the game of business as opposed to theoretical business lessons given by lecturers who have never run a business and have no idea what it takes to succeed in business.

The businesses embarked on by these undergraduate entrepreneurs can be about anything they choose based on their interests, passion, talents and abilities. There are courses in tertiary institutions that have to do with artisan skills like dress making, furniture making, bag making, decorating, shoe making, culinary classes, interior designing etc. Undergraduates in these areas should be made to set up businesses selling goods and services in these skills both as start ups as well as growing businesses selling same. Their mentors should give them necessary business know-how to succeed.

Other courses like medicine, accounting, engineering, ICT, architecture, education, law etc should be tailored towards entrepreneurship so that graduates are not necessarily looking for employment after graduation but are able to establish their training as businesses such as private hospitals, private schools, engineering firms, architectural firms, accounting firms etc

The business projects thus embarked upon by undergraduates while in school allow them to test the waters of the business world and evaluate their business knowledge. Some of the businesses started will definitely succeed, allowing their owners to start earning while still in school. These successful undergraduate entrepreneurs can decide to keep running their businesses and studying or even drop out of school to face their businesses full time like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs etc. Such successful businesses could be kept by their owners for as long as they please or sold for a nice chunk of cash to start another.
Undergraduates whose businesses might not have succeeded have the opportunity of learning from their mistakes and even from their successful colleagues and move on.

Two or more undergraduates with different skill sets needed for business can partner to run and build a business together which is a different kind of business structure than sole proprietorship.
With this kind of background and preparation, student entrepreneurs become used to the world, language and game of business. They are already making money, hiring and firing staff, and all other duties of business. They will most likely continue in business after graduation rather than applying for jobs!
This will drastically reduce the number of graduates looking for employment after school. The Nigerian economy will be revived and crime rates reduced.

The idea of encouraging graduates who know nothing about the business world and who have been programmed all their lives to be employees to become entrepreneurs suddenly after graduation will just not cut it. It is a sort of set-back for graduates at such a time to start learning a skill when they are ready to earn. Provision of loans or even grants to start businesses they were never prepared for is sheer waste of resources.
Let the Nigerian government get it right and prepare our undergraduates to become successful entrepreneurs while they are still in school instead of after graduation. Let the entrepreneurial spirit be ingrained into students from school and entrepreneurship built into all courses on campus as much as possible. This will make graduates come out as job providers and not job seekers. A stitch on time saves nine, so the adage goes.

Happy Sunday everyone. Hope we're working on our projects? We're looking to see who finishes & posts first. Happy sewing & nice week ahead.