Ashley Grayson is one of the top knowledgepreneurs and a financial coach on this blue street. She's the CEO of Digital Course Recipe where she teaches people how to have streams of active income and passive income.

Ashley has a big heart and desires that everyone around her should grow into financial freedom and a good state of happiness.

She often shares her story and how God has helped her to reach the level she is now to encourage people who are struggling not to give up.

Follow her and be inspired.

Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, an exceptional brilliant accountant, is the founder of Accounting Hub and Chioma Business School.

"She has done bookkeeping and accounting for over 500 businesses and trained well over 20,000 business owners."

This is a testament to her brilliance and intelligence when the subject is business.

She teaches people who run both online and offline businesses strategies to drive in more sales.

Not only that, Chioma often shares her experience in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors to inspire others to take positive steps too.

Her profile page is an excellent business school. Likewise, her websites are great platforms to take paid courses related to accounting or book-keeping, inventory management, marketing hacks, etc.

Follow Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze to learn more.

Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, an exceptional brilliant accountant, is the founder of Accounting Hub and Chioma Business School.

"She has done bookkeeping and accounting for over 500 businesses and trained well over 20,000 business owners."

This is a testament to her brilliance and intelligence when the subject is business.

She teaches people who run both online and offline businesses strategies to drive in more sales.

Not only that, Chioma often shares her experience in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors to inspire others to take positive steps too.

Her profile page is an excellent business school. Likewise, her websites are great platforms to take paid courses related to accounting or book-keeping, inventory management, marketing hacks, etc.

Follow Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze to learn more.

Strive Masiyiwa, a Zimbabwean billionaire business man, is one of the successful entrepreneurs and richest men of African descent in the world. He's the chairman of Econet Group.

He's a business public figure I recommend to people to follow on Facebook because his posts are enriched with wisdom young entrepreneurs need to navigate the African business ecosystem.

He's passionate about the development of young people in Africa. That's one of the purposes he set up a Facebook page to teach. This page once earned a badge of the most engaged business leader page on Facebook. Although, he's not posting anymore on it but it's still open for everyone to access.

When you follow him, read his posts and go to the comment session too to learn more.

If you are a business-minded person, your presence online should be a way of improving yourself in all areas of doing your business.

Your business needs growth no matter the level it is currently. That's the sole reason you have to learn innovation, management, marketing strategies, online visibility, and many more, from brilliant entrepreneurs everyday.

And for your information,

the internet affords you the privilege to be mentored by them for free.

Many of these entrepreneurs post valuable contents, personal experiences, mistakes, success, freely to educate their followers which you also ought to take advantage of because the blue app gives you access to their timelines.

When you follow them, I assure you that they'll change your perspectives about entrepreneurship, show you how to market your product or service, and give you tips to drive in more profits.

You must only take a step by following them.

Mr Sammy is a bookstore owner. At the initial stage of starting his business, he was maintaining perfect stocktaking of his books. He would record each book in his notepad anytime he got new books for easy tracking. He was diligent with it.

But problems began to ensue for him a few years down the line when his business expanded due to loans he took. He employed three people to work full time for him, yet the problems persisted or even became worse than before. He couldn't stocktake again because of the volume of supplies he was getting from his distributors. Despite teaching his staff to how to do it, still, no solution.

Two of his employees noticed this loophole. They took advantage of the situation and connived with each other to sell books yet to be recorded in the stocktaking pad without remitting the money to Mr Sammy. He didn't notice this manipulation going on until he began to pay back the loans. He perceived he was not getting enough profit after expenses and payment of salaries.

What are the solutions Mr Sammy needs?

1. Regular Stocktaking

It is advisable that he should get an external stocktaking expert to assist him regularly. This expert will count, record and give him documents of all he has in his store. This activity must be done before his employees begin selling. By doing this, he'll know the worth and number of books in each category.

2. Random Spot Checks

He should make an agreement with the external stocktaking expert to come around at an agreed time to randomly spot check. The expert will pick different books from different categories and check if they tally with what is in the stocktaking documents.

These two solutions alone will checkmate the fraudulent acts of Mr Sammy's employees and his business will not have issues with inventory management again.

Are you experiencing the same issues as Mr Sammy in your business?

Reach out to me to assist you with the two solutions aforementioned.

I saw a post on Facebook yesterday where an influential person asked if giveaways do bring customers. A lot of people commented but one caught my attention. The commentator told a simple story of someone who came to her shop to buy goods for the first time. After the buyer made her purchase and was about to leave, the seller said she squeezed a little 'change' into the hands of the boy the buyer brought. I read the comment two times, studied the strategy and made efforts to analyse how that action would help her business. She went even further to say the customer, as well as the boy, was so happy and thanked her many times before leaving. That means she satisfied them beyond expectation.

Here is another story.

I have a man I usually buy gadgets from. This man's business is growing well and offers fair prices compared to others around him. But I always have a problem with him. He talks to customers anyhow like he only has the monopoly.

There was a day I called on behalf of a friend to enquire if he had one particular brand of a power bank. When he picked up my call and I placed my enquiry, he replied that he didn't have it in stock at the moment but expected to get his inventories before Friday of that week. Then I asked about the feasible price. To my surprise, he answered me condescendingly. He said, "Are you not a Nigerian? How would you expect me to tell you the price of what I haven't got. You're talking as if you're not living here." Then he ended the call. I was so taken aback by his response. I thought if it was the potential customer that called, was that the manner he would attend to him. He behaved this same way the first time I took another friend to his place.

Now, let's examine these scenarios critically to the topic.

The seller in the first story sowed one important seed - appreciation cum care. Your business can't do without loyal customers. And to have them, you need to sow seeds of care, friendship, love, and empathy upon your first meeting. Try as much as possible to satisfy them. Like Abdulrasak Rogo posted, "..every first business deal is for building relationships, not money." Your first encounter or deal is meant to leave a lasting impression on them, even if you do so only by your words and attitude. You might not need to incentivise like the former seller but there are many other ways to achieve this.

The other man inadvertently expressed negativity about himself which would affect his business too. The very first time he had the opportunity to impress us, he failed, as well as the second chance. How he behaved towards my friend who has higher purchasing than I made us look elsewhere.

In the business world, the law of the first encounter operates big time. No one can cheat their way through it. Even if you will achieve the KLT principle, you have to begin with your first encounter with each new customer or client. Plan a strategy to ensure that you offer the best experience. When they come to your office, store, DM, or page, let the law of first encounter, which states that you must make the first encounter count positively, be at work. Train your staff also to respond to new customers or clients with care. You can never tell the referrals you will get from this.

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