Standing5:
Seem the masses have no control over how debt that affects them are incurred and the kind of projects executed with the debts in Africa.
I suggest there be Referendum to determine if debt be incurred and for the projects.

Please put it in a layman language. Incurred as how?

If it's citizenship, she will win although she bears Nigerian name.

I love Enugu City aka Coal City.

Wole Soyinka exposes private jets pastors many years ago in The Trial of Brother Jero but it seems Nigerians who are still sowing a seed or who are still taking their wealth to "God", are not learning.

Read the following quotes from The Trial of Brother Jero and see men of God:

1. "It becomes important to stand out, to be distinctive. I have set my heart after a particular name. They will look at my velvet cape and they will think of my goodness. Inevitably they must begin to call me ... the velvet- hearted Jeroboam. (Straightens himself.) Immaculate, Jero, Articulate Hero of Christ's Crusade..." —Jero, 14

That is when they're rehearsing to make you bring the money to "God."

2. "You've got to have a name that appeals to the imagination— because the imagination is a thing of the spirit—it must catch the imagination of the crowd. Yes, one must move with modern times. Lack of colour gets one nowhere even in the prophet's business." —Jero, 14

This shows you how they make themselves and their church building, both exterior and interior modern, how most of them now begin to teach entrepreneurship and so on. Also the kind of cloths and hair they wear.

3. "I am glad I got here before any customers—I mean worshippers —well, customers if you like. I always get that feeling every morning that I am a shop-keeper waiting for customers. The regular ones come at definite times. Strange, dissatisfied people. I know they are dissatisfied because I keep them dissatisfied. Once they are full, they won't come again. Like my good apprentice, Brother Chume. He wants to beat his wife, but I won't let him. If I do, he will become contented, and then that's another of my flock gone forever. As long as he doesn't beat her, he comes here feeling helpless, and so there is no chance of his rebelling against me. Everything, in fact, is planned." —Jero, 14-15

Just as a school owner, whether a university, high or elementary school, considers undergraduates or students as customers, a private jet pastor considers members as customers. They know how to make you hungry (dissatisfied) so you'll come tomorrow. For instance, Most of them do this now through telling you exactly what you're going through and at the same time trying to give you solutions. They'll say even if one measure of rice is N10000, God will open doors for you to buy bags of rice. But in reality, God has already opened doors for you since you have brains to think and learn, you have hands and legs to work, you can learn business, you can farm, you can make money.

Remember you don't need to be a Christian in order to be rich.

4. "Yes, Father, those who are Messenger today, make them Senior Service tomorrow. ... Those who are petty trader today, make them big contractor tomorrow. Those who dey sweep street today, give them their own big office tomorrow. If we dey walka today, give them their own bicycle tomorrow. Those who have bicycle today, they will ride their own car tomorrow. ... I say those who dey push bicycle, give them big car tomorrow. Give them big car tomorrow. Give them big car tomorrow, give them big car tomorrow." —Chume, 20-21

Now compare this prayer to the prayer our private jet pastors do and you'll know that Wole Soyinka knew the game many years ago. Chume is now demonstrating what he has learnt from his master Brother Jero just as many are learning under the overseer private jet pastors today.

Common sense should tell you that God doesn't need your money. Man does.

Give your tithe to those who truly need help.

Go and help the less privileged in their homes, in the hospitals, in the prisons (correctional centers), in government primary and secondary schools, etc,

Go and sow your seed in people that truly need help.

marenx

Na which business him dey do to get that huge money?

Comic characters!

It will also reduce the power of the governor.

Nomatter his convoy, when he visits a local government, he may be looked as a normal person.

Some local government chairmen, especially those who don't share the same political party, may not even tolerate him. Political illiteracy will reduce.

This will become one of the best legacies of BAT administration.

Most governors argue that their would be to much corruption in the local government but is there not too much corruption in the state?

StOla:

BPP not BPE.

Please state the functions of BPP for laymen to understand the BAT move.

Bitter truths I learned as a wealth creation writer

11/06/2024


Maren John Mafuyai, contributor


image


I started publishing wealth creation contents on Facebook, in May 2022, and became a regular publisher in a group named after Robert Kiyosaki when Facebook affiliate marketing was about to saturate.

My writing was conversational, informative and powerful, many said. I received thanks and appreciations from people across Africa and beyond.

But here are the bitter truths I've learned along the way.

1. Most young people don't care about becoming financially-free.

They're fresh graduates and still under their parents, so why should they care?

I didn't know anything about wealth creation in my early 20s let alone care about it. I started working as a teacher, had no dependant, kept no financial account or record to track my financial income and outcome.

Most young people are in similar situation. Some often spend all their salary in the week they collect it. Men spend huge amount on drugs, alcohol and sex while women spend so much on cloths and cosmetics.

Well, most of us have to experience hardship in order to be wise. That's what helped me.

2. Some people look for leadership position (power), not wealth.

They want to become rich but often follow the wrong path: power first instead of wealth first. They want to be giving orders in a place that isn't their own. They think that with power they can easily access riches.

Happily, they employ their hard-earned money in wrong places: in gatherings, associations and committees. In 2023, one elder told us he was a leader of more than five associations and committees, traveling far and near every week to attend meetings.

He's not alone.

You can imagine how much this kind of poor people spend every week apart from tithe and offerings.

They should know it's not power that brings wealth but it's wealth that brings power.

3. Most of your true fans, destiny connectors, customers, wellwishers and lovers are strangers, people who don't know you personally.

The saying that a prophet isn't recognized in his hometown is true.

Most of us refuse to learn this: most of our rich uncles and aunties don't care about us. Most of our rich brothers and sisters too are good samaritans outside and bad samritans at home.

They're here singing there's no money, there's no opening for employment, the country's economy is down, etc, they're there receiving appreciations, good tidings and gifts from people they helped.

Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt. But familiarity doesn't only breed contempt but also breeds disregard, ignorance and priority misplacement.

The truth is people who know us personally, except our parents, don't like to become our ladders to take us high.

4. Most wealth creators underestimate the value of an accountant.

---------------------------------------

a. Wisdom is the unwavering support package that comes with old age. I can't thank you enough, God and you who touched my life. When I stepped in to 30 years, I was afraid that my parents will leave me alone. I didn't know that wisdom is there awaiting me.

If you're afraid of old age because you'll miss your parents, lose your beauty or peel your dependency, recognise that wisdom that is coming to you is better than all that.

Stop comparing yourself with those TV or media personalities who always show you that remaining young is better than everything. They're just in make-ups encouraging you to allow yourself to be used as Mohbad, Tiwa Savage and many others were. They're also encouraging you to be spending your hard-earned money on all those cosmetics that they themselves are not using.

Maren John Mafuyai

Focusing on These 5 Tools Makes Me a Costly Writer


20 May, 2024

Maren John Mafuyai, contributor


image from theforage.com


One thing makes me standout in my writing hobby and writing life: writing what only me can write.

I learned that no one writes like me. My readers know this.

This is because I write and edit my work. I use short and simple words. I use more simple sentences. I have tools I employ. My secret are these parts of speech and connectives: if you take your time to practise them, you too can write what no one can:

1. The subject of the sentence

The subject of the sentence is the first element in declarative sentence. It can be a pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, you and they) or a noun (the name of a person, animal, place or thing) or a phrase or clause.

To write effectively, I isolate the subject of the sentence from the other elements and check it before fixing it back. It's the head of the sentence.

Example:

Declarative sentence: Speaking English increases my worth.

The subject of the sentence: speaking English


2. The verb

The verb is an action word that exists in every sentence. The rule is the verb must stand immediately after the subject of the sentence and it must be active to be very powerful. It's the agent that completes a sentence.

I look for a verb that says exactly what I mean.

Example

Declarative sentence: Speaking English increases my worth.

Verb: increases

3. The object of the sentence

The third element of a declarative sentence is the object of the sentence which bows immediately after the verb. The action of the subject of the sentence rests on the object of the sentence through the verb.

Example

Declarative sentence: Speaking English increases my worth.

The object of the sentence: my worth

Note that there are declarative sentences that don't have object: they have adjective, adverb or none of them--sentences such as "The book is acclaimed", "The crowd laughed so much" and "The kids were crying."

In sentences without objects, I focus on the subject and the verb only.

It may interest you to know that I'm not interested in using adjectives and adverbs in my writing unless I have no any other option or unless the adverb serves as connectives or gapfillers.

4. The connective

The connective is a word or phrase that connects words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, chapters and subchapters.

I have a number of connectives I focus on: but, and, so, and, then, before, after, as and in. The connectives contribute in making my writing sound me. They also make my writing flow from one word to another, one clause to another, one sentence to another and one paragraph to another the way only my writing can.

Example

Declarative sentence: I spoke to angry youths in the government house today: In that house they nearly killed me.

Connective: in that house

5. The quote

This is optional in my writing but it too makes my writing unique. My readers feel variety and get extra value: it refreshes, interests and convinces them that what I'm saying is confirmed.

The Writing Center of University of North Carolina said it "can provide important pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and perspectives to your narrative."

Example

Stephen King said:

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

Maren John Mafuyai is a tutor, teacher and school owner. He writes from his residence in Jos, Nigeria.

Doing These Simple Things Increase my Income

14 May, 2024

Maren John Mafuyai, Contributor


image from foolcdn.com


In 2016, my cousin a police man who had kidney failure needed N15 million to survive. He later died after our whole extended family and the Nigerian Police Force could not loan even half of the money.

The day I received the news of his death, I was very afraid of lack of money. In anxiety, I asked myself several questions.

But when asking myself questions could not help, I began to search for ways to create wealth to save lives. I began to practice what can help me increase my income.

Here are 4 things I practise:

1. Letting go of the things that are beyond my control

I had these issues before my cousin lost his life: wanting to be on top of every situation--taking control of peer group, trying to influence people by all means, making useless comments on social media platforms and expecting things to happen the way I want.

Unknown to me, I was ignoring day-to-day opportunities to be happy, helpful and wealthy.

I let go.

I now focus on only things I can control: myself, my savings, my business, my investment and my teaching career.

True wealth creators concentrate on increasing their income and improving and controlling themselves, not others.

2. Looking up to CEOs and founders, not celebrities

Some years back, I followed celebrities on TV and on radio stations. They were very young like me, so I thought it's easy to be a celebrity.

I started writing songs. Then, thanks, I found out I was chasing the wind.

See, looking up to celebrities can be a failure. I learned that if I want to become a person that I'll never regret, I've to avoid looking up to somebody who is "positioned." I rather look up to the one incharge.

If someone must sign me in for me to be a celebrity, that means that person is always incharge.

Adeline Virginia Woolf, an English writer, said:

"The thing is to free one's self: to let it find its dimensions, not be impeded."

3. Reading financial books and essays.

I read Robert Kiyosaki, Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy and dozens of other authors. I learned from the leading financial experts, CEOs and career managers across the world.

I found out that there are many sources of wealth creation ideas.

I got ideas that can only work online, ideas that can only work offline and ideas that can work both online and offline.

I learned that it's better to start with the business I understand, so I started with tutoring and teaching business (edubusiness) that keeps on expanding since from the inception.

4. Using "what" and "how"

My quest for financial freedom and happiness has exposed me to relevant unpopular knowledge-sourcing tools: what and how. Using what helps me look for an idea and using how helps me transform the idea into something useful, usable and monitizable.

I use these knowledge sourcing tools in both my writing and business to write relevant documents and create educational programs. I'm also establishing an elementary and high schools.

I've found out that they are not ordinary tools.

Grand Cardone, the author of 10X Rule, said:

“Never take the position that things just happen to you; rather, they happen because of something you did or did not do.”


Maren John Mafuyai is a tutor, teacher and school owner. He writes from his residence in Jos, Nigeria.

I Learned These 3 Best Self-improvement Tools Online

4th May, 2024

Maren John Mafuyai, Contributor


image from psychologytoday.com

As I became interested in self-development, I wasn't searched engine-literate to benefit it even though internet existed at that time.

I focused on sourcing ideas and inspirations from school textbooks, newspapers, magazines, Holy Bible and other gospel literatures. My favorite books were collections of short stories and English textbooks that contains comprehension and summary passages.

I had limited sources of written information.

But when I started learning French, something happened. There was a shortage of French research materials in the libraries. I had to depend on internet for information.

I learned the use of Google search engine and started sourcing textual information online.

Here are 3 great self-improvement tools I learn on internet:

1. Meditation

Meditation is the first concept I got in contact with online one day while searching for how to gain focus and be more productive. Meditation means giving attention to one thing either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed against boredom, anger or restlessness.

Practising meditation has helped me achieve my goals. I was able to study hard in school. I was able to delay gratification. I was able to work hard as a teacher. And I was able to find it simple to focus on business, investment and frugal life style.

I live a life I call special that is capable of making me a dream achiever.

2. Affirmation

I first got to know about affirmation later while surfing the net for self-development. Affirmation is a short positive declarative sentence to be said every day to yourself, eg.: "I know my worth" or "I can't be poor."

When I wrote my own affirmations and practise saying them daily, they remind me of my worth, my capabilities and my positive experiences. They help me develop faith, resilience and sound mental health.

I'm equipped to be automatically productive for success.

Brian Andrea, an American writer, said:

"There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself."

3. Detachment

In late 2023, I surfed the net again looking for more self-improvement tools. I followed a stoic blog post and found detachment as a good practice.

But practising detachment in my head doesn't mean detaching myself from earthly materials as practised in other parts of the world. Instead, it means closing my eyes and seeing myself losing valuables: my love ones, my wealth, my job, etc.

The benefit?

If I open my eyes, I'll think of how to put securities in place to prevent losses. I'll think of insurance and how to be financially-free. And that means I'll prefer living for the future.

Ordinarily, I've to pass through suffering to learn the best lessons in life. However, with detachment, I don't have to.

Barbara De Angelis, an American relationship consultant, lecturer and author, said:

"We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity."

Maren John Mafuyai is a tutor, teacher and a school owner. He write from his residence in Jos, Nigeria.

How I wrote two offers


To help my friends, especially those who want my financial knowledge, I wrote two offers in early 2023.


But I focused on best practices. (Want to read the two offers? DM me!).

I follow 6 working writing steps that help me complete the projects on time.

Don't know these working writing steps that can also help you share your knowledge?

Here I list and explain them one after the other.

Contents

1. Idea fishing
2. Brain dumping
3. Outlining
4. Researching
5. Fleshing
6. Editing

1. Idea fishing

It's the same case for a writer looking for an idea to write about.

Some writers say they get their ideas while bathing, some say while walking and others say while reading.

Don't know where to get ideas? Attempt to look for ideas and you'll soon know where to get them.

2. Brain dumping

With an idea, the next step is to braindump, which means write down anything you think about the idea.

If your idea is Rabit farming in Nigeria, forinstance, write everything you know about how to farm rabit in Nigeria.

While doing this must be fast, you don't have to do it once.

Try doing it later to make sure you write everything.

If you do it today, it doesn't mean you can't do it tomorrow.

3. Outlining

Outlining means sourcing and arranging what to cover in your book or essay from the things you braindump. If you outline Rabit Farming in Nigeria correctly, it will look like this:

Introduction
Contents
What is Rabit Farming?
Why engage in rabit farming in Nigeria?
What to do to excel in Rabit Farming in Nigeria
Prepare rabits shelter
Get young male and female rabits for rearing
Get rabits feed and feed your rabits.
How to handle your rabits' babies
How to handle sick rabits
Where to sell your rabits
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions

4. Researching

This entails going out to ask questions or source more factual ideas about rabit farming in Nigeria. You want to know how other writers cover the same or similar topic and how to present your idea uniquely.

With good research done, you make your readers look up to you as an expert. You leave a good legacy.

5. Fleshing

Most writers say fleshing is the fun part of writing process but that doesn't mean it's simple. Fleshing means explaining and defining what you have outlined. In essay writing it's called explanation of an idea.

If you don't focus to work hard here, you'll work harder during editing. You'll be forward and backward and no editor can help you.

Want to find it easier?

Work with a sample beside you. Look for a good work that you want your own to look like, read it and copy the style while writing your own.

But don't plagiarize!

6. Editing

This is the final stage.

If you do your fleshing well, editing is easier: just hide your work far from you for two or more weeks to come back to it with fresh eyes.

You won't have a need to hire an editor.

If you do your home work well, you'll have a well of appreciation.

Still not satisfied?

One of my offers can help.

“Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion."

Worse than these things happened in all those developed countries, especially world powers, before they became developed.

If you watched No Retreat No Surrender, The Hard Way and The Only Way and other related fictional movies that are based on true life stories, you will know that for a country to become developed, tragedy must become a normal thing. If you study French history closely, you may agree there is no God.

Last week on channels TV, someone advised Tinubu to speak to Nigerians regularly on why the country is in this mess and what his administration is doing to reduce hardship so that the less educated poor Nigerians will understand it's not his fault. But Tinubu is just going round the world as far as visiting Qatar recently. He forgot the bloody revolution that almost took place during endsars protest. These greedy and selfish, nepotic political leaders think they can predict what poor Nigerians can do. They have to be very careful this time.

That was how their population was. BVAS just revealed that there might be over voting in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 elections in the North. Apart from over voting, there might be manipulation of number of votes.

In my opinion begging investors to come to Nigeria isn't a good idea. When they come, they may do anyhow. Rather than begging them, government should put infrastructure and solve security issues first.

Nigerians don't value awards nowadays as awards can be bought whether from Silverbird or any award selling company. No any present or former Nigerian political leader deserves an award. Award for what? Corruption? The funds they used to do government projects are government funds, not their own. They still steal from the money they do government projects with. They're supposed to be arrested.

Sometimes you have to take a risk. Don't be too stingy to that extent. Even strict Jewish people sometimes reveal their personal issues on a large scale. Your autobiography should be rich enough.

Great work.

4.

To avoid temptation of spending his N10,000,

he gives me to keep for him.

But 24 hours later, he comes to collect N2000 out of it.

I say no and give him all.

He collects it and leaves, going back home.

Sadly, within 2 weeks he has squandered it all.

Don't laugh; it's difficult to avoid luxury life to save money.

You have to learn.

You must discipline yourself to keep money if you want to make money.

Being able to keep money for 6 months alone is another high-paying skill.

Everything is uncomfortable at the start but if you keep at it and continue, it will become comfortable.

The ForefrontWriter, Maren john mafuyai

5.

In mid January 2024 I experienced a weird infection that dots many scars on my skin.

After suffering the unprecedented turmoil, I witnessed a series of indigestions and stomach distortions.

Then the devil rests.

Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher and guru of modern Yoga said:

"Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise."

Before that barage, I knew that, like Covid-19, wonder shall never end.

But knowing it isn't enough, we all need to prepare.

Preparation cannot stop a problem from coming but can stop it from overcoming us.

If you don't care about what may happen, you make yourself vulnerable to the unprecedented.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

6.

7.

My focus on helping the society helps me choose a profitable enterprise to run.

I tutor early literacy learners and external exams candidates and help teachers set up a side hustle firm offline.

I found out that trying, again and again, is how you get to the top in business.

Business masters don't learn business in school: they learn it in business.

Doing education business gives me opportunities to be happy and learn new things everyday.

Don't be among those who will regret not starting.

My purpose of doing business is exactly what Jesuit said: Not to be better than others, but to be better for others.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

8.

I take my time to smile more and more today because of this.

He sees my ad and says his son is in SS3 and will sit JAMB exams. He needs a JAMB tutor.

He appears he wishes the boy started now.

Our JAMB lesson starts February, I tell him and promise I'll phone him.

But I don't.

However I accept and start teaching his son with other candidates in February.

The boy nags and misses five lessons in two weeks.

I've to give him preferential treatment,

going far tutoring him at home too instead of only in our classroom.

He becomes serious only when it remains three weeks to sit his JAMB exams.

His dad still thanks me today.

Your weapon is how you always appear there to do the right job.

Repetition breeds confidence and mastery.

You must seek to do that thing you schedule.

Be careful with seeking advice from people who never tried it:

Some people want to break your weapon.

You must know when to pivot and when to virtually remain immersed.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

6.

I'm going home when he comes out of a shop and walks with me.

After greetings he speaks worrying about last Saturday.

If you don't go to work on Saturday, what if your boss calls you on Saturday?

Well, when his boss calls him on Saturday morning after he abuses alcohol,

he says many nonsenses before he reminds him that he doesn't work on Saturday.

Why nonsenses?

Now he asks me if he's right.

He keeps on asking me, worrying he will be sacked.

The truth is he shouldn't have insulted his boss.

Alcohol abuse is capable of trashing your destiny.

You must work on your shyness if it's the reason you abuse alcohol.

Confidence is achieved more through preparation and repetition than through substance abuse.

You need to be in yourself to take full control of yourself.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai



6.

Our target is to establish cheap internationally standard elementary and high schools for both adults and younger ones.

And I learned that my skills are relevant and needed.

B.

C. My coaches always valued hard work and never expected perfection. If you were trying new things, failure was rewarded, too. I imagine they ran their businesses the same way.

Trying, again and again, is how you get to the top in business.

There are no shortcuts. I developed a strong reputation as someone who will hustle and try anything for my clients. My focus on effort, even if it leads to failure, has gotten me further in my pursuit of success than anything else.

Alan Corey is a podcaster and real estate entrepreneur. He co-founded House Money Media, a company dedicated to launching first-generation real estate investors, and is the author of "House FIRE: How to Be a Red- Hot Real Estate Millionaire With a Wealth of Time and Money to Burn." Follow him on Twitter.

When I was in my 20s, I believed I was enjoying my life to the fullest: most times I felt there is no better age than younger age.

But that only put me in trouble.

On the 6th of August, when it remained two days for me to reach 30, I became worried of becoming old.

I thought that it just remained a few years for me to be an old fool and I looked like someone who lost all his loved ones.

That anxiety didn't last long. Five years later, things change. I become more independent, more confident and more joyous that if I have a chance to go back in time to my younger age, I will never appreciate it.

Do not be afraid of becoming old: instead, be afraid of becoming poor.

Old age is a new experience like a new movie.

When I was in my twenties, though I've started teaching, I had understanding deficit. I didn't understand myself well.

After I reached 30, reverse is the case. I understand myself and discover how to use myself effectively. And I knew a new source of wisdom.

In my twenties, I believed that wisdom is a gift from God which is true but now I discover that experience gives wisdom too.

Old age comes with more experiences that turn to wisdom.

I'm proud and grateful that I'm now in my 30s going to 40s. I thank God Almighty for leading me to see the power and prosperty that comes with aging.

I thank my parents too and everyone who gives me hope to live. I can't also forget the writers of the important posts and books that help me.

I'm not the one who made myself.


2.
4.

2.

If you don't pass through battles and obstacles you won't value the trickle of blessings you obtain.

Walk with no intention to slow down no matter the obstacles.

Air travel was impossible before the invention of aircraft.

If you don't seek for how to fly, you'll never fly.

Do not stop playing the game, it's the only way to win.


3.

5.

I produced notice board ads after learning stencil printing.

Then I placed the ads, some on notice board while some on bare wall.

Now I'm done with the first phase of my production.

The second phase is waiting for customers and the last phase is teaching the customers.

If you check, most businesses survive on these three phases.

1. Advertisement phase
2. Waiting phase, and
3. Delivery phase

The Measure of Productivity

Everybody is a star but not every body shines.

Some stars produce weak light; some produce strong light.

Their might of display comes from the light they produce.

If you want to shine and glow, produce strong light.

Your light is the way you help the society.

How you perform well in your discipline.

How fruitful you are.


6.

The best way to achieve something is to go for something.

Success follows performance.

Harvest follows farming.

Sales follow marketing.

You can't start something and go with nothing.

2.

you never failed in business.

You just learned what doesn't work.

Learn that the best business doesn't sprout from no where: it comes from the existing best business.

Biscuits, candies, yogurt, bread.

They sprout from the age-old food business.

Uber from the age-old taxi business.

Copy writing, a form of an ad.

-Look for a business that works and try starting at a micro level.

-Seek to learn the business that works.

The Weird Skin Disease

In the evening of 16th January 2024, I experienced a sudden high fever that astonished me.

The following day, I felt sore throat and painful open rashes grew on my body.

I spent about two weeks in pain while receiving treatment.

After the treatment, I have victory over it but I learned a lesson: disease can interrupt my growth in business and in many things.

The Indigestion

In the misty evening of 4th February 2024, I ate light food--food that doesn't take time to digest in the stomach.

But in the morning the next day, I experienced pains and noise in my lower abdomen.

Next, my breath released bad odour, a symptom of indigestion.

And in the evening and in the midnight I passed watery stools. The following day, I passed watery stools again in the morning and in the afternoon.

That's why I saw a doctor who prescribed me antibiotics which I started taking that day.

During the five-day antibiotics administration, I didn't suffer indigestion but I suffered sight effects of antibiotics which include partial nausea and abdominal pain that coerced me to skip some tasks.

But after the treatment the indigestion resumed.

I changed medication medium.

Instead of seeing a doctor in the hospital, I switched to traditional remedy as I took the herb my mother introduced to me, one cup in the evening the first day and another cup in the morning the next day. After that, I didn't take it again. The indigestion stopped.

I experienced recurrence.

In the night of 19th February, my breath released bad odor again eventhough I took only tea, something that digests fast.

After midnight prayer, I slept off with odorous breath and had a dream. Early in the morning the next day, I woke up with stomach pain which might be the cause of the dream, and I lost appetite.

A few minutes later, I passed watery stools and felt relief and at 9am, I felt stomach pain. I passed watery stools again.

Searching for The Cause

Anxious, I googled the cause of indigestion and found: diabetes, stomach cancer, peptic ulcer and certain antibiotics and pain relievers. Did I have diabetes? No. Stomach cancer? Hardly. Certain antibiotics and pain relievers? Maybe--because, in mid January, I took amoxicilling and ampiclox antibiotics with ibuprofen and paracetamol to cure a painful weird skin disease.

Maybe using amoxicilling with ampiclox and ibuprofen with paracetamol caused the crisis. I was uncertain.

There I was a teacher in crisis..

At 3am the next day, abdominal pain woke me up. But I didn't pass watery stools: I passed little mosels of solid stools with something like mucous.

1.

Remember I told you I stopped teaching full time.

And that means my small salary becomes very small.

But I told you that I started a business.

But that business is still in its infancy.

And that means all the profits I get is going into growing the business.

So when I told my dad I'll employ a teacher,

My dad almost froze.

"Where will you get money to pay your teacher? Do you think it's easy to become an employer? And how much do you want to pay your teacher?" he asked.

I çan't say it here because it's confidential.

But listen carefully,

Starting small is costly.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

I started in a very small shop but now there's one classroom and I need a teacher.

Dear friends, if you don't start walking you won't make any path.

If you don't have money to rent a shop, start in your house.

If your kind of business requires more money to start,

Start buying the tools one after the other.

If you don't have money at all,

look for employment.

Or write a business proposal to source for income from family and friends.

One must work.

If you don't start walking, you won't make any path.

One thing I learn is most people want to start walking like someone,

but it won't work that way because even if you resemble each other, you're not the same.

Most people find it hard to agree with this truth:

No matter who you're, there are many people who are better than you.

Once you agree with this truth, favour is your name.

As teachers especially those teaching in primary schools,

we see it everyday.

You'll see some children are so intelligent in primary one as if they had teachers when they were in their mothers' wombs.

Agree that we are never the same and stop trying to start walking like someone else.

Someone is born with special intelligence but you don't know.

Someone has big brothers abroad but you don't know.

Someone has sown many seeds since 2011 but you don't know.

Someone has been learning what you've not been learning but you don't know.

Someone has been focusing on the kind of a prayer point that you don't know.

Someone has ever sold human parts but you don't know....

The secret is, do your own walk only the way you can manage it.

If you can't start walking one Kilometer, don't start walking one kilometer.

If you do it beyond your strength, you'll slump.

The point is if you don't start walking, you won't make any path but start small.

The time is now.

When I started my tutoring business in late 2023, I didn't know how to give people reasons to buy my services.

I believed my only marketing job was to place an ad and show up every day.

Then something happened.

I got more than 10 visitors within three months but only two visitors registered. Visitors came desperately but, at the end, most left without registering.

In January 2024, I found out that most of them don't register because I didn't give them convincing reasons to trust me.

Then I took my time to source for a solution, and I got one.

I employed a strategy that assists visitors to trust me and it helps me hit more deals and close more sales.

Here is the Strategy:

1. I tell my visitors to trust me.

Before becoming my customers, visitors stand outside and ask me how much my services are and how much I can help them.

I don't like to speak with them aloud from inside so I call them in to negotiate and during the negotiation, I tell them to trust me.

By telling them to trust me, I make them feel their money is going to where they'll never regret: I give them hope and invite them to try me.

The best way to know whether people are interested to deal with you is to ask them to deal with you.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, said, "The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer."

2. I tell them that other customers trust me.

As people pass by my site, they see me teaching other customers and they become interested.

When we start talking, I look for opportunity and tell them other customers trust me because I'm faithful. They usually agree with me and become willing to pay me to help them or their wards.

If they don't have money, they usually look for it as I accept prepayment and disallow offering services on credit.

Telling my customers other customers trust me gives them reason to feel the money they are going to pay will work hard for them.

3. I offer quality services.

If you buy lessons from me--if you buy 12 lessons or 24 lessons or 36 lessons from me--I must offer all the quality lessons you buy come rain come shine, and I don't miss a schedule unless it's inevitable.

I use both the classroom and the office to deliver a lesson and I don't experience any stress or burn-out.

As a result, I got more clients and all of them after assessing themselves or their wards appreciate me and testified they saw significant improvement.


Want to advance faster in this kind of business?

"Invest in building trust."

Juliana Vergara, A clinical psychologist who coaches senior and emerging leaders in Latin America and the US, said:

"Trust is a currency; you can't afford not to invest in it...trust can only be built, maintained, and repaired through conversations."

P.S: Want to start an evening tutoring business that pays? You can contact me at: 0818 246 9977 or 0816 293 7155. You're going to learn how to: chose a location, what to put in place, how to cheaply create an ad, how to negotiate, more techniques on how to build trust and how to expand from tutoring business to establishing an elementary or high school.