₦airaland Forum

Insatiable thieves, they never stop

Manufacturers rarely ship Notebooks with Microsoft Office Suite. You have to purchase it separately. If you don't have the money, I suggest you download OPEN OFFICE it is free and does "almost" the same thing as Microsoft Office.

Note: You can't get Microsoft Office Suite for N200, except you are buying a pirated copy.

VSAT is not going to die for a long time.

The CDMA services are still quite epileptic. This is further compounded by the greed of the PTO who keeps adding to their subscribers without upgrading their facilities at the same pace.

As for NITEL, the date of the first post on this thread tells the whole story. NITEL is yet to get her acts together.

I use VSAT but I don't like it, cause it changes mood with the weather I am quietly praying for optical fiber to become a reality in Nigeria.

themac:
i need ideas on a website idea

You already have an idea of what websites are like. I guess you need an idea of the niche to concentrate on. Well as you must have found out, there is no magic formula anywhere, it takes time and much effort to build something like Nairaland.

My suggestion is this, list down 5 different areas of interest in your life. I encourage you to start about 5 different blogs (use Blogger ie mysite(dot)(dot)com). Each one should focus on different things you are passionate about. e.g. Blog number
             1. Focus on your hobby.
             2. Focus on your profession or career.
             3. Focus on the thing you are angry about - Maybe injustice in Nigeria
             4. Focus on your pet project e.g. your social club
             5. Focus on yourself e.g. an online personal diary

Start writing on each of the blogs everyday. Within the space of one month, you will discover that you are more passionate about a particular blog than others. Feedbacks in terms of comments will also show you if you have a willing audience.
Once you discover the niche you are passionate about, then you can work more on it while you discard the other blogs. I know this works because I have tried it. My major blog Nigerian Entrepreneur is just about 4+ months old and it is already having a Google Pagerank of 3. That was achieved without a single paid advertisement. You can check it out by clicking my signature
I got so much encouragement from Philomena's blog http://www.gardenersdaughter.(dot)com/ the blog has a minimum of 350,000 page views per month. That is quite an achievement bearing in mind that she started the blog just as a hobby.  I do hope I have been helpful.

It is true that only those compel to pay tax in Nigeria pay tax. The tax laws are not reflective of changes that has taken place in the country. For example, the reliefs.

Another issue is the lack of accountability of leaders. This single factor is responsible for so many dodging from paying taxes. There are also stories of shady deals by tax officers.

My conclusion is that each individual should form the practice of paying his or her tax. There are ways of legally reducing the amount of your income that is taxable. A good Accountant will be in a position to advice you on step to take.

While it may look safe to evade tax in Nigeria now, very soon it will become a skeleton in the cupboard that will cast shadow on the future of those who are guilty of not paying. Remember, computerised systems have a way of keeping record permanently.

It will not be a good report if in 20years time, someone publish on a blog that you cannot contest for a political position because you evaded tax in year 2008 That will be a bad news. So start learning to do the right thing now. When Nigeria gets better and accontability is entrenched, then you won't need to struggle with a bad habit that is capable of sending you to jail.

Never say never, naija go better.

Dumb or not-dumb the poster has scored a point!

Controversy generate attention! Yes even though some are angry at his post, they couldn't keep their fingers off the keyboard

It is a good thing I came across the post. It gave me a good laugh. A great relief from my busy schedule! Please, poster come up with another "dumb" thread that we won't be able to resist. (just kidding)

Nobody is responsible for tools that scammers use. Just like arm robbers use fast vehicles to commit crime, so scammers use whatever is available online to perpetrate their crime. So the inventors of those tools cannot be held responsible for the action of those scammers.

Cheers

It is true that it is the poor criminals that get caught and jailed. The big ones get excused and receive chieftancy titles as illustrious sons.
I have no pity for the man jailed, he got what he asked for. However, I would have love the so called victims tried too, because they too may have engaged in some form of criminal activities during their dealings with him. It takes a "418" to get scammed by a "419".

Great concept. Great thinking. However, I think you should add some graphics to the header section as suggested earlier by "opensource"
Nevertheless, I must commend the great work you've done. Cheers.

Who says self-promotion for sites don't work. They should check out this post. Irrespective of what the experts have to say, this one caught my attention and I am off to check it out. (call me curious cat if you like ;-) )

@ naijacutee
Thanks for posting your idea. Even though it ended up being a controversial topic. It has done more good than bad. As each opposing party present their defense readers are opportune to add to their wealth of knowledge. Cheers.

There are so many success stories of Google Adsense Publishers making waves online. The stories are quite interesting and tempting. Savvy online marketers are using such story to sell software and courses which they claim can reproduce such success stories overnight. Newbie Online Entrepreneurs are dreaming of becoming millionaires via Google AdSense publishing. They have heard the success story, they want their own share of the pie, but they want it now, not later.

Scammers are taking advantage of the ignorance of such newbies. They offer digital products and services which they claim will bring the dream of this newbie into reality overnight. Who will not like to become a millionaire overnight?

Unfortunately, it is all SCAM! Too many wannabe online entrepreneurs have parted with their hard-earned cash for such “GET RICH QUICK PACKAGES”. Several months after buying such packages (which they expected to be a CASH COW that will keep generating income even when the owner is sleeping) they are yet to receive the first cheque from Google. They have been unable to generate $100 which is the minimal pay-out!

Now, many are asking “Is it really possible to earn 6digit income per annum from Google AdSense Publishing?” The answer is YES! But not via GET RICH OVERNIGHT MAGIC PACKAGES! Those instant solution packages are SCAM. If they work, nobody will sell them. Instead, the inventor will keep it as a secret. Ask around and see if you will get at least one person that have used such instant package and become a millionaire overnight.

So, what is the right thing to do? First we ask the successful AdSense Publisher how they got their success. We do not need to re-invent the wheel. We can learn from their experience thereby avoiding the mistakes they made. That will shorten the time period required to achieve success. One of such Successful AdSense Publisher that I will recommend is Lisa Irby. She produced a little ebook which spelt out the basic factors responsible for her success in Google AdSense Publishing (it is a good read for any beginner). Since the ebook is free and she gave permission for it to be re-distributed, I will be willing to send it to you via email upon request.

After reading that ebook, I will suggest you start a blog or website and open an account with Google as an AdSense Publisher. The earlier you start your own hands-on learning process, the better. You need skills and the earlier you start gathering experience the sooner your success story will come. There are many things to learn. There are great tools (some are free some require payment) that will enhance your work and simplify difficult tasks. However, you still have a great role to play. None of those tools will take up your responsibility and make you a millionaire while you sleep. Wake up to reality. Nothing good comes cheap. If you are not ready to work, then forget about Google AdSense Income. It is not for lazy people.

You too can earn good income from Google AdSense publishing. Wishing you success in your online ventures. Cheers

N.B - Are You Earning Peanuts From Google AdSense? You can do better, get some tips from this article http://naijaecash.com/2008/05/14/are-you-earning-peanuts-from-google-adsense/

My internet connection was misbehaving. So I ended up submitting the reply twice. I had to delete the second one. Thanks

@topsy2
You need to do a little research about the location of the shop. You need to get information about the kind of businesses that are doing well in the area. You may not be able to get the information by going around asking questions from your potential competitors, that should actually be avoided. Instead, get one or two friends of your or relatives to do the little research for you.

Secondly, you need to sit down and find out which of the passions you have is your favorite. At this point, do not consider the challenges or hurdles that you may face, simply ask yourself, "If everything were to work out the way I desire, will I love to have a boutique or a bookshop?" "Do I really want to have a toy shop where mummies and their little ones will come to shop?" Let your imagination run freely. That will help you to rank the various options according to how passionate you are about them.

Thirdly, use the result you got in step 2 and apply the information in step one to determine which of the options is most feasible in that location.

It is my strong belief that you will end up making a better decision that way rather than blindly picking one among the various choices.

Lastly, I want you to consider the overhead cost of runing the shop. At 10,000 rental per month, you already have a bill of 120,000 per annum. Beside that there will be other costs such as salary for shop assistance, electricity cost etc. All this must be well researched and written out so that you have a solid idea of what it will cost to run the shop per month. Then you will be in a position to tell whether the choice of business is capable of generating enough income to cover the cost and yet deliver profit.

I hope I have been able to help without getting you confused. I wish you success in your venture. Cheers.

columbus71:
www.colcash.com
This is a site that is own by a Nigerian Boy that he uses to collect cool cash every month. Why not join the train. send emails to info@colcash.com

The URL is not working! Is it down or it is non-existing?

@columbus71
Please don't insult our intelligence. Are you ignorant of the fact that it takes less than 5 minutes to verify a claim of ownership of a blog online? It is obvious you know next to nothing about the topic you promise to discuss about. If you know something, you won't have laid claim to a popular blog like Problogger.

The URL you gave for your website is none existing, except if it is the same as www . coolcash . com

You started an interesting thread but spoilt the whole things by telling us bunch of lies upfront! That is a good way to get your reputation ruined online. Remember the online community don't forget printed lies.

I have learnt that it is better to tell people what you know or have experienced personally than laying claims to goals not yet accomplished. It is a matter of time, they will find out. And when they do, the news will spread like wild fire. Unfortunatly even when you apologize and they forgive you, Google will refuse to delete the trace. So generations unborn will still have access to the unpleasant story. Please think twice.

If I have erred in my conclusion above. Do well to educate me. I am open to correction. I will keep tap on this thread. I am a blogger and I love blogging and telling people about the benefits of blogging. Cheers.

All the argument won't do any good. We just want electricity period.

I care less who provides it. I might not be a maths professor, but the little arithmetic makes me understand that running a small business with generator is no good.

There is no analysis that will justify the exorbitant price Nigerians are already paying for electricity. Everyday, a 2kva generator being use to run the office consumes N2,000 naira worth of Petrol. That is a whooping N48,000 in a month.

I doubt if any private enterprise will be able to charge such amount. If the charges are exorbitant, more investor will rush in to invest in the sector, then demand and supply will force the price to come to a bearable figure.

So, the bottom line is, whatever Aso Rock, is up to, they should simply give us ELECTRICITY!

@afam1
Good job you're doing man. I love people that take time to explain things instead of shying away from answering direct questions. Even though you are a staff of ARM, your approach makes you sound more like a friend than an executive marketing manager. Keep it up. Cheers.

If you truly want to establish an online business (not creating another job) you must understand that you need to get people's TRUST first, by providing quality SERVICES and PRODUCTS, afterwards, the PROFIT you desire so much will start flowing EFFORTLESSLY. Reverse the principle and you will only earn a few bucks before your secret will be out and then you will be blacklisted forever. Maybe you have not yet notices, WRITTEN testimony on the internet never go away! If one, just one individual discover you are a con-artist, a liar, and he/she takes time to write about it in just one paragraph, that testimony will be kept by Google and other search engine, to be presented to anyone that cares to find out about your INTEGRITY! So, wise-up.
Do not defraud people using false-claim. When you get discovered, the online community will never forgive you (even if they want to). Cheers.

Fair enough. Invest in HornyHoney and you can go to sleep as your investment generate free funds, lol

Naija brothers and sisters rocks! You cannot beat our imagination! Very soon, this thread will make news in the dailies. "Idle Funds meet Investors and they live happily ever after"

Just kidding. I am keeping a tab on this thread to learn new things, but the last post made me laugh. Cheers.

@Kazey
Thanks for your input. I wish people will read the advice and wise up. Too many people just want to make money. They are in such a haste that sound advice sounds like insult to them. No wonder the scammers get victims every other day. Knowledge is power!

@naijacutee
Good recommendation. Those 3 questions if properly answered will generate tons of ideas. It is a good idea to find out what the consumers need or want before settling down to become a provider of such products or services. Any other method will simply be a waste of time.

@Sunboy
You have heard. Take your time to find out what is needed on campus. Then you can carry out feasibility study on the possibility of your supplying solution to those needs. Cheers.

@mazia
Thanks for the compliment.

The need for one to get knowledge cannot be overemphasised. It is a pity that too many people are suggesting business ideas while they have not asked the potential entrepreneur the relevant questions needed to determine if the idea is feasible for that particular individual or not.

The usual style of jumping on the bandwagon because everybody is doing it is not a good way to go about building a successful business. You may assume you know what others are doing to succeed, but until you go in you may not understand that there is more to it than that. If you must jump on the band wagon then do it with as little cash as possible, because the probability of loosing the money is almost 90% (ignorance is very expensive)

For every business, you need to learn the TRADE and also learn the TRICKS (this take time, hard work and persistency) So why will you start a project that you will eventually abandon after wasting Money and Energy?

There has been a lot of useful suggestions in this thread. I especially enjoyed Naijacutee recommendations. Anyone seriously considering starting a business should go through the thread again and jot down the points mentioned. He will then be in a better position to make a good decision. When he or she has decided what kind of business to do (base on his passion and other factors) he can then return to ask specific questions. Maybe someone will even be willing to give a free feasibility report for such business.

That is the way I see it. It is a waste of time if I recommend that you start a photography business (covering weddings and other ceremonies) when I know nothing about the way you feel in the midst of strangers . Get to know yourself and what you are passionate about first, then you can come back to ask specific questions that will get specific answers. There are experienced entrepreneurs in the house that will be glad to lend you a helping hand. Cheers.

Hmnn. What can I say. Someone thinks we are fool. Even abroad where the technology originated there is no free lunch. Someone must pay for the lunch at the end of the day. While it is true that there are free Hot-Spots where one can connect to the internet freely, that doesn't mean the service is free.
If it is free as in free-air, how will those companies pay the engineers who keeps the system going.

Him, knowledge is power. Get knowledge.

Find out what you are passionate about and check if you can build a business on it. If you are not enthusiastic about a thing, no matter how lucrative it is, you can make a successful business out of it. So, you don't need people giving you long list of ideas, get to know yourself first, then you can deduce what type of business idea you can run with. Cheers.

@nankosa
Nice question! I hope my answer will be good enough. Here we go.

Websites make money by providing information that meets people's need. That is the simple answer. But it is much more complicated than that since there are differ kinds of websites.

For example, whenever you visit Nairaland Forum , you get information free-of-charge (abi you dey pay, me I never pay since I joined ) on whatever topic you are interested in. The Website owner Mr. Seun will not ask you to pay any money to him. However, as you may have observed, there are advertisements being displayed on the website. If you click on those advertisements they will take you to other sites where you may be given further information or persuaded to purchase a product or service. Such advertisement is what keep the Nairaland Forum Owner going. The owner of such links are sometimes required to pay. (Except free user's like us, who parasite on his generosity)

If I may bring it down to lay-man's terms, ask yourself, how do Television and Radio Stations make money? You and I watch and listen to those programs being aired freely (Except you are a big man using Cable TV). But we are often made to listen (without requesting) to Coca-Cola and other producers making boast on what their products and services can do (As a result of listening to those Coca-cola jingles, I have become addicted to Coke, Pepsi have been begging me to have a change of mind, but I am yet to decamp). Those companies advertising pay so much money to be allowed to play such jingles (If not that the money is much, I would have been on NTA national network to advertise my website instead of relying on Mr. Seun's website, Nairaland for exposure) . And that is where the TV and Radio houses get their money from.

While I may have sounded unserious, that is the whole truth about how websites make money. For further information, you can get in touch with me via my website. If you read the following post http://naijaecash.com/2008/03/10/the-nigerian-entrepreneur-seeking-to-make-money-online/ you will understand why I started the website. I will be willing to provide more free information to you because one of these days, I am expecting the big advertisers to come begging me for opportunity to advertise on my website. Hey, I am not joking, I truly mean it. Cheers.

@hotshawlng
Nice question.

@zoelife
Is your coverage nationwide or restricted to Lagos only? If it works outside Lagos, I am interested. I am fed up with V-sat that fluctuate with weather condition

This is a nice one. Instead of sitting idle, one can get busy doing something lucrative while waiting for the Dream Job.

@Seun
Koboland made a request, you are yet to answer. I would love to know the answer too. Thanks in advance.

@all
I agree with the suggestion that the money should be used to purchase stock (not IPO less you get your fund stuck for months) while searching for a business idea.

The right business idea is dependent on the need of people that you want to satisfy. So, instead of asking yourself what business to do, ask
1. What are the needs facing people around me? (Lack of portable water, Lack of good school, Lack of Flour mill etc)
2. Can I provide solution to those needs? (I can sink a borehole and sell water, I can open a nursery school, I can run a mill etc)
3. Are there enough people having the same need that will constitute a good market?
4. How much will I require to start this business?
5. How long will it take before I recoup my capital?
6. What are the potential risk involved?
7. More and More questions,

From the little I have shared above, you will noticed that it is foolish to jump into any kind of business just because people are doing it.

You need to do a little research and ask questions from those engage in similar activities. By so doing, you will save yourself from loss and heartache.

If you are interested in doing business online, you can check my post on that here http://naijaecash.com/2008/03/22/how-to-choose-an-online-business/
Even if you don't want to do business online, you can still learn one or two tips from the article. Cheers.

@a3cube
I wish I could recode it too. I love the layout and all that, but I am not a programmer. I have been lazy with my html tutorial and CSS is advanced studies that I am not ready for. Thanks for sharing. Cheers.

rufaai:
Well,

I aint too good, but I still blog for leisure. Visit me at http://rufaai..com or http://www.rufaai..com

Hmn You were being economical with praise ;-) Your blog is quite old (started since 2006) You have good content even though they are few. I enjoyed my visit and I dropped comment. Cheers.