My Success Story – Professor Ogunlesi

Here are his daily routines: He wakes up by 5:00a.m (except Sundays when he is up by 3:00a.m to prepare for church, Bible study, e.t.c.); listens to the Radio daily from about 7:00a.m till about 9:00a.m; receives visitors till 11.00a.m, and from that time till about 11:00p.m, he is at his desk, writing, reading and updating some of his eight manuscripts. Welcome to the world of Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi, the 94-year-old father of Bayo Ogunlesi, the only Blackman that was in United States’ President Donald Trump’s Economic Think Tank, which the latter later disbanded a few weeks back. 

10 Useful Ideas to make 2015 your best year ever!

Wow! We're already 19 days into 2015. This year sure means business.
It has often been said that you are never more than 1 good idea away from the breakthrough you need. With that in mind, here are 10 ideas to help you and your business in 2015.

1. Do at least one thing each day, which your future self will thank you for. This is the basis of all meaningful progress.

2. Fail more often in 2015 than you did in 2014. Why? Because if you’re not failing often enough, you’re sticking to things you already know and no longer growing. Unless you give yourself permission to make mistakes, you will seldom try anything new.

NFL Hall-of-Famer, Philanthropist, and Self-Taught Financial Wizard - How He Did It

By Amy Lamare


For fourteen seasons, Sunday after Sunday (and sometimes on Monday), down after down, play after play, this NFL Hall of Fame linebacker solidified a legendary career on the gridiron.  He is famous for never missing a single game during his professional football career which was spent playing for just one team; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


Derrick Brooks is considered one of the modern greats of the game and in 2014, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in his very first year of eligibility. But the football field isn't the only place where Derrick has proven himself to be a champion. Throughout his career, Derrick devoted his free time to learning everything he could about wealth management and personal finance. He actually hired a business manager BEFORE hiring an agent. This dedication to personal finance is especially impressive considering the fact that when Derrick was in college, he didn't know how to deposit a check. He actually had never even heard of a checking account. Because of this experience early in life, today Derrick dedicates most of his time to helping to improve the lives and opportunities of poor kids all over Tampa.

BEFORE YOU START A BUSINESS

Planning For Great Success.By Eburuche O C Banito

It had become a widespread reality that you do not have to have a degree or an MBA in business administration or management before you could successfully run a business; be it the small, medium or large scale.  Though, the principles of business success are rooted in books but they reality and practical applications of these principles are beyond the pages. So, do not be deceived. The reality is that you could even have a PhD in Business Management yet end up a branded failure. Let’s look at it this way, how many successful businesses are managed by business degree, MBA or PhD holders? Just think about it.

10 Ways in Which Digital Marketing will improve your business in Nigeria

1. Level playing field with bigger Competitors

2. Reduced cost

3. Simple to measure

4. Real time results

5. Refinement of your strategy

6. Brand Development

7. Far greater exposure

8. Viral

9. Not Intrusive

10. Greater engagement

How to Become a Millionaire

By Jeff Schneider

You’ve wondered what the person sitting at the desk next to you is making. How they afforded that all-inclusive trip to the Bahamas and still afforded a new car. 

But did that person sitting next to you just inherit some money? Are they bleeding through an old trust account? Or maybe just burning through savings? Or worse, one of those horror stories you hear about racking up $60,000 of debt on credit cards. 

Perhaps your boss is giving them all those raises you’ve been missing out on the past few years. 

You can’t ask… 

Money is a taboo subject. 

It’s personal and you’d be better off ignoring those neighbors. 

Instead, we are influenced by these neighbors and it has left many people broke just a few years before retirement. 

A recent study of Americans between the ages of 50-64, showed that about 51% didn’t even have a retirement account. And those that did have an account, the average balance in all of their retirement accounts was $46,032. 

The power of RE: Mastering the power of "RE" at work and in our personal lives.

Over the holidays, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about a tiny word with giant implications. The word is “RE”. Strictly speaking it isn’t really a word at all, but a prefix derived from latin and meaning "back to the original place; again, anew, once more.”

I have been thinking about “RE” because it has come to play such an important role in our lives. Modern society, and popular culture in particular, has become obsessed with a quest to re-invent our world. This has resulted in the disruption and restructuring of entire industries - from publishing and entertainment to financial services, travel, and education. Blue Chip corporations and Silicon Valley start-ups alike are obsessed with re-imagining every aspect of our lives. But this pre-occupation with “RE” is not limited to business and technology. Look a little deeper, and you will find evidence of “RE” in almost every

AAYMCA Statement: Farewell son of Africa

The Africa Alliance of YMCAs today are united in grief as we mourn the loss of a

true African visionary, former South African President, Rolihlahla

“Nelson” Mandela. As a young boxer, Mandela would frequently train at his local

Soweto YMCA. During this time the centre was frequently used for

ANC political meetings, serving as a safe place for discussions which would

ultimately shape Mandela’s young mind, and South Africa’s future.

Decades later, his influence is still felt within those historic walls as youth

continue to visit the centre and shape their own thinking and

development.

Mandela led South Africa through her greatest challenge, ensuring that the

revolutionary end to institutionalised discrimination and repression,

Apartheid, was met with relatively little conflict and welcomed with a determined

spirit of peace and reconciliation.

While the world will feel the loss of such a remarkable man, Africans have lost a

leader who steadfastly worked to prove that the continent is capable

of peaceful conflict resolution through leadership that aspires to moral honesty,

tolerance and acceptance.

Born on 18 July, 1918, to the Madiba clan of Mvezo in the Transkei, Mandela spent

much of his life striving to educate himself and standing in

political opposition to an unjust system. His stand against seemingly insurmountable

prejudice is a cause for which he sacrificed much in the face of

great threat to his life and freedom. Following a conviction for sabotage and

conspiracy to overthrow the government, Mandela spent 27 years in

prison, but throughout this time maintained a strong loyalty to peaceful resistance

and the unconditional repealing of the Apartheid system. Following

his release in 1990, Mandela guided South Africa through her first democratic

elections and stepped in as South Africa’s first African statesman

when he shouldered the presidency in 1994. Perhaps his most significant contribution

to African politics is the implementation of South Africa’s

first constitution which is perceived world-wide as one of the most forward thinking

constitutions in global governance today.

Since then, Mandela has received more than 250 awards, many for his humanitarian

work, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Soviet

Order of Lenin. His work has been internationally recognised through his awarding of

the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize which he shares with former Apartheid

president F.W. de Klerk.

The contribution Mandela played in African politics will forever stretch far beyond

the current South African landscape. His legacy to Africa is true

leadership that is both thoughtful and honest but does not prize retribution and

corruption. Mandela ensured that the African Renaissance has a

framework for peaceful conflict resolution and that in all things, human rights

becomes a principle of long-lasting social evolution.

We mourn together as Africans, in much the same way that we celebrated together the

achievements that Madiba brought through his actions. We are a

better continent today through his determination, sacrifice and unflinching faith in

an Africa capable of peaceful change.

Nelson Mandela never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning.

Despite terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism.

His life has been an inspiration to all who are oppressed and deprived, to all who

are opposed to oppression and deprivation.

Mandela is survived by his wife, Graca Machel, 3 children, Pumla Makaziwe Mandela,

Zenani Dlamini and Zindzi Mandela, 17 grand-children and 14

great-grandchildren.

Our thoughts also go to the extended family of his late former wife Evelyn Mase and

his former wife Winnie Madikizela.

As we mourn our deep loss, let us pledge to ensure that Mandela’s legacy lives

through us and that our children are able to fully appreciate the

freedoms he and his peers fought so hard to attain.

Carlos Sanvee, AAYMCA General Secretary

Sipho Sokhela, South Africa YMCA National General Secretary

The Africa Alliance of YMCAs (AAYMCA) is a leading pan African youth development

network on the continent, representing national movements in 20

countries, 16 of which are very active. The first YMCA in Africa was established in

Liberia in 1881, and the AAYMCA was founded in 1977 as the

umbrella body for all national movements on the continent. www.africaymca.org

ControllingTthe Value Chain – Arla foods

Peder Tuborgh, CEO of Arla foods provides proof that the co-operative model is alive and going global.

 

 

In the wake of the financial crisis and occasionally over-excitable examination of the nature of capitalism, co-operatives have been increasingly talked about. They are the alternative model, but one viewed by most as so alternative as not to be worth exploring.

For those who doubt the robustness and contemporary usefulness of co-ops in a global business world, a visit to the dairy farms of Denmark, Sweden, the UK and Germany might be fruitful. Here they would find that the co-operative cream really does rise to the top. The co-operative model is often used in the dairy industry.

In fact, 70 per cent of the major dairy companies in Europe are co-ops. More than 12,000 dairy farms in Europe are members of the Arla Foods co-operative. Arla is best known for its biggest brands — Lurpak, Arla and Castello. It is a large global business — investing in recent years in Russia, China, the Middle East and Africa — and has been run as a co-operative since its inception in Denmark in the late nineteenth century. It produced 10.4 billion kilograms of milk in 2012, has more than 18,000 employees and its 2012 turnover was some 63,114 billion Danish kroner (£7.2 billion).

Are you overspending and under-saving, just like the rest of the nation?

 “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” – Helen Keller

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average American household spends 36.9% of their gross annual income on rent/mortgage and utilities!

 

So let’s do the math…

 

If your annual household income is $50,000, you’ll spend $18,450 on rent and utilities and will have $31,550 to cover all of your other remaining expenses.

How about this one: an average American household spends 5.7% of their annual income on restaurants – not counting regular grocery items. That’s $2,850 a year, or $237.50 per month, based on the $50,000 annual income.

7 Financial Decisions Made in Your 30s That May Haunt You in Your 50s

People often say “life is short” as a justification to do or buy something immediately rather than waiting. But the truth is, life is not short. Life is long. The average life expectancy for an American male is 76.2 years, and 81 years for a female. A thirty-year-old discussing a short life may actually be looking at another 50 long years.

This is good news! And, financially speaking, a long outlook on life is important, because the decisions we make early on have a significant impact on the remainder of our lives. Specifically, these decisions can make or break our retirement plans.

3 PRACTICAL IDEAS TO GET YOU ON THE ROAD TO MORE SECURE RETIREMENT DAYS.

1. Become DEBT-FREE, including mortgage.

Eliminate all of your consumer debt, as well as your mortgage. This will make it much easier for you to retire, even if your retirement years aren’t fully funded. Here are few quick “to do’s” to help you ditch your consumer debt:

A. Stop using plastic until you learn responsible use of credit. Anyone using credit cards should aim at paying each monthly balance in full so no interest accrues. There are free cash management tools available to help you do this, following an envelope budgeting system is a great way to help make sure you always have enough cash to pay the bill in full.

South Africa, 95 years of "critical but stable"

Please find below the press release from the Africa Alliance of YMCAs celebrating
Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday. The content from this press release
is free for distribution but must include the rider and attribution to the Africa
Alliance of YMCAs. Please contact Christine Davis on
news@africaymca.org for more information.

TEXT BEGINS

 

South Africa, 95 years of "critical but stable"

By Christine Davis, Africa Alliance of YMCAs
Over the past month our collective focus in South Africa has turned to the health of
Nelson Mandela with much speculation turning to what the future

7 Rules Of Life

Rethinking The Responsibility Of Business Leaders

What is the primary responsibility of business leaders today? Is it to make a financial return for their shareholders? Or is it to contribute more broadly to the welfare of employees and society as a whole?

This question has always been important, but it takes on greater significance as we seek to recover from the worst contraction since the Great Depression. How business leaders respond, and how they prioritise different stakeholders, will have a major impact on the speed of recovery.

7 Secrets Wealthy People Know about Amassing and Maintaining a Fortune

Becoming wealthy enough to keep the wolf from your door doesn't mean an end to unwanted callers. For every newly minted billionaire, there are cautionary tales of the well-heeled undone by visits from the the tax man, the loan officer and Uncle Sam himself.

A fortune requires finesse. As well as a willingness to embrace financial exotica, trips to Bermuda and the drive to start your own business--as a survey of FORBES' knowledge of the world's wealthiest people reveals. Below are seven tricks, secrets and maneuvers regularly conducted by those with more than a shekel or two to accumulate and maintain their fortunes.

Women’s Idea of the Perfect Man Changes Drastically as They Age, Survey Says

Have you ever looked back at an ex-boyfriend and asked, how did I ever date that person when we were so obviously incompatible?

It's not necessarily that you were incompatible...then. According to a survey conducted by Match.com over the past year, your tastes have simply changed over the years.

Is your family keeping you single?
Men must possess certain qualities to be considered "the perfect man," and those parameters change drastically as women age. In the survey, called "The Ages of Man," what women want from their relationships with men is broken down according to age range.

The Most Important Choice

It Is Up To You

Every day, every minute, every hour, we are faced with choices. Most are minor, but some are the most important decisions we will make in our lives. How do we make the right choices? Today, Jason Leister gives you some guidance.

Craig Ballantyne

"The most important things to know in life take a lifetime to learn. Our first lessons come early -- but we grasp only the surface. As we gain life experience we gain deeper understanding. All great truths are both simple and complex, easy to understand yet difficult to master. "- Mark Ford

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Ask Yourself These Three Questions

Doing Business

All else being equal, we want to do business with people that we know, like, and trust. That's a pretty simple equation for success, and it's amongst the easiest factors to control in your business and career. Today, you'll discover three simple questions from my friend Bedros that will get you on the right track to adding this magic quality to your life and success journey.

Craig Ballantyne

"One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular." - Tony Robbins

Getting Momentum on Your Side

Get Started

If you want to roll a snowball downhill, it just requires a few simple steps. First, you get started. Nothing happens until you get started. Then you roll a piddly little snowball and push it. It gets bigger. You push it again. It gets bigger still. You repeat this sequence until suddenly the snowball is big enough to benefit from its own momentum and it starts rolling and getting bigger by itself. That's how success works in real life, too. Let me explain with a little history about the New ETR.

Craig Ballantyne

Whatever is in your way, you're stronger than it, you're tougher than it, and you're better than it. You're going to beat it.