Oluwakemi Asefeso

1. Social Media consultant

2. Delivery Services

3. Mobile Restaurant/ Food delivery

4. Fashion Designer

5. Party Equipment Rentals

6. Decoration

7. Computer Class Instructor

8. Printing and selling of Mobile Phone recharge cards

9. Exporting and Importing

10. Local Tour guide

11. Hair stylist

12. Tutoring

13. Drop shipping

14. Event planning

15. Home Daycare

16. Language Translator

17. Uber

18. Web designer

19. Party clown

20. Master of Ceremony(MC)

21. Life Coach

22. Tie & Dye Shirt Designer

23. Photographer

24. Residential Cleaning Services

25. Personal Chef

26. Travel planner

27. Professional Blogger

28. Meal Planner

29. Selling Educational materials

30. Business consulting

Here are 8 keys to break the habit of average, they are:

Do daily what average do occasionally: A lot of people expect an excellent life while they give little effort towards life. You must decide to do something beyond the norm.

Don’t believe in luck: You may be gifted or talented but you must use or practice your gifts or talents and sharpen your skills becomes that’s what champions do. According to Benjamin Franklin “Dilligence is the mother of goodluck”, so you must be diligent in what you do rather than giving the credit of all good fortune to luck.

Don’t compromise: Fear isn’t the opposite of courage but comprise. The claws of comprise keeps you from taking one step ahead or beyond being average.

Increase your potential by investing: As soon as you invest your money into something, you double your potential and effort. Look inwards for that hidden gifts or talents that should have been invested and invest it. Instead of thinking in terms of money, channel your thought towards raising talents.

Never say “Good enough”: Let your motivation be excellence which means you can always improve. Work towards making your efforts better with thorough evaluation after experiencing a win .

Step out of your comfort zone: To achieve your next level of success, you must step out of your comfort zone by breaking your goals down into smaller achievable goals within a specific Period of time.

Focus on purpose and deny present appetites: Dicovering, defining and pursuing purpose that is greater than your appetite is one of the best way to break the habit of average. Purpose gives you direction and helps you to fix your eyes on the prize.

Look forward: You need to realised that there will be times when you hit a road block and it seems all has been lost, don’t allow yourself to settle down for less, take a quick look at how far you’ve come, appreciate the progress you have made, now look ahead and keep moving.

Please kindly ask questions and give your feedbacks.

Thanks

Oluwakemi Asefeso

An elevator pitch is an executive summary that provides a quick over view of your business and details why you are going to be successful.

Whether you are trying to raise money for your business or you just want to perfect your business strategy, a solid elevator pitch is a vital tool for achieving your goal.

How to create an elevator pitch

Define your problem: You need to identify a core problem worth solving, define it in one or two sentence and potentially break it down in its simplest form.

Describe your solution: After defining the problem, you need to explain the solution you want to profer and be able to describe your solution at a high level in few sentences.

Know your target market: You need to know the potential customers/clients who have this problem you are solving.

Describe your unique selling point: In every business there are competitors. You need to know that unique selling point that makes your solution different and gives you an edge over your competitors ie what you offer that your competitors don’t offer or what makes your potential customers/clients prefer your product or service over other alternatives.

Talk about your team: A good team skill leads a company to success. Let your customers/clients know who is on your team. Tell them why you and your team are the right team to execute your vision.

Show your milestones: Mention notable milestones you achieved at one particular point or the other to your potential customers/clients. Also talk about your upcoming goals for the company.

One sentence pitch: You should be able to say what your company does in one simple sentence because it helps you to focus and clearly market your business. Let everything about your company like your brochure, websites, page etc. communicate the core essence of your company.

Create your catch: You should use both personal and professional achievements to create your pitch. Make it intriguing and create curiosity that will spark their interest and leave them wanting to know more about you and what you have said.

Put it all together in a presentation.

Please kindly ask questions and give feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

One tool many people use to make introduction simple, precise and effective is the elevator pitch. A good elevator pitch is a vital tool for achieving your goals. It is also useful in many situstion such as interview, networking, business e.t.c.

An elevator pitch is named for the time it takes to ride an elevator from bottom to the top of a building roughly 30 seconds. It is sometimes associated with a specific idea or a product or having the opportunity to market or sell yourself as a proffessional.

Importance of Elevator pitch

It is a great start to a conversation.

It helps you to answer the popular question “Tell me about yourself” in an interview.

It helps you to introduce yourself when exciting opportunities present itself in your everyday life.

It helps you to assertively explain what you have to offer.

It helps people to see that you know both what you want and how to ask for it.

It helps you to create a speech that can be useful in any professional situation.

How to write an elevator pitch

Introduce yourself: You should start by introducing yourself whenever you approach someone, saying your full names with a lovely smile and a nice pleasantry such as It’s a pleasure meeting you or It’s nice meeting you.

Give a brief summary of what you do: This includes relevant and essential information like educational background, work experiences, specialties and strengths.

Explain what you want: You need to focus on what you want to offer.

Take your time: Don’t rush your conversation, let your pitch be with few words and key information.

Make it conversational and express confident: Don’t sound like someone who has rehearsed what to say. Let your pitch be specific base on the person you are talking to. You also need to show confidence and smile when giving your pitch.

End with a call to action: You should end your elevator pitch by asking for what you want to happen next. Ask for a meeting expressing your interest in a job, business or other opportunities.

Get contact and show appreciation: Be sure to get contact details if they agree to your request and also end the conversation with a good farewell like “thank you for your time, “have a great day”.

Task

Take time to develop a pitch that’s focused on your background, immediate goals and practice. Read your elevator pitch aloud to yourself and friends to correct any mistakes.

These questions will help you write your elevator pitch:

Who are you?

What do you do?

What do you want?

Please kindly ask questions and give your feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

An entrepreneurial mindset is a way of life. Even if you are not starting your own business, an entrepreneurial mindset teaches you that no problem is insurmountable, which means you can overcome challenges through preserverances and resilience.

How to build an entrepreneurial mindset

●Transform problems to opportunities.

Often times, alternatives to problems do exist, but no one has thought of connecting them in specific circumstances because all they can see is the negative side of the problem instead of the positive side .That opportunity you are looking for lies within that problem, all you need to do is discover it. #Thinkpositivity#

●Dare to dream and believe in yourself.

You need to believe in yourself first, before others will. If you can dream it and believe it, you are half way there. Your potential to success depends on how big you can dream. The key is think out of the box that is think of a problem and also profer solution to it. #Thinkcreativity#

●Know yourself and discover what you are passionate about.

Look inwards and ask yourself this question, “what do I love doing” or “what are my hobbies”? Then find the problems or issues associated with it, solve it and also connect with people who are passionate about solving those problems too. Breakdown large issues into smaller ones which you can solve step by step. #Thinkdiscovering#

● Go for it and don’t take “NO” for an answer.

The possibilities out there are endless. Think through the problem you want to solve in a more detail way and don’t forget to get information that will help you. Go out there and take actions to achieve them.

●Learn, embrace uncertainty and accept failure.

Change is a constant thing, forging your own path to solve a problem can be very demanding. There will be many obstacles and failures but in it lies the opportunities to learn in disguise. You have to embrace uncertainty and learning, leverage on the opportunities that emerges from it. #thinkpeserverance#

Have an entrepreneurial mindset today and seek mentorship.

Please kindly ask questions and give feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

These are some common job interview mistakes people make:

1. Lack of knowledge of the company.
2. Arriving late to the interview venue.
3. Using your phone during the interview.
4. Talking too much.
5. Lack of preparation for interview questions.
6. Not paying attention during interview.
7. Inappropriate dressing.
8. Speaking ill of past employers.
9. Lack of confidence.
10. Not being able to maintain eye contact with the interviewer.
11. Trying to answer all questions, rather than saying u don’t know and you are willing to learn.

Please kindly ask questions and give feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

The key to an effective interview is to prepare yourself, project confidence and stay positive.

Here are some interview tips that will help you get hired:

Research about the company: Do your research about the company and the employer as this will help you to answer the question “what do you know about this company” confidently.

Practice interview questions: Get yourself abreast of the various interview questions that are likely to be asked from people with experience, google e.t.c. and tailor your answers towards your skills and expertise.

Prepare yourself ahead of time: Get things you will need for the interview a night before like your outfits, resume, shoes to wear e.t.c. as this will help you to reduce anxiety and make appropriate decisions.

Be early: Be at the interview venue 10 minutes or 15 minutes before the time the interview will commence as this will enable you to settle down and put things in order.

Try and stay calm: You need to relax and stay calm before and during interview. Make sure you maintain eye contact with the interviewer and pay attention by activating your listening skills before you answer any question.

Do follow – up after interview: Always follow up with a thank you email within 24 hours of interview.

Please kindly ask questions and give your feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

Most people are good at speaking but find it difficult to develop their listening skill. Communication is a two way thing, is not just about talking with someone or others but involves your ability to listen to them with an open mind.

Listening skill is very essential and necessary in our day to day activities as it enables personal growth and development. It is one of the most important skill you can have than any other skills.

Over the years, I have improved myself based on listening to people’s conversation because i see it as an opportunity to learn, improve and develop myself. This has brought about tremendous changes and new experiences for me. Most times, I pick ideas from people’s conversations, even most of my write ups are inspired by listening to people’s conversations.

How to develop listening skill

Be approachable and have an inviting body language: You must be a friendly and an approachable person. People love to talk to someone who is willing and ready to listen to them. Also, let your body language be inviting for someone to be able to talk to you.

Keep eye contact: When someone is having a conversation with you, ensure you keep eye contact as this will enable them to proceed with their conversation, knowing that you are ready to listen to them.

Avoid distractions: Distractions like noise, phones, side talks might allow you not to focus or give full attention to the conservation in front of you.

Be open minded: You should be patient enough to listen to people’s conversation and opinions before you can judge or evaluate them or the situation at hand. People who are inquisitive and curious, see conversations as learning opportunities , they are open to ideas that will improve them and they keep trying new experiences throughout their lives.

Don’t interrupt: You should allow people speak, when they are done you can now talk because this will enable them give a full detailed conservation without missing anything out. When you interrupt, you are sending a bad signal that you are not a good listener.

Consistent reactions: You need to give people a consistent expressive reaction like looking concerned, which shows that you are attentive to what they are saying.

Take note of key points: You need to take note of key points of the conversation and mention it so that the person/people will be aware that you have been following the conversation with your full attention.

Try to empathise: You need to put yourself in the shoe of the person/people speaking to you as this will help you know how they feel and how best you can relate with them. Sometimes, some people might appreciate your effort to hear and understand them.

Avoid trying to offer an immediate solution: You should not be too forward to profer solution to people’s problem. They might just need you to listen to them and help them think through for the solution they seek. If you want to help, seek for their permission to do that.

Benefits of Listening Skill

It enables you to understand what is said and helps to communicate or respond well to conversations.

It helps to increase other’s trust in you and people will be drawn to your inviting personality.

It enables you to get more information out of the conversation you have.

It presents learning opportunities, breed new ideas and experiences which brings about personal growth and development.

Please kindly ask questions and give feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

Starting a business is not a bed of roses, it involves risk calculation, breaking barriers and limitations. You also need committment, resources, time, finance, will power, positive mindset, right attitude, consistency, right approach, focus, prayer and hardwork to thrive and be successful in it.

Here is my story, it all began when i was pregnant with my first child and had been thinking of what to do, I later concluded that I will like to go into production of liquid soap.

My decision was inspired by the fact that my mum makes liquid soap for home use not for commercial use. When she came to take care of me and my baby after delivery in my house, I seized that opportunity to learn liquid soap making from her. She took me to where i can get the chemicals, covers and bottles for packaging at Ojota, Lagos, Nigeria, the total amount of all the things we bought was N3000 which simply means that I started my liquid soap making business with N3000.

During my youth corp service, I began to save money N10,000 every month out of my monthly allowance paid to me as a serving corp member of the federal republic of Nigeria till I passed out. From the savings, I was able to register my company ( a limited liability company). I also gave out free samples to people and ask for their feedbacks on the product. This helped me to continue to improve on the content formular, branding and packaging based on the feedback I got.

Today, aside from the liquid soap, I have added shampoo to my line of business and will still continue to add more at the appropriate time. Never despise the days of little beginning, every circumstances presents itself an opportunity.

See photos of products

Where we started from

Cliq Fresh Liquid Soap

Cliq Fresh Liquid Soap

NB: These combination of pics was meant for soliciting of funds from National Youth Service Commission (NYSC), Lagos, Nigeria which I didn’t get but I still forge ahead.

Packaging

NB: My first supply was not done with this packaging but with a combo of Indomie and biscuit cartons to stores around me.

Where we are now

Cliq Fresh Liquid Soap (Exclusive Pack)

The selling price of the above pics makes the product not to be accepted in the Lagos Island Market, Lagos, Nigeria. This brought about us working on some parameters like content, bottle, cover, sticker and carton packaging. Hence, here came the need for the economic pack. See pics below:

Cliq Fresh Liquid Soap(Economic pack)

After penetrating into the Lagos Island Market, Lagos, Nigeria with the economic pack, due to popular demand from the market, Cliq Fresh Shampoo was introduced. See pics below:

Cliq Fresh Shampoo

Cliq Fresh shampoo

We are still work in progress, looking towards a better and bright future.

Things to do when starting and building a business

Be sure you want to be self employed: Being self employed requires a lot of time, resources, commitment and dedication from you. Be sure this is what you want to do and you need to brace yourself for the challenges ahead of you.

Have a start up capital: This could take in form of savings or financial help from family and friends. If your business idea is highly capital intensive, you may need to digress to rendering services.

Create a business plan: You need to create a business plan for effective smooth running of the business. He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

Create a name for your business and register it: You need to create a name that well represents and market the identity of the business. Then, go ahead to do the name registration with the appropriate government authority in your country. For instance, In Nigeria, business name registration is done with coparate affairs commission(CAC).

Market your business: No one else can market your business best other than you, because you are the one that knows the niche and future of the business. Get yourself abreast of the various market trends and platforms. For instance, facebook, Instagram, Google e.t.c.

Be professional, avoid sentiment: Be professional at all times so that your potential customers or clients will not see you as unserious and mess you up. Don’t do business based on sentiment.

Don’t try to do everything, outsource if you need to.

Don’t be in a hurry to expand unless you are ready and willing and able: Expansion comes with a lot of responsibilities, time and commitment. If you are not ready for all these don’t be in a hurry, do it whenever you are.

Training and development: You need to constantly look for ways of improving yourself and the business.

Never accept “No”, “can’t be done”, “never be done” for an answer.

Don’t forget the rest of your life: All work no play, makes Jack a dull boy. You must give room for other aspects of your life aside from business.

Please kindly ask questions and give feedbacks.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso

Many people have thought about starting a business or have idea/ideas for a new product, service or brand. People are extremely curious and they want to test and explore ideas that drives their inner curiosity.

One of my business ideas is soap making, I wrote it down, I began to source for every necessary thing I need to know and do, ranging from getting my product right, talking to potential customers, giving free samples to get feedbacks on what to improve on, doing market survey to know the price customers will be willing to buy the product and if selling the product, will it be a lucrative one, will I make money from it. I also work on the right branding for the product by seeking for opinions.

Here I am today manufacturing liquid soap at a small – medium scale and working towards a greater future.

See photo of the product

• 

This inspired me to do this write up because there are many people out there who needs help concerning how viable their business idea/ideas are.

Things to consider

Before you turn that idea/ideas of yours into business, these are the things you should consider:

Write down your ideas.

Do market surveys.

Talk to your potential customers.

Show samples of product/products to your customers.

Find out how much will your customers be willing to pay for the product/products.

Get feedbacks from people including those who believe in your ideas and most especially those who don’t believe in by asking them what they think will fail or see as weak points, then improve on the ones you can.

Find out and work on the right branding for the product/products because this speaks a lot about the product to your potential customer. Good branding attracts potential customers.Find out the cost of starting the business.

Start small.

Task

Ask yourself these questions:

Why am I doing this?

What problem am I solving?

Who am I solving the problem for?

Who are my potential customers?

Am I going to make money?

After you have carried out all these things , then evaluate your business idea/ideas if it is worth it.

Please, kindly ask questions and give your feedback on this post.

Thanks.

Oluwakemi Asefeso