Commerce in Christmas. 🎄

The month of December gives a characteristic nostalgic feeling and significant of all months of the year: first- it's the last month of the year, second - one of the most celebrated holidays and season globally is in the month. The air in the Christmas 🎄 season feels so different and unique. All over the world, the season is looked forward to on so many fronts and for many reasons. Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ to the Christians but it also means a lot globally. It has gone beyond Christians' celebration or holiday and has become a time to show love, share so much fun, eat and drink, give to the needy, exchange gifts, family holiday, visit places with folks gaily and beautifully dressed, lightning and 🌟 starry glitters decorations, carol songs and soulful music all over, celebrations every where while different Santa Claus models paint the town red and the list is endless. 

In-between the lines of all these activities laced with religious history and faith inclination is huge economic opportunities and commercial activities with funds flowing from one end to another, in various directions and accross many industries for goods and services that are heavily consumed and patronized in this festive season. Below are some of the common business activities:-

I. The Consumer goods industry sell heavy as consumption increases during the festive season, hampers flying all over the place, homes filled with so much to consume (groceries, consumption and household items) for  all - old and young.

II. The Telecom industry is not left out, all types of calls, SMS, emails, MMS - exchange of pleasantries shoot up drastically as people use the season to share and express love with their loved ones far and near.

III. The Event Management experts are not left out. Events keep rolling in - Christmas parties, end-of-year parties, cocktails, and get-together. Event planners cover all aspects - catering, logistics, music/DJ, rentals etc. are not left out, even the Masters of Ceremony benefit from countless events by  various groups, families, institutions and corporate organizations.

IV. The interior & exterior decoration experts benefit as most folks want beautiful spaces - change of curtain, home painting, beddings, refurnishing and refurbishment of homes, outdoor spaces and offices.

V. The printing market enjoys the peak period of boom - greetings cards, souvenirs, calendars and a whole range of products.

VI. The food & drink supplies industry can not be left out! The season is cooking, baking, catering galore - get together, end-of-year party, cocktail parties. The poultry experts leverage on this seasonal needs to maximize profit.

VII. The transport sector is not left out. People's mobility rate increases as options of places to visit and cruise, rate of travel shoots up: by road, by air, by waterways.

VIII. A new rapidly growing industry is the gift industry which is being patronized heavily during festive periods. Offering array of gifts options, packaging, labeling, branding and sometime delivery for individuals and corporate organizations.

IX. Fashion design & Tailoring industry is a major hit industry with a huge boom. Everyone old, young, poor, rich patronize this industry not just for clothing or covering but for style, class and elegance.

The list is endless and it goes on and on. One fact is obvious and certain: each industry rises up to meet the specific and peculiar needs created by people's desires, cravings for the season while huge business deals are sealed and multi-million of dollars and other currencies flow from one direction to the other in exchange for goods and services.

While the pomp and pageantry of the season mixed with glamour and the commercial goldmine in the Christmas season increase, it is important to keep in focus the primary goal of Christmas which is celebrating Christ, sharing and expressing love. 

Go share some love and spread some fun!

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Email: bankysanya@gmail.com

July or Julius? Just try again!

Welcome to the month of July!

May your greatest desire come through in this month.

The month of July is a month of reckoning in that it is the beginning of another phase within one year as it directly divides the year into two equal halves ~ (January -June & July - December). It usually is a month that reviews and assessments are done and new year resolutions are revisited and reviewed. Historically, the month of July was named after Julius Caesar from the word - "Julius". He was a great soldier and general who became the first emperor of the Roman empire. The month was named after him because his birthday was in the 12th of the month.

While the 2015 rolls on, what lies ahead is more than what has passed. There are many more days ahead than the days that are gone. Since yesterday is gone, there is another opportunity called today and a hopeful one called tomorrow! The 2015 that we awaited in 2014 has come and it's fast rounding up. 184 days swiftly gone with 181 days to go and sooner than imagined, the cycle of a whole year will soon be over heralding another year.

The year might not have gone in the exact direction you have always wanted or at the speed you wanted but then you still have another opportunity to try again another day. On your life goals, career, vocation, relationships, business - Try again! Plan again, Act again and again!

The many words that come to mind describing what to do with the month of July are all "Re"-prefixed

~ Review
~ Restrategise
~ Refocus
~ Realign
~ Reenergise
~ Reschedule
~ Refire
And the list of words goes on and on. . . 
For all these terminologies, one phrase that can describe all the words is to simply put ~ "Try again"

Fortunately, trying goes with all situation and there is no limit. If you fail first time, you try again. If you fail the second time, you try, try again and you keep trying until something different happens. If you fail on one plan, try on another. On the other hand, if you succeed, you try again to record more successes and you keep trying to sustain the success.

What about if you try again on something and it does not work, what do you do? You try again on something different, another plan, another style, another strategy, another direction, another mode or another speed. Make 2015, a year to remember for good against all the odds, hurts, pains, failures, disappointments. Whatever the case maybe, just keep trying and trying and trying until you get there!

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Email:bankysanya@gmail.com 
Photo source: http://thesocialbeing721.com/2015/05/07/try-try-again/

Business or Busyness II

The last article attempted to put business and entrepreneurship side by side, relating them as synonyms and as words used interchangeably in different parlance. Although one seemed more informal, they essentially describe same concepts or vocation. The concept of 'doing business' or entrepreneuring is an art, you learn to do it by doing it and continuosly improving on it. No matter how many books or articles on entrepreneurship you have read; no matter how many seminars you attend until you start pushing an idea, you might not have a firsthand and vivid description of what it takes to build an enterprise. You simply have not started by thinking or imagining!  You are only in love with the idea of being an entrepreneur! The best you can be referred to is an enthusiast. 

I have seen high levels of beliefs, hope and energy in anticipation of starting a business. I have listened to many ideas been churned out awaiting realization. I have also heard many people express with all seriousness and sincerity how they will dabble into a particular business when they have money, usually a sum of the amount that is not familiar in their bank statements or transactions and all they are 'praying' and 'wishing' for is a 'miraculous' provision. In response to such, many questions fly out of my mind and I attempt to temper it depending on my familiarity with such a person. The real question is "what will such a person be doing till that miraculous provision drops"? "Does it really take a miracle to raise money to start somewhere?" While I cannot undermine the critical role of substantive capital in running an enterprise neither do I intend to minimize application of faith in personal lives including the marketplace, at the same time, I'm more comfortable with these two principles of- "using the rod in the hand to part the Red Sea" and "faith without works is dead. . ."

The real albatross for starting a business is self leadership gauge, it pops itself up a while after you have been charged up at a seminar, after reading a book or by someone's success story. Self leadership gauge attempts to measure reality with enormity of the ideas; define abilities in terms of inabilities and shortcomings; determine how far this idea can scale through in intensity. It's all subconscious but cognitive assessment. By the time the assessment on this self-leadership gauge is done, it's either the dream fizzles away, ideas buried, plans forgotten or energized to set out despite inadequacies.

Starting a business doesn't start by renting a space - office, shop, warehouse. Businesses start by imagining and creating circumstances around a product, a service or a concept and gradually building sets of activities to create value chains. The whole exercise of starting a business is a milestone comparable to cutting the first tooth in children. You do it one step at a time, systematically and consistently also. From idealization, to value definitions, packaging of products or service, value delivery either by driving a product or a service and then taking the lead in other peripheral activities of real management (optimizing on limited humans and financial resources). It's all a roller coaster, not necessarily for amusement alone but of highs, lows, excitement, anxiety, fear, thrill all in one trip.

There is never a convenient time for starting out on a laudable idea. I have these thoughts that I encourage myself with at all times and it goes thus ~
"The best time is actually NOW! 
The best point to begin is WHERE you are
The best resources to use is WHAT you have"

Comments, contributions, questions and queries are welcomed on the article. 
Email:bankysanya@gmail.com Twitter: @Bankysanya

'Business' or 'Busyness' series I

"Karakata" is a Yoruba word that literally means 'to buy and to sell' all in one breath. It describes the vocation of buying and selling. The two concepts joined together in one word describe industry, economic activity, the world of been busy and a vocation called business. The word 'business' /'biz-nes/according to Meriam-Webster dictionary describes the activity of making, buying or selling goods or providing services in exchange for money. The word "business" a few years ago was a vocation or job of some people describing their livelihood and source of income. When people are asked what they do, it was not out of place to says stuffs like "I'm a business man or business woman", vocation or jobs involving some degree of activities and economic interaction but scope, scale and terms of such business activities might not be clearly cut out and might not readily come up for discussion. It sometimes sound like an evasive profession having wide range of activities hidden under the same umbrella terminology called - business. 

As a little girl in those days, I knew older relatives and acquaintances in different fields of endeavor - a teacher would outrightly be referred to as such, tutor or lecturer; a medical practitioner also would be referred to based on what they did, ie. a doctor, nurse, pharmacist. At that time employment was streamlined, you  either work with government or a big private organization and employment was highly predictable after the higher institution. Most people were teachers, agriculture officers, secretaries, few doctors, engineers and lawyers. There was this group of people who just referred to themselves as business man/woman, they were a small percentage of the populace and scope of their job are usually not clearly defined, we had to prod them to know exactly what they do for a living.

Modern day has brought with it so much evolution in the employment and job space, while government jobs and private organizations are gradually whittling away, the other group that used to be minority and not having clear definition have filled the space. Fortunately, nomenclature has changed from businessman/woman to entrepreneur with so much hype and more importantly, they are a lot more defined and structured than the latter. The concept of entrepreneurship has become a globally acceptable source of job/work and means of livelihood for many and a significant part of a nation's economy. 

Entrepreneurship describes an active self employment and engagement for reward which can vary from profit, fame, gain, fulfillment and etc. Entrepreneurship involves starting a business, company, enterprise or organization and managing same for reward. Entrepreneurial activities include crafting business idea(s), developing a business plan, acquiring human and other (financial & physical) resources required, operating and implementing the business plan, managing all aspects of business. This is one subject that many folks would show interest in especially in this era where multiple streams of income is encouraged.

There are different levels of entrepreneurship; some start businesses building from the scratch, some build on existing business structure, some revamp and restructure an existing business structure, some diversify from an already existing business, some embark on the 'sustainability drive' of an existing business while some expand the scale of business. Whatever level or scale a business is, be it macro, small, medium and large enterprise, it can become a life buoy in the sea of economic uncertainties. It definitely requires consistent drive and energy for survival as it is a whole continuous cycle of activities and busyness, it's not a joke!

Master the waves. . .

It's been a while of putting keys on pad on this platform. "Many waters have passed under the bridge" this is a saying in Nigeria that connotes that many things have happened, events have rolled by, many lessons learnt. Life events are compared with  waves of water carrying with it everything on its course and eventually dumps somewhere. Wave of water leaves a remarkable mark on its part sometimes clearing off land mass or on the other hand leaving debris carried from one point to another. Some adage remain ageless and relevant even in our fast-paced, dynamic and ever-changing culture.

Today happens to be my birthday and I thought of reeling out of my heart much of the things I'm embracing in the new year having done a SWOT review of the year gone!

~ The choice to make daily living more purposeful and guided is paramount 

~ I'm making choices to reinforce my values and highlight my strengths

~ I choose to be humble with my strengths and achievements 

~ I choose to face my weaknesses and work it out with honesty and tenacity

~ I choose to be adaptable to my world

~ I'm choosing to daringly embrace change whichever direction it comes from!

The real issues of life are hinged on 'Change'. 

Questions that come to mind vary - 

"To change or not to change?" 

"Why should I change?" 

"How do I change?"

"What if . . ." These what if(s) are endless, you definitely can fill the gap with many options.

Fortunately, change in life is the only constant thing. What we see today might be a variant of what is in existence but it is still marked by sharp difference from what use to be few years back in history. Today is filled with amazing creations, surprising improvements and disruptive innovations changing direction and paradigm of what has always been in yesteryears. While we can say that many of the changes we see today ~ in technology, economic, politics, communication, social interaction and in how business is done are astounding and quite mind blowing, it is a known fact that we can also still trace the myriads of changes to a framework of what already exist. 

The temptation to be confused, lost or embarrassed at the thought of change is real and facing the outcome of change can be a scare. Working through change is more daunting than maintaining change. Adapting to change and the aftermath of change usually is at a price. Infact, not changing in the face of overwhelming demand for change is at a cost. The charge is therefore to build a philosophy to be adaptable; have the wisdom to identify opportunities for change; the strength to muscle up to change; the audacity to face change; the humility to accept change and the flexibility to live the change and make it happen. More importantly, be prepared for wave of change and master the wave whenever it comes! 

The Race Towards Time.

Just like every race whether on the track or in real life, the following combination of factors are essential and they positively point in the direction of success:-
~ Take-off point;
~ A lined/ focussed track;
~ A finishing tape;
~ A feasible speed range & limit where required;
~ A reward for the race.

All these factors put together make a race worth the effort and not to be left out is the 2015 race. This new year should not just move on the way every other year passed. If you had a few or much failure in the previous year, it's a season to reposition for success and perhaps previous year was a good year, then make this new year better! This has got to be a year to keep fire under in order to keep active. New year resolutions are not made to be beautifully written with cursive handwriting in exquisite diaries! Resolutions are made to be understood, implemented and lived out!

The world around us isn't getting better, it is becoming alarmingly unpredictable and some schools of thought believe it might not get better! Morals are fading, economies are failing, security very low, investments failing, governance costlier and in all ramification, fear for and of tomorrow keeps rising. Rather than moan on how bad the world gets, it's the season to expend self on how we can get better and how our world can be better. 

The ides of every month in significant term divides the month into two and subtly connotes that the month is running to an end. The ides of January 2015 is fast gone and the year in a typical unassuming but progressive mode is fast running to an end. It's safer not to take the drive for the year too lightly or too calmly, rather calculatively and conscientiously. 

Perhaps you are like me, energetically calculating how the personal/family budget estimate for this year shall be achieved with the numerous grandiose ideas in the sturdy spiral bound journal. The larger your needs, the larger you  need to chew with a hope to uptake nutrient and achieve good health. It will be inimical to reduce my apetite and my nutrient uptake because I am afraid to chew!  Kwashiorkor, lack and other disease then become the threat. And so in this year, chew on your ideas more than you can bite!

This is a year to try hands on  different things, do same things differently and see what life can be from a different lens till you get good outcomes. Learn a new skill - soft or hard; learn a new language; earn a new degree; acquire new qualifications; get the latest technology in your vocation; try a new idea; make money; start a new business; sell, sell and keep selling! 

A lot more of our articles in this new year will focus on business self help to build, inspire and motivate in business, career and life while we will keep up and hot with our vision of helping readers to make everyday living count for the desirable future.

Comments, contributions, questions and queries are welcomed on the article. Email:bankysanya@gmail.com Twitter: @Bankysanya

The 2015 of your dreams. . .

Few hours already gone in the new year accross most time zones in the globe and so the long awaited new year ~ 2015 has come. Many died just few hours before the new year but you made it, so a brand new 2015 set for a new YOU! The seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months has begun ticking, so launch out with your goals and the plans headlong. If the goals are still unclear and yet to be defined, it's never too late. Sit down for a few hours, generate your 2015 workplan, making it as simple as possible for YOU Incorporated! Draw up SMART goals ~ Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound schedule of activities geared towards a specific and desirable outcome accross identifiable areas of life which could be but not limited to areas listed below:-

~ Self/Personal development: involves activities towards improving self. Go out of self to identify weaknesses and chart what to do to convert to strength. Identify fallow areas, opportunities and cultivate them. Identify points and activities in your life that gives more reward and spend more time and energy on such. Invest in building and feeding your spirit, soul and body. Expend your mind on things of value. Take care of your body ~ check your BMI (Body Mass Index), check your BP (Blood Pressure) regularly especially if you are around 40 years of age, watch what you eat, create a sustainable exercise and diet regimen. Stay healthy.

~ Career development: this involves vocation, job, profession; plan to improve in your chosen vocation or perhaps dabble in new terrain. Identify how to have an edge and competitive advantage in your career, go online and read about your profession. Enrol for a degree or a certification, hone new skills, identify latest technology relevant to your profession and learn the technology.

~ Family: Revise family values or devise if you don't have. Keep in touch, celebrate and savour the warmth that comes from the place of your birth and where you were nurtured. Honor your parents, invest in the family you have created time, energy, resources, love and warmth. Build your home with faith, hope and love.

~ Finances: Establish total expenditures in figures by listing out estimates of utilities and bills, estimates of planned projects, estimates of desired investments; derive sum total. Then determine present financial level (annual earnings/income which should include salaries, dividends, rent earnings etc.). Find the difference between estimated expenditures and present financial level, the difference is the extra required funds that needs to be generated. Identify what needs to be done in trade or services to earn the required amount. Start that age long business or idea, create a business plan, network. Create streams of income and start early in 2015. Start now!

~ Relationship: Identify the various levels of friendships and network of people in your life, appraise and appreciate their impact in 2014. Redefine your network for 2015. Appreciate, maintain and sustain. You never know where you will need your long lost school friend. For doors of friendship that needs to be closed, close gently and carefully, you never know when such doors will be knocked on again. Your network is actually your net worth.

~ Impact: Look around you (your community, place of work, place of worship, your friends and family), identify that one thing that bothers you and do something positively different about it. Stop the complaints and fix it, make it better and just do it right!

Let your world be better in this year 2015. Face the year with courage, hope and enthusiasm. It's your best year.

If you find this post impactful, drop in a comment and tell others about it or forward to a friend. For queries and complaints mail bankysanya@gmail.com