It's a pathway. . .

The month of May for me starts with stream of nostalgia considering that many parts of my life revolve around it.

Today, the beginning of the month also is the international workers day that's celebrated in many parts of the world by labour and trade unions. The labour unions and employees agitate and negotiate for better pay and seemingly a battle time for the privileged folks who are employed.

Being employed whether as an employee or self-employed is a privilege, whatever career or vocation one finds oneself, even if it is not the most desirable, it might be the available and it puts food on the table, be grateful. It's not an end, more often than not, it's a pathway. The tasks, assignments, projects that you have engaged with so far all add up eventually and it's never a waste! For many folks, where you are right now in your vocation came as answered prayers.

For those wishing for better days in their career and working hard at refreshing a career or changing employment, don't despise present level, enjoy where you are on the way to where you are heading. For those  hoping for a brighter day, to gain an employment and at least be able to put food on the table, don't give up even if it feels so! Press on, keep hope alive, keep value-adding radar up. Keep yourself active in your industry, learn to start your day business-like, network, make friends and do all to keep hope alive and never forget to always remember that you can start where you are, it's a pathway. Don't be proud to start small.

Wishing you all a beautiful month and may it be most remarkable for you in your vocation and chosen career.

Olubamike Fadipe is a writer with a passion to inspire, impact and motivate.
Email: bankysanya@gmail.com                   
Twitter: @Bankysanya

A bite of a share. . .

Everybody wants to have their share of good life. We all have desires, ambition that drives our life and everyday living. We go in pursuit of a beautiful and desirable life and to have our own portion of the goodies in life and live a great life. Businesses are not left out in the desire and drive.

Market share for businesses sounds like having a portion of a freshly baked cake! And yes, it feels like that! The bigger the portion you can bite, the better it feels. Achieving a big bite in the midst of limited size, dynamic changes, market forces and deep competition is a feat. A great bite of market share is a bite of life for a business as it will undoubtedly impact on profit. It is a battle to be won by every enterprise with vision for continued existence. It is not one-off drive, it's a continuous effort.

Market in this context is not just a geographical location, it's rather an invisible space that directs the force of reality in the business world. It is more of a group of sellers, buyers, producers of goods and services that are identified with a similar line of product or service, bound by common ethics, rules and regulations. Gaining market share is simply gaining customers and all effort geared at widening customer base, increasing marketing territories and ultimately for profit.

For an entrepreneur to thrive in the highly dynamic and competitive market, it's important to do the following :-

~ Understand your target market.

~ Know all the written and unwritten rules of the market.

~ Know your capabilities, strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats.

~ Know the leaders of the market space; study their style and their offers and pinpidentify the leaders of the market space; study their style and their offers and pinpoint their weaknesses;

~ Leverage on others' failures in the design and delivery of products and services

~ Ensure continuous quality delivery at all times

~ Offer value added services.

~ Go the extra mile.

~ Invest in excellent customer service and in building relationships.

~ Create platforms for interaction for your clients and prospects, maximize the social media.

~ Collaborate, partner with and patronize your clients. It's a mutual benefit world.

Don't get busy selling products or services or making money, get busy building relationships - BF

Olubamike Fadipe is a writer with a passion to inspire, impact and motivate for everyday living.
Email: bankysanya@gmail.com                Twitter: @Bankysanya

Start where you are. . .

That business idea, that initiative, that book, that design, that project, that product, that blog, that business and that training that you've been waiting to do has expiry date. The earlier you set at it, the better.
 After waking up to the dream, desire or need or next step, the next critical questions are when to start, what to start with and how to start.
For the question of when to start ~ my only option is NOW! In your hesitation, competition is been created. You might think an idea is your special baby and you're the only channel and while you're still thinking and brooding, someone down the road either comes up with a similar idea or more often than not, a superior version of your idea. Then your position will be the second place hoping you'll make effort to incorporate a unique selling point (USP). Time is of essence and it cannot be replaced.

The question of what to start with has been a pertinent question to be answered by anyone who has milestones to be covered. It's always cheaper to start with what you have, no matter how large an idea is in the initial, there are smaller steps to be taken in the immediate. Identify resources that are from within you and those that are external. If financial resources are readily available, act like it's scarce, streamline expenses and needs and in situation that financial resources are scarce
The question of how to start remains the critical one dependent solely on the ideator, a function of individuals attitude, drive, inclination, energy levels and etc. Some people start their dream path anyhow, hoping that the t's will be crossed and the i's will ve dotted along the line; some folks prefer to have everything spick and span, ordered and well arranged before starting out. Know yourself and stay active in the area of your strength. Start with what you have, your time, intellect, your skills, your vehicle, your space and etc. Navigate your path from known points to unknown points. The challenges on the known points prepare you for the next level of unknown points. Start with family and friends as your first set of clients. Start with a sustainable level of standard.

Olubamike Fadipe is a writer with a passion to inspire, impact and motivate.
Email: bankysanya@gmail.com                   Twitter: @Bankysanya