Self-Motivation, Personal Growth and Entrepreneurship Development on DeoluAkinyemi.com

If you have noticed, I have not been so consistent to write over the weekends lately. The reason was because of the HR MBA 1(Methods Becoming Action) which had taken my last two weekends. It’s over now, and it feels like the beginning of something great. I don’t know how you feel when you know that you are doing something that has a connection with becoming critical history. I feel that way.

The objective of the program was to build HR professionals, we had facilitators from different organizations. HR Directors, HR Managers, top notch HR consultants and of course moi. The program was successful. The 19 participants learnt a lot, had fun and became HR MBA certified. Continue Reading »

Today, I got a mail from one of my junior friends. He wrote me a mail about all the lessons he had learnt from what he considered a bitter failure experience. According to him, he had worked hard, prayed hard and longed hard for a particular achievement, and he was just informed that he was unsuccessful. In many ways, this young man reminded me of me, up until now, he had always had his way, he had always won. He was on one of those prestigious scholarships, academically good and is a social and entrepreneurial genius in the making.

As I read the lessons he said he had learnt, and the fact that this event has robbed him momentarily of focus and made him unprepared for his forthcoming exams, I remembered my first encounter with failure. The event affected me so much, it became a significant point of decision in my life. The only difference for me, was that I was younger, I was approaching 18 back then, but the lessons I learnt then, are still golden today. Continue Reading »

Just about a month ago, when I wrote the article on Nospetco, Hazonwao, Wealthzone, Uphenry and other high return investments in Nigeria, the key thing on my mind was sharing information, creating awareness and sensitizing people. I have gotten a lot of thank you mails to this effect, and I thought I had done a good job. Little did I know however, that I was the one who would benefit the most from this enlightenment gesture.

I have always known that the hand that pours water on others cannot be dry. I had also known that the hand that pushes others up, cannot be down, but I have been shocked at how much information I have also come to gather in the course of providing information to you. In the course of the last one month I have come to hear about many more investment and money making schemes in Nigeria. Some of them, I’m still researching, and some I have decided to plunge in head on as well. There is one where you invest N6,000 and earn up to 2.5Million Naira in one year, that is worth trying as the risk is very low and it’s a banks product. There is another where you invest N70,000 and get the opportunity of earning about N300,000 and diamonds within 2-3months depending on you. I also got information about another where you invest a fixed amount and earn up to 30% per month, and yet another with over 200% returns in 8 weeks. I can’t contain them all in one post, but check out this two, and watch out for the others in future posts. Continue Reading »

I read a story today that gave me a picture of my true aspirations. I had given one of my protege’s an assignment, I asked him to read a book, summarize it and present it to me as a PowerPoint presentation. It had taken him over 3 weeks, not haven used MS PowerPoint before. Eventually he came to make the presentation. First of all, he will need to redo the exercise, but in the spirit of everything is useful, I decided to pay close attention to a story in the e-book he read. Here is the story (tweaked to express my views).

There was once an old fellow, woman or man, I cannot tell. He had been at a particularly strategic spot for about 30yrs begging for alms. On this particular day, a stranger approached him, an in his regular style he called on to the stranger and held out his hand for the stranger to give something. Instead of giving him something, the stranger responded -”I don’t have anything to give you!” Then he asked, “what is that you are sitting on?” “Nothing,” replied the beggar. “Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.” “Ever looked inside?” asked the stranger. “No,” said the beggar. “What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.” “Have a look inside,” insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold. Continue Reading »

“One day, one day, one day e go better, e go better, e go better, e go better for you, one day, one day, one day e go better. You go get money, you go buy motto…” – Lagos Lotto

Have you ever wondered about the disparity of your value and your present circumstances? Have you ever wondered that you wake up so early, close so late and are not in control of much of it? Have you ever thought that you are a lot bigger than the confinement you find yourself in, or that you are more capable than what you are doing? Have you ever asked if this is all there is about you? Are you struggling with any limitation? Bothered by any occurrence? Are you looking forward to something, or waiting for something to end? Are you mixed up in a wrong crowd, relationship or office? One day, one day, the ground that holds the seed, will give way to it’s growth. One day, one day!

Are you familiar with that statement? One day, one day! It’s as if people are waiting for a particular day for the shackles on their feet to give way. People are waiting for the offer of freedom, tired and frustrated, people relinquish all hope into the hands of one day! But does one day come without warning? Or is patience the art of quietly sitting and waiting for what we expect without doubt? If you are hoping for one day, then this article is for you. Continue Reading »

“For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future; but an excuse can last for life.” – Eric Hoffer

“We are all manufacturers. Making good, making trouble, or making excuses.”- H.V Adolt

Have you every tried to consciously try to make excuses for yourself? Why not try right now. Your top 20 excuses for not being beyond where you are now? Your excuses for not having a good grade, a good job, a good relationship, a good car, great investments. Don’t procrastinate this, go ahead, take a sheet of paper and write down your excuses, good or bad, write them down.

In case you are still reading and not doing anything about it, don’t just read this, try to form excuses for yourself, don’t just think them in your head, write them down. Ok, use a small sheet of paper, grab a post it. Make sure you make the excuses about an area of life that you really desire to succeed in. Don’t think too long about whether the excuses are legit or not, just make them anyway. Make your excuses before you click on the link ahead to read the remaining part of the article. Put them all down now, all the excuses that seem remotely responsible for your current predicament. Continue Reading »

Well, guess if you are not an avid reader, you are pouring through this write-up eager to discover the darker shades of Adeolu Akinyemi . And if you have been around, then you immediately know that that is the title of Sir Richard Branson’s book. A book that captured his escapades and teething pains as he built his business empire from his little strides publishing a magazine of some sort in college (secondary school) at the age of 16. He later went into a discount mail order joint venture with his friend Nik Powell, this venture became the origin of the Virgin Brand. There was a little something something about their house/ office then having to do with being a place you could “do it all”, and possibly loose your virginity, but then, you might have to really be looking for that type of information to find it in the book

Richard Branson is currently a world renown entrepreneurship icon with an insatiable desire for new businesses. In 1999 he was awarded a knighthood for his contributions in entrepreneurship. The Virgin Brand presently has over 300 items under its name, and is presently one of the most recognized brands in the world. Richard Branson is a person I like for many reasons, writing about him is a topic that would take at least 3 posts. But if you really thought about it, this article is not going to be about Richard Branson, it’s about the concept of loosing one’s virginity. It’s a valentine special. Continue Reading »

These days we are being assaulted regularly on our TV screens by different politicians making promises they don’t intend to keep. The interesting thing is that we have heard it all before. ” I will repair the roads”, “I will provide jobs for all”, ” The programs of my administration will outrightly obliterate poverty”. “Education for all”. These are all high sounding promises. They score points though, they sway the masses.

I heard that one of the presidential aspirants was addressing the Niger Delta, and promised them that he would start a ministry of Niger Delta, and that the minister of petroleum will always be from the Niger Delta area. He went further to inform them that if they vote for him… the crowd did not allow him to land. The interrupted him, it is not if they vote, it is when they vote . Promises, promises, promises. As soon as they get into power it all becomes history. The first assignment becomes recouping the investments that brought them into power. Continue Reading »

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”- Napoleon Hill

I have heard many people play lip service to the concept of having a desire. They tell you they desire an education, a better life, a better relationship, a better job, a better salary… and the list goes on. They say they desire, but is it really desire? How do you know that someone truly desires a thing? What differentiates desires from wishes, wants and needs? Is there anything you desire? What are you doing about it? Continue Reading »

I’m going to be in Ife in the early hours of today, It’s late into the night already, and I’m trying to ensure that everything I’m supposed to do tomorrow doesn’t suffer for this outing. The program is being organized by NESA (National Economics Students Association), and the title of my talk is said to be Developing a Competitive Edge in a highly competitive world. The theme I understand is Entrepreneurship development.

I heard that Pat Utomi was there yesterday to speak with them, so was Gbenga Sesan. I don’t know if all this is deliberate (it wasn’t long I was privileged to speak with the same people few months back), but I’m going to be there later today. I need to bring out my posters and vie for the position of minister of education and entrepreneurship. Continue Reading »