Klaud and Glide

03/07/2017

Pay attention as this actually kill start ups!

31/05/2017

Be mindful on whom you pitch your intellectual ideas to, and whom you discuss your business ideas too, the old words which says 'walls have ears' is not based on its literal meaning... read through the experience of Mr Strive Masiyiwa and expand you horizon...

The Return of the
__Shhh! Don't be an amateur!

Many years ago I was on a flight, and sitting there I listened to two guys in front of me speaking in hushed tones. As I listened carefully, I realized they were from a competitor company discussing a very interesting opportunity that I had not heard about! Wow!

As soon as I got off the plane I did two things: First of all, I moved in quickly and took over that deal from right under their nose. To this day, they don't know what happened! No regrets on my part, those were fools!

Second, I told my people, never, ever, open your mouth about what we are doing in public. Don't discuss business issues whilst on the phone in public, and don't sit next to each other on the plane or bus!

It never ceases to surprise me how careless people are about what they are doing. Some just do it to boast, and those ones I won't talk about here! (We don't have the boastful type on this platform.)

When I was a graduate student at university, one of my engineering professors asked me to help him on a criminal court case where he was an "expert witness." We had to set up an experiment to demonstrate that a person who claimed to have overheard a confession could not possibly have heard it from where they were. It was a very technical sound engineering experiment at the time. Through that work I learnt not to say too much in public...!

Actually a good entrepreneur does not talk about what they are "planning to do" before the business reaches the customer. If you must, talk about what you have "already done." Otherwise keep quiet.

This is a principle I try to use all the time. When you get into serious business, your competitors are constantly studying what you are saying or doing. It's not just a question of being accidentally eavesdropped by the guy sitting behind or in front of you on a plane...

And don't make the mistake of assuming certain people are harmless by observing the way they're dressed, or even their age, or gender. You can make a deadly mistake through thinking someone is not important!

There are also detractors who, whilst not being an actual competitor, are consumed by what can best be described as a "spirit of jealousy" and will go out of their way to destroy or impede the work of others, even though there's no gain for them. It's part of life, so don't give them the ammunition they need.

Some time ago, I wrote a series about how you protect your plans, and Intellectual Property (IP), including ideas and inventions. Go back to it, and study it carefully.

Even on this platform, please avoid giving details about what you are "planning" or "thinking" about, without taking adequate measures to protect it in the professional manner. Don't send or publish business plans to people.

It is like leaving your wallet on a counter in a bar!

End.

31/05/2017

Be mindful on whom you pitch your intellectual ideas to, and whom you discuss your business ideas too, the old words which says 'walls have ears' is not based on its literal meaning... read through the experience of Mr Strive Masiyiwa and expand you horizon...

The day I discovered the true wealth of Nigeria
__It's not all about oil!

When I first arrived in Nigeria to set up the country's first GSM mobile network, Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria), I had to serve as the company's interim CEO for about six months, until we appointed someone substantive. This meant I practically lived in Nigeria for most of that time. It was a remarkable experience, and one which will remain with me all my life. Nigeria is one of the most exciting countries in the world, and could be the next China before the turn of this century.

I just want to share with you one particular incident which led me to that conclusion: As many people know, today Nigeria has over 120m mobile phones users. To imagine that I made the first ever official GSM mobile call in Nigeria on 6th August 2001 seems almost unbelievable...

Our company Econet Wireless Nigeria was in a race with MTN Nigeria, the only other operator at the time, to meet a deadline set by the regulator for 8th of August. We beat the deadline and MTN by two days, and as Interim CEO, I had the privilege to call the regulator to tell him we were "Live"!

What a moment in my life! It's something I'll always cherish. I don't really care whether I own or don't own a mobile operator there today. My success will always be measured in terms of my small contribution in kick starting the largest mobile industry on the African continent, and it is Nigeria.

Several months before the launch deadline, I'd arrived with over 100 engineers and technicians, drawn mostly from Zimbabwe and South Africa. At the time, since Nigeria had been delayed by the military governments from acquiring GSM, it was one of the last markets without this new technology. President Obasanjo, who had just won the election two years earlier, wanted to change that and had issued three licenses, but one had been delayed.

This meant that when we started operations, Nigeria had no homegrown engineers or technicians with experience in GSM mobile technology. (Today it has more than Southern Africa combined!)

So whilst setting up the network to meet the deadline, we used expatriates from other African countries that already had GSM. We also began the process of recruiting Nigerian engineers and technicians who we would retrain for this exciting new industry to take over from the expatriate team, which wanted to do in the shortest time possible.

We had literally thousands of posts to fill.

In one instance, we placed newspaper adverts in all leading newspapers asking for people qualified in electronic engineering, at degree level, and with minimum five years relevant experience. I'll never forget the response. I came into the office to find postal bags, piled to the ceiling!

"I only want to see the applications from people who meet our requirements, and not from chancers who aren't qualified," I complained.

"Sir, these are the ones we have vetted."

"What?! You mean there were more than this?"

"Thousands, sir."

Then I came up with an idea: "Why don't you separate for me, the most qualified academically. Set aside people with MBAs, and even PHDs."

A day later, another postal bag of applications was delivered to my office. I was staggered!

There were thousands of people with qualifications in just this one discipline with MBAs and PHDs! Many had qualified in the best universities around the world. There were also GSM-qualified Nigerians working internationally, including in America and Europe, wanting to return home!

I was blown away by the qualifications. I thought to myself: "You can start almost any business or industry here. I wish investors would one day discover the wealth of this nation."

Whenever I hear people talk about the wealth of Nigeria in terms of oil, I shake my head to say: "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

The true wealth of Nigeria is its extraordinary human capital, and passion for education. Unleash that and no one can stop them!

!

On this platform, we're working to build a prosperous African continent, together... People, product, process. Lights, camera, action!

, build, succeed, soar!

End.

31/05/2017

We can all achieve our dreams, we only need to start...

The day I discovered the true wealth of Nigeria
__It's not all about oil!

When I first arrived in Nigeria to set up the country's first GSM mobile network, Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria), I had to serve as the company's interim CEO for about six months, until we appointed someone substantive. This meant I practically lived in Nigeria for most of that time. It was a remarkable experience, and one which will remain with me all my life. Nigeria is one of the most exciting countries in the world, and could be the next China before the turn of this century.

I just want to share with you one particular incident which led me to that conclusion: As many people know, today Nigeria has over 120m mobile phones users. To imagine that I made the first ever official GSM mobile call in Nigeria on 6th August 2001 seems almost unbelievable...

Our company Econet Wireless Nigeria was in a race with MTN Nigeria, the only other operator at the time, to meet a deadline set by the regulator for 8th of August. We beat the deadline and MTN by two days, and as Interim CEO, I had the privilege to call the regulator to tell him we were "Live"!

What a moment in my life! It's something I'll always cherish. I don't really care whether I own or don't own a mobile operator there today. My success will always be measured in terms of my small contribution in kick starting the largest mobile industry on the African continent, and it is Nigeria.

Several months before the launch deadline, I'd arrived with over 100 engineers and technicians, drawn mostly from Zimbabwe and South Africa. At the time, since Nigeria had been delayed by the military governments from acquiring GSM, it was one of the last markets without this new technology. President Obasanjo, who had just won the election two years earlier, wanted to change that and had issued three licenses, but one had been delayed.

This meant that when we started operations, Nigeria had no homegrown engineers or technicians with experience in GSM mobile technology. (Today it has more than Southern Africa combined!)

So whilst setting up the network to meet the deadline, we used expatriates from other African countries that already had GSM. We also began the process of recruiting Nigerian engineers and technicians who we would retrain for this exciting new industry to take over from the expatriate team, which wanted to do in the shortest time possible.

We had literally thousands of posts to fill.

In one instance, we placed newspaper adverts in all leading newspapers asking for people qualified in electronic engineering, at degree level, and with minimum five years relevant experience. I'll never forget the response. I came into the office to find postal bags, piled to the ceiling!

"I only want to see the applications from people who meet our requirements, and not from chancers who aren't qualified," I complained.

"Sir, these are the ones we have vetted."

"What?! You mean there were more than this?"

"Thousands, sir."

Then I came up with an idea: "Why don't you separate for me, the most qualified academically. Set aside people with MBAs, and even PHDs."

A day later, another postal bag of applications was delivered to my office. I was staggered!

There were thousands of people with qualifications in just this one discipline with MBAs and PHDs! Many had qualified in the best universities around the world. There were also GSM-qualified Nigerians working internationally, including in America and Europe, wanting to return home!

I was blown away by the qualifications. I thought to myself: "You can start almost any business or industry here. I wish investors would one day discover the wealth of this nation."

Whenever I hear people talk about the wealth of Nigeria in terms of oil, I shake my head to say: "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

The true wealth of Nigeria is its extraordinary human capital, and passion for education. Unleash that and no one can stop them!

!

On this platform, we're working to build a prosperous African continent, together... People, product, process. Lights, camera, action!

, build, succeed, soar!

End.

31/05/2017

The day I discovered the true wealth of Nigeria
__It's not all about oil!

When I first arrived in Nigeria to set up the country's first GSM mobile network, Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria), I had to serve as the company's interim CEO for about six months, until we appointed someone substantive. This meant I practically lived in Nigeria for most of that time. It was a remarkable experience, and one which will remain with me all my life. Nigeria is one of the most exciting countries in the world, and could be the next China before the turn of this century.

I just want to share with you one particular incident which led me to that conclusion: As many people know, today Nigeria has over 120m mobile phones users. To imagine that I made the first ever official GSM mobile call in Nigeria on 6th August 2001 seems almost unbelievable...

Our company Econet Wireless Nigeria was in a race with MTN Nigeria, the only other operator at the time, to meet a deadline set by the regulator for 8th of August. We beat the deadline and MTN by two days, and as Interim CEO, I had the privilege to call the regulator to tell him we were "Live"!

What a moment in my life! It's something I'll always cherish. I don't really care whether I own or don't own a mobile operator there today. My success will always be measured in terms of my small contribution in kick starting the largest mobile industry on the African continent, and it is Nigeria.

Several months before the launch deadline, I'd arrived with over 100 engineers and technicians, drawn mostly from Zimbabwe and South Africa. At the time, since Nigeria had been delayed by the military governments from acquiring GSM, it was one of the last markets without this new technology. President Obasanjo, who had just won the election two years earlier, wanted to change that and had issued three licenses, but one had been delayed.

This meant that when we started operations, Nigeria had no homegrown engineers or technicians with experience in GSM mobile technology. (Today it has more than Southern Africa combined!)

So whilst setting up the network to meet the deadline, we used expatriates from other African countries that already had GSM. We also began the process of recruiting Nigerian engineers and technicians who we would retrain for this exciting new industry to take over from the expatriate team, which wanted to do in the shortest time possible.

We had literally thousands of posts to fill.

In one instance, we placed newspaper adverts in all leading newspapers asking for people qualified in electronic engineering, at degree level, and with minimum five years relevant experience. I'll never forget the response. I came into the office to find postal bags, piled to the ceiling!

"I only want to see the applications from people who meet our requirements, and not from chancers who aren't qualified," I complained.

"Sir, these are the ones we have vetted."

"What?! You mean there were more than this?"

"Thousands, sir."

Then I came up with an idea: "Why don't you separate for me, the most qualified academically. Set aside people with MBAs, and even PHDs."

A day later, another postal bag of applications was delivered to my office. I was staggered!

There were thousands of people with qualifications in just this one discipline with MBAs and PHDs! Many had qualified in the best universities around the world. There were also GSM-qualified Nigerians working internationally, including in America and Europe, wanting to return home!

I was blown away by the qualifications. I thought to myself: "You can start almost any business or industry here. I wish investors would one day discover the wealth of this nation."

Whenever I hear people talk about the wealth of Nigeria in terms of oil, I shake my head to say: "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

The true wealth of Nigeria is its extraordinary human capital, and passion for education. Unleash that and no one can stop them!

!

On this platform, we're working to build a prosperous African continent, together... People, product, process. Lights, camera, action!

, build, succeed, soar!

End.

16/03/2017

Your why is your purpose to that vision! Then your how becomes your mission! NO YOUR WHY today!

16/07/2016

If you must succeed then you must adapt to saving before spending.

Here's how to make more money everyday in your business or personal life. If your income or growth has stopped, these 5 things will make you more money.

14/07/2016

When ever you want a client or company to sponsor your event... Make sure you clearly identify the benefits it renders to the company

In today’s new economy, budgets have been cut in almost every area, including marketing dollars.

23/05/2016

Everyone communicates; few connects!

20/05/2016

●Create ●Engage ●Optimize

09/05/2016

Negotiation tools!

09/05/2016

What we try to help sales force to see is their role in transitioning a Lead into a prospect, a prospect into a customer, and a customer into a client.