My Mentors Told Me to Take an HR Role Even Though I Was an Engineer. They Were Right.

In this series, professionals thank those who helped them reach where they are today. Read the posts here, then write your own. Use #ThankYourMentor and @mention your mentor when sharing.

Meetings can sometimes be intimidating when you’re young, or new to a team. You want to speak up, but fear can hold you back. That happened to me early in my career. Fortunately, a manager was watching, and pulled me aside afterward. He suggested I work on being more vocal in meetings and confidently express my point of view.

I took that professional nudge to heart, and I’ve never forgotten it. Inclusion and encouraging diverse points of view are cornerstones of how I lead.

Throughout my career, I’ve benefited greatly from the wisdom and experiences of mentors. Some executives credit one or two key people for coaching them to success, but I believe effective mentoring takes a network.

Different people see different aspects of us as we progress in our careers and handle the opportunities and challenges along the way.

I once shared with a manager my struggle with balancing professional and personal commitments. Her reply perfectly crystallized the issue: “Commitments are commitments, and honoring them demonstrates discipline.” It’s one reason I always encourage my team – women and men – to make time for their families or their personal interests. It’s all about setting priorities, and family has and always will be a priority for me.  

About six years ago during a pivotal time in our company’s history, I was asked to consider a cross-functional role – vice president of Global Human Resources. I understood the importance of the position, but I was concerned it didn’t fit my engineering and manufacturing credentials.

My mentors and confidantes weighed in with valuable and insightful feedback: They pointed out I possessed two very important attributes of the job – identifying talent and using teams to confront challenges.

I accepted the position. It turned out to be one of the most important and impactful assignments of my career, and one I might have missed if not for my mentors.

When building your network of mentors, be honest about your mid- and long-term career goals, and how hard you are willing to work to achieve them. Then turn to those who best know you and your work. Earn their respect and trust so they will extend their personal capital to you with confidence and be your professional champion.

All good leaders should be invested in the career growth of their team members, but don’t always look high when creating your mentor network. Colleagues have great insights about you that you may have overlooked.

And if mentors have invested their time in you, I hope you’ll consider paying it forward and be a mentor. It feels great – and you never know where your “students” will land.

Written by
Mary Barra

We Need Clean-Energy Innovation, and Lots of It by Bill Gates

Last month, during a trip to Europe, I mentioned that I plan to invest $1 billion in clean energy technology over the next five years. This will be a fairly big increase over the investments I am already making, and I am doing it because I believe that the next half-decade will bring many breakthroughs that will help solve climate change. As I argued in this 2010 TED talk, we need to be able to power all sectors of the economy with sources that do not emit any carbon dioxide.

But when it comes to preventing the worst effects of climate change, the investments I make will matter much less than the choices that governments make. In Europe I got to talk about these choices with several political leaders, and in this post I want to share the steps that I encouraged them to take.

I think this issue is especially important because, of all the people who will be affected by climate change, those in poor countries will suffer the most. Higher temperatures and less-predictable weather would hurt poor farmers, most of whom live on the edge and can be devastated by a single bad crop. Food supplies could decline. Hunger and malnutrition could rise. It would be a terrible injustice to let climate change undo any of the past half-century’s progress against poverty and disease—and doubly unfair because the people who will be hurt the most are the ones doing the least to cause the problem.

In addition to mitigating climate change, affordable clean energy will help fight poverty. Although the Gates Foundation does not fund energy research (my investments are separate), we see through our work with the poorest how the high price of energy affects them by adding to the cost of transportation, electricity, fertilizer, and many other things they need.

I do see some encouraging progress on climate and energy. Environmental advocates deserve credit for getting climate change so high on the world’s agenda. Many countries are committing to put policies in place that reflect the impact of greenhouse gases. The cost of solar photovoltaic cells has dropped by nearly a factor of ten over the past decade, and batteries that store energy created by intermittent sources like solar and wind are getting more powerful and less expensive. Since 2007 the United States has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions nearly 10 percent. Since 1990 Germany has reduced its energy-sector emissions by more than 20 percent.

World leaders will take another critical step this December at a major meeting in Paris called COP21, where they will discuss plans to reduce global CO2 emissions significantly. COP21 can build a strong foundation for solving the climate crisis—but we will need to go even further.

Scientists generally agree that preventing the worst effects of climate change requires limiting the temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius, and that doing so requires the biggest emitters to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050 and all countries to essentially eliminate them by the end of the century. Unfortunately, while we can make progress with today’s tools, they cannot get us to an 80 percent reduction, much less 100 percent. To work at scale, current wind and solar technologies need backup energy sources—which means fossil fuels—for windless days, long periods of cloudy weather, and nighttime. They also require much more space; for example, to provide as much power as a coal-fired plant, a wind farm needs more than 10 times as much land.

These are solvable problems. If we create the right environment for innovation, we can accelerate the pace of progress, develop and deploy new solutions, and eventually provide everyone with reliable, affordable energy that is carbon free. We can avoid the worst climate-change scenarios while also lifting people out of poverty, growing food more efficiently, and saving lives by reducing pollution.

To create this future we need to take several steps:

1. Create Incentives for Innovation

One step is to lay the foundation for innovation by drastically increasing government funding for research on clean energy solutions. Right now, the world spends only a few billion dollars a year on researching early-stage ideas for zero-carbon energy. It should be investing two or three times that much.

Why should governments fund basic research? For the same reason that companies tend not to: because it is a public good. The benefits to society are far greater than the amount that the inventor can capture. One of the best examples of this is the creation of the Internet. It has led to innovations that continue to change our lives, but none of the companies who deliver those innovations would ever have built it. Similarly, the government’s research into hydraulic fracturing helped create today’s natural gas boom.

Expanding the government’s support for energy research will lead to another important step: attracting more private investment to the field. As early-stage ideas progress, private capital will pour in to build the companies that will deliver those ideas to market. We need hundreds of companies working on thousands of ideas, including crazy-sounding ones that don’t get enough funding, such as high-altitude wind and solar chemical (using the energy of the sun to make hydrocarbons). No one knows which of these technologies will prove powerful enough and easy to scale, so we should be exploring all of them.

My own personal investments include companies working on new batteries and other storage methods and advances in solar technology. The nuclear design I am investing in would be safer than previous designs and would go a long way toward solving the nuclear waste problem. I spend a lot of time with the CEOs and scientists at all these companies discussing how to build a business around an innovative idea and take a product to market. If government research budgets open up the pipeline of innovation, not only will I expand my investments, but I believe other investors would join me in taking these risks.

Governments need to act quickly, because energy transitions take time. Today, renewables account for less than 5 percent of the world’s energy mix. It took four decades for oil to go from 5 percent of the world’s energy supply to 25 percent. Natural gas took even longer. I believe we can make this transition faster—both because the pace of innovation is accelerating, and because we have never had such an urgent reason to move from one source of energy to another. The sooner we start, the more suffering we can prevent.

2. Develop Markets That Help Get to Zero

Another important step will be to ensure that the energy market accurately reflects the full impact of emitting carbon. Today the market is not factoring in what economists call the negative externalities—the health costs, environmental damage, and so on. If the market takes these into account, renewable energy will be more competitive with fossil fuels, which will attract more innovators to the field. Many countries and states are experimenting with different ways to price carbon. Whatever approach we take, it should create incentives to develop new energy solutions while also giving energy companies enough certainty to plan and execute the transition to zero-carbon sources.

We can also be smarter about how we use subsidies. The IMF estimates that direct subsidies for fossil fuels amount to nearly $500 billion a year worldwide, shielding consumers from their true costs. Some subsidies for deploying renewable energy are also very inefficient, creating big incentives to install solar panels where it’s often not sunny or wind turbines where it’s not windy. We should be looking for ways to reduce these subsidies and invest the savings in the basic R&D that will help solve the problem.

3. Treat Poor Countries Fairly

Unfortunately, even if we could roll out the ideal zero-carbon solution tomorrow, some climate change is inevitable, and it will hit the world’s poor the hardest. The countries that have done the most to cause this problem have a responsibility to not only invest in mitigation, but also help poor countries adapt to a changing climate. For our part, the Gates Foundation is concentrating on one key aspect of adaptation: helping small farmers—who make up the majority of the world’s poor—adjust to hotter, more unpredictable weather by raising agricultural productivity. I will be writing more about this work later this year.

As for next steps, I’m optimistic that the spotlight of the COP meeting in Paris will help motivate governments to step up their research budgets. In my view, innovation is essential to human progress. Some people would say that it is the lens I use to look at every problem, and I have to admit that there is some truth to that. But I believe it is justified by history. In my lifetime innovation has helped eradicate one deadly disease (smallpox) and put us on the brink of a second (polio). We have cut the fraction of children who die every year by a factor of four. Digital technology has revolutionized the way people live. We can create a zero-carbon future too, if we commit to it.

This was originally posted at www.gatesnotes.com 

Work on ICT Park for businesses begins September

Government has indicated that it will begin work on an ICT Park for business in September as part of efforts to support entrepreneurs operating in the ICT sector.

Deputy Communication Minister Ato Sarpong's disclosed this at the media launch of the Africa Mobile and ICT Expo 2015.

According to the minister, the park will have all the necessary infrastructure to support ICT firms that want to set up in the area.

The initiative will be done in partnership with the Mauritius government.

Also a business processing outsourcing (BPO) centre will be set up in October to provide some 10,000 jobs for Ghanaians.
Speaking to Joy Business after the program Mr. Sarpong noted that the move is part government’s policy to use ICT to support and grow entrepreneurship in the country and also build the right infrastructure to develop the sector.
Speaking at the same program, Chief Entrepreneur of Coasters Company, organizers of the Expo, said the expo is aimed at harnessing ICT tools and innovations to create jobs, attract investments and provide solutions for social transformation.
George Spencer Quaye said the event which will kick off July 29 to 31 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) will cover four main areas: Thought Leadership, AppWorld, Job fair and Exhibition.
The Expo will also assemble captains, investors and stakeholders in the ICT industry to discuss and identify the opportunities for employment in ICT.


Source: My joy online

Starting An ICT Business In Africa? 6 Trends To Be Aware Of

I know that many of you are interested in starting an ICT business in Africa. But are you aware of current trends? I would love to share some insights with you. As always, my article will focus on the actionable way forward for aspiring entrepreneurs and first time entry into Africa by individuals or SME’s – we will leave the Million Dollar market information to government and the media out there, they are pretty good at keeping up with it.

What makes Africa such an intriguing market for ICT is the enormous rise of mobile phone connectivity and that enables easier interaction between companies and their customers. We can expect to see new trends such as peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, on-demand services, and ICT infrastructure sharing driving business models unique to the African context. But we can also expect an Internet revolution to take place soon, and while the establishment of submarine cables continues, most countries on the continent have seen an enormous increase in Internet penetration and broadband speed.

Now let’s get cracking – today I want to focus less on the aspects of running an online business or telecommunications company and tell you more on the ICT solutions you can provide in Africa on a profit. So where exactly are some gaps on the continent loudly calling for you ?



1. Business 2 Business (B2B) solutions

When I visited Kenya’s renowned tech hub, the iHub, last year I met with some members of the management team and was told that they see a clear shift in focus. In short: Apps are somewhat out and B2B solutions are in. I was told that in the beginning everyone wanted to build apps – having your own app was somewhat cool. But now Kenya’s tech community at iHub is focusing increasingly on B2B solutions, because the demand for that is growing.

This is really a trend, which we see in other dynamic ICT markets in Africa as well, in fact, add to that: Business 2 Customer solutions. Both are becoming more prominent and the need for solution, expertise, and guidance is huge.

With the big rise of e-commerce in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and a very visible new peak of interest in Morocco, Uganda, and Tanzania we also see an increased demand for ICT solution providers who offer their expertise and products around entirely new business models. The E-commerce space is one to follow, and demand that ICT experts could fill reaches from online purchasing and payment systems, to logistics, to customer services (CRM).

With growing competition among businesses operating in Africa’s growth market, it is a trend we can absolutely expect to continue and to grow even faster.

2. Africa has excellent software developers…..but there is a huge need for many more

I met Betty Enyonam Kumahor during the Homecoming Revolution Expo in London in 2014. I remember how she took the stage at the conference to tell us how she left her posh office and position in one of the top law firms in the US to move back to Nigeria and open her own IT Consulting firm, ThoughtWorks. Two years later she employs 120 people…! Isn’t that amazing? But not only that: Betty and her team have developed world class software and one of the systems was used during the recent disaster in the Philippines reuniting thousands of families. “This is Africa providing IT solutions to the world” Betty said.

Read my actionable and rare Africa market insights I gained during that event from Betty and others operating on the continent here.

Another company that has made a big name for itself is Coders4Africa. Based in the US the management team has built a strong network of over 1,500 African developers in 25 countries and several offices on the ground in Africa! Amazing! Their immediate objective: To lead outsourcing development programs for companies globally. Here is how they summed it up on their website:

Problems we are trying to solve:

Africa impacts just 1% of the world’s IT distribution and production for both software and hardware (UNCTAD 2013)

70 million African internet users & more cellphone users than US & EU and not enough coders to leverage this opportunity

Africa is faced with 3 problems

Not enough Software developers

Not skilled enough to do the job

Not enough contextual and impactful APPs

I am fortunate to have been in touch with Coders4Africa, and I can tell you their vision and dedication is a wonderful example for Africa, so make sure you use their services for your own undertakings or you spread the word!

3. ICT solutions for Africa’s financial sector

I think it is fair to say that a big chunk of ICT solutions has been developed for the financial sector, and frankly, it is a sector with a lot of capital that can be invested into capacity building, payment solutions, and customer outreach through tech. Kenya has seen certainly some amazing and exciting developments in this regard over the last few years, but huge improvements in this regard have also been made in Nigeria, Ghana, and SA.

I want to make you aware of a few markets that I believe have also great potential for ICT solutions in the finance sector. They are Botswana, Rwanda, Mauritius and possibly Zambia. The reason is because Botswana, Rwanda, and Mauritius are ambitiously marching towards the vision to becoming regional financial capitals of their own, besides some powerful markets next door (well, make that across the ocean for Mauritius).

Several new bank branches have for example opened in Botswana, while Rwanda is still trying actively to entice some international banks to open shop in Kigali, although this is progressing currently rather slowly I have heard; a lot of regional banks however have entered the market over the last few years. While the country’s financial inclusion is currently below 25 per cent, with more financial institutions entering the market, the government is targeting more than 70 per cent by 2020. And the good news is that the Rwandan government is usually following vigorously through with their ambitions, so watch this space – well, and if you are in ICT: don’t just watch, get in!

4. ICT: Shall I focus on government, health, and education?

I just discussed the huge ICT opportunities in providing  solutions for B2B and the finance sector. What about the demand for ICT in government, health, and education? – you may ask. The demand undoubtedly exists, and you can fill it, but here is an important point that I would like you to be aware of: government, health institutions, and the education sector (the latter two being largely owned by the first) will be notoriously slower in response and more complicated in dealing with due to the high level of bureaucracy, as compared to selling to the private sector.

Having said that, the health and education sector in Africa are seeing a big boost in privately owned entities, especially in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa; so you may want to focus on them. It occurs to me as being a better strategy for a new entrepreneur, a start-up, or a first Africa entry – dealing directly with government may murder your motivation. Figuratively, of course.

Once you are operating confidently in the market and you have build some connections with key decision-makers and various stakeholders in your industry, you can attempt to bid for ICT related government tenders trying to win a major contract.

A third option is that you become a social tech entrepreneur. This works almost anywhere in Africa. Finding solutions for  the many health and educational challenges in Africa and making them accessible to the wider population. Check for example MedAfrica, a popular app that aims at increasing community access to health related information.

5. Meet the huge demand for ICT training

This is an excerpt of my free monthly Africa Business Intelligence (feel free to sign up to it on the right sidebar here on my blog if you have not done so yet!):  “Private companies and government entities in Liberia and the DRC for example are facing a huge lack of skilled ICT personnel, so much so, that it is repeatedly discussed.

The shortage of quality ICT skills has been a recurrent theme in Liberia. Highly specialized skills required to automate processes are currently lacking and impossible to recruit anywhere in the country. And this shortage I put to you, is strongly in software design, programming, project management and software business consulting.  The ICT skills shortage in Liberia, specifically in the area of computer programming is of great concern, because computer science and software engineering significantly impact business automation.

Visit many of our ministries and other entities and you will find out that many of the ICT staff have never attended any ICT training or human capacity strengthening program since they graduated school. This particularly hurts their ability to innovate and perform because in ICT, things change faster than any other area. (Source: Liberia Daily Observer)

Frankly, you have a similar situation and chronic gap in this regard in the huge markets of Congo, the DRC and in Angola – and you have the spending power there, too. Be aware however, that most there speak French and Portuguese, respectively.

Out of the top of my head I would say Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia are other markets that are pretty dynamic, but could do with enticing ICT training packages for certain target groups.

Why not come up with neat ICT training packages that you could deliver through your new Africa ICT training business? All you need it a lap top and a luggage to get you started in Africa!

6. Find a local communal problem and fix it!

Seriously, this is the African solutions – to African problems way, and I am so proud to see a significant number of African ICT software and app developers providing affordable solutions to some of Africa’s biggest social and socio-economic problems.

Like Cameroonian Nteff Alain for example, who founded ‘Gifted Mum’ to bring down child mortality after birth with his special app. Or M-Farm, which offers real-time market prices for crops, matching Kenyan farmers with buyers. Depending on the target market, these are not always the most profitable businesses, but undoubtedly among the most impactful. Blessed be those entrepreneurs: Africa is becoming a better place, because of them!

sorce: Africa Jump Start

Barcelona's Vueling to launch direct flights to Accra

Barcelona's busiest airline; Vueling would, from Saturday, June 20, launch direct weekly flights to Accra.

The return flights to Accra would be operated every Saturday, with 180-seat Airbus A320s. Flight VY7706 would leave Barcelona at 1700 hours on Saturday, arriving in Accra at 2035 hours. The return would leave Accra at 2135 hours and arrive in Barcelona at 0505 hours.

A statement issued by the airline in Accra said the new route would enable passengers flying from Accra to connect via Barcelona with Vueling's more than 155 destinations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Vueling would begin its 11th summer season with its busiest flying schedule yet, with more than 60,000 flights from June to September, and a total offer of 11 million seats, 13 per cent more than in 2014.

Founded in July 2004, with two Airbus A320s, four routes, and a commitment to provide excellent customer service at competitive prices, Vueling, 11 years later, operates on 366 routes to more than 160 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft based at 22 airports.

Vueling is one of the airlines owned by the IAG group, along with BA and Iberia, which already operates from Ghana. The industry publications Air Transport News and 'Agenttravel' both named Vueling the world's best budget airline in 2015.

Source: GNA

How to avoid burnout as an entrepreneur

Launching a business is exciting but stressful, there’s no two ways about that. If you’re not careful you’ll end up burning out. Fortunately, Richard Branson has some advice…
“I can’t count the number of stressful situations I’ve found myself in since I launched my first business over 50 year ago,” the Virgin Founder says in a recent Trinidad Guardian blog. “Stress and business go hand-in-hand, and that’s not a bad thing – high-pressure situations can certainly be motivating – but too much pressure can be emotionally and physically damaging. I’ve found that the best way to manage stress is to find a good work-life balance.”

Wellbeing in the workplace has become a hot topic – our latest Virgin Disruptors debate dealt with the issue too – but it’s important that entrepreneurs don’t neglect their own wellbeing. Here’s Richard Branson’s tips on establishing a healthy work-life balance…

1. Find a routine that works for you
“For some people achieving work-life balance depends on adhering to a strict routine: eat, sleep, exercise, repeat,” he says. “However I don’t have much of a set routine. I believe that flexibility is the answer for entrepreneurs. "

Image from Virgin.com
“You can never be certain what tomorrow will throw at you, so the ability to adapt and prioritise is incredible important. When a challenge presents itself, disrupting your plans, you need to be able to assess its importance and reorganise you to do list accordingly.”

Branson notes the importance of multitasking for entrepreneurs, but also says that constantly shifting attention isn’t always productive. “To set priorities and give myself the space to focus, I write down lists of tasks that I need to complete and when I need to complete them, then organise them based on their possible impact on the company.”


2. Ditch the guilt
As much as working on your business is important, you need time away from work too. Branson says to “ditch any guilt you might feel about stopping work”, schedule some you time in your planner and “make this relaxation time a priority”.
“I’ve found that it’s not a good idea to dive straight into work when you wake up,” he says, “so I dedicate my mornings to exercise and family time. It helps me clear my mind and energises me for the day ahead.”

3. Have fun
Branson says that his one piece of personal advice for budding entrepreneurs is to have fun. “This is often underrated, but you are far more likely to succeed if you are enjoying yourself,” he explains.
“If an opportunity doesn’t excite me, and if it’s not something through which I can make a difference in the world while having a lot of seriously creative fun, then I’d rather pass on it and move along to something else that does interest me.”

How to work less and achieve more

By Mark Cropley
Professor of Health Psychology

Have you ever found it hard to get to sleep because your brain was stuck on a problem at work? Or realized you can’t relax at home or when you’re out with friends because your head is still at the office?
Maybe was a report you needed to complete, or something you said that came across wrong, or maybe it’s an upcoming presentation, an important meeting or an opportunity you can’t afford to miss.

All of us think about work outside the workplace, especially if you are lucky enough to have a stimulating and rewarding job. However, a number of studies suggest that around seventy percent of the population think about work matters when not at work, and around a quarter of the working population are troubled by thinking about work issues and these numbers are increasingly all the time.

Why are more and more people finding it difficult to unwind?

Smartphones, tablets and laptops – it’s never been easier to work outside of work. But it’s not just the technology that’s to blame. At a time of economic uncertainty, more people are working longer hours and finish tasks in the evenings just to keep up with work. As we get better connected and more accessible, our jobs - previously something that only occupied us during the working day - have started to dominate all of our time. Today work plays such a large part in our lives that our thoughts, if we aren’t careful, can to drift back to our desks even when we are not physically there.

Why do we need to relax and unwind?

It is clearly important to rest the mind. Successful people work hard but they also recognize that switching off, relaxing and getting away from work, is not a luxury but a necessity. Constantly thinking about work without taking time to relax is very bad for our health and wellbeing long-term.
One study found that people who can’t switch off from work were three times more likely to develop heart disease, largely as they eat more unhealthy sweet snacks to try to regulate their emotions and distract themselves. The inability to unwind from work has also been associated with issues such as anxiety, depression, concentration issues, sleep problems and fatigue. Sleep problems are one of the most common issues for people who can’t switch off from work, and if you can’t get a good night’s sleep because you’re worrying about work, you’re unlikely to be on top form mentally or physically the next day when you really have to get things done.
So what can be done?

It is becoming more and more important to stay ahead of the game. The key to success is not only working hard but also finding time for leisure to escape from work and distract your mind. If you’re tired and worn out, it’s much harder to be productive and enjoy your work, and you’re much more likely to make mistakes. But if you find it difficult to relax outside of work there is a remedy. Here are ten tips you can adopt in order to switch off and relax the mind when not working.  

At the end of the day develop an unwinding routine to signal the brain that you are leaving work. Wash your coffee mug, and tidy away your work station. Clear the clutter to clear the mind.
On the commute home try to unwind by listening to music or playing puzzles. If you drive, listen to the radio.
As soon as you enter your house, put away and hide anything to do with work (e.g., clothes, laptops, briefcase, lunch boxes etc.).
Find time during the day to give yourself 15-20 minutes just to relax, to let go, to reflect and unwind.
Find something outside of work to distract the mind. Develop a hobby that requires you to focus your attention on something else apart from work.
Don’t make working during the evening a regular habit. If you have to work during the evening, don’t work too late and set yourself a time limit and stop.
Make time to socialize with family and friends. When socializing make it a habit not to check emails or send work related texts.

Plan and take regular mini breaks and holidays. An estimated forty percent of workers don’t take their full holiday entitlement.
Try to exercise and eat healthily.
Don’t take on too much at work and don’t be embarrassed to say no to work.
Some jobs are inherently more demanding and mentally taxing than others. As we move away from a manufacturing to a knowledge economy, learning to flick the off switch is become an increasingly essential skill for survival. We need balance in our lives. Remember all work and no play made Jack a dull boy. If we don’t find time and learn to switch off, we are all in danger of burning out before we’ve even reached our best.

Six tips for every young entrepreneur

Richard Branson's point of view

The Virgin Founder recently answered a reader’s question by listing six things that every fledgling entrepreneur should bear in mind when starting up…
"Ultimately, there’s only one way to start your career, and that’s by starting a business. If you find yourself hesitating, remember my motto: Screw it, just do it," explained Richard Branson in a recent Trinidad Guardian blog.

Take a read of his six quick tips and let us know which one resonates with you. Or maybe you think he’s missed a trick? In which case let us know your own tip below…

1. Think about what drives you
When you’re considering which idea to turn into a business, think about the subjects and problems that interest you most. Is there an industry you love? A talent you have? A cause that you are 110 per cent behind? Don’t start a business just because you think it’ll turn a profit; if you’re not in love with the idea, you won’t move mountains to make it happen.

2. Start at your doorstep

Now that you have decided on the area you’d like to focus on, look around yourself. What is the market missing that it desperately needs? Which services do you and your friends use that are lackluster and could be hugely improved? Think about how your business could help your street, your neighborhood and your city. From there, you might someday expand to bigger markets.

3. Shake things up

As you design your product or service, remember your resolve to serve the public; business is about improving other people’s lives. Hopefully, once you’ve done that, more money comes in than goes out.

From Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic to Virgin Money and Virgin Active, our team has always launched businesses out of a genuine desire to disrupt the status quo and improve things for customers.

4. Listen to advice, not to naysayers

When you’re just starting out, you should ask those with experience in your field for advice, especially your parents. But be careful not to confuse discouraging comments for good advice. Lots of people will tell you that your idea won’t work, or that it has been done before. When I started out, I lost count of the people who told me that I wouldn’t succeed.

5. Stay focused - and motivated

You need to dream big and have lofty goals - but in your first year, concentrate on establishing your business and surviving. Keep your eyes on the prize and on day-to-day operations, setting small targets for each day, then each week, each month, each quarter and each year. Write them down and then tick them off. You will be amazed at how much satisfaction you get from this.

6. Love what you do

Whatever you’re doing in business, it should be fun. That has always been a priority at Virgin, and it’s a vital component of our success. I love what we do, our employees love what we do, and so our customers love what we do, too.

Richard Branson: The importance of personal experience

When building a business, it’s important to do your research and to have a good overview of your plans, but first-hand experience is also really important, according to Richard Branson…
“The ideas for the best businesses tend to come from personal experience,” the Virgin Founder writes in a recent Trinidad Guardian blog. “There are many great ideas that have arisen by other means… but when you are generating ideas for a business, first-hand experience is essential.”

Have a read of his reasons as to why personal experience is important, and let us know why experience is important to you…

1. Personal connection equals commitment.
When you decide to create a business because of your own experiences in the industry, that probably means the idea was sparked by your frustration with an under-performing product or service. A close connection to the problem will keep you focused on finding a solution.
Passion is vital for an entrepreneur because it keeps a founder motivated through the tough times, which are inevitable. If you start a business based on an idea you came up with while browsing the internet, it’s less likely you’ll remain committed to it, since there will be little sense of passion or a deeper mission behind your choice.

2. Building a business is like riding a rollercoaster
After you launch your enterprise, there will be fantastic moments where you are soaring and feel untouchable, and others where you plunge into chaos and all you can do is try to hold on.

Being familiar with the sector you’re entering can mean less chaos and more fun. Anyone can come up with an idea; the tricky (and extremely difficult) part is keeping cool while you are turning those ideas into reality; especially solving the problems as they come up. Experience with the industry from the customer’s perspective will give you an edge.

3. You’ll have a competitive advantage
When we started Virgin Hotels, I knew that there was a market for high-quality hotels that combined great service with real character and unique touches. This is because I have stayed in hundreds of different hotels over the years and learned exactly what I liked and disliked along the way.

There are plenty of decent hotels out there, but we concentrated on the little details that make a huge difference from offering an app that controls room temperature, to putting a ‘yes’ button on every phone, so that guests who press it will be immediately connected to a Virgin staffer who will help them with whatever they need. That’s how we found our competitive advantage. We provided a level of service that our rivals didn’t, because we knew what our customers were looking for.

4. You know your customer base
One of the most obvious benefits of starting a business based on your personal experience is that you know there is a market for what you want to sell. And since you’re able to relate to your customers, you will be positioned to make better decisions that meet their specific needs and wants.

Don’t be afraid to concentrate on serving a small group of people very well. Try building an engaged and loyal local base for your product or service, and see what works. Keep Amazon’s example in mind: when that company was launched they started small, by focusing on selling books online, but look at it now!

5. You will keep refining your ideas
Business opportunities are like buses: if you miss one, there’s always another. Your big idea could be right under your nose. When it presents itself, grab it with both hands.

2nd African SME Summit Dreaming Africa

Welcome to the 2nd African SME Summit

Last year's was summit was a huge success on the theme Small Companies, Big Impact. We had more than 350 delegates and speakers from 10 different countries over three day period. These were business owners in the SME space, innovators and high-end corporate institutions.

This year, the theme for the summit is dreaming Africa. It speaks directly to the pertinent issues of motivation, pride, growth, innovation and the building of viable businesses which your brand is noted for. The ASMES seeks to among other things change the perception business owners have about running their businesses, build on business-business mentorship, promote good corporate governance and promote the building of sustainable businesses.

Join us this year at the Best Western Premier Hotel from the 5th - 7th November 2015. Log on to www.africansme.org and register now!

Register a minimum of 10 colleagues from your organization and get 10% discount.

Visit our website, which is being upgraded to a resource centre that will contain lots of information that will help grow your business.

You can also call Naa on 0243288505 or send an email to mabel@creativetrendsgh.com for further information and inquiry

Source: Creative Trends Gh

Experts design open source technology for improved cookstoves

Experts in renewable energy sector has ended a six-day workshop in Accra to design "open source improved cook stoves technologies" for the agro-processing industry in Ghana.

It was aimed at bridging the gap between sustainable cookstoves production and its improved technologies to replace the traditional cookstove energy used in the industry.

This would help reduce deforestation and the negative health impact, as well as poverty reduction among women in agro-processing energy sources.

The workshop forms part of the Netherlands Development Organisation's (SNV's) renewable energy sector goals to increase access to the use of improved institutional cookstoves for productive use.

Mr Alex Kwame Donyinah, the Associate Adviser and Project Manager for the Energy, Poverty and Gender of the Agro-Processing Project of the SNV, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the workshop was to join forces to be able to supply better products on a commercial and sustainable basis.

He said the advantage of the open source improved cookstove was an effort being directed towards a limited number of designs to be constructed by manufacturers.

"This will reduce cost; improve quality and open up the possibility to attract carbon financing for the open source improved cookstoves." Mr Donyinah said the SNV was implementing projects that sought to disseminate over 1,300 improved cookstoves for fish smoking, gari processing, shea butter, rice parboiling and pito brewing in Ghana.

"These improved cookstoves are developed, promoted and constructed by a number of manufactures, who each need to invest in technology development and marketing of their products on a commercial and sustainable basis," he said.

Mr Emmanuel Aziebor, Associate Adviser and Facilitator ,told the GNA that, the workshop provided a rich-mix of international consultants and experts from academia, as well as, cookstove standards and testing experts.

He said they were tasked to contribute knowledge to the development of the open source cookstove. They were also asked to critically analyse the technology gaps within the existing cookstoves in the market, identify improvements required and best practices and design open source improved institutional cookstoves for productive use.

Mr Aziebor said manuals would be prepared to train manufacturers to produce more of the improved cookstoves and to also help disseminate information through market-based solutions for agro-processors to adopt.

Mrs Philomena Gordor, a fish smoker from Keta, in the Volta Region and a participant in an interview, expressed gratitude to SNV for organising the workshop to assist improve the technology in fish smoking.

She said making improved cookstoves available to agro-processor would help improve the health of women in the industry, adding that; "we have really suffered from excessive smokes from the use of traditional stoves, which had affected our health negatively."

Source: GNA

11 Ways Bad Bosses Flub Your Performance Reviews

Performance evaluations: done well, they're great for the employee -- and the employer.

Too bad so many are handled poorly.

Here are eleven things to avoid when you create and deliver performance evaluations:

1. Don't talk about development plans you aren't absolutely sure you can deliver.

You may want to offer training. You may intend to offer training. But if you aren't sure you will be able to, keep quiet. Don't create expectations you can't fulfill. (And if you do feel sure and later realize that you can't because you don't have the funds, the time, etc.--then tell the employee why. Immediately.)

And don't say "hopefully" or "possibly" or "maybe." The employee doesn't hear "possibly." The employee hears "definitely."

2. Don't delve into personality.

Maybe the employee truly is irritable or moody or a downer. Fine: Talk about how those personality traits manifest themselves. Talk about the resulting behavior. Talk about the times he or she snapped at customers or criticized other employees.

Always talk about behavior, not personality.

3. Don't talk about other employees.

Never compare one employee to another employee. Always evaluate the employee's performance against standards, goals, and targets.

4. Don't ask the employee how she feels she performed.

What's the point? If the employee is outstanding, don't expect her to blow her own horn. You do it. Tell her she's outstanding.

If she's sub-par, don't expect her to say so. Explain why she falls short in key areas and then focus on helping her improve.

5. Don't forget concrete examples.

Whatever you talk about you must be able to back up with specific examples. If you don't have an example, especially for a negative, don't bring it up.

And speaking of examples...

6. Don't only provide recent concrete examples.

If you're evaluating performance over the past year, make sure you have examples that reflect the entire year. (That's especially important if the employee did great things early in the evaluation term; he'll appreciate that you remember all his contributions.)

Evaluations are designed to inform as well as motivate, so providing "older" examples helps employees focus on performing well for the whole year instead of just in the few months before their next evaluation.

7. Don't argue.

You and the employee may disagree. That's natural. So listen. Be professional. Discuss. Provide reasons. Share your perspective.

But don't argue. You'll both lose.8. Don't wing it.

If the employee asks a question and you don't know the answer, say so. If the employee asks a question you can't answer -- like about another employee, or a customer, or a vendor -- then say so.

9.  Don't wait until the day of the review. 

If she does something well, tell her. If he makes a mistake, tell him -- and explain what he can do next time. 

There should never be surprises during the actual review; if anything you say comes as a surprise to the employee, you haven't done your job.

10. Don't treat all goals the same.

Of course you evaluate employees against standard performance measurements and goals. Then you might assign stretch or development goals. Cool.

But don't treat the two the same. By definition a stretch goal is difficult to accomplish. Failing to meet standard expectations is a problem; failing to meet stretch goals is not. Don't "ding" an employee for failing to fully accomplish something truly amazing. Celebrate the fact they came close -- because, after all, that means she's accomplished more.

And last but not least...

11. Remember it's all about the employee -- not you.

Performance reviews may be one of the only times the employee is truly in the spotlight. So don't hijack the meeting. Don't talk about yourself. Don't talk about your goals or your interests. Keep the focus entirely on the employee.

It's his time. It's her time. It's not your time. Make sure every employee leaves their evaluation feeling that way.

By Jeff Haden

Seven Things That Brand You Unprofessional by Liz Ryan

Being professional has always meant taking one's obligations seriously, but at one time being professional was also assumed to mean being stiff and formal. A lot of people still have that idea in their minds.

I have been called 'unprofessional' for a lot of silly reasons, like wearing a shade of pink lipstick that someone thought was too vivid, or for telling the truth when no one else in the room wanted the truth to be told.

Gradually I realized that people throw the term 'unprofessional' around for several different reasons.

There are behaviors, of course, that are actually unprofessional and that will tarnish your reputation. We'll talk about seven of them in a minute.

Sometimes when people say 'That's unprofessional' they mean that something you've done or said makes them uncomfortable. Whatever you did or said might be the most professional thing anyone in your company has ever done!

Professional doesn't mean stiff and staid. It means ethical. It means upright. A profession is a calling, not just a job. When you are professional, you act with the highest standards of integrity and regard for your organization's welfare, not to mention the best interests of its customers, employees and shareholders.

What sorts of behaviors qualify as professional, using our definition? It is professional to tell the truth, especially when it is hard to do so. It is professional to treat your customers, vendors and employees as valued collaborators.

It is professional to remember that no job title or business card can excuse or give cover to rude or less-than-compassionate behaviors. Going to work doesn't mean giving up your humanity, no matter how fervently people may tell you that it does.

Here are seven things that will brand you as unprofessional -- make sure you're steering clear of all seven!

Dropping Your Commitments

Everyone says "I keep my commitments" but virtually none of the hiring managers and recruiters who tell job-seekers "We'll get back with you in a few days" actually do that. Your word is a heavy thing. It's a big commitment for you to say "Here's what I'm going to do."

You have to actually do it, then. You can't make excuses for yourself. It's very unprofessional to do that.

Blowing off a promise to a job-seeker, of course, is not the only way to shirk your commitments. If you said you're going to finish a report or call a customer, you have to do it, even when it's inconvenient and you're tired.

Blaming Other People for Your Mistakes

Our client Maggie was seven weeks into a client engagement and running into roadblocks. "The Sales VP who hired me for this consulting gig says the company's Marketing department is slowing her down, and delaying the project," said Bridget.

"I called the Marketing VP just to talk. I didn't throw her colleague, the Sales VP, under the bus. I just asked the Marketing VP what she knew about the logjam and how I could help sort things out.

"She told me a radically different story than my own client did. She told me that the Sales VP had announced at a meeting that our project was on hold for budget reasons.

"She said the Sales VP told her colleagues she had gone over her budget and needed to delay our project to make up the shortfall.

"I can't work that way. I set up a call with my client to clear the air. She blamed her colleague in Marketing again on the phone with me, so I asked her to pay me for my time so far and I closed up the project. She begged me to reconsider but I can't work with someone who blames other people for their mistakes. That is incredibly unprofessional."

 Attending Professional Events Impaired

Alcohol is a social lubricant and often found at business dinners and networking events. Imbibing too much of a good thing is highly unprofessional. Err on the side of caution and drink less than you feel you could.

That way, you won't trash your professional reputation for the sake of a slightly more intense buzz. As much as you may feel that your elevated state improves your decision-making or conversational skills, you're wrong.

Assaulting Other People's Senses

People have five primary senses, and it's unprofessional to invade any of them at work. Don't eat hot food at your workstation, because people don't want to smell what you've cooked for your lunch while they're trying to get their work done.

It's not okay to talk loudly at your desk because no one wants to hear your phone conversations (or your radio, for that matter). If you ride your bike or run at lunch, take a shower before you start working again.

Don't chew the ice in your drink at staff meetings. Your manners prove your professionalism or shortage thereof. Be mindful!

Throwing Your Co-Workers to the Wolves

When someone goofs up at work, you can let them know about the error compassionately. It's never professional to bust people for their mistakes either one-on-one or in a group setting. What if it were you on the hot seat?

Cutting Corners

They say there is exactly enough time in life to do the things that need to be done. You broadcast your professionalism every time you answer the phone, reply to an email message or do any part of your job, so take the time to do them right!

Everybody knows the annoyance of getting an email reply that makes it clear the person who responded to your message didn't read it. Take a moment, settle down and do your job as thoughtfully as you can, even when you're under pressure.

Badmouthing Your Employer or Its Associates

If you hate your job, you owe it to yourself and your employer to leave. As long as you are employed, you must not criticize your employer to anyone who has or might have a relationship with the firm. It is very badly-brought-up to do so.

It takes two to tango, and you are part of the dance! Take responsibility for everything that has happened to you and realize that it's all learning. If your boss is a jerk, s/he's your jerk, because you accepted the job!

Ron Burgundy's sign-off "Stay classy, San Diego!" is good advice even for those of us who live many time zones away. People will remember the way you handle yourself years after they met you. What would you like them to remember you for?

Most people wonder at some point or another whether  their professional manners are up to snuff!

Tullow Ghana Limited warns public of contract scam

Tullow Ghana Limited at the weekend warned the public of several variants of contract award proposition scams purported to be sanctioned by Tullow Ghana Limited and its employees currently in operation.

Tullow Ghana Limited's name and identity is being used fraudulently for advance contract fees fraud as the fraudsters approach a vendor or supplier by individuals claiming to represent Tullow Ghana Limited as employees.

In a statement issued by Tullow Corporate Communications and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said: "These individuals advise the victim that they are being invited to bid for a large equipment or supply contract. They are then asked to pay a qualification and facilitation advance fee," the statement said.

It said: "Tullow Ghana Limited does not seek any fees for doing business with vendors or suppliers and these individuals are not employees of Tullow Ghana Limited.

"If you have already been approached by such an individual, you are advised to terminate all further contacts with the scammers."

The statement said: "We are aware of fraudulent representations that have been made by individuals and organisations who are in no way associated with the Tullow group.

"We are taking the necessary measures to limit any adverse impact of these representations on those people with whom we do or may do business, as well as on potential employees.

"We are aware of emails that claim to have been sent by Tullow group personnel and attempt to trick people into supplying their personal details and/or money by saying that the Tullow group will contact them about an employment offer.

"Please be aware that we will never ask for payment for an offer of employment or as any part of our recruitment process. We do not use unsolicited emails to ask potential employees for personal details.

"The Tullow group has a very open, transparent and fair recruitment process. People interested in working for us need to apply for positions through this formalised recruitment process.

"We also advise shareholders and potential shareholders to be cautious about any unsolicited financial advice, offers to buy shares at a discount or offers of free company reports. In particular, we will like to draw attention to the existence of boiler room scams."

Source: GNA

10 Business Opportunities in Africa That Will Create More Millionaires in 2015

Oil revenues? Nope, not for today’s fast emerging African entrepreneurs and millionaires! Are you wondering in which sectors you will find the most profitable business opportunities in Africa? Then this article is for you! It was written by John-Paul Iwuoha of smallstarter.com for the New Year – and as we have just entered June and are almost half a year in, I thought it was the perfect post for those of you who are still trying to navigate through Africa’s opportunities, and a reminder that time is passing by so quickly.

Let’s renew our sense of urgency!

My tip if you feel overwhelmed:

1. Look out for a sector that excites you the most regarding a start-up venture or an investment – something of real interest to you

2. Then choose the best 1-2 markets (countries) for the particular sector you chose, and

3. Look for unique opportunities or problems that need to be met within that sector and country.

Now, here is the article for you! Enjoy!

Last year, there were several inspiring success stories of African entrepreneurs who built successful businesses out of simple everyday needs, problems and challenges. 2015 will be a lot better. I can feel it already!

It’s true there are lots of amazing business opportunities in Africa. However, it can get very confusing if you don’t know where to look. In this article, I’ll show you ten of the hottest business opportunities in  Africa that will create more successful entrepreneurs and millionaires in 2015.

‘The best place to find gold is to look where it has been found before.’ The opportunities in this article have created some of the biggest successes Africa has ever seen. If you want to increase your chances of building a successful business in 2015, these opportunities could make your dream come true.

Let’s meet them…

1. Media and Entertainment

Africa’s film industry has become a global and cultural phenomenon that enjoys a huge following within and outside the continent.

The industry serves an audience that’s hungry for African stories of love, drama, intrigue, comedy, redemption, action and more. It’s no surprise that Africa’s film industry is currently the third largest in the world behind Hollywood and India’s “Bollywood”.

‘30 Days in Atlanta‘ is a Nigerian romantic comedy film that was released in late 2014. Africa releases hundreds of films every year but this one has totally changed the game. Just seven weeks after its release, ’30 Days in Atlanta’ grossed over $500,000! It’s the largest revenues ever made by a single African movie! This is great news for the continent and a sign of more high-grossing blockbusters to come!

Jason Njoku who lived in Manchester, UK, made use of the demands in the film industry in 2011. He founded iRoko TV – an idea that now turned into Africa’s most powerful online movie platform. Jason has since moved to Nigeria and today he is one of Africa’s youngest millionaires.
But it’s not just the Africa’s film industry that’s on the rise.

African music has become hot cakes too! From Nigeria to South Africa, there’s a wave of raw and promising music talents that is sweeping across the continent. 2015 will surely be an interesting year for Africa’s entertainment industry – and there are opportunities for you!

2. Food & Agribusiness

The opportunities in Africa’s food and agribusiness space remain huge and will not go out of fashion anytime soon. With over one billion people to feed, Africa’s food and agribusiness market is a multi-billion dollar opportunity for entrepreneurs who know where to look.

Food production is still a huge and breathtaking opportunity. Grains, milk and all sorts of raw and semi-processed agro-products are still imported into Africa even though the continent has an enormous capacity to produce these. Entrepreneurs who can produce food products locally could reap very huge rewards.

The opportunities in food and agribusiness cover several different products across the value chain. In 2015, I expect that several African entrepreneurs will make a fortune in this industry. The possibilities are endless and largely unexplored.

3. Retail

Africa’s retail market is a multi-billion dollar business opportunity. In addition to its over 1 billion population, more Africans are buying stuff due to their growing economies, rising middle class and rapid urbanization.

Africa’s retail market is going through a monumental shift. Retail is gradually moving away from informal trading in open markets to organized retail in shopping malls and online stores. Africa’s homegrown supermarket chains like Shoprite, Game, Woolworths and Nakumatt are entering more countries and are spreading fast across the continent.

The growth in Africa’s online retail market is more breathtaking. Jumia, one of Africa’s fastest growing online retail businesses, is now worth more than $500 million, it only launched in 2012! With a presence in several African countries including Egypt, Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria, Jumia is now regarded as the “Amazon of Africa.”

Despite the boom in online retail in Africa, this segment currently makes up less than 5 percent of the continent’s entire retail market. There’s still a lot of room in this space to serve the African market and a lot of money will be made in the process.

Seizing Africa’s Retail Opportunities  is a detailed report that takes an interesting look at the opportunities in Africa’s retail industry. According to the report, Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Gabon, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, and Ethiopia currently provide the best retail opportunities in Africa.

4. Fashion & Beauty

Africa’s fashion and beauty market is developing at an impressive rate. The continent’s overwhelmingly young population provides a ready market for trendy fashion. All kinds of apparel, including locally made fabrics and imported designer labels have become hot-selling products across Africa’s rapidly expanding urban areas.

Africa has hundreds of rising stars who are building successful businesses in the fashion and beauty industry. I’ll share a few interesting examples with you.

Suzie Wokabi is one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs breaking into the beauty and personal care market, a sector that is dominated by international giants like Unilever, Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal and Mary Kay. Suzie Beauty, the cosmetic business she started about 7 years ago in Kenya, has become hugely successful – a multi million Dollar business.

Kunmi Otitoju is another inspiring entrepreneur who has built a successful business with her luxury label, Minku. Her young business makes high-quality leather bags designed with Aso-oke fabric, a hand-loomed cloth woven by Nigeria’s Yoruba people. Her unique designs have become a major hit in high-end stores in Nigeria.

The list of promising African entrepreneurs who are building successful businesses in the fashion industry is quite impressive. This would be an interesting industry to watch in 2015.

5. Real Estate

The demand for both residential and commercial real estate continues to grow across Africa. However, there is still a huge accommodation shortage. In countries like Nigeria, for example, over 16 million new houses need to be built to solve Nigeria’s serious housing problem. The estimated cost of providing these homes stands at a whopping $350 billion!

The opportunities in Africa’s real estate market include investing in land and real estate (properties) to take advantage of fast rising property prices. There is also lucrative potential in developing middle and low-income housing and office space for sale, lease or rent.

6. Internet & Technology

Africa’s Internet & Tech space will be a joy to watch in 2015. Tech hubs and incubators are springing up across the continent from Accra (Ghana) to Lagos (Nigeria), Jo’burg (South Africa) and Nairobi (Kenya). These hubs have become Africa’s “Silicon Valley” and continue to produce the best tech innovators and entrepreneurs Africa has ever seen.

Last year, the acquisition of Saya, a mobile messaging phone app developed by two young entrepreneurs from Ghana, made the headlines. This simple app for feature phones, which was created in 2011, started to replace SMS texting and became an instant hit in West Africa and even in faraway India!

Saya is just one of several success stories in Africa’s internet and tech industry. African entrepreneurs are using the internet and technology to solve problems and challenges on the continent. From taxi services to mobile payment systems and motorbike delivery services, African tech startups are buzzing with creativity and promise.

7. The Green Revolution

Around the world, the appetite for green and eco-friendly products and services is growing quite rapidly. Due to the threats of climate change, any solution that preserves the natural environment, reduces waste and pollution, and promotes reuse and recycling have become huge business opportunities.

Several African entrepreneurs and startups are already riding the wave of this opportunity and are becoming hugely successful.

In Ethiopia, Bethlehem Alemu’s Solerebels has become the world’s first truly eco-friendly footwear brand. This hugely successful business makes footwear from recycled waste material and sells its footwear products to customers in North America, Europe and as far as Japan. Again, another multi million Dollar company was born!

There’s also Thato Kgatlhanye (pictured), founder of Repurpose Schoolbags which makes eco-friendly bags from up-cycled plastic shopping bags. And there’s also Patrick Ngowi, the Tanzanian entrepreneur who has built a multi-million dollar business from solar power. Biogas production from organic waste is also another growing opportunity in Africa.

The Green Revolution will definitely be an interesting space to watch in 2015!

8. Building and Construction Supplies

Africa is going through a construction boom, an opportunity that will certainly create a lot of wealth for entrepreneurs on the continent.
It’s no surprise that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is heavily invested in the cement business. Cement is one of the most important materials for building and construction work – houses, buildings, roads, bridges etc. Africa used to spend billions of dollars to import cement. But not anymore. Dangote and other cement producers like Lafarge are spreading fast across the continent.

Cement is just one example of several building and construction supplies that are growing in demand across Africa. The demand for steel is another multi-billion dollar business opportunity that’s probably bigger than cement. Timber (wood), roofing materials, glass, paints, plumbing and electrical supplies are other products that are enjoying a high demand due to the construction boom that’s happening across the continent.

9. Financial services

Like in other developing regions of the world, the banking, payment systems and overall financial services industry in Africa is one of the least developed in the world.

More than 50 percent of Africans still don’t have access to formal financial services and a huge number of transactions are still done in cash.

Africa presents a unique opportunity to make money in its financial services market. Entrepreneurs who can provide simple, easy and convenient solutions will be well rewarded.

One interesting startup to watch in this space in 2015 is Nigeria’s SimplePay. This platform, which provides payment solutions to online merchants in Nigeria has already attracted over $300,000 in investments and plans to raise up to $10 million this year. If all goes well, SimplePay could become the PayPal of Nigeria, and could make its young founder a millionaire!

10. Investment

With slow economic growth in North America and Europe, more investment is pouring into fast emerging regions like Africa. In search for higher returns, more investors are now looking to invest in Africa. Whether you plan to funnel funds into Africa’s stock markets or invest directly in African startups, the potential for high reward has never looked better.

Towards the end of last year, a Nigerian billionaire investor, Tony Elumelu, committed to invest $100 million in African startups and entrepreneurs over the next 10 years. This is just one of several ambitious investment initiatives that will create tremendous opportunities and wealth for entrepreneurs who can exploit them.

One interesting trend I’ve noticed is the growing number of venture capital firms and startup funding platforms that are dedicated to the African investment market. More of these platforms will open shop in 2015. There’s never been a better time to invest in Africa’s future!

Source: http://africajumpstart.com/

Leadership Lessons: How to Be the Best Apple on the Tree by Natalie Spiro

The Internet is alive with mentions and tweets about Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference and while everyone shares their opinions about the company’s latest tech announcements, I can’t help but think about how they came to lead the tech industry. Yes, Apple is known for its original, user-friendly products, but I think what is truly innovative is the way they handle their business. Over the years, I’ve spotted three major leadership characteristics that make this company the biggest, brightest apple on the tech tree:

Be open to collaboration. As Apple users know, Apple is always releasing new product models and software updates. Though I admit the amount of times we have to update our phones and computers seems excessive sometimes, I appreciate that Apple is developing these improvements with our feedback in mind. Make an effort to improve based on any suggestions you receive; there is always room for improvement and you might become aware of something you’ve overlooked before. So many people put interaction with others on the backburner when they’re working on projects, but I think input from others is necessary to be a great leader. There’s always something to learn from the people around you and by being open to others’ ideas and opinions, you can find innovative ways to approach issues, make improvements and spark new ideas for future projects.

Pursue the unconventional. Ever have crazy ideas that you think would be impossible to make a reality? Don’t be afraid to pursue those inclinations, as they just might be crazy enough to work! Apple designers had no guidelines to follow when they decided to create touchscreen smartphones or develop a smart watch, but they weren’t afraid to go through a lot of trial and error to bring their ideas to life. I know that more often than not we’re afraid to pursue the unknown, but as a leader you have the opportunity (dare I say responsibility?) to go outside of your comfort zone to help your organization move forward. Embracing your creative side will give you an advantage as a leader and can help you drum up innovative solutions for obstacles within your organization.

Strive for simplicity. I’ve always admired Apple’s business philosophy of providing simple, no-frills products that everyone can use. Everything from its products and software, to its website and applications are specifically designed to be sleek and user-friendly. To be a strong leader, it’s important that you work hard to create a steady rhythm with your schedule to remove any complexity from your life, and to trust those around you to take on tasks that need to be done but are not your top priority. The simpler it is to maneuver through your day, the easier it will be for you to get work done. I think the best way to start simplifying is by establishing a single, clear goal for your organization to work toward. This way, everyone can be on the same page and can work together with the same purpose.
Just how Steve Jobs famously said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower,” Apple Inc. has shown us that leadership and innovation truly do go hand in hand. In your opinion, which company is currently the most innovative and why?

State of Real Estate: New Home Construction Is Gearing Up for a 15-Year Boom. Who's Ready? by John Burns

If you want an industry with a great long-term outlook, consider construction. I have run the math. Even with the most conservative of assumptions, household formations will boom over the next 15 years, and we will need well in excess of 1.5 million homes built per year to meet the demand. That is 50 percent more than we built last year. All of my builder clients tell me there is a huge shortage of talent —both blue collar and white collar.

I could go on and on summarizing why the housing market has been slow to recover, and why we won’t hit 1.5 million homes this year or next, but that is not the point of this article.

Look at the U.S. population today, shown by decade born below. Those born in 1989-1994, who are currently 21–26 years old, are the largest 5-year cohort out there. Yes, their struggles to gain full-time employment at a fair wage, and to payoff student debt, have been well-documented. What hasn’t been documented sufficiently is that the majority of them will still leave the nest, marry, have children and need a place to live.

There are some very exciting industry developments too. We like to group the many, many factors that impact housing demand into four categories:

Government Involvement. From immigration policies to mortgage policies to investment in urban areas or infrastructure, government will continue to play a major role in housing demand. There is a tremendous need to help government with their policy decisions.
Technology. From improved health care extending life to IVF technology allowing babies later in life, internet access enabling knowledge workers to live wherever they want, and construction technologies making new homes more energy efficient, technology will continue to evolve, change where people live, how long people live, and in what type of home they will live.
Economy. You need a good paying job to form a household, and the Great Recession was so damaging that there are still fewer full-time employed people than 6 years ago. However, regional economies like Seattle, Silicon Valley, Denver and Dallas are booming right now, and signs point to continued strong growth in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Georgia and throughout the Southeast, where jobs are plentiful and housing is affordable.
Social Shifts. Television has done a great job depicting household life over the decades, from Leave it to Beaver in the 1950s and 1960s to Modern Family. Family structures are changing, and thus the type of home people desire has shifted as well. One great example is the surge in immigration in the last 25 years (more green cards issued than the prior 70 years), which is helping drive an increase in homes designed for multiple generations.
In summary, my home builder clients have been complaining for 3 years about a shortage of qualified labor, both blue collar and white collar. Our research shows that the industry will grow 50 percent over the next few years, and demographic housing demand will maintain that level for a very long time. If you want a great career, consider the many, many ways you can become involved in the construction industry.