HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR A JOB INTERVIEW

Visualize the interview. Picture yourself as poised, confident, articulate: A little edginess before an interview can be helpful if it makes you alert and energized, but too much anxiety can be disastrous.
Make a list of your strengths and weakness and practice how you will articulate them. To gain confidence, executive coaches advise you write down several of your greatest accomplishments and then list the skills you used to achieve them. If you know your skills and how you make a difference, it will be easier to talk about them in an interview setting.
The same logic applies to your weaknesses. Long before the day of the interview, candidates should think of solid answers to three questions they don’t want to be asked. Write them down if you have to and go over them several times. This will go a long way toward relieving anxiety.
Knowing you look your best for an interview creates confidence as well. Be sure to get that suit pressed well in advance of the big day, polish or wear good shoes that will best fit your dress and do not go overboard with flashy accessories or designer touches.

HERE ARE STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING SKILLS

Steps to Improve your writing skills
Grammatical Errors
You probably don't need us to tell you that errors in your document will make you look unprofessional. It is essential to learn grammar properly, and to avoid common mistakes that your spell checker won't find.

Once you know what you're writing, and for whom you're writing, you actually have to start writing.
Audience and Format
Start by identifying who will read your message. Is it targeted at senior managers, the entire human resources team, or a small group of engineers? With everything you write, your readers, or recipients, should define your tone as well as aspects of the content
Proofing
The enemy of good proofreading is speed. Many people rush through their documents, but this is how you miss mistakes.
Proof your headers and subheaders; Read the document out loud; Use your finger to follow text as you read; Proofread one sentence at a time, working your way from the end to the beginning. ‪

EDUCATION SHOULD BE A SACROSANT TO KNOWLEDGE, PROSPERITY AND HOPE FOR EVERYONE.

“Education Cannot Wait”
__New fund launched to support children and youth in emergencies
Did you know that 75 million of the world’s children and youth are missing out on school because of violent conflicts, natural disasters and health emergencies like Ebola?
I don’t need to tell you that people in such crises are more vulnerable to risk of abuse, human trafficking, extremism, and exploitation of many kinds. It’s a terrible situation and children are usually the worst affected.
This week at the inaugural World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, local and global organizers led by PM Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Education, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon officially announced the launch of “Education Cannot Wait.” This unique fund for education in emergencies was put together to create a more collaborative and effective response to help kids who’s schooling has been interrupted by humanitarian disasters.
“Education Cannot Wait” funds will benefit school-age children and youth living in (or escaping from) communities torn apart by violent conflict, disease outbreaks, earthquakes, floods and other emergencies that destroy infrastructure, scatter teachers and families, and disrupt access to education… sometimes for years on end. (Right now, less than 2% of humanitarian aid during crises goes toward education).
__In addition to funding pledges made this week by governments, I am pleased to tell you that the global private sector is also doing its part to support “Education Cannot Wait!”
About four years ago, I was one of the co-founders of the Global Business Coalition for Education. This week, GBC Education, led by Executive Chair Sarah Brown, announced its plans to mobilize $100 million in private sector financial and in-kind donations to support the Education Cannot Wait initiative. The Coalition’s 100+ private sector organizations will draw from our networks of skills and resources to support this important cause in various ways.
Education should be a sacrosanct door to knowledge, prosperity and hope for everyone. We must each do what we can to respect and promote everyone’s right to go to school! Especially children and youth… No exceptions!
GBC Education is a global movement of businesses committed to changing children’s lives through education. Many other international groups are working on this issue. What about you? Why don’t you look around at some social needs in your own communities, and come up with some innovative solutions? It doesn't have to be a huge fund like Education Cannot Wait.
Start on your own street!
Even your one voice can make a world of difference...
If you want to learn more, check out:
Global Business Coalition for Education http://gbc-education.org
Safe Schools video featuring Dynamo, Laura Carmichael and poet Yomi
(Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84v9VM1KMTs&feature=youtu.be)
End.
Image Credit: A World At School

WANT TO MAKE MONEY OFF STUDENTS ? HERE ARE 10 THINGS THEY CAN'T STOP BUYING

Running a small business targeting majorly students as customers can get tricky a lot. Figuring out what college students need, and been able to provide it at the lowest possible cost can be a major break for your small business in a university. But it gets harder when you don’t exactly understand what’s on their college checklist.

What do college students need or want?

Before a student decides what to take to college, they consider their potential full semester experience. They think of how their stay on campus would go for that semester, and after identifying their basic needs, they draw up their college checklist and list out items like their dorm room essentials, academic essentials, feeding allowances, miscellaneous charges, and general college essentials.

Accurately identifying and providing what college students need while on campus for the academic year or semester, will ensure your small business on campus remains profitable all through the period.

Here Are 10 Things Most College Students Need, Want, And Can’t Stop Buying:

1). Textbooks:

For every course taken in a semester, college students are required to own at least one textbook to cover it. An ideal student who takes their courses and semester seriously always purchases all the required textbooks, many other students buy just a few, and totally unserious students don’t buy any at all.
Students mostly prefer to buy their textbooks from the college bookstore, but would divert their purchase if they can get them somewhere else on campus for a lot lesser. Setting up a bookstore on campus that sells cheap textbooks or used textbooks will get students coming your way to buy the books they require for the semester.
If the books are too expensive, you can offer a textbook rental service to the college students. Some would rent a textbook for a price more than 10 times lower than the original price just for the semester. Textbook rentals are getting popular in countries like the United States. In Nigeria for instance, most students prefer to buy their textbooks than rent them.
Aside from selling textbooks in a physical store, you can also sell them online. Selling textbooks online works efficiently in just a few parts of the world; especially countries in the Western world. In Africa, the model isn’t currently feasible.
If college students can compare textbook prices between yours and what is sold in their college campuses, you’d gain a lot of customers; as long as what you sell costs a lot less.

2). Tuition:

If you own a school, a college, or are even a tutor, this totally applies to you. College and high school fees are on an ever rising spiral. The average cost of a privately owned college’s tuition never goes down. It only gets higher. This upward trend in every tuition fee only negatively affects the student’s financial capacity to pay, but favours the owners of the school.
The same applies to tutors. Private tutors could easily increase the cost of their tuition and fees slightly, if they notice the general market costs are going higher. Since they provide the service from their intellectual prowess and not by acquiring some product, the increase in their home tuition fee only favours them better. If a bulk of parents are adamant to force down the cost of home tuition fees, adjusting slightly to the trend still wouldn’t be difficult for the home tutors because, what they offer is a service and not a product.
Having the power to increase tuition fees, whether for a university, a high school, home tutoring, or online tutoring, is a great way to earn more income when your financial demands warrant it.

3). Food:

Every human must feed! That’s why a lot of people take out time to prepare meals through the day for themselves, friends, and their families.
The drawback to meal preparation falls heavily on most college students. They hate to cook! This very reason drives them to always patronise canteens and fast-food restaurants around campus.
As a small business owner in a university, you can offer food services to college students. Preparing meals based on popular college recipes that students regularly go for would place your small business on the minds of many college students whenever they want to get a quick meal. Make sure the college food you sell smells great, tastes unbelievable, and leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the students.
With a consistent premium meal service delivery, your college restaurant would be bound for success.

4). Hostel:

Whenever a new semester or academic year begins, students scamper around to secure a good accommodation on campus. Most of the hostel booking is done as early as the semester starts or online, via the university portal.
When the student rooms are filled up, those that are yet to get rooms have no other choice than to secure a student accommodation in privately held hostels.
In Federal and state owned universities in Nigeria for instance, most students prefer to get student apartments off campus. The bulk of these students usually prefer cheap accommodation, and would pay year-in year-out as long as the hostels are far better than whatever is on campus.
Setting up an off-campus university accommodation is a great way to take advantage of something college students need, to create a lucrative business opportunity.

5). School Supplies:

School supplies are crucial needs for every student in a college, high school, and even primary school. When the semester is resuming, a lot of parents scamper around trying to get various “back to school supplies” for their kids. As for those in college, they mostly get their school supplies themselves.
These supplies could range from anything like provision sets, to a few fashion items, to many other random items. Since most students are always inclined to purchase these items, they mostly never get them at home till they get to school.
Providing cheap school supplies to college students when a semester is starting would give your small business a boost in terms of customer acquisition, long-term customer retention, and sales.

6). Soda And Alcohol:

Many students cannot go a day with taking a bottle of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or even any form of soda or alcohol. Soda is probably one of the top things that eat up the allowances of most college students. With most meals they have, they drink a soda. Irrespective of the sugar contents these soft drinks contain, students would always choose to drink these together with their meals.
The same applies to a liquor store. Most students spend their evenings drinking lots of alcohol. The Guiness brand for instance is most popular amongst individuals in their mid-20s in Nigeria. Irrespective of the fact that uncontrolled alcoholism is bad for any individual, selling liquor and alcohol as licensed by the government, is still a great way to make a lot of money from college students above the required age.
With a small business like a restaurant, selling various forms of soda and alcohol will increase your business revenues. Soda may not be something college students need, but it’s definitely something they can’t stop buying!

7). Laptops:

Almost every college student owns a laptop computer. It may not be a high-end computer, but they own one. Getting students to purchase your laptop computers could be a far stretch because of the high-costs, and the longevity of an already-owned computer.
This then puts the laptop deals opportunity on the freshmen. When new students get into college for their first year, part of what they’d acquire is a laptop computer. These computers usually cost a lot of money, and so they mostly look for cheap laptops for students. Some go as far as trying to cut costs by comparing laptops. They sometimes do this by looking for the best laptop deals focused on refurbished laptops. While a few others go for gaming laptops.
While trying to sell computers to college students may get a bit tricky because of their financial status, especially in Nigeria, one thing you could do is to work through their college department to provide them cheap laptops to be fully repaid over a period of time.

8). Mobile Phones:

Mobile phones are the most personal devices owned by almost everyone, especially students. These devices are one of the most important things college students need and want. They strive to buy the latest mobile phones every time there’s a newer version on the market, irrespective of if they’re fully able to financially accommodate the latest version of their device or not.
Many other more prudent students compare mobile phones prices, and end up picking the best mobile phone deals they can find. While buying cheap mobile phones could have a heavy functionality downside than if you buy a premium device, many students frankly don’t care. In Nigeria, this is a large norm, but in countries in the Western world, the situation is a bit different with so many college students clamouring for expensive Apple devices.
If you’re setting up a small business on campus to sell mobile phones, ensure you have a lot of cheap mobile phones that have great features. An example of such devices are low-end Samsung mobile phones and Techno mobile phones.
Offering the right phones for sale would ensure you constantly generate some cashflow-positive income with every passing semester.

9). Dorm Room Essentials:

Dorm room essentials like bed sheets, curtains, rugs, electric lamps, and more are important things college students need. They always purchase these items to put their rooms or apartments in order. Some go as far as beautifying their rooms with even flashier unnecessary items.
Ladies especially, constantly come up with spontaneous dorm room ideas, and so a bulk of the time, their dorm bedding, decorations, and all always cost a lot of money. Their creative state only puts more money in the bank for small business that sell cheap dorm room decorations that look fabulous.
Setting up a small business that focuses majorly on dorm room essentials, and is closely situated to the female hostels is a great idea to start up if you’re trying to provide products and services that college students need.

10). Parties:

A lot of college students always flock to parties. Most times not minding who’s hosting it, or what’s directly happening. As long as they hear music, they’re already there.
Taking advantage of most college student’s crave to party, to sell some of your items is a smart move. At parties and clubs, they buy all types of things: from alcohol, to small chops, to many other items they have a craving for.
Understanding and experiencing the college student’s behaviour at any party or night club will show you better insights into what they buy, and how they respond to products or services offered.
See Also: 

Conclusion

The college student is a great individual that poses multiple business opportunities for small business owners. By studying them closely and watching what they do, how they do it, and why they do it, you can come up with several products and services that you’re sure they’d want to pay for.
Identifying what college students need wouldn’t just help you make better small business decisions on campus, but would ensure you have a constant in-flow of income.

What are your thoughts on these 10 things college students can’t stop buying? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

SOME LESSONS OF LIFE

SOME LESSONS OF LIFE!
The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.
The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.
However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish and they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.
So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste.
The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.
How did they manage…?
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark
The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move.The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!
Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull….?
MORALS:
1. Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active.
2. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy.
3. Your challenges keep you energized.
4. Challenges are driving forces for Innovations and the foundation blocks upon which successes, achievements and progresses evolve.
5. A life without challenges is a dull, boring, complacent and uninspiring one.
6. In challenges are opportunities to keep refreshed and re-invigorated.
APPEALS:
1. So our prayers should not be to have a challenge-free life but for God to equip us with abilities to overcome.
2. Don’t create success and revel in it in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.
Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!
Have a challenging and inspiring day!

ASCENSION THURSDAY : THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER"
 "So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God." ⁵³¹ Christ's body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. ⁵³² But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. ⁵³³ Jesus' final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right hand. ⁵³⁴ Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul "as to one untimely born", in a last apparition that established him as an apostle. ⁵³⁵
The veiled character of the glory of the Risen One during this time is intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene: "I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." ⁵³⁶ This indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted to the Father's right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension.
 This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who "came from the Father" can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. ⁵³⁷ "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man." ⁵³⁸ Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the "Father's house", to God's life and happiness. ⁵³⁹ Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us. ⁵⁴⁰
 "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." ⁵⁴¹ The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, "entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf." ⁵⁴² There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he "always lives to make intercession" for "those who draw near to God through him". ⁵⁴³ As "high priest of the good things to come" he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven. ⁵⁴⁴

Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: "By 'the Father's right hand' we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified." ⁵⁴⁵
664 Being seated at the Father's right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah's kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel's vision concerning the Son of man: "To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." ⁵⁴⁶ After this event the apostles became witnesses of the "kingdom [that] will have no end". ⁵⁴⁷

IN BRIEF

665 Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once
and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
 


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THE TIME AND POWER OF YOUTH.

The time of youth is not only one of making choices; it is also the time for laying foundation for every aspect of life. It is at this time that you lay the foundation for your career in life, your marriage and your destiny.  In fact, everything that you will become in life is being founded now in the time of your youth.

It is a time of tremendous strength and energy, a time of freshness. It is the time all your nerves and instincts are seeking the strongest expression.  The direction you ‘plough’ them now that you are young, determines the destination you will ‘reap’ in the years ahead.

This time of your youth is a very crucial time that determines what happens for the rest of one’s life.

The time of one’s youth is also the time of warfare.

This time is when you pitch your tent on whichever side you choose in the battle of life.

AND YOU EITHER CHOOSE GOD OR SATAN.

It is in this period of your life when you are called ‘the youth’ that you make that choice.

GOD is out, mercifully looking for you, so that you will make him your choice; but the devil is also fighting hard, to make sure he has you on his side.  That is why the counsel of the word of God to anyone who is a youth is;

“So remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will say,  I have no pleasure in them”;  ( Ecclesiastes 12:1 )

If you overcome in this battle now that you are young and make the Lord your choice, you will always overcome in every sphere of life.

By Michael Ayodeji Nagbe

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THE TIME OF YOUTH IS THE PRIME TIME IN ANYONE'S LIFE

It a great privilege   to be young, many old people do envy the youth. They wish they could return to being young again; and that is why they try to do whatever they can, to look young.

Unfortunately, being young comes only once in a lifetime. No one can be young more than ones.

“however, the time of youth is also period of making choices”.

And the choices at this prime time of life are such that make indelible marks on one’s life and destiny.

There is a battle going on in this world concerning young people and it is all about influencing there choices.

·       CHOICES THAT WILL MARK YOUR LIFE OUT FOR GREATNESS AND GLORY ARE MADE WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG.

If you meet an accomplished old man, prosperous and celebrated, enjoying the care of his equally successful children, it did not just happen somewhere in is old age. It is a product of series of wise choices that he made while in his teens and twenties.

·       ON THE OTHER HAND, CHOICES THAT WILL PREDISPOSE YOU TO PERPETUAL DEFEAT AND FAILURE ARE ALSO MADE WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG.

Whatever wrong things we see in an old man today, most likely happened because of the choices he made when he was young.

If you see an old woman whose marriage has scattered and she is being pushed between one man and another, it is not likely to be due to the choice she made when she has become that old. She laid the foundation to be that kind of woman when she was young!

“The unfortunate thing about these choices is that whether they were made consciously or unconsciously, they are often irreversible”.

GREAT WORKS ARE PERFORMED NOT BY STRENGHT BUT BY PERSEVERANCE.

What inspires you? There are a lot of things that can provide inspiration – seeing other people accomplish great things, seeing other people overcome adversity or hearing inspirational quotes from great people.
 JAMES 1:2
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

2 Thessalonians 3:13

Verse Concepts

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

Ephesians 6:18

Verse Concepts

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

BY MICHAEL AYODEJI NAGBE.

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A WOMAN"S WANT FROM A MAN.

In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question: ‘What kind of man are you looking for?’ She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye & asking, ‘Do you really want to know?’ Reluctantly, he said, ‘Yes. She began to expound, ‘As a woman in this day & age, I am in a position to ask a man what can you do for me that I can’t do for myself? I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man… or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, ‘What can you bring to the table?’ The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought & stated, ‘I am not referring to money. I need something more. I need a man who is striving for excellence in every aspect of life. He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, & asked her to explain. She said, ‘I need someone who is striving for excellence mentally because I need conversation & mental stimulation. I don’t need a simple-minded man. I need someone who is striving for excellence spiritually because I don’t need to be unequally yoked…believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster. I need a man who is striving for excellence financially because I don’t need a financial burden. I need someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded. I need someone who has integrity in dealing with relationships. Lies and game-playing are not my idea of a strong man. I need a man who is family-oriented. One who can be the leader, priest and provider to the lives entrusted to him by God. I need someone whom I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn’t taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive…he just has to be worthy. And by the way, I am not looking for him…He will find me. He will recognize himself in me. Hey may not be able to explain the connection, but he will always be drawn to me. God made woman to be a help-mate for man. I can’t help a man if he can’t help himself. When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. He said, ‘You are asking a lot. She replied, “I’m worth a lot”. Send this to every woman who’s worth a lot…. and every man who has the brains to understand.

By Mayor d

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The Super Business Girl. The 11 Year Old CEO

HOW TO PICK THE BEST BANK FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Picking the best bank for your small business is oddly one of the most important decisions you’d have to make at it’s inception. When new entrepreneurs set out to start a business, they figure, “oh well, we can just walk into any bank. After all, isn’t it all about just saving our money?”.
Banks will save your money, yes. But how many will add true value to your business? The benefits of picking the best bank surpasses just savings, but also how the bank affects your business processes.
In Nigeria for instance, many banks can be a real pain in the butt. This makes a lot of business owners and regular individuals, close down their bank accounts, and move on to other probably more efficient banks quickly.
Understanding the general ups and downs of the banking sector, will help any new or existing entrepreneur pick the best bank for his/her small business.
See Also: 

Here are 5 things that will help you choose the best bank for your business:

1). The Size Of The Bank:

How large is the bank? How long have they been around? Were they saved by an emergency investment? Or have they been recently acquired or involved in a merger?
The size of a bank speaks volume to how reputable it might be. It’s a terrible occurrence to have a bank liquidate when you have a lot of money stored up in it’s coffers.
Before you pick a bank for your small business, first ensure you’re familiar with the bank’s size – number of branches, staff strength, market cap, and more – because, the larger the bank, the lesser the chances of them closing shop anytime soon.

2). How They Deal With Customer Issues:

What do people say about their experiences with the bank’s customer care agents? Does the bank go out of it’s way to ensure every customer is satisfied? Do they treat complaints right and on time?
The customer service agents at some banks are usually stone-faced. They don’t smile, or say anything nice to the customer in front of them. The term, “the customer is always right”, means nothing to them. And because of these sect, people leave most banks even angrier than they arrived.
Banking customer service relations may defer per country. But in Nigeria, bad customer service is the other of the day. A few banks have managed to make theirs better than others, but it’s important you only bank with an institution that truly cares about the way you feel, and doesn’t treat you like a stranger.
See Also: 

3). Their Value Added Services:

Are their fees low? How easily can you get credit facilities? What about business loans?
These must be on the list of concerns of business owners when opening a bank account. As a small business, you’d want a bank that charges low transaction fees, and would also be able to provide you with business loans, hassle-free, when you eventually need it.
Do your research on their credit history. Ask questions from existing business owners you may already know, who bank with them. Also, walk into several banks to find out how they have already planned to help businesses like yours.
With a list of services you want to benefit from a bank, you’d find the right match, and probably feel a lot more safer.

4). How Close Is A Branch To Your Business Location:

If the nearest bank’s brach to your office location is over a mile away, you’re better off making slight compromises with the next-best bank closer to you.
Irrespective of the amazing advantages that a distant bank poses, you’d need to be able to make quick stops into the bank on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis for deposits, and several other transactions. Using a distant bank in this situation wouldn’t be the best course of action.
A scenario where a distant bank could work, is if you want the most secure and reputable place to simply save money. As long as you wouldn’t make weekly stops for the cash deposited, the bank then, is just fine.
See Also: How To Start A Business In Nigeria: Step By Step Guide

5). How Easily Can You Bank With Them On The Weekends?

Are their debit cards reliable? Are you certain that every time you make a trip to the ATM (Automated Teller Machine), the cards issued to you would always respond, as long as there’s money in the account? Do they have ATM’s that you could probably deposit cash through on the weekends? Also, how good is their internet banking platform? Do you get bounced off repeatedly due to platform issues?
When the bank is closed for the day, or for the weekend, it’s important that you can still transact with it in some way. A bank that keeps you waiting till the next business day, is probably not a good place to create your first business account.

These 5 factors are important in picking the best bank for your small business.

Got an opinion to share? Please leave a comment below.

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The talk about entrepreneurship always sprouts excitement. You’re told how you’d be your own boss, set your own time, make a lot of money, and probably live happily ever after. While some of these details could be true, many never achieve all, and this is primarily because they never knew what they were getting into. Before you quit your day job, or outrightly convince yourself that you don’t have to work for anyone, here are 10 things no one will ever tell you about being an entrepreneur that you must know:

1). It Will Take A While To See Returns On Your Investment:

A new business usually takes time to generate any real revenues. Sometimes it could take you between 6 months to 2 years before you even come any close to being profitable. Patience is key for entrepreneurs. You need to prove your business model solves a real problem for the target customers, and would add value to their lives. As you convince people to patronize your business, your customer base will grow, and you’ll eventually start to see some returns on your investment.
See Also: 7 Intelligent Ways To Turn Prospects Into Customers

2). You Can’t Do It All Alone:

You can’t be your own accountant, financial officer, designer, human resource manager, marketer, social media expert, and many more all at once. Delegation is an important element of success in any business, and if you’re going to see good results any time soon, you’ll have to divide tasks among the best people you can find. These individuals can either make or break your business, and would co-determine how far your business will go on the long run. If you try to do everything yourself, you’ll only negatively impact your business, and you’d experience slow or no growth.

3). Every Target, Milestone, And More, Takes A Longer Time To Manifest Than You Think:

It’s important to know that everything will take longer than you think to happen. You need to master your emotions before you start to realize that the plans you wrote down on a piece of paper months or even a year ago, hasn’t still manifested. Convincing customers to trust your business can take a while, hitting a certain milestone can take a while, and getting that investment you desperately need can also take longer than you expect.
Knowing that every plan you write down might take longer, will help better prepare you for what lies ahead as an entrepreneur
See Also: 6 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Startup

4). You Must Become A Smart Hustler:

You must chase every sale lead. No one is going to lay a bed of roses for you to lie on. You’d have to hustle every step of the way, get rejected a lot, get disrespected a lot, and do most of the work yourself because, no one is going to be there to do it for you. It’s incredibly tougher when you’re just starting out. You might be alone at that point or have a co-founder you work with.
You’ll need to set goals and milestones for yourself on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. And strive endlessly to hit your targets. For this is key to your success as an entrepreneur.

5). You Will Miss That Steady Paycheck:

Months without any income will make you wish you still had that steady paycheck you initially enjoyed. You’ll pay for the services your business subscribes to first, you’ll have to set aside your staff salaries also, and account for many other expenses. After a thorough disbursement of cash at the end of every month, you might have nothing left to yourself. At least, at the start of your business. But over time, things will change.

6). You Will Doubt Yourself A Lot:

Did I start out too early? Is this the right product I should be selling? Why are people not patronizing my business? Self-doubt will slowly creep into your mind, and if you do not know how to manage it, you’ll be destroyed emotionally, and your business will hit the rocks.
Get a mentor, have role models, get a bit of fresh air once in a while. These people and events will keep you clear headed, and help you through your times of self-doubt as an entrepreneur.
See Also: You Will Fail As An Entrepreneur If You Do These 5 Things

7). Everything Will Frustrate You:

When things don’t initially go according to plan, frustration starts to creep in. You could get angry, tensed, and randomly worried because, the fear of the unknown will begin to set in. Your family won’t understand why it’s taking you so long to break even, and will begin to pressurize you to either do something else or get a job. Your employees, customers, and many other factors will also begin to frustrate you. Self-awareness is critical at this phase, and it’s important you only stick with already successful people to keep your mind level-headed.
The minute everything starts to turn, your sales go higher, you acquire more customers faster, and investors begin to fall in love with your business, your frustration will slowly disappear, people will begin to associate themselves with you, and you’ll be one of the happiest people you know.

8). Your Final Business Model Might Not Be Your First Business Model:

Many businesses end up as something else years after they launched. Customers might not appreciate the first thing you put out there. The service you render most likely won’t be what people really need. But as you set out on your journey as an entrepreneur, you’ll begin to notice the hidden problems people experience every day, and how your business can adjust to take care of it. Paying attention is key, and will determine if your business survives after starting out as something nobody wants.
See Also: 6 Recession-Proof Business Ideas & Opportunities In Nigeria

9). You Must Master Time Management:

Doing the right thing at the right time becomes more crucial when you become an entrepreneur. Your time was initially managed by your boss at your previous job, but if you do not manage your time well as a business owner, you’re bound for failure. Addressing customers on time, acquiring merchandise on time, paying your dues on time, and more, will get your business where it ought to be on time.

10). You Probably Still Won’t Get Rich:

After all is said and done, you still might not get to be as rich as you wanted to be. If you’re not solving a real problem people experience, not caring about the customers enough, not doing things on time, or if there’s too much saturation in the industry you want to venture into, you still might not get rich. Before you start any business, first do a highly detailed feasibility study. This will broaden your knowledge on that industry and will help you know if you can truly succeed in that field or not.

Let’s know your thoughts. What else have you experienced as an entrepreneur that no one told you about?

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