How to write a good business plan

<br /> <div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Writing an attractive business plan" class="attachment-bigstoryimage" height="264" src="http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Writing-an-attractive-business-plan-360x264.jpg" width="360" /> </div> <br /> With a well written plan, a business idea can become a successful venture, Udeme Ekwere writes<br /><br />If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” That is a popular cliché that most successful entrepreneurs chant as part of their success stories.<br /><br />Some businesses end up only as ideas, owing to the inability of the entrepreneurs to critically plan their business.<br /><br />This therefore brings to fore the need for any would-be entrepreneur to draw up a business plan for his/her business.<br /><br />Analysts have said that oftentimes, an entrepreneur who draws up a good business plan has an edge in case of drawing funding from investment companies more than one who has ideas but cannot come up with a good plan.<br /><br />Investment funding companies are usually more at home with a business man who has a well-outlined business plan than one who doesn’t.<br /><br />In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide or a roadmap for a business that outlines goals and details how the business owner plans to achieve those goals.<br /><br />A business plan is a document that describes the business, its objectives, strategies, target market and financial forecasts. It is a blueprint to a business’s future.<br /><br />Business plans can vary in length, style and content, but the key is to ensure the document is realistic, practical and regularly reviewed. It should not only set the direction for the business but act as a reference point for measuring performance.<br /><br />It may seem like a lot of work at the outset, but a well prepared business plan can save one time and money in the long run and help to secure major contracts or funding.<br /><br />Most importantly, a business plan incorporating a feasibility study will help to determine whether an idea is commercially viable and any issues one needs to address or plan for along the way.<br /><br />Among other things, it will help the would-be business owner to apply for finance from a financial institution or investment managers who are concerned with funding Small and Medium Enterprises.<br /><br />A business plan also assists in securing investors, sponsors, suppliers and staff for the entrepreneur.<br /><br />Apart from clearly outlining the goals and long-term vision of the business, a plan will also help to determine the commercial viability of an idea, as it will examine your business idea from many different angles and also test one’s commitment and motivation.<br /><br />Analysts say that one can easily identify a business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats through a business plan, develop strategies to successfully operate and market a business as well as establish measures to evaluate business success.<br /><br />Here is a business plan outline, listing the sections in the order in which they will appear in your completed plan with a brief explanation of each section to help you get organized and guide you through the process.<br /><br />An experienced entrepreneur, Mrs. Bisi Shoneye, says that in writing a business plan, several aspects have to be taken into consideration;<br /><br />The executive summary<br /><br />The summary should tell the reader what you want. This is very important. All too often, what the business owner desires is buried on page eight. Clearly state what you’re asking for in the summary.<br /><br />Business description<br /><br />The business description usually begins with a short description of the industry. When describing the industry, discuss the present outlook as well as future possibilities. You should also provide information on all the various markets within the industry, including any new products or developments that will benefit or adversely affect your business.<br /><br />Market strategies<br /><br />Market strategies are the result of a meticulous market analysis. A market analysis forces the entrepreneur to become familiar with all aspects of the market so that the target market can be defined and the company can be positioned in order to garner its share of sales.<br /><br />Competitive analysis<br /><br />The purpose of the competitive analysis is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors within your market, strategies that will provide you with a distinct advantage, the barriers that can be developed in order to prevent competition from entering your market, and any weaknesses that can be exploited within the product development cycle.<br /><br />Design and development plan<br /><br />The purpose of the design and development plan section is to provide investors with a description of the product’s design, chart its development within the context of production, marketing and the company itself, and create a development budget that will enable the company to reach its goals.<br /><br />Operations and management plan<br /><br />The operations and management plan is designed to describe just how the business functions on a continuing basis. The operations plan will highlight the logistics of the organisation such as the various responsibilities of the management team, the tasks assigned to each division within the company, and capital and expense requirements related to the operations of the business.<br /><br />Financial factors<br /><br />Financial data is always at the back of the business plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important than up-front material such as the business concept and the management team.<br /><br />Shoneye says, “A business plan is the best way to test whether or not an idea for starting a business is feasible, other than going out and doing it. In this sense, the business plan is your safety net; writing a business plan can save you a great deal of time and money if working through the business plan reveals that your business idea is untenable.”<br /><br />Often, an idea for starting a business is discarded at the marketing analysis or competitive analysis stage, freeing you to move on to a new (and better) idea.

How to write a good business plan

With a well written plan, a business idea can become a successful venture, Udeme Ekwere writes If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” ...

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EMPOWERMENT: Effective Tips for Becoming a Successful Internet Entrepreneur

<br /> <div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">  <img alt="EMPOWERMENT: Effective Tips for Becoming a Successful Internet Entrepreneur" class="attachment-620x330" height="232" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/EMPOWERMENT-Effective-Tips-for-Becoming-a-Successful-Internet-Entrepreneur.jpg" title="EMPOWERMENT: Effective Tips for Becoming a Successful Internet Entrepreneur" width="400" /></div> For internet entrepreneurs, the most likely resolution is to quit procrastinating in the quest to build a viable business or, perhaps, the next multi-million dollar venture. This is a fine dream, but the New Year will carry its own realities as well as challenges which could inhibit even decade-long business aspirations. In this article, we highlight how aspiring entrepreneurs can avoid failure in the pursuit of becoming a successful internet entrepreneur.<br /> <br /> To become a Successful Internet Entrepreneur<br /> <br /> Start small: We all have heard that the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, but it is arguably the first step to making it big. You can start with small goals like creating a business plan and registering your venture. Then, begin by rendering services to people around you first and continue from there. Most potential entrepreneurs seem to have a fear of starting small forgetting that quite a number of successful entrepreneurs actually started from nothing. To become a successful entrepreneur, you should read up on these successful businessman/women who have built business empires literally from scratch.<br /> <br /> Get a mentor: A mentor will develop and guide you through challenges that will come your way. Mentors are usually free to access, yet vital to your business growth. More importantly, your mentor will help wade off unwanted naysayers and ignorant people by being available to answer your enquiries professionally. They have their own successful enterprises and can share with you their failures, successes and the potholes to watch out for.<br /> <br /> Have a positive attitude: Top millionaires and billionaires all seem to have one thing in common; a positive outlook. This is the essence of a successful entrepreneur. The New Year will come with challenges and you need to be prepared for them. It is important that you maintain the same positivity you started with. Be dogged in determination to beat all odds. The right attitude will also help you act on ideas instead of down-playing them. Action should be imperative for you. Alienate those social media and tech distractions so you can achieve big things.<br /> <br /> Be passionate: You need to be passionate about your choice of business, this will drive you to succeeding. But first, be sure you have chosen to do something you love. Like Chinese philosopher, Confucius said; ‘choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day of your life’. This is especially true for entrepreneurs. It is important you venture into a business that won’t feel like work to you. If you love to sew for instance, designing shouldn’t feel like work for you. Nigerian-based multi-millionaire blogger, Linda Ikeji often says she enjoyed blogging before it became profitable for her. Bottom line: if you don’t enjoy that venture, bail out and find something you are passionate about.<br /> <br /> Hustle: It has to be second nature for you. The fact is, there are hundreds of other people armed with that same ‘unique’ idea of yours. You cannot afford to be slow in executing it. Strategize carefully and make your move, fast. Though I am a lady, if there is one seat left to take, I must get to it first, even if I have compete with five men. I am well aware that muddiness is a nature for true entrepreneurship. Crush your ego, get set and just go.<br /> <br /> Develop yourself: Leading entrepreneurs invest in business and marketing magazines; they buy reports, newsletters, journals and sector publications to increase their knowledge and understanding. They also find time to attend business and marketing summits, workshops and training courses. As an entrepreneur, you cannot afford to stop learning, you must keep developing yourself.<br /> <br /> Practice discipline: To succeed, you need to deliberately discipline, regulate, and motivate yourself to realize your desires. This entails setting out plans and following through without failing. It takes hard work and will power.<br /> <br /> Persevere: You need not give up when things are slow for your business. You need to stay and continue trying to hit the mark. You cannot afford to bail out in the face of challenges. You will encounter obstacles that will discourage you, but you must persist. If you have difficulty funding your business for instance, remember that entrepreneurs before you have had to deal with same issues and found a way around it. Be open to new possibilities and seek alternatives measures if you must. Money never stopped anyone from making it.<br /> <br /> Become the expert: It is vital to become an expert in your field of choice. What sets you apart is your deeper knowledge and understanding of that business. It makes you the number one choice for investors. Among the things that can help you gain this advantage is getting required trainings in your field. Everyone prefers to deal with an expert. Get certified, multiple certifications if you can. If you are known as an expert in your business, more people will require your input, and this will create referral opportunities for you.

EMPOWERMENT: Effective Tips for Becoming a Successful Internet Entrepreneur

  For internet entrepreneurs, the most likely resolution is to quit procrastinating in the quest to build a viable business or, perhaps, ...

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Video Training: How to trade Binary at 24Option

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="single-post-thumb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Video Training: How to trade Binary at 24Option" class="attachment-620x330" height="352" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Video-Training-How-to-trade-Binary-at-24Option.jpg" title="Video Training: How to trade Binary at 24Option" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> 24option is a binary trading broker where you make money while predicting the direction of a market or currency direction.. Its genuine and real<br /> <br /> Watch the video on how to use 24option trading interface below…<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bcYQmI7ApBY?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div>

Video Training: How to trade Binary at 24Option

24option is a binary trading broker where you make money while predicting the direction of a market or currency direction.. Its ...

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Set Up Facebook Ad With 1000 Naira ($6) for 1 Week

 <a href="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Set-Up-Facebook-Ad-With-1000-Naira-6-for-1-Week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Set Up Facebook Ad With 1000 Naira ($6) for 1 Week" border="0" class="attachment-620x330" height="171" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Set-Up-Facebook-Ad-With-1000-Naira-6-for-1-Week.jpg" title="Set Up Facebook Ad With 1000 Naira ($6) for 1 Week" width="353" /></a>  I decided to create this fast post because of the requests I received on Facebook few hours ago after posting updates as regards to Facebook ads.<br /><br />In one of the status updates, I said “If you cant afford at least N5,000 to advertise your online business on ‪#‎facebook‬ for 30days, you don’t a business”. A friend of mine, replied and I quote : “But N5,000 is not even sufficient to advertise on facebook ads for a week, how come a month? ……”.<br /><br />So, in this post, I’m going to show you how possible it is. I assume you understand how to create a Facebook ad though..<br /><br />Well, no magic in it. All you need to do is to select “lifetime budget” instead of “daily budget” when creating your ads and ensure you set the ad to run over a specific period of time.<br /><br />So, let’s assume you want to spend NGN1,000 for one week, that will be approximately $6 (NGN170 per dollar) and I will assume 6 days makes a week.<br /><br />==> Go to www.facebook.com/ads to create your ad<br />==> At the budget section, click the drop down arrow, then select “lifetime budget” instead of “daily budget”<br />==> By default, Facebook might automatically set the budget to $350 or something else. Edit it to $6.<br />==> Click on the calendar icon in the “End” field and ensure it’s set to 6days. This will ensure you’re budgeting at least $1.00 for every day your ad will run.<br /><br />It should look similar to the screenshot below :<br /> <a href="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/capture3529.jpg"><img alt="Set Up Facebook Ad With 1000 Naira ($6) for 1 Week" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4660" height="226" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/capture3529.jpg" width="404" /></a><br /> That’s all.<br /><br />If you want to spend N5,000 for 30 days, use a lifetime budget of $30 and set it to run for 30days as explained above.<br /><br />NB: If the ad set doesn’t spend up to $1 on the first day, the system will try to make up the missed amount at a later date within the ad set.<br /><br />Remember, no big deal in setting up Facebook ads. The most important thing is how to get the best out of your ads without having to break the bank.<br /><br />Those that were at the BloggersLab get-together in Lagos in October learnt a lot as regards this and hopefully will also be discussed at another get-together that will take place before the end of this year.<br /><br />You can check out my discussion about Facebook ads at Bloggerslab here. You cal also check out Donvin’s discussion here too.<br /><br />I hope this helps.

Set Up Facebook Ad With 1000 Naira ($6) for 1 Week

    I decided to create this fast post because of the requests I received on Facebook few hours ago after posting updates as regards to Face...

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Internet Scams in Nigeria: How to notice a scammer

<br /> <div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img alt="Internet Scams in Nigeria: How to notice a scammer" class="attachment-620x330" height="267" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Internet-Scams-in-Nigeria-How-to-notice-a-scammer-494x330.jpg" title="Internet Scams in Nigeria: How to notice a scammer" width="400" /> </div> <br /> Internet scam is fast becoming a big issue in Nigeria and as such, many Nigerians have began losing interest in Online Money Making opportunities.<br /><br />Thousands of scams are carried out in Nigeria via the Internet on daily basis and the contributor of this article is not immuned from the scam that goes around the internet space in Nigeria. (I will find time to give details of the most recent scams I fell for and which made me lost numerous thousands in less than a month.<br /><br />Internet Scams in Nigeria shouldn’t make us shy away from the fact that there are genuine internet money making ventures on the internet. There is this saying that “WINNERS don’t QUIT and QUITTERS don’t WIN”.<br /><br />Yes! I am a winner so, I never quit even when I was losing out to the scammers. I had the believe that there are genuine internet money makers; maybe I haven’t be opportuned to meet with the genuine Internet money makers to teach me the game. Okay, let me give you the tips to spotting the criminals.<br /><br />The first tip is, always go to www.google.com to research about the person you are dealing with. How? just type the person’s name into google.com and add “scam” at the back of the name. Take for example, if one “Chidi Obinna” has an offer that is irresistible to you but you aren’t sure of him as a person, just head over to the almighty google and type “Chidi Obinna + Scam”<br /><br />The samething applys to a website, if you want to do a scam search on any website that you want to do business with. Simply do a search like this on google, head to google and type this on the search box.. maybe the website is www.myopinionmoney.com, go to google and do a scam search like this.. “www.myopinionmoney.com + scam”.<br /><br />Once you do this and it brings results, take your time to check through the results to see if any of the results have an insight into “Chidi Obinna” being a scammer or scammed someone before. You got the idea? The internet is a global village and google is the secret agent. If the name has been involved in any scam on the internet in the past, there is no way a victim wouldn’t have mentioned it on the Internet for once. As such, google will expose him or her<br /><br />Another tip is that, those bastards (scammers) are always faceless. They wouldn’t ever be bold enough to transact with you face-to-face. You know why? They aren’t competent and once you see them face-to-face, you will easily spot them. So, if such person doesn’t have provision for one-on-one consultation, be on your toes… he might just be one of them.<br /><br />I will stop here for today and if there is need to, I will update you more about this topic when next I write you. But, honestly, the tips you just got from me today is PRICELESS! I foresee it saving some folks a whole lot of Thousands of naira. If someone had wrote this 7 years ago when I was still learning, maybe I wouldn’t have lose as much as I lost while learning.

Internet Scams in Nigeria: How to notice a scammer

Internet scam is fast becoming a big issue in Nigeria and as such, many Nigerians have began losing interest in Online Money Making opp...

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A MUST READ: How To Make Money Online With Paid Surveys

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="A MUST READ: How To Make Money Online With Paid Surveys" class="attachment-620x330" height="356" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/A-MUST-READ-How-To-Make-Money-Online-With-Paid-Surveys.jpg" title="A MUST READ: How To Make Money Online With Paid Surveys" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> There has been a lot of dialogue over the years about paid surveys and if they can be a legitimate source of income.<br /><br />A lot of people who talk ill of paid surveys, simply do not understand them and haven’t put in the effort to reap the rewards. Here’s how paid surveys work:<br /><br />Business, big or small, need data to help them design fresh products or services or to revise current ones to better suit their customer base.<br /><br />To get this data, they hire marketing research companies to first, put together a set of questions that will help them collect the right data, second, administer the questions via online surveys, and third, analyze the data and deliver the results so that the business can make educated decisions regarding their products and services and hopefully help them add additional revenue to their bottom line.<br /><br />Putting together and administering paid surveys isn’t cheap. These marketing research firms charge top dollar for their services and then in return for completing surveys, they pass some of what they charge their clients on to the end user (that’s you).<br /><br />So let’s talk about how you can begin making money with paid surveys.<br /><br />To get started, you first need to identify a paid survey directory.<br /><br />These are websites that freely offer you a list of marketing research organizations looking for people just like you and me to participate in survey research and get paid for sharing our opinions.<br /><br />Something you need to keep in mind is that these lists are free to the public. There are many companies out there that charge you to gain access to them. Please do not pay them. They are simply out to make a quick buck and take advantage of you.<br /><br />After you find a free directory of paid surveys, you should identify 5 to 10 companies to sign up with.<br /><br />You can do more, but we recommend starting there so it’s not overwhelming for you. The reason you do not want to sign up for just one is that you will reduce the amount of surveys you receive and ultimately limit the amount of money you will make.<br /><br />By signing up with several marketing research firms, you will take more surveys and make more money hands down.<br /><br />After you sign up with the survey companies, you will want to spend some time filling out your profile on each site.<br /><br />The reason you want to do this is so that each company knows as much about you as possible and can qualify you for more surveys.<br /><br />If they know you are a new mom who breastfeeds and purchases diapers regularly, they will send you surveys about breastfeeding or what kind of diapers you buy and how you like them. If you do not fill out this information, you will limit the amount of surveys you receive. So what you fill determines the type of survey work you will receive.<br /><br />Once you register and fill out your profiles, you will start to receive surveys to your email.<br /><br />It is important to take every survey that is sent to you. I recommend carving out some time in the morning or evening when you can sit down and take your surveys without interruption.<br /><br />Please note that if you don’t take the surveys in a timely manner and they collect enough data, they will shut off the survey and you will not be able to take it. Also know that if you don’t take the surveys, they will slowly stop sending them to you as they are looking for people to take them on a regular basis.<br /><br />As you start completing surveys and generating a cash balance in your account, the last thing you will want to make sure and do is select a payment method.<br /><br />Many of the survey companies will give you options. You can receive a check in the mail or you can receive your payment via Paypal, some even pay through perfect money or egopay.<br /><br />In closing, if this sounds like something you might be interested in, you need to follow all of the steps we went through above.<br /><br />You can learn more step by step guide and get the best online surveys companies at http://www.myopinionmoney.com<br /><br />Its a recommended site which we have tried and verified for our readers<br /><br />Doing so will help give you the best chance to make money through taking paid surveys.

A MUST READ: How To Make Money Online With Paid Surveys

There has been a lot of dialogue over the years about paid surveys and if they can be a legitimate source of income. A lot of people ...

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EMPOWERMENT: 12 Ways I Make Money Online as a Nigerian

I am proudly a Nigerian making real, legal money online. I make money without worrying about challenges that discourage many Nigerians from making money online. Mind you, I make money everyday. In this post, am highlighting ways I make money online for you. I hope you will be able to grab some ideas from it.<br /> <br /> BLOGGING<br /> <br /> My blog, www.lindaikejist.com is my office on the internet. I started it in 2013, when I was a final year student. Yes, am a graduate but I have decided to follow my passion, which makes me to be where I am today. My blog wasn’t really making sense when I started but I so much believe it will grow with time and am so glad it’s making a lot of sense now. All praises to God.<br /> <br /> I use my blog to share things I know with people all around the world while also using it to promote all I do. The blog, makes money for me directly and indirectly. The more I share things I know, the more I win the trust of many people and when people trust you, they will find it easy to buy things you sell.<br /> <br /> 1. Money from Google Adsense<br /> <br /> I make money consistently from Google Adsense. Google Adsense allows me to place some Google ads on my blog. If you click on those Google ads, Google pays me. I receive my payment in form of checks which Google sends to me here in Nigeria via DHL and I cash the checks at GTBank via my dormiciliary account. I make cool money monthly from Adsense….you too can. God willing, I hope to be making more than this in years to come.<br /> <br /> Adsense is a good way to make money but it takes time. If you are the greedy type looking for a fast way to make money online, Adsense is not for you because once you try fooling Google, you will get banned for life. Trust me. You will need to have a blog before you can start making money from Adsense. Check out my Google Adsense Tutorials to learn more about Google Adsense. Coming soon<br /> <br /> 2. Money from Selling ebooks and softwares<br /> <br /> I make money selling ebooks and softwares. I advertise most of those ebooks and softwares I sell via my blog posts and I receive payments directly into my bank accounts because most of the people that buy from me for now are mostly Nigerians. I hope to explore the international market in the future though.<br /> <br /> Those that trust me, pay into my account and I deliver what they pay to them as soon as possible. I confirm payments with the help of my bank credit alerts and also via Internet banking. You too can make money selling ebooks even without writing any ebook by yourself. I can teach you.<br /> <br /> 3. Money from Setting up Blog for others/ Redesign<br /> <br /> I make money redesigning other people’s blogs. Some people who love my blog do ask me to redesign theirs while some pay me, just to create new blogs for them too. If you master the art of blogging, you too can start making money this way…<br /> <br /> 4. Money from advert placement<br /> <br /> I make money helping some people to advertise their services right on my blog. Your blog must be big before people might be interested in paying you for this kind of service. I also make money helping some people to advertise their businesses using Google Adwords and Facebook Ads. You too can start making money rendering these services, if you learn the basics.<br /> <br /> 5. Money from Reviews and JVs<br /> <br /> Some people do pay me to write about their websites on my blog. I also go into Joint- Venture partnership atimes, just to promote a product. If I help the partner to make some sales, I get paid.<br /> <br /> 6. BulkSMS Business<br /> <br /> I make money from the SMS business in different ways. I use my blog in promoting my SMS business, hence I find it so easy getting customers without much stress.<br /> <br /> 7. Make money selling BulkSMS Proposal letters and Ebook<br /> <br /> I have an ebook that explains how to set up bulksms website with a capital as low as N4000 ( without SMS). I sell the ebook for N5000 and trust me, it sells. I also sell Sample Proposal Letters which you can use to get BulkSMS contracts from churches, businesses, schools etc<br /> <br /> 8. Make Money setting up SMS website for others<br /> <br /> I also make money setting up BUlkSMs website for those that do not have time reading an ebook to set it up by themselves. I charge N10, 000 for this service and those interested keep paying….<br /> <br /> Other ways I make money Online are highlighted below:<br /> <br /> 9. Make money from web design<br /> <br /> I design websites for clients based on what they want and I get paid in return. If you dont know how to design websites, go and learn it, so you can start making money from this service asap. Go and learn how to use “WordPress” or “Joomla” and you will be able to start designing cool websites for clients.<br /> <br /> 10. Make Money from domain name registration<br /> <br /> I make money registering domain names, especially for bloggers wanting to change their blogspot address to dot com. You too can, if you know or learn how to do it.<br /> <br /> 11. Make money from Facebook services…<br /> <br /> Some people do pay me to help them customize their Facebook Fan pages while some do pay me to help them advertise their products/services on Facebook.<br /> <br /> 12. Make Money from unlocking modems<br /> <br /> Yes, I make money unlocking fastlink modems, Glo NetPro modem and Airtel modems for people intrested in using other network sim cards on their 3G modems. Those interested do send me recharge vouchers which I use to pay for my internet subscriptions. I also sell the Unlockers to those interested in return for cash.<br /> <br /> 13. Make Money from Genuine Online Surveys<br /> <br /> If you are not sure of any business, it wont work well for you. Online survey is a good way to make money online.<br /> <br /> You only need a good and quality guide or information on good survey companies that pay high and real.<br /> <br /> For that, I only recommend www.myopinionmoney.com. Its the only good info on survey around now<br /> <br /> These are not the only ways of making money, just that those above are the ones I concentrate on for now.<br /> <br /> Affiliate Marketing, Site Flipping etc are other ways you can make money online but am not really exploring them for now.<br /> <br /> If you want to make money online without beating about the bush, you either sell something or offer services in return for cash. Dont be a jerk of all trade. Focus on few models and you will see the money rolling in as time passes by. Make sure you check out my “Money Making Tutorials”.<br /> <br /> If interested in any of these online business, lets us know<br /> <br /> I hope this helps..<br /> <br /> Feel free to contribute and ask questions…<br /> <br /> Kindly share this with friends…<br /> <br /> Cheers!

EMPOWERMENT: 12 Ways I Make Money Online as a Nigerian

I am proudly a Nigerian making real, legal money online. I make money without worrying about challenges that discourage many Nigerians from ...

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EMPOWERMENT: 5 Ways to Earn Income From Blogging

<br /> <div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img alt="EMPOWERMENT: 5 Ways to Earn Income From Blogging" class="attachment-620x330" height="162" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/EMPOWERMENT-5-Ways-to-Earn-Income-From-Blogging.jpg" title="EMPOWERMENT: 5 Ways to Earn Income From Blogging" width="298" /> </div> <br /> Over the years, blogging have been the main source of income for some people. Some do it on part-time basis while some actually do not do any other job other than just wake up in the morning write some few topics, publish on their blog. Believe me, most of these people earn good income from blogging.<br /><br />If you are not yet earning good income from your blog(s), just sit back, relax and follow the tips I’m sharing with you in this post. What I will be sharing is not a quick way to make money. Hence, if you are an individual that is looking for Get Rich Overnight schemes then I advise you to look elsewhere because this post is not for you.<br /><br />1. Sell eBooks, Videos etc<br /><br />This is a sure way of making money from your blog even when you don’t have enough traffic to be making money from adverts.<br /><br />You can sell ebooks you create by yourself or sell ebook for other authors in return for commission. There are even some authors that will give you right to resell their ebooks.<br /><br />I’ve seen a gossip blogger selling ebook on how to create an entertainment blog and how to date celebrities. All you just need to do is to sell ebooks you think will be OK for your audience and you are good to go.<br /><br />You can as well package information you want to sell in form of videos, audio recordings etc. The choice is yours.<br /><br />If you are not selling anything on your blog, you are really missing alot. Information Sells!!<br /><br />2. PPC Monetizing<br /><br />PPC means Pay Per Click.<br /><br />If you join PPC Networks e.g Google Adsense, Adynamo etc, you can be earning income from your blog monthly when visitors to your blog click on the ads you generated from those networks. All you need is to generate the ad codes from the networks and place the codes on your blog.<br /><br />This is very effective for Sites with high traffic. So before Monetizing your blog with Pay Per Click Networks make sure you have some traffic so it can be very effective.<br /><br />3. Affiliate Marketing<br /><br />This is also a very effective way of earning income from your blog provided you are good at driving sales. All you need to do is to join affiliate networks and help them market their products using your unique affiliate links.<br /><br />When people buy through your link, the network will pay you some commission. When the commision piles up to a certain amount, you get paid via check or to your bank account.<br /><br />NOTE: It’s recommended to promote products related to your niche e.g if you blog on “cooking” then you should promote products like Kitchen utensils, not football jerseys.<br /><br />You can ceck out blog posts on Affiliate marketing here.<br /><br />4. Sponsorship<br /><br />If your blog attracts reasonable traffic, then you can propose to companies, business owners etc to sponsor your blog in return for referals, extra online exposure etc.<br /><br />If its what they want they will be part of it and advertise on your blog. They can advertise using ad banners, text links or with sponsored post. And the good thing is that you have control over how much you charge for adverts on your blog.<br /><br />5. Online Services and Data Entry Jobs Like Genuine Online Surveys<br /><br />As a blogger, there is probability that you will have accounts on sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. Even if you don’t have personal accounts on those sites, I guess you would have created profiles for your blog on such sites.<br /><br />Guess what, you can be making money by using those social media accounts to promote companies and busineses. There are bloggers that make money tweeting for companies, promoting companies & their products on Facebook etc. You too can!<br /><br />Besides, if you know how to create a blog, how to set up Facebook,Google ads or genuine online survey companies etc, you can be making money doing all that for those in need of such services. If you have services you offer, list them on your blog so that visitors to your blog will be aware of them.<br /><br />Before you can actually start making good money from blogging, you need to write quality content, connect on social media and never stop learning.<br /><br />I advise you try all the ways highlighted above because you won’t really know which one will really be working for you. Don’t just sit down waiting for advertisers…<br /><br />Do you know other ways to earn income from blogging?<br /><br />Kindly let me know your take on this too by commenting below.<br /> <br />

EMPOWERMENT: 5 Ways to Earn Income From Blogging

Over the years, blogging have been the main source of income for some people. Some do it on part-time basis while some actually do not ...

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Webcam hacking: How to keep your computer safe and what steps you can take to increase security

 <img alt="Webcam hacking: How to keep your computer safe and what steps you can take to increase security" class="attachment-620x330" height="343" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Webcam-hacking-How-to-keep-your-computer-safe-and-what-steps-you-can-take-to-increase-security-614x330.jpg" title="Webcam hacking: How to keep your computer safe and what steps you can take to increase security" width="640" /><br /> It is not just webcams for large business being focused, footage is being collected from CCTV networks to baby monitors.<br /><br />And reports today say that at least six properties in Cardiff are among those which have had their webcams hacked by a website based in Russia.<br /><br />The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recommends a few steps to make sure people are not able to access your web cam.<br /><br />Change the default password<br />When you first get your camera it will have a simple default password, such as ‘password’ or ‘abcd’, but whatever you are given as the original password CHANGE it.<br /><br />And when you change the password do not make it one that is easily guessed.<br /><br />Check security settings<br />Accessing your camera via the internet is one of the main reasons people purchase a webcam, so if you are able to access the came online so can others.<br /><br />So when setting up your device read the manual and the security options.<br /><br />And as a last resort, the ICO recommends, covering the lens.<br /><br />Don’t just stop with your webcam<br />Take the time to look at all the security settings for all the devices you use. A lot of personal information is stored on laptops and devices, plus you can also store files in cloud servers.<br /><br />Hacking information and pictures was recently brought to light with the personal photographs of Hollywood celebrities being released.<br /><br />Some cloud services give you the option to use a two-step authentication. This can mean that your information would remain secure even your password has compromised.<br /><br />So ensure that your passwords are strong. You can get information on choosing better passwords at Get Safe Online.

Webcam hacking: How to keep your computer safe and what steps you can take to increase security

  It is not just webcams for large business being focused, footage is being collected from CCTV networks to baby monitors. And reports toda...

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What You Need To Know Before Purchasing A Smartphone

<img alt="What You Need To Know Before Purchasing A Smartphone" class="attachment-620x330" height="304" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/What-You-Need-To-Know-Before-Purchasing-A-Smartphone.jpg" title="What You Need To Know Before Purchasing A Smartphone" width="640" /> <br /> Purchasing a new product is always a difficult task regardless of what the product is. Today, I will be discussing the necessary things you need to know before buying any smartphone.<br /><br />Smartphone is most personal, useful and most used device in our lives. Unlike our laptop that we can’t take anywhere with us, smartphone as a mobile device helps with lot of works like instant messaging, browsing the net on the go, sending email easily, taking and sending picture with just a click and the list continue.<br /><br />Choosing a mobile device that suit your need isn’t an easy task because with multiple operating systems, screen sizes and different brand all screaming for your attention, choosing the right one can be difficult but it doesn’t have to, that is why you need to know the following factors before buying any smartphone.<br /><br />1. Mobile Operating System<br /><br />Choosing an operating system is the most important decision you make when it comes to buying your smartphone. There are many os platform but only 4 of the list dominate smartphone platforms on the market today, Google’s Android, the Apple’s iOS, Blackberry OS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone.<br /><br />==> Android OS : This Google’s OS is now the most popular smartphone platform compared to its close competitor iOS and the rest, with many popular manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, LG, Techno producing smartphone with this OS platform.<br /><br />Android is more open than iOS, is user friendly so flexible and customizable which means smartphone makers can more easily innovate on top of Google’s software. Android have a lot of apps in their playstore, almost more than a million app which have what you need.<br /><br />==> iOS ( iPhone, iPod & iPad ) ; This Apple’s OS is much of complexity but more secured than Android and others. It has improved multitasking and a control Center for quickly changing settings. Apple store have the best selection of high-quality apps and games though Android is narrowing the gap. You can’t transfer files via bluetooth etc from a non-iOS powered device to an iOS powered device.<br /><br />==> Blackberry OS : BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system developed by BlackBerry Ltd for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and is perhaps best known for its native support for corporate email. BlackBerry OS was discontinued after the release of BlackBerry 10.<br /><br />The new Blackberry 10 support Android apps, allowing you to enjouy Android apps on a Blackberry phone. With a Blackberry smartphone, you can be rest assured that you won’t be spending much on data compared to others.<br /><br />==> Windows Phone OS : Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform debuted a few years later after iOS and Android, though the competition has been so tough and is not as popular as it’s Android and iOS competitor, but it has being growing steady. This OS offers many necessary features such as multitasking, quick app resume, and orientation lock, but it’s still missing things and like that of iOS, it is not that very customizable as Android.<br /><br />You can check out the full comparison of mobile operating systems here.<br /><br />Now the choice is yours to choose which OS platform to go for.<br /><br />2. SIZE AND DESIGN<br /><br />Some dudes prefer large phone while some like a portable one that will fit in their pocket, this depends on your choice and what you want to use it for, there are varieties of size with different design out there.<br /><br />Many smartphones, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5s for example are 4.5 inch tall or less, and 2.5 inch wide or less, but if you would prefer watching movies, playing games and other in a larger screen , you can go for a tablet or other mobile devices of 5 inches and above. Samsung galaxy note 3 is an example of a larger screen smartphone with 5.7 inch.<br /><br />3. HARDWARE<br /><br />You need to know that not every smartphone running in the same Operating system will have the same specs or hardware, note these bellow factors and put them into consideration before buying any smartphone.<br /><br />* RAM : Believe me, the amount of system memory plays a significant role in how well a smartphone performs. Most of manufacturer offer 2GB – 3GB of RAM to most of their smartphone, and some settle for a lower ram of 1 GB – 1.5 GB. Have it in mind that if you want to load applications from memory faster and switch between them faster, more RAM is better.<br /><br />* Storage : Since you have to store all your photos, music, videos and apps on your smartphone, going for a much internal memory will be advisable. 16GB of storage is common among many smartphone but now many new smartphone are coming with a 32GB of storage so that you can have enough room to store your data. The 32GB iPhone 5s for example costs $299. But you can also find some cheaper options with that much space, such as the HTC One; it starts at $199 for 32GB.<br /><br />Also have it in mind that there are smartphone with expandable storage that has a microSD card slot, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Techno Android and others.<br /><br />* Processor : A phone’s processor is the heart of the device, and a fast one will enable you to open apps quickly, play games smoothly. It determines how fast a phone can multitask-that is, how quickly it can run multiple functions or features at the same time. eg “Dual-core” means two processors instead of one.<br /><br />* Camera : Don’t be freak with the megapixels, the quality of both the sensor and the images is more important. iOS offer most of the best camera experience you can get on a smartphone, many other also offer a high quality camera but the truth is that not all smartphone of same OS have the same camera quality.<br /><br />4. Connectivity<br /><br />You have to know that not all smartphones give you all you need to connect your phone to external devices.<br /><br />For example, some phones don’t support internet sharing via hotspot. You will agree with me that it will make alot of sense if you buy a smartphone with a built-in Mobile Hotspot feature, allowing you to create an Internet connection for up to five wiFi-supported devices with just your smartphone, thereby saving you the stress of subscribing to internet on all your gadgets.<br /><br />More so, some smartphones have features that will allow you to connect your device to large screens eg a SmartTV via hdmi cable or WiFi. You can also consider this when buying your next smartphone.<br /><br />And lastly,<br /><br />5. Battery Life<br /><br />This is a vital part that need to be put into consideration, most especially in Nigeria here where we don’t enjoy a stable electricity. so you have to take a good look at the battery capacity before buying any smartphone.<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />The variety of quality smartphones can be intimidating, but the best phone is the one that really suits your needs.<br /><br />What’s your take on this?

What You Need To Know Before Purchasing A Smartphone

Purchasing a new product is always a difficult task regardless of what the product is. Today, I will be discussing the necessary things yo...

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Five Ways to Earn Income From Blogging

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Five Ways to Earn Income From Blogging" class="attachment-620x330" height="419" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Five-Ways-to-Earn-Income-From-Blogging.jpg" title="Five Ways to Earn Income From Blogging" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> O<strong>ver the years, blogging have been the main source of income for some people. Some do it on part-time basis while some actually do not do any other job other than just wake up in the morning write some few topics, publish on their blog. Believe me, most of these people earn good income from blogging.<br /><br />If you are not yet earning good income from your blog(s), just sit back, relax and follow the tips I’m sharing with you in this post. What I will be sharing is not a quick way to make money. Hence, if you are an individual that is looking for Get Rich Overnight schemes then I advise you to look elsewhere because this post is not for you.<br /><br />1. Sell eBooks, Videos etc<br /><br />This is a sure way of making money from your blog even when you don’t have enough traffic to be making money from adverts.<br /><br />You can sell ebooks you create by yourself or sell ebook for other authors in return for commission. There are even some authors that will give you right to resell their ebooks.<br /><br />I’ve seen a gossip blogger selling ebook on how to create an entertainment blog and how to date celebrities. All you just need to do is to sell ebooks you think will be OK for your audience and you are good to go.<br /><br />You can as well package information you want to sell in form of videos, audio recordings etc. The choice is yours.<br /><br />If you are not selling anything on your blog, you are really missing alot. Information Sells!!<br /><br />2. PPC Monetizing<br /><br />PPC means Pay Per Click.<br /><br />If you join PPC Networks e.g Google Adsense, Adynamo etc, you can be earning income from your blog monthly when visitors to your blog click on the ads you generated from those networks. All you need is to generate the ad codes from the networks and place the codes on your blog.<br /><br />This is very effective for Sites with high traffic. So before Monetizing your blog with Pay Per Click Networks make sure you have some traffic so it can be very effective.<br /><br />3. Affiliate Marketing<br /><br />This is also a very effective way of earning income from your blog provided you are good at driving sales. All you need to do is to join affiliate networks and help them market their products using your unique affiliate links.<br /><br />When people buy through your link, the network will pay you some commission. When the commision piles up to a certain amount, you get paid via check or to your bank account.<br /><br />NOTE: It’s recommended to promote products related to your niche e.g if you blog on “cooking” then you should promote products like Kitchen utensils, not football jerseys.<br /><br />You can ceck out blog posts on Affiliate marketing here.<br /><br />4. Sponsorship<br /><br />If your blog attracts reasonable traffic, then you can propose to companies, business owners etc to sponsor your blog in return for referals, extra online exposure etc.<br /><br />If its what they want they will be part of it and advertise on your blog. They can advertise using ad banners, text links or with sponsored post. And the good thing is that you have control over how much you charge for adverts on your blog.<br /><br />5. Online Services<br /><br />As a blogger, there is probability that you will have accounts on sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. Even if you don’t have personal accounts on those sites, I guess you would have created profiles for your blog on such sites.<br /><br />Guess what, you can be making money by using those social media accounts to promote companies and busineses. There are bloggers that make money tweeting for companies, promoting companies & their products on Facebook etc. You too can!<br /><br />Besides, if you know how to create a blog, how to set up Facebook,Google ads etc, you can be making money doing all that for those in need of such services. If you have services you offer, list them on your blog so that visitors to your blog will be aware of them.<br /><br />Before you can actually start making good money from blogging, you need to write quality content, connect on social media and never stop learning.<br /><br />I advise you try all the ways highlighted above because you won’t really know which one will really be working for you. Don’t just sit down waiting for advertisers…<br /><br />Do you know other ways to earn income from blogging?<br /><br />Kindly let me know your take on this too.<br /><br />By David Udenna</strong>

Five Ways to Earn Income From Blogging

O ver the years, blogging have been the main source of income for some people. Some do it on part-time basis while some actually do n...

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Chinese Billionaire States: If You’re Poor At 35, You Deserve It

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Chinese Billionaire States If You’re Poor At 35, You Deserve It" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-668" height="371" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/capture38-300x174.jpg" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br /> Jack Ma: Before I founded Alibaba, I invited 24 friends to my house to discuss the business opportunity. After discussing for a full 2 hours, they were still confused – I have to say that I may not have put myself across in a clear manner manner then. The verdict: 23 out of the 24 people in the room told me to drop the idea, for a multitude of reasons, such as: ‘you do not know anything about the internet, and more prominently, you do not have the start-up capital for this’ etc etc.<br /><br />There was only one friend (who was working in a bank then) who told me, “If you want to do it, just try it. If things don’t work out the way you expected it to, you can always revert back to what you were doing before.” I pondered upon this for one night, and by the next morning, I decided I would do it anyway, even if all of the 24 people opposed the idea.<br /><br />Chinese Billionaire States If You’re Poor At 35, You Deserve ItWhen I first started Alibaba, I was immediately met with strong opposition from family and friends. Looking back, I realised that the biggest driving force for me then was not my confidence in the Internet and the potential it held, but more of this: “No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience is a form of success in itself.” You have got to keep trying, and if it doesn’t work, you always can revert back to what you were doing before.<br /><br />As with this quote by T.E. Lawrence – “All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream in the dark recesses of the night awake in the day to find all was vanity. But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, and make it possible.”<br /><br />Jack Ma: People lose out in life because of these 4 reasons:<br /><br />Being myopic to opportunity<br /><br />Looking down on opportunities<br /><br />Lacking understanding<br /><br />Failing to act quickly enough<br /><br />You are poor, because you have no ambition.<br /><br />Ambition is living a life of great ideals; a magnificent goal in life that must be realized.

Chinese Billionaire States: If You’re Poor At 35, You Deserve It

  Jack Ma: Before I founded Alibaba, I invited 24 friends to my house to discuss the business opportunity. After discussing for a full...

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TWELVE Making Money Online Facts You Must Know

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="TWELVE Making Money Online Facts You Must Know" class="attachment-620x330" height="227" src="http://lindaikejist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/TWELVE-Making-Money-Online-Facts-You-Must-Know.jpg" title="TWELVE Making Money Online Facts You Must Know" width="640" /> </div> <br /> <br />  I know you might have stumbled on websites or blogs that claim they can show you how to make thousands of dollars a day and retire in a month or probably have received emails where the sender claimed to have made thousands of dollars by working only for a couple of hours. Interesting…right?<br /><br />Well, all these are just popular tricks to deceive you in believing making money online is easy. Those sites that boast that you can get rich over night are not telling you the whole truth and if you fall for the bogus claims, you might end up frustrated in your quest for making money online.<br /><br />Now let me make something clear to you… the truth is that online business is real but it takes time to build a way to make money online. You can make residual income online just like I do but there are some facts you must know, which are highlighted below:<br /><br />1. With a computer, Internet access and a phone, it’s possible to earn a living and make money from home, on the internet.<br /><br />2. Starting an online business requires a very low start-up capital. You just need ideas, personal computer, internet access and some softwares installed on your computer. Although, you can start from Cyber-Cafes.<br /><br />3. People who work from home are not necessarily involved in scams or illegal business. There are plenty of legal ways to earn money from home.<br /><br />4. Nothing like overnight wealth on the internet. Working online does not make a lot of money for most people, but over time it is certainly possible to make a strong full-time income.<br /><br />5. It takes a lot of serious hard work to make money online, and a lot of the work you need to do is learning about the process. You reap what you sow.<br /><br />6. It is not compulsory you know html, programming, graphic design etc before you can start making money online. You can find someone else that can do any of those things for you. Fiverr.com/jideogunsanya is an example of one of the sites where you can get your job done at very cheap price.<br /><br />7. You just have to sell something, be it a product (physical/digital) or services for you to make money online. If you don’t sell something or render a service, then what will people be paying you for if they are to send money into your account or send cheques to you?<br /><br />8. You will need to set your own schedule and rely on your own motivation and will-power to succeed in making money online.<br /><br />9. Internet businesses run 24/7. Your website or blog where you will be making money online will always be available for people to access anytime anyday unless you have issues with your server.<br /><br />10. You can work once and keep earning on the internet eg. You can create an information product which will keep earning you money for life.<br /><br />11. Not everybody can make money online. There is no guarantee you will succeed just as there is no guarantee that you will make money if you invest in any business offline.<br /><br />12. You do not have to be jerk of all trades to make money online. In fact, if you try to do everything people are doing to make money online, you might end up in confusion, which might lead to failure. Hence, pick a model and focus on it. For example, I am focusing on creating content (info marketing, blogging) despite knowing that I can also make money trading forex online, buying/selling stocks online etc<br /><br />I believe this article should be an eye opener for you if you just want to get started in making money online. Remember, if you stumble on anything that sounds too good to be true, just RUN. There is no magic on the internet. You have to work in other to be making cool money online like I do.<br /><br />If you’ve got any suggestion or question concerning this article, kindly relay your comments in the box below.<br /> <br />

TWELVE Making Money Online Facts You Must Know

 I know you might have stumbled on websites or blogs that claim they can show you how to make thousands of dollars a day and retire i...

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Creating A Savings Plan

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"> </h3> <div class="post-header"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WatkOlygkyZfNxgVPTI7FSK2VCq0fnJ9IuPCcXYAN7rRMDovPkKzB31ctQmRUaC9_oP4aEBYaougHPDznVykgT78ubdR8MRgddr8KqiAo_ygI7XWYYxMEG6vbC-AJK9ovu4NS4t_eXM/s1600/00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WatkOlygkyZfNxgVPTI7FSK2VCq0fnJ9IuPCcXYAN7rRMDovPkKzB31ctQmRUaC9_oP4aEBYaougHPDznVykgT78ubdR8MRgddr8KqiAo_ygI7XWYYxMEG6vbC-AJK9ovu4NS4t_eXM/s1600/00.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div> <span style="font-size: small;">W<span style="font-family: inherit;">e are sharing seven easy steps to help you come up with a great savings plan and still be able to meet your other obligations.</span></span><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Know your income and your expenses</b> - It is important to know how much you earn, how much money you spend and what exactly it is that you spend your money on. This is essential so that you are sure that you don’t spend more than you earn. </span></div> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br /></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span><b>What are your primary concerns?</b> - You need to identify your main financial concerns in order to create an effective savings plan. They could be job security, education costs, medical bills, money which you owe or lack of savings. Find out which issues worry you the most and then think about the different ways in which you can tackle those concerns. If job security is a major source of concern for example, you may need to start building emergency savings. </span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">    </span></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">       </span><b>Order your priorities and set your goals</b> - People have different financial priorities. Decide what YOU want to save money for, whether it’s paying for education, saving for a trip or wedding, paying off debt, building future savings for retirement, or other purposes. You will then need to check how your income matches up with your list of priorities. </span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span><b>Determine timeframes</b> - When considering your financial priorities, you should also be thinking about a timetable for achieving them. How long will it take for you to reach your goals? What are your target dates? </span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">    </span></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span><b>Create a budget today</b> - YES TODAY! You will need to save a certain amount of money every month for each of your financial goals. How much you save depends on how much you earn and how you can cut down on your expenses. Living on a budget means being vigilant about your spending habits. Find out areas where you can spend less and save more money for something else. </span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">    </span></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">       </span>Finally, <b>create an automatic savings plan</b> - After calculating how much you want to put aside each month, you can set up an automatic savings plan. This can be done by setting up a monthly standing order on your salary account with the funds going directly into a savings account. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Financial experts advise that you save 10% of your earnings and to live off of 90. Also, you must make a commitment to yourself not to touch your savings account for any reason other than fulfilling your established financial goals. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Don’t wait until tomorrow; create your savings plan today. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This has been courtesy Fidelity Bank as part of The Bankers Committee Financial Literacy Public Enlightenment Programme brought to you by The Bankers Committee, comprising all the commercial Banks in Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.</span></div>

Creating A Savings Plan

W e are sharing seven easy steps to help you come up with a great savings plan and still be able to meet your other obligations. Kn...

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