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Showing posts from November, 2013

5 Ways to Keep Customers Knocking on Your Door

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How does one go from investment banking to starting a wildly successful online jewelry store? Just ask Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky, founders of BaubleBar , who did just that. After meeting nine years ago in a banking class at Harvard Business School , they ditched the prospect of becoming financial analysts to open BaubleBar. The two were shoe shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue together when they realized they never shopped for jewelry because they could never find jewelry they liked that was reasonably priced. They decided to take it upon themselves to fix this problem. While the pair spends a lot of time talking about analytics, their impeccable branding plays a big role in BaubleBar’s success. There is a lot to learn from Yacobovsky and Jain, so let’s take a look at why their customers are so loyal: 1. Get personal, even -- no, especially -- online. Interacting with your customers or clients on a personal level is very important if you want to build

Confession of a Boko Haram member .......lick the link

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPUjx-TWSHY&feature=player_detailpage

How to Transform Your Passion into a Successful Business

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Starting your own business is like jumping on an emotional rollercoaster with the highest of highs and lowest of lows -- all the while, wondering if the ride will come to a screeching halt. Anyone can start a business but it’s infinitely harder to grow and sustain it. When a company faces challenges and falls on hard times (and it always does), it’s your passion and commitment that ultimately get the business through to the other side. If you don’t have a true passion for your business, everyone can sense it: your customer s , team, advisors and investors . That's why focusing on your mission is of the utmost importance. This will enable you to make faster decisions and help you manage through the rollercoaster ride. Here are three steps to help transform your passion into a successful business: Do you know enough? If not, start asking. You have a passion and want to start a business! Do you know enough about the industry? With industry background

Not True: Angola Denies Burning Mosques & Banning Islam

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Stories had recently flooded the internet that Angola had banned Islam and was destroying mosques, but it seems that there may be no truth to the rumors. An official at the Angolan Embassy in Washington, D.C., who did not want to be identified while discussing the sensitive matter, told IBTimes that there is no such ban, and that the reports are erroneous. “The Republic of Angola … it’s a country that does not interfere in religion,” the official said via telephone Monday afternoon. “We have a lot of religions there. It is freedom of religion. We have Catholic, Protestants, Baptists, Muslims and evangelical people.” News of Angola’s supposed ban on Islam originated in the African press, which went so far as to quote the nation’s president and minister of culture offering statements that suggested the premise of the reports was accurate. A second official at the Angolan Embassy in the U.S. reiterated that the diplo

Family Business, Legacy or Liability? It’s Up to You

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Owning and operating a family business is an extremely complex endeavor — not a job for weak characters and tentative actions. Most family businesses don’t make it past the second generation. Here are some crucial points for founders to consider in their efforts to build a strong foundation for future growth and increase the odds of a healthy legacy. It’s not a family business until you deem it so. Every company ever started could have become a family business. You need to decide early on if that is part of your intention. Don’t put your name on the door. It may seem like the obvious or most gratifying solution to the “What do I call the company?” question. In actuality, it can be extremely detrimental, as you have now predetermined the fate of many. Have your children work outside the business to get their “chops.” It is very difficult to build self-confidence within a family business. Your children need to get paid, be acknowledged, and climb the ladder in t

19 Simple Rules to Manage Your Business More Effectively

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Over the past few years, I have been helping solo entrepreneurs and small businesses change their approaches. Together, we re-define their business strategies, their products/service ranges, and their marketing messages. Every scenario is different, yet they all have one thing in common: the need for strong leadership. I believe in the following 19 simple rules every business owner should follow in order to manage her or his company effectively. 1. Know your business and its direction. You can be the best CEO in the world, but if you don’t have a bigger game plan in mind, your company won’t make it very far. 2. Find your one thing. You can’t do everything perfectly. Find one thing your company is really good at, and build upon it. 3. Know your market. Unless you run a bakery in a small village, you need to research your market. Be aware of your competitors, and find people who want your product/service, and understand their needs in order to fill this demand. 4

Causes,Symptoms and Remedies Bacterial Vaginitis

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Bacterial vaginitis refers to inflammation of the vagina. It occurs when there is a growth of bacteria. Certain bacteria are normally present in the vaginal area. When the levels of these bacteria rise, an infection can occur. The condition mostly affects women during their reproductive years, but can also occur at any time. The exact cause of bacterial vaginitis is unknown but certain factors can place you at risk for the infection. These factors include excessive douching and engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse. Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginitis The symptoms of bacterial vaginitis may include the following: Itching Swelling Painful sexual intercourse Vaginal discharge. The discharge may be thin and grayish in color Unpleasant odor Burning while urinating Vaginal bleeding In many cases, the infection may not produce any symptoms. It is advisable to consult a doctor in case you develop symptoms of a vaginal infection. Causes of Bacterial Vagini

Twelve Tips for Becoming a Successful Manager

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1. Don’t try to be someone you are not. The temptation is to emulate the previous manager. This is bad news as you are not the previous manager, you are you. Think about managers you have enjoyed working for and identify what it was they did that gave you that feeling. Also, think about managers you have not enjoyed working for and identify what it was they did that gave you that feeling. These two activities will give you a framework from which to start your management career. 2. Start as you mean to go on. Set clear standards and then model them – always. People respond positively to certainty as they generally don’t like surprises. Everyone needs to know what is expected of them and clear standards will help them understand that this is the way we are going to do things around here. It doesn’t have to be dictatorial either. Why not ask your team to put together their ideas on what the standards should be and then agree them with you. That way they have the ownership so you don’t

Cigarette-smoking toddler who shocked the world with his 40-a-day habit has given up... now he's addicted to food

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At the age of two he shocked the world after being pictured chain-smoking cigarettes. Two years on he's now a normal, cheeky five-year-old - and, while he's managed to kick the habit, he now has another addiction. Food. Aldi Rizal became an international media sensation when he was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing on a cigarette while riding his tricycle. Toddler Aldi Rizal stunned the world when it was revealed he had a 40-a-day smoking habit at just two years old Destructive: The youngster was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing on a cigarette while riding his tricycle Now Aldi has picked up a new addiction - to food. His huge appetite has seen him gorge on junk food and fatty snacks The outcry led to the Indonesian government launching a campaign to tackle the problem of children smoking and organising special rehabilitation treatment to help Aldi quit. Aldi was taken for play th

Fergie gets his facts wrong as best-selling autobiography contains at least 45 mistakes

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The publishers of Sir Alex Ferguson's best-selling autobiography have been left red-faced after eagle-eyed readers pointed out 45 factual errors. Fergie's second account of his life, entitled My Autobiography, became the UK's fastest-selling non-fiction book, shifting 115,547 copies in its first week on sale. But readers have spotted as many as 45 factual errors in the 402-page hardback, which has prompted publishers Hodder and Stoughton to offer to reimburse one disgruntled reader. The Daily Mirror reported that Hodder and Stoughton CEO Jamie Hodder-Williams is said to have replied by email to the customer in question, offering a full refund in exchange for the return of the book. Mr Hodder-Williams wrote: 'We did in fact go through several stages of fact-checking with this book, with a reading from within Manchester United as well as from a specialist football fact-checker. 'Although a very large number of corrections were made we

ABUJA THE CAPITAL OF NIGERIAN ....... SITE PICTURE'S

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GOLDEN EAGLETS GOALKEEPER ALAMPASU’S RISE FROM ZERO TO HERO. SEE PHOTOS OF POOR HOME HE CAME FROM

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He was programmed to go through life as a poor guy.  But, he resisted and fought poverty with all his mind, spirit and soul.  Dele Alampasu’s thrilling story could not have been told by any person other than his impoverished father, Tomi Alampasu who thanked God for rescuing his family from the grip of grinding poverty which had ravaged generations of his lineage right from Abule Ota, in the Republic of Benin where they hail from.  The true story of Dele Alampasu’s  rescue from the tight grip of penury is a dramatic tale that will make a masterpiece in story-telling. “I came to this (Itoki) village  in Ogun State, in 1993,” said Tomi Alampasu.  “I was indeed the first settler in what used to be a hamlet in those days.  I had come over from Sango Ota (in Ogun State)  where I had been working in the Council with the Civil Defence Corps. At Sango Ota, in Ogun State, I saw a replica of Abule Ota, in Republic of Benin. It was after I arrived   Itoki by December 1996 th