COMMUNICATION: THE MORTAR THAT BINDS EVERY BUSINESS VENTURE

This blog was written by Samuel "Fiifi" Okore Mintah, the Vice President of BMIC. As always his article is a most inspiring and refreshing piece, I hope you really enjoy this! :)

Communication; the imparting or exchanging of information

Rarely is it such a fairy tale for somebody to finish university and almost immediately be at the helm of his own company with an estimated value of almost $100,000 and counting. Well I did it, through cold nights and lonely days at Evandy Hostel where I marshaled my thoughts to build my imaginary company in the form of a well-written business proposal. Though I wrote that proposal under compulsion, I later came to appreciate the amount and value of the work that was put into the business plan. When this plan metamorphosed into reality, I surrounded myself with a team of some of the smartest and talented minds I knew. We immediately jumped into gear, business prospects were looking good then suddenly I watched it all slip out of my hands. But as a firm optimist who believes in determination, hard work and the power of dreams no matter the problems that one encounters, I knew I had within my power the tools to create new and even better opportunities. As the great Winston Churchill said during the blitzkrieg of London, “Never, never, never give up!”

I graduated from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology a year ago, with the grade class I had always wanted. But most importantly, I left KNUST with the right frame of mind and the right kind of friends, and these factors have been crucial to enabling my ideas and plans to come to life. As soon as this great opportunity to run this firm knocked on my door I called on the battalion to come aboard because I knew they were going to propel the business to the next level. Within a month of the platoon hitting the ground, problems begun to assuage the firm, unforeseen and unpredictable problems cropped up all over the place and I watched in horror as this amazing chance disappeared almost as quickly as it came into being. It was a real nightmare especially looking at the kind of personal investment I had made within that short period of time. I had sacrificed my valuable time, every single dime, and as a man in his prime I was ready to capably run this engine and yet, here was I going home without having barely started the engine itself. When I reminisce about that shattering week, I can only grin and sigh with relief that things are back on track now.

What happened you may ask? It had nothing to do with the team I brought on board to take the business to the next level but rather myself. Several minute flaws that I had neglected in my personnel life grew into the very same abyss that derailed my entrepreneurial train.  I have always been a smooth talker brimming with eloquence but a little miscommunication between my business partner and I created an air of mistrust. After many nights of reflection as to what caused this predicament, I came to the conclusion that communication is the most vital ingredient in any and all forms of business; something like the mortar that binds all the other components of a business venture to make it one big whole. In business we may agree, we may disagree and we may even agree to disagree. However without the essential ingredient – effective communication – which builds trust among all stakeholders, no business will be successful.

Since that fateful week, I have done a lot of soul searching and reassessment; I have completely revamped my way of handling business, and to tell you the truth now, I feel like I can walk on water. I am back on my grind with a big bang; thing is this time everything is in place and nothing is bringing me down. I have been thorough in purging those minute flaws, which do not augur well for business in favor of traits that can earn me the chips that can afford me that trip to Monaco twice a year, the mansion on the hill and that McLaren MP4-12c. What did I do to come back on track and resolve all the problems with my partners?  Well I have always been consumed with a burning desire to make it happen no matter the odds against me, but besides that I read voraciously to further become knowledgeable about the efficient management skills that still eluded me. I also delved into my inner person to discover my latent abilities, which I’m developing everyday, and also took the time to unlearn the unproductive things that were part of my psyche.  So now I am back, consumed with the fire of winning and trust me, I am winning. With my formidable team we have built those efficient mechanisms to weather any storms that may blow no matter how great. KTA is back, and here to stay!

Samuel “Fiifi” Okore Mintah,

Chief Executive Officer,

Kreative Terrain Agency

If KTA was possible, so is this! On track to make my dreams REALITY!

TROTRO DIARIES PART 2: MR. P. GRAMMAR THESAURUS

So where were we? Yes, yes, I remember! Derek is somewhere in the former marsh and Olivia – the President of Harambe Cameroon, my virtual twin and a member of the TEDxHarambe organizing team – joined him and their Harambe Endeavor colleagues to hobnob with the chic politicos of Yankee – Cheese! All this was in commemoration of almost half of the Dark Continent celebrating 50 years of independence and uniform mismanagement. Honestly, I am neither a cynic nor a Pollyanna because I like to think I’m stuck squarely in between. Well, saying that would be slightly duplicitous because it will demand a concerted effort not to be cheerfully beaming in a 5 Series. In the same vein, it will be an onerous task not to be disconsolate, stuck in traffic – in a Tro-Tro – resigned to the sun-drenched African noon, with absolutely no hope of precipitation and in the certain knowledge that the ineluctable sultriness is inexorably dissipating the last few whiffs of an already dwindling supply of Armani Extreme. I used to detest people that put on too much cologne before they went gallivanting, but after forty-eight contiguous months in this sweltering tropical mugginess (now tell me this tautology is NOT permissible), I am gunning through eau de toilettes with the panache of the leader of the peloton on the home stretch of the Tour de France; not forgetting all associated sweat and drama. That is not to say that you cannot be ebullient in a Tro-tro or morose in a Murcielago...hmmm...now that was a very vague attempt at assonance and not to be considered a remote possibility, not even Jeremy Clarkson can frown in the belly of the raging bull.

What do you think of BMIC's New Logo? Please comment below.

The point I am making is this, positivism and pessimism feed of each other in order to create a realistic view. In other words, “optimism is the force behind a realist’s cautious cynicism.” So it is with an enthusiastic but pragmatic approach that we are implementing TEDxHarambe: we are leaving no stone unturned; no sail unfurled; and no holds barred for all the chips are on the table now. Fortunately, between the services provided by Google Inc, Vodafone Broadband and Skype Limited, communication is VOIP and collaboration is via attachment and virtually free; I reiterate again, the power of IT! But through all this I digress slightly, my first real assignment as a member of the TEDxHarambe Team was to meet with a Dutch venture capitalist called Sander Smits van Oyen and confirm him as a speaker for the event. A few emails and phone calls later (non-VOIP), Sander and I set up an appointment to meet at Shangri-La in the late afternoon. This was incredibly fortuitous because I also had an oily early morning meeting at Shangri La that same day. In retrospect, that morning, my father saved me from the ‘joys’ of a Trosky trip in the early morning which is identical to a Tro-tro ride in the afternoon save for the oppressive heat or one in the evening; when all the rattling and jolting fuses with a day’s worth of fatigue into the most intense feeling of...of...utter despondency. Again I deviate, Mr. Ampofo Snr. treated me to an unending but somehow pleasant cacophony of intense business calls all the way through the idiosyncratic traffic of Spintex Road till he dropped me off. Indeed, we had about 25 seconds of ‘intimate’ conversation which literally went, “Busy morning?” to which I was replied, “Hmmm, it never ends you know”, then he was back to the intermittent tintinnabulation and wheeler-dealing; my patriarch is as bona fide an astute business man as they come.

As at 9:30am that day, I was deeply engrossed in negotiations with some oily gentlemen who were trying to convince me to part with thousands of dollars they did not know I did not have; and fast track negotiations on an ongoing Joint Venture. My business partner’s attorney, having come fashionably late, was now trying to bill me for his client’s expenses. I was just sitting there contemplating how my own legal consultants are racking up some hefty fees under our current tenuous pseudo pro-bono disposition: on account of waning paternal inducements; patrilineally inherited intelligence; maternally acquired gregariousness; and a proclivity for manipulative suasion using any and all means necessary. Now I am wandering again but it serves to illustrate how indignant I had become after this first meeting, dealing with two men old enough to be my father yet selling me a deal with so many encumbrances that I was almost ready to give up that business idea on the spot, and go relax at the beach. I did go to the beach, but I refrained from doing the former, I refrained from letting my tempestuous nature sour the grapes as it were. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon relaxing with friends at the beach, dreaming, laughing and planning. I had been prepping for my next meeting with Sander for a while so I felt adequately prepared because it seemed to me a pretty simple and straightforward affair. Well it turned out to be anything but simple and straightforward.......

To Be Continued, Cheers!

Please Tune in Next Week for the next blurb in the series. I will try to proceed without my trusty friend: Mr. Punctilious G. Thesaurus :)

Mr. P. G. Thesaurus himself

On FACEBOOK - The Road Less Travelled Made All The Difference!

Early Days of Facebook, Inc

In the autumn of 2005, a 21 year-old Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, sat across from Michael Wolf, President of Viacom's MTV Networks in a plush Gulfstream V private jet and refused a $1.5 billion buyout offer saying, "You just saw my apartment, I don't really need any money. And anyway, I don't think I'm ever going to have an idea this good again". He did manage however to learn as much as he could from Wolf on how Viacom makes money from MTV over the course of the 5 hour flight from San Francisco to New York. This and an insightful history of the ubiquitous phenomenon that is ruling cyberspace is provided by David Kirkpatrick in his upcoming novel, "The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World”. In those heady days, there were quite a few people who advised the young chap to sell his creation and finish school, rich beyond his wildest dreams but this stubborn creature went against all conventional wisdom and still lacking adequate funds bootstrapped this venture all the way to the Dot.com Hall of Fame. He and his team managed to have fun running the company in its formative years; a bunch of tweens working through booze fueled parties and friendly camaraderie. However much the company and its founder have both matured, it still maintains a relatively easygoing working atmosphere in Palo Alto, California.

Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm room with a bunch of his friends and associates in 2004 under, as some would claim 'controversial circumstances', but the viability and overwhelming success of his invention soon brought all manner of suitors clipping at his heels. Facebook was exponential in its growth, even from the early onset. Within 4 months of the sites launch, he was perched on the brighter side of a potential $10 million dollar handshake and he refused without even taking the offer seriously. He and his team of friends and associates have turned Facebook into such a global web juggernaut over the past 6 years that Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft was willing to pay $15 billion for Facebook outright, but after serious haggling succeeded in only purchasing 1.6% at $240 million, essentially giving Facebook an implied book value of $15 billion. From $10 million through an astronomical figure of $15 billion, Zuckerberg has been steadfastly stubborn in his refusal to completely sellout and Facebook now has almost 500 million users and is worth an estimated $24 billion and counting; its heavily anticipated IPO is bound to instigate the greatest investor frenzy since Google. As Fortune would put it, Zuckerberg has succeeded in creating "the worlds most-coveted web giant." His personal net worth is estimated at about  $5 billion (representing 24% of Facebook, Inc) and he still wears frazzled hoodies, baggy pants and open-toed adidas flip-flops. That lucky f^&%*$!!!!!!

Personally I have been on Facebook since September 2004 and was probably among the first 200,000 to sign up. It was then thefacebook.com, a static page with no chat, apps, games and even no privacy; everything was open so long as you were in the network. At the time Facebook was essentially the privilege of American college kids until it was opened up to high schools then the rest of the world to such an unprecedented and overwhelming response. I have observed with rapt attention as this toddler technology that was very much experimental has grown into a full fledged and mature product that has become indispensable to many millions, inspiring a cornucopia of applications and an easy way to connect, reconnect and stay in touch. There was even a period of about 2 years when I practically ignored Facebook as its exclusivity paved way for universal access above the age of 13 but even amidst such changes the social network still wound its way back onto my fingertips because it has given rise to several brilliant new ways to communicate and a platform for rabble rousers such as myself to State Our Plays. Now FB is omnipresent on WEB 2.0; thumbs up Recommend signs are everywhere and all manner of websites are vying for recognition on the social network and its colossal and constantly growing user base. Facebook will generate $500 million in advertising revenue this year and this figure is projected to be in the billions a few years hence.

WOW! From chugging mountain dew coding other people’s websites deep into the night, Mr. Zuckerberg has come a long way. The question I have is what would this story have sounded like if he took the first $10 million dollars and didn't take the risk of holding out to the very end? He would certainly be wearing his hoodies, and baggy pants today but I doubt he would have had the ability to change the world as he did. He took the road less travelled, and it has made all the difference.

For an excerpt from David Kirkpatrick's, "The Facebook Effect" please visit this link http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/06/technology/facebook_excerpt.fortune/index.htm

YOU ARE THE FUTURE: JUST BELIEVE!......On Success and Positive Change

This article was written by Gilbert Nii Lartey, the Chief Strategic Officer of BMIC. A most refreshing and motivating piece. Enjoy!

I was perusing the BMIC page a week ago and the constantly increasing number of new members truly amazed me. Within a short period of our conception BMIC has exceeded our initially modest 500-member target. This reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend back in Senior Secondary School (now Senior High School). My friend and I were just chatting when I complained about how difficult it was for me to get a certain idea of mine to materialize. I had discussed this idea with my uncle earlier but he consequently discouraged me totally from pursuing it through to fruition. Funny enough, someone else had the same idea and now it has become one of the most successful projects in Ghana as at now. To ridicule a brilliant idea from a person merely on the grounds of their young age and seeming lack of experience is an unfortunate reality that we all face as Ghanaian youth. Is it not common knowledge by now that, “Age is just a number?” I told my friend that The System had to change and his discouraging response was, “But our parents said the same thing when they were our age and yet nothing happened. They rather grew up and got used to the system and nothing has changed still.” Years have gone by and this conversation floods my mind daily. Is what he observed true; will we end up paying lip service to change and fail to effect any palpable change till we grow up; will we become just like our forbears?

The System is not right! But who can change it? The answer lies with its greatest victims; The Modern Youth. I honestly believe we did not need President Barack Obama to reiterate what we already know – The simple fact that the future of any nation lies with its youth. Take a good look at any developed nation’s human resource framework and you will realize that a majority of its Research, Inventions and Development are propelled by the youth. The older generation must complement our youthful exuberance with Experience and not to quell our raging fires of creative talents and ambitious dreams. Experience comes from doing something repeatedly over a long span of time. You cannot gain experience if you do not do anything or if you are not given the opportunity to do something. The knowledge gained from either succeeding or failing at doing anything over a period of time regularly generates experience. The question is what complementary experience is the bulk of Ghana’s older generation [The Dinosaurs] imparting to the youth? As a nation we are obsessed with Age and Seniority forgetting that while both are important, they should be used to inspire and motivate the younger generation for their future success and well being.

The System has got to change! It begins with the youth and in our minds. We have to become the purveyors of positive change otherwise we will become just like The Dinosaurs who discourage us. Every dream can become a reality but only if we are willing to believe in it and work towards achieving it. Dream big, develop ideas in your mind and commit yourself to seeing it through to reality no matter what. Take inspiration from the humble beginnings of other success stories and be willing to put in the work required. This is what got me involved with BMIC. I want to spend my lifetime encouraging and creating avenues for young people to fully develop their potential. BMIC creates the best platform for you and me to bring our ideas together to achieve a common goal – Success and Positive Change. Indeed this must be change we can believe in but it must begin with you, as a small seed in your mind that will sprout into an amazing and motivating success story.

YOU ARE THE FUTURE! JUST BELIEVE!

From Whence Cometh Thine Inspiration?

A few hours ago I had as yet the great pleasure and honor to hang out with my business partner and mentor, The Oil Tycoon, as well as my good friend The Spy and his friend from Harvard Business School (who is representing GE in Ghana). We were a very unassuming bunch, having our informal 'meeting' at Rhapsody's, where we chatted, ate and drank on the outside porch to a cool evening breeze. I tend to be awed by the company I keep sometimes, especially after the fact of being in their presence and I can later sit down alone and go over all the things discussed and see what I can glean from my reminiscing. During our conversations occasionally I even pull out my trusty notebook because as a young business mind and scholar ensconced in such an august gathering I must be ready to record any grain, drop, or hint of wisdom.....unashamedly and unabashedly. I think the notebook being pulled out also encourages them to keep the knowledge flowing; it is a very sublime exchange, I learn a lot but they learn something from me too......but generally I do much 'colorful' talking and they give me thoughtful proddings. This meeting though was very relaxed, quite a simple affair and everybody went from sizing each other up initially, to later on simply enjoying each others presence and thoughts.......I am glad I 'sacrificed' my Saturday night to hang out with these people instead of my usual group of suspects.......Much can be fathomed not just by observing someone, but by observing the company they keep. Kweku Spy always tells me one thing over and over again, "Kojo, surround yourself with the right kind of people and you will make the right kind of choices."

Ok then, but how does one identify the right kind of people to surround themselves with? I don't have all the answers but I think I figured one facet of it out - Surround yourself with people that Inspire you positively; people that inspire you to greatness; to do good; to be true to yourself and to be better than you are! That is a true friend, that is a true brother, that is the kind of person you can rely on for good advice, for extrinsic motivation, and even for help. Look around you......who are the people you find yourself surrounded by; what kind of clique to you hang out with; what brings your group of friends together; what are your bonds based on; how much to they truly INSPIRE YOU. What kind of friends do you have - you can't change your family and as you grow they become less of an influence as compared to your friends - So what kind of friends do you have? Whenever you want to do something good or worthwhile are they supportive? When you suggest that you should pursue productive ends do they concur, do they actually help you make things happen? What tangible gains can you boast of your association with your in-crowd? What do you spend most of your time doing, and apart from that basis do you even hang out? What do you talk about; how truly beneficial have their advise been to you? Is your relationship based on superficial or deep things; is it based on transient or lasting things; is it based on harmful or beneficial things? And finally, can you honestly be your true self around them; do you have to put up a facade to fit in; can they truly reveal their inner self to you or are you all putting up airs to be able to deal with each other? The questions could go on and on, but the point being driven home is; are you truly happy with the group of people around you; have you surrounded yourself with the right kind of people? I certainly hope you have because I spent a very long time with the wrong crowd and all its ever brought me was pain and sorrow......BUT NO MORE!

Therefore as part of my growth, maturity and desire for Change in my life I have had to and still am having to cut out so many people from it simply because they no longer fit the profile of what I want to be, where I want to go and how I want to get there. I don't call them anymore, I don't hang out with them anymore; our lives no longer cross because they did not truly inspire me.......these were the kind of friends that were envious of me, rarely helped me when I truly needed their help, always sought to use me for their own selfish ends, and sometimes even actively sought to undermine my success. I was and will always be open to all these people; I will always seek to help them better themselves as others have helped me, but I can only open my door, I can't drag them in......they have to decide to do so themselves. I realize now that these are people that I always sought to find a way to cut out of my life even then but couldn't because of love, genuine respect, pity and unnecessary mutual dependencies, but the truth is they were holding me back......From my dreams, my health, my wealth and my peace of mind. I always say this to most people I care about especially in terms of relationships, "We each carry 100% of our problems and managing that is hard enough so when you want to manage another persons 100% as well, make sure that its a fair exchange." And so I try now to as much as possible surround myself with the right kind of people now, people who say things like, "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Oh, How they inspire, my new crop of friends.....HOW THEY INSPIRE ME TO ASPIRE TO BE BETTER THAN I AM......to be true to myself in such a way that my God-given talents, energy and life are not wasted but utilized in such a way that my success is assured.

So that is the primary motivation behind the formation of Business Minds Investment Club - To inspire the youth to aspire to be better than themselves in such a way that they can achieve success, greatness and fulfill their true destinies. The question for you then is this; are you a true Business Mind? Being a part of BMIC begs of you to answer this question, and it is because if you are to really benefit from what the club has to offer then you have to be a true Business Mind who is willing to work and sacrifice now to rack up the inevitable gains later on. BMIC is more about inspiration, motivation and determination that it is about money. BMIC is about proving that nothing is impossible, so long as the necessary work is done. What motivated you to join the club - was it because the name sounded cool or because you just randomly add invitations to groups? Is there any tangible reason for you being a member; is it something that just looks good on your facebook page; what engagements have you made to the group so far even; what comments, suggestions, tips have you put in? We at BMIC do not require anything from any member save to say that they should be active, supportive and we all should use this forum to HELP each other. Why I bring up this issue is that BMIC is growing so fast that I am becoming afraid that we will become just another group that was born and then died on Facebook. BMIC is bigger than Facebook, or the blog, or some off-shore bank account - BMIC is primarily an Inspirational, Motivational and Youth Empowerment Networking Hub. I want to encourage the breeding of true Business Minds - because some people made the concerted effort for me to change into what I am today not because of anything but the fact that they cared about more than just themselves. Before the meeting I was at the mall trying to 'evangelize' BMIC to some interesting pre-med students and they liked the idea lots but quickly kept making assumptions that it was all about money, if I had money to invest, and how they would love to join it because of all the money they could make but I didn't enjoy their money centrism.......chasing money never yields enough.....rather "Chasing work and value bring wealth" (Mr. Ampofo Snr.)

Even if I had the millions necessary to invest, I would not just invest it in any youth's businesses that would not yield assured profit, and being a member does not automatically qualify you to attain funds anyway. Neither can I, in good conscience, ask for members to invest their money in this venture because they can't; they don't have money themselves. Right now members of the 'Executive Committee' are in dire straits trying to organize funding to hire out the British Council, provide refreshments and rack up motivational icons and business gurus to come speak - I bring this up because we need constructive input and help from members who can provide some assistance - we don't need money, we need links, help with planning, cleaning up after and things of that sort. My greatest fear is that people will not even show up, or participate adequately thereafter - but fears and worries have to be dealt HEAD ON so things will go as planned, Godwilling. In the long term I see this group evolving into a full blooded Financial Services Institution - essentially an Investment Bank! Thats a HUGE goal......and I felt that members should know where we are right now and where exactly we are headed; I can just envision the amount of sweat, pain and suffering it will take for us to get there, but the end result will be well worth the work that will be put into it. It takes ordinary people who face impossible odds to make an extraordinary difference.

For now BMIC remains an organization focused on Inspiration, Motivation, Youth Empowerment and Counsel using the resources that are available. In time though, who knows where we will end up.....Nelson Mandela said he see's the celebration of Mandela Day not as a personal honor to him but a "way of demystifying that only extraordinary people can make a difference." Another inspirational friend (whose also a member of BMIC) said this to me in response to me telling him that people always say that my head is up in the clouds, "Its the only way to SPACE!" Mr. Kweku Spy also said, "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters first. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." Again....how inspirational!!!

A Faulty Charger, Pepper Soup Extraordinaire and Several Moments of Realization

Unfortunately I have been sick and bedridden for the past 2 days; I have a combined Cold and Malaria affliction and that is a very debilitating and disturbing melange of pain and discomfort indeed. But even though I am not fully recovered I have had a moment of realization (which has led to the earlier than hoped resumption of the blog).....If I set my mind to anything, I CAN DO IT. Case in point: My Macbook's charger finally gave up and my beloved Mac subsequently ran out of juice; I live on my Mac, I need it for work, for almost everything (including bathing, sleeping.....and yes even THAT!!) and then at the worst possible time, when I'm sick and overloaded with work I need my Mac to finish - Out goes the little green light - what an unfortunate and stressful situation to be caught in. How was I going to Work, Communicate, Write and Research; I was really distraught for a short while. That is UNTIL I decided to be proactive; I took the charger apart, identified the problem, did some delicate cutting, exposed wires, and Voila! It Worked.....only for a short while but it still worked and I will fix it fully later on - Consequently I do have a serious deadline to finish this before my Mac goes off :(. This experience gave me such a huge boost that I forgot and ignored my headache and incessant coughing to revel in the fact that TRULY I CAN DO ANYTHING.......I CAN REALLY DO IT, regardless of any real or imagined disadvantage, flaw or excuse. To be honest, since my sickness begun I have been looking for inspiration to write my next article but it was not forthcoming until that moment. So then here I am, INSPIRED not because of any external force but rather because of an INTERNALLY produced DECISION to write. Its all in your mind; and within its two halves are endless possibilities. Therefore adjust your mindset and rely mostly on Self-Motivation instead of external stimuli because it does not get easier as we progress, it just gets easier to give up!

Time and Opportunity really wait for no man; whether you are sick, disabled, young, old, black, male, female, limited educationally or suffer from any other 'perceived' disadvantage we claim prevent us from fully utilizing our time and opportunities well. As I have been lying in my bed coughing my lungs out and shivering, my parents have travelled, my siblings still go to work, my friends are still partying, my business partners are still working, and BMIC is still growing. Its sometimes seems to us that we can relax, sleep, chill instead of work, work and work because we feel like we deserve it.....Well you may think you deserve it, but as you relax somebody is working, as you sleep somebody is toiling and as you chill somebody is sweating! That feeling of unearned Entitlement to success or greatness or its opposing but even more disturbing brother, Hopelessness, are just about the two greatest enemies to our generation. Entitlement encourages complacency and laziness and Hopelessness encourages pessimism and despondency. Well then, great to know but how does one keep up with Time and utilize Opportunity so as not to be left behind then. Its another simple truth in theory but difficult to put into practice: Rise above prevailing circumstances, strive to always plan well ahead and be disciplined and determined especially when things don't go as planned.

To further illustrate this point comes the tale of the Pepper Soup which occurred simultaneously with the conjuring of this anecdote: I have been in dire need of Pepper Soup to help combat the parasites in my blood stream - the soup my sister made was wonderful but the quantity left was inadequate....but I needed my Pepper Soup really bad, how was I gonna survive. I realized that I couldn't just go and bother my sister to prepare the remedy for me because she was asleep, my parents were not at home and my little brothers are useless when it comes to anything other than breakfast and videogames. So you know what, I PREPARED IT MYSELF! This might seem ordinary and unremarkable but I have never in my life prepared soup before; so why would I begin to when I am terribly sick? Well I had to rise above that circumstance, and then I had to plan how exactly to do the soup......Its not really hard, it involves chopping, blending, and boiling, throwing in spices, salt and protein and waiting for it all to amalgamate into an edible consistency over a period of time.....the difficult part was managing to do all that whiles dealing with a throbbing headache, a disturbing cough, joint pain, fever and an overall feeling of tiredness and depression, as well as a serious case of doubt; I was trying to convince myself the whole time to just wait till my sister woke up to do it for me especially when I got to peeling onions.....pure Horror; my eyes still sting from that, that, that......TORMENT. I am truly glad I did my Pepper Soup because it turned out great, in fact it was far better than I had hoped and I am proud and consequently more motivated to rise above my circumstances no matter how hopeless. When effort and determination pave way for success, the individual is positively reinforced, encouraged and even more motivated. I will still have to face the familial taste test but regardless of their verdict I DID IT........and I am happy and better off because of that and I have enough pepper soup to last me for the duration of my illness.

Now as I sit here lavishing praise over my Pepper Soup Extraordinaire (trust me after the pain I went through to make it happen I am entitled to adjectivize my creation) I have had yet again another moment of realization; It is in times of great distress that often we witness great achievements. Wow.....all this over simple pepper soup......Of course not; the pepper soup was a rather tiny success, but it embellished another fact, on the battle field it is the combination of a great many individual and tiny triumphs that eventually lead to Overall Victory. And since I am on this motivated streak of small successes I still have to complete the challenge of fully fixing my beloved Mac's charger; after 2 years of faithful service it has succumbed to overuse and machine madness and that task is proving to be a great challenge indeed......I am using my usual tools; a knife, a pair of scissors, sellotape and a CAN-DO attitude.....The green light is dancing when contact is made so I know that 'permanent luminiscence' is not far off......Then I'll ramp up to my Dad's Grundig radio to tackle its erratic performance once and for all.....Then who knows whats next because it will surely be figured out......How can a headache or cough defeat me?

Ghana's 21 Hours of Fame.......The Aftermath!!?

OBAMA CAME TO GHANA!......Now that he's gone back 'home', the mania, the glitz and the glamour have died down and practical realities are setting in. The question I have for myself and everybody else is this; how have we benefited from his 21 hours here and how will our lives change for the better now that his entourage is gone? What tangible gains have we made as individuals, as a country and as a continent?.....I've realized that Barack H. Obama summed the ultimate point of the speech himself, "We must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans." So did this guy travel all the way from Washington to Accra via Moscow and L'Aquila to spend 21 hours here only to tell us a lot of things that are self-evident? Why would such a busy man, in fact the most powerful man on the face of the earth take such a humbling trip to a little known country in Africa which has little significance on the global socio-political kaleidoscope; WHY?.....Why not a bigger African country; why not a more developed African country; why did he choose the most boring place in the whole of Africa? No wars here; we have pliable roads, electricity, Mobile Internet and ATM's; many lovely hotels and its hot and rainy this time of year; in fact we are so boring that we rarely (if ever) appear on CNN or BBC!.....Why not Kenya, or Senegal which is much like Ghana in many respects? I mean, to be honest and fair, Ghana is neither the best, the richest, the most developed or even the most peaceful African country.....I mean Botswana is a fair example of another consistently democratic African nation......talk about South Africa, or Guinea or Nigeria (Ok....ok.....but its not such a bad place you know). I'm just trying to figure out all the other reasons for his choice apart from the obvious because the obvious reason has been bandied about for a while now but does not adequately address the whole picture.

I personally think Obama coming to Ghana was as much a personal trip as it was a political statement. He is a very astute and talented politician and his choice of a very small but quintessentially African 'success story' (by the relatively low African standards) for his first trip to sub-saharan Africa as the sitting president gives him and the US a great opportunity to kill many birds with one stone - commend Ghana, and vilify the so called miscreat nations; to affirm his own African roots and concurrently show Africans that he will not simply throw money at us simply because he is one of us; his trip also highlighted how truly safe and sound Ghana is especially in terms of its ripeness as a tourist destination (refer to I SPY....00.What is there to spy on in Ghana) which I think this was an intended consequence as well; but ultimately (and obviously) Obama's trip was to reward Ghana and Ghanaians for our commitment to democracy seeing as how we appear to be an island in a sea of poverty, tyranny and oppression.....right? Pardon my slight sarcasm here but it is important to realize that we still have such a huge amount of WORK to be done so we shouldn't be patting each other on our shoulders yet......we should rather saddle up for the tough times and painful choices ahead.

Another significant statement President Obama said was, "Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father’s generation never found." This was after he had recognized the role of the members of parliament and the people they represent as the real purveyors of change; but he emphasized the role of the youth as the most pivotal in this century if Ghana and Africa as a whole is to rise out of perpetual poverty and over-dependence on inadequate Aid and Financial Support from the West. Essentially you don't have to be Nkrumah to effect positive change as well as succeed greatly in this life; you can just be yourself and hone your talents, use your energies wisely and never loose hope; if you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices and do the necessary work success is always inevitable. The main ingredient has already been provided by our politicians over the past 16 years - an imperfect but working democracy that supports the will of the people. We live in a country where anybody can laugh at the president's 'Ecominic' blunders, disrespect and disregard serious efforts by former regimes, where no corrupt official is safe from the media, where anybody can say and do as they like without fear of persecution and we take all this for granted. Consider China where even Facebook and Google are closely monitored and filtered, and insulting the political regime will subject one to severe harassment and persecution - overtly and covertly. It would be impossible for me to do this blog and state my true personal views if I were living in North Korea, nor would I hope to survive long if I were a Zimbabwean making fun of Mugabe's political mistakes and verbal blunders. Why concentrate on criticizing the bad when we can focus on utilizing the good and changing things for the better. We have here a peaceful, culturally rich and diverse, gradually improving socio-economic system that has reputable and working institutions (Obama congratulated these institutions even though they are inefficient for a reason; they work) as a basis upon which we can lay the foundation for our future success and wealth; the earlier you start building your house, the more resources you put into it and the better your plan the earlier your beautiful home is completed, the better it will look and the longer it will stand.

All throughout Obama's speech, I observed that whenever the camera's panned to the audience all one could see were 'old' people, the Giants of Ghana; the big people, the accomplished people.....The Dinosaurs......what a contrast to similar speeches he gave in Egypt at Cairo University and even more recently at the New Economic School, Moscow, Russia where he spoke primarily to students and the youth: their nations' future leaders - making similar profound policy statements to the Arab world and the Slavic nation - as well as dealing directly with the incumbent leaders.......I'm not saying that him speaking to the Giants of Ghana is wrong; it just appears as a stark contrast to what happened elsewhere, especially in the US where he toured the countries Universities and gave numerous campaign speeches. Discernibly with all the clapping and according murmurs there was a certain undercurrent of hypocrisy that wafted through the hall, for Some (but not all) of these same Giants are part of the very problems that Obama's speech sought to highlight and address; perpetuating corruption, inefficient bureaucracy, enriching themselves at the expense of the people they represent, begging for help when they mismanage things instead of doing their job well in the first place.....Some of these Giants are the problem but we are the solution because in time we shall also be giants like them. It is my hope that when that time comes we will be an even wealthier, stronger, more peaceful and democratic country.......but for that hope to become a reality the WORK starts NOW.

My challenge to myself and any youth reading this is simple; how do we claim the future that our forebears never found and are still struggling to find? Claiming our future would definitely involve honing and polishing our skills and talents for being young is like being a freshly discovered, unpolished, uncut and rough diamond; and growing up is the painful and difficult process of shaping that diamond into a glittering and beautifully cut stone that shines brilliantly always. This is a very difficult process to implement well especially here in Ghana and Africa in general where opportunities are easier to exploit and utilized by those with political and economic connections - but why loose hope when the whole world lies at our feet and opportunities abound and beckon - why loose hope when it is very possible and success is staring you right in the face......it is folks so don't blame blindness when Mr. Opportunity passes you by.......we can all create a better future for ourselves....Yes We Can.....YES WE CAN!!!

Preparation Meets Opportunity.........ON DESTINY

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!......In fact this is simply because there is really nothing new under the sun. There is nothing that you want to do that has not been done before; maybe not the same way or during the same time but the circumstances of your 'unique' situation have been faced by someone else before you. History repeats itself because we either fail to learn from the past or we learn too well. The only difference is the time, the scale and perhaps the people in that situation; but whatever it is someone has been there before, and believe you me they probably had it worse but they made it through just the same so why not you? How much control do we have, are we in charge of our own destiny, are our utmost dreams, fantasies and goals necessary or should we allow common sense and society to dictate to us what is and is not possible to achieve? I know not much but I can boldly venture and say this, 'In the no-nonsense world of legitimate business, the most important asset is to be honest to yourself, know yourself and your capabilities and align your goals and objectives to them - learn from the past, study and prepare yourself for the future - see obstacles as opportunities and seize these opportunities when they come and success will surely follow if your mind is disciplined, your steps are determined, you are self-motivated and doggedly persistent.'

Your level of happiness, achievement; your beliefs, actions and ultimately your Destiny are all tools that are right in your power to determine, control and direct......Only if you decide to have faith in your ability to do these things. I've not experience much, but from the little I've seen and heard it appears to me that we have far more power and control than we think we do as human beings; maybe not as much as we would want but just as much as we NEED to be able to fulfill our true destinies here on this Planet. Ultimately though, most of us compromise and let our power whither away; consequentially we are not as happy, acclaimed, content and fulfilled as we would like to be. But a life full of compromise is also a life full of regret; why compromise on your goals, your beliefs and your dreams and rather acquiesce to popular mentality......that is the road to mediocrity for in order for somebody to stand out, they must first make a conscious decision to do things different from what everybody else is doing.

So the first step is to know your destiny. I was chatting with a business partner of mine, the Same Oil Tycoon in the article "On Money......Fiduciary Quota", on Tuesday, 07/09 and he gave me several priceless tips on the whole concept of Destiny and success. He first asked me, "Ampofo, how do you know you are on the path to fulfill your destiny?" I'm usually a silver-tongued person who can and likes to rattle on in situations like this. My friends know not to launch me - spark the motor - with questions like this sometimes because I will talk and talk and talk mostly because I am quite well read and probably know something about the issue at hand and therefore have some opinions, answers or thoughts. But for once I was stumped, I mean what was I supposed to say. In fact Mr. Tycoon let the silence hang on for a bit and then asked me the question again. I looked away from his face and reluctantly sputtered, "Honestly, I don't know sir, why don't you tell me". At this he smiled and I knew he was going to let go the magic beads of wisdom he has garnered over so many years of doing business and succeeding in it.

Mr. Tycoon said exactly this, "When your Preparation meets Opportunity, then you are on the path to fulfilling your Destiny". He even went for the theatrical and repeated it again with great somberness. I know my mentor has little tolerance for the comical but in this case he was soon amused by my immediate shock as the truth of the statement dawned on me. It felt like a sledge hammer whacking my brain: Preparation meets Opportunity, of course. He went on further to elaborate, "Your destiny is what you are prepared to sacrifice and work towards; if you are not prepared even when the opportunity comes knocking you will not see it, but if you are prepared you will see it and know that all your work has paid off and you are fulfilling your destiny". So simple yet so true. He said many other things but these two statements just etched themselves into my brain and I have meditated on them much and come to conclude that they are facts of life in general and business in particular.

Our generation is so stressed out chasing great destinies; everybody would like to own a 'Ferrari' or even a humble 'Jaguar' or 'Mercedes', everybody wants to make millions, everybody wants the latest this or that, our dreams are being shaped by our idols; the Music stars, Movie stars, the Millionaires, the Billionaires, and generally people who enjoy the so-called "Good Life". But are we preparing ourselves to grab the opportunity when it comes so that in due time we shall fulfill our destinies? Are we making the necessary sacrifices, putting in the necessary work, educating ourselves and racking up the required experience points? Is that what you are doing or are you just sleeping and chilling, boozing or speeding, enjoying and enjoying rather than sacrificing and focusing, being disciplined and determined, motivating ourselves and others; are you looking for people to help you on your long and arduous journey to these 'millions' or are we just praying that the breakthrough will just fall on our laps somehow?

An Officer of BMIC (Gilbert Lartey) posted this, "Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory" a quote by Gandhi. How can you achieve something, anything, without putting in the required work? In essence satisfaction can only be gained from the full effort that is required to achieve the goal intended. You cannot run 99 meters of a 100 meter race faster than everybody and then become injured fall and hope to win the race; that last meter costs the victory because it is not the FULL EFFORT. Mathematically Satisfaction=Full Effort=Achievement. You will only succeed if you ensure that you have done all you can do, and then more, and more and more until you cross the finish line. Self-made business tycoons have one thing in common, they have struggled against ridiculous odds and impossible obstacles and their story reads like a fairy tale without the magic; its all because they had faith in themselves, and belief in their abilities and as such Prepared their minds, bodies and souls to the point that when the right opportunity came, they saw it and utilized it as a natural progression on their Path to Success, Achievement (Wealth, if you may ) DESTINY!

Nothing is impossible, but are you prepared to make the seemingly impossible possible, are you really ready to make the necessary sacrifices that you know are necessary; can you handle the disappointments, the never-ending stress, the uncertainty, the lack of support or belief, are you preparing yourself, are you really? I certainly hope you are, because Money doesn't make money......No.......Ideas backed by the necessary due diligence Make Money in this world.....Disabuse yourself of the notion that it is your destiny to become rich no matter what because you are talented in this or that, or you can rely on your your family or well placed links; they are not guarantees. Do not also think that you cannot consequently become Wealthy and Happy without doing things illegally by cheating because or some supposed disadvantage or perceived advantage - disabilities exist only in the mind and shortcuts have bumps too. You will only achieve your true destiny if you are prepared when opportunity comes flying by, because it won't slow down just because its for you, so you better get in shape to be in the race. Remember this....the wealthiest man in the world is not some cocaine dealer hiding his money and afraid to die any moment, it is not some African Dictator hiding his money gotten from oppressing his people, it is not even some monarch who was born into incredible wealth. Its a nerdy man in glasses who talks with a whine and is always working, even going as far as to read whiles driving; so one-track minded that he doesn't care what he's wearing or eating, only how to solve this problem or that problem. And he made his first company at age 19, it was called Microsoft, and his name is Bill, and he's a billionaire. His dad said he couldn't do it, but now he's his number one fan, his wife simply believed in him and now she doesn't have to lift her hand, and regardless of what we all think of him, he doesn't care because he was prepared when the opportunity came, and now he's living out his destiny - he doesn't hide his money, he gives it away!

Cheers and May God richly bless you.