Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: THE STRAWBERRY STARTUP by MOSES LIM

Book of the week: The Strawberry Startup by Moses Lim. Click on the link below to read details:


Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: THE STRAWBERRY STARTUP by MOSES LIM: Hello people. Sometime around 2007, there was a major shakeup in the Nigerian banking industry, which saw some founders like Ernest Aki...

BOOK OF THE WEEK: DE-ESCALATE: HOW TO CALM AN ANGRY PERSON IN NINETY SECONDS OR LESS BY DOUGLAS NOLL

Hello people.

Have you ever found yourself trying to calm an angry person only to get angry in the process; further escalating the tension? I certainly have.

This week’s book, De-escalate, deals with the subject of anger. Written by Douglas Noll, the book teaches techniques for dealing with angry people without losing control of oneself.

In the introductory chapter, Douglas Noll asserts that the ideas in the book, if practised, will help readers deal effectively with angry individuals. He also identifies some ‘deadly sins’ which affect our ability to successfully calm an angry individual; for example, the ‘sin’ of emotional invalidation.

Douglas then educates readers on anger-defusing skills such as Affect Labelling, Peace Circle Model, etc. He describes Affect Labelling as the process of listening to another person's emotional experience and reflecting back those emotions in short, simple "You" statements. 

One major point Doug makes, however, is that for de-escalation skills to work, individuals must learn to keep their emotions in check. Without this ability, it will be difficult to handle conflict successfully. Using various scenarios, he describes how the skills can be used with young children, teenagers, spouses, friends, co-workers and bosses. 

Here's an example from the book on anger defusion using Affect Labelling:

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife:[Affect Labelling] “You’re frustrated.”

Husband: “Yeah. Everytime we go out to dinner, you pull out your phone and start texting your friends. It pisses me off.”

Wife: “You’re angry and frustrated and feel disrespected.”

Husband: “Damn right I do.”

Wife: “You don’t feel loved or appreciated. You feel invisible and unworthy.”

Husband: “Yeah.”

Hmmm. I felt a bit skeptical when I read this scenario, as well as some other scenarios described in the book. I don't know, but this just seems to be too good to be true. How many people out there can successfully manage to keep their emotions in check? A more probable scenario might be something like this:

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife:  [still fiddling with phone] “Okay.”

Five minutes later…

Wife: “So what were you saying again?”

Husband remains silent for the rest of the day.

OR…

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife: “What do you mean? Don’t I have the right to send messages to whoever I want to send messages to?”

Husband: “Everytime we go out to dinner, you pull out your phone and start texting your friends. It pisses me off.”

Wife: “Well, I’m sorry that you feel that way, but you’ll just have to learn to live with it.”

  I must admit that I found Affect Labelling, a bit too formulaic, bearing in mind the fact that humans are complex and very unpredictable. I certainly intend to try it out though; if some mortals have used the technique and found it helpful, then there's no harm in trying it out. Hopefully, all I need is practice???

Overall, despite the fact that a few ideas might seem a bit lofty, there are many useful ideas for anger de-escalation contained in the book. Teachers, counsellors and workers in prison systems will definitely find this book useful in the practice of their profession.  

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK OF THE WEEK: GET SMARTER MARKETING by JILL BR...

Book of the week:
Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK OF THE WEEK: GET SMARTER MARKETING by JILL BR...: Hello people. Years ago, I was at an event where a speaker was scheduled to give a motivational speech to young, budding entrepreneur...

BOOK OF THE WEEK: THE POUCHPLAN BUDGET BY MITCHELL WALKER

Hello people.

The Pouchplan is a budgeting tool created by Mitchell Walker to help individuals take control of their finances. In the introductory chapter of the book, The Pouchplan Budget, Mitchell seeks to establish credibility by explaining that he worked for fifteen years as the vice president of finance for a Berkshire Hathaway company and thus has experience analysing and reviewing thousands of budgets. 

He then describes how he was broke and in debt in the late 1980s, to the extent of looking for change under the couch cushions in his home just to get gas money for his car. The Pouchplan, he claims, was the shovel he used to dig his family out of financial distress and into financial security.

The author in chapter one explains how the Pouchplan works. All that is needed is for users of the plan to write down their regular income, their fixed expenses and finally their variable expenses, and then the Pouchplan budget system will provide specific instructions for users to follow when payday arrives. Someone is probably thinking now; “This is just too good to be true.” 

I must confess that I had mixed feelings after reading the book. First, I think I sort of expected more; perhaps the dos and don’ts of budgeting or that sort of thing. The book, however, is based entirely on the Pouchplan tool. I also wondered as to the seeming simplicity of the tool; bearing in mind the fact that a lot of budgeting tools are rather complex and complicated, to say the least.

Fortunately for doubting Thomases, the Pouchplan can be downloaded for free via the website, www.pouchplan.com. It’s a plus on the part of the author that he is interested in receiving feedback from users, whether positive or negative, and he even mentions the possibility of tailoring the Pouchplan to suit the individual’s needs where possible. Readers interested in a budgeting tool will find this book quite useful. 

BOOK OF THE WEEK: KIKELOMO; THE MEMOIR OF AN ABUSED GIRL

Hello people.

The more books I read, the more I am convinced that there is truth in the saying, “Do not judge a book by its cover or title.”

About a couple of weeks ago, I saw a book titled Kikelomo on the Okadabooks store. The cover was not particularly eye-catching and the bland title did not help matters either, so I simply moved on and looked at other books on the app.

Some days ago, however, I came across the book again and was surprised to see that it had been downloaded over a thousand times. Intrigued by this occurrence, I downloaded it[seeing as it was free], started reading and, filled with a sense of incredulity, looked up the author on Google hoping to get some sort of confirmation regarding her story.

The book, Kikelomo, is a memoir written by well-known Nigerian photographer, Kikelomo Woleosho, in which she describes in details the sexual abuse she suffered as a child; her struggle with masturbation as well as her journey to wholeness.

Raised by a mother who suffered from chronic depression, Kikelomo, whose father was based in the United Kingdom, found herself alone and having to tend to her younger siblings for a better part of her life.

Left in the care of a neighbour at age seven, Kike was sexually molested by him and thus, was introduced to the world of sex and masturbation.

The sexual abuse did not stop there. Entrusted to the care of a relative who also abused her, Kike was molested right up to her adolescence and only until she encountered the Spiritual did she begin to receive a sense of healing and wholeness as an individual.

I love Kikelomo’s frankness in the book. To be candid, at a point I had to check her profile via Google to be sure the author was for real and not writing  made-up stories. Amongst other things, Kikelomo Woleosho is a member of Barack Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative [YALI] and a recipient of the World Bank scholarship for women in business.

Parents, child care givers and all lovers of children will do well to read this evocative book as it offers insight into the world of children and how they can be preyed upon by sexual predators. Interested readers can download the book on the Okadabooks store via this link: https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/kikelomo_the_memoir_of_an_abused_girl/15306#.WhLa-aSgnqE.link

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: DESTITUTIO QUOD REMISSIO by BRETT ARM...

Click on the link below to read the book review...

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: DESTITUTIO QUOD REMISSIO by BRETT ARM...: Hello people. The first time I saw the book Destitutio Quod Remissio , two things struck me immediately. First, the title of the book. ...

BOOK OF THE WEEK: BRAND IDENTITY BREAKTHROUGH BY GREGORY DIEHL

Hello people

One popular belief regarding brand promotion is that when a business has a product or service to offer, the best way to get more customers is to advertise to all and sundry, in hopes of drawing in potential customers. This, according to Gregory Diehl, the author of this week’s book, Brand Identity Breakthrough, is an inefficient way of promoting your brand to potential customers.

In this bestselling book, Diehl opines that good communication is key when promoting a good or a service. In addition, he states that apart from knowing the value one’s product or service adds to customers, the onus falls on entrepreneurs to identify the type of people who can recognize the value of their product or service.

Greg further asserts that anything which exists to serve everyone really exists to serve no one, and the best quality product or innovative marketing technique won't matter if the people you are approaching don't see a need for what you offer. 

Available on Okadabooks and Amazon Kindle

So what should an entrepreneur do to stamp his/her brand in the minds of people? Amongst other things, Diehl suggests the following:

1.    Identify your Unique Selling Point[USP]

2.    Focus on designing products and services that meet a specific demand, and:

3.    Know your target customers and advertise to them.

The beautiful thing about the book is that the author takes his time to explain the points in the book, thus ensuring that readers get value for their time and money. He also includes case studies of business owners who experienced greater success as a result of incorporating the ideas he teaches.

Brand Identity Breakthrough is a must-have for budding and established entrepreneurs. It can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: BEHOLD YOUR MISSING RIB BY CHUKS EDEN

Hello people.

With so many marriage issues abounding in the world today, there can never be too many books on the subject of love and marriage. This week's book, Behold Your Missing Rib by Revd. Chuks Eden, deals with the subject of love and marriage albeit with a twist.

In the introductory chapter of the book, Revd. Chuks promises that the book will empower readers to overcome all barriers to marriage; a very heavy claim indeed.

Using scriptural verses as a framework to support his postulates, he suggests, in chapter one, seven primary reasons why marriages fail using different case studies to back up his claims.

In subsequent chapters, the author describes various traits a person must look out for in a prospective partner if they wish to marry and live happily ever after.

 It is at this point that the book gets interesting, although I must confess that I found it difficult agreeing with some of the things written in the book; for example, the author advises that a person should not marry a man who is not working, or a man whose work one is not comfortable with. While I understand what the author is trying to say, I also know that a few women were fortunate enough to marry men who were not working at the time of the wedding but who got jobs soon afterwards.

The author also advises that it’s best to marry someone not just of your own faith, but even of your own denomination if possible. Again, though this does make sense when viewed from one perspective [imagine a Deeper Lifer marrying a House on the Rock member]; I believe there are still exceptions to the rule.

These are but a few of the controversial issues contained in the book. It also contains insightful statements however, for instance, in the chapter on physical appearance, the author states that no matter how loud a person’s inner beauty shouts, a would-be suitor will not hear the sound unless they are first captivated by the outward packaging of the person.

Behold Your Missing Rib is entertaining and insightful once a person can get past the controversial issues in the book. Readers who wish to buy the book can purchase it on Okadabooks by clicking on the link below: 

http://okadabooks.com/book/about/behold_your_missing_rib__adult_only_18/11864 

NEW RELEASE ON OKADABOOKS AND AMAZON KINDLE

Hello people.

I am pleased to announce the release of my novel, A Crown of Beauty. Here's the blurb:

As a child, Ada seemed to have it all. With doting parents, a best friend, and a crush on Alex Babatunde Haastrup; her rival in primary school; life couldn't have been more interesting.

A tragic occurrence in her late teenage years shatters her fairytale existence, however, and Ada finds herself rebelling against everything she has ever believed in and keeping her distance from her loved ones- including Alex.

Years later, a chance encounter in the university forces her to confront her fears, and when fate brings her and Alex together again, they must decide if they can let go of the past and give the future a chance.

The book can be gotten on Okadabooks, a site which accepts payments in local and foreign currency. Here is the link to the book:

https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/a_crown_of_beauty/15860#.Wep_PvoktLo.link

It is also available on Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076N5M9FT/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_t2_-ul7zb8J8FC5S

My Amazon Author page link: https://www.amazon.com/LAURETTA-ANI/e/B076NXJWDR

Thank you for purchasing the book, and I look forward to reading your reviews.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: OUT OF THE BLUE BY GREG MURTHA

Hello people.

The average person subconsciously believes that he/she will live forever, or at least be young and healthy forever. Imagine the shock, therefore, when a once healthy person takes ill and receives this news from the doctor: ‘You have a terminal illness.’ Such was the shock received by Greg Murtha, the author of this week’s book, Out of the Blue.

Greg, a healthy, successful, forty-six year old man, left his house one early morning in December 2011 to perform his usual morning exercise. On returning home, he headed for the bathroom and was shocked to see blood, a lot of it, coming out with his urine. A visit to the doctor later confirmed his worst fear- he was ill; not just ill, but terminally ill. He had cancer.

Out of the Blue was penned while Greg was in the hospital. Written from a Christian perspective, Greg gives readers a glimpse into his thoughts on cancer, caregivers to cancer patients, life and life after death.

Reading this book is sure to make the reader remember just how finite life is, and how important it is for one to spend one’s life doing the things one loves and being with the people that matter most. The book can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores.

P.S: Greg lost his battle with cancer on June 22, 2017.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: AN UNEXPECTED AFTERLIFE by DAN SOFER

Hello people.

I have never really been a fan of sci-fi/dystopian/horror books and movies for some reason. This is despite all attempts by my older brother, who happens to be a movie buff, to make a disciple out of me. That I actually watched the Twilight trilogy still remains a mystery; maybe it had something to do with a handsome-in-a-roguish-way werewolf?

Anyway, imagine the pleasant surprise I got when I started reading the book, An Unexpected Afterlife.

In the opening chapter of An Unexpected Afterlife, Moshe Karlin, an erstwhile successful businessman, awakens naked one morning on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He imagines it’s a hangover from his birthday celebration the night before and hails a cab home, only to find his wife in bed with his bed friend.

The mystery deepens as Moshe discovers that he has not been asleep for a night but has been dead for the past two years, and things are further compounded with the arrival of other resurrected bodies on the scene, a man who calls himself Prophet Elijah, and a damning conclusion by the Great Council of Torah Sages.

What unfolds is an intriguing plot having the right mix of mystery, suspense, romance, religion and betrayal all rolled into one.

The fact that this book has an original storyline, in addition to being engrossing, is one reason why I read it to the end despite my not being a fan of fantasy books. I did feel it was a bit too long, however, the author, Dan Sofer, ended the book on the right note and at the right time, with just enough information to keep the reader hooked and begging to get answers to some unanswered questions. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, An Accidental Messiah, which will be out on October 24th.

Readers who love fantasy spiced with mystery and romance will certainly find this book difficult to put down. It can be gotten on Amazon and other major book stores.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: NEW ROUTES TO FUNDING by BARRY.E.JAMES

Hello people.

One challenge encountered by many entrepreneurs, especially budding ones, is the issue of funding. While a few entrepreneurs are fortunate to have wealthy parents who can afford to put thirty billion in their account, this, unfortunately, is not the reality of far too many others. The reality is that many entrepreneurs have to get funding through their sweat, blood and tears, and some never get funding after all is said and done.

The average African businessperson, when thinking about funding, usually relies on three sources:

(1) Personal savings/investments

(2)  Funds from family, friends and acquaintances

(3) Loans from banks, credit societies, etc

What many don’t know is that it is possible to get funds from total strangers through a process referred to as crowd funding.

A cynical person is probably thinking right now: ‘If a person cannot get funds from friends and acquaintances, then how is it possible to get funds from total strangers?’

Think no more. This week’s book, New Routes to Funding by Barry.E.James, teaches the concept of crowd funding and how entrepreneurs can use it to obtain funds for their business.

In the opening pages of the book, Barry lets readers know that the book is intended primarily for those who advise businesspeople on access to finance. 

He goes on to define seed crowdfunding as the use of crowdfunding platforms….to launch new products, services or businesses. A crowdfunding platform is a crowd of interested people who are willing to transact with business people, sometimes at low or no upfront costs. Barry suggests that opportunities to help start-ups and existing businesses are missed usually because many business advisors have no real experience with crowdfunding.

Stating that traditional investors generally will not invest in a business until it becomes a well known brand, whereas the businessperson needs the investor to finance the business before it can become a brand name in the first place, Barry submits that crowdfunding rescues the businessman from the proverbial chicken and egg dilemma.

He describes the four main models of funding and tackles eleven major myths of crowdfunding, such as the myths that:

·        Crowdfunding is a magic money tree

·        Crowdfunding only works for start-ups

·        Crowdfunding will soon be rife with fraud

·        Crowdfunding poses a danger to intellectual property, etc

This book contains a lot of hard data from research and analysis, and this gives the reader confidence that the author is writing facts and not subjective opinion. I found the data just a little too much though, and it is clear that the non financially savvy might have a hard time understanding the book.  Business advisors, on the other hand, are certain to find the book useful in their quest to understand crowdfunding.

I recommend the book to financially savvy entrepreneurs; it is one book that should grace the library of every financial advisor.  

NEW BOOK ON OKADABOOKS: DATING, COURTSHIP AND WEDDING NIGHT BLUES

Hello everyone,

A big thank you to all who downloaded my book, How to Promote Your Book Through Book Bloggers, which has presently been downloaded by over 83 users on the Okadabooks website and has received positive user reviews.

My book, Dating, Courtship and Wedding Night Blues, has been uploaded on the Okadabooks website. 

BLURB:

Are you single and wondering how to meet Mr/Ms Right?

Are you about to get married and still having misgivings about your fiancé/fiancée? 

Are you wondering whether to go on with that wedding?

STOP! Read this before you take the next step.

Written by Lauretta Ani, the author of How to Promote Your Book through Book Bloggers; Dating, Courtship and Wedding Night Blues is a candid book on the subject of love and romance. 

Short and straight to the point, with pictures and intriguing stories to illustrate her points, readers are sure to find this book refreshing and the ideas, stimulating. 


It can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/dating_courtship_and_wedding_night_blues/15789#.WdJOu1-5rJU.link

Thank you, and please do leave reviews on the Okadabooks website after reading.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: DIARY OF A PREGNANT VIRGIN by OLAMIPEJU ADEKUNLE

Hello people.

The first thought that may occur to a person who sees the book, Diary of a Pregnant Virgin, for the first time might be: These fiction writers have started again. How is it possible for a virgin to be pregnant?

I definitely would have thought the same thing except that in this case, Diary of a Pregnant Virgin is the real life story of Olamipeju Adekunle, the host of The Girls Show on Unilag FM who also happened to be my roommate in final year in the University of Lagos.

In the opening chapter of the book, Olamipeju learns that she has been posted to Zamfara State for the National Youth Service Corps[N.Y.S.C]. For those who do not know, N.Y.S.C is a mandatory one year service that all Nigerian graduates must undergo if they wish to get a good job afterwards [although I must add that observing the compulsory youth service is not a guarantee that a graduate will get a good job at the end of the service year].

Peju, a Southerner, is upset by this posting to a Northern part of Nigeria but later makes up her mind to go after receiving encouragement from her family and friends.

A lively Peju embarks on an adventure in the North, spends three weeks in camp, and comes back to Lagos to prepare for her one year stay in the North, where she is welcomed by her loved ones.

Few days later, Peju falls ill and visits the doctor, only to be told that she is pregnant, notwithstanding the fact that she is still a virgin.

I like the conversational style of the book. Despite being titled Diary of a Pregnant Virgin, there are no letters to a diary, no ‘Dear Diary’ as other books with such titles are wont to do. Instead, Peju regales readers with humorous stories of her life after being told about the pregnancy during the period of Youth Service.

I was also a bit surprised at how frank Peju was in the book. I mean, she is not the first media personality to get pregnant outside of marriage. We all know some actresses like Genevieve Nnaji and Iretiola Doyle got pregnant at a young age, however, the tendency for such celebrities is to keep mum about it,  preferring to label it as ‘a mistake’ or something similar to that.

In Peju’s case, however, she is very frank [if not too frank] and describes events leading up to the pregnancy and afterwards. This has the effect of making readers connect with her even while marvelling at her daring and crazy acts.

All in all, readers will definitely have something to think about and take away long after reading the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olamipeju Adekunle is the host of The Girls Show on Unilag 103.1FM. She is also the convener of The Girls Revolution, an annual conference aimed at empowering young girls. The conference has featured notable speakers such as Toyin Saraki; the wife of Senate President, Bukola Saraki,  Abimbola Fashola; erstwhile First Lady of Lagos State and Bolanle Ambode, the wife of the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

The Diary of a Pregnant Virgin can be gotten via this link on Okadabooks: https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/diary_of_a_pregnant_virgin/15648#.WckfhFRAM4k.link

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK THROUGH BOOK BLOGGERS

Hello people.

This is for authors and would-be authors. My e-booklet, How to Promote Your Book Through Book Bloggers, is now on the Okadabooks platform.

Price: Free

Yes, you read right. It can be downloaded for free via this link: 

https://www.okadabooks.com/book/about/how_to_promote_your_book_through_book_bloggers/15692#.WcfCnBLWW84.link

Enjoy, and please leave a review on the site afterwards.

Thank you!

THE STRAWBERRY STARTUP by MOSES LIM

Hello people.

Sometime around 2007, there was a major shakeup in the Nigerian banking industry, which saw some founders like Ernest Akingbola [Intercontinental bank] and Cecilia Ibru [Oceanic bank] having to leave the banks they founded.

I often wondered at the time what it would feel like to be forced out of a company one founded; I mean, it is one thing to voluntarily vacate the position of CEO of your company, but it is another thing altogether to be forced to resign and, if care is not taken, be left with nothing.

Not surprisingly, a lot of entrepreneurs both famous and relatively unknown have been forced to leave their company, years after building it, for reasons ranging from the mundane to the utterly ridiculous.

So how is an entrepreneur to protect himself/herself after building a company? That, amongst other things, is one question this week’s book, The Strawberry Startup, seeks to answer.

The Strawberry Startup, written by Moses Lim, is a book for entrepreneurs interested in starting their own business. In the opening chapter of the book, the author dishes out standard advice:  Turn your passion into profit but make sure it can be monetised. He also explains how to find co-founders who will be a good fit for the company.

One point Lim makes, which I’m not sure many African entrepreneurs will agree with, is that start-ups should have an exit strategy right from the start. In other words, entrepreneurs must plan what to do in case the business fails [Did I hear you say ‘God forbid’?]. The average African tends to be optimistic and refuses to see failure as an option, but failure, according to Lim, is not an impossibility, and it is a wise business owner who takes that into consideration when planning the business.

Lim also asserts that it is imperative for business founders to take care of themselves when planning the future of the business as the tide could turn against them in future. He buttresses his point by giving case studies of founders being pushed out by investors or left with nothing years after founding the business.

Other salient tips given by Lim include:

·       Get social proof for your company either before or after launching it.

·       Do not choose a successor similar to yourself.

·      Hire passion and talent, not experience [some people are bristling right now. Go read the book to understand his point].

·       Learn from the blunders of other companies similar to yours.

·       Do not grow too attached to your business plan.

I enjoyed reading the book and I recommend it to all individuals looking to start their own business. The book can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores.

REVELATIONS INCORPORATED: WORKPLACE WISDOM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY by BRIAN RAY

Hello people.

Almost every organization has two kinds of employees: The Disgruntled Employee [the employee who is unhappy with some of the company's practices] and The Devil’s Advocate [the employee who speaks on behalf of the company].

A typical conversation between the two usually goes something like this:

Disgruntled Employee [in angry tone]: This company makes a lot of profit from its clients and yet they choose to pay us a pittance. I’m leaving them as soon as I get a job with a better offer!

Devil’s Advocate[in pacifying tone]:Before you complain, remember that the company has a lot of other things to pay for such as electricity bills, bank debts, building maintenance, etc. They are not making as much profit as you think they are.

Disgruntled Employee: Please spare me the rhetoric!  Do you know how much profit they make per client? The profit per x number of clients is enough to cover capital expenses if only the management will handle the money in an ethical, disciplined manner.

And on and on the conversation rages, with other employees choosing to take sides and none the wiser at the end of the day, except that the question remains: Do companies truly rip their employees off?

Well, Brian Ray seems to think so. 

In the foreword to Revelations Incorporated: Workplace Wisdom for the 21st Century; Brian claims that his book is about the truth of the corporate world and the mentality of many individuals within workplace culture.

He makes the assertion in Chapter 1: Understanding and Accepting the Reality, that many people think businesses and corporations are caring entities which make profit through ethical means. The reality, according to Brian, is that many companies will do all they can to make maximum profit, including cheating employees out of their rightful earnings.

As if that claim was not inflammatory enough, Brian states in Chapter 2: Working Through It All, that the employee who sees his job as his life is merely living in a fool’s paradise. According to Brian, the reality is that a job is simply a means to an end and that companies will send even their best employees packing when they deem fit, notwithstanding the employee’s past contributions to the business.

The ‘bad news’ continues in further chapters as Brian tackles sensitive workplace issues such as bad management, unfriendly clients and customers, as well as bullies in the workplace, citing case studies to back up his claims.

The good news, however, is that at the end of each chapter, Brian gives helpful tips for avoiding the potential landmines in the office.

I must confess that when I started reading the book, I felt the opening chapter was inflammatory and controversial. As I continued reading, however, one thing was clear. While CEOs will definitely not like the book, many employees will be able to relate with some of the scenarios painted.

For instance, he mentions that to a large extent, a lot of staff meetings are simply a waste of time and provide an opportunity for management to spout off aphorisms which promote their agenda. That is one statement the average employee will easily identify with. 

Another point Brian makes is that it is an illusion to think that doing a spectacular job every day will earn a worker raises, promotions and the admiration of management and fellow workers. According to him, the reality is that the worker in question will be held to unrealistic standards compared to other workers, and he or she may even become a dumping ground for extra work beyond their scope/job description.

The book is not all serious, however. There are bits of humour sprinkled across it especially in the chapter dealing with workplace bullies; some of whom Brian identifies with names such as The Boss's Little Pet, The Credit Stealer, The Clueless Twit, The Vampire Boss, etc.

 I recommend this book to the emotionally mature who can handle the sensitive issues contained therein without being weighed down by them, choosing rather to focus on the solutions provided.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Ray is a Business and Management consultant who has worked with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Delphi and General Motors. He is the proprietor of his own consulting company as well as a speaker and corporate trainer specializing in promoting positive changes in businesses and people. Revelations Incorporated: Workplace Wisdom for the 21st Century is his first book and can be gotten on Amazon and other major bookstores. 

BOOK OF THE WEEK: GET SMARTER MARKETING by JILL BRENNAN

Hello people.

Years ago, I was at an event where a speaker was scheduled to give a motivational speech to young, budding entrepreneurs. As many such speakers are wont to, she started by trying to convince the audience that she struggled before becoming successful. She also kept emphasizing that success is possible and easily attained no matter what a person’s background may look like. 

Her speech resonated with the audience until she began narrating the story of how she got aid for her business by dressing neatly, wearing stiletto heels and going to the headquarters of one of the popular banks in Lagos to demand audience with the bank’s CEO. As the security men made to drive her away, the CEO ‘miraculously’ saw her, gave her audience and voila! funds were given to her for her business.

At that point, my partner and I burst into cynic laughter. This was clearly a case of a fabulous story, which, in local parlance, means a story that is too good to be true. Where in Nigeria will you be given funds simply because you walked up to the security men of a company and demanded to see the CEO? My best part of that event ended up being the food rather than the speech.

Fortunately, Jill Brennan delivers the real thing and not a fabulous story in her book, Get Smarter Marketing: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Building a Savvy Business. Whereas some marketing books which claim to be targeted at small businesses end up teaching ideas that are clearly not for small businesses, Jill’s book lives up to its promise.

The opening statement of the book: Getting noticed in a world that has gone brand crazy is hard; is one that any small business owner can relate to. She goes on to list the advertising budget of big brands such as Coke [$3.3 billion in 2013] and Nike [$3 billion in 2014]. Of course, by the time one is done reading the statistics, the small business owner already knows that he or she definitely cannot compete with such brands.

Fortunately, Jill puts us out of our misery by stating that it is possible for small business owners to grow their business even without big budgets - but this is only possible when one has a sound marketing plan.

Although there are different components of a marketing plan, according to Jill, the salient ones for growing businesses include:

1. Doing a situational analysis to know where one's business is headed to. She points out that one mistake small businesses make is to jump into marketing without doing enough work upfront. 

Other components she teaches in her book are: 

2. Knowing the target market

3. Marketing Collateral[my favourite chapter]

4. Reaching the target audience

5.Measuring the effectiveness of your marketing strategies, etc.  

One great thing about books, especially non-fiction books, is that the reader learns in hours what it took the author several years to learn, and this is beautifully illustrated with this book. As one reads the book, it is clear that Jill has had experience with small businesses and is talking from the standpoint of experience rather than a theoretical or academic standpoint.

Another thing I love about the book is its easy flow and the fact that it is easy to understand without being too simplistic in its approach to the subject matter.

 Again, I find the conversational manner of the book to be quite refreshing. As one reads, it’s almost like Jill is seated opposite the reader talking him/her through each marketing step. 

It is also clear that buying the book is a fantastic bargain as the reader ends up receiving advice from a marketing expert at a price far below what would have paid if Jill had been invited to consult for one’s business.

I recommend this book to all business owners who are looking to grow their business. It’s a great resource tool worth having and reading again and again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill Brennan, a marketing consultant, mentor and founder of Harbren marketing, has over 20 years experience in the small business trenches. Her articles on marketing have been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, amongst others. Find out more about her at harbren.com.