Global Digital Store – Ebooks and Softwares

Tag: Ways

Why Do We Love Cats So Much?
[ad_1]

Kittens are immeasurably cute. If you’re having a bad day and you walk up to a kitten, I know they will be able to make you feel better. You will catch yourself smiling every now and then, because who can resist their charm? No one.

Each cat has its own distinguishing characters and personalities. They feel like tiny humans to us who own one or two cats, and we treat them as such.

When cats just want their own “me-time”, as their owner, those are the times you find yourself craving for their attention.

And you get extra excited when they do want your attention. They probably just want to use you to rub their belly or pet them, but it makes you feel good nonetheless.

Cats are natural activists, although they prefer indoors. When they’re not plainly ignoring you, or sleeping, they could just decide to knock a few things off your tables because they know they can. They would move around the house knocking things over, trying to fit through tiny spaces or even visit your laundry room for a quick “let me sit on this clothes and scare my human” activity. Whatever it is they do, we always love them for it.

There are numerous reasons as to why lots of people love having dogs around – they would always greet their owners at the door upon their return, they enjoy having their owners love and attention, and they are always happy having their owners around – which are almost similar to that of cats too. Many people think that cats don’t like hanging around with their owners in the house, but us with cats know them best. We know that they’re not as anti-social as their reputation precedes them to be.

To those of us, myself included, who own one or more cats at home, we can boldly say that we rarely ever truly feel alone. Those fluffy little things are godsend. I have gotten so attached to mine that I don’t think I could ever live without cats anymore.

Even when my cat prefers to stay on his own and refuse to engage with me – since cats don’t share physical contact with humans as much as dogs – do, just knowing that my cat is with me is enough comfort to get me through the day.

There would be times when my cat would behave in an annoying manner, and even though what he did was wrong and he deserved to be punished for it, I would still forgive him from the bottom of my heart. How could I not? Cats are the cutest when angry.

Just like any other pets, cats also feel very much like a child – even when they are older. To people who love taking care of their children, or any children, cats also feel quite similar to them in certain ways:
- They need you constantly;
- They need your attention and affection always and;
- They are always happy when you care for them.
Bottom line, having a cat is a great bonus for those who love being needed and appreciated.

[ad_2]

Source by Karina Popa

Views: 0
November 11, 2022
Four Types of Marketing For Small Businesses

[ad_1]

As a small business owner, you most likely spend quite a large amount of time trying to discern new ways to gain customers. Marketing can be a fun or stressful business. They key is to understand the types of marketing.

Instead of sending your marketing budget in many different directions, you can choose a specific type and be consistent with it. You will quickly see that your marketing budget pays off much more quickly.

Here, you will find information on four of the main types of marketing. This way, you will be able to choose the marketing actions that will work best for your business. You will then be able to point your marketing budget in the right direction.

1. Blanket marketing is a type that is often used by larger business. Blanket marketing means that you spend money advertising to everyone. Many people choose to do blanket marketing by advertising in magazines or newspapers. You will not really have control of who sees your advertising, but you will have the potential to reach many people.

The downside to blanket marketing is that it can be quite expensive, and you could be wasting money marketing to people who may never become your customers at all. Blanket marketing is best for those who have plenty of funds available and who feel that they will be able to gain many customers from the plan.

2. Targeted marketing is a method in which you choose a certain demographic and only market to them. This could mean that you advertise to everyone in a certain area. Alternatively, you could advertise to everyone in a certain age range.

The great thing about targeted marketing is that you will have a much better chance at getting customers since you will be advertising to the types of people who would most likely become customers. The downside is that it will take a little legwork to determine who your target is and then find the right way to advertise to them.

3. Social media marketing could be called the new kid in town since it is relatively a young concept. With this marketing, you use any one of the many popular social media sites to advertise your company. You can also use a daily blog to garner business.

The downside to this type of marketing is that you will be sending your information out to many people who may not be interested at all. With blogs, you will have to take the time to keep the blog up to date. Otherwise, people may stop reading it.

4. The last type of marketing is not marketing at all. There are not upsides to this. It may seem like a way to save money, but when your business fails, you will actually lose a great deal of money. It is extremely important to find marketing funds within your budget.

[ad_2]

Source by Melissa B Evans

Views: 0

November 11, 2022
3 Ways to Inexpensively Up-Level Your Style Statement

[ad_1]

You shouldn’t let fashion overwhelm you. Style is about you expressing your uniqueness through what you wear. Your style should reflect who you are on the inside, and that is a confident, bold, and fierce woman. And it is critical that how you feel on the inside and how you look on the outside are balanced. So that means you should look good and feel good.

The world of fashion is a fun and exciting place. And it has room for you to be able to fully express yourself. And there are some things you can do to incorporate being more stylish into your life, inexpensively. But before you read the tips, it is important that you don’t compare yourself to other women and what they are wearing. That mindset is critical. Wear what works for you. Remember there are no perfect women so don’t strive for perfection. Trying to achieve perfection will just make you feel inferior and frustrated. Nobody is the same and neither is their fashion sense.

1. Add a colorful scarf:

Adding a colorful scarf can make your outfit look trendy and stylish. There are many different colors of scarves and styles available. Scarves are very fashionable when integrated correctly. And the right scarf can do wonders for your outfit.

2. Accessories:

Accessories can also be an inexpensive way to make your outfit pop. Accessories such as jewelry, purses, hair accessories, shoes, belts and sunglasses can make you stand out in a crowd. When adding accessories it is important that you choose accessories that complement your outfit, and not clash with your outfit. And never underestimate the power of accessories when it comes to making a powerful fashion statement.

3.Closet Check:

Do a closet check by going through your closet and mixing up your fashion choices. Think of integrating outfits in a way that you usually wouldn’t. For example, instead of wearing your animal print shirt with blue jeans, maybe you could consider wearing it under your jacket with a pair of dress pants. You may have more outfits to choose from than you think.

[ad_2]

Source by Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez, Ph.D

Views: 0

November 11, 2022
What is the Difference Between Direct Sales & Multi-Level Marketing

[ad_1]

Multi-level marketing is one of the most popular ways in which anyone can start their own home based global business. It is a dynamic business model that has created many millionaires in the past, present and will no doubt continue to do so in the future. Just a small percentage of the world wide market spend every day would give anybody the opportunity to transform their lives.

The business model usually has unique products or services, complete with a ready made website on offer, allowing each distributor an independent opportunity to build their own six figure income business at an incredibly low start up cost. Naturally that is an attractive business model to most people new to the world of business ownership and is a fast, usually low cost way in which to start working part-time on a business that can replace your working income in a short to medium term timescale.

As the saying goes, it if was easy, everyone would be successful and a common misconception seems to be if one person thinks it is a great idea surely thousands of others will too. Whether or not you believe the internet has changed the way in which business will be carried out in the future or not, when broadband started to deliver information in seconds all over the world the way in which people can become well informed about the unknown changed everything.

The multi-level marketing business model changed when the unique products and services became available from almost everywhere online. This creates several problems that can be difficult to overcome. Distributors struggle to be able to get customers in sufficient numbers but even more importantly the business model relies on leveraging the efforts of many levels of distributors in order to create the residual income element most people spend years trying to achieve.

Direct sales has been around for a very long time and is the based around selling high ticket products, services and experiences which command higher margins and upfront commissions and are increasingly becoming a viable alternative to multi-level marketing.

In the offline marketplace Direct Sales business models are commonplace, ranging from mortgages and other financial products, through cars and designer clothing all the way down to log cabins and fitted kitchens. The equivalent online usually offers unique information that has to be of extraordinary value for it to survive and compete with the more popular multi-level marketing industry. The most successful are linked to building wealth and being able to create an alternative lifestyle.

For most people looking to create a residual income online or offline in the network marketing world there is now even more choice with a much higher chance of early profitability than ever before.

[ad_2]

Source by Diane Cossie

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
3 Ways Web Design Works to Help Your Business Grow

[ad_1]

As you know, web design and development affects your business and audience. It is the first thing they see concerning your business, so it ought to make a good impression. Below are three important aspects of web design:

1. Makes the first impression

Like I said, your website is the first thing a potential client sees before knowing your services and how your business works. Those first few seconds are essential in your business because they determines if a potential client would become a client or not. And, it also determines your bounce rate. Would the client leave the site almost immediately? Or would they stay and check your services out?

An unappealing website or – God forbid – an outdated one would make your audience immediately bounce. This is because first impression matters. What they see first – your branding and website – matters a lot on your business. So you should always keep yourself and your business up to date on the latest technological trends and developments.

2. Helps your SEO

A great web design is beyond how great it looks or how easy it is to navigate. Although these two are important on their own, a great web design should also be SEO-friendly.

A great way to stay on top of your game among your competition is SEO. Let SEO be integrated into your website design from scratch on a long-term basis, and watch as your website improves its rankings in search engines like Google or Bing.

If you don’t know how to integrate SEO into your website, do not leave it for a latter period. Instead, get a professional web developer who knows what he/she is doing.

3. Builds up the character for your company

How your website looks and feels to your audience is how they perceive the customer service to be. For example, when you enter a company for the first time, several things happens. You get recognised as a potential client, and immediately get attended to by the receptionist. The receptionist further directs you to either the waiting room or the person in charge directly.

If you get transferred to the waiting room, you would be given certain refreshments – like coffee or tea – depending on your preference. And when you finally meet the person who would handle your request, the manner at which he/she treats you, their character, is what makes you stay or leave.

The same thing goes for websites. Your website tells a potential client how the character of the company is. So you have to ask yourself, is your website user-friendly? Natural? Welcoming? Easy to navigate through? And most importantly, is it SEO-friendly, so that more clients can find your business?

[ad_2]

Source by Karina Popa

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Health Anxiety and Solutions

[ad_1]

It's always important to take care of oneself using all the principles of good health. Regular check-ups, proper nutrition and healthful living all enable one to keep on top of their health in a careful yet reasonable way. Often one becomes overly concerned with health issues and caught up in a cycle of health worries. One health issue is reconciled when another immediately pops up to take its place. These worries become all encompassing and exhausting after a while.

Eventually, the individual realizes that this cycle of health anxieties has intruded upon the quality of their life. A dark cloud, always hovering over daily living, this intrusive form of anxiety has to be addressed. One begins by determining why this is occurring, what purpose does it serve and how to interrupt this behavior.

Reason for Health Anxiety

Health worries actually serve a purpose and this purpose is not difficult to detect if one looks deep enough into this pattern of behavior. Often this pattern involves the brain distracting from specific emotions which the individual finds difficult to address.

Many emotions are so overwhelming, such as anger, grief or fear, that the brain looks for ways to distract. Health worries fit the bill because when one worries intensely about their health, there is little room to address an upsetting emotion.

Health worries blanket every other thought and this WORKS. This is the perfect distraction from unsettling emotions. When one worry is reconciled, another takes it place to veil the unaddressed emotion. Each health worry has a strong purpose, as it masks the true upsetting emotion, which is much more difficult to face in the long run.

Solution

– Recognition and acknowledgment of the Health Anxiety habit, one worry quickly following another in a noticeable loop that never ends. Awareness of this cycle is always the first step to reconciliation of the issue.

– Determining if this health worry is a true physical problem by visiting one's primary physician and ruling out a definite physical cause for the difficulty. Always rule out a physical cause before assuming it is merely health anxiety.

– Noticing that these health worries settle down when you become intensely interested in another topic or swept into a new relationship, job or cause.

– Identify your patterns. Do you experience twinges of symptoms that often jump from one area of the body to another? Do you find yourself overestimating physical intrusions and instantly jump to the conclusion that they signify danger or warrant the attention of an alert?

– Find interests that involve your entire being. Lose yourself in things that allow you little time for inward thinking. True illness does not surface through boredom as do these behaviors. True health problems do not generally follow the same time table as health anxieties do. Health worries are stronger during times of boredom and when one lacks interests. An intelligent mind requires challenges and goals.

– Activity is an important therapeutic tool against health worries. Exercise and movement invigorate and stimulate the mind and body in a positive way. Endorphins are released and Serotonin levels are boosted naturally when activity is a part of a daily routine. Moderate walking, jogging, tennis, swimming and dancing are all helpful activities that bring forth positive results.

– Nutrition is also essential to good health which in itself helps eliminate the strong habit of negative thinking, often concerning health worries. When eating properly, Serotonin levels are naturally boosted and blood sugar levels remain stable. This helps settle down an over-reactive mind, leading to a lessening in health anxieties.

– Talk back to the brain by firmly telling it to stop when health worries enter the mind. Shift into a more positive mode of thinking because you always have a choice in what you think about.

The mind will respond by quieting down as negative thoughts subside. The brain, caught red handed in this behavior is instantly embarrassed causing it to suspend this cycle of negative thought. This is comparative to a child being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Embarrassment at being caught, stops this intrusive behavior.

– Be aware of "what if" thinking. If the majority of sentences you think begin with "what if" then this is proof of a strong health anxiety habit. Change "what if" thinking to "so what" and watch the cycle break.

Most of all, understand that worry solves nothing. Health worries, in particular will only serve to exhaust and deplete both mind and body. Consciously make a concerted effort to change the way you think and you will succeed in changing your life. You will go from self victimization to freedom from the intrusive habit of fearful worry.

You always have a choice. Life can be wonderful and fulfilling when you learn to alter your perspective and chose a more positive point of view. You always have a choice. Never define yourself by your habit of worried thinking. Do not be victimized by health anxiety and fear. With a few simple corrections, especially in thinking, you will find your life changes from being difficult and upsetting to becoming easier and much more fulfilling on a daily basis.

[ad_2]

Source by Dr.

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Can Emotional Pain Build-Up If Someone Doesn’t Have A Strong Connection With Their Body?

[ad_1]

After someone has experienced loss, they could end up experiencing emotional pain. When it comes to how severe this pain is, it can all depend on who has passed on.

So, if a family member has passed on, the amount of pain that they are in could be unbearable. Through being in so much pain, one could reach out for the support of family and friends.

Additional Help

This might not be enough, though, and one might end up reaching out for professional assistance. Perhaps their friends and their family are unable to be there for them on a regular basis.

It could be said that this is just part of life as these people are going to have their own responsibilities to deal with. There is also the chance that these people are also in a lot of pain and haven’t always got the energy to be there for them.

The Sensible Approach

The main thing here is that one will be embracing how they feel, and this will allow them to gradually embrace life once again. This doesn’t mean that they will ever ‘get over’ what took place; what it means is that they won’t stay stuck in this emotional place forever.

Additionally, one may also allow themselves to cry when they need to or during certain times. What this will illustrate is that one has a healthy relationship with the emotional part of their being.

Just One Example

If this is the case, it is going to be normal for them to embrace how they feel. Therefore, regardless of whether someone passes on, a relationship comes to an end, or something else takes place that has an impact on them, they will go with how they feel.

It is not going to be an issue for them to cry or to get angry, for instance, which may generally stop too much emotional pain from building-up inside their body. This is going to allow them to operate as whole human being.

Two Sides

Of course, there will be times when facing how they feel will be hard, even overwhelming, but it will be worth it. The reason for this is that having a good connection with their feelings will benefit their life in a myriad of ways.

For one thing, it will give them the ability to form deeper connections with others, and this wouldn’t be possible if they were emotionally disconnected. Also, their feelings will give them the guidance that they need to live a fulfilling.

A Different Experience

For someone else, it could be normal for them to deny how they feel after they have experienced loss. It is then not going to matter what kind of loss takes place as they will respond in the same way.

Through taking this approach, they may believe that the emotional pain they were in has simply disappeared. Yet, although it may seem as though is the case, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Disconnected

In reality, their mind will have lost touch with their body and this part of them will still be carrying their feelings. However, as their point of awareness is generally in their head, this is unlikely to occur to them.

To maintain the illusion that they have created, it will be vital for them to do what they can to stay out of their body. If this doesn’t take place and they were to get back in there, they would end up being overwhelmed by emotional pain.

Twp Parts

Living on the surface of themselves may allow them to be successful when it comes to their career, for instance, but it unlikely that they will be able to experience intimacy or to live a life that is deeply fulfilling. It could also be a real challenge for them to relax and to just be; if they were to settle down, all the pain that is inside them could start to rise up.

Being on the go just about all of the time, acting like a ‘human doing’ as opposed to a ‘human being’, will be a way for them to avoid themselves. Nonetheless, this kind of behaviour is often seen as a sign that someone is ‘driven’ or has ‘high self-esteem’, so very few people are likely to realise that something isn’t right.

What’s going on?

If someone has the tendency to avoid how they feel as an adult and to live in their head, this could be something that has taken place for as long as they can remember. Perhaps, their early years were a time when they didn’t receive the attunement that they needed to develop in the right way.

As a result of this, leaving their body and getting into their head would have been the only way for them to stop themselves from being overwhelmed. The years will then have passed, but staying out of their body will still be a way for them to stop themselves from being taken out by how they feel.

A Build-Up

Their body can then carry the emotional pain that they avoided as a child and it can carry all of the pain that they have avoided as an adult. The longer they avoid themselves in this way, the more pain there will be.

With this is mind, the sooner that they face this pain the better it will be. Facing this pain is what will allow them to not just look whole on the outside, but to feel whole on the inside.

â€‹

Awareness

If one can relate to this, and they want to change their life, they will most likely need to reach out for external support. This can be provided by the assistance of a therapist or a healer.

[ad_2]

Source by Oliver JR Cooper

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Why Healing Requires Integrating Our Unconscious Experiences Into The Wholeness Of Our Being
[ad_1]

Nurture The Deepest Part Of Your Core Nature

Healing involves integrating our fragmented parts into the entirety of our being. However, the paradox is: we are not broken but merely disassociated from our wholeness. The term healing denotes restoring what is not functioning as it is intended. When we are caught up in the distorted beliefs about ourselves, it leads to separation or what we consider being broken. In fact, it is merely being separated from the completeness of our true nature. Think in terms of a hologram where the whole is contained in every part. This was an idea espoused by the late theoretical physicist David Bohm who believed the universe is a solid and brilliant hologram. He recognized how each part of our physical reality contained information about the whole. Therefore, our thoughts, emotions, soul and physical body are composed of our soul nature.

How does this idea appeal to you? Are you comfortable knowing whilst you were born whole and pure, through your beliefs, thoughts and experiences it leads to separation? I'm not suggesting it is entirely your fault because we are all bound to experience this. It is said, while our painful experiences are not our fault, healing the pain is our responsibility. Although there's an element of truth to it, we ought to remember there is nothing to heal other than to attend to our unconscious memories in order to return to wholeness. By attending to these aspects, we integrate our known sense of separateness. Release and Renew is a mantra I often repeat in my writing when I discuss healing and emotions. In doing so, we release that which is not conducive to the present moment. Similarly, we renew our commitment to nurture ourselves by connecting with our core emotions. The integration I speak of is an association with our soul nature, which at its essence is pure, whole and knows nothing of separateness or brokenness. It is the egoic mind which disconnects us from our spiritual self to create two identities ie the darkness and the light.

How To Heal Your Fragmented Parts

I am drawn to a passage by the South African author Michael Brown, who writes in The Presence Process : "I dropped my use of the word" heal "because of its connotation that something was wrong and had to be fixed. using the word "integrate," which to me meant there was a part of my experience that was unconscious- a part of my experience that I resisted, controlled, and sedated-which was asking to be incorporated into the whole.Whereas healing felt like I was excluding something from my experience, integration felt like I was embracing everything I experienced . " I believe Brown makes two important points here: we mustn't resist nor control the past, but perceive them as the whole of our life's experience. Second, integration means to embrace or at the very least acknowledge everything that happened to us. Perhaps not right away, but when we are ready to make peace with the past.

What are your thoughts about this? I realize you may have questions related to your personal experiences. Whilst I am not present to answer them, I assure you trying to make sense of them consciously is a healing process rather than an integration process. It is what author Dr. Mario Martinez means when he writes in The MindBody Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success : "The true agents of change are elevated cognitions and exalted emotions. These agents of change provide sustain transformation; in fact, they have triumphed over the greatest infamies and darkest periods in our human journey. " It does little good to dwell on why the past took place as it did. Instead, we ought to turn the tables and consider the following questions as a basis for self-enquiry. Instead of trying to make sense of the past which keeps us trapped replaying painful memories, we identify how the experiences served us.
1. How can I use the past to facilitate my greater growth?
2. In what ways can I use my emotional wounds to bring peace and love to the part of me that is pure and whole?
3. How can I integrate my sense of separateness into the wholeness of my being?
4. Whom do I need to become and let go of to achieve this inner state?
Once we can perceive the pain of the past through the lens of: compassion, forgiveness, peace and love we heal our fragmented parts. It may involve deep exploration into ourselves with or without the guidance of a trained therapist. Considering this, I'd like you to spend the following week journaling your answers to the four questions above. Call it a remote coaching session if you like. Write what comes to mind even if it involves images or symbols. Similarly, pay attention to your dreams via the symbols that appear. Note how you feel within the dream and upon waking. Look for messages in your waking life in the form of people, places and situations that cause you unrest. This is your soul guiding you towards integration. Ultimately, to heal ourselves we must be willing to integrate the pain of the past, so healing happens naturally as nature intended it to.

[ad_2]

Source by Tony Fahkry

Views: 0
November 10, 2022
Stuffed Emotions Don't Die – They Multiply!

[ad_1]

As I work with clients on a daily basis, I am often amazed at how much fear is involved in showing emotion. Granted some people go the other way and completely out of control with their emotions. However, numerous others are entirely out of touch with how they feel. You can tell a person is in this situation because when you ask them the typical therapist question, "And how did that make you feel?" there will be a long pause. Uhhh …. ummmmm … truly the thought of putting emotion to an event is almost impossible for them.

This process can be very frustrating when a person's spouse tends to be very in-tune with their emotions. They know exactly how they feel at all times. When an inquiry into what their partner is feeling brings a blank stare, there can be a complete break-down of communication. My common answer to help the aggravated partner understand what's happening inside their loved one's heart is, "when he / she tells you they don't know how they feel they are telling the truth. They truly don't know how they feel."

Typically, a person who stuffs will respond to any situation requiring emotions in one or two ways. They will give you the one emotion that our culture allows us to show: anger. However, anger is not the real emotion they are feeling. It is just the emotion that we are allowed to express openly. Anger is really about hurt, unmet expectations or other pain. If a stuffer doesn't show you openly expressed anger, they will just push the anger down inside and do what they do so well … stuff it!

The problem is that stuffing doesn't stop the emotion. Stuffed emotions don't get buried. Truly, stuffed emotions multiply. They become stronger and more powerful. Stuffing emotions over the long haul will eventually cause your body to break down. You can only carry so much emotion on the inside. Pretty soon your internal systems will start responding to the heavy load you are forcing them to carry.

If you are a stuffer, please know that this information is coming your way via divine providence. It is time to step back and start finding new ways to identify and process your emotions. Emotions don't have to be scary when you learn better ways to get in touch with them. Emotions are just like the light on the dashboard of the car. They serve the purpose of letting you know that "something under the hood" needs looked at. You can take out the fuse so the light doesn't go on, but that doesn't stop the damage to the inside that could possibly happen if you drive on down the road ignoring the warning signal.

[ad_2]

Source by Trudy Johnson

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Problems Encountered by Nigerian Entrepreneur and Possible Solutions

[ad_1]

The success enjoyed by most industrialized countries can be attributed to the role played by technological innovation and entrepreneurship, both of which continue to drive their economies today. These two factors are seen as key components for the industrialization and development of African countries. The Nigerian government has recognized this fact and has taken measures aimed at promoting and cultivating the entrepreneurial culture in our country. Through the Nigerian Investing Commission (NIC), our government has in the past introduced a policy that required university students regardless of their area of study to take courses in entrepreneurship. While our government is putting extra effort in promoting entrepreneurship in Nigeria, there are still a number of problems that a Nigerian Entrepreneur faces. Below are some of the problems encountered and possible solutions.

* Diversifying the Economy

Though our country’s economy has over the last couple of decades relied heavily on its oil production, we must find ways to diversify our economy and avoid the over reliance on oil. Like other developing countries, Nigeria is facing an increase in its unemployment rate that is now at 6 % and is on the increase, with many graduates finding it hard to get jobs while most of those who get jobs are underemployed. This coupled with the global financial crisis in which massive numbers of employees are being laid off; entrepreneurship is seen as an essential key if we want our country to achieve its ambition of being an industrialized nation by the year 2020.

* Unfriendly Business Climate

Being an entrepreneur in Nigeria requires great determination as practicing and potential business owners are faced with countless challenges. Nigerian’s business climate should be made welcoming to those in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The role played by these MSMEs should not be underestimated since majority of the thriving businesses fall in this category and for us to achieve our goals, adequate attention and support must be directed towards these institutions. To be able to help and protect entrepreneurs, we must first have a clear idea of the challenges facing our entrepreneurs in their pursuit of making Nigeria a prosperous country.

* Lack of Credit Facilities

Potential Nigeria entrepreneurs go through many hardships when trying to access credit for their businesses. Though there is a wide range of financial institutions that offer business loans, they usually charge high interest rates deterring aspiring entrepreneurs. For instance, major banks have pegged their lending rates to as much a 28% deterring potential entrepreneurs who are mostly low income earners. Other obstacles faced by our entrepreneurs include severe collateral conditions set by banks and other lending institutions. Though our government through the Central Bank and the Banker’s Committee came up with guidelines requiring banks to set aside 10% of their profits for funding MSMEs, majority of these banks have been reluctant to do so. This has led to the emergence of micro-finance institutions which though helpful are not sufficient for meeting the financial requirements.

* Multiple Taxation

One other sensitive challenge that is encountered by majority of Nigerian entrepreneurs is multiple taxation. Although we have a responsibility of funding the government through paying taxes, most of the taxes charged on entrepreneurs are not lawful and have the effect of increasing the cost of doing business. Although Nigeria’s Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) has approved only 39 taxes and levies, there are over 500 various levies and taxes that are imposed by state and local government agents. These taxes are questionable and in the case where they are genuine, they are mostly duplicated and this has the effect of increasing the cost of doing business.

* Poor State of the Country’s Infrastructure

The state of our infrastructure can be deemed to be a nightmare to both entrepreneurs and the rest of the country’s population. With the existing infrastructure deteriorating and in some places it is non-existent; the cost of doing business has tremendously gone up. The state of the country’s road network makes it hard for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector to transport harvested produce from farms to processing factories. According to a report released by the World Bank, Nigeria’s pace of socioeconomic development and growth is way below what we can achieve. This is mostly because of the erratic supply of electricity which has negatively affected many businesses. The outcome of power problems has prompted entrepreneurs to generate power through expensive ways that have in turn increased their production costs and made their products uncompetitive due to high prices. Our government should put policies in place to perk up Nigeria’s infrastructure so as to promote successful entrepreneurship.

* Failure to Adapt to the Changing Business Environment

Majority of those who venture into MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) do so because of their need to make money and in almost all cases, such entrepreneurs lack relevant and adequate information about the businesses they engage in. In the event where problems arise, most of these business owners lack sufficient problem solving skills and in the end they find it hard to survive. With the telecommunications sector having grown by about 206.5 % between 2002 and 2004 and is continually expanding, Nigeria has become one of the fastest growing ICT market not only in Africa but also worldwide. This presents a challenge to entrepreneurs who have not embraced technology, and who are now finding it hard to remain relevant in the competitive business environment. For existing and potential MSMEs to survive and be relevant, we must adapt to the changing business environment and embrace technology.

* Addressing the Challenges

Solving the problems encountered requires a combined effort by both the entrepreneur and all concerned stakeholders. As Small and medium business owners, we need to increase our knowledge and skills of the market by acquiring relevant and up to date education particularly in your area of business. Our entrepreneurs need to collect information about their target market by seeking help from consultants and professionals who have experience in the particular market.

One strategy that can be used by our small and medium entrepreneurs to remain relevant and competitive in today’s market is to come up with fresh and creative ideas of doing business. Due to the increase in technology, business is fast changing, thus our MSMEs need to constantly re-invent the way they do business.

There is a great need of creating a strong link between MSMEs and supporting institutions if Nigeria is to fully benefit from such businesses. Though some financial institutions are still reluctant to provide financial assistance to MSMEs, there are some that give out loans at reasonable rates provided the business sounds viable. The key challenge is for our entrepreneurs to prepare sound business proposals. For our country to achieve its goals and stop relying on oil alone, we need to focus much attention needs on the private sector and our government must create a conducive atmosphere for such businesses to thrive and drive the country towards economic prosperity.

[ad_2]

Source by Peter O Osalor

Views: 0

November 9, 2022