Web Development

I have since discovered that there’s hardly anything be it product or service that is not widely available on the Internet if you take time out to really search for it.  Developing  a database website when you’re not an I.T geek is not a child’s play and especially within the country. If you decide to embark on this journey, be prepared to shelve a good amount of money aside.

I understand more than ever why E-commerce sites have not taken off in Nigeria for small businesses. If you’re a small business owner out there and you want to take your business to the next level, you can log onto Odesk . It’s a community of web designers and web developers from around the world vying for your projects.

I recommend this site cos you can determine how much you’re willing to pay and watch developers and web designers bid for your projects. I’d suggest you give it a try if you’re on a tight budget.  

Creative juices…

At this time in my life, I have come to appreciate the hard work involved in designing a website and bringing business concepts to life. While searching for a web designer and developer, I came across a site that brings creative people and clients who may need these services known as crowdSPRING. Experienced or budding creative graphic and web designers who need an extra income by the side, can sign up. Please bear in mind that you’ll be competing with several creative people worldwide. So, give it your best shot.

Finally, I found a prospective web designer who has developed a first draft of what will eventually be my homepage. I also observed that not all web designers can develop coded websites. Why is that? Are there web designers out there who can design as well as develop? I’d really like to know.

HTML or WYSISWYG?

So, i’m at the stage where I have to start creating online forms. This is not an easy aspect of designing websites cos it’s either you use HTML codes or you simply use WYSISWYG (simply means ‘what you see is what you get’).

This particular application saves you the time and stress involved in creating online forms. However, my issue or concern is when you decide to create more complex forms that require more than three fields such as an online order form which also incorporates ecommerce application for making payments. How do I go about that.

Another issue is creating a sign up form where prospective clients can login to make use of services I intend to offer. How do I write a code for that. Curently, i’m attending an online class for writing HTML codes at About so I can learn how to create simple online forms. I’ve also been surfing for other sites that can teach me how to create online forms that are usable.

If there’s anyone out there who’s more knowledgeable in these matters, please feel free to share your knowledge.

 

Na Wa Ooo…

Some few months back, when I decided entrepreneurship was the way to go, litle did I know there were so many hurdles to cross. Like Whitney Houston’s aunt sang “many rivers to cross, but I can’t seem to find my way over…”that has been my song while I was trying to scale some of the hurdles involved in starting my business.

Yes, I know what it is I want to do but, there are about 5 or 6 ideas cooling their heels in my notebook and waiting to be unleashed on the deserving public. So what hurdles am I talking about?

First is the issue of setting up a website. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle than a budding entrepreneur try setting and designing a website in our country. In the course of writing up my concept, I had gone to see a website designer and over lunch, after telling him about my concept, he gave me a bill of $2,500. I simply couldn’t believe I had to part with so much money. So, I went back to my drawing board and began to search for an affordable option online. I fell in love with Yahoo, Vistapages, Bluehost and a couple of great web hosting companies for small business and I couldn’t believe all the great bundles each offer came with.

Seondly, after I had decided on the web hosting company, i was going to pitch my tent with, payment was another hurdle. Has anyone tried paying with a Nigerian debit Mastercard, it’s hell. Most times, they kept bouncing my card till I finally got a colleagues wife who resides in America to pay on my behalf. Whew! that was tough. So, for the next two years, I won’t have to bother my head about late payments and all of that.

Now, I can go ahead with the next stage…designing my website. If you ask me it’s been fun. Never knew I had the aptitude to become a webdesigner. Anyway, that’s another story for another day. I’ll keep you posted on my journey towards entrepreneurship.

Starting Out on Your Own

One of my goals for 2008 was to start my own business. During the course of the year, i’ve had a couple of great ideas that are feasible within the Nigerian local environment. I usually have a notebook where I jot down all these ideas and implementation methods.

Sometimes, I log onto the web to see other business ideas that are succeeding in other countries that I know will be successful in our local environment. Most times, we’re waiting for that bright idea that will propel us into the limelight but there are several solutions that are needed for the common problems we go through within the Nigerian enviroment.

I have taken the bold step by starting out even if everything I need is not ready. I’m ready to start and in the course of the week, i’ll be introducing you to my blog dedicated for this business idea so I can get your feedbacks  and suggestions.

Off to Grad School

So, this is it. I finally took the plunge of attending grad school this year, to study an MBA with special emphasis on Total Quality Management at the University of Leicester. Articles on this blog may not be as frquent as it was, but once a week, i’ll post in an article. Till then…

Vacation

I’ll be away for the rest of the year. I’ m going away on a much needed vacation. I’ll be back next month. I’ll try and check in once a while to post the odd article. Till then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance.

Periodic Medical Check – Up

Our periodic medical check up within the organization I work for is here again. So for the next few weeks, I’ll be traipsing up and down to the hospital. So what should I expect from this routine check up? How does it affect my current job role and wellness at work?  I had earlier scheduled myself for a personal routine check up in June, but due to the heavy and crazy workloads, I never got round to it. So I ask myself if it’s worth waiting for the company, or simply going ahead to the hospital I registered with, under the health insurance scheme for a personal check up. Definitely not. I pay an annual premium of N120,000 ($1,000) for the health insurance scheme. It will be a financial waste not to utilize this sum for the purpose it’s meant for. As we grow older, it’s mandatory to take our health more seriously to avert and detect problems in their earliest stage and keep us on the good road to health. If you have been thinking of going for a medical check up and are not too sure about it’s benefits, here are a few:

• It facilitates primary prevention.
• Identifies risk factors for common chronic diseases.
• Detect diseases that have no apparent symptoms.
• Paves an avenue for your doctor to counsel you on healthy behavior.
• Update your clinical data at the hospital.

 As for me, I’ll be taking two days off from work starting from tomorrow to attend to my health needs.

How To Sabotage your Career

We’re all so scared of hearing the dreaded words “you’re fired” which can be for varied reasons ranging from fraud to non-performance on the job. Sometimes, it could be our fault because we have not done the following:

• If you don’t have a personal life plan and adhere to it irrespective of what’s happening in your workplace, you may have yourself to blame. Successful people have a clear life plan. Without a life plan, we’re inevitable leaving our success in the hands of others who may or may not have the time to look after our successes.
• If someone is capable of producing a greater return and you’re not updating your current set of skills, you’re at risk of being replaced.
• We’re all familiar with performance reviews and the consequence of performing below expected job standards. Sooner than you know, you’ll be shown the way out.
• If all you do at the office is sit behind your desk and respond to all the mails pouring in via e-mail, you’ve got another think coming. Communicating in person is imperative for today’s success seekers.
• Unless you’re Beyonce, don’t give the impression that you’re irreplaceable. As soon as you convince yourself that you can do it all and know it all, your diva will start to fall.
• Don’t assume you know all the answers. Successful people are always on the drive to learn new ideas and approaches in order to be more relevant in their careers.
• Learn to give credit when you need to. Never make the mistake of taking all the credit to the detriment of your colleagues.
• Promote and sell your ideas constantly through case studies, initiatives that you’ve implemented successfully.
• When you’re at a roadblock and can’t seem to get your creative juices flowing, don’t be afraid to seek the advice of a trusted and respected colleague or friend.

Public Offer II

I came across this article written by the Proshare team on the recent Public Offers in the capital market. I would like to state here, that this is not an approval of the various stocks in the market but an opportunity for discerning investors to make up their mind based on other factors beyond the promising figures.

 

In a season of offers and more (including repeat) offers by quoted companies, especially firms in the banking sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, it is important for investors to seek to look beyond the rhetoric, commentaries and celebrated endorsements by leading lights in the market, economy, politics and society at large.

 

An investor therefore needs to be able to narrow down the list of stocks that is in front of him/her and research same.

 

Nowadays, there are a ton of great resources available out there for researching stocks, and fortunately most of them are free. Online research is becoming more and more popular because of its convenience and ease of use. The NSE exchange site allows you to see the stock performance over a period, the Proshare website gives you analyst commentaries on stock, annual accounts, equity research notes and fund managers report while the online editions of newspapers and other websites shares news and analysis on quoted stocks to allow you to make intelligent decisions.

 

Once you’ve gathered the facts, you should then perform the analysis. Different investors use different methods for determining what stocks to buy. Most investors prefer fundamental analysis, although there are also a large number who focus on technical analysis. Whatever one you decide to use, here are a few final considerations to keep in mind:

 

* Focus on the market cap, not the per-share price. The market cap is the per-share price times the number of shares outstanding. In essence, this is how much you would have to pay to buy the whole company. Every company has a different number of shares outstanding, making per-share price comparisons meaningless. For this reason, a stock which is trading at N40 per share might actually be cheaper than a stock trading at N5 per share. This doesn’t mean that price per share is completely unimportant; some technical analysts believe it can provide clues to where the stock will go next but for fundamental analysis it’s really not important.

 

* There is no perfect stock screen, because every investor is looking for something different. Some are looking for growth, others for value, still others for dividend income. The screens you apply should be done with your unique goals in mind.

 

To help you understand how this works, lets us review a current offer – Afribank Nigeria Plc.

 

THE COMPANY

From humble beginning with one branch in 1960, Afribank has grown to over 221 branches in major and sub-urban locations across the country. Afribank has also recently obtained CBN approval to open 48 additional branches in strategic locations in Nigeria. The Afribank Group comprise subsidiaries, affiliates and associated companies which include: Afribank Capital Markets Limited (100%), Afribank Registrars Limited(50%), AIL Securities Limited(61%), Afribank Insurance Broker Company Limited(100%), Afribank Estate Company Limited(100%), Afribank Trustees & Investment Limited(100%) and ANP Int’l Finance Company Limited, Dublin(100%). In addition Afribank has made investments in the following affiliate companies: Consolidated Discount House Limited (24.5%), Electricity Meter Company of Nigeria, Zaira (17%), Niger Insurance Plc. (10%), Unique Ventures Limited (40%) and Trustfund (Pension Fund Administrators) (15%). The development of this financial superstructure has made it possible for the Bank to leverage as a one–stop shop for the delivery of a wide range of financial services.

 

INVESTMENT ANALYSIS

Analysis of the investment ratio between 2003 and 2007 shows that Afribank’s earnings per share increased from N0.45k to N1.02k translating to a CAGR of 22.59%. Dividend per share increased from N0.15k in 2003 to N0.30k in 2007 translating to a CAGR of 18.92%.

 

The bank did not pay dividends both in 2005 and 2006 as a result of the restructuring costs which it had to undertake in 2005 to position it to efficiency and the goodwill in the account of the bank in 2006.

 

Earnings yield increased from 6.45% in 2003 to 8.84% in 2007 while the dividend yield also increased marginally to 2.61% from 2.15% during the same period. In a similar development, dividend cover improved marginally to 3.39x from 3.00x. The average P/E ratio for the financial year ended 2006 and 2007 is 13.52x while the average dividend pay-out for the period between 2003 and 2007 is 30.78%.

 

The share price appreciated by 64.90% from N6.98 to N11.51 translating to a CAGR of 13.32% while the net asset per share increased from N3.34 to N6.13 which is a CAGR of 16.37%. Meanwhile, the shares being offered will qualify for any dividend or bonus that may be declared for the year ending 31st March, 2008.

 

Investment in Afribank shares in the last seven years has proven to be profitable in terms of capital appreciation, dividend and bonuses earned.