Leverage your business June 10, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Leverage your business

When I first started being a self-employed person, I learnt the concept of leverage. I knew how important it was to build a leverage for myself, since self-employent has numbers of limitation for expansion. In my case, since I am the only one who can teach the dance – therefore the number of income I can make is limited to the number of classes and women I can teach.

For the longest time, I am finding a way to find a leverage for myself.

Until early this year that I decided I need to teach new teachers for my leveraging strategy. By teaching new teachers, I can reach more women, and by that, even without me teaching them directly, I will still be able to expand my classes. One of the beauty of this startegy is, I am also creating job opportunities for other women.

Alhamdulillah, the first class that was taught by my teacher that I trained happened today. I am so happy to see this person grows in leaps and bounds from just a mere student to a confident and resourceful teacher.

I am going to keep on working and strategising on building a few ways to leverage myself and my business. What about you?

For more information on Elwarda Dance Teacher Training Programme please visit Elwarda Dance.

© Copyright Naziehah June 2009

Make things easy June 2, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Make things easy

As I was walking in IKEA with my little brother yesterday, I thought of a concept of ‘making things easy for people’. The concept that is applied very apparently in IKEA’s business.

IKEA made it easy for us to buy furniture by making them flat-packs. We can easily tucked in 4 flat-packed chairs in our car (yeah, that’s me). Can you imagine forcing 4 normal sized chairs in a car?

It inspires me to always exercise this concept in my business and also in my dealings with people. One of my mother’s word of wisdom - If you make things easy for people, people will make things easy for you.

Therefore, if you find difficulties in your business dealings, or even with your everyday encounters with people,  do check within yourself – do I have the tendency to make things difficult for other people too? Have I tried hard enough to make things easy, to simplify, to help as many people as possible?

Let us all work diligently to ‘make things easy for people’ to improve our business and our daily life experiences, insya-Allah

©Copyright Naziehah June 2009

Creative entrepreneurs are rich entrepreneurs March 17, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Creative entrepreneurs are rich entrepreneurs

I am reading Donald Trump’s and Robert Kiyosaki’s ‘Why We Want You To Be Rich’ and I came across this a whole chapter dedicated to creativity.

It is my personal opinion, that the best thing about running your own business is how much you can be creative while doing it. Therefore, if you are already in a business and is operating your business in a boring way, you gotta ask yourself some serious questions why are you like that?

The root of creativity is actually problem-solving. If you are in business, you are already in a business of problem-solving. If you are not sure what I am talking about, you gotta ask yourself another question why are you in business!.

In solving problems, we have to be creative. The reason a problem becomes a problem, is that the old way of doing things didn’t work anymore. If we keep doing the same thing over, and over again – that is not solving problems, in words of Albert Einstein – it is an insanity!

Creativity brought richness into our lives, either in terms of monetary of life’s experience. But if you do it right, more often that not, it will bring upon both. Therefore, start using that creative engine in your brain, you already have it, you just need to jump start it!

© Copyright Naziehah Mar 2009

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For ladies in Malaysia/Klang Valley/PJ – if you are looking for ways to jump start your creativity, do join one of my Middle Eastern Dance (MED) class conducted by Elwarda Dance. MED is not just a great way of exercising, it is also an excellent tool to juice that creativity.

Be nimble March 10, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Be nimble

As I was teaching my belly dancing students the importance of having ‘nimble feet’ when you dance, I suddenly thought of how the same principle applies in business too.

I think it’s important for people in business to be nimble. To be agile. To be able to move swiftly and elegantly from one position to the other. To be alert and aware.

We are living in an extremely fast-paced time and the ability to go with the flow thrivingly and change effortlessly is crucial. We should not let ourselves and our business be slow and sluggish.

Think of our business like an agile running horse and we are the expert rider that are able to steer it left and right swiftly and elegantly while still charging ahead at lightning speed.

In light of being nimble, one aspect that small business owners and entrepreneurs need to also bear in mind is the exit strategy. It’s not only for the big guys you know! Knowing when you want to leave your business, either to start a new one, or to move your business to another level will provide you with a clearer sense of direction and focus in your business.

Let’s all work on the nimbleness of our businesses, and I’ll do that while also working on the nimbleness of my dancing feet

© Copyright Naziehah Mar 2009

There’s No Place Like Home February 3, 2009

Trend #19: There’s No Place Like Home

With the growing unemployment numbers, expect a surge in home-based businesses and in mom entrepreneurs in 2009. Correspondingly, expect a surge in marketing directed at this segment of the market. If you can help these individuals be successful, start getting the word out now.

taken from here.

Ah, another topic that is very close to my heart; Home-based entrepreneurism.

If you are one of the people who is laid off because of the economy, or potentially be laid-off – fret not. Consider this as the best thing that have ever happened in your life!

Without having to go through the whole soul-searching episodes (like me! ), you are now naturally guided into the path that could possibly lead you into living your dream life

Instead of crying over your job (that most probably is not that great anyway, except that it pays the bills), quickly get into the mode of searching for opportunities.

Or better still, create that opportunities for yourself!

Whatever it is that you feel like doing, start it now. Right now. From home. The easiest way, and I can’t say this enough is to plug in that computer (if you are reading this, you are most probably people that has easy access to computers if not having it turned on 24/7) and start a blog. It’s free, it’s fast, and you can do anything (well, almost anything) with it.

Look for inspiration from people who has been doing it. Startup Nation is a great source for entrepreneurs and home-based entrepreneurs. Locally, there’s Ehomemakers.

Stay tuned every Tuesday for my Trading Tuesday entry as I will keep on writing about my experiences, thoughts and ideas about entrepreneurism.

Lastly, have faith always. Ultimately – your source of income, your money, your food – it all came from the Creator, your Sustainer.  When your faith is firm on that, your heart will be stronger and you will not be afraid anymore.

Disclaimer: I do not endorse easy-money, unlimited profit, quick-scheme internet crap. What I mean by business/entrepreneurial endeavours are original indigenuous business ideas that are fuelled by passion and dream and not purely money making (oh, I should write another topic just for this disclaimer)

©Copyright Naziehah Feb 2009

Turning dreams into profit January 27, 2009

Trading Tuesday:  Turning dreams into profit

A few years ago, one of my dreams is to teach belly dance to women. Let me tell you the story.

I was an over-worked, over-stressed and under-talented student of accounting and finance. Having to compete with brains from all over the world in one of the UK’s top business school was pushing me over the edge, one calculator click at a time.

For the sake of my sanity, I looked for a physical activity that I can do or learn – and I found belly dancing!

The reason I chose to learn belly dance is because it was taught in an all women class. I don’t need to worry about clothing and partnering and stuff. Easy peasy, I thought.

Little did I know that I will find freedom and happiness in belly dancing, or the more appropriate name, Middle Eastern Dance. Then and there I decided that my dream after I graduated – is to teach Middle Eastern Dance to women.

(picture of the opening performance by me and my students during  my last hafla)

Armed with a degree in accounting and finance, and only my hip, I knocked on doors offering to teach Middle Eastern Dance to women. It was very difficult at first, but I was determined to live out my dream, and praise to Almighty, live out my dream I did!

A few years down the line, not only I am living my dream, but I am also making profit out of it!

I believe that all dreams can be turned into reality, if you want it bad enough. Start working on your dreams today and see where it will lead you. If you do it right, it might also lead you to a path of profit

Do check out my Middle Eastern Dance business blog, Elwarda Dance. And while you are at it, do check out my Online Accessories blogshop too, Elwarda Accessories.

Buy from nice people January 20, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Buy from nice people

We always buy our fresh groceries from one grocer in our neighborhood. I really like the shop as each time I came in, my nostrils will be greeted with the freshest smells from apples and oranges and pears. So so lovely!

But what we like most about this grocer is that the owner is a very nice lady. She is so nice to all her workers and treated them like families. And it is all reflected by the energy in her shop. Her workers are always very happy, helpful and smily. Most of them were foreign workers but they radiated with sense of confidence and fulfillment that can only be obtained when they were treated right by their employer.
In a span of few months after opening, this owner has already shifted once to a bigger store and her customer base is growing everyday!

Truth is, people like nice people. And people like buying from nice people. It is something very inherent in our nature. When we see goodness, our heart warmed to it. When we see justice and fair treatment, we feel like supporting them even more.

Lately, there’s much talk about boycotting products from Israel and America. Some will base their intention on religion, some on humanity responsibility and of course as with every issues, some will also oppose the action of boycotting.

As for me, my reason is always simple. I buy from nice people. And I would work very hard to find nice people to buy from.

So when I decided to buy only from nice people, I need to look for them. I need to look for business people who’s nice, and fair, and just. I need to look for companies who uphold nice, and fair and just values. Companies that is not biased to any one race or religion or nation. Good companies that sell good quality products.

I have read somewhere that in today’s world where there is so much cruelty and nastiness going on, kindness and niceness has become a rare quality. And when something is rare, the value will definitely goes up.

Think about it entrepreneurs/aspiring entrepreneurs..or any good and nice people out there. Do we see opportunities? I think so!

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Image from here

Do and Wait January 6, 2009

Trading Tuesday: Do and Wait

In my experience and learning, I have come to understand that for everything that we do, there’s a ‘gestation‘ period. Which means, time for things and ideas to develop slowly but surely.

For example, our marketing campaign that we did today, does not necessarily provide results tomorrow. So, if we see nobody buying our products now, nobody coming to our store, or nobody ever heard of us yet – it’s just because it is still in gestation period. All we need to do is keep on doing, keep on doing, evaluating and improving our steps along the way, and wait.

The simple principle of ‘Do and Wait’.

I know it sounds crazy and almost impossible to us that lived in the fast lane with mobile phone attached to our hand 24-7, but this is the natural law, and the truth. Due to my rather impatient nature, I found this a rather difficult concept to accept at first until I experienced it myself.

The lack of understanding of this principle is also the factor that led people to succumb to so many scams and get-rick-quick schemes. Thinking that they will be able to get money quickly!

Seeds that we plant today will not bear fruit tomorrow. Babies took 10 months in their mother’s womb to be ready to face the world. Even the rain, the drought, the change of season – all has it’s time and it’s place.

It’s important for entrepreneurs to take note of this principle when planning to start a business, to expand or to apply a new strategy. It might not happen overnight, but if you keep on doing and persevering – it will happen, results will show. With today’s technology and internet connection,the ‘gestation’ period are much shorter. Do take full advantage of it, without losing sights of the principle.

Therefore, Do and Wait, and most importantly Have Faith.

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Image from here