THERE are barriers to the entrenchment of entrepreneurial spirit among us as a nation; some of these barriers are self–imposed and internal while some are man-made and external. Some of these barriers will affect you despite not being under your control, as much as it is not under your control there is still a lot to be done to either circumvent or eradicate it totally. These problems are like frictions, all you need to do is to provide lubrication to oil the point of contact and the movement will ease a little.

‘‘NO pain no gain’’ is an old proverb; this shows that those who are not ready to stay local because of its strenuous nature, pain and sacrifices to be made will not partake in its harvest when it eventually comes there will be a lot of desire competing for your attention some complementary, some competing and others negating but you have to be steadfast and hold on to your desire. Conquer fear, say no to nay-sayers, and you are already inching closer to the desire you cherish so much. When the sky seems to be gathering clouds, great waves beating against the rocks, the sea became rough, ships are battling against the gale and you are left alone to paddle your own canoe, this is the period to be strong, calculating and ingenious.

THE business environment around the world now is like the quotation above that stem from the recent inquiry into the activities of British government before, during and after the Iraq War. The paradigm shifted after the economic bubble of 2007, calculus of risk  in the financial sector changed and the repercussions is being felt around the business circle all over the world, either profit or non-profit, government or private even within family circle. For effective growth and adequate value for all stakeholders, strategy formulations must be based on scientific assumptions, extrapolation of facts and building of concrete scenarios but in recent past even that have not stopped a lot of organization from meeting their waterloo.

FOR the past three weeks we have dealt with some issues concerning discipline as one of the main pillars of an enterprise, but it should be noted that as much as discipline is multi-dimensional so also are the impediments. No matter how desirous and focused you may be, if you allow these impediments to weigh you down you are bound to end up like Lot’s wife who continuously looked back into the burning city of Sodom and Gomorrah.

ONCE in a while, even the most experienced and serial entrepreneur will also feel like packing it in, give it all up and just sailing into the sunset, free from all the encumbrances and drudgery of being a business owner. There is no time that this feeling cannot come up, either at the beginning of an enterprise or in the middle of the race, it may when road become rough or even when the ovation is loudest.

The government as a whole has not responded to  the issue of climate change very  well and the message has not permeated the whole nation yet, this has to do with the fact that most of the policy makers do not even know what to do, despite the fact that they do understand the impending danger. Most of the burden of championing this cause have being carried by some state government in Nigeria, such as Lagos State,

PETER Drucker was a leader in the management field. Some love him others don’t but all respect him. Mostly referred to as the father of management, he practised what he preach. From General Motors to General Electric to Intel he was instrumental to the growth of these companies and others in one way or the other. But despite all his push for excellence and good remuneration in the workplace he was appalled by the huge pay and bonuses that was going out to the executives. The bulwark of management thinking, for him, should be wrapped around decentralization and simplification; high regards for the workers and the fact that success once achieved should be use as a stepping stone.

SURELY opportunity for survival is shrinking. Invariably the ability of organizations to succeed is now becoming less frequent but despite the crisis in the global economy, there are pockets of opportunities around the world but it is only the discerning and prepared mind that is ready to take risk that will be able to identify and seize opportunities as they come their way. Crisis always bring out the best in the prepared mind. But how do you stay focused and launch an enterprise or drive the established one towards generating more value in times like this? Where exactly will the opportunities come from, at what point during the crisis should an entrepreneur launch out to maximise on the opportunity that may come his way and how do one even recognize these opportunity when they arise.