Why Opportunities Are Not Scarce

“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” ~ David Rockefeller

I have heard it said that there is opportunity everywhere for those who have eyes to see. Yes, it is there somewhere but you must have the discipline, zeal and determination to find it. It requires hard work too. If I may add, that should be hard, legitimate and purposeful work otherwise nothing jells after all efforts. If you love something and you are prepared to work to get it, you can always make a living out of it as a business. That simply means, there's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. What may be scarce is the resolve, your own resolve to get things organized to make it happen. I make bold to say that there are more and better opportunities in the world today than there were say about 50 years ago. That is the reality of life and modern day living.

Even if you merely dream about opportunities, you can still achieve them with time. The truth is that it is possible for all your dreams to come true provided you have the courage to pursue them. That you are not courageous enough to go after the opportunity you have been dreaming about is not to say it is not there. It is there, waiting. You can go for it and actually get it if you train and discipline yourself enough to make the right moves. With hard work and determination, you can grab it. If that happens, casual observers will begin to wonder how you are making it. The good news is that there is no scarcity of opportunities all around the world at the moment. What is at times lacking is the resolve to understand that such opportunities can be had by anybody who dares.

Get busy right now because…. “No pains, no gains. To get the prize, you must pay the price.”

4 Business Opportunities Suitable for Veterans

Are you a veteran? Do you have friends or relatives who are veterans? If yes, there is good news for you. Veterans can and do make great entrepreneurs and or small-business owners. From their training and service experience, many veterans indeed possess many of the skills necessary to survive in the business world. These skills include but not limited to leadership, orderliness, discipline, responsibility, teamwork and the ability to make snappy on-the-spot decisions. Some businesses especially require these skills to succeed. That is why they are very suitable for veterans. Here are 4 options to take a pick from if you are a veteran.

01. Security Consultant: Having served in any of the disciplined and armed services, it is assumed that through training and experience, many veterans have come to know a lot about security and the use of firearms. That is largely why many firms make veterans their very first port of call when it comes to designing, building and maintaining credible security infrastructure for their companies. Veterans are at home too when they do business helping to secure lives and property 24/7.

02. Retail Shop Management: Retail shop management is a good business option for veterans who excel in sales, marketing and supply chain management. Starting and managing a retail business works well for veterans who want to focus on selling a product with a military theme as many experts have correctly observed. Because people generally like veterans, they like to buy products or support companies which project veteran identity. Civilians like to support veterans by shopping at veteran-owned businesses perhaps to also be regaled with war-time stories many veterans relish in telling. That patronage is what keeps veterans in retail shop management in good business.

03. Franchise Ownership: According to Mark Rockefeller, a U.S. Air Force veteran and CEO of StreetShares, an online small-business lender, “Veterans are drawn toward franchising because it mirrors the military structure.” Franchising is exactly what by training and service experience, veterans are already very much at home with. There are other advantages veterans derive from franchising. With a franchise, they don’t have to start from scratch to grow a new brand. All the systems and procedures they need will already be in place when they buy a franchise. The exact training and support they also need is provided by the franchisor. That sounds really great for veterans.

04. Government Contractor: Traditionally worldwide, governments are usually the largest purchasers of goods and services. These governments who were the former employers of veterans already have a well-established relationship with them and there is the tendency to trust them with business as well. In some countries like the US, there are programs like, the “Vets First Contracting Program” which help all veterans better compete for government contracts. That naturally gives veterans some contracting advantage when bidding for government contracts. Some other countries have in place many more incentives which help veterans to thrive well in business doing government contracts.

“If we are born poor, it is not our fault, but if we die poor, it is!”…… Bill Gates

How to Work 13 Months a Year

Sounds incredible but true! It is possible to work more than one year in one year. Did I hear you sigh? Wait a minute; you will soon find out how you can work more than one year within one year. It is practicable to stretch your year to 13 months. Here is how. First, reconcile yourself with the fact that you are not a 9-5 Public Servant. As such you will not be expected to work as one. This category of workers statutorily work 8 hours a day, in a 5 day-work- week making 40 hours of work for 52 weeks in a year.

If you are a business person and your own boss, you are working for yourself. By simply taking a decision to work additional 1 hour per day, that can make a very big difference cumulatively. Here is how. With that extra hour of work, in one week, you will have 5 hours of additional work. In one year of 52 weeks, your additional hours of work will amount to 260 hours. In addition to your 40 hour work week, you will have put in extra 6 weeks of work. 

Just follow the math. If you work that way for one year, you will have collectively worked for 58 weeks instead of 52. This is more that 13 months of useful work. See! Imagine working for 2 or 3 additional hours a day or working for an additional day instead of only 5 days. That way you will actually be working in one year more than what most people do. That no doubt helps to increase your productivity many folds. The efforts you make by working extra hours are in direct proportion to your benefits. Your own discipline and work schedule help to drive your productivity. This is the major reason why you can always achieve more if you are your own boss.