GRADUATE UMEPLOYMENT in GHANA

Last month, I attended a conference organized by the British Council Ghana, christened the Fast Track. It was organized for the fresh, unemployed graduates and national service personnel in Ghana who would soon be hitting the streets of Ghana looking for white color jobs.

At the end of the seminar, I went into my little box trying to figure out why I don’t need to look for a job in Ghana, in other words I challenged my  brain to think of how  I can be an  entrepreneur  in Ghana and leave the  scanty jobs available to  the majority to struggle over.

You know, before you find out how to do something, it is always better to answer the WHY? before the HOW. So today, I have decided to write a post on why you need to be self employed if you are in Ghana and to encourage Ghanaian Graduates to develop the Entrepreneurial spirit and stop chasing for the limited jobs in Ghana. Interestingly, about 60,000 graduates come out of our various tertiary institutions each year but the number of jobs created in a year is less than 10. Have you now considered being  self employed?, if you are still not convinced, here are some reasons why I think you need to be self employed in Ghana

• Money: If you become self employed you would work hard to have all the money you ever desire and would get time to spend the money with the people that matters most in your life. If you work for someone, the harder  or smarter you work the richer that individual becomes and he only pays you only a fraction of the money you have earned for him. Scripture says, God would bless the work of your hand, well , what if someone owns  the work of your hands?

•      Time: Time is the most limited commodity in the 21^st century, most people’s relationship and family is in the ruin because they go about  chasing for money. IF you are however self employed you would have the time to visit that family member who needs  those words of encouragement , and the time to visit those places  of interest without intimidation from your boss. Think about it?

   You are in Control; if your are self employed, you  are in control, you take control of your life and take responsibility for anything that happens. In other words you would stop the blame Game many Ghanaians are involved in.

What Next?

I believe a word to the wise is enough, let’s think of establishing our own business even whist we are in school and stop chasing for the limited jobs in Ghana. Let’s us create our own world and frame our world by our words. The one who believes is possible always achieve their dreams. Remember whatever the mind conceive and believe it can achieve.

Becoming a Millionaire in Ghana

A Friend and I were discussing a topic which I find very interesting, not only was it informative it  also set me thinking. Thinking about how to retire young and retire rich in  Ghana, my beloved country. A country once called the Gold Coast because you literally pick up Gold when you take a walk on the shores of the sea, interesting, isn’t it? So what happened to the supposed Gold on the coast of my country, Ghana? Well, help me if you know the answer.
After, the interaction with this pal of mine, I have decided to write a post on how you can become a millionaire in Ghana. I have heard many young Ghanaians debating about  who the richest man in Ghana is,hmmm, for  me I know Aliko Dangote is the richest African on the Earth and probably also the richest black person in the world, a position occupied by Opera Winnefery.  So,  who, is the Richest man in Ghana? Well, that is not the main topic for my post today. But if you know the answer feel free to leave me with your comment.

How Do you Become a Millionaire in Ghana?
Many people belief becoming a millionaire is a matter of luck ,for me I beg to differ. Becoming a millionaire in Ghana is simple but require smart effort and lot of patience. You plant the seed of greatness early in life and have to wait patiently for year to enjoy its fruit over and over again.
So , what is the starting point for becoming a Millionaire?
Resolve today that you are going to save and invest at least 10 percent of your income throughout your working life. Take 10 percent of your income off the top of each paycheck each time you receive one and put it into a special account for financial accumulation. The fact is that if you save just $100 or at least $10 per month throughout your working lifetime and you invest that money in an average mutual fund that grows at 10 percent per annum, you will be worth more than one million dollars by the time you retire at the age 65. This means that anyone, even a person earning minimum wage, if he or she starts early enough and saves long enough, can become a millionaire over the course of his or her working lifetime. It is expected that every young Ghanaian begin  to start earning money for a living at the age of 25 at most,that is if you complete a tertiary institution in Ghana. From age 25 when you start earning  to age 65 when you retire is 40 years. Believe me, if you put aside 10 percent of your income from that age till you retire and do it consistently, you may not be the Aliko Dangote of our time, but you would definitely be enjoying life after retiring.
Developing the lifelong habit of saving and investing your money is not easy. It requires tremendous determination and willpower. You have to set it as a goal, write it down, make a savings plan, and work on it all the time, But once this practice locks in and becomes automatic, your financial success is virtually assured.
Why Do many  a Ghanaian  Retire Poor?

A major reason that people retire poor is because of impulse buying. They see something they like and they buy it with very little thought. They become victims of what is called “Parkinson’s Law,” which says that “expenses rise to meet income.” This means that no matter how much you earn, you tend to spend that much and a little bit more besides.What that means is that,if there is an increase in salary, the average Ghanaian would increase his expenses so he can enjoy a “better” life, keeping up with the Jones.
But you don’t have to be a victim of Parkinson’s Law. If you cannot save 10 percent of your income, start today by saving 1 percent of your income in a special savings or investment account. Put it away at the beginning of each month, even before you begin paying down your debts. Live on the other 99 percent of your income. As you become comfortable living on 99 percent, raise your savings level to 2 percent of your income, then 3 percent and 4 percent, and so on. Create a savings plan that you are comfortable with and then commit to it.

What Next?

So who is the richest Ghanaian? Do you have any clue? Do you also have any money tips or saving techniques that have worked for you? If so, please leave a comment below with strategies that you have successfully used to save and invest money I would love to hear from you.

BENEFITS OF A BUSINESS BLOG FOR GHANAIAN BUSINESSES

When I wrote on my facebook profile that I am a blogger, I got many comments from my friends who were at sea as to whom a blogger is and what blogging is all about. It looked weird to them! Most Ghanaians have never heard of blogging or what a business blog can do for them,so today I decided to write on the benefits of a high quality blog and why every business in Ghana should at least have a blog.  I must confess, I read a lot of articles from Ghanaian Bloggers and their posts are very impressive, what is left is to form an active community of Ghanaian Bloggers to brand Ghana online! What do you think?

What is a Blog?
Well, if you do not know what a blog or blogging is, blog or weblog is just a platform where you published articles online on a product you are offering or a service you want to deliver. It also is the art of writing regularly on topic or field of interest with the view of sharing them with your audience or people in the same niche. This means you can blog on anything, football,arts, Ghanaian entertainment Industry, Ghanaian history and culture, Ghanaian businesses or just anything Ghana or a passion you have in a chosen field.

What do you need to be Blogger?

All that is required to get started in the blogging community is good communication skill, a flair for writing and a computer with internet connection.
If you are a business who wants an online presence, maybe you should consider  creating a blog and start posting on it. Well, if you do not know how it is done, or need an expert to handle those needs, just call THE THINKERS' INK and we would do that for you free of charge.

Benefit of A Blog

So what are the benefits of having a blog? Or what benefit does your company derive if it embeds a blog in their website or just simply create a blog on any blogging platform?

• Search-engine Friendly

Blogs get indexed and ranked in search engines faster than static HTML sites. One way to increase the traffic to your business website is to add a blog.

• Interactivity

Because a blog has many features that allow your readers to interact with you and with each other, a blog is an effective tool for building a community of like-minded individuals who are all interested in your field. They make the ideal prospects, because they’re already tuned into you.

• Share-ability

Blogs have functionalities that make it very easy for you and your readers to share links to your blog posts. For example, you could link your blog’s RSS feed to your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Your readers could share the link to your blog post with a click of a button.
This makes it much easier for you to reach new audiences and tap into other people’s social networks.

• Easy to Use and Customize

Most blogging platforms, such as WordPress, are much easier to use than plain HTML site builders. They come in templates that look good and have plenty of features right out of the box. At the same time, some templates are fairly easy to customize, even for those of us who don’t know any coding. Blogs have made web masters obsolete.

• Multimedia

It’s also easy to add multimedia elements to a blog. These may include photo galleries or slideshows, audio recordings, and video. You can display your Flickr or Facebook albums automatically on your blog. You can also easily embed YouTube videos — yours or other people’s — into your blog.

• Inexpensive

You can get a blog up and running for under $10 a month, at The Thinkers’ Ink for writing contents for your blog ,that is if you need a good web content writer or are too busy to write. You can no longer make the excuse that you can’t afford a blog.

• Authority

A good blog will help establish you as an authority in your field. What better way to demonstrate your expertise in a subject than to publish content-rich articles on your blog regularly for months or even years.

•  Opportunities

An established blog will attract plenty of potential partners and other opportunities for you. These may include advertisers, joint venture partners, speaking engagements and other opportunities to reach other people’s audiences, and even paid consultancies and gigs.

 What Next?

To you want to build credibility and authority in your chosen field? Or perhaps you have created a blog and need someone to write content-rich articles for you? Contact THE THINKERS' INK and we would help take your business to the next level. The Thinkers’ Ink, Thinking Solutions, Transforming Generations.

Social Media in Ghana

Why Ghanaian Businesses should be on Facebook

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Most people in Ghana think everyone is on Facebook, they get surprised and would likely jump out of their beautifully made Ghanaian clothing , if you tell them you are not on Facebook and don’t care about all that social media gimmicks. While we Web professionals may assume that virtually everybody is using social media these days it’s far from the truth. People use social media but businesses don’t.Ghanaian Business have no idea what facebook can do for their companies and even go  to the extent of banning the use of social media like facebook in workplace. To the management of many a business it is just a waste of time and resources. A recent study shows that 94% of businesses actually do not use social media. Not using social media in Ghana in the 21^st century is like saying you don’t  need a car at workplace because you can walk to where ever you need to go , be it official or personal.Or saying that whenever you need to talk to client  you can walk all the way to his place of abode so there is no need to get an office phone. Funny, isn’t  it?
So of course another study shows that those businesses not using social media fail to compete.We are in  a very competitive  world, at the battle for  space and attention is not being fought only on land but  has migrated to the world of www.

What is the Solution?

We , are The Thinkers' Ink believe in your company. We believe we can help you create the necessary attention and influence that your business need, with focus on Ghanaian businesses.We want to give you 10 reasons  why your business should use social media, and is our hope that Ghanaian Business would take lessons from this blog post and take the step in the right direction.

1. Get feedback: If you are on any social media platform like faceboook, Twitter  and linkedIn, you can get feedback  from your clients who in one way or the other have come into contact with your business. This would enable you restructure or strengthen the services and products offered in the near future.
2. Offer​ discounts: Once you have an account on Facebook or Twitter or even before you gain a significant following the best thing you can do is offering discounts. People will follow you then and they also will buy. Dell has been selling computers on Twitter for years and your Computer or mobile phone shop can do the same.
3. Spread the word: Tell the people about you and your business once you have established a connection with your following by getting attention over and over again and again. Announce changes in your organization, promote your next appearance at a conference or introduce a new product or an improved services to all.
4. Watch the competition: In case you are not on social media your competition probably already is. You can watch their steps and try to learn or mimic them. As long as they excel on social media you have to do that. Than you can just watch them like you watch your overall industry and mentions of your brand. Google Alerts is your first love to do it but plenty of other tools assist you here.
5. Build networks: Social networking sites like LinkedIn would help you build and grow more networks in your industry, who could offer you supports and share information that could change the phase of your business. Great networks can also extend the boundaries of your company from the local level to international. Trust me, it works.
6. Develop your Brand: Social media platform is a great way of branding your business. It is more than the logo of your company. What you offer your clients  by way of services  would go a long way in ensuring the credibility of your business and what it seek to achieve, online branding is the new way of getting things done.
7. Say Thank You: Social media is a great way of saying thank you to your clients, you can send them an ecard or a virtual gift and they would forever remain grateful to you.

Well, I promised to give you 10 reasons why I think your business should consider social media, but since 7 is a perfect number in Christiandom, I think you are filled now. If you need more help  on how you can send your business online using social media, especially if you are a Ghanaian Company, why don’t you consider  calling The Thinkers’Ink, we are the business solution expert for Ghanaian Business. We would take your business from the ground into the information superhigh way, in a flash of seconds. What’s more! All our Services provided at The Thinkers’ Ink is absolutely FREEEE....…..

The Thinkers’ Ink.. Thinking Solutions, transforming Generations.

Online Branding in Ghana

Has your business in Ghana developed and implemented its brands,or you don’t not think of branding as you believe the business would sell by its self. When you enter a shop to buy a shoe or an item let's say rice, would you go in for the one you have never heard of or you  would prefer the one every child on the street is talking and shouting its name? Well, you guess is as good as mine. Branding your business sets you apart from your competitors and you should take advantage of it.

What is branding?

Brand marketing is the method and the means by which you propel your business into the public consciousness,it just a means of shouting your business identity that it becomes a house hold name.Just imagine waking up in the morning, you switch on the television at Founder of The Thinkers’ Ink is talking about taking your business online, you tune in to your favorite radio station to listen to the morning news, and it  is the voice of the PR of The Thinkers Ink talking about why Ghanaian businesses should encourage the use of  social media in Ghana.Now you finally Google to find out how to brand your business online in Ghana, and on top of the ranking is The Thinkers’ Ink  showing how to do just that.What would you Do?  I Guess Right

Despite common belief branding a business is much more than your logo.A logo is one aspect of your business brand but there is much more to it than that. Your business brand is how customers perceive and think about your business. This may include several factors such as how you answer the phone call; how you treat your customers, to the overall look and feel of your business all contribute to your business brand.

Why develop a Business Brand?

Most Ghanaian  businesses do not care about  how customers or potential clients perceive them,but is branding important at all? Developing a brand for your business will help you have a clear vision of how you want your business to be perceived by clients and potential clients. Once you have a clear vision of how you want your business to be perceived you can then build a brand that achieves that vision. When developing your business brand from Ghana,you will have to  determine the emotions and thoughts that stir in a client’s mind when they think about your business. Of course you want your brand to create good thoughts and emotions in the minds of clients and potential clients and even first time visitors of your office or website. For this reason creating a well thought out brand can be valuable to your business.

What Next?

Contact the Thinkers' ink and let us help you take your business to the next level, remember all our services provided are frrreeeeee. Thank You