Effective Management of Time & Money

“Tell me how you use your time and how you spend your money and I will tell you where and what you will be ten years from now” -Napoleon Hill

Time and money are some of the most valuable resources that you have been blessed with. Therefore, understanding how to use them is very vital in evaluating your progress and identifying what may be holding you back. Your personal attitude towards life determines your attitude towards time and; how you use your time determines how much you want to earn as regards your destiny.

Managing your time is similar to managing your life that is; you need to know what you want to use it for. First of all, you need to learn to prioritize your tasks and always create evidence of accomplishment of a given task; as this serves as a reminder of your efficient use of time. In addition, you should also decide to devote your spare time to the things that you think are important to you other than your job for example family, friends, reading, education and recreation among others.

On the other hand; just like time, money should also be spent with a clear purpose. You therefore need to create a budget for all your expenses and ensure that you stick to it through self-leadership. You also need to allocate a portion of your income to savings, charity and give yourself some reward for doing your job.

Developing and sticking to your budget has many advantages which include; increasing your habit of self-discipline and also helps you learn how to make your money serve your purpose.

Finally, when you have figured out how to improve your use of time, you will be able to allot more of it to managing your money! You need to learn to seize every moment of time as if it were the only one you had.

We therefore encourage you to sign up for the Kyusa program so that you are equipped with more skills on time and money management through the Financial Literacy module in the Kyusa curriculum!

Enrollment for the January 2017 intake is on.

How To Manage Your Sales

Selling and selling properly is a key factor in business!

Every entrepreneur is encouraged to learn how to sell as it is another way of social interaction. Dave Ramsey states, “Selling is nothing more than transference of feelings”. Entrepreneurship involves persuading a team to follow you in achieving a certain goal. Therefore below are some of the steps taken to ensure effective selling;

As an entrepreneur, you need to know your target market to the dot so you are able to qualify your clients. You should also encourage your team to always serve clients’ needs but not pressure them to buy products. This is mainly because clients usually purchase for their own reasons not yours.

In addition to the above, you need to be able to build rapport as this is what creates an opportunity for the buyer to trust you. One writer also emphasizes that people will buy from you only if they trust you, your product and company. Therefore, you need to have attractive packaging of your products, proper eye contact among other things. When rapport is effectively built, then positive referrals within the community begin to flood in which eventually boosts your business.

Furthermore, you also need to be well educated and informed about your products and competitors given the fact that it is very difficult to teach someone how important something is unless you actually know it. You are also able to passionately serve your clients when you know so much about your competitors mainly because you know why you are better.

Finally, always make it a point to sell and serve by describing the benefits of the products mainly because people do not buy products or services but rather what those products or services do! as encouraged by Dave Ramsey.

Let us therefore partner with Kyusa in creating a community of youth who have been fully equipped with entrepreneurship skills that will enable them to effectively sell their products or services thereby earning a living and causing social transformation. Enroll a participant for the January 2017 intake.

HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS

Many people always have the thought that starting business is hard. I say “no” to this thought by sharing a few nuggets on how to launch your business;

First and foremost you need to know the “why”, “how” and “what” of your business; you should be certain about the reason as to why you have selected a particular line of business. This reason should be big and audacious enough to keep you on fire and spread over to your future team and stimulate them. You should also know the strategies you are going to apply and what exact product or service you intend to produce. When all this is clear, the journey to launching your business then starts.

Secondly, you also need to identify the needs of the people in the surrounding areas and see how best to serve them. This can also help you in identifying your niche that is finding out what distinguishes you from other producers. For example, if there are many shoe sellers in an area, you may choose to sell yours with a free pair of stockings in addition.

Always start small and be proud as you launch out because even great oaks were once small acorns as stated by a certain writer. You are advised to start with the available amount of capital and resources. Borrowing to start business is usually discouraged. Hence, sometimes you might need to use the space at home in the early stages of your business till your income increases for example you can start by having a mini bakery at home where you bake the cakes and fry the daddies from .

Finally, when you start, always endeavor to employ workers who buy into the “why” of your business as this will save you from various problems. Therefore; forgetting all the fears, with our passions and dreams right, let us jump onto this train of business.

Kyusa commissions change agents to start up passion driven businesses through the Business Development module which is part of the curriculum. It is for this reason that I encourage you to recommend a person for the January 2017 intake.

Alumni Empowers Four Other Job Creators

The Kyusa program takes a holistic approach in empowering out of school youth to become employable mainly by starting their own businesses. Once alumni start their businesses. Kyusa continues to work with them towards growing and accelerating their business ventures.

Viola, an alumnus from the Kyusa pilot class recently visited the Kyusa offices and shared her milestones since graduating from the pilot class of 2014; “Kyusa empowered me to become financially independent. I ventured into a snack business after the program focusing on the production of crisps, hard corns, wedding cakes, ground nuts and cookies. I have expanded my market reach to three secondary schools in the areas of Nyanama, Kabowa and Bunamwaya. I also supply three shops in my home area with my products.. My income levels have increased, I earn a profit of 75,000/= weekly from sales and I save 29%. In addition, I have conducted training's where I have empowered four ladies to also start their own snack businesses. Finally, I plan to expand my business in the next quarter by purchasing an oven and also renting out a mini confectionery.”

Self Leadership

Whenever leadership is mentioned, most leaders think of their followers which is not the case. A leader must be able to lead in all directions that is; those above you, your peers and those below you in order to be considered an effective leader.Prior to that everyone needs to lead themselves first before they can lead others and this makes self reflection and inner growth key for all leaders as they tackle the challenge of self leadership.

Self leadership requires a leader to know and develop their gifts to the best of their abilities for example through mentorship, consultancy, voluntary work and going for further studies. It is also the leader’s job to keep their passions alive for example read whatever he has to read, go wherever he has to go to stay on fire. And he does not need to apologize to anyone as he/she works at keeping their passion alive.

In addition, it is the responsibility of the leader to know their evisioned future and keep it sure. This can be through having constant personal vision nights where you answer questions like;

·         Is  my vision clear?

·         Is my passion hot?

·         Am I developing my gifts?

·         In what area am I most gifted?

·         Is my pace sustainable?

·         Are interior issues undermining my leadership?

“It is difficult to lead people to the future when your own picture of the future is fuzzy” hence the importance of personal vision nights.

Finally, a leader’s character needs to be in the right shape for the whole team to be able to achieve the mission. A leader needs to have moral authority given that followers will only trust leaders who exhibit the highest levels of integrity.Hence, leaders need to maintain a good character as they desire to influence others!

I therefore encourage you to partner with us in raising change agents who will exhibit high levels of self leadership as they roll out into the community to foster development. 

How Leaders make Effective Decisions

Every leader at some point is faced with the decision making challenge; having to choose what alternative to take. This can be in families, organisations, meetings, nations and even the world at large. Therefore below are some of the sources  of data that may be of help as you make different decisions;

First and  fore most,you need to know and act on your personal convictions-what you believe. Sometimes you need to have the courage to carry out your promptings , even when you might not understand them fully, and also when your team questions your wisdom as a leader.

Second you need to be a calculated risk taker. This can be done well through consulting your  mentors or your morale informers who are able to increase or decrease your risk level according to your need. This is mainly because excellence is honorable and inspires people as we make decisions along our leadership journey.

Finally,the the other important source of data is pain that is from previous experiences. Bill Hybels says that ,``one of the greatest importances of experience is that it provides veteran leaders with a “pain file” of raw-edged memories. ‘’The lessons gathered in this file help leaders to discern the level of potential pain inherent in any new idea. Hence pain is a powerful teacher and a fantastic informer to our decision making process.

Therefore, we implore you to partner with Kyusa in empowering Ugandan youth with decision making skills through the self management model so that we are able to better leaders for today and tomorrow who will effectively make the right decisions pertaining to development of our country and economy.

The Culture Of Giving Back

Giving back simply means giving and expecting nothing in return; giving of resources like time, money, skill and talent, expertise, material things and much more.

The giving back culture is not popular in Uganda, most volunteers will ask for some sort of facilitation to be able to give their time and skill in any organisation. Our culture promotes ``something for something’’ relationship where you can`t give just for just, you give because you expect something in return.

When we talk about giving back, it means giving back without expecting anything tangible in return except the realization that you have made a significant impact in the community and in some one`s life.

At Kyusa, we teach our change agents to give back to their communities even as they start-up businesses. One of our change agents Anthony has started up a project under ``Creams of Life’’ where he teams up with other organisations to raise money for them through music, dance and drama. The money raised is given to the particular organisation to support and they are not paid. They are simply giving back to their community.

Every person entrepreneur or not needs to cultivate a culture of giving back to their community without waiting on government to do all the work.

A few tips on how to give back to your community;

·        =  Partner with an organisation that is causing impact in your community by contributing your time, skill and expertise, money and resources.

·       =  Take on a child (or children) to support through school and give them a better education so they don`t drop out of school.

·         = Volunteer with an organisation and don`t expect money while at it.

·         = Give donations

·         = Take part in fundraising activities like runs and  car wash drives

How are you giving back to your community?

At Kyusa, we challenge you to embark on the journey to give back to your community? Remember little by little we gain ground, we better our community in our ``small’’ acts of service.

Effective leaders

Leadership is a trait which is both inbuilt and acquired. It is an important function of management which helps maximize efficiency to achieve organizational goal or dreams and currently, the world needs effective leaders who will foster change. Therefore, below are some qualities of effective leaders;

First and foremost, effective leaders need to have positive thoughts and positive talk. They must view challenges as chances to lengthen their lists of successes. They should not shy away from facing and accepting the brutal facts that is they should be able to sit down and solve issues while hoping for a better future.

Secondly, they need to look beyond their personal roles, fame and achievements. Effective leaders need to have visions-pictures of the future. Vision gives people something to strive towards. Leaders should keep casting these visions always till they are understood by the people.

In addition, humility, willingness and ability to take on risks should be part and parcel of the lives of effective leaders for example; they need to be work oriented. They should also be able to identify and include the right people with them towards achieving goals. This is mainly because, for a team to be effective, it needs the right people who have the competence to achieve the set goals.

Such leaders also believe in step by step actions towards achieving a common goal. The word ‘rush’ does not exist in their vocabulary. They are always seeking for detailed information and evidence before they can make decisions that concern both their personal and corporate circles.

In conclusion, effective leaders are always on the frontline .They are the ones who start work or projects mainly by communicating the policies and plans to their team members. They also guide people on the right way of performing responsibilities effectively and efficiently that is; they decide the destination of the bus.

At Kyusa, we equip the youth with leadership skills through the various modules for example under team dynamics and communication skills modules. The youth need leadership skills if they are to be of influence.

I therefore encourage you to partner with Kyusa in raising generations of change agents fully equipped with leadership skills and are able to activate dreams or passions that will transform communities.

FINANCIAL PEACE FOR BUSINESSES

Most of us have ventured into businesses though  we fail to follow common financial principles leaving our businesses vulnerable to the whims of their competitors, every little ripple in the market and certainly too big shifts in the economy as explained by Dave Ramsey in his book Entreleadership.

However, when the following principles are put into consideration, we will eventually have financial peace for our businesses.

As we launch into businesses, the first step we need to take is do proper accounting that is; match the incomes with expenditures regularly. Proper financial recording needs to be done and documents like statements, receipts, invoices and cheques must be thoroughly kept.

Under micro businesses, we need to open a separate checking account that is; we should not use personal money to pay business expenses and vice versa. We should also prepare businesses budgets so that we are able to tell our money where to go.

In addition to the above, we need to act our wage if our businesses are to gain stability. This can be through avoiding the need for toys or the emotional need to impress visitors. Dave Ramsey supports this by saying, “If you and your business are attractive, you do not have to impress anyone with your furniture or toys.”

Finally, we need to avoid debt as this increases chances of failure. This is possible by growing slowly and gradually. We should avoid borrowing for larger purchases and instead resort to options like; paying cash by saving towards a purchase goal or hiring until you can pay cash.

At Kyusa, the youth are empowered with financial skills through the Financial Literacy Module. Therefore, let’s join our hands so that we can raise generations of change agents who will live successful lives and operate businesses with a soul thereby transforming communities.

How To Build Effective Teams

Team community is doing life deeply with one another when providing services and every great leader needs a great team to achieve great goals.

First and foremost, when building a team; one needs to first identify the purpose more specifically in order to know the kind of people to look for.

Secondly, when you get into the field to look for the right people; you need to consider their character that is see evidence of honesty, a teachable spirit, humility and reliability. You need to also check if they have proven competence that is; you should do everything within your means to ensure that they possess the right skills that have been developed and refined over time.

In addition, the selected people should have a relational fit with the team leader as well as the other team members. This is mainly because it easier to do bidding with people that love you and vice versa.

Thirdly, each team needs a top quality leader who will keep it focused on the mission, ensure that the right people with the right skills are in the right positions maximize every team member’s contribution and emphasize communication so that all team members remain in the information loop.

Finally, you should build team performance by establishing clear goals and also rewarding achievements as you walk the journey to greatness!

At Kyusa, the youth are equipped with Team Dynamics skills which are included in the Kyusa curriculum so as to effectively work in teams.

I therefore encourage you to partner with Kyusa in raising generations of change agents who believe in team work being the way to get work done faster!

Make Learning A Lifelong Journey

Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field – Dennis Waitley.

There is no one who knows it all (except God). We are all ignorant of something at a certain time and this ignorance requires that we seek to know. It has been said what you do not know cannot hurt you. This saying is not necessarily true. In fact what you do not know may actually be the answer to the question you have been asking. Ignorance can no longer be an excuse. We have to continuously learn and get better at our trade (whatever that may be.)

In the words of Thoreau, “how can we remember our ignorance which our growth requires, when we are using our knowledge all the time?”  There is so much out there to be learned. In the area of business and entrepreneurship, new systems of operations are being invented. You cannot afford to use the same old methods our ancestors used in this new competitive era.  Find ways of fine tuning your skills, abilities and potential. Make yourself indispensable so that you will remain relevant in your field.

The Kyusa mandate is to raise a generation of passion driven change agents who will transform their communities and the world at large. This we do through empowering our change agents with life skills and we encourage them to discover their passion which they can turn into their profession. Partner with us today to make this dream a reality.

We concur with Malcom Forbes in his words “formal education will make you a living but self -education will make you a fortune.”

Habits

Successful people do daily what mediocre people do occasionally.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines habit as ‘a thing that a person does often and almost without thinking, especially something that is hard to stop doing’

Habits can be positive or negative. They can either make or break a person. In life there are those things that we must do consistently in order for us to survive. For example eating food and drinking water.

In the world of business and entrepreneurship, habits must also be formed. If you want to see your business grow and become successful, you must do daily what you know will yield the desired results. Get into the habit of keeping financial records and your books will always balance. Save and invest a percentage of your money monthly and it will become a habit.

At Kyusa, we teach and encourage our Change Agents to engage in life transforming habits that will enable them achieve their goals faster. We therefore call upon as many as can partner with us in this regard as we raise a generation of Change Agents.

It takes 21 days to make or break a habit. The onus is now yours. What habits will you break and which ones will you keep?

Mind Your Business: Part 2

The dictionary defines stock as a supply of goods available for sale in a store. It further defines it as supply of something available for use.

I love the latter definition most simply because it brings reformation to the thought that stock is only that which has to be sold.  Stock can even be that which I am going to use. Simply put the five different ideas I could have in possession are my stock.

The palest ink being much better than the most retentive memory, we ought to write. In this case we are dealing with a stock book.

Let’s have a look at a sample stock book

Date	Description of The Stock	Stock In	Stock Out	Balance
4th July 2016	Business Ideas for 2017	5 ideas	___________	5 ideas.

This stock book gives us an experience of one who jots down her business ideas every time they come in and continues to write them down when she uses them. In this case, she did not use any ideas and this reflects in the number of stock recorded to have been released.

Your stock could be an idea, clothes, books or any item of possession. “The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory”. Write it down! It is much better to keep track of your stock that way.

The stock book is one of the essential business records in which change agents are trained as they go through the business development training under the Kyusa curriculum. It enables them keep track of their stock and in that way ably manage their businesses.

Visit us today at www.kyusa.org

SMARTER Goals

“Happiness is the progressive realization of a worthy idea or goal” 

– Earl Nightingdale.

Many people today when asked what they desire in their lives will tell you they want to be happy.

According to the fifth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, the word Happy has many definitions. I chose to go with the one that describes it as – feeling or expressing pleasure or contentment.

Happiness or being happy in itself is not a goal to be attained. A goal, we know should be S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable and time bound); of late there is a newer version referred to as SMARTER goals where E stands for exciting and R for rewarding.

As a result of all this vagueness and illusion of what happiness means, we find that we are chasing after wind by building castles in the air which crumble the moment we realize it was just a dream.

We ought to pursue something that will bring the happiness we desire as opposed to pursuing happiness. A worthy goal or idea is one that brings fulfillment and satisfaction. It is tangible and its effects should outlive you.

At Kyusa, our heartbeat is for the youth to live their lives in pursuit of worthy goals that will empower their lives and cause them to transform their communities.

In the words of Paulo Coello, “success is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace”. And this state can be achieved by knowing what you want and going for it all the way.

Silver Linning

It is greatly emphasized that “Every cloud has a silver lining”. A silver lining is a metaphor for optimism. Simply put, there is good in every bad! It is a huge bump on the road when one drops out of school and cannot continue with formal education for whatever reason. Most youth often feel like their dreams have been shattered, no more careers and all hope is gone. Well, Kyusa is here to encourage you that there is some good in being a school dropout: there is a silver lining on this dark cloud; don’t give up yet! Cheer up.

We believe that everybody is passionate about something and it is against this background that we empower youth to develop passion driven, sustainable careers. Being a school dropout does not eliminate or even reduce the passion that one has for something. We therefore encourage you to look within yourself and excavate that passion that is deeply buried; it’s about building onto what already exists and affirming it.

Kyusa looks to empower Out of school youth in urban slums and rural areas with employable skills, life skills and entrepreneurship skills including business development through our 8 weeks training program. We turn your mindsets of hopelessness to hope by encouraging you to take on passion driven careers that are able to earn you a living. So don’t lose hope; dream big!

A Go-Getter

The ability to stand by one’s word is in itself a gift not everyone possesses. It breeds a spirit of principle consequently enabling one stay on the right path towards the realization of their dreams.

Ephrance Nanyonga has been blessed with this gift. Passionate about swimming, travelling and nurturing people, the 20 year old, S6 leaver envisions a future bigger than eye has seen.

Before the Kyusa intervention, Ephrance was involved in a poultry project with a group of friends in pursuit to realization of her vision. This experience turned out to be the bench mark on which the interest in the Team Dynamics module arose.

While taking the program Ephrance was empowered to set SMART goals, manage herself, boost her confidence and foster her own independence which has made her a stronger leader among her peers at the Maisha Community Clubs where she serves as a manager for the kitchen section. The financial literacy training also empowered her to manage her finances and as a result her saving culture has greatly improved as she saves for future investment.

 As she intends to advance her studies with a Tours & Travel course. Ephrance has identified Piggery as a business venture, made a standard business plan and is taking necessary steps into its breakthrough so as to realize her immense vision for life.

Our Society is filled with a lot of leadership potential such as that within Ephrance. Only when we create platforms for them to blossom do we better the lives of the generations to come.

You cannot create a future for a generation, but you can create a generation for the future.

”Raising Generations of Change Agents”

SKILLS BROUGHT TO EFFECT

One may have the most skills and greatest of strengths but such is an unfortunate man until they master how to use their skills as a raw material to earn them a living.

This vividly describes Andrew Ssemombwe before the Youth Outreach Program with Maisha &Kyusa. Richly blessed with cookery, electrical wiring, swimming & shoe making skills, Andrew lacked the knowledge on how to earn from them. All his businesses ideas in this regard did not live to turn into business opportunities consequently keeping him in the rat race.

While partaking the Kyusa program Andrew was greatly intrigued by the Business development module where he learnt how to turn his ideas into opportunities from whence he could earn a living. The records’ keeping in business training was a wake up call for him to track the happenings and earnings of his shoe making business.

Fortunately, he has been involved in shoe making business and intends to apply all the entrepreneurship skills that he has attained through the program effective immediately. He has also set his goals clearly and is steadfastly working towards accomplishing them.

The world has many Andrews today that need our intervention. Only with Kyusa can this intervention be made.   

Mind Your Business #1

By Ralph Karama

Mind your Business! Is a statement I often hear. I then ponder and wonder what business these people refer to. The understanding many of us have of a business is one that sells cakes, clothes or even jewelry. Contrary to this, I believe our lives are our sole proprietorship.

Applicable to all businesses is the urgency to keep records. Today we handle the cash book as an essential business record. It is important for one to keep track of your income in flow, debit and credit not forgetting your balance. Now I am not talking about the income coming into your compartment because of selling something, but rather your personal income.

This right here is a sample of a cash book.

BRENDA’S PERSONAL CASHBOOK

Date	Opening Balance	Credit (Money Coming In)	Debit (Money moving Out)	Closing Balance
19th May	20,000/=	50,000/=	25,000/=	45,000/=

In this case Brenda started her day with twenty thousand, received fifty thousand and spent twenty five thousand. She therefore ended the day with forty five thousand Uganda shillings.

It is expedient for us to understand that “minding our business” involves keeping records of a number of things that happen in our lives. Finance being just one of them. Otherwise our businesses will fail. Well who wants an unsuccessful life?

So are you minding your business?

At Kyusa we empower out of school youth with business development skills including record keeping in business which can clearly be applied in our personal lives as demonstrated above.

It is much easier to prepare yourself for the future than preparing a future for yourself. Start now. Mind your business!