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.

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. 

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.

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!

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?

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.

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!

Break The Cycle

Growing up, you desired to be wealthy. You were lucky enough to go through school, a chance you ought to be thankful for.

 While there, you fought battles in your mind of how you would excel amidst the increasingly competitive world.

Soon enough school was done and you realized one of the ways up the ladder of success was entrepreneurship. You started a business short of a documented business plan but rather one of mental processes where your business model canvas is none other than your mind and BOOM!! You were into business.

Two months down the road you still have to call Cousin Harry for twenty thousand for re-investment into your business. Sister Molly still bails you out on the weekly airtime for your personal phone bills not forgetting Uncle Mark who is now on your speed dial for lunch money. Why?

You did not follow principle. You played dumb to the principle of Record Keeping. You took for granted the importance of documenting your business plan so as to periodically evaluate it.

You despised how imperative it is for your drawer to contain a cash book, stock book and other essential business records. You aren’t unlucky cursed or a failure. Life simply desires that you learn what you do not know for the good of your business.

Many young people venture or even desire to venture into various businesses but often negate the importance associated with proper record keeping systems. At Kyusa, through our Business Development module, keen emphasis is placed on the essential records ought to be kept in business straight from the planning through to the implementation stages with the intention of avoiding major set- backs in businesses thus enabling them thrive.

It is unfortunate that the cycle of many young people falling prone to unsuccessful businesses due to poor record keeping systems goes on and on.

Break the cycle today, enroll for the program today.

Allegiance to our nation

“Working with the youth to tackle the unemployment problem in Uganda” was the theme for the Uganda national Labor Day celebrations in May 2014.

In the same month, Kyusa was officially registered with the intention of addressing the lack of economic opportunity among out of school youth, a clutch long ignored and isolated by society.

 Failure to advance with school renders one idle and can have a huge impact on their self-esteem if insufficient guidance is given. This has resulted into the increase of the prevalence of crime especially in the urban slums of around Kampala for “An idle mind is a devils workshop”

Having run our pilot class in June 2014, we are committed to empowering the out of school youth through a holistic program comprising eight modules that tackles life skills, entrepreneurship and employability skills. We turn the participant’s mind of hopelessness into the bliss of having to discover oneself and their passion and using the same passion to start up passion driven careers or even develop the competence to secure employment.

Having achieved a 35% increase in impact as compared to our 2015 annual target, the 80% employability among our program graduates gives us the honor of serving our nation through empowering young people and in turn reducing crime and increasing the country’s productivity.

Everyone is indebted to their nation! We are progressively paying our debt in the best way we know how.  We are very positive that reviewing our country’s education system at all levels by fixing life and soft skills into the curriculum will be a major step into defeating the Goliath of unemployment.

Our goal this year is to empower 200 youth with entrepreneurial, life and soft skills. We encourage you to partner with us in exercising our loyalty to our country. Contact us at Kyusa.uganda@gmal.com and together let us partake in “raising generations of change agents”.

For God and My County!

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

Two roads diverged in the woods. I chose the one less travelled……… (Robert Frost)

In life we are often plagued by doubts concerning what we ought to do. We are afraid of stepping out of our comfort zones. We say things like; it has never been done before, how will I be viewed, who will help me and so on and so forth.

We are comfortable in following others and not taking the lead. “you do not have to reinvent the wheel” is the famous saying. As a result we do not see any more originality but duplication. We would rather ‘improve’ on someone else’s work than come up with a totally new concept.

The road less travelled is lonely, risky, bumpy and full of challenges. It takes a rare measure of determination for one to take it. It is not for the faint hearted, the fearful or undecided.  It takes conviction and commitment to be able to travel this road. It is for those who want to stand out and not blend in. It is taken by those who know that they are called to make a difference in whatever field they are currently in.  The fuel for this journey is passion; a burning desire, that consumes your every fear and uncertainty.

Great innovators that history boasts of today were men and women of passion, these people were not afraid to be different. They faced criticism and some were ostracized from society. This did not deter them. If anything, their rejection was their determination. Their motivation was not based on people’s approval. It was intrinsic. They lived the principle of ‘begin with the end in mind’. The joy that was set before them was greater than the persecution they faced. They chose the road less travelled and left an indelible mark because of their tenacity.

I challenge you today to follow your passion and take the lead.  Do not settle for the comfort zone and neither should you blend in. There is a whole world out there waiting to be discovered and explored. Stand out-DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.

At Kyusa, we empower a passion driven generation that will be change agents wherever they go. We do not give you passion but help you identify your passion and encourage you to put it to constructive use so as to better your life and the community around you. 

…..and that made all the difference.

Why Youth in Africa should become entrepreneurs?

Africa is increasingly taking its place on the global stage as a continent of growth and opportunity. Yet critical challenges remain, particularly the need to create a significant number of jobs for the continent’s booming population, and the need to build a cadre of home-grown business leaders able to access global markets and drive growth in a sustainable and inclusive manner. For this reason, African entrepreneurship is central to Africa’s future prosperity. The biggest business opportunities in the coming decade will be created by Africans who start businesses, generate jobs and wealth, and capture growth opportunities.

Considering the depressed state of the formal job market in Africa, it’s a good thing that more and more youth in Sub-Saharan Africa are looking to entrepreneurship to secure their future.  

 The education system that we have encourages students to become job seekers instead of job creators thus hindering youths from realizing their full potential. Even those who have not gone to school would prefer to get employed than to start their own businesses. Most of those who start their own businesses do so out of necessity. I believe that our attention should be on sustainability of entrepreneurship projects because entrepreneurship is a silver bullet to our unemployment challenges.

Why youth should become entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs are innovators. Think of all the new technology and ideas that have come to life over the past few years. Those were all once just an idea but amazing entrepreneurs brought those ideas to life.

You have the opportunity to change lives. Have an idea for a product or service that has the potential to make a huge impact? Go for it ,nothing is stopping you!

You serve as a role model. As an entrepreneur, people will look up to you. You have the ability to be a role model to family, friends, employees and community members. Your success serves as motivation and inspiration.

Your mind will always be utilized. Every single decision that involves your business is your responsibility, from the initial concept to the broader growth of the business.

You never feel undervalued. If you have ideas to make the business better; you can implement them right away. You don’t have to hope that someone in a higher position will give you the time of day and listen to your suggestions.

Opportunity to give back. Owning a business gives you the opportunity to support local charity events, local schools and nonprofit organizations. Being able to make a difference in your community is a great feeling.

Partner with us at Kyusa as we train, inspire and empower youth to become entrepreneurs as a way of gearing them towards becoming key players in the African economy.

The Graduate Syndrome

It happens to be graduation week for the main university in Uganda.  Jubilation is in the air, joy in every corner, and traffic on every street as drivers hustle to find their way into the great Makerere University.  Celebrations will go on for a whole week only for most of the graduates to later get in touch with the reality that the market does not have as many slots to employ as many graduates as the universities produce.

With our universities continuing to produce thousands of graduates annually, Uganda whose 78% of the population is below the age of thirty continues to suffer high rates of youth unemployment ranging up to 62% according to Action Aid and 83% according to African Development Bank. Ironically, Uganda has the highest level of entrepreneurship in the world scoring as high as 28.1% according to lioness of Africa Magazine.

The competing unemployment rates raise a lot of questions given the high entrepreneurship rates in the country. Many have attributed it to the fact that most of the enterprises that are started are small and medium enterprises that have the capacity of employing only up to a maximum of three individuals and unfortunately not being able to live up to their third birth. These businesses fail due to many reasons some of which is the fact that most are started as a consequence of failure to attain employment and not out of undying passion.

This Implies an urge to encourage young people to develop passion driven careers and businesses in order to enable them live through the years.This failure has also greatly been attributed to the lack of knowledge on business development such as business planning, promotion basics, start up stimulation and many others. This calls for intervention of the government to amend the formal education curriculum or rather support institutions and organizations that are training young people with this knowledge.

Research by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) shows that 63% of the employers in Uganda are dissatisfied with the graduates that are produced by the higher institutions of learning in Uganda because the graduates do not have the necessary hands on employable skills required to fit in their work environments. Furthermore, the research revealed that skills like professional etiquette, professional writing and many others are often ignored while at universities. It is therefore important to train young people in these soft and employable skills that will enable them strive in the market.

Kyusa looks to empower Out of school youth in urban slums and villages with these employable skills, life skills and entrepreneurship skills including business development in a bid to address lack of economic opportunity by reducing the rate of youth unemployment especially among the out of school youth who have for long been forgotten. We turn their mindsets of hopelessness to hope by encouraging them to take on passion driven careers that are able to earn them a living.