TIPS ON HOW TO RUN A DAYCARE/CRECHE CENTER IN NIGERIA.

A day care or crèche is a place where babies, toddlers and young children are kept during the daytime while their parents are busy with work. It is a sort of playground/classroom setting where these young ones hang out, play, rest and are taking care of by trained handlers so that later in the day after work the parents can come pick them up.

The Opportunity for these Business.

There is a high demand for Creche and day care schools in our urban centers in Nigeria.How many working class mothers do we have in many of our cities? How many of them have nannies to look after their kids? Fact is toddlers can be a big distraction in the workplace and many mums know this hence why they choose to enroll their darlings in Creches and day care centers. This is the reason many primary schools set up nursery arms to serve as day care centers.

The Team

Your team should consist of highly trained and matured caregivers who have years of experience handling kids at Sunday Schools and Creche/Nursery Schools.

Security/Health

A well trained security personnel should be employed to be a part of the team to safeguard the kids.

Also included in the team should be a qualified nurse who would be accessible if there is an urgent need for health issues with the kids.

Marketing

This is a business which can be started even in your home informally approaching nursing or working mothers in your neighbourhood, at church or any other gathering letting them know what you do.

With time you can print fliers when a number of clients have been attracted.

Requirements

To set up you will need the following;

Rent(Mini Flat)-250k per annum

Furniture:

Bed-N15,000

Ceiling Fan-N5,000

12 Small Chairs – N18,000

3 Small tables – N12,000

Toys – N10,000

TV set – N20,000

VCD player – N5,000

Book shelf – N10,000

Kiddies books and stationery – N30,000

Bedsheets/pillow-5k

Microwave-5k

Generator-15k

Others-50k

 Total-200k

 Overall Total-450k

How profitable is the Creche Business in Nigeria?

Like all businesses that depends on many factors but considering that parents pay N30,000 per term for nursery schooling we would charge each parent say 5,000N per month. Let us assume we have 12 enrollments multiplied by 5 that is 60,000N for the first month.

Breakdown first year (this is an estimate)

30 enrollments X N60,000 = N1.8 million

Running expenses (rent, salary, electricity etc) = N1.2 million

Profit before tax = N600,000

Return on Investment = 216%

This is a business that can be run for years.

RELATIONSHIP TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS.

Being in a relationship with an entrepreneur is absolutely insane- for significant people who are married to entrepreneurs, you are saints.

A relationship with an entrepreneur is nothing close to normal.  They are often one sided, always limited on time, and rarely filled with any luxury or comfort.

An entrepreneur’s partner has to put up with so much inequality that it’s a wonder how they manage a relationship to begin with. For entrepreneurs, who are lucky enough to land an understanding partner, here are a few tips on how you can make it easier on your significant other.

1. Time Management.

Phone calls, meetings, networking, blogging, researching, whatever- your startup is taking up all your time and it is a fact that your relationship is grossly unequal. Making time for your partner will take some degree of sacrifice; literally schedule time for dates or taking your partner out.

 If you can not find time for your relationship, then ask yourself why you are even in one. The most powerful executives in the world constantly say you should set aside time for yourself every day to reflect- no business, just you. If you don’t even have time for yourself, how can you have time for someone else?

2. Take a Break.

Yes we know, an entrepreneur must live and breathe business 24/7 if they are trying to be the best in the game, but sometimes its flat inappropriate. When out with other people or friends, don’t interrogate them on what they do for a living and stay out of networking mode. Some entrepreneurs only talk to their friends if they have opportunities to offer them and nothing else- this will make everyone hate you- your significant other is no different.  Your conversations should not be about your business 100% of the time.  Learn to switch from a business mode to a personal mode when you’ve scheduled time to be with your partner or friends and leave your work out of it.

3. Stop Pinching Pennies.

To entrepreneurs, the terms bootstrapping and start-up are the lock and key to their wallets. When dating an entrepreneur, you normally wouldn’t expect a nice car, designer clothes, awesome birthday presents, or fancy restaurant meals. But for you entrepreneurs, a relationship requires mandatory expenses- account for them. Put aside money to take your significant other out to dinner or get small and simple gifts once in a while. If that’s not an option for you, then the only significant other you will be left with is your startup.

4. Avoid being Over-Intelligent.

Entrepreneurs are smart people, at least most of them are, but sometimes they really come off sounding like smart asses. For every conversation topic, their minds go straight to business and you suddenly find that your chat about what to eat for dinner has become a lecture on marketing strategies of restaurants. It sounds harsh, but you simply need to know when to shut your mouth. Your partner doesnt want to hear your random and ridiculous facts about business all the time and it drives them more crazy than they already are for going out with you.

5. Love them back.

Its a simple fact that if you are an entrepreneur, you are too busy to notice certain things or people, like your significant other that you barely have time for yet still loves you unconditionally.

They selflessly give you their time, support, and love, and get nearly none of that in return. Be aware that because you are an entrepreneur, your relationship is already at risk.

So after you are done reading this article, realize how lucky you are to have someone with you on your crazy startup adventure, turn off your device, and show your significant other that you love them.

Quo Magnis Limited brings a new and affordable solution to small businesses

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been known, all over the world, to be engines of economic growth and contributors to employment generation, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and food security.

Largely, MSMEs have been defined based on the staff strength as well as the asset base (usually excluding land and buildings). In most cases, where there is inconsistency between the 2 indices, the employment criterion usually prevails:

·        Micro Enterprises have been defined as those with less than 10 employees with an asset base of less than N5 million.

·         Small Enterprises have been defined as those with employees between 10-49 in number with an asset base of N5 million – less than N50 Million.

·       Medium Enterprises have been defined as those with employees between 50-199 in number with an asset base of N50 million – less than N500 Million.

All the massive attention and support given to SMEs relate to the widely acclaimed fact that SMEs are job and wealth creators. Small businesses remain a veritable tool for encouragement of entrepreneurship, creating immediate employment opportunities, promoting inter- and intra-regional trade, breaking monopoly of larger enterprises as well as alleviating poverty world over.

The current state of MSMEs in Nigeria

SMEs in high-income countries contribute 55% to GDP and over 65% of total employment. In middle-income countries SMEs and informal enterprises account for over 70% of GDP and over 95% of total employment. In Nigeria, based on the collaborative survey conducted in 2010 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) MSMEs account for 46% of Nigeria’s GDP.

The reasons accounting for the slow pace of growth within this sub-sector, its inability to fulfill its potential to the Nigerian economy are not far fetched. Many blame this on the lack of access to finance, some think otherwise, arguing that inappropriate management skills, difficulty in accessing global market, lack of entrepreneurial skills and know-how, poor infrastructure etc. are largely responsible.

In 2004, The Association of Nigerian Development Finance Institutions (ANDFI) issued this statement in relation to why SMEs perform poorly in Nigeria: 

“Finance is usually considered as the major constraints of SMEs. While this may be true, empirical evidences have shown that finance contributes only about 25 percent to the success of SMEs. Thus, the creation of other appropriate support system and enabling environment are indispensable for the success of SMEs in Nigeria”.

It is widely acclaimed that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria are largely not properly structured, are informal, labor intensive, have centralized or concentrated management, are basically involved in trading activities and disorganized as a result of low-level capacity in management, marketing and technical know-how as well as low level knowledge of legal and regulatory practices, policies and accounting practices.

Our contribution to the Solution

Small businesses cannot thrive in an environment where there is little or no structure, where accountability is not the norm / order of the day, where structures, systems and processes are not well defined, flowing seamlessly without the constant minute by minute check of the chief executive.

Our Human Resource (HR) tool has been designed, with the peculiarities of the Nigerian market in mind, and the Nigerian employee, bringing to bear over 25 years of active experience in the Nigerian market, the SME sector and the HR industry. This tool comprises of a well-selected set of templates (of which we are proud to say none of its kind exists currently in the country), which are designed as easy to use, and implement, which will:

·         Provide the necessary structures in small organizations;

·         Provide clarity in job functions and expectations;

·         Enhance accountability within the system;

·       Make the organization a more formidable system – curtailing easy fraudulent practices which is so prevalent in most organizations;

·         Make such organizations more attractive to top talents and

·        Increase the chances of sustainability of such organizations and in the long run, its profitability.

This tool is most useful for organizations with staff strength between 5-35. It is at a very friendly fee – highly discounted to make it affordable and available to this sub sector. We provide implementation support as part of the buying process. We advice organizations with a higher staff i.e. 40 and above to approach us for our customized services – also at an affordable fee.

Quo Magnis Limited

Email: info@quomagnis.com

Telephone: +234 903 052 5028

URL: www.quomagnis.com

About us:

Quo Magnis Limited is a Human Resource Consulting firm – providing change management services to large organizations and structure & process set up services to small and medium sized enterprises. We are committed to the development of enabling structures that enable organizations grow, thrive and maximize its profitability potential. This is why we exist.

How Do I Move From Being An Employee To Being A Business Owner?

To make the move from corporate employee to entrepreneur, you need to develop a new mindset. Here are six steps to help ease the transition:

#1 Read the fine print on your corporate employment agreement.

When leaving a company to start your own, closely review your written employment agreement.

Some companies will include confidentiality and non compete provisions that hinders you from disclosing their proprietary information and from working in a certain market or geographic radius for a period of time.

Just because such restrictions are in writing, doesn't mean they're valid or that you can't change them.In such cases, professional legal help is advisable. "The last thing you want is your former employer threatening to sue you when you are starting your [company],".

#2. Be prepared to put in even longer hours.

Often, people want to become their own boss because they're tired of the long thankless hours in a corporate job. But be wary. "If you are making this change because you are fed up with the corporate world and no longer want to work 12 hours a day…. you might be in for a shock,"  "You're going to be doing a lot of stuff on your own."

#3. Look outside for help. 

Because you no longer have vast corporate resources at your disposal, everything falls on your shoulders in a small business. That means it's important to seek outside help and expertise.

"We can be faster and have a lot higher quality when we are willing to team with others to bring things to market,".

Making outside connections also means leaving the office and picking up the phone more often than you did in your corporate job.

You could go from somebody who people were calling all day to [making] a hundred phone calls a day.

#4. Choose a target market wisely.

In a large corporation, it's easy to think in terms of capturing very large markets, but as a small-business owner, you'll probably need to zero in on a specific consumer segment.

"In the corporate world… you really have the power to get the entire market,"

"As a start-up you are going to get a subset of the entire market."

Choosing that subset may require some trial and error.

#5. Risks are Unavoidable.

In large corporate organisations, major decisions are seldom made in a hurry.

But as an entrepreneur, be ready to take more risks and make more decisions on the fly.

"When you are building a start up. . . you need to be more aggressive about taking risks to build your brand,"

All in all if you feel and know the time is right- GO FOR IT.

HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR EMPLOYEES?

The foundation of employee motivation is trust. In order for an employee to be motivated at all, they must first have faith in the employer and the company they work for, believing that upper management and the owners will follow through on their promises.

Once you have established trust with your staff, you can then do other things to improve your staff’s motivation.

Let's look at ways on how to motivate your employees.

1. Empowering your staff

What this means is that,let them do their jobs. You hired them to work. Don't micromanage and take away all their decision-making authority.

What if someone was looking over your shoulder at everything you did? Or what if you had to get approval on every step before you took action? Not only is that mentally and physically draining, but treating an employee like that makes them feel useless instead of an intelligent human being which you hired.

2.Respect and Appreciation goes a long way.

Hopefully having done your homework and you have developed superstar employees that surpass your expectations. Now it’s time you treat them like talented individuals they are.

If you don’t show respect or appreciation, you will be the reason why your top talent leaves your company.

According to a study,three reasons why employees leave an organisation are:Productivity,Attitude and Motivation.You have a huge influence over this areas of your staff.

How can you show respect or appreciation? Speak positively about them to others, write thank-you notes after a project ends, buy them lunch during the height of busy season—the ways to do this are endless.

Be creative, and remember that small gestures make the largest difference.

3.Have a built in system for promotion and growth.

A lack of growth is another top reason why people leave their jobs.

Why would an employee work harder if there is no opportunity for a raise, better title, or more responsibility?

With no chance of moving up the ladder, the employee will come to work and go through the motions because there’s no chance of changing the status -quo and no chance to grow as a person.

People need incentives, goals, and rewards.

Business success depends on employees

Your staff will determine the level of success your business achieves. You cant do it without them. If you want to create, grow, and maintain a successful business, you need to empower your staff, treat them with respect, and create an opportunity for personal growth, recognition, and promotions.

Having a strong staff that can do their work without you is important, especially if you are considering ever growing your business.

One key area that investors closely examine before investing in a business is the stability and diversity of the employee base.

Your staff must be able to stand on their own without you because that is the only way, in the long run, that your business will survive and thrive.

As an employee,leave a comment on what other areas you expect motivation from your employer.

5 WAYS TO BUILDING YOUR INTEGRITY.

Building Integrity

Make sure every wall is insulated and windows are caulked to keep drafts from coming in and heat from going out. Replace old windows with double- or triple-paned glass. Strategically placed window films can block incoming light and lower cooling costs. And check exterior doors: If you see light underneath, put in a door sweep.

Setting a lifestyle of authenticity can affect everything about you,your personal sphere as well as your family and business obligations.

Resolving to have a lifestyle of integrity is a decision that will affect all aspects of your daily dealings, your activities on a personal level as well as on behalf of your family and business.

It all starts with the desire to take a self-inventory to discover needs you're not currently fulfilling in your life and then deciding to take actions to change this.

Firstly, this process involves declaring an intention that you follow through on with appropriate commitments and actions. Here are some steps to help build your Integrity:

1. Keeping to the Promises You Made.

A promise is the first part of a decision, a responsibility that you have chosen to take on. When you do not follow through on your promises, you have lost focus and may fail at fulfilling your responsibilities. Be sensible in maintaining and fulfilling your obligations in a timely manner.

Also remember that there is enough time for you devote moments for yourself and to spend occasions with family and loved ones. Enjoy life before overcommitting to tasks that take you away from how you would like to enjoy your life.

2.Honesty in your communications.

Practising integrity in your communications means saying what you are going to do and then doing so. People understand that life is filled with challenges. When you provide honest communication to others about your obligations and why something can (or can’t) happen in the time frame promised, they will most likely understand.

Try not to overcommit to please others. This will lead to a loss of integrity and failed relationships.

3. Keep yourself and your environment clean and organized.

This begins with the recognition that you are the core of your business. It’s difficult to exercise influence in the other areas of your life if you don’t make the time every day to be self-aware of your environment.

Do the little things that you have been meaning to do for yourself. When is the last time that you made time to read a book? What happened to that project you started three years ago and never finished? What's the fate of the one thing you're passionate about but have been too busy to do while making a living?

Organize the clutter and clear your slate by getting rid of the things around you that detract from your focus. Look at the papers around your desk, mail on the table and tidy up (and discard) the extra things scattered in your home that you have always thought to rid yourself of.

4. Stay focused.

Have you ever noticed when your personal care vanishes that everything around you starts to slip as well?

Finding the balance in your life to maintain yourself, your household and your business is difficult. I have found that making lists and setting alarms on my phone or online calendar keep me on track even when the clock tries to get the best of me. Notifying people important to you (friends, family and colleagues) of your commitments will help keep you accountable.

5. Allow for the proper

influences.

To increase your integrity, surround yourself with people you admire. If you don’t feel you can engage personally with people of influence, read books or listen to motivational seminars to help raise your awareness in the right direction. What you feed your mind affects what you project outward. Your integrity in life is affected by your inputs.

The intention here is for you to build self-awareness but not for undue self-scrutiny or judgment.

You don’t need to be perfect and it is OK to make mistakes. Commit to make decisions to set things right or just start over again.

 Decide to make these commitments in these small ways and you’ll find yourself building your integrity and strengthening relationships.

THE POWER OF CASUAL MEETING.

 Don't Underestimate the Casual Meeting,with every person you meet, there is the potential for a golden opportunity.

Building a strong network can be quite important, one that is often built over years of trial and error, largely resulting in learning through many mistakes.

There is an abundance of opportunities to gather help, connections and support from many of the people around you or that you have the chance to casually meet.

You just need to open your eyes and learn to step outside your comfort zone to take advantage of these opportunities.

This is the way it works:

You have absolutely no idea who the person that you just met and are casually talking to knows or to where their experiences may lead to.

For example, I recently had a casual meeting with a friend that brought another friend along that happened to live near me. There wasn’t a real purpose or premise for the meeting aside from we live close by and should just know each other.

1.Keep Quiet and listen.

 It turned out, after an hour or so of listening -- note that I didn’t say talking -- I learned he’s been outrageously successful, having built and sold multiple  companies.

I had no idea prior to having breakfast with him. Who do you think he knows or is connected to, aside from everyone you could imagine?

It’s a good idea to treat everyone that you meet as if they’re the most important person ever.

Yes, there are major social benefits to this mentality, but remember that you only get one chance at a first impression.

2.Look local.

Whether you’re building a new business or working inside one that is already moving along, you have no idea how many people you are connected to through people that you see and interact with constantly, largely because they’re casual interactions.

Are you in medical sales and trying to land that top doctor? I bet one of your neighbors knows him or her personally and you have no idea because you’ve never cultivated the relationship or, even more simply, just asked.

I’m not suggesting that you go door to door through your neighborhood and pester your neighbors for their contacts, but spend the time to better know those that you see and interact with regularly.

If you have a solid relationship with them, don’t be afraid to ask for help or connections. Good people have a natural tendency to want to help other good people.

3.Earn respect.

It’s also important to reiterate that you can’t ask someone for help or a connection that you don’t have a relationship with. Well, let me rephrase that -- you can but it won’t work and you’ll permanently burn that bridge. It’s really one of the most common mistakes new networkers make.

You must build trust and connection with the person first, because you need them to want to help you and trust that you’re not going to embarrass them when they introduce you to someone.

If you are, however, focused on creating real relationships that are built on respect and have the potential to benefit both parties -- even if that’s just enjoying the interaction or from helping you -- you’ll be amazed at where your relationships can take you.

Leave a comment and share your thoughts on what you have gained from Casual Meeting.

4 Mistakes we make at the Workplace.

As an administrator,my aim is to see people achieving their goal as a result of working together.But it as not left my notice the unique mistakes that we make at work.

This mistakes have hindered us from getting ahead at work or in business,it as made us look small and incompetent in the eyes of our subordinates.

The mistakes are endless but we would look at 4 of them.

#1.Fear of sounding stupid and Preferring to keep quiet and not ask questions.

How many times do we have to be told, there are no stupid questions.We have relied our thoughts on the saying that , It's better to keep your mouth shut and look like a fool than to open it and confirm it.Well,I don't agree.

Asking a legitimate question to ensure understanding is a sign more of confidence than of ignorance.And over a decade of working has taught me anything,it's that if I don't understand something,most likely no one else does,either.

Most times people don't ask questions because they don't want to waste the group's time.Asking yourself the simple question,Will the answer apply to only me?should help you decide whether you should ask it.If the answer is yes,and you know you will have the chance to ask it following the meeting,then wait to ask your question off-line.If the answer is no,or you know you won't have the opportunity to ask again,then ask away.Do however be sensitive to the needs of others in the meeting.

#2. Sharing too Much Personal Information.

This mistake is actually an extension of telling the truth to an inappropriate degree.At a meeting an employee broke down crying and told a long,involved story about how her mother was dying,her sisters wouldn't assume any responsibility,the burden fell on her and her husband was out of job.....

Relevant?Yes,but more than the boss needed to know.It gave the impression that the employee could not handle stress.Sharing a personal information isn't in and of itself a mistake-It's sharing too much of it that can come back to bite you.

Be selective about the personal information you share and with whom you share it with.If you are in a senior position be even more careful.

#3.Waiting to Be Noticed.

Corporate down-sizing and the trend toward flat organizations have created the need to be noticed in a positive way-before work-force reductions take place.When it comes to maintaining your job during layoffs,it can be as simple as making a case for why your unique brand will be valuable in the newly formed organization.

As for flatter organizations,the dearth of opportunities to move up makes assignments and projects that can offer you visibility or specialized training all the more valuable.Recipients of these assignments are often those who subtly call attention to the ways in which their strengths play to the requirements of the work.Waiting to be noticed will not get you where you want to be. You have got to know your brand and sell it when the opportunity arises.

If there is a vacancy or assignment you want,ask to be considered for it.

#4. Staying in your Safety Zone

People tend to remain in positions too long for fear of getting in over their heads.In the modern job market we look at people who stay in a job too long in the same way we used to judge job-hoppers-as if there's something wrong with them.Staying in a job too long gives the impression of being complacent and,perhaps,not staying up on the latest technical developments in the field.

Some people refuse assignments for which they are handpicked if they feel they're not qualified for the job.Big Mistake.No surer way of being crossed off the list for future opportunities than by refusing an offer.

Ironically people who stay in their comfort zones aren't attracted or impressed by others who do the same.Most people consider those who are enthusiastic,take risks,and exhibit a can do attitude as charismatic or people they would like to emulate.

Leave a comment on your thoughts and on any mistakes in the workplace that is not mentioned above.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS THAT SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD KNOW.

Financial data from your small business firm, you, as the owner, would be flying blind.

Even if the financial end of things is not your favorite part of your business and you intend to outsource as much of it as possible, you still have to understand it. Why? Because you have to understand the output you receive from your accountant or other financial professional in order to operate your business. For example, if your accountant tells you that your profit is a Million naira for the year, you must understand what went into allowing you to making that.

You may not have to know as many details as the accountant, but you certainly have to understand the big picture.

Learning the Basics

It's best to start with the basics in order to understand your financial position. Maybe you've been schooled in finance and accounting and, if so, consider this a review. If not, then here we go on a short course in understanding and analyzing your financial position.

The first thing you have to get up to speed on is the financial statements that you or your financial professional will generate for your business firm. These financial statements will help you determine your firm's financial position at a point in time and over a period of time as well as your cash position at any point in time. Many small businesses fail because the owner loses a grip on the firm's financial position. If you understand financial statements, that won't happen to you.

The Income Statement

The income statement is also called the profit and loss statement. It is the major statement for measuring your firm's profitability over a period of time. You develop the income statement in a step-by-step process starting with the amount of revenue you have earned. Then you subtract each item your firm has expensed to see what your profit or loss is after each is deducted. You can prepare income statements for a short period of time like a month, if you need that type of information. For tax purposes, you can extend that out and develop your income statement for the tax year.

How to Prepare an Income Statement

How to Prepare the Statement of Retained Earnings

The Statement of Retained Earnings is the second financial statement you prepare in the accounting cycle. After you arrive at your profit or loss figure from the income statement, you prepare this statement in order to see what your total retained earnings to date are and how much you will pay out to your investors in dividends, if any. Total retained earnings are then transferred to the balance sheet.

How to Prepare the Statement of Retained Earnings

The Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a statement showing what you own (assets) and what you owe (liabilities and equity). Your assets must equal your liabilities (debt) plus your equity (owner's investment). You have used your liabilities and equity to purchase your assets. The balance sheet shows your firm's financial position with regard to assets and liabilities/equity at a point in time.

How to Prepare an Balance Sheet

Statement of Cash Flows

Even if your company is turning a profit, it may be falling short because you don't have adequate cash flow. It is just as important to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows as it is to prepare the income statement and balance sheet. This statement compares two time periods of financial data and shows how cash has changed in the revenue, expense, asset, liability, and equity accounts during those time periods.

The statement divides the cash flows into operating cash flows, investment cash flows, and financing cash flows. The final result is the net change in cash flows for a particular time period and gives the owner a very comprehensive picture of the cash position of the firm.

How to Prepare a Statement of Cash Flows

These four financial statement are prepared at the end of the accounting cycle and should be prepared in this order. Information from the Income Statement comes from the revenue and expense accounts on the general ledger and information for the Statement of Retained Earnings comes from the Income Statement and the dividend account.

The Balance Sheet is prepared next and the information is taken from the asset, liability and equity accounts on the general ledger as well as from the Statement of Retained Earnings. Last, the Statement of Cash Flows is prepared from all the previous financial statements.

Financial statement can be prepared for a company for any length of time and at any point in time. Some companies prepare financial statements monthly to keep a tight handle on the financial position of the firm. Other companies have a longer accounting cycle. Financial statements must be prepared at the end of the company's tax year.

HOW DO I LET CUSTOMERS KNOW ABOUT MY PRODUCT.

Do you have a Product that the world should know about.

Do you have a product, that people like in comparison to competitors and it  gets five stars on all platforms, users are commending about it, and the pricing is right.

But the problem is how to tell more people about it? How to make it go viral?

First and foremost, congratulations on all the positive user ratings. If customers are volunteering positive reviews, especially noting you beat out other competitors they've used in the past, you are already building up an army of brand ambassadors who will likely spread the word to others: Keep these people happy.

So now, How to spread the word? 

For a concept or product to go viral, the  following needs to be done- interesting share able content or utility, a groundswell of activity around it in a concentrated period of time, and the combination of something with a big wow factor that resonates with a mass audience. And even then, it may not always work.

With that, you first need to get in touch with these possible brand ambassadors. That core audience is out there, you just need to determine where they are.  They could be on Facebook and Pinterest or vocal on Twitter. Spend some time dissecting your core audience, and then you will be able to seek them up in these public mediums.

You should begin having conversations with your audience on social media: Don't sell to them or pitch your company.  Rather, understand what is important to them and determine how you can fulfill their needs.

Once you have a good sense of your target demographic, start getting the word out. If your company and product are already publicly available and operating, you lose some of the appeal of “launching,” so now you need to examine what is better about you versus the competition.  Once you can communicate that, start identifying the media and social-media platforms that connect to your audience and begin following those groups or those reporters that cover topics that intersect with your business. 

Then develop relationships with your local media.  You will be surprised to discover all the different ways your local press are interested in businesses nearby -- whether it's the  business journal or newspaper or industry relevant blogs.  You will get a better gauge on how what you are doing is news after having conversations with media on the ground.

Once you have developed the sense of why what you are doing is not only great but is also newsworthy, then it is time to think about spreading the word far and wide to a national audience.

I recognize all these activities require a big time commitment, but it surely would put the word out about your product.

What To Do When You Are Overwhelmed By Those Ideas and You Just Can Not Find The Time To Put It Into Action

Where do I even start?

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt completely overwhelmed because you had too many ideas swimming around inside your head and you just didn't know where to begin?

Perhaps  you went somewhere that really inspired you and suddenly all of these creative ideas started flooding your brain. Whatever the reason, when this happens it can quickly become overwhelming and even shut down your creative process.

The problem for many of  us is not that we can't come up with any ideas, but the fact that we often have too many ideas, and we can't decide on which one to work on next. I know that personally I've got notebook after notebook filled with ideas and random thoughts just waiting to be explored and developed.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not completely delusional and I realize that 95% of these ideas are probably complete crap, but it’s not always easy to tell the good stuff from the bad at first glance.

As an entrepreneur,I feel like I've been battling this issue for awhile.There is always another opportunity to chase a new product idea that sounds exciting.

Avoiding the Creative Logjam

If you've been around the creative game long enough, you probably know that ideas (both good & bad) can be a bit tricky. One day you might be bursting with ideas and excitement. A few days later you might not be able to drag yourself out of bed or add two important sentences together. That’s just the way things go.

Now having said that, we're not really here just to share about the creative process and how it works (or often doesn't work).  We are more interested in what we can do about this good or dark process of coming up with  ideas and how we might be able to capture them before they disappear back.

So the first question is, how do we know which ideas are worth keeping and which ones are okay to let go?

One way that we can free up a creative logjam is to start by finding a way to capture these ideas first and then sorting them out later. We need to find a way to get these ideas out of our head, not only so we won’t lose them, but also to get the creative ideas flowing again.

Accumulating our Creative Ideas for Rainy Days.

Like anything else in life, there is a time for coming up with ideas and a time for expressing those ideas.

What we don't want to do when we have all of these ideas bustling in our brain, is to try and sort them out or simply pick one and start working on it while ignoring the rest.  This often goes against our creative instincts because it's natural when we get a new idea to be excited and want to work on it as soon as possible.  We don't want to wait, we want to get started as soon as possible.

The problem is that whatever idea you're excited about may or may not turn out to be a great project for you after all.  So you want to keep your options open.  

How exactly you go about doing this is up to you.

How to get the Ideas into an Action.

Personally when I'm trying to get my ideas down on paper as quickly as possible, I find the more technology I use the more likely I am to get distracted along the way.  So when creative inspiration strikes, I leave the laptop , grab a notebook and pen, and begin to scribble.  Usually I'll find some quiet corner  and then just start writing down all of these fragments of ideas that have been floating around inside my head.

Later on after the initial excitement fades and the ideas have had time to settle for a bit in my brain, I'll go back through these jumbled notes and try to figure out what has possibilities and what should probably be packed away and never spoken of again.

I've discovered that writing down these ideas not only preserves them, but it also forces me to make them into something that's at least somewhat understandable.  Even if it's just a few scribbled thoughts on a notepad, writing an idea down can force you to think about it more deeply and help you clarify what exactly you are trying to say.

It doesn't have to be words either.

If you're a visual artist, you can make a quick sketch of your idea or take a photograph to preserve an idea for later. If you're a writer, you can create a quick outline or mind map to help structure and organize your idea. Some creative artists I know like to make audio recordings or use voice recognition software to talk out their idea and then save it in a text file on their computer or tablet. The point is that it doesn't really matter how you get your ideas out of your head, what's important is that you find a way to define and then preserve these ideas so you can move on to the next step in the creative process.

What you don't want to do is to stop the flow of ideas by trying to hold on to the ones you have.

The other benefit of getting these ideas out of our head and onto the paper is that it keeps the creative process flowing and initiates a type of mental momentum. One idea connects to another, alternative ideas appear, and suddenly something new is created.

It may start with an idea, but the real work and the real creative magic happens, when that idea starts to collide with all of your previous thoughts and experiences.  At that point you start connecting, rearranging, and reassembling that idea into something entirely new.

Whether you choose to create a poem, a painting, or a photograph—creativity is about finding that connection between yourself and the people around you. It’s about finding your place in this world and leaving your mark. Sometimes the hardest part is not becoming impatient or completely overwhelmed in the process. Luckily, we don’t have to do everything, we just have to do the next thing.

What will your next thing be?