Bitature talk #2

Part 2 is finally here and this will mark the end of Bitature talks on the blog. Part 2  covers the business tips that stood out for me and the ones I am looking to implement. Feel free to pause and think critically on ever point and write down your answers. PS;They are in no particular order.

+Have a plan.You can`t do anything well without a plan. For any business to succeed, you must have a proper plan, short and long term. Never start anything without a plan.

+What product/ service are you offering. You must be sure of what you are offering.Your surety is what sets you apart from the already existing products/services.

+What`s your marketing strategy? Now that your certain about your product/service, what`s your marketing strategy? How ill you get your product/service known?

+Do your research. Know all about your business. The pros and cons, who else is doing it, seasons for the business.

+Keep the business system simple-tailor it to suit you and those your working with.

+Have your accounts straight. I have personally run a business before and one of the things I struggled with was a financial system. I was the law and I got into the habit of using business money to meet my personal needs. Now I know better.

+On partnership in business, partner with people who have what you don`t have. Get people on board who compliment you. They will add flair and spice to the business.

+Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are. These help you to know where to specialize and who to hire for the business.

+On decision making, As the leader in your business, hear other people out and appreciate their opinions. However, make the right decisions for the business.

+Don`t be afraid to experiment. In experimenting, you learn the right way to do and not to do something. Your business will benefit from this greatly.

+Learn business language. Learn from those who are already in business,use google, network. Learn how to write a business letter, make receipts and  quotations. Learn all you can learn on this matter.

+Know where things are. Mr. Bitature narrated an old story where Uganda lacked sugar but he knew where sugar was-in Kenya. He got onto the bus and went to Kenya. He purchased lots of sugar and brought it back to Uganda and sold it off and made profit.

+Stay around progressive people. These are people who are achieving their set goals, taking on opportunities and progressing in all areas of their business. You can`t be around such people and not be challenged to be better.

+Read widely. Leaders are readers. Read on your business, read about people in the same business and learn from them.

+Pace yourself. He built Protea a four star hotel to host guests for  the common wealth meeting held in Uganda in 2007 and now he has built Naguru Skyz Hotel 10 years later. Don`t be in a rush. Understand your business patterns.

Protea hotel. Source: protea.marriot.com

I hope you can apply these principles from Mr. Bitature to your business whether a start-up or one already running.

Share business tips you have applied and have worked for you. Let`s learn together.

 

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Bitature talk #1

I had the opportunity to hear business mogul Patrick Bitature speak. Oh boy!! I was clearly in the presence of greatness. I have divided the lessons learnt from Mr.Bitature`s talk into two parts and today I will share part 1.

Our gang alongside other gangs had a date with Mr Patrick Bitature,like you just can`t call a rich man plainly,you should show some level of respect.

First things first, he is a normal man, doesn’t have extra hands or feet. He has the same 24 hours like you and I .God has n`t favored him with extra hours to make money. hehehe. Therefore you and I can make it big like Mr. Bitature.

Source: patrickbitature.com

A few tips from Mr. Bitature about habits of successful people. There is no harm in trying them out. I mean these are Mr.Bitature`s habits and see where he is now. There is wisdom.

Here a few things he shared that hit home for me:

+ Success is about forming consistent habits. Why? Because habits protect from you, keep you organised and form your character. These habits give you an edge. Do you have consistent habits? What are consistent habits?

+Set goals. There is power in goal setting. Do this by writing them down on paper and remember to go ahead and achieve them. Keep revisiting them until they physically manifest. What goals have you set?How far with achieving them?

+Let achieving set goals be your consistent pattern. Don`t relax the habit.Keep doing it, until it becomes apart of you.

+Keep your focus. Don`t let your clothes, shoes, phone, hair, etc affect your focus.

+Take care of your body. Good health must be a priority for us all. To achieve your set goals, your body ought to be at 100%. Don`t ignore your health at the expense of making money. Start now to indulge in proper eating habits, drinking lots of water, get a workout routine that suits you, have enough rest and do whatever it takes to keep your health at 100%.

+Read. There is something you don`t know that can be found in a book, online material. Get reading every day, every week, month and learn something.

+Be consistent in all you commit too.

Go ahead and try these habits .If you have been practicing them, be consistent to have greater results.

Follow Mr. Bitature on twitter –https://twitter.com/patrickbitature  for more nuggets on entrepreneurship,finances and business.

Look out for Part 2 of Mr.Bitature`s talk on the blog.

 

Extraordinaire 9:Drew The Artist

Andrew Odoch joins us today for our Extraordinaire series.he is an artist whose heart and mind speaks God’s language of creation. Learn more about Andrew and his DrewTete story.

1.Who is Andrew Odoch?

I wad born in 1984 to Mr. & Mrs. Umah Tete in Nsamya a Kampala suburb. I am a son, brother, friend, relative, mentor, father and husband.

2.What is your vision for Drew Tete?

Drew Tete is crafted from my two names An(Drew) and Umah (Tete)

The Drew Tete vision states,” created by the Creator to create works of art that inspire people to achieve their purpose in life.”

3.Share any childhood memory in regards to art?

My mother’s old diary which I used to draw “stick figures” in around age 3 or 4. In primary school it was all about drawing comic book characters; Spiderman, fantastic 4, x-men, etc when I got to secondary school at St. Mary’s college Kisubi ,I was introduced to painting by Mr. Katabulawo my then art teacher who gave me my first chance to exhibit in a school exhibition, from then on I fell in love with painting and continued to grow and learn from water color to oil paint and now acrylic paint and digital painting with a drawing tablet.

4.When did you start selling your artwork?

I started selling my artwork in my S.4 when I realized people liked my work and were willing to pay for it. I remember selling some paintings for 40,000/= about 8 USD.

5.Did you go to art school to grow the skill?

I didn’t get any education in art outside my secondary school education. When it came to university I was convinced by my family to study something else since I already had the art thing held down. Eventually I graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance from Kyambogo University in 2009. I don’t regret the decision, it gave me a business mindset, which I realized many artists don’t have.

6.When did you register Drew Tete?

In 2011, I registered Drew Tete Ltd as a company, our vision is to produce all manner of artwork as inspired by Bezelel who God annointed to produce all manner of artwork. We do graphics design, branding, signage, animation, invitation cards, commercial printing and photocopy services, interior and event décor.

We target institutions, individuals and the international market. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder; to make art is to create something that is pleasing to the eye that has never existed before.

7.Whats your take on Ugandans and art?Do they appreciate it?

Ugandans have an eye for beautiful things but the question is whether they are willing to part with their hard earned cash to acquire a piece of art and do they understand art? Initially I only used to sell actual (original) paintings but with time I realized that not many people are able to purchase expensive pieces of art, with my design skills I started to put photos of my paintings on greeting cards and also selling prints of the actual paintings at a lower price point while generating income and waiting for the right buyer and price for the originals. I also diversified my art portfolio to things like graphics design, which is an art form that people will easily pay money for because they see the immediate impact of the artwork.

8.How important is social media when running a business?

Social media has really come alive over the last 10 years and it’s not going to go away, it is only going to grow and adapt with trends and times. Top organizations and individuals now as a must, have presence on these platforms. Social media can be of huge importance to any business because it gives the business what every business needs, an audience. Now what you feed that audience is what gets you results.

In 2009, when I decided to go professional as an artist, there were two options, to have galleries sell my work or to sell it myself. I went to one of the leading galleries in Kampala ( I won’t mention the name here) and they said no, “ we don’t appreciate your style.” I didn’t quit, thank God at that time facebook was really on the rise, I started putting my work on social media to cause awareness and I also started working with a mentor Mr. Taga Nuwagaba. I have since landed some great business off facebook. This year I joined Twitter and Instagram and next year I will be on YouTube @drewtete.

9.Achievements .

I have exhibited my work at the Nommo gallery, Fireworks Exhibitions, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) Trade Show, Bayimba International Festival of the Arts and most recently at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting held in Uganda. My paintings hang on walls in Uganda, Kenya, UK, USA and all over the world. My company and I have done work for notable brands like; Parliament of Uganda, American Chamber of Commerce, Non Profit organizations, churches, etc. In 2011, I was commissioned by the Central Bank of Uganda to produce painting for their 2012 calendar. We have employed over 10 people since we were registered as a company 8 years ago.

10.Future Projects.

Together with a team of young people who I mentor, we are working on a comic book called Valor coming out before the end of the year. I am working on having my first solo exhibition this December 2017. I desire to exhibit my work all over the world and perfect my craft till I harness all the potential in me and die completely empty. Lessons to sustain a start up………let’s leave that for another day

Catch me on: Facebook/Instagram/Twitter @ drew_tete

Website :www.drewtete.com

Call:+256 704211864 &Whatsapp: +256 782639282

Email: drewtete.ltd@gmail.com

©Racheal Kizza 2017

Extraordinaire 7:Unique Liz

This week welcome with me Atai Elizabeth to the No Ordinary Scribbles table to share more about her brand unique Liz, turning passion into a profession.

1. Who is Atai Elizabeth in a few words.

Atai is a simple heart/head girl with a huge heart for beauty. She is extremely creative, outgoing ,stylish and loves Jesus.

2. Did your creative and stylish persona lead to the birth of Unique Liz?

Yes, because people constantly asked me where I got my clothes from and I used to help most of them shop.

3. Describe Unique Liz in a few words.

Unique Liz is a brand that focuses on shopping clothes for clients as well as styling. The shopping ranges from kwanjula or kuhingira outfits to casual clothes, office attire or party dresses and so much more. It’s been running for 1 year, 11 months and we are about to make a year, yeiiii, Ebenezer.

4. Have you always been passionate about fashion & shopping?

I have always loved fashion in that when I was younger,I wanted to be Miss.Uganda. I remember we used to model using towels and scarves in our dormitories. I won Miss.Giraffe…😂😂😂😂

Shopping came in later when people constantly asked me where I got my clothes from and I also used to help most of them shop. It also grew because I used it as therapy when my mother passed on last year. They call it retail therapy. This contributed to the solidification of Unique Liz as a brand.

5. How does unique liz operate,if one desires your services?

Well, Unique Liz desires to make her clients her friends. Therefore, we set an appointment, it could be both physical or virtual (phone mainly). I may ask for pictures to know clients’ sizes and taste (if it’s over the phone). After the appointment, I get the client an estimated budget for whatever they have ordered for so that a deposit is made. Then I go downtown, take photos of the clothes and send to clients. Sometimes I just buy the item because I trust my taste.

6. What type of clientele does unique liz cater to?

I don’t think I have a specific clientele. As long as I can get something that a client has asked for I get it. I have shopped for mothers, fathers, working class, middle aged people, campusers and kids.

7. How do you deal with clients who play the cat and mouse game when it comes to payments?

Haha. Well I rarely have to deal with that. There’s usually a deposit made before I go shopping and the ones who don’t deposit, I have done work with them before so I trust them and they pay. But my patience is the trick. I am really patient with my clients, I give them the best at affordable prices knowing that they will come back, if they stay without paying, it’s difficult to come back so they eventually pay.

If one insists on not paying, I let go. Business has loses and profits. I am a Christian and I believe in forgiveness and it’s God who grows businesses.

8.Share some lessons you have learnt while running your business that other entrepreneurs can learn from.

+Pray always.

+Give, Let not the desire to make profits and money kill the giving principle.

+Appreciate your clients by checking up on them. It goes a long way.

9.Achievements

For me, Unique Liz as a whole is an achievement. I never even thought I would handle a business. Now we are making a year and we are happy and healthy.

Follow Unique Liz on Instagram: @ataibeth3 and Facebook: Elizabeth Atai for all your shopping needs.

Photo credit: Unique Liz

Kizza Racheal ©2017.