MEN WHO INSPIRED ME TO JOIN BUSINESS

Whenever you see anyone committed to persistently pursuing his/her dream, know that there’s someone who inspired him/her. In my case, I joined business determined to win. But it was not just out of my own natural wisdom; there are powerful men and women who inspired me not only to join business, but to stay there and to never look back. I’ve always told you about Twesiime Valence (RIP), a young man who believed in me, at a time when my highest dream was reaching S3, becoming stubborn, being expelled from school and marrying at the age of 16 – like any other villager. But this man changed my thinking, and made me begin to believe in the possibility of me having a greater in life than I thought.

The second person I have always written about is my mentor Dr Patrick Bitature, the man who shook me out of my comfort zone and literally pushed me to start a company at the age of 26. Well, today, I will tell you about another man who significantly contributed to fueling my dream to join and grow in business. And that’s PROF. PETER KASENENE, a man who has defied common academic trends and propelled himself high in the world of business and investment. I first met Prof. Kasenene while I was at the university. I ‘met’ him in his small book ‘You Can’. Then I looked for all other booklets he had written and devoured the content therein like a starved lion. Eventually, I physically meet him.

As I read his books and listened to him, one powerful concept sunk into the deepest parts of my life – DEPROGRAMING AND REPROGRAMING OF THE MIND. Prof. Kasenene argues that a human being is like a computer. When you feed it with meaningless data, its monitor displays the same useless things. If you feed it with accurate and useful data, that’s what it will display. If you have a good computer and don’t have the needed software eg Ms Word, Internet Browsers, e.t.c, the computer will not do what you bought it to do. If you allow viruses (negative programs) to install themselves on your computer, they will disorganize your computer, slow you down and possibly crash the operating system.

You can apply this to a human being and you will see the need to deprogram and reprogram our minds and remove all negative programs that were put by negative experiences, sad memories, lies, e.t.c and replace them with positive programs. For instance, if on my mind there’s a program that runs ‘I can’t’ whenever a task comes up, I should uninstall it and replace it with one that says ‘I can”. Well, this was the last nail I needed to be hit into my head for me to jump into the world of business. So 3 years after university, I launched WORLD OF INSPIRATION. And like they say, the rest is history.

Prof. Kasenene does not just speak with mere words, but also with his actions and achievements. This is a man who has hundreds of acres of trees that are worth billions of shillings. He also owns gardens and an exotic hotel (Olive) in Bugolobi. This is proof that his approach works. And so, I am excited to invite you to a mega inspirational event where we shall host him alongside CHARLES ORWOTHWUN from Uganda Development Bank to lead us in a thought-provoking discussion on the topic USING BORROWED MONEY IN BUSINESS. This will be happening tomorrow Wednesday 4^th November, 6-9pm, during the AUTHORS’ FORUM organized by WORLD OF INSPIRATION, at THE HUB (OASIS MALL). We have hosted Prof. Kasenene at the Authors’ Forum before and he left a landmark in the minds of all who listened to him.

The event will also feature H. E. PROF. BONEY M. KATATUMBA, a man whose success story is simply phenomenal. Katatumba joined business at the age of 7, starting with selling banana juice on the roadside; while in secondary he won a contract to manage a students’ hostel alongside other facilities that employed 60 staff; at the university, he started a chain of car-washing businesses that employed 50 people; then he started a construction firm that made him a USD millionaire at the age of 28. He bought 6 properties in England and became the first private individual in East Africa to buy an aeroplane – not just one but a fleet of aircrafts! In other news, he also defeated prostate cancer. He has put his entire story into a book titled ‘SUCCESS IS GUARANTEED’ and we shall launch it. Published by WORLD OF INSPIRATION, a copy of this book goes for only UGX 20,000.

This AUTHORS’ FORUM is open to the public. All you need to do is contact Winnie (0700714369) or Andrew (0782531195) and your ticket(s) will be delivered, each going for only UGX 40,000. You can also find us at our office – Luwum Street, MM Plaza T33. NB: Authors’ Forum subscribed members attend freely.

Stay blessed and inspired.

BAKE ROBERT TUMUHAISE,

WORLD OF INSPIRATION - UGANDA

LESSONS ON MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME

If there are major lessons I’ve learnt this year, they’re about income. From the last AUTHORS’ FORUM where we hosted LIVINGSTONE MUKASA and ETHAN MUSOLINI on the topic CREATING MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME, it came out clear that income can come from various sources – salaries, wages, commission, business, investment, self employment e.t.c. The Forum kicked off with Uncle Bob treating us to interesting jokes about 5 types of salaries: “The first one is the ‘Onion Salary’ – you look at it and tears begin running down. The second one is the Menstrual Salary – that one comes once a month and stays for only 4 days. The third one is a Magic Salary – you see it but before you can hold it, it has already disappeared…” Now let’s get to the key points from the panel discussion.

Livingstone, the lead panelist, used his cleaning business to illustrate the advantages of having multiple streams of income: “As the entrepreneur behind Clean Consults if I earn UGX 1m from 10 clients, each of them paying UGX 100,000 and on the other hand there’s an employee earning UGX 1M by working for one of my clients 1m, on the surface, we are earning the same amount. But if that client closes business, who suffers more to replace the lost income? Remember in Uganda jobs are so scarce that to find one you need a torch during the day.” Many people get stuck in jobs for security but Livingstone emphasized “Job security is a lie. No human being can guarantee you a job. Even the government can run broke, fail to pay and lay off some employees.” No doubt Livingstone is a man who earns from multiple sources. He is the MD of Clean Consult, owner of Mulyazaawo Bus Service (4 coasters), Director Semats Suppliers, Board Chairman Najja Modern Primary School, Board Chairman Partners Worldwide Uganda, Founder & Lead Business Trainer for Living Business Education, and author of a tantalizing book titled ‘ENJOYABLE RETIREMENT’ which is available at WORLD OF INSPIRATION at only 20k.

“When you look up at a mountain, you can find that it has many small streams, but as they go down they keep joining each other and at the bottom they create a big river. That’s how our income should be,” said Ethan, the second panelists at this magogomus inspirational event that has taken over Uganda. Ethan has 4 published books that bring him daily income, he has 8 kindle books selling on Amazon, he is a motivational speaker who is heavily paid to train groups, he runs a boda boda business, he owns a high-resolution video camera business and he writes a weekly newspaper column. All these streams of income collect and pour into his bank account and so when he speaks about multiple streams of income, he knows what he’s talking about.

Livingstone asked the audience to name the rivers and streams that pout into Lake Victoria and those that take out. It emerged that the lake has a number of inlets, but only one outlet (the Nile). “Just like Lake Victoria,” explained Livingstone, “we should have various sources feeding into our pockets while we spend less. Imagine if it were only one stream pouring into Lake Victoria and somehow it got blocked while the water continued to flow out. Some Ugandans think they are failing to save because of low income when in fact it’s lifestyle. I recently met an Indian who told me he earns 300 dollars a month but saves 200; that’s three quarters of what he earns. Never eat all your eggs if you want to have chicken. If you keep killing your soldiers you can’t become a General… Also, leant to use your savings, as your first source of investment capital, not loans. My first deposit on a bus was UGX 500,000 but the total bill was 80m. My wife couldn’t understand me. She’s the kind that can’t take heavy risks, so she is employed; I take heavy risks and I am in business. I have lost money, sometimes hundreds of millions, but at the end of the day I earn more than she does! For those who are married, evaluate yourselves and let the one who can take more risks join business while the one who can’t get employed. Well, my wife was shocked by my decision but I worked so hard and when I managed to deposit a total of 40m the seller gave me the bus on partial credit, with no interest. I started working hard as I paid back till I completed.”

“In order to create multiple sources of income,” explained Ethan, “you must be extremely good at something and that becomes your major source of income. Then you keep developing other areas slowly by slowly to create other streams of income. Maximize one stream before going to the next; don’t scatter yourself everywhere. To strengthen my ability to earn more, I spend 40% of my income on self development. I attend seminars, read books, watch inspiring DVDs, listen to audios, e.t.c. Some people easily buy very expensive clothes, accessories, and other luxuries, but feel pain when it comes to paying for something meant to develop their minds. In fact there are those who are worth a UGX 1 million moving liability just by appearance on the road but they can't afford a book of UGX 50,000! … After investing, be patient. It takes about 10 years of serious work for a business to grow to the desirable level. In the past I lost lots of money to people who would come claiming to know of deals which can bring quick returns (kagwilawo). Avoid starting a business saying ‘Let me try this for a year and see whether it works.’ Most probably it won’t work because you won’t give it your all and you are not patient enough.”

As we look left and right for opportunities to create sources of income, Livingstone’s advice comes in handy: “Invest in what allows you sleep at night. One time I invested in online forex trading and I couldn’t sleep. This does not mean that you should fear risks because no one who fears risks can invest. When you arm yourself with facts, you are in a better position to take calculated not blind risk.” And let no one say there are no opportunities in Uganda because no matter how hard the situation is, there are always opportunities and the prepared will always tap them. Ethan did something that jolted many Authors’ Forum members out of their comfort zones. He asked: “How many of you here have something you can sell to get money?” Just a few put up their hands. He then categorically stated: “If you don't have anything to sell, don't complain that there's no money in Uganda. Never say money is scarce if you do not have what you can use to attract it.” And this ends the little I could share, which is like 0.0001% of what we who were present learnt. But you can get everything by ordering for a video recording of the whole event – each DVD goes for only UGX 15,000. You can call me (Bake) on 0704666851 or Winnie on 0774107287.

And of course, if you enjoyed this, you should make it a point never to miss again the AUTHORS’ FORUM if you are in Kampala or the surrounding areas since this is monthly event (for those in Mbarara we have an Authors’ Forum chapter there and it’s happening this Sunday 27^th Sept, 2-6pm, at Mbarara University Inn). But for those in Kampala, plan to attend the main Authors’ Forum slated for Wednesday 7th Oct, 6pm to 9pm, at The Hub (Oasis Mall). We shall be hosting business mogul DR PATRICK BITATURE, the 2^nd richest Ugandan according to Forbes, and a 90-year-old entrepreneur and investor JOSEPH BYANYIMA on the topic THE POWER OF A DREAM. An amazing book has been written on the life of Mzee BYANYIMA, by her daughter DR ROSEMARY BYANYIMA, and we shall launch it that day.

If you are a subscribed member, you don’t need to pay; just come and present your membership card and enter. Remember annual subscription to the Authors’ Forum is only UGX 250,000. This weekend we are giving 2 inspiring DVDs to anyone who pays up their subscription. We are also giving couples or any 2 friends or colleagues or relatives to subscribe at UGX 400,000 instead of 500,000. For the rest, to attend the Authors’ Forum, you need to contact WORLD OF INSPIRATION (Luwum Street, MM Plaza T33) and secure your ticket at UGX 40,000. You can also use the numbers already given above to pay by Mobile Money or to ask us to deliver the ticket to you (delivery in Kampala is free).

Till then, stay blessed and inspired!

ROBERT BAKE TUMUHAISE,

MD, World of Inspiration

UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL' by ROBERT BAKE

"What is it that you can benefit from the people around you? Shame on you if you have 1000 Facebook friends but you have never sold a product to any of them! How can you be part of a prayer group and fail to get a job from your prayer partners? How can you have 10 business people as your friends and fail to get a business idea from them?" (From the book 'UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL' by ROBERT BAKE, available at WORLD OF INSPIRATION, at 20k. Call 0704666851 / 0774107287). The first 50 copies are going for 15k each, with free delivery.

LESSONS FROM THE AUGUST AUTHORS’ FORUM – ON NEGOTIATION

“I had no big money but I had a dream of changing the world. I had just lost a job, so with the 1m shillings I had saved, I decided to start a kindergarten. But my friends laughed at my dream, saying that was only for school dropouts – failures who had nothing else to do!” This was said DR BARBARA OFWONO BUYONDO, one of the 3 panelists that WORLD OF INSPIRATION hosted at the AUTHORS’ FORUM on 5^th August 2015. She shared her journey till today when her chain of schools (VICTORIOUS EDUCATION SERVICES) fetch an annual turnover of over 5bn shillings. From a secondary teacher, she now has a PhD. Who says success in Uganda is impossible?

And now comes VINCENT TUMUWUJUKYE, the CEO of Future Link Technologies, a company that now earns more than 1.5bn shillings per year and which won an award among the top 100 fastest growing middle companies in Uganda: “Today, technology has made it possible that you can have an ‘office’ on a website or a social network page and sell anything to anyone in any part of the world. We have been able to get business from many parts of the world. We have done online installation of our products and even trained people in other countries while we are here in Kamwokya! All you need to do is bring your products, your value, your solutions, and post them onto the internet.”

Perhaps this pokes those who have social media accounts only for fun! Beware others are earning in billions. Vincent is speaking from experience because his first major client (UNDP) in Zimbabwe saw his software online and paid over 30m shillings to use it. And that marked the beginning of his company’s growth. But the journey to get there was not an easy one. Together with 3 colleagues, Vincent started in a rented garage. They began by doing what everyone else does – making websites and the like – but things didn’t work out. For a couple of years it was sweat and pain, with no lunch or transport fare. But Vincent identified a gap, as the government was encouraging SACCOS and microfinance institutions, and built a software to address the existing need. That was his breakthrough angle.

If you are afraid of risks you may never become great. When you decide to start on your dream, life will throw rocks into your path. DR EMMA NALUYIMA, the famous revolutionary farmer, the 3^rd panelist, shared: “In my farming journey I have been hit twice by swine fever. There was a time I lost 43m shillings in 3 days. But I did not give up … I went into farming to demonstrate that farming can change Africa if we don’t do it the way our ancestors did it. I wanted to prove that it is not how much money you start with that makes you successful because I started with borrowed money (1m shillings) and even borrowed land…” I am sure those who have visited Dr Naluyima’s farm know who is talking here. This is a lady who is utilizing one acre of land to producing results that some people may not even produce on 100 acres. Her farm is a demonstration of how technology and passion can do amazing things for Africa. People now come from far and wide to just learn from her exceptional farming skills.

Well, the 3 panelists made a formidable team and after sharing their stories, they went straight into discussing tips directly on the day’s theme, which was NEGOTIATION SKILLS. They made us realize that negotiation is something done by everyone, everyday – we begin by negotiating within us right in the morning, deciding on whether to wake up or stay in bed longer, what clothes to put on, which route to take, e.t.c. Then it goes to our work places as individuals negotiate for jobs, promotions, salary increment e.t.c, and then to the world of business as we negotiate for discounts or better prices in shops and markets, e.t.c. In all this, to be a smart negotiator there are things you MUST do.

“You cannot get and sustainably retain that for which you do not qualify. If you are employed, increase your negotiation power by fortifying your value. Learn how to be part of the crew. If a ship begins to sink, in an attempt to reduce the weight, the first things they throw into the water is luggage. Don’t be the baggage that can be easily thrown out of the organization when the going gets tough. If a company wants to cut down its costs, there will be those that will be laid off without any pain, but there are those that can’t be touched because they are part of the crew. They have negotiation power… For those in business, you must increase your value and present it. People do not buy products; they buy brands. For you to have maximum negotiation power, customers should reach the point where they say, ‘When you buy a phone from so and so, it must be genuine…’ When we started FLT, few people believed us. No bank would give us a loan, but because we have worked on boosting our value, we have been able to secure huge loans to buy equipment without security!” (VINCENT TUMWIJUKYE).

DR NALUYIMA agreed to that point: “No bank was willing to finance a person like me who was entering into farming. They couldn’t see my vision. One banker told me they could only give me money to buy a car, which I could then sell and put into farming… But today, banks beg me to borrow any amount of money I want… What Vincent talked about the crew reminds me of my worker who has made herself irreplaceable. I employed her at the farm, but in addition, she started passing by my home, doing household chores for which I wasn’t paying her. If she found the house or the utensils not clean, she would clean them. On Sundays we don’t work, but she comes and works. So she has stood out as someone with value that I cannot afford to lose. When it comes to negotiation, such a person has an upper hand.”

DR BARBARA’S experience added more gravy onto the menu: “I tried to secure a loan and they couldn’t give it to me. I realized, yes, I had a dream, but my cashflow could not sustain a school. I decided to apply my negotiation skills with an NGO that needed a Project Manager. I convinced them to give me the job and allow me to always report to work at 11am. I told them even if it meant working till late in the night I would do so. By 6am I would be at my school to ensure that everything is running smoothly, and then I would rush to the job. The money I would be paid at the job, I would use it to pay my teachers. I kept learning and growing until I was able to leave the job and grow my school. As I built a cashflow I started qualifying for loans and begun to use them to expand…”

For those who missed, this is just like 0.1% of the lessons we got from the panelists as well as the audience. But like we have always done with all the previous episodes, this entire event was recorded on camera and a DVD goes for only UGX 15,000. All you need to get yourself a copy is to visit WORLD OF INSPIRATION offices at MM Plaza T33 (that’s Luwum Street) or call 0704666851 / 0774107287 / 0414691595 (delivery in Kampala is free).

And of course, you should not miss the next episode of this great inspirational event – AUTHORS’ FORUM – Uganda’s leading inspirational event. By now you know it happens every 1^st Wednesday of the month. So the next is on Wednesday 2^nd September, 6-9pm, at THE HUB (Oasis Mall/ Nakumatt). Theme: CREATING MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INCOME. The panelists will include 2 people that we have hosted before – ETHAN MUSOLINI (CEO, Success Africa) and STEPHEN ASSIMWE (Director, The East African Business Week). The 3^rd one is LIVINGSTON MUKASA, undoubtedly a man who earns from multiple sources. He is the Managing Director of Clean Consult Limited, owner of Mulyazaawo Bus Service (4 coasters), Director, Semats Suppliers Limited, Board Chairman for Najja Modern Primary School Limited, & Board Chairman, Partners Worldwide Uganda. He is also the founder and Lead Business Trainer for Living Business Education & author of the tantalizing book titled ‘ENJOYABLE RETIREMENT: Make it Happen’.

As usual, there are 2 ways by which you can attend the Authors’ Forum. First is by annual membership whereby you pay a subscription fee of UGX 250,000 and it makes you a member for 12 months. With that you don’t need a ticket; you just walk head-high with your membership card, enter THE HUB and take your seat. The second option is to buy an entry ticket in advance at 40,000. However, this week we are giving an offer where you can buy 1 ticket at 30,000 shillings or 2 tickets at 50,000 shillings by calling the numbers above.

Stay blessed and inspired!

STARS NEED DARKNESS TO SHINE!

The last two years have been the toughest for me in business, yet this has ended up being the most creative, innovative and enterprising period of my life. I have seen my business brand spread like wildfire, even without putting money into advertising, simply because I was acting in response to challenges; it was a do-or-die situation. When someone threatens your life, when you sense the danger of death, the survival instinct in you is instantly summoned to make you fight with all your might; you could even jump a wall 3 times your height, even a bedridden patient can run out of the hospital, holding the drip bottle! All because surviving is the first responsibility every human being has.

Same with business. When my business is threatened, that's the time I bring out the best in me. I fight with all I have – I leverage all my talents, skills, networks… to ensure I survive. I think I specialise in dealing with challenges. I enjoy seeing myself as a creator of solutions. I feel glad doing successfully what people think I cannot do. So while I thought I was fighting only to survive, I found I had not only survived but also grown!

It is during this most challenging period, when I had both business and personal/family challenges threatening to strangle me that I created a new product (WI-Magazine) that is now reaching close to 10,000 people every month, with amazing testimonies from our readers and advertisers. Amidst laughter from those that knew my challenges, I have managed to tremendously reduce my company’s liabilities more than some big companies we see around. It is during this same period that we published one of the best books ever written by a Ugandan on the theme business: #IamNotSorryForMyMistakes by #DicksonMushabe (if you don't have a copy yet, you are risking repeating mistakes that are already published; and I won’t need to remind you that WORLD OF INSPIRATION is the place you can find this book at 20k). During this period I have had to discipline myself the way soldiers are disciplined during their training. For instance I have learnt to cut down my expenditure to unimaginable magnitudes. I have no problem being seen using public means.

At the end of the day, I have realised that the challenges that came to bury me have ended up planting me! I now feel ‪#‎WorldOfInspiration is becoming the company I have always dreamt of. I now have the confidence to dream dreams that were hitherto mere fiction. I am no longer afraid to say I am aiming at making a million dollars in one year and a billion dollars before I leave this planet, but most importantly, create jobs, inspire millions of Africans and leave a legacy, because for me it’s not all about money.

In my priorities, money comes number 2, after serving God and society.  This is why I have created several platforms to mentor and inspire others – such as the monthly AUTHORS’ FORUM that’s creating a generation of creative entrepreneurs in Uganda, WORLD OF INSPIRATION PUBLICATIONS that’s telling Uganda’s stories and wisdom through books, WI SCHOOL OF INSPIRATION that’s equipping the Ugandan population with skills and principles that they couldn’t learn from academic institutions, WI MAGAZINE the pioneer inspirational magazine in East Africa... I do all this, not just for money, but because I love doing them.

So my friend, never be afraid of problems. I will say it again: Stars are able to shine because of the darkness around them. Maybe this is the message you were waiting for to straighten your attitude and begin working towards becoming that shining star you have always wanted to be, despite the darkness that surrounds you everyday. May God bless you in a special way today. May the Almighty favour everyone who has supported my business journey – my mentors Patrick Bitature, Amos Wekesa, Dr Edward Kazaire, Vincent Tumwijukye, Emma Katongole and others, all my customers, my current and former employees, my fans, and of course those who closed doors before me, laughed at me and did not believe in me, because without them, I wouldn’t have learnt how to grow on my own (just to paraphrase the words of Albert Einstein).

I promise to continue creating time to share with you such inspirations from my business journey that I am compiling for my coming book ‘DREAMS COME TRUE’. I will be sharing these inspirations with you at least once a week only via this page; so if you haven’t liked this page, do so and also share it with your friends and invite them to like it. Also don’t miss my monthly column in #WIMagazine dabbed #MrInspiration.

#WithLove from ROBERT BAKE TUMUHAISE.

Stay blessed and inspired!

THE WOMAN SHAKING THE EDUCATION BUSINESS IN UGANDA

When we say

success is possible in Uganda, it’s not just mere talk. There are people who have lived to prove this true. Take an example of DR BARBARA OFWONO BUYONDO the woman behind VICTORIOUS EDUCATION SERVICES – one of the biggest education empires in Uganda. After losing her job, as a secondary teacher, Barbara turned to her passion and started a kindergarten with UGX1m, kicking off with 30 kids. Today, 16 years later, her chain of schools have more than 4,000 kids and an annual turnover of over UGX5bn. How she did it – challenges and solutions, business principles applied, handling customers, marketing, using loans, e.t.c – is what she will be sharing with you a few days from now.

Come listen to Barbara’s fascinating story of entrepreneurship at the Authors’ Forum – the gathering of 500 business minds – organized by WORLD OF INSPIRATION on Wednesday 5^th August, 6-9pm, at THE HUB (Oasis Mall). Barbara will be joining other 3 business titans to form the panel to discuss the theme: NEGOTIATION SKILLS. These are: VINCENT TUMWIJUKYE (CEO of Future Link Technologies who created a software that’s earning him more than UGX100m per month), STEPHEN ASIIMWE (Executive Director of Uganda Tourism Board & Director The East African Business Week) and DR EMMA NALUYIMA (a revolutionary farmer who started with borrowed UGX2m and borrowed land but who has turned her framing into a fortune and has won global acclaim.

Entry tickets selling now at UGX 40,000. We have only 104 seats left. Call/WhatsAp 0774107287 (Winnie) or 0704666851 (Robert) today and buy your ticket at only UGX 40,000. THIS WEEK'S OFFER is to promote families’ and organizations’ attendance; so this week if you pay for 2 tickets we shall give you 3 and if pay for 5 we shall give you 10 tickets!

Till we meet at THE HUB on 5^th August, stay inspired and blessed!

4 BUSINESS TITANS YOU SHOULD MEET IN YOUR LIFETIME

‘NEGOTIATION SKILLS’ is the theme for the Authors’ Forum for Wednesday 5^th August, 6-9pm, at THE HUB (Oasis Mall). Even before I mention the names of the 4 extraordinary entrepreneurs we shall be hosting, let me make this clear: there is little we can achieve professionally or in business and investment if we do not know how to negotiate.

Negotiation is one of the key habits that differentiate those on their way to success from those on their way to failure. If you have been keen, you have noticed that successful people always negotiate for a discount. It’s only the poor who feel ashamed for they are worried of what the seller or the observers might think. On the other hand, the success-minded are only concerned with how much value they will gain or save by bargaining.

Negotiation is most probably not among the skills you were taught in school, yet it is as important to career and business as oxygen is to the body. Everyday, we find we have to negotiate over something. When you get to dating, there’s negotiation. If you are looking for, or giving a job, you negotiate the terms. If your colleague is influencing you to go to the bar instead of going for an inspirational event such as the Authors’ Forum, you have to negotiate your way out. Even governments have to negotiate with their enemies!

Negotiation skills will always help you get the best deal. If you are the one paying always negotiate to give the minimum and if you are the one receiving always negotiate to get the maximum. Avoid always being on the losing end. Don’t always be the one to sacrifice and give so much all the time; you are not Jesus the Savior of the world. If I am giving to charity, I give wholeheartedly. But if it is business, then I must make sure I am at the best end of the bargain. Do you know someone could charge you UGX 100,000 for an item whose actual price is UGX 10,000? If you are ashamed of negotiation, good luck!

I could go on and on and on… But let me leave the subject to be handled by those more qualified than myself in that area in a mind-provoking debate at the 5^th August Authors’ Forum. And that’s where I introduce the 4 panelists:

BARBARA OFWONO: Her story is big, touching and almost miraculous. She started small in a ramshackled house with just a few kids and everyone was laughing at her crazy dream of building a school, but today she literary owns one of the biggest education empires in Uganda, with a huge chain of schools serving thousands of pupils and employing hundreds of staff. Her testimony is so powerful that it could inspire an ailing patient to get up and climb Mt. Kilmanjaro while carrying a sack of salt in pursuit of his/her dream!

DR EMMA NALUYIMA: She is a revolutionary farmer who has won global fame. She started with borrowed UGX 2m and a borrowed piece of land, but today, one decade later, she has turned her farming into a fortune. People come from far and wide and pay money just to see what she’s doing. She has often been referred to as the number one farmer in Uganda. She’s also building a school worth billions where she wants to teach primary children farming and business. This is going to be the second time WORLD OF INSPIRATION is hosting Dr Naluyima at the Authors’ Forum. Her full story is in WI-Magazine (Issue 3, 2015) which you will find on that day. If you listen to her and you still remain adamant on acting on your dream, then know that witchcraft is real (jokes!).

VINCENT TUMWIJUKYE: If you attended any of the 3 Authors’ Forum episodes where he spoke on Financial Intelligence, Divorcing Procrastination and Customer Care, you know that Tumwijukye needs no introduction. He’s a young man who has seen it all – from starting with very little money, walking hungry for years, watching his business partners give up on the dream and him becoming a laughing stock amongst his pears, but he kept focused on his dream of building an ICT company that would go global. And this has come to pass. His first breakthrough was when UNDP Zambia bought licenses for his software at more than UGX 30m. His software, SavingsPlus, was then recommended by World Bank for SACCOs and Microfinance institutions throughout the developing world. The rest is history. Today, his company FLT earns hundreds of millions every month.

STEPHEN ASIIMWE: He is the Executive Director of Uganda Tourism Board where he has done wonders. But many people know him for The East African Business Week, a newspaper he started and to which he is former Executive Director. This is a man who literally succeeds at whatever he lays his hands on – in terms of business and investment. He succeeds, not because he doesn’t get tough challenges, but because he is tougher than those challenges. I must confess that I have not met many people that are as knowledgeable about business as this man. If you want to know what I am talking about watch the Authors’ Forum DVD where he spoke on ‘INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN UGANDA’. Well, come 5^th August, he will be live, at The Hub, together with the above 3, inspiring the Authors’ Forum.

The Authors’ Forum is Uganda’s number one inspirational event organized by WORLD OF INSPIRATION. It is open to the public. You can attend with your family, colleagues, neighbors, friends, enemies, neighbours... If you are an employer and leave behind your employees while we learn negotiation skills, it’s you to lose. There are two ways by which you can attend. First is by annual membership whereby you pay a subscription fee of UGX 250,000 and it makes you a member for 12 months. With that you don’t need a ticket to attend; you just walk head high with your membership card and enter. The second option is to buy an entry ticket in advance. Each ticket goes for UGX 40,000. THIS WEEK'S OFFER is to promote families’ and organizations’ attendance; so this week if you pay for 2 tickets we shall give you 3 and if pay for 5 we shall give you 10 tickets! Amazing; isn’t it?

To secure your ticket(s) or subscribe for membership, please contact 0704666851 (Bake) or 0774107287 (Winnie); we shall find you right where you are. Remember, the DVD for the last Authors’ Forum featuring AMOS WEKESA, SAMUEL BAKUTANA & JERRY SESSANGA on the theme ‘HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF’ is already on sale at only UGX 15,000. You can use the same contacts above to secure your copy of this treasure or any other DVD of the past episode of the Forum (we have over 70 DVDs in stock).

NB: Forward this message to anyone and everyone you care about so that they don’t miss out.

Stay blessed and inspired!

MARKETING YOURSELF IN THE 21ST CENTURY

"I don't have a university degree and I don't intend to have one." These words were said by AMOS WEKESA, the lead panelist, the Great Lakes Safaris millionaire, a man who came to Kampala with nothing, started as an office cleaner, then an office messenger, and later started a tourism business with $200 but now employs close to 200 people, paying some individual staff up to 15m/month and sleeps in a house worth UGX 700m! 

“I can give you like 40 ways to market yourself. But let me begin with these 3 keys: 1. Standout. Don't get lost in the crowd. Don’t fear to talk about yourself. Some people are shy to market themselves and they think they are being humble. Don’t confuse poor visibility with humility…” (SAMUEL BAKUTANA). Bakutana, a leading leadership expert, organizational trainer, motivational speaker, WI-Magazine columnist and a published inspirational author was the second panelist at this great Authors’ Forum themed ‘HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF’.

“You are still young and you came from a tough background, how did you market your talent to Longman, an internationally renowned publisher?” Bake Robert the moderator asked the 3^rd panelist JERRY SESANGA who had just treated us to his tantalizing poem ‘Gavument Etuyambe’. This was his response: “The journey to what you are today started when you were a child. For me it started with my mother, deep in the village, encouraging me to read. My place at school was in the library. That’s how I discovered my passion for writing and I realized I can do anything for that passion. While in senior 2 I started walking to the office of the East African newspaper regularly to showcase my passion until I was given space to write. Later I got space in the New Vision. When I wrote my novel, the African Girl, I wrote to many publishers. I wrote to publishers in South Africa, in America, in Europe and many other parts of the world until I was accepted.”

Sesanga’s fight for his dream teaches us that we must market ourselves until we are accepted (and being accepted sometimes comes after many times of being rejected). But when you are following your passion, you don’t care whether you meet roadblocks or not – the power of passion is stronger than rejection. AMOS WEKESA agreed with this notion and added: “If your passion doesn’t make you earn, then that’s not a passion!” That statement jolted Authors’ Forum members, who thought they were passionate about certain things but were not earning from their passion, out of their comfort.  

“Personal branding is so important in marketing yourself. You may think I earn most from tourism, yet I earn mostly in properties, but tourism is my brand. Everyone knows me for tourism. Be known for something. Don’t get scattered in everything. I have mastered my game in tourism and that’s why I am so knowledgeable in that area. I read a lot about it, everyday,” said Wekesa. And Bake agreed: “Some people get qualifications in unrelated fields, making them known for nothing. Someone gets a degree education and because he doesn’t want to teach he gets a certificate in Human Resource and another in ICT and another in Project Planning, and when he fails to get a job, he starts learning mushroom farming while at the same time borrows to invest in Mobile money… At the end of the day the person does not even know how to describe himself. You want to market yourself, you must create a personal brand.”

Bakutana raised an important point about networking as a way of marketing ourselves. “When you meet the right people, communicate to them effectively. Enthusiasm in communication sells…,” he emphasized. To drive the point home, Wekesa added, “If I have never seen you, if I have never heard about you, then you don't exist.” Such radical statements shocked many attendees and shook them out of their comfort zones to begin seriously thinking of how to turn their dreams into reality, as the feedback we received later revealed. This episode of the Authors’ Forum was heavily attended, with a vast audience including  a team from Parliament of Uganda led by RUTH BYOONA, Makerere University dons and lawyers from Newmark Advocates led by HARIMWOMUGASHO FRANCIS, to mention but a few. Next time, you reading this can be part of the audience.  

Being a live debate, there was a time for questions and comments from the audience. MARIA NATUKUNDA from NTV-Uganda asked: “At the workplace, how does one market themselves so that they climb the corporate ladder?” Bakutana gave a number of tips which you will watch for yourself on the DVD but one of them was “You market yourself not only by what you say but also by your character, attitude and commitment. Some people are appointed into big offices because of their skills but then they are disappointed by their character and attitude.” ANTHONY KAGIMU from Standard Chartered Bank asked: “What is the most marketing mistake you made so that we can learn from it? Wekesa’s answer was: “Taking business I cannot handle. Today I take on business that I can handle so that I have so many satisfied customers.” AGNESS NAMAGANDA asked: “"How does an ordinary Uganda benefit from tourism?” That was after Wekesa said that if Ugandans knew the potential of tourism everyone would get out of poverty. As you watch the DVD, you will listen to Wekesa’s answer to this question and know how to tap into the tourism potential.

LYDIA KATUURA, had this to comment as members shared on our facebook page, what they learnt from this particular Authors’ Forum: “What a great show! From Wekesa I learnt that the more knowledge we share, the more we learn.” INNOCENT MASENGO, a lecturer at Makerere University and also a Director at Bodaman Uganda, a new revolutionary motorcycle business, said: “WORLD OF INSPIRATION, thank you for organizing such a life-changing forum where we pay one hundredth of what it is worth and we get a good measure, pressed down, shaken vigorously and running over.”

MARY NALUWEMBE had this to say: “OMG! This Authors’ Forum was a mind-blower! All the panelists were really great. The comparison between the property owner and the mango seller in terms of cashflow kept me awake that night.” For those who were not there, Wekesa advised everyone who wants to be successful to pursue cashflow before pursuing assets. He explained how the guy who sells mangoes to him earns more than his former landlady who owns a house worth 400m. If you want to know how, contact WORLD OF INSPIRATION and get yourself a copy of the DVD at only 15k and watch for yourself (the contacts will be given below). Due to space limitation we couldn’t give you everything that transpired; only the DVD will.

Ladies and gentlemen, remember this Authors’ Forum happens every first Wednesday of the month. So if you missed the last one, don’t make the mistake of missing the next one – which is on 5^th August, 6-9pm, at The Hub (Oasis Mall). When you repeat a mistake it ceases to be a mistake; it becomes a choice. So book your seat. This specific episode will be focusing on NEGOTIATION SKILLS. The lead panelist is DR EMMA NALUYIMA the revolutionary farmer who is inspiring the entire world (as I type this she’s in Rome empowering farmers and other business people). Dr Naluyima started with borrowed UGX 2m and a borrowed piece of land, but today, one decade later, she has turned her farming into a fortune. People come from far and wide and pay money just to see what she’s doing. She’s also building a school worth billions where she wants to teach primary children farming and business. Her full story is in WI-Magazine for which you will get free copies if you buy your Authors’ Forum ticket this week.

Stay tuned for the next updates where I will reveal the other panelists. For now, call/Whatsap Bake (0704666851) or Winnie (0774107287) and get your ticket to this unmissable event at UGX 40,000. THIS WEEK THE OFFER IS: Buy 1 ticket and get a bonus copy of WI-Magazine (any issue of your choice); buy 2 tickets and get 3 tickets plus 2 copies of WI-Magazine; or buy 5 tickets and get 10 tickets plus 5 copies of WI-Magazine.

Share this message with all your contacts, if you care for them and want them to succeed.

Stay inspired and blessed!

AMOS WEKESA - INSPIRNG UGANDA

INSPIRATION FLOWS LIKE A RIVER!

You may have missed some or even all the previous episodes of the Authors’ Forum, Uganda’s leading inspirational event, but the one happening next Wednesday, 1^st July, 6-9pm, at THE HUB (Oasis Mall / Nakumat) is one you cannot even think of missing for two reasons:

First, we shall be discussing a topic that you definitely need – HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF. There’s nothing you can do and succeed at if you do not know how to market yourself. When looking for a job you are marketing yourself, when sitting at your shop waiting for customers you are marketing yourself, when working towards a salary increment or a job promotion you are marketing yourself, when introducing yourself to a new person you are marketing yourself, when you post anything on social media you are marketing yourself, when you speak on phone you are marketing yourself... Basically anything and everything we do can either market us or unmarket us depending upon how we play our cards!

Secondly, the panel that will be leading us in this mind-provoking discussion is composed of titans who have distinguished themselves regionally and globally. They’ve unquestionably succeeded in marketing themselves to the admiration of many. And they started from nothing! We are talking about NULU NALUYOMBYA, the brain behind SUCCESS CHAPTER, a lady who has inspired multitudes on different continents and countries. Recently, she electrified Vision Group’s PAKASA FORUM as a guest speaker. We are talking about SAMUEL BAKUTANA, a leadership expert who has not only written close to a dozen inspirational books that people are looking for the way bees look for nectar, but who has built his credibility to be trusted as one of the top organizational trainer in Uganda and East Africa at large. He is also one of the top followed columnists in WI-Magazine. There is one more person on the panel who is so inspiring that we’ve chosen to bring him as a surprise guest (we want to kulumya those who plan to miss).

And, hey! There will be amazing inspirational entertainment provided by the celebrated country musician ENG. JOSEPH BYAMUKAMA – king of the voice, the man who makes his guitar ‘talk’, and the tantalizing poet SESANGA JERRY, author of the novel AFRICAN GIRL that’s selling like fresh ensenene across East Africa.

Missing is simply not an option! Call 0704666851 / 0774107287 and secure your ticket at UGX 40,000. Remember annual subscription is only UGX 250,000 and with it you don’t need tickets for the next 12 months in addition to several other benefits. Now pick up your phone and call NOW for you don’t want you or your friends or family members to be left out at this special episode of the AUTHORS’ FORUM.

Stay inspired and blessed!

ARE SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE JUST LUCKY?

There are many questions that everyone asks themselves, though sometimes silently. For instance, why is it that you can find someone having a PhD in business studies or entrepreneurship, but with no business – not even a kiosk – but rather just worried of what he or she will do after retirement?

At the end of a training workshop in Action Planning that I was conducting for a big corporation, one of the trainees, my former university classmate, asked me for a job. I told him that the skills and ideas I had just shared with them could make him create any job he wanted for himself and even employ others, but he argued that he was born unlucky and will never succeed on his own. Was he really unlucky? Or was it an issue with his attitude?

He claimed that people like myself are only lucky. How I wish he knew the negative comments I endured when I left my job(s) to start my business! I wish he was there to see me walk around with no transport fare or lunch in the first 2 years of business. I wish he was aware that I sometimes work for 19 hours a day. While he spends on booze and the latest cars, does he remember that one of the things I spend on most is developing myself through books, magazines, DVDs, workshops, e.t.c? Does he know that I have had ups and downs, that I have fallen and risen, that I’ve had moments of bankruptcy, moments of being laughed at, moments of not being believed by anybody, yet kept rising up to the challenge, defying failure and continuing to fight for my dream? So when he sees the success that WORLD OF INSPIRATION is registering today as it grows into a regional brand, he thinks it’s sheer luck. But For sure, I am not just lucky.

It’s true, some people are born lucky. Some find electricity, caring parents and housemaids in the home. Some find they have loaded and ‘connected’ uncles who give them capital or connect them to juicy jobs. Some are born with fascinating talents. But this does not guarantee success; it only facilitates the process. Someone can totally fail, even when he/she was born and is living in an environment that facilitates success.

In my view, no one should blame their failure on bad luck. Haven’t you seen disadvantaged people, such as orphans or those with disability who are great achievers? Aren’t there men who were lucky to marry beautiful wives, yet beat them up everyday? Aren’t there people who studied from the best universities and even inherited fortunes from their parents, yet are now wallowing in the valley of poverty? What of those lucky enough to have been born with a beautiful body, only to peddle it along Speke Road?

The truth is that to become successful, there’s something you must personally do. Both success and failure have something to do with our habits – the things that routine has taught us to do or not do everyday, whether knowingly or unknowingly. To facilitate your journey to success, I highly recommend that, without hesitation, you consider the following:

1. Be part of the next Authors’ Forum – Uganda’s leading inspirational event organized by WORLD OF INSPIRATION. It’s on the 1st of July, 6-9pm, at THE HUB (At Oasis Mall / Nakumat, 2nd Floor). The theme is HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF. No doubt marketing oneself is one of the habits that will open doors of success in your life. In this age no matter who you are, if you do not know how to market yourself, you will always find yourself at the bottom of the ladder, missing opportunities, left and right. As usual, entrance to this event is UGX 40,000, but this week we are giving tickets at a promotional price of UGX 30,000 (for 1 ticket), UGX, 50,000 (for 2 tickets) and UGX 80,000 (for 4 tickets). To lay your hands on this magnetic ticket, contact me on 0704666851 or Winnie Zose on 0774107287. In Kampala, we deliver the ticket at your doorstep. If you are far, you can send your payment by Mobile Money on any of the above numbers and your ticket will be safely reserved. NB: You can also choose to subscribe to the Authors’ Forum at UGX 250,000 and forget about tickets for 12 months in addition to several other benefits.

2. Book your slot in one or all of the 3 short courses that WORLD OF INSPIRATION is organizing for this month. The first one is PROJECT/PANNING which helps you choose the best business/project idea among many, do market research, write your business/project plan and kick off your business/project with the right principles and skills. The second one is THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING which will end all your troubles associated with expressing yourself in a captivating way before big audiences, but also in smaller audiences such as panels and even one-on-one conversations. The third is ACTION PLANNING whose phenomenal impact on individuals’ self-discovery I can’t begin to describe. This course will help you set a clear vision and mission, plus goals and objectives, but also align your habits, networks, career, business, investments, to your dream. Each course is done in 6 weeks, 1 session of 3 hours per week. Sessions are flexibly arranged at the convenience of the participants. The fees for each course is UGX 500,000. But if you come as a group of 10, you will be charged half price. Authors’ Forum subscribed members also pay half price. To book, contact me on 0704666851 or inspiredbake@gmail.com or Opata Peter (0702000808).

Till then, stay inspired and blessed, knowing that your success will not result from luck but rather your efforts!


ROBERT BAKE TUMUHAISE,
Managing Director, WORLD OF INSPIRATION,
Luwum Street, MM Plaza, Suite T33,
worldofinspirationuganda@gmail.com
0414691595 / 0704666851