Alfie Best The Gypsy King - Business Digest Magazine

BUSINESS APRIL/MAY 2020 ISSUE

digest

Find A Need And Fill It

ALFIE BEST SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST MULTIMILLIONAIRE

4 BIG BUSINESS IDEAS

The Perfect Time To Start Your Online Business

Josh Rattanong

The Fear Factor Ted Thomas

Table of

BUSINESS DIGEST MAGAZINE

Contents 5 ENTREPRENEURS: Where do they get their ideas from? Sylvester Smith

7 ALFIE BEST: Interview with Sunday Times Rich List Multimillionaire

9 HOW Market Research Can Enable Future Success. By Denise O’Leary 10 Starting Small And Dreaming Big By Tanya Masaire 14 Protecting Your Business Ideas By JOSH M

18 BECOMING A BETTER MANAGER: The Story of Akhtar Hussain

20 Find A Need And Fill It. 22 The Perfect Time to Start An Online Business

By Joshua Rattanong 24 WHAT Makes A Good Business Idea? JOSH M 25 RISK AND REWARD By Valerie Taylor 30 The Fear Factor

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EDITOR’S NOTE Fanele Moyo Editor-in-Chief

hope people despair and transcend into victims. Stand in faith. When you are in faith, you are in partnership with God. Debunk the myths around you, ignorance is the enemy. Update your perThese are trying times. The way how we ceptions. Do not let financial difficulties carry ourselves will define us for a long

eat into your sleep. Success comes as a

time to come. Being in business is often by product of your dreams. Persevere. about adapting to change and respond-

Keep pushing the limits. Punch above

ing to adverse, turbulent conditions.

your weight. Desperation rules. Roll the

You can keep your business in motion

dice one more time, persistence wears

by selling more online, communicating

down resistance. Stand with those

your plans clearly to your customers.

whose burdens are too heavy to bare.

For others, it is to do those things that

The Law of sowing and reaping has not

have always tugged your heart but you

changed. True dreams come true.

lacked time: starting your business,

We want to hear your triumphant testi-

writing a book or starting an online

monies of faith, hope and courage.

course. This is a defining moment for

Email us: info@businesdigest.com

everyone. Do not get discouraged. It leads to hopelessness. When there is no Business Digest | 3

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APRIL/MAY 2020 ISSUE

ENTREPRENEURS: Where Do They Get Their Ideas From?

At the centre of generating business ideas is creativity. Creativity is an invaluable skill in creating a business and subsequently growing it. Entrepreneurs are not idea laying machines. They have antennae that are sensitive to ideas. Most people have ideas but they probably dismiss them as, “I am being silly to think of such a weird idea. Entrepreneurs are wired differently. They go deeper with such ideas. Most of us have rusted ideas that never got off from the contemplation stage.

Evaluating and selecting alterna- shortages.” They then go on and tives make it happen.

Implementing the solution

Hobbies

Attempting to solve people’s problems is an entrepreneurial skill that leads to business opportunity. Generating alternatives is a very creative process that involves brainstorming.

Individuals are invited to a meeting and encouraged to give their own views concerning an alternative.

Problem solving skills should be taught as early as primary school.

Our children need these skills to The following is a list of where en- overcome and thrive in a world as trepreneurs get their ideas from (not volatile as ours. exhaustive):

Experience

Problems Problems present an excellent source of ideas. When problems are systematically solved, new solutions arise.

People from all walks of life encounter problems. The effects of failure to solve problems can lead to bigger problems. In the family realm it lends itself to divorce, in the business realm, loss of revenue by customers leaving. The basic problem solving steps are: Defining the problem Generating alternatives

Some business ideas stem from hobbies. The best business to start is the one which you are passionate about.

Any business will require most of your time. Spending the whole day on a business that you are not passionate about, will drain your time and resources. Most entrepreneurs realise this. Look at Jammy Oliver, Simon Cowell they are doing something that they love doing. The big mistake that most Ideally, it is a business whose idea embraces your skills, experience and talents. That business must answer the question why. So if you are going to start a business the question must be why do you want to start the business?

Entrepreneurs also mine their own backgrounds for ideas. When you work in a place for many years, it is easy to see the opportunities either in the product or a differentiated product. The product may need the Successful business ventures are modifications that perhaps your cur- built on certain basic raw ingredirent boss might not want to use. ents. An idea or hobby that inspires you when developed profitably is the Frustrations building block of a lifelong business.

Many entrepreneurs have started businesses because they were lookSylvester Smith ing for something and could not find Entrepreneur and CEO it and then thought, “hold on, how many people could be facing such

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Alfie Best’s recipe for success: ‘WORK HARD, SAVE AND INVEST.’

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Interview with Alfie Best What Would Be Your Top 4 Successful Business Ideas In 2020?

“Everybody constantly needs housing. An affordable housing is always going to be beneficial. The business we are doing at this point and time is extremely successful. We are selling affordable houses at 50% less than the market price on a like for like brick and mortar property. We cannot fail because we are solving a need and beating the price margin at the same time.

We are also working on an app that helps revive the HIGH STREET. This app sends you messages to let you know all of your local restaurants, what functions they have and when the shop is low on goods. It also lets you know when restaurants are full. The app also has parking lots availability. The residents of that local area subscribe to the app and charge you when you use their parking lot. The app is called LOCAL because it helps revive the High Street. Everything the app does revolves around the High Street.

We are also working on another app that helps people to carshare to work. People pool together and share the transport.

The fourth business idea is a content editing solution where people can send their content and we edit it professionally and then share it on You Tube and also sell it to various television networks. We are like an editing room and people can send their content, be it about travel, cars or their way of life. We can create multitudes of different channels not just on You Tube.”

I asked Alfie whether I can share his projects with our audience and this was his response:

“Oh please go ahead. I love to see people do well in Business. I love business with a passion and nothing excites me as much as other people succeeding.”

What were your biggest mistakes getting to where you are?

“My biggest mistake was not understanding what was happening in the market itself. So, I minding my business and doing absolutely fine. Everything was good but I wasn’t looking outside my business. I wasn’t paying attention to the economy yet every business is affected in some way or another by the economy and it has a profound effect. That was in 1990. I nearly went bankrupt by not concentrating on the outside factors that affect business.

My second mistake was being overconfident. When you are in business, it is imperative that you check twice. Don’t believe your own hype. Sometimes when you are successful, you start to believe that you are invincible. That’s where you can fall flat. It is good to remember where you came from because you can easily go back there.” I prompted Alfie to tell us more: “If you are not humble, you are nothing,” he says emphatically.

What do you think about, most of the time?

“WORK. The secret to success is WORK, SAVE, INVEST. It is that simple. Work, save, invest.

Work, save, invest. If you continue that habit, you begin to benefit from your investments.”

What sort of investments are we looking at?

“Investments should always be a cash producing benefit. Your investments must produce a cashflow otherwise they become a long destination of hope. An investment that does not produce an income is like marrying a wife who Business Digest | 7

BUSINESS DIGEST MAGAZINE

Interview with Alfie Best continued

who cannot cook!!” quips Alfie.

What Guiding Principle Would You Leave for This Generation?

Don’t believe what you see on Social Media because you have people selling false dreams. We are living in a world today where everyone sees what’s happening on social media and think that’s how other people are living. Live your life but make sure you work, save, invest and enjoy the benefits

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How market research can enable future success As marketing strategy experts we are often asked how can a small business conduct market research on a small budget? As with all marketing activity, the strength in the result will be determined by the direction and focus of the research.

Market research is a crucial part of any and all marketing plans. Kotler et al.

(2013) define market research as ‘the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organisation’. Although businesses may think they know who their target market is, after some research, they are often surprised. To a small business, it may seem an unnecessary task but it may be one of the most important undertakings that can be done delivering numerous advantages. The benefits to conducting market research can include a higher level of competitiveness, reduced risks and betterinformed plans and decisions.

by clients.

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Research can also uncover potential threats to a business which may have gone unnoticed or were not considered. These threats could be in the form of competition, substitute products or new, easier ways of production. Whilst they are problems, if they are identified, considered and action taken, it allows the business to be a step ahead in dealing with the problem. This increases the chances of not only survival but also continued success.

Being able to make predictions about future success or failure is hugely important for a business. By conducting market research, it’s possible to project how well the business will do based on trends and previous industry data. Forecasting future revenue assists with planning production capability, resources and raw material requirements. As many as 6 out of 10 businesses do not survive their first five years.

Businesses that are prepared with information There are many ways to conduct market research about their market and their competition are in a that are low-cost or often free. Using online surbetter position to make decisions. It is much betveying tools or just asking your customers both ter to find out who your customers are and what provide great places to start in terms of keeping they want so that the business can take the necyour costs down and they don’t have to take as essary steps to accommodate them and target long as you might think either. Research often accordingly. leads to a better use of resources in future, it can also lead to improved business effectiveness.

Denise O’Leary is the founder of PurWhen considering a new business idea, market research can unearth new trends and new markets that the business or even the wider market has perhaps not noticed before. The importance of this is that it can allow a business to focus their efforts on new trends or customers as well as their existing ones.

pol Marketing

A business which keeps updated to new customers, changing social trends and advancing technology is more agile and able to adapt to shifting client requirements. It will be able to carve a niche and be relevant and therefore in demand

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Starting Small And Dreaming BIG

By TANYA MASAIRE

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. At one point or the other, we have all probably come across this saying. And for most, if not all of us, the saying has become a bit clichéd due to its overuse in pop culture.

However, cliché though it might be, the saying holds water in many different aspects of life.

The sunshine zealots and the summer soldiers shrink from good habits and resort to quick fixes.

In this social media dominated world, the term “overnight success” has become synonymous with some of the greatest names of the world. But is there anything like overnight success? Or is it a snapshot of a bizarre theory? Behind every overnight success, there are painstakingly long hours of doubts, fears and failures that metamorphosed into success.

Starting small is natural. Staying there is not. Tom Singh OBE, with an estimated fortune of £350 million, founded New Look with a loan from his parents. New Look is now one of the leading stores in Britain. Sukphal Singh, with an estimated fortune of £300 million was a refugee from Uganda. He borrowed £5000 and started a company called Euro Car Parts which he later sold for millions of pounds.

The overnight success theory robs us of persevering and growing as we build our dreams.

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Every finished product that is on the shelf had to go through various stages of production before it made it to the shop floor. This is true for any business including the Fortune 500 companies.

When I started public speaking in a high school which did not even have a debate club, I appeared foolish not only to my peers but sometimes to myself. Years later, this has become my bread basket and affords me exposure with the who’s who my city.

scale up your operations. The and experiences? There are internet has made marketing possibilities that you don’t cheap and accessible. know about.

As we strive to achieve our dreams, here are a few tips which can increase your chances of success:

When a baby crawls and tries to walk, there are times where it falls and hurts itself. But if the baby refuses to stand up and try again, then it would never be able to walk.

2. Know your long term goals You have the power to change your life. Respond to your and vision abilities. Fine tune them and Your vision and goals will let them work for you. Do not keep you focused. Vision is under estimate small things. the mental picture of your toYeast is small but causes morrow. A defined destinabread to rise to a different levIn Zimbabwe, we call small tion allows you to avoid deel. business owners Museyamwa tours. Goals are where you and many a times, this term is want to be. Turn all your wants used in a derogatory manner. into goals.

We forget that decades ago 3. Embrace failure the big businesses like the It’s going to get ugly. Things Thomas Meikles Group, Halsted Brothers, Megapak, N will go wrong. There will be Richards, and OK were also times of doubt and failure.

Museyamwas. And in order for This is life. Learn from the mistakes and never repeat them to be where they are them. now, they had to grow.

1. Lack of Capital Capital is important, but it shouldn’t limit you in achieving your dreams. Use the little funds that you have to design the prototype or to buy the basics needed to kick-start your business and then use the profits that you make to

This is the same with anything that we do in life. When bad things happen, we need to find solutions and move on.

In order to grow, you need to ask the right questions. How can I do more with my talents

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PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS IDEAS By JOSH M

s

o long as your business strives for success, the importance of protecting what is unique to it -whether that be an idea or a product - is present. Such protection can allow you to; sell at higher prices (as competitors cannot replicate what you’ve made), allow others to use the idea/product (at a price) and obtain more demand (as they would be less substitutes to compete). The 3 forms of protection relevant to businesses are; patents, trademarks and copyrights.

Each form of protection is only suitable in certain circumstances.

of elements from that invention, including the parts which make it work, how exactly it functions and what the invention can do. However, there are certain requirements needed to be met, that stop patents from being recklessly handed out, to every ‘invention’ presented. Such thresholds help limit monopolies that can be created via an invention.

Some of these requirements include; the need for the invention to be ‘new’, the need for it to be usable in industry and the need for it to not be an obvious invention, that someone with experience could come to. This then raises the question of A patent for instance, is focused on protecting a what truly meets the requirements of a patent, as many of the renew invention. This can quirements are If a man is keeping an idea to himself, and encompass a wide array that idea is taken by stealth or trickery-I say it subjective. This grey area is a is stealing. But once a man has revealed his source of controidea to others, it is no longer his alone. It beversy and has longs to the world...INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY caused disputes over the legitimaQUOTE cy of patents in many instances. Due to how sought-after patents are, this dispute is likely to continue. This demand for patents may be due not only to its mere protection but how long it can protect you for – 20 years – as it stops competition from making a substitute that can compete with your product over a long period of time. Despite this, there are a handful of drawbacks to using a patent

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Protecting Your Business Ideas (continued)

this worse is that during the time in which you file your case to sue, the competitor would still be making money Firstly, they need renewal eve- of the invention they copied ry 5 years, which can cause from you. Lastly, the process problems if left forgotten. Sec- of applying for a patent can be ondly, even if a competitor very costly, which can be a dereplicates your idea, the pro- terrent for new business. cess of suing them is strenuous because it’s a costly and lengthy ordeal. What makes

Have you got a great story about your business that you want to share? Perhaps you launched a new product or crowdfunded to help your business move to the next level.

Send your story to info@businesdigest.com

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT What does it take to become a Top Manager?

strongly recommend a change to this approach, use it as an opportunity to learn a new skill to evidence to the company you are

I had the privilege of interviewing Akhtar Hussain, the Managing Director of Nightingale Hospital a private psychiatric hospital in Central London.

I asked Akhtar how one can become a better manager.

Akhtar started off by saying that “Whatever position/role you hold in any organisation, you must look towards the benefit of being in that role. Every single role has something positive about it which you can learn and getting the most value from a role is important. Do not despise small beginnings and be patient.

Every job has meaning and adds value to the well-being of the organisation. I used to do paper rounds as a school student to junior retail jobs during my studies. I always made sure I took at least one new skill from each job as well as improve any existing ones. I often hear people say I am not doing this extra task as I am not being paid to do it. I

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competent in this. You will be in a much stronger position to negotiate a salary increase as well as develop new skills.

What I can say is that I learnt so many transferable skills through all my roles. I think one of the most important attributes one can have is the ability and willingness to learn. As a manager sometimes, you always feel pressured to have all the answers. It is important to remember that you will not always have the answer and it is ok to go away and come back with solutions. A good leader and manager is able

to accept they will always learn from others as well being decisive when required to do so.”

Akhtar also touched on another insightful value of humility.

‘Humility is important at work and in life. It allows you to bring others into your space and hear something different.’

Among other insights that Akhtar shared were vision, organisational culture, change management and leadership skills being important to young managers. Akhtar articulated on the necessity of converting company values to operationally viable processes.

His leadership style is facilitative.

Akhtar believes in mentoring others as a way to support and develop junior staff and he is also mentored by someone else.

I asked Akhtar about his life purpose. “My life purpose is to help those that are around me to fulfil their life objectives both in my professional life and personal life”.

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Find A Need And Fill It. L

Twenty-first cen-

tury living is strenuous. The human race has become a prisoner of so many challenges: unemployment, poverty, crime, corruption, homelessness, high cost of living, hunger and a host of other problems.

There are millions of people whose lives have broken down.

It is easy to be absorbed in your own problems and never hear the cry of a desperate neighbour on the brink of disaster, with no hope.

talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation Rummaging through the backyard of your life can lead you to that discarded skill or talent which can be useful. Is there some challenge which you have overcome and have understood the recovery process? Just because you have overcome the pain of divorce doesn’t mean everyone is capable of doing the same. Have you witnessed a miscarriage of justice that ignites a passion to fight back similar injustices in the future?

Armed with your own capabilities, you can make a difference. It is finding that part of your strength that can leverage someone else. It could be your finances, skill or your time. Marrying the two can Where your talent and the needs of the world cross, make you alive once more. there lies your vocation. Aristotle, Greek Philosopher Aristotle, the Greek philosopher once said, ‘Where your 20 | Business Digest

Is there something that makes you angry and hence you would like to eradicate?

Is it crime, obesity, lack of purpose or corruption?

When a business has a reason to be there, it tends to defy all odds in its existence.

The foundation of a meaningful business is built on helping others.

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The Perfect Time To Start Your Online Business Tomorrow doesn't exist for people who don’t do something today.

and you need to then get people onto your website.

Depending on your product/service you can look at Having sold thousands of products online, I have dis- different ways to get traffic. If you have a physical product like; Clothing, electronics etc you might find covered the three things every business needs to be successful. It really isn’t rocket science, but if you can using Instagram influencers a good place to start as the cost will be much less than Facebook advertising do these three things well your business will surely and you are sure to get your product in front of the thrive. right audience from the get go. If The first thing every business need is Pull quote goes here. Pull you’re selling a digital product such a product or service that solves a as software, eBooks, music then quote goes here. Pull problem. If you’re still trying to Setting up some Facebook converquote goes here. Pull come up with a brand-new idea, sion or traffic campaigns and testing quote goes here. Pull maybe you shouldn’t. Often, it’s them at lower budgets with multiple quote goes here. better to just have a look at what’s assets and ad creatives will be good. already working and see how you Over a few days see which assets can make it even better. Just taking and ads convert best, pause the losan already proven product and improvers and duplicate the winners. Alright so now that ing it is a good place to start! you have a great product, and you’re getting people who are interested in your product onto your webThe next thing is traffic. Even if you have the best site what is missing? product in the world, if no one knows about it, you won’t make any sales. Online you need a website

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You now need to optimise your landing page for conversions. This is often the one piece of the puzzle that gets overlooked, yet it is the final part that needs to be done well or else you won’t make sales.

You see, when people land on your website you have just 5-10 seconds to get their attention or else, they’ll click away. So, here’s what you need to do. First ensure your website is loading fast. You can connect your site with a CDN or Akamai to ensure your content loads super quick. Also ensure your images aren’t too heavy, you can use a site like tinypng.com to quickly reduce sizes.

Next make sure that your main headlines and text is very easy to understand and easily portrays the main benefits of your product or service. Don’t use big complex words, instead make it simple for anyone to read and understand. If writing isn’t your strong point, consider hiring a copywriter from sites such as Upwork.com or Fiverr.com. The final part of your page is the design. Again, if you’re not a graphic designer, hire one! The design of your site represents the quality of your product or service as people judge a book by its cover. So, ensure you hire a top designer so your product is presented in the best way.

I hope this has helped you to better understand the three core things your business needs to succeed online!

Joshua Rattanong CEO and co-founder of a video hosting platform for marketers called vidello. You can find out more about what we do at vidello.com

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What makes a good business idea?

LRegardless of the business, the starting point is always the moment an idea is established. As trivial as this may seem on the outset, the success of any business hinges on this being done well. So, what makes a well-made idea?

Firstly, the viability of the idea is crucial. Having a creative and unique idea is great, however if the start-up cost isn't within your means, then the idea becomes pointless. Furthermore, the viability of the idea not only hinges on your ability to afford the idea, but also your ability to maintain it. In other words, do you have the expertise required to make the idea a success. Expertise encapsulates factors such as experience and knowledge of the market in question. A good way to ensure that your idea is viable is by creating a plan of action. This should have a list of achievable steps towards the end product.

No Matter What People Tell You, WORDS and IDEAS Can Change The World‌ Robin Williams

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Secondly, the idea you come up with should not only be viable, but also garner demand. An idea has demand if it satisfies the needs of the customer. This can be seen with any product, such as the fast food industry – people need easy to obtain meals (the demand) which fast food stores sell (satisfy). However, the problem with trying to identify whether your product has demand is that customers' needs change.

Fashion trends are a prime example of this as particular products go in and out of demand seasonally.

So, if you aren't aware of the trends in the market, no matter how viable and on demand your idea may see, trends may change against your favour if you aren't able to anticipate it. Another interesting but significantly more difficult method of generating an idea with demand is by trying to sell a product which people don't demand currently. But due to your predictions you anticipate it being in demand soon. Such anticipatory actions can lead to market leading products or failure.

Lastly, the aim of a business idea make a profit in the year of their is that its realisation will result in a profit. Arguably the trickiest element of forming a business idea is forecasting what your profits will be. In order to do this, you would need to predict the products demand, which is close to impossible to figure out accurately. Then you would have to factor in the costs of implementing the idea.

All the unforeseeable elements in this explains why businesses are not always sure if an idea will generate a profit. This fact is one of the reasons why most businesses struggle to break even let alone idea being realised.

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RISK and REWARD

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers. The FACEBOOK entrepreneur, Mark Zuckerberg is believed to have said, “The biggest risk is not taking risk in a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

Risks cannot be completely eliminated but they can be minimised. Therefore,

the biggest job of an entrepreneur is to minimise risk. Over five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus said, “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a long time.” To start a business involves taking a risk.

“Come to the edge," he said.

"We can't, we're afraid!" they responded.

"Come to the edge," he said.

"We can't, We will fall!" they responded.

"Come to the edge," he said.

And so they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.” ― Guillaume Apollinaire

“

As the world currently stands, it is unimaginable to live without certain basic necessities like housing, food, shelter and … A steady stream of income is required to meet these needs. Entrepreneurship may involve selling one’s house to finance their proposed venture or losing it in the face of failure.

Leaving a 9 to 5 job to start your own business is a risk could result in a heavy opportunity cost. Investing large sums of money on a new venture could leave you heavily in debt.

be measured. Starting a business involves a lot of uncertainty.

New businesses have a history of failure: 20% of small businesses fail in their first year and 50% of small businesses fail after 5 years in business.

(Fundera)

Most small businesses fail for lack of capital, poor business models, lack of reputation, poor business acumen, and poor marketing endeavours (INVESTOPEDIA). So entrepreneurs should underEntrepreneurs therefore need to be wise at asstand the factors that lead to business failure and sessing risk and reward. Whilst risk can be predict- strategize to overcome these hurdles. ed with reasonable accuracy, uncertainty cannot

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However, these failures have not deterred entrepreneurs starting their businesses. Unsurprisingly, entrepreneurship is a scarce resource over successive generations.

out profit?

Be better than your competitors.

The issues that increase the risk of failure are: Economic: the economic conditions can be adverse as in 2008 and 2009 where consumers had less money to spend, Competitors can make it difficult for new entrants to survive by lowering prices, Entrepreneurs can increase their own risk of failure by failing to understand the market, poor pricing, poor human resource utilisation, poor decision making abilities.

The reward musts justify the risk. The entrepreneur is there to make a profit. Business is not for the faint-hearted, so many things can go wrong and they do. No wonder many people end up shelving their ideas.

Some entrepreneurs focus on low risks. However when the risks are low, the rewards are low. Very seldom do low risk projects yield high risks.

CALCULATED RISKS Entrepreneurs should be ‘calculated risk-takers’.

According to the Oxford handbook of Entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur is “a specialist in risk-taking.”

There is no guarantee that the business will fail but increasing his resourcefulness will increase the chances of success.

Doing something you love and know.

Is there demand for your product or service?

Market Research is necessary before launching a product.

Do the dogs like it? Don’t create a dog food with all the Vitamins & Nutrients without finding out whether the dogs like it.

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The Fear Factor Focus is an entrepreneurial asset. It channels all the strengths of an individual towards a strategic point and allows a breakthrough to occur. When focus is consistently practised as a habit, it brings sustained success to the entrepreneur. The current Coronavirus crisis poses a barrier of fierce opposition to life and businesses draining life from our cities and businesses.

Focus on your destination. In Canada they have winter storms in the Prairies. The winter storms are characterised by freezing rains and icy winds. Many cattle turn their backs against the winds and are forced down the slopes to their death. The breed that survives the storms are called HEREFORDS. Instinctively they lower their heads, go shoulder to shoulder and head directly towards the incoming winds.

Whilst some people are still full of hope and a better expectation of the future, some have become increasingly worried and fearful. Fear can be a good warning system but there is that dilapidating fear which causes people to be inactive, hide and cower until the storm passes. That kind of fear is infectious and without hope. That is the fear we must fight through faith, determination and perseverance.

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Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged. You must fight fear. You must persevere. Have courage to start a new business, project or write that book that you have struggled with all these years. Get a new digital skill in marketing. You must see victory. Pursue your dreams as if nothing is happening. But live within the Lockdown policies.

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