TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD OF BUSINESS:

"Businesses go through  life cycles so  be prepared to weather  the vagaries in business cycles with equanimity". GA

George Ansong is the ultimate entrepreneur. He has bought an existing business. He has started business from the scratch. He has been involved in a number of million dollar deals overseas. He shares his insights from what he has learnt over the year

1. Time Wasters -Learn to weed out the time wasters - people who waste your time and are not contributing to your goals - this is especially when you are in sales - you have to learn how to qualify people quickly through a series of questions that you device - just learn to weed out the time wasters

2. Not to do list - Compile a not to do list - a not to do list is crucial - I know we have been brainwashed  to do a "to do list"  - a  not to do list would help you eliminate the things that you don't need to do. For example, I don't  answer all call that I get. I let them go into my voice mail and return calls at designated time.

3.Productive hours - Track down your most productive hours - device a means to know your most productive hours and capitalize on it. Your most productive hours might be just four hours a day, but if you optimize it you will be able to increase your productivity.

4. Follow up -Spend time on the follow up - your follow up is what yields the result - like in tennis, it is the follow up shots that makes the difference. According to available statistics the majority of sales are made through 5th-12th contact. Make it your business to follow up.

5. Significant task - Determine to accomplish a significant task everyday - make it a habit to accomplish a significant everyday - tasks are what results in measurable goals. "Those who progressively take action, measure their results, refine their efforts, and continue to take action are destined to succeed; it's just a matter of time and a willingness to keep going"

6.Write a manual -  If you have an area of expertise write a manual /booklet - it help to sharpen your mind or thinking on a particular subject. It might even helpful for you to write an e-book or a best seller one day. One day, I suggested to my wife - I said you should write a book entitled "Raising Godly Children in an ungodly world". She looked at me, but she never responded. I believe that one day she is going to write that book since she has a passion for children!!

7. Think -Devote at least one hour a day thinking - think on paper - that means have a pen and paper with you and write down what comes to your mind - you can solve most problems this way -  write down ideas that come to you that might be the business idea that propels you to wealth. Do you know you can solve most problem during your thinking time?

8. Keep deals in the air -Keep a lot of deals in the air because you don't know which ones will succeed. I normally don't have a written down plan on a daily basis, but I have a general idea of what to do - I keep my schedule flexible so that I can zero in on the most important tasks.

9. Don't lose you momentum -  Keep pushing and don't lose your momentum - What is momentum? Momentum is the art of marshaling resources both visible and invisible resources to propel you continuously towards your life purpose. Specifically, you should be able to maintain your focus and be able to get back on track if you side step away from your journey. Is it possible to lose your momentum? Absolutely and that is why you have to make sure that you are always aware of your goals, so that you can always get back on track with some kind of guidance and feedback.

10.Negative Thinking- This might be like negative thinking, but it is not. It takes a long time to succeed in business so be prepared for challenges , problems and even a failure. For example, I have developed what I  a "shock absorber" within my framework of thinking;  I go into a deal with low expectation, because we all know how to deal with success. I normally go into a deal expecting the worst, because we know that success will always find some joy. Know that  businesses go through a life cycle of  its so be prepared to weather  the vagaries in business cycles with equanimity.