From Hooters To Hot Buns: How Kat Cole Turned Cinnabon Into A $1 Billion Brand

Here's a great interview I read this morning on Forbes.com, so I thought I would share. I absolutely love to hear about ambitious young people doing great things no matter where they started out in life.

From Hooters to Hot Buns: How Kat Cole Turned Cinnabon into a 1 Billion Dollar Brand

How being born a Nigerian makes you a natural hustler

 Am a hustler baby! I just want you to know, it ain’t where I been, but where am about to go, now I just wanna luv u . . . . yadiyadi ya, u know the rest of the song ☺

So am sitting down thinking of what business I can currently go into with the very limited resources that I currently have at hand; and well…. I am still thinking :/

Anyway, it got me thinking about how almost all Nigerians are businessmen and women, does not even matter if they are actually jobless, we all do business! It’s just that, well some business pass business o! (Insert thick Nigerian accent here). However, who can really blame them between the lack of good jobs and with the low pay that most jobs even offer 1 + 1 does not equal 2, more like -5.  Leaving the majority of the people struggling to make ends meet. I am not even talking of the poor people of our country even our graduates are struggling. Engineers and accountants are pounding the pavement looking for work or are resorting to working as security guards or serving tea in the banks. Unfortunately, not all of them go the legit route. The other option it seems are 419 (fraudulent activity), armed robbery, prostitution of all sorts and people resorting to all this ritual nonsense where they kidnap their fellow Nigerians and sell them or kill them to make money. It is so very disturbing.

Now even though I believe Nigeria is technically a third world country, do you know that Lagos (the previous capital of Nigeria) is one of the most expensive places to live in the world? Yes!, a place where the majority of the population lives on less than $2 a day. We also buy the most champagne in all of Africa. The flashiest cars dey here, plenty plenty. Range rover, Bentley and all the other expensive cars that are out there (forgive my ignorance am not a big car person, I just like my Mercedes). Land and houses for sale and rent at prices only a small percentage of the population can actually afford and loads of designer clothes and accessories at 5 times the actual price if you went out yourself and bought it abroad. It leaves the majority of the people looking up and trying to aspire to live this lifestyle.

If you think about it, it is actually quite sad. Drivers, house helps and nannies constantly stealing from their employers at every slight opportunity. Girls in the workplace, moonlighting on the side so they can wear the best of the best and drive some luxury vehicle. Boys setting up dodgy businesses and the likes and its so rampant its every where. I wonder what is truly the real solution to this problem???
But to my legit hustlers, more power to you, man (and woman) must eat.

Random thoughts of my mind.

Throwback Video: Interview with Your Access Tv (ToksVision)

OMG! .. . . I just came across an old interview we did in 2008 with Your Access Tv. 

Lol, we were just cheesy grinning throughout and I sure was aggressive with that microphone. Ah, the good old days.

Anyways here is the video for your viewing pleasure☺ 

Investment Opportunity

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700sqm land with 1bedroom Bq X3 on street adjacent to University of Abuja, gwagwalada.

Enough land space for more development. I.E student hostel, hotel or guest inn.

 Call All-N-Wan Properties Ltd 09-8752651 (if you can not get through by phone email me at omogelepa@gmail.com and I will have someone get back to you.)


Serious Inquires only!

Women Empowering Other Women

It seems like almost everyday I hear about some woman somewhere complaining about another woman.  Now I know we are all not perfect and some of us have had to struggle and fight for what we have and where we have gotten; but it takes absolutely nothing away from you if  you pay a kind and encouraging word to your fellow woman,  support your fellow woman's business or just even point your fellow woman in the right direction.

It takes a strong and confident woman to uplift another woman without her having the fear that her position will be compromised or that she will no longer be as relevant. Now, even if you support your fellow sister, mentor her, promote her and encourage her, it is not guaranteed she might even appreciate it. However, one must remember you are not doing it for the "thank you" even though that would be nice! You are doing this for the mere fact that you can be a better woman, a stronger woman, a more confident woman.
Hopefully at the end of the day and even when you are long gone there will be more women in business, more progressive women in the world  and most importantly more young girls that believe they have what it takes to be successful in life.

You do not even have to be a powerful woman or even a business woman to support and empower another woman. Here are a few of my suggestions on being good to your sister:

1. Listen and encourage. If another woman is telling you about her business idea and even if it might be something that you have zero interest in, do not kill her dreams unless it is illegal or involves her pimping herself or other girls.
2. If a woman you know has just recently started a business, check it out and show your support. If you absolutely love it and she knows what she is doing, help her spread the word.
3. If for whatever reason you were not impressed by what she was doing, do not go out and belittle her and call it constructive criticism. Simply make a polite suggestion and if there is not polite way then let it be.
4. If you have a connection or know someone else that may be able to help another woman realize her dreams connect them together or at least try to.
5. Become a mentor! If you have the know how, share the know how. Yes, it may have taken you years but it is ok. Women long before you have fought and struggled for women's rights, women's place in the economy, business, politics and government.

So please go out and encourage a woman today, this week, this month, NOW!  :)

This is dedicated to all my hard working sisters all over the world, you are not working in vain.
Also, if you know any incredible and exquisite woman that you think should be featured as an Omoge of the month please let me know.