Business | Brian Rants

From the Blog

Mar

“Not in Vain” – A cherished thank you from Peter Wanganyu for business training

Posted by brianrants at 10:21 am

I’m still in a bit of a jetlagged daze as I attack my email inbox this morning. I’m so grateful I had this note waiting in my inbox about the business training seminar we put on in the Matopeni neighborhood of Nairobi for our partners

Dear Brian, this is Peter, we met at the candlelight ministries where Chuck delivered a very motivating talk on business.This is to thank you for the good work that your org is doing in our country and also to assure you that the seminar was not in vain.I have tried to pass on the message to my peers at komarock and we really are trying to change our approach to business so we can register better returns.Please keep in touch and kindly inform us when you next visit.God bless you.Regards-Peter.

In the seminar Chuck covered:

Revenue – Cost = Gross Profit
Gross Profit – Income = Net Profit

It is a problem that plagues all businesses worldwide: you get a $100 check from a client and think “Yay I have $100!” Not so, as Chuck explained using the metaphor of selling eggs. You have to factor in costs of buying more eggs to sell, transporting the eggs to a market, broken eggs, employees, refrigeration, and so on. Only after those costs, and after taking the income you need to live on, do you have your actual net profit.

It was incredible to watch the light bulbs go on in these social entrepreneurs heads. One attendee said “this changes everything…now we know why our businesses have been failing.”

These brave entrepreneurs are truly my heroes, it is a privilege to serve them and support their work.

Feb

Mexican soap operas and moving at the speed of friendship

Posted by brianrants at 1:44 pm

“Moving at the speed of business.” “Moving at the speed of light.” “Always on the move.”

Ours is a culture on the move. My life is always in motion. I can scarcely keep pace with my own mind, let alone the activities of each day.

When I stepped into Heathrow Airport I felt like a cow in a Masaai herd. Reentering “the west,” everyone is so serious, so busy, so hurried.

I tend towards an anxious personality. I have a variety of nervous habits. Despite the heartbreaking poverty, and times of culture shock, I’ve not been so relaxed since…well I don’t know when.

In Kenya I always knew I was the priority of whoever I was with. The relationship, the friendship, the moment is what matters. It was a powerful sense of presence.

It wasn’t always deep life-changing conversation. I watched a lot of Mexican soap operas (translated into English…Kenyans are obsessed…I know, weird right?).

I now reenter a world where expectations are different. Showing up late to meetings because I was “in the moment” won’t fly, and would be disrespectful in the US culture. How can I create a balance and retain the slower pace of life I loved in Kenya?

In a world moving so fast, how can I move at the speed of friendship?

Feb

The “Problem of Credit” is Simply an “Opportunity”

Posted by brianrants at 10:30 am

Charles Owino of YOCHAN (Youth Challenge Network) corrected one of his youth when she spoke of a “problem,” saying it was not a problem but “an opportunity.” I imagine he would similarly advise here. Partners like Mother’s Concern and LOMORO are tackling this “opportunity.” Michael Nyangi is already “The Banker to the Slums,” as one Swiss newspaper called him after he met with a Swiss banking colleague. He has provided savings and loans services through his organization to 210 growing LOMORO so he can become a bank someday.

The good news: The solutions, and the social entrepreneurs who have devised them, are already present here in Nairobi. That is why The 1010 Project is here: connecting these social entrepreneurs with capital. Additionally, as part of this trip we are establishing grassroots business training to help increase their capacity for success.

The 1010 Project continues to grow because the opportunities here are…well, endless. And because our supporters in the United States continue to seize these opportunities for contributing their time, expertise, and resources towards breaking the cycle of poverty for life.

If you haven’t already…will you Join the Story?

This is the second and final part of a series on credit in Kenya

Mar

Teaching Scots how to speak sales

Posted by brianrants at 1:27 pm

In my web design business, we have a great client over in Edinburgh Scotland. Ed and I were talking this morning about the projects, and I threw in some of our normal schpeel about how we will be a good partner for them…help maintain profits on both sides…blah blah blah.

Our Scottish friend who is about the same age thought that was just hilarious, and talked about American sales-speak just “rolls off your tongue.” So in response, I created a conference to help the Scots learn from us smooth Americans.

In business, Scots are known for their medieval style communication. They communicate with grunts, and offer to barter meat and food in exchange for services provided.

eye9 Design is proud to present “SalesSpeak for Scots,” an exciting new way to learn the smooth American style of Sales. Contact us today, and we’ll throw in a free American flag and a hamburger.

Nov

Democrat vs Republican (tongue in cheek)

Posted by brianrants at 4:42 pm

One of my friends and I have had some good-natured sparring over Democrat vs Republican.
He and I enjoy the back and forth, so please take this in the satirical manner it was intended. We don’t actually think the other party believes this, and it’s total hyperbole. But it is funny, and shows the extremes of each party. Enjoy.
The list I received

I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are
all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

I’m voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I
want. I’ve decided to marry my horse.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a
gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of
gas at 15% isn’t.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better
job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I’m voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody
is offended by it.

I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the
bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us
if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt
away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.

I’m voting Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of
millions of abortion babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be
allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest
away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the
Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get
their agendas past the voters.

I’m voting Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass it’s
unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

The list I composed

I’m voting Republican because the sky is falling, Obama is the Antichrist, and there is a terrorist under every rock
I’m voting Republican because we are a party of diversity: if by diverse you mean having 3.5 black people and 8 hispanics
I’m voting Republican because if I keep telling myself “Iraq had a connection to the people who attacked us on 9/11″ it will make it true
I’m voting Republican because prosperity trickles down to poor people…it does right? I mean I don’t actually know any poor people.
I’m voting Republican because I want government to stay out of the way…except for legislating the cultural and moral principles I hold…and guns…but stay out of the way on other stuff
I’m voting Republican because I believe you can plant a democracy at the end of a gun with civilian leaders who don’t even know the difference between Sunni and Shiite.
I’m voting Republican because I believe we simply need to waive our irresistible democracy fairy dust over the middle east, and it will bloom like a spring garden. We don’t ACTUALLY need to waste our time understanding their culture, religion, and values.
I’m voting Republican because schools don’t need more money, the facilities are amazing…in the suburbs where I live
I’m voting Republican because I trust international corporations more than I trust government…they can’t both be corrupt can they?
I’m voting Republican because I forget there are a lot of pro-life people on both sides, who know that we should be just as focused on preventing unplanned pregnancy as the legal status of abortion, that the lowest abortion rates in the world are in countries where it is legal but there is good health services (http://prolifeproobama.com/), the highest in countries where it is illegal and there are not adequate services), and that being pro-life doesn’t end at birth (http://matthew25.org)

Jun

An ex-Agnostic

Posted by brianrants at 10:41 pm

I have honed my worrying talents to the point where….it would make you sick to your stomach.

And I just got to the end of about 3 big projects with my business, with not alot on the dock to come next.

So I called in the anxiety troops and sent them into war on my nerves, my marriage, and my life.

Then, the Spirit of the living God called them out of service, and asked me to trust him.

Being a theological theist, but a practical agnostic, I decided to show my agnosticism the door and prayed with several groups of people about my desire to trust God.

Well, today I received a reimbursement check from an insurance policy (expected), a good sized check from my wife’s former employer (totally unexpected), and a call from one of my client’s saying he wanted to give me a large sum of money to keep working on his project (also totally unexpected).

Hmmm…maybe practical agnosticism is overrated. I mean, even if God didn’t choose to answer my prayers in this way, the whole worrying thing is WAY overrated.

Jun

A Lonely Chair

Posted by brianrants at 7:36 am

I just watched Negotiator…for the third time. And even though I know the ending, it still makes my palms sweaty.

And it also touches something inside of me…it incites a righteous indignation. If you do not know the plotline, the character played by Samuel L Jackson is a negotiator for the Chicago police. There is internal fraud occuring, skimming money from the disability fund. Samuel’s partner gets too close to the truth…and that’s where it gets interesting. Someone dies, and Jackson gets framed for the crime.

Jackson loses his badge, possibly his freedom, his wife…and his name.

What is it about our name, our reputation that is so central to our identity. I think especially with a man, there is something deep inside him that is violated when his name is betrayed.

I remember working at a job where I witnessed less than honest business dealings. When I brought them to light, not only did the parties involved not admit wrongdoing, they turned the tables on me. I was ambushed. My word was questioned, my character was impuned and I was given a lonely chair in a dark room.

In those situations, you hope you have made enough deposits into the trust banks of your friends and colleagues that they will see through the lies that are being spread. However, it is a harsh reality that many times it comes down to one person’s word against another, and you have no guarantees that your name may not be forever ruined in some people’s eyes.

Betrayal. Betrayal of my name, my word, my integrity. Is there a more lonely chair?

Identity theft is a rapidly growing crime in this country. Why is it so painful? Because someone takes your name, your reputation, and commits acts in your stead.

Gossip is another form of theft. Taking the reputation of another, and stealing the dignity of their name from whoever is listening.

“A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything–or destroy it!

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue–it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image.”

Lord, help me control my tongue, and may my words never place a fellow human being in that lonely chair.

Jan

Cell Phones

Posted by brianrants at 9:14 am

You know…I love cell phones…I mean I really love cell phones. My wife can get ahold of me anytime she wants, if plans change on the fly I can still find my friends, and my phone functions as my business line.

But I have to say some people answer their phones too much. I’m sharing “Yeah dude, I just really feel like God is…” and their pocket becomes a digital orchestra. “Oh just a sec, let me see who this is.” I think there needs to be a time to not answer the *@#$ thing.

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