Personal Branding

In the world we are living today being a young professional is no easy ting...there are so many con men with their con plans roaming the streets and offices. So one way to distinguish yourself is through building and maintaining a personal brand.
Am not yet to become a guru or an authority in any field but I have some few practical steps one can take to have a personal brand which can be relied upon by the society-employers, employees, institutions, and even government agencies in this Nairoberry professional scene.
1. Keep time! As a general rule we have little respect for time. You give someone an appointment and they come half hour or an hour late. You give an appointment and you fail to make. Bugger, it was not at gun point! Until you have a reputation for respect for time you will not project yourself as a powerful brand. Most of the work I undertake have very serious deadlines and the deadlines are usually that DEAD...so have a dignity for those dead lines and you will be respected. There is nothing as nerve wracking as having sub contracted some project to your fellow professional and when it is 1 hr to the deadline she doesn't pick the phone.
2. Being passionate: There has been arguments about whether passion matters but to me yes it does. We have large bunches of people doing things they don't like and that is why everywhere we have turned our clients and customers into perennial whiners who have to beg, plead and even bribe for us to deliver services.Like Martin Luther said once- if you are a sweeper sweep to the glory of God. One thing i feel about doing things we are passionate about is that it helps one to add value to other peoples' lives while adding to his.
3. Deliver Extra Ordinary Service: surprise your clients. They are used to low quality garbage that one I can tell you. This is the key for small businesses success. If you get a customer treat him to an experience he will never forget. You will have him and many more other through references. The word of mouth is the best form advertisement for small business i tell you.
4. A powerful brand demands very high moral authority. Don't be the person who vanishes whenever the clients makes full payments yet you have not completed a project. Let no one ever stand that you stole from her, you abused him/her, let your family be your alibi of the good person you are and it will catch on to the business. This will go a long way in building the networks. Don't short change people..NOBODY!Personal branding demands higher credibility. Credibility comes from trust.Moral authority is interrelated to credibility. Credibility and trust are central to protecting your brand equity! Nothing will kill your self confidence and self worth as taking a bribe and no matter how rich you become through this avenue, you will remain a weak brand in the market.
5. Adopt technology....this I can go on and on. But one area where technology helps according to me is giving one a global perspective. Like Iraki would say it helps one to think global and act local.
6. Finally learn and upgrade your skills to improve the brand you. be on the look out for new things which will give you the so called competitive edge and grab it before others. And this involves lot's of reading. You have to be an authority in what you are doing or talking about.
Haya let's see the personal brands coming up.

Why A Revolution will never BE in Kenya

For the young or at least the young with a proper share of ambition and energy— the point of understanding the world better has normally been, as Marx’s famous injunction suggests, to change it. And one of the principal obstacles that usually prevent them from doing so has been their elders, squatting there behind their ramparts, complacent and cynical. This is the real enemy, the “Old Guard,” masters of the institutions that they manipulate to serve their own interests, guardians of the military-industrial complex, rejecting reform because they’ve seen it all before and know it won’t work—in short, the kind of people that the young will themselves in due course become.

Looking into Kenya the youthful reformers, heroes and human right activists of the yester years are the today impediments of justice having become wazees in the system. A case of what in Oswald Mosley’s cruel phrase, a “Salvation Army that took to its heels on the Day of Judgment.”

My Economic Indicators: The Transport Sector

This will be a series of blogs trying to outline what I feel are economic indicators which can be used to reflect the situation on the ground in various sectors in the country.
First I must admit i am not a great traveler except on my way to and fro work. This is to blame for the killer instinct on observing the emerging trends and patterns whenever I have a chance to travel away from my travel comfort zone. I have thus (sadly) not been to the Eastern and North Eastern sides of the country which in turn means I have never been to the Coast. the areas i am well versed with are Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley , Nyanza and Western in that order of foot-printing.
The parameters which I feel reflect the situation on the ground in the transport sector include number of vehicles, traffic jams, condition and types of the vehicles, condition of the PSV drivers and conductors.
|On the number of vehicles and traffic Jams it comes that areas which are connected by Thika Road and Ngong road are the richest areas in Kenya. These areas include Mt Kenya region and the Maasailand as well emerging satellite towns such as Rongai, Kitengela and Ruiru. On the other hand it is a pity that in a single night only about 5 buses leave for Eldoret town from Nairobi! this shows that the Rift valley sleeping giant is not yet to embrace free flow of wealth.
On the parameter of condition and types of vehicles plying certain routes it comes that in Nairobi Westlands takes it while in the PSV sector Eastleigh, Lang'ata and Buruburu have well maintained and most pimped vehicles. these areas can thus be said to be well endowed. A look at Kibera matatus confirms the relative income hypothesis.
And that is just a cursory look.
Time for research

The Parable of the Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.
Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you will make.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you might make or grow through them.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.
And Five: On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to serve God in everything.
By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship with God daily.

Proposed Katiba Draft: Part I

I have had chats with various people both supporting and opposing the proposed draft. As a supporter of the proposed draft i find it in order to expose the inconsistencies in the NO camp.
The NO camp while making their interpretations are very thorough in explaining how the good things will work to the detriment of Kenya. They will take a clause arguing that every Kenyan is entitled to Health for example. They will go further to show how it can't be implemented successfully they will even argue whether Kenyans are entitled to health whereby hospitals have no drugs and such talk.
A key component of the discussions put forward by the NO camp is fear. there will be more taxes, it is not possible, and such features.
Their debates are punctuated by how the proposed draft will do nothing to change the lives of ordinary Kenyans. They argue that the proposed constitution is a devil they know which they are ready to trust....and are urging Kenyans no to embrace a angel they know not about.
But all these as it is said are kicks of a dying horse.

Positive Vibration Crusade?

They came in all colours and shapes. The beautiful, the handsome and the skrewfaces were three. The Red, Green and Gold punctuated the affair. The rich the poor, from the nearby ghettos to farover ghettos. All this was happening at the T.I Sawasawa Festival 2010 edition graced by the Don Carlos mwenyewe. The old man did his ting as the yutmen danced along….The curtain raisers were also awesome but as this is Kenya we have an attitude of contempt for what is Kenya. Bafu Chafu did a sterling performance.
The message was peace but not all were ready to get some more teachings. I always wonder why there is such a disconnect between the reggae show organizers and the situation on the ground. Reggae is a militant music, it is music for agitation…It is the music allowing the black people to let off steam….. where they can vent off their anger due to Babylon induced Sufferation… However the situation gets complex when the same Babylon is organizing the reggae shows…They expect reggae fans to ‘behave’ Babylon…..And that’s where they go wrong…reggae music is about the oppressed trying to be heard.. And to a small portion of yutmen there is no better way to b heard than to pickpocket, ngeta and such.. But that is just a small portion and as our media is soo hungry on the negative aspects of the society, usually this gets blown outta proportion. But wat do you expect outta Babylonian minds. They neva see anything good of the yutman. Dem vampires!
The message in the concert like it is in reggae music nowadays is peace..Nah fight yo brother. But like Peter Tosh said “there will be no justice till man gets equal rights and justice”. The music of today instead of telling us to fight for our rights it is telling us to embrace our brothers. If a brethren/sistren steals from u embrace him, if he apes ua dawta mbrace hiom. We gotta fight negative vibes within the society. Gash dem a light dem …
So the message of peace in reggae musik and reggae concert I find it obsolete and influenced by Babylon. We need reggae artists to compose songs telling us to stone politricksters who have stolen from the public instead of clapping for them. When that happens, that will be a positive vibrations concert.
Justice… Am out!

Things to do with super-fast internet

I have on a very few days encountered cybers with very high speeds in this Nairobi...Among them is Nakumatt Lifestyle, Another one at Lornrho Hse, Sometimnes the one at Campus Towers also hit mad speds of 500Kbps. That is my definition of super fast internet...Internet with speeds of 400Kbps..And not others which indicate 1Mps yet are doing their slow ass timing at 10Kps..Now when I have such mad speeds am usually at loss with what i can do with such speeds. But here is a few tings I do:
1. Pirating
this is also known in geeky terms as torrenting. When i have mad speeds i usually torrent dem ting i have been aspiring to have like the 'Wrestlemania 26'Damn the show was hot..I also torrent those latest movies hitting the big..though most latest are usually camera copies you will sometimes land on a HD sh@ once in a while..
2.Research
I can also down those stubborn jstor files...Aint those files damn stubborn...but not with super fast internet...With super fast internet i don't to keep clicking both literally and errr the other other one..
3. Youtube
With super fast internet you don't wanna miss some action at the you tube site...Watch some crazy videos and also download some latest music videos...be sure to post them on your profile on facebook to ensure that guys realize you have access to superfast internet..though i suspect most internet connection rarely load youtube videos...most damn shit u have to wait for hours as it buffers and maybe some idiot(with a Nigerian accent)pops up behind ua back to tell you..kindly cut that youtube sh@ out..WTH..But hii ni Kenya you think you got privacy..not at the cybers
I can also update my twitter account with such " Waoh having mad speeds here at 356Kps...." Most likely i will get responses like .. Are u still in Kenya?