Hurray! I finally got the Windows 10 installed successfully, with all my programs and files intact.



I'll continue yesterday's post, where I stopped at the Installation prompt stage,


I clicked on Install.


My laptop restarted about 3 to 4 times.


71% done. 


96% done.

Almost done.





The new cool login view.




And finally done!

Take a look at the beautiful start menu and the new internet browser, Edge.


And Cortana is quite cool. You can ask it anything and be sure of an answer, even if it will be a funny answer. But it gets some very useful thing done. I simply speak to it like I do to Siri. 

See it's response when I asked it to sing me a song.



And it's got a lovely voice too. Only wished it would sing a not so short song.

Thanks for me wishing me luck yesterday!


Yesterday, Windows 10 was officially launched and I have wasted little time in joining the Windows 10 train.

I use Windows 8.1 Enterprise version so I don't have the free upgrade icon those using the non-enterprise version of Windows 7 and Windows 8 have. For me, the upgrade is not free and I would have to download the Windows 10 image file. Yesterday night I did the download. 

I downloaded the Windows 10 Enterprise version and claimed a free key from Microsoft (one of the little benefits of the MVP award). It was 3.67GB. Took me about an hour to download. Then I began the installation process.

Below is the installation folder after downloading the Windows 10 image file.


I click on Setup.exe and the first thing it does is to check if I need to install any updates before proceeding.


Then it moves on to setting up what's needed to have a seamless installation.


I am shown a License terms page because my own upgrade is the non-free one. I am reminded that I will need a valid license key.


After accepting the terms, it again checks for updates.


Finally I get to the installation proper page. It tells me to save whatever I'm working on and close my files as it will now take full control of my PC and I won't be able to do anything till it is done installing. By default it keeps all my programs and data (I hope it keeps to its word, though)



If all goes smoothly, you will get the part 2 of this post tomorrow.

Wish me luck!


There's a method I use in learning all the things I want to learn and it has greatly helped me to absorb a lot at a faster than normal rate (whatever normal is).

image: learningsuccess.com

And it is a simple trick. 

Most of us give ourselves a time based learning target or create a learning time table and force ourselves to follow it. We tell ourselves that we will spend two hours a day on a particular skill we are learning or read the study guide for two hours a day. And when we are slacking we try to force ourselves back into following that routine by denying ourselves something we love to do until we've completed the routine. It is a not very good way to learn. There is a much better way and I will show you that way.

Learning is most fun when you are actually motivated to do it. Think about it. You still remember your nursery school rhymes though it has been decades ago and you were too little to have given it as much deliberate effort as you do the things you currently learn. You know why? It is because you had motivation on your side when you were learning those nursery school rhymes. You enjoyed learning them and that greatly increased your learning rate, even making it a permanent knowledge.

So the trick I am talking about is you should engage motivation in all your learning. After you've set your mind on learning a thing, and have bought all the learning materials or even enrolled in a class, you need to get one more vital thing. You need to look for motivation. Don't force yourself to learn anything anymore. Rather force yourself to find a genuine and strong motivation to learn. 

My own means of finding motivation is to read about people online whose lives have changed greatly because of that knowledge I am trying to acquire. I also read about how they went about acquiring the knowledge. I read about how to overcome my lack of time; I read about exciting learning tricks I can incorporate to increase the fun level. I read about people who also struggled like me and went great lengths to acquire the knowledge. Generally, I surround myself with a virtual community cheering me on and giving me the motivation I need. 

I also don't try to follow a routine. I learn when I am in the mood to. Only that I try hard to always be in the mood to learn. And that is my trick on how to increase your learning rate.


I once came across a press interview of a successful startup's CEO. And one particular statement he made stuck with me. He said if he ever came across two equally qualified candidates and have only one job slot to fill, he would go for the better writer. That communication via writing is now a vital business skill.

image: jaramyconners.com

There is a lot of benefits to being a good writer and every time you become a better writer you unlock more benefits. The ability to communicate comfortably, clearly and creatively in writing can make or break most business deals. In this period of increased competition for jobs, contracts and even life-partners; you stand head and shoulders above half of the competition if you can write well.

It is very rare to meet someone who writes well and can't talk just as good. But there are lots of people who can talk well and can't write well. So improving your writing skill will invariably improve your speaking skill.

I think the greatest benefit of being a good writer is that you can pass across your idea and not worry that you will be misunderstood. Writing is a bit like manipulation. You make it impossible for your target audience to misinterpret you. You don't say all that is in your mind and in the way you have it in your mind. You say what you want the reader to hear and in a way that will make the most impact on him. It is the ultimate way to influence people. 

So how can you become a better writer?

I will recommend you go at it the following way:
  1. Read books on writing. I recommend Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips For Better Writing and Element of Style. You could also add AP Stylebook.
  2. Write often. Preferably write for an audience other than you. Start a blog or write a book.
  3. Evaluate your writing. Don't just write but compare your writing to that of professional/better writers and keep asking yourself what you need to improve on.
  4. Read a lot of blog posts on how to improve your writing.
  5. Be bold and creative. Don't give yourself boundaries. Be daring in your writing. 

And if you want to give your writing a sleek world-class feel then take this Udemy course -- Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer

Bonne chance!

Besides fixing Excel issues and creating amazing PowerPoint slides, the task I have most helped friends with is converting their PDF documents to Microsoft Word documents. And they are always amazed by what excellent job I do (though not amazed enough to do a bank transfer).

image: itunes.apple.com

It is a very easy task to do. All you need is Microsoft Word 2010 or 2013 (I haven't tried it with Word 2007 yet). 

Open the PDF document from Word. This is often tricky for many people. All you need do is to go to File, Open, and browse for the PDF document you want to convert to Word document.




Once you've selected the PDF document and click OK to open it, Word will prompt you that it will convert the PDF document to Word. Just click on OK as that is what we really want.



Wait a little for it. Once it is done, you'll see the Word version of the PDF document. All that is left for you to do is Save. Save the new Word document.



And that is the easiest way to convert from PDF to Word. And also often the best way.



That's how cool Excel 2016 is on the Mac!

And when you get finally get in, it's very much like the Excel 2013 for Windows with the menus not in all caps.

See the full view below.



Take a look at the Home menu. Very much like the Excel 2013 for Windows one.



And the Insert menu.



And the Page Layout menu.



And the Formulas menu.



And the Data menu.



And the Review menu.



And the View menu.



So gone are the days you get confused when you launch the Excel for Mac as it looks very different from the one for Windows. Now the look and feel has been unified. 

The only major difference is that Mac has two menu rows.


Once again, welcome to Excel 2016 on Mac! In a future post I will take us past the welcome door.


image: diversityjournal.com
This month has been a great one for me business-wise. We made a lot of money and in a way we can reproduce. It sealed my belief that I have made the right decision in starting my own business and my choice of business.

Yesterday, we concluded a training for a company and we charged them N80,000 per participant for the two days training. Two weeks ago, we placed an advert on Linda Ikeji's blog about our this month's Excel training and over 100 people called us. We had to tell/beg people to not pay and hold on till the next session.

For once, reality came close to the big picture I have always had.

Back in the university I read an article in a psychology textbook that changed my life. It was about a scientist who believed and tried to proof that anyone can become anything, that it was just a matter of conditioning/learning. He said he could make a scientist, musician, sportsman, doctor or engineer out of any child regardless of his natural talents or limitations. That the human brain is able to change/adapt and learn to do anything we train it to do.

I took it a step further by adding my knowledge of robotics. Some engineers once built a robot that could play a musical instrument and learn music. And we all know that our brain is more sophisticated than that of the most advanced robot.

All these gave me a strong belief that my weakness, limitations and person do not matter (much). That I can learn to do anything or become anything if I put enough effort into learning it. I can program myself to be anything (specific).

I applied this thinking practically in everything I did ever since. In my final years in the university, I studied the lecturers and figured out what they wanted rather than focus on myself and the lecture notes. I never thought anything was about me. I tried to give the lecturers what I believed they wanted. It drastically reduced my efforts/stress. I did not give the courses the same level of study and I even lightly studied a couple I was sure the lecturer just wanted to hear you give him back his exact words and style.

Even when I got out of school, I have always adapted to whatever environment I found myself. I played by the rules there and not force things to bend to my own rule. I also tried to be a good christian and not follow rules that went against God.

This mindset is what is helping me learn the entrepreneurship walk. I tell myself everyday that despite my weakness and lack of business skills I will make it. I will learn what works, repeat it and aim for results. I will learn the rules and play by them. I will lean in and follow through.


In 2013 I joined InterNations (www.internations.org). It is a community where expats (foreign nationals working in Nigeria, for instance) meet with global minded Nigerians. Though you join online, the meetings are always offline.

For Lagos, there are many groups available. I joined about six but was only active in the InterNations Lagos Coffee Club. I got to meet many interesting people, especially foreigners trying to bond with Nigeria. I even got one job opportunity. But the best part is that it was there I met the guy who has most helped my business grow, Ezekiel Solesi.

I'm the guy in a suit at the back, head tilted.

The Coffee Club isn't the most exciting one there. There are others:

  • InterNations Lagos Outdoor & Adventures
  • InterNations Lagos Nightlife
  • InterNations Lagos Professional Networking
  • InterNations Lagos Crazy About Movies
  • InterNations Lagos Chess Club
  • InterNations Lagos French Conversation
  • DinnerNations Lagos
It is an amazing place to relax, meet interesting people and increase your career/business opportunities.

It was also from InterNations I got to know that I can use the Cafe Cappucino at Four Points by Sheraton hotel for free. I have since done client consultation, training and even online meetings there.

Most convincing of all, if an unsocial fellow like me can gain that much from InterNations, anyone more social than me will gain a lot more.


As an entrepreneur you take risks. And when you read about successful entrepreneurs, most of the times you are reading their history of taking risks.


I have thought long and hard, and read about the stories of successful companies and a couple of things always stand out:
  1. The founder took many risks. Big risks.
  2. They positioned themselves for the future. They kept aiming for where the ball will be next and not where it currently is.
  3. They poured themselves into their work. Their high risk work.
My most inspiring example is Microsoft. Partly because they gave me an MVP award and I also live off Microsoft Excel. But I also have a lot of sound reasons for finding them a great inspiration.

Microsoft started in 1975 simply as two very young guys' obsession with programming and taking up challenging projects. It didn't start in a way you would expect a company its current size to start. Bill and Allen loved programming; kept getting more programming gigs than they could combine with schooling. If you did a market survey then, you would find nothing amazing about their company. It was just like every other built-out-of-a-hobby business. The kind of business people do because they enjoy it and just want to make a simple living doing it; not because they saw a billion dollar future in it.

Then in 1980, they landed a big contract with IBM to build programs for some of their devices. The entire PC and software industry was small. MBA powered guys and investors were not flocking to it; they saw no exciting future in it. But Microsoft kept growing as the industry grew. They stayed when nothing exciting was happening and reaped huge benefits when the whole world wanted a PC.

They were risk takers. They chose a field of work that wasn't exciting and built a company no one really considered competing with because they never saw a big future in that line of business. Yet they not only stuck to it but quit school for it.

They made sure they were at the forefront of the OS programming field. They saw a future (even if not as great as they finally encountered) and they kept pushing themselves towards where the ball would be. They were so good and dedicated at what they do that getting the few OS programming projects that existed then wasn't hard. They were perfectly positioned to harvest the growth in that field. 

Finally, they poured themselves into their work. They didn't do it part-time or mix some more promising business with it. They didn't also turn it into a conglomerate or Microsoft Group. 

So now when you see Microsoft and think Bill Gates is a super rich genius. Also don't miss the part of his taking risks. It wasn't his ingenuity that birth Microsoft or grew it into one of the world's largest companies. It was his sticking to it and building all throughout those years only geeks knew what a computer is and only the super rich geek could afford one. 

Behind all the world's most successful companies are a lot of risk taking entrepreneurs. And if you want to get ahead well in life, you must be comfortable with taking lots of risks.


On Monday, I finally got my Microsoft Excel book for busy professionals published on Amazon. I couldn't have done it without the amazing writing software called Scrivener.




Scrivener is a very popular software for writers. It helps you with writing your book -- be it a novel or technical book. It is particularly developed for writers so it takes out the frustrations you'll have with Microsoft Word and helps you organize your writing. You can put your research, ideas and main novel part in one place. But the best part for me is that it easily lets me convert my book into an eBook format that is acceptable by Amazon Kindle and Nook.



I bought Scrivener last year. My initial plan was to use it to complete the writing of my first novel -- Akin Smith. Now, I have used it to write my first published book -- Microsoft Excel and Business Data Analysis for The Busy Professional.

I will be running a promo on the book starting today. It will be available for download for free for just a very short period of time. I will send you a mail if you are already on my mailing list as soon as the promo starts. If you are not on my mailing list you can leave a comment or email me for the notification on how to get the book free. And if you have previously asked me for the book in the Valentine Offer I gave in February then you have no worries, you will be notified too.

I am already working on publishing a hardcopy version too. I have two options -- to use Amazon's CreateSpace or to go with a Nigerian publisher. I am already working with a close friend who will help me self-publish the book. I will also read up on CreateSpace and see if I will benefit from going that route too.

Nowadays, I have so many ideas of what to do and too little time to do them all. And I think it's a great thing and I should attempt all I can because, definitely, a time will come when I won't have these many ideas. Everyday speeds by. I work from the moment I wake till I force myself to sleep at midnight, and it is always like I haven't done much. But I like the fact that I am making progress. I daily feel like I can do whatever I set my mind on. And that I can monetize my ideas.

So watch out for my mail on the book promo. It will be a rare opportunity to get the book for free!


Have you ever been at a reunion -- your secondary school or university reunion? Did you notice how everyone tries to outdo others in listing their accomplishments after school?

From my perspective, the right way to live is as a tourist. A pilgrim.

image: playbuzz.com

A tourist starts with a plan, a big detailed plan. He is open to a lot of suggestions and engage outside help in making his plans. Yet the moment he executes his plan he is very open to changing any part of it. He is constantly soaking in knowledge from every place he visits and everyone he meets. He is not overly engrossed in anything beyond the big picture he has based his travel plans on. He doesn't try to outwit the people he meets or make himself feel more important. He is impervious to the negativity around and tries to get the best experiences everywhere he goes. He is well prepared for any weather and takes his own sunshine with him. He is pleasant to be with and forgiving of others' mistakes. In a sentence, he has his mind set on getting along well with the people around him, searching for the interesting sights around and getting the most positive experience.

And I feel that is how everyone of us ought to live. As a tourist on earth.

We are all here for a short time. We are simply passing through this world. It's not our permanent abode. We should set our minds on making the most of our time here, getting the most positive experience and being impervious to the overwhelming negativity around. We should not have a competition mentality. This earth is not an olympic stadium. It is not an examination hall. If you open up your mind and see the earth with its abundance you will know that there is enough to go round for everyone and no one is big/significant enough to block your way.

Be more of the observing, expansive thinking and big picture strategy person. Think of where you want to be, make an elaborate plan (like a tourist) of how you will get there with lots of margin for errors/unknowns. Learn from everyone around -- whether you think yourself smarter than them or not. Absorb as much knowledge as you can from your environment. See the good in every event. Be open to being wrong and to making changes. Never think the world revolves around you; it is the small picture type of reasoning. Be so focused on getting the most positive experience that you will become impervious to personal attacks and always ready to change your immediate environment.

In all, what I am saying is you owe it to yourself to make the most of your stay on earth. What you are is God's gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift back to God. God and the world owes you nothing and there is nothing unpleasant they can do to you to outweigh the good they've already done you. Your very life is a gift. It's left for you to expand your mind and live a positive life rather than trying to force yourself on history. The world owes you nothing, it was here first. It has no obligation to put you in its history book. History itself chooses its own heroes and no one can force himself on it. The best you can do is for yourself and the people around you. Live for God, yourself, your family and your friends. And not for accomplishments, activities and history.




A problem the HR of most companies in Nigeria face is managing applications for job vacancies. They all want an automated system that will filter out huge amount of unqualified people who apply for the jobs they post. They also don't want 100,000 applications for just one job opening.

Increasingly they've been using LinkedIn to fix some of these problems. Rather than put up the job opening on Newspapers and popular job sites, which often result in thousands of applications sent in. They put it put up on LinkedIn. And by doing so they have cut down the number of low quality applications they get by a huge percentage. So they get much fewer applicants who at the same time are better qualified for the job than those the general media publication attracts.

It is the method multinationals expanding to Nigeria prefer the most. They already use LinkedIn and can set up the vacancy advert without needing to fly down to Nigeria or contact a job board in Nigeria.

So how can you access these hidden jobs? Jobs you won't see on Jobberman or Guardian Newspaper.

You use LinkedIn. Sign up, if you haven't already. 

Login to LinkedIn and go to the Jobs page.



You'll see all the jobs posted by companies in Nigeria and companies expanding to Nigeria. And if you want to apply for jobs in other countries (UAE, UK, US, Australia, ...) you only need to set the country in the "What location(s) would you like to work in?" box (see it in the image above).

Click on a job you are interested in.



Apply for the job.

At the right side of the job page, you will see other jobs you might be interested in.



And at the bottom of the job page, you will see similar jobs you might consider applying for.



And that is one of the easiest way to access those hidden big company jobs.

Bonne Chance!