8 secrets of speaking like a native English Speaker

8 secrets of speaking like a native English Speaker. Are you prepared to do what it takes?  

1.  THE SECRET
You have to be prepared to do what native speakers do. Are you prepared to do what native speakers do?

2. ENGLISH ENVIRONMENT
English speakers have an English environment: radio, TV, newspapers, friends. In addition, they are advised to keep a daily journal (diary), have pen friends and read newspapers. Are you prepared to do this?

3. LEARN PHRASES ONLY
Study phrases not words. Native speakers speak in phrases. Phrases are groups of words that go together. Phrases trump grammar. This means that phrases are more important than grammar. Never just learn words on their own. Study the word within a phrase. Phrases are more important than grammar and are the key to fluent English. Are you prepared to study phrases?

4. THOUSANDS OF IDIOMS
Idioms are phrases with a special meaning. Natives speak in phrases including thousands of idioms. Idioms are difficult because often they are not mentioned in the dictionary. If you want to understand native speakers and American movies then you need to learn idioms. Are you prepared to study idioms?

5. REAL SPOKEN ENGLISH
Written English and spoken English are quite different. Focus your study on real spoken English, instead of on formal written English. When we speak, we use different vocabulary, different grammar, and different pronunciation than what is in textbooks. Are you prepared to learn two different types of English?

6. FOCUS ON LISTENING
Great speech comes from great listening. Focus on listening. Listen to speaking by native speakers. Listening is the key to speaking. You need to listen to spontaneous speaking. Spontaneous speaking is unplanned speaking. It is normal speaking.

7. LISTEN AND ANSWER
Answer questions because when you do this you have to think in English.

8. PRONUNCIATION

(a) INTONATION

Copy the intonation of a good native speaker. Focus on intonation: the music of English. Intonation is the pitch, rhythm and volume. Learn when to raise your tone and when to drop. Learn when to stretch words and when to say them quickly.

(b) CONTRACTIONS

Focus upon and use contractions. For example, when native speakers speak, they use words such as outta, gettn, till, havta, and gonna? Outta means out of. Im gettn outta here (I am getting out of here = I am leaving). In conversation, we often never say words individually or clearly. We put them together into contractions. You need to understand contractions and speak using contractions. Copy good pronunciation. Are you prepared to copy good pronunciation?

8 secrets of speaking like a native English Speaker

8 secrets of speaking like a native English Speaker. Are you prepared to do what it takes?  

1.  THE SECRET
You have to be prepared to do what native speakers do. Are you prepared to do what native speakers do?

2. ENGLISH ENVIRONMENT
English speakers have an English environment: radio, TV, newspapers, friends. In addition, they are advised to keep a daily journal (diary), have pen friends and read newspapers. Are you prepared to do this?

3. LEARN PHRASES ONLY
Study phrases not words. Native speakers speak in phrases. Phrases are groups of words that go together. Phrases trump grammar. This means that phrases are more important than grammar. Never just learn words on their own. Study the word within a phrase. Phrases are more important than grammar and are the key to fluent English. Are you prepared to study phrases?

4. THOUSANDS OF IDIOMS
Idioms are phrases with a special meaning. Natives speak in phrases including thousands of idioms. Idioms are difficult because often they are not mentioned in the dictionary. If you want to understand native speakers and American movies then you need to learn idioms. Are you prepared to study idioms?

5. REAL SPOKEN ENGLISH
Written English and spoken English are quite different. Focus your study on real spoken English, instead of on formal written English. When we speak, we use different vocabulary, different grammar, and different pronunciation than what is in textbooks. Are you prepared to learn two different types of English?

6. FOCUS ON LISTENING
Great speech comes from great listening. Focus on listening. Listen to speaking by native speakers. Listening is the key to speaking. You need to listen to spontaneous speaking. Spontaneous speaking is unplanned speaking. It is normal speaking.

7. LISTEN AND ANSWER
Answer questions because when you do this you have to think in English.

8. PRONUNCIATION

(a) INTONATION

Copy the intonation of a good native speaker. Focus on intonation: the music of English. Intonation is the pitch, rhythm and volume. Learn when to raise your tone and when to drop. Learn when to stretch words and when to say them quickly.

(b) CONTRACTIONS

Focus upon and use contractions. For example, when native speakers speak, they use words such as outta, gettn, till, havta, and gonna? Outta means out of. Im gettn outta here (I am getting out of here = I am leaving). In conversation, we often never say words individually or clearly. We put them together into contractions. You need to understand contractions and speak using contractions. Copy good pronunciation. Are you prepared to copy good pronunciation?

The Realily of Prayers and Blesssings

Blessed Situations
People sometimes ask me to pray for them. I always do. But sometimes they wonder: why did I not pass that exam when you were praying and blessing me.

Lessons still to be Learned 
The answer is perhaps that was not to be for you at that particular time. Possibly a greater lesson is needed in your life and that is the lesson of humbleness or the lesson of proper preparation. Or perhaps a greater blessing is on the way.

Reaping Benefits
There is an expression: Repetition is the mother of skill, so actually if you enjoy the journey of doing something again you could actually learn and benefit more from your endeavors.

Understanding is a Vital Lesson 
If you have always passed an exam first time, how will you understand another who has not. If you get that best job straight away, how will you understand another who has not yet bagged that perfect job.

THE MUSLIM APPROACH
Practicing Muslims undergo Ramadan purely to remember what it is like to go without food and drink for a long time. This is to understand how the needy feel and to make us more understanding of the plight of such people. It may also give us spiritual benefits such as developing inner strength that we can then use as outer strength when we face challenges along the way.

THE CHRISTIAN VIEW
In The Lord's Prayer we say Thy (Your) will be done on earth. So let God bestow blessings on you, whatever they may be. You do your part by praying every day. You do your part by thanking the blessings that do come your way.

THE GREATEST BLESSING
If you start with the premise that the greatest blessing is life itself, then everything you achieve in this life is a blessing. With this approach in mind, you will be a lot happier and ironically go on to achieve greater success.

THE NATURE OF BLESSINGS
Blessings are spiritual in nature. Blessings from God are for spiritual blessings not necessarily material blessings. Although there is an overlap as the material and spiritual world are interlinked. So blessings for good health are both spiritual and material. Blessings for wealth are spiritual and material, but it may be that you cannot bless always for specific things.

Blessings are spiritual first before they become material, they are for simple things such as health, wealth and success in a spiritual way but then overflow into the material world. Pray for spiritual riches such as strength and then strength will manifest in the material world and give you the power to power you in the material world, for example.

WHAT BLESSINGS ARE AND ARE NOT. REAL BLESSINGS VERSUS ILLUSIONS
You cannot force blessings. They are just there. You appreciate the blessings you have, you nurture the blessings you have.

Blessings are the flowers of life
You treat the blessings you already have as if they are like flowers. They need nurturing to keep them in full bloom.

Play your Cards Well
Life is like a hand of cards: you have to play the cards as best you can. Make the most of what blessings you have.

Never Force
Sadness and frustration come when you try to force blessings in a particular way and pray for specific things that don’t materialize.

Real Blessings
Look again for the real blessings: this is the antidote to sadness and frustration.

SYNONYMS are Key to Writing and Speaking Success

SYNONYM SUCCESS
People who worked for and with the late deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee have been reported in The Straits Times, Singapore’s leading daily newspaper, as saying that he would hone his vocabulary in meetings, writing out synonyms and antonyms of some of the words under discussion. He would even aim for at least five synonyms and five antonyms. Reportedly he even did this in cabinet meetings. Evidence of a mind that was always thinking, he also believed in clear and concise writing.

WRITING NO NOS
Dr Goh would give some civil servants a book – The Complete Plain Words by Sir Ernest Gowers, a British civil servant.  This was part of his quest for better standards as he had encountered writing that was long-winded, unclear and contained grammatical errors. Waffling was another writing and speaking no no for him.

TAPPING BRITISH EXPERTISE
The Straits Times reports that in the 1970s Dr Goh persuaded Mrs Joanna Hennings, the wife of the then British High Commissioner to Singapore, to conduct writing courses for civil servants.

CAREER SUCCESS
When you are at college you may learn a lot of words and want to use them. As a result of this, there may be a tendency to want to show off. However, in the business world people just want to see the proposals and recommendations you have in the most clear and concise way.

EMULATE DR GOH
Take a leaf out of Dr Goh’s book and whenever you get a chance – think of synonyms and antonyms for the words you are using. It is good mental exercise and will increase your vocabulary and thought processes.

AUDIENCE ACCLAIM
There is a story that says that when Dr Goh saw the sentence, “This is sufficient,” he asked would the word “enough” do?  The moral of the story is – when it comes to the final content of your communication – think of your audience and think what word they will understand the most.  Maintaining and improving your standard of English is a life-long quest for all speakers of English whether English is your first or second language.

THE FACTS OF LIFE
Think of synonyms and antonyms as much as possible. The double win is at work here: It is good mental exercise and also strengthens vocabulary at the same time.

Deal with every criticism of the Qur'an, Islam and the Prophet with grace says Mike Ghouse

Criticism is not nice. In fact, whenever we are criticized we feel it most deeply and more so if we think that criticism is unjustified.  Muslims feel a personal insult whenever their beloved Prophet is insulted but Mike Ghouse says we should use such instances to learn more about our faith.

Personification of Tolerance
“Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) (PBUH) lived through criticism and Muslims can learn from his example,” says Mike Ghouse.

Firmness of Faith
Firmness in faith can lead us to explore the infinite wisdom, realizing the strength of faith (Imaan); a worthy feeling to have, instead of living in doubt and shooing criticism away.

Last Sermon
Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) last sermon: "I leave behind two things, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray." The responsibility to know was placed directly on us.

Paramount Principle
The Qur'an repeatedly reinforces the paramount principle of faith: "O You who believe, on you rests (the responsibility) of your souls"(Q5:105) and (Q53:38) "that no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear anther's burden." The picture is clear.

InclusivenessIslam is an inclusive faith, it is about co-existence. It is a faith that appreciates all of God's creation and urges one to respect the otherness of others (Qur'an 109:6) without having to agree.

Explicitness
It explicitly says (Qur'an 49:13) that all of us are his creation, created to be different, and that we have to learn about each other to mitigate the conflicts and nurture goodwill.

The Best Among You
Aren't we supposed to learn and know each other to mitigate conflicts and create the kingdom of heaven right here on the earth, while waiting to go the next heaven?

Didn't God say, the best among you is the one who learns about the other (49:13), so the myths, phobias and fears can be dismantled?

Good ResponseMuhammad Yunus, a Muslim thinker and a writer at New Age Islam responds: "Doesn't the Qur'an repetitively say, repel evil with good. (13:22, 23:96, 41:34) Shouldn't you take the opportunity to demonstrate the good in your faith and remove the cloud of hatred that is forming by the twin growing menaces of the day: Islamophobia and Radicalization?"

Dr. Tariq Cheema of World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists adds another point of view: "Muslim scholars and intellectuals around the world must rise to the challenge and offer guidance to the faith-loving masses on how to encounter the exploitation of freedom of speech, which is often quite provocative and insulting. On the other hand every one must strive for a legislation that guards the sanctity of all religions and their Prophets, scriptures, and symbols alike."

Peace Plan
The most important Sunnah (Prophet's example and way of life): someone who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill for the peaceful coexistence of his or her neighbors, communities, tribes and nations.

The first example of Muhammad (PBUH) was to be a good citizen. Wasn't that the first model the Prophet had set up for one to follow?

To be good citizens, whether in Pakistan, America, Saudi Arabia, China or Indonesia, we have to earn it by being a participant and a contributor towards the wellbeing of the nation. Your presence should relax others, and make them comfortable that you are a peacemaker and they can trust you for your fairness.

Mercy and KindnessThe second most important Sunnah to follow is to be Rahmatul Aalameen (Mercy to mankind) (21:107). To be a Rahmat (Mercy) to fellow beings who are Atheist, Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Wicca, Natives, Zoroastrians and others, we must be kind to them. No one should be afraid or apprehensive of Muslims. Should anyone be justifiably afraid of a Muslim, then we have not followed the Sunnah of the Prophet.

Goodness of IslamIslam is a universal inclusive faith, it is from Rabbul Aalameen (creator of the universe, its prophet is Rahmatul Aalameen (Mercy to mankind) and we should be Mukhlooqul Aalameen (Universal, all embracing beings). Islam is about goodness and not forcing others, and not domineering but co-existing, just as the Prophet did and proclaimed in the Madinah treaty. Islam is about appreciating everything God has created in this universe (55:16).

Let GoDon't feel compelled to convince anyone, let go. What did Allah say to Prophet when he was frustrated that people were not getting his message? You do your dharma (duty) and let them have the freedom to accept. Elsewhere God says there is no compulsion in matters of faith (2:256).

Be the Best Blessing

B:  Be a blessing to yourself, your neighborhood and to your country by being a constructive member of society.

L:  Learn to let go of criticism. Learn to find a way to show mercy and kindness to others. Listen to God’s message which is to do your duty to God first, to follow the Quran and Sunnah (the way of life).

E:  Examples that are good and holy are the best examples, and the best among us remember that before they act.

S:  Strength of faith is what we should be pursuing, including being a good citizen and having mercy and kindness for others.

S:  Someone who mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill for the peaceful coexistence of his or her neighbors, communities, tribes and nations is the best of humans.

I:  Islam is about goodness and not forcing others, and not domineering but co-existing, just as the Prophet did and proclaimed in the Madinah treaty. Islam is about appreciating everything God has created in this universe (55:16).

N:  Nearer to God and Godliness is the way of life the best Muslims pursue.

G: Gracefulness in all situations will win more hearts, minds and respect.

Mike Ghouse

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace making, foreign policy, Islam, Israel, India, Pakistan, interfaith, and cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day atwww.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal sitewww.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

Ride the Tsunami of Appreciation

The Tsunami of Appreciation Blessing - kick start great blessings in your life with a wave of appreciation that blesses, waters and nurtures you and your surroundings.    

B:  Begin with your surroundings and find one thing you can appreciate and put your  appreciative focus upon it: a painting, a flower, something you really like and really focus upon it and increasing your feelings of appreciation for it.
L:  Life is best played as a Kim’s Game – where you remember every detail of beauty – the jewels in our environment that we can find, remember and appreciate.

E:   Enter into the spirit of the game – to see, appreciate and remember the beauty in your life as much as possible.
S:  See the best as blessing you. Seeing everything as a blessing does up your levels of appreciation.
S:  Savor what you think is the best and it is your mission to see as much as possible in the light of it being the best.
I:  Imagine that you could appreciate the people and things in your environment. Imagine and appreciation should merge in your consciousness for the best effect of enjoying what you see before you.
N:  Notice all the improved feelings and really appreciate those feelings. Notice how you can go deeper and deeper if you put your focus upon the richest of depth of appreciation.
G:  Go to the greatest depths of appreciation. Get going towards merging with all the good in your environment and become one with the things you appreciate.

Good Feelings GoalLook around you for something nice to look at – it might be something in your surroundings or a pretty picture in a book, magazine or the internet. Contemplate and drink in this fine picture or element in your environment. Treat it like you would a Kim’s Game.

Play of the Jewels
Kim’s Game is a game to develop a person’s capacity to observe and remember details. The name comes from Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim. The hero Kim plays this game, called Play of the Jewels and the Jewel Game, during his training as a spy.  Various jewels were put on a tray. The teenager would observe them. Then the tray would be covered and Kim would have to remember every item on the tray. The game would be repeated many times and with other objects until it could be done perfectly.

Power of Observation
Treat life as a daily Kim’s Game, where you drink in and breathe in the beautiful aspects of your surroundings, letting the good vibrations reach the deepest part of you.

Rich Vein
Go deeper than mere gazing – feel the rich, real and deep texture of life and that you are an active participant of it. See, touch, hear and taste what is really there. Live every beautiful detail of the experience. How awesome and wondrous it all is.  Feel all the positive feelings about it. Notice all the improved feelings and appreciate those feelings. Once you feel good, look around for another object to focus upon. Make it easy on yourself and choose things that are easy to generate your feelings of appreciation.

Higher and Higher VibrationsYou are actually practicing invoking higher vibrations. The more you do this the easier it gets to do this. Practice appreciation and you will find it easier to find ways to appreciate and then you can enter the realm of the tsunami of appreciation.

Don’t ever forget to give thanks ever! Mike Ghouse shares his tips for giving thanks

There is a great power in giving thanks and  Mike's tips are guaranteed to lift the spirits.

Balancing ActThe expression of gratitude is the ultimate balancing act in everyone’s life. We know whom we receive the good from and we offer our gratitude.

HarmonyThe absence of a simple thank you creates an imbalance in the relationship and spiritual energy, while a simple thank you restores it.

Caring Experiment
We need to awaken our mentor, be it Zarathustra, Moses,Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus, Muhammad, Tao, Confucius, Nanak, Bahaullah, Gandhi, MLK or whomever we hold dearly. We need to emulate them for at least one day as an experiment, ready to embrace everyone with a caring attitude.

Important List
Let's make a list of people who have helped us shape our lives. A simple thank you will do a lot of good to us, and our relationships.

Work in Progress
We should not lose enthusiasm due to a large number of people we have to thank. We can do it by carrying a piece of paper, and writing down the names as they pop in the mind.

Feeling the DifferenceEven if we don't call everyone on the list, we have already said our thanks by thinking about the individual and writing his or her name down. When we express our gratitude to the person who has made a difference in our life, it brings a ton of relief. It's ours to keep.

Joyous Joy
You can only feel the joy when you say a big or a small thank you to the ones who have helped you along the way, whether it is materially, spiritually or professionally.

True ThanksgivingWe have to be grateful for whatever we have and express it to the unknown giver, a true thanksgiving.

Real Release
If you don't believe in God, that is fine, it is still a release when you say thanks to the invisible good that came to you unasked.

Self-Balancing ActLife is a self-balancing act; everything we do and say is spiritual as well as a real life transaction that moves the needle from balance to imbalance, and back to balance.

Valid Values
The mechanism is built around forgiveness, repentance, service and gratitude. These values are a product of co-existence and inculcated through religious teachings; however, the atheists would also achieve the same without invoking God.

Balancing of AccountsThe accountant chants, for every debit there is a credit; the physicist has proved that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and the doctor declares, that blood lost from the body of an individual must be replenished with an equal amount of blood to sustain life.

Healthy Living
The spiritualist would say, for every wrong we do, an equal amount of energy is drained from us, and for every good we do, energy is recouped. We are constantly receiving and giving energy, intake and output must be equal to have a healthy living, or else we are thrown off balance.

Squaring the Circle
For every hurt we hurl on others, an equal amount of burden gets dumped on us, and until we say sorry and repent genuinely, the energy balance within us deteriorates. The transaction remains incomplete.

Satisfied HappinessIf you are single or empty nesters and nowhere to go, call up Salvation Army, a hospital or a homeless shelter and volunteer your services. There is a joy in serving others.

Loving StrangersAs the Jewish Scriptures say, Ve'ahavta la'ger – you must love the stranger for that guaranteed happiness.

Jesus reached out to the ones who were abandoned by the society.

Prophet Muhammad said the least you can give to others is hope and a smile.

The Hindu Scriptures guides you to treat the whole world as one family.

Buddha, the learned one, taught the joys of living for others.

The Sikh faith is indeed founded on the principle of caring for humanity.

The Jains and Baha'i believe our joy comes from taking care of others.

The Native Americans and Wicca believe we have to take care of what we see around us and preserve it for the next seven generations, life and the matter.

With malice toward none is a good advice from Abraham Lincoln to follow. 

Make a DifferenceWhen you express your gratitude to the persons who have made a difference in your life, it brings a ton of relief to you. Make an effort and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with it. May you be blessed to be a blessing to others. Amen!

Mike Ghouse
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism,politics, peace making, foreign policy, Islam, Israel, India, Pakistan,interfaith, and cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.  

7 power stances we can all learn from entrepreneurs says Hammad Siddiqui

1.  Words and attitudes define us.

“Challenges, challenges, challenges. Difficulties, difficulties, difficulties … Avoid repeating such words; otherwise they will become the part of your life.” (http://www.awamiweb.com/global-entrepreneurship-week-a-road-map-of-entrepreneurs-59109.html)

Successful entrepreneurs utilize positive words to propel them further and higher. They uplift themselves to the higher realms – the realm of spirit.

2. Entrepreneurs are the most spiritually connected people

When you think about it ideas are a mind thing and entrepreneurs use their thinking in a creative way – which is the spiritual realm.  The spiritual journey into the entrepreneurship realm begins with smart ideas. Smart ideas add value, and some of that value will rub off on you.

3. Magical Alchemy

Entrepreneurs are the most spiritually connected people who can turn some of the craziest ideas into profits.

4. Mantle of Entrepreneurship

   When asked, “What is the difference between a businessman and an entrepreneur?” many people might scratch their head and wonder – “Is there a difference?”

While all entrepreneurs may be businessmen, not all businessmen are entrepreneurs.  Also there are shades of meaning developing.  For example, a businessman may think for today, whereas an entrepreneur has greater long-term vision. For a businessman incremental growth is good but an entrepreneur focuses upon exponential growth.

5. Pure Passion

As an entrepreneur your biggest challenge is to light up the passion/fire to a level that drives your entrepreneurial spirituality into exponential success.

6.  Extreme Environment

The business environment is challenging. There is competition out there, and only the best with the extreme passion will succeed!

7. Four Key Skills

Every entrepreneur requires four key skills to make things work:

(A) Ability to create or innovate

(B) Ability to implement ideas

(C) Ability to market ideas or services

(D) Ability to understand numbers

Even a single missing factor can lead towards the ditch!

Brilliant Idea
Your brilliant Idea is the key driving force behind your success as an entrepreneur, but remember that your brilliant idea is brilliant only if it is implementable.

Capturing Ideas
We get many ideas, one after another; these ideas get buried under the dust of new ideas. There is a need to keep track of what you have been thinking and this can only be done if you keep a record of your thoughts.  Create a folder on your desktop entitled “Ideas”.

The Mechanics of Ideas
Your idea should not only be unique, it should be remarkable. There are many things in this world that are unique. We see these unique things, and do not even bother to say anything. These things are not remarkable, hence our brain does not react and our tongue does not throw any words. Only remarkable stuff can be remembered almost forever. You pass a remark only after your brain registers something. So if your idea is remarkable, it will spread easily!

The Reality of CreativityEntrepreneurs are spiritual and creative. But what is creativity? There are several definitions. “Creativity is not about creating something new, it’s about giving a new Experience,” is the definition by one of the world's leading entrepreneurs, Richard Branson.

“Creativity is not about creating something new, it’s about giving a new Experience.”

The WinnersUndoubtedly, those entrepreneurs who are willing to work smartly and creative enough to give their customers remarkable experience win!

Hammad Siddiqui

http://hammadsiddiquiblog.com/only-remarkable-ideas-spread/

Deputy Country Director of the Center of International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and expert in social media strategies, Hammad Siddiqui passionately disseminates exclusive insights on entrepreneurship, management, social media, careers and related topics. Hammad’s combined wealth of management experience as head of Trade and Investment at the Deputy British High Commission and now CIPE puts him in a unique vantage point to support organizational vision, mission and objectives. For more: http://hammadsiddiquiblog.com

Pakistan’s First Entrepreneurial Incubator Platform promotes youth and women entrepreneurship

Great Ideas
The greatest challenge to the greatest ideas is how to take your brainchild and make it real.

An idea is just a thought – a figment of the imagination.

How do we get it out there?
We need someone to talk to.

In Asia, life often resolves around the coffee shop, and gurus are revered teachers and masters.  Thus in a friendly place, people with good ideas can get help from social media experts – entrepreneurs who have been there and done that!   This is the aim of www.CoffeeShopGurus.com

On the Drawing Board
CoffeeShopGurus has done its research (for the last three years).

Their studies show there is no shortage of talent, ideas, will power or mentorship in Pakistan.  However, Western ideas cannot be replicated without taking into account localization and the eco-system of this part of South Asia, according to the CEO of the CoffeeShopGurus Rohan David Emmanuel. As the curator of a TEDx event, namely TEDxAnarkali (fb.com/TEDxAnarkali), he is taking these issues to the international level.

On the drawing board of CoffeeShopGurus are startup events in Karachi and workshops for women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the North-West Frontier province of Pakistan.

Track Record
Coffee Shop Gurus has organized startup events in Lahore and Islamabad. The group actively incubates businesses and conducts research. This research is then shared with these businesses.  Even after the incubation period is over and the business is up and running the group remains in touch with the startups. Success stories range from home-baked chewable cookies, gift wrapping services, and photography businesses.

New Ways of Thinking
Entrepreneurship is all about giving new definitions to the things around us. Entrepreneurs change lives with greater ideas.  “It is that thinking out of the box and that creative bug that helps promote new ways of thinking,” explains Rohan David Emmanuel.  “Youngsters are making more of a social impact than a financial impact,” he admits. This includes high-profile social media presences too.

Dynamics of Entrepreneurship
Pakistan needs more institutions that understand the dynamics of entrepreneurship. Although micro-finance institutions are playing a vital role in sustaining the entrepreneurial eco-system of the second-largest country on the Indian subcontinent, no such institution has defined the entrepreneurial eco-system (in the sense of having a universal impact, a real changing of the landscape impact).

Self-SufficiencyCoffee Shop Gurus doesn’t establish relations with micro-finance providers: they believe in establishing a business with what you have. For them, the core ingredients of successful entrepreneurship are enthusiasm and pursuit of that passion, and if you do it on your own then these factors multiply, building momentum.

Of course, they are not doing it totally on their own when they have the Coffee Shop Gurus behind them, so it is arguable that this is a different system and the Coffee Shop Gurus want to see how their system works without the input of the institutional micro-finance providers who also provide a level of support and oversight in addition to the cash loan. Rohan David Emmanuel acknowledges that the micro-finance institutions are playing a valuable role in the rural areas.

GurusContributing gurus (mentors) are a mixed bunch. This mix helps get a wide range of opinion which is tailored to the requirements of the businesses the group incubates. Two identifiable people behind this initiative are Rohan David Emmanuel who is the CEO and curator of TEDxAnarkali 2012 in Lahore.  The other is Jaiser Abbas who is responsible for a number of startups including Jaiser Photography and founding www.theLIVEJOBS.com

Joining HandsGurus help by starting or assisting with channels such as social media and websites where investment outlay is low but nevertheless where results can be obtained. The gurus are able to share knowledge on each and every aspect of business ranging from starting from scratch to sales and reaping profits.

Specifics
Gurus and the platform provide:

1.  Mentoring; one-on-one interaction with top industry/market experts

2.  Idea development and polishing

3.  Skills to develop web presence

4.  Hardcore sales skills

5.  Weekly Coffee Shop meet-ups with the Gurus

6.  Extensive learning for a period of five weeks

Free to Use
This is a learning platform for youth, and there is no charge for imparting knowledge. However, it is expected that the budding entrepreneurs will be prepared to help others once they are up and running too. 

Credit to Hammad Siddiqui

http://hammadsiddiquiblog.com/coffee-shop-guru-a-social-entrepreneurship-project/

Thanks to Hammad Siddiqui.
Deputy Country Director of the Center of International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and expert in social media strategies, Hammad Siddiqui passionately disseminates exclusive insights on entrepreneurship, management, social media, careers and related topics. Hammad’s combined wealth of management experience as head of Trade and Investment at the Deputy British High Commission and now CIPE puts him in a unique vantage point to support organizational vision, mission and objectives. For more: http://hammadsiddiquiblog.com

The entrepreneur series:

1. Abid Beli of Beliscity.com-  http://abetoday.com/2012/11/05/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it-everything-when-it-comes-to-entrepreneurship/

2. Muhammad Nasrullah, Faizan Laghari and Rehan Allahwalla –

http://abetoday.com/2012/10/08/entrepreneurial-success-10-keys-by-muhammad-nasrullah/

http://abetoday.com/2012/11/06/im-a-technopreneur-and-im-jobless-says-faizan-laghari-is-an-entrepreneur-jobless/

http://abetoday.com/2012/11/03/q-and-as-on-entrepreneurship-by-muhammad-nasrullah/

http://abetoday.com/2012/10/15/7-keys-of-high-tech-start-up-success/

http://abetoday.com/2012/10/09/everything-is-an-experience-there-is-no-such-thing-as-failure-two-asian-entrepreneurs-cut-to-the-chase-of-success/

http://abetoday.com/2012/10/08/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-muhammad-nasrullah-and-faizan-laghari-share-their-journey-to-star-entrepreneur-status/

3. Suhail Ahmad of Ken House - 

http://abetoday.com/2012/11/05/an-entrepreneur-is-the-hero-of-his-own-company-and-you-have-to-act-like-one-says-suhail-ahmad/

“I’m a Technopreneur and I’m jobless,” says Faizan Laghari. Is an entrepreneur jobless?

The Yes "I am jobless" Camp by Faizan Laghari

Jobless for over 10 years
I can only speak for myself in this regard.
The fact of the matter is that I haven't had a job for 10 years now.

I am jobless!

Definition of Job
As I always explain in my presentations, a "job" in my opinion is where I go for an interview, get hired, get a job description, and am told this is my department, my team, my manager and my boss (who I'll probably never meet often). I'm also told that XYZ is my salary and benefits each month.

In this way, I haven't had a job, salary, department, manager, team or boss for the past 10 years.

My Understanding
I'm not talking about English, I'm not trying to be Shakespeare or anyone else. I'm being me, and that’s how I see things and that’s my point of view on my own life. Whether others see it that way or apply it to their lives is not something I can control nor do I want to.

Entrepreneurs are not Employees
Entrepreneurs wouldn't call themselves "employees" so with 10 years of experience, I'm quite credible, quite mature, and very real!

My question:
If entrepreneurs have "regular jobs" then why does the question always come up? "Why did you become an entrepreneur and not get a job like everyone else?"

See What I See
If you take a step back, throw the dictionary out the window, you'd see how I look at things. Opinions are opinions, not labeling them "right" or "wrong". I'm speaking of being an entrepreneur and happily "jobless" for 10 years. And this works amazingly for me!

There is a Difference
I always see a difference between having a "regular job" and being an entrepreneur.

The No Camp by Susan McKenzie

Way to Go
Shakespeare said be true to yourself and Faizan Laghari is being true to himself when he says in his presentations that he is jobless. He explains what his definition is and that is a valid definition. He wants to highlight that being an entrepreneur is a different state of being and I think audiences really see the difference immediately.

If we look at the dictionary there are many definitions of what a job means.  Here is the Cambridge University definition – the regular work which a person does to earn money. Thus, no entrepreneur is strictly jobless but I like Faizan’s definition because he is literally saying that he is not an employee and so does not have a job in that sense.

Another Take by Ovais Omer, CEO and founder, Pace International

Many Hats
An entrepreneur has more jobs than others. He's not an employee but having jobs (decision making, analyzing, forecasting, setting business dimension) – the core areas of the business.  To answer Faizan's question: If entrepreneurs have "regular jobs" then why does the question always come up? "Why did you become an entrepreneur and not get a job like everyone else?" I don't think, key decision making and the core aspects of the business are "regular jobs".

About Faizan LaghariFaizan A. Laghari is a technopreneur with close to a decade of management experience in the business world, and a decade of in-the-field experience of the web industry. He’s the Chief Texter at Textualy, and also runs Viaduct, a complete web presence solutions provider. Faizan has a degree in Business and IT from Curtin University of Technology, Australia and has spent years reaching out and researching various business models and delving into the possibilities of new technology-based start-ups for the regional market of Asia. You can find out more about him by visiting www.technopreneur.me

“I’m a Technopreneur and I’m jobless,” says Faizan Laghari

Secrets of Western thinking and how people at the every top of society think, act and behave

Land of Hope and Glory 
I can't talk for all countries, but the country I was born in still the Head of State is the Head of Church – The Church of England.

From Top to BottomEven if the masses are (use your imagination here), at the top of society there is a strong religious foundation and ethos (way of life and value system even if not always perfectly practiced).

Subtle or In Your Face?
Religion is subtle in the West, but remains as a major force. Remember what they say about the White man – White man talks with forked tongue. This means what he says and what he does are often two different things.

This expression comes from the Native Americans – that’s what they said about White (ethnically European) people. To me this expression means – pretending to be something you are not or hiding the reality of what you are.

Masked Pretense
At the very top – they still believe in a lot of what religion is and act accordingly.  Also when it comes down to the very essence of a country – If there was a referendum (a vote) in the United Kingdom as to whether the Queen should remain Head of Church I bet a majority would say keep the monarch as Head of Church.

This would be because of religion, culture and what the country historically and perhaps even now stands for.  Certainly while the current Queen is Queen no such referendum would be permitted and while there is a monarchy I doubt it either.

True England
When I studied to be a lawyer, I got admitted to the Inner Temple and that dates back to the Knights Templar – the Crusader times.

Inner Circle
There was Christian religion oozing all over that place and actually I chose Inner Temple because it was the oldest institution and the historic headquarters of the Knights Templar. Both Inner and Middle Temple date their history back to the Knights Templar (the crusaders who fought the Muslims).  Perhaps we get the idea of the inner circle from the Inner Temple – the people closest to the central core of power.

Fact versus Fiction
However, there is a tradition that the Inns will not say which is the oldest and they all say they are equal. The reality is that Inner Temple and Middle Temple are the oldest and most steeped in the history of the development of the country (Knights Templar, strong open support for the monarchy, the establishment).

Central Location
Inner Temple is in the heart of London.  I always suggest to people who are visiting London to go to this area where the lawyers train and work – you are going back in time when you go there. This is one of the power-house areas of England.

In fact, you should spend a day or more visiting all the things you can visit there and if you have a friend who is a member – see if you can dine there too.  Look out for open days too.

Portals of Power
The other thing to note is that some very important people are members of these Inns of Court even though they are not lawyers.

Larger than Life
The winged horse is the symbol of Inner Temple. Another thing you should understand about Western thinking is that they mask seriousness with frivolity.

This posting about the Pegasus emblem (http://www.innertemple.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=145) at the Inner Temple website is a good case in point – the origin could be frivolous or it could be serious.

Pic courtesy of the Londonist website  - Thank you Londonist.   http://londonist.com/2008/01/temple_open_wee.php

West window of the Inner Temple Hall

Secrets of Western thinking and how people at the every top of society think, act and behave

An entrepreneur is the hero of his own company and you have to act like one, says Suhail Ahmad

Hedging your Bets for successful entrepreneurship

Testing the WatersAlthough gainfully employed, Suhail Ahmad wanted to ratchet up excitement in his life, so he decided to ride two boats in his 20s: Full-time employment but starting his entrepreneurship journey on the side.

Q  Why did you become an entrepreneur?

A:  Life was static and I felt I could make a difference. Once you are an entrepreneur, you have to make it work because you do not have any other options. This is where your whole mindset of being static on a job is changed and another person is born with an entirely different mentality. You need to look at all matters, from starting the initial conversation  and making the necessary arrangements to successful completion and receiving payment. Everything must be very clear in your mind, if it is not then you are in big trouble. It is stressful but at the same time if offers you what no other job can offer. It offers you the freedom and there is no limit on what you can achieve. You are the hero of own company and you have to act like one.

Q:  Did you become an entrepreneur immediately after school? 

A:  No I was first an employee.  I was responsible for Information Security and I was leading the Information Security Department (Corvit Networks). During this time I was testing the waters for my own business venture, namely providing training courses with particular emphasis on IT systems.  I was a full-time employee and a part-time entrepreneur. Now it is the other way round, I am a full-time entrepreneur but I am also doing part-time lecturing at the University of Education, Lahore in the Network Design and Management field. I wanted to see if entrepreneurship could work for me and with the minimum investment. I was nearing the end of my 20s and I felt it was now or never.

Q:  What are the greatest challenges a new startup in your field faces?

A:  In the training and consultancy business, the hardest thing is to kick start it. People do not know your brand name and why would they trust you for training and consultancy?

Q:  How did you kick start your training and consultancy?

A:  We had to start on personal references, plus we came up with the unique idea to start training of Mobile Application development. We are pioneers of Mobile Application training in Lahore and this uniqueness really helped us. Our client portfolio now includes multinationals.

Q: Where did you get your clients from?

A: I met everyone personally and offered what others could not. I was personally present at all the initial training sessions as an observer. In addition, we have been flexible in our delivery methods and once up and running, satisfied clients have spread the word.

Q:  What is your marketing strategy?

A: Mobile Application development training is relatively new and not a hot-cake training here. We had quite a challenge to create awareness. We used social media, free seminars and marketing activities. Once people know the value of this training, they joined our training classes. Some of our students have started their own mobile application development companies and are doing well now.

Q:  What would help startups get a leg up?

A:  If entrepreneurs can get some mentorship in their early days then it will be a great help not only to them but to society as a whole (more jobs and more opportunities).

Q: What limits your growth?

A: The biggest challenge we are facing is electricity.  Every time I am planning to go big my single and the biggest concern is stable electricity. You cannot teach students without electricity and the cost of  your own power generator will make it very difficult to stay in business. If the electricity issues is resolved here in Pakistan then it can make a huge difference.

About Suhail Ahmad

Suhail Ahmad runs Ken Consultancy.

His professional background is IT and business.

http://www.thekenhouse.com/