Felix Kimanthi

Branson aboard one of his rail's trains. In the summer of 2012, the British government informed  Virgin Trains  that it had lost the bid to retain the operating rights to the UK's West Coast rail franchise. Virgin Trains had been running the 7-billion-pound ( $10.9 billion ) franchise for 15 years, expanding the line and growing its annual passenger numbers from 13 million to 30 million. Richard Branson, chair of Virgin Train's parent company the Virgin Group, writes in his book " The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership " that he was "stunned and baffled" that he could have lost the bid to FirstGroup. He decided to stay quiet for awhile, meeting with lawyers and advisors to see if Virgin had actually been beaten fairly. Everyone he spoke with seemed to conclude that FirstGroup's numbers were unsustainable, meaning the British government had made a mistake in calculations. Regardless, many of his senior team told Branson that he&

Marriage is a partnership.  It may not be a 50/50 split but hopefully it is two people working together to grow a thriving family life.  One person may be the bread winner and the other takes center stage when it comes to raising the kids.  Or perhaps you both work and you both contribute to the running of the household.  So what happens when the Family, LLC has a breakdown?  When one of the CEO’s makes bad decisions or doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain.  How can you effectively get through choppy family waters together?    While there are many ways in which breakdowns occur there is a consistent way of fixing the issue that will leave you both feeling better.   Please know that not all breakdowns are fixable but in many cases they are.  Of course there is communication– being able to listen and hear what your spouse is going through.  But one of the toughest parts is the act of forgiving.  Being able to forgive someone who has hurt your feelings or has made you feel un

Patience is the art of handling the passing of time with a goal in mind. How Success is Like a Chinese Bamboo Tree Chinese Bamboo Tree The Story of The Chinese Bamboo Tree Like any plant, growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree requires nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. In its first year, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Our patience is tested and we begin to wonder if our efforts (caring, water, etc.) will ever be rewarded. And finally in the fifth year – behold, a miracle! We experience growth. And what growth it is! The Chinese Bamboo Tree grows 80 feet in just six weeks! But let’s be serious, does the Chinese Bamboo Tree really grow 80 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo Tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for ou

Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you Take comfort in the Lyrics of this song. Don't give up by ,Peter Gabriel featuring .Kate Bush. In this proud land we grew up strong We were wanted all along I was taught to fight, taught to win I never thought I could fail No fight left or so it seems I am a man whose dreams have all deserted I’ve changed my face, I’ve changed my name But no-one wants you when you lose Don’t give up ‘cos you have friends Don’t give up You’re not beaten yet Don’t give up I know you can make it good Though I saw it all around Never thought that I could be affected Thought that we’d be last to go It is so strange the way things turn Drove the night toward my home The place that I was born, on the lakeside As daylight broke, I saw the earth The trees had burned down to the ground Don’t give up You still have us Don’t give up We don’t need much of anything Don’t give up ’cause somewhere th

Why Your Sales Team Can't Close “My salespeople can’t close.” How often have you heard that line? If you’re a sales leader, you’ve probably even said it. But closing is never the real problem. Never. That’s just the symptom. The problem is that salespeople neglect important activities during earlier stages of the sales process. Unless you address the broken links in your prospecting system, your results will not be sustainable. It’s like back pain. You can stretch and put heat on an aching back, but unless you treat the source of the pain -- a pulled muscle or degenerating disc --your back will continue to hurt. Put Your Finger on the Real Problem When you start looking at what  really  went wrong with missed sales opportunities, you’ll typically discover that your salespeople didn’t make the time to prepare for the meeting. They didn’t plan an agenda, do their research, or even check the client’s LinkedIn profile to identify common connections, interests, and similarit

Everyone wants to know what dead people say right before they die. Words maybe infused with speckles of a heaven. Beethoven supposedly said on his deathbed, “Friends applaud! the comedy is finished!” Lou Costello said, “This was the best ice cream soda I ever tasted.” Similar is, “What are common regrets of people in their 30s and 40s?” Can they be avoided if known? Here are my regrets. And they can be summed up by the word “don’t.” Don’t buy things Buy experiences. A thing is a house. An experience is a trip. An experience is a visit to that girl or guy on the other side of the world who said, “maybe.” An experience is an invitation to meaning instead of material. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do You think you have time to get out of it. But you don’t. And then it happens. And then it’s too late. And then it’s something you did. You were the target and you got shot. A black ink stamp leaving its mark on your wrist. You went to the party and the next day, all blurry and i

We can learn alot from sports when it comes to Management .  These basic stats from World cup 2014 says it all. The team with the most  passes lifted the trophy. When Brazil faced Germany , Brazil had 18 shots Germany had 14 ,  Ball possession Brazil had 51% Germany had 49% , Corners Brazil had 7 Germany had 5 , Shots on goal Brazil had  13   Brazil were drenched 7 -1. It means while Brazil & other teams players chose to hold on to the ball the  Germans were busy passing the ball looking for a path to score.   Germans were more focused on results. At work you could be a busy body coupled with drama but Nil at being effective . It is also clear that the team with the best attack was Brazil which also soaked the most goals in the tournament.  As they busy played individual runs and shooting in a wild manner off target they were also exposing themselves then its no wonder the team with most passes hit them 7 -1 . Germans played with passion, full commitment, they were brave, reca

Self Confidence Formula FIRST: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I  demand  or myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action. SECOND: I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture. THIRD: I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of  self-confidence. FOURTH: I have clearly written down a description of my  definite chief aim in

DREAM AGAIN The greatest achievement was, at first, and for a time, but a dream." "The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. DREAMS ARE THE SEEDLINGS OF REALITY." Awake, arise, and assert yourself, you dreamers of the world. Your star is now in the ascendancy. The world depression brought the opportunity you have been waiting for. It taught people humility, tolerance, and open-mindedness. The world is filled with an abundance of OPPORTUNITY which the dreamers of the past never knew. The world has become accustomed to new discoveries. Nay, it has shown a willingness to reward the dreamer who gives the world a new idea . The world no longer scoffs at the dreamer, nor calls him impractical. May be you have been disappointed, you have undergone defeat and depression, you have felt the great heart within you crushed until it bled.  Take courage, for these experiences have tempered the

I’m sure you would have heard the notorious statistic that nearly  80 percent of small businesses  that start today may die within the first 18 months. This is both a sad reality and a mind-blowing suicide rate by any measure. I call it ‘suicide’ because most small businesses actually kill themselves without knowing it. Entrepreneurs and small business owners often form bad habits and make harmful decisions that ensure their businesses don’t survive. Don’t get me wrong; a business can fail for several different reasons. Some of these reasons are external (like a bad economy) while many of them are internal (you and the way you run the business). Sadly, poor financial management is one of the biggest internal reasons for business failure. This article looks at five common finanical mistakes that small businesses make in Africa. If you already run a business, no matter how small, you may already be guilty of a few.  Let’s find out what these mistakes are… Yes, it’s Always About T