Eight Fascinating Facts About Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA

Eight Fascinating Facts About Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA

by | Jan 28, 2018 | Personal Development, Productivity

Eight Fascinating Facts About Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA
28
JANUARY, 2018
Samuel Osho

As furniture subtly crept into our daily lives, a unique entrepreneur from Sweden made life easy for humanity. Kamprad blessed the world with Billy bookshelves, Friheten sofas, Kallax shelf units, Lack side tables and many more. Ingvar Kamprad, the brain behind the outstanding success of IKEA, a furniture-making company, has died at the age of 91.

According to his family, he died “peacefully” in his sleep on January 27, 2018. He left quietly but the echoes of his footsteps as he departed has woken everyone in the neighbourhood.

 

As the world pay tributes, I am here to share about the ingenuity of a young industrious man who climbed the slippery ladder of wealth with a fortune made from furniture. I am naturally attracted to creative and innovative people – Kamprad, a trailblazer belongs to this clan.

 

I want to write about the ambience of intelligence and creativity that beam with smiles when you stroll into a store full of IKEA furniture. I want to add letters to the simplicity that flows from the frugal life of the Swedish business magnate and the excellence he left behind for unborn generations.
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He molded a company that “cares” about the needs of the common man who can’t do without a piece of furniture. Kamprad started a revolution that has outlived him – you can set-up your furniture (chairs, sofas, wardrobes, cupboards) yourself from a flat-pack in 45 minutes. He pioneered the flat-pack furniture series – an innovation that raised him shoulder high above his competitors.
Here are some interesting facts about the exceptional business tycoon.
The Eight Fascinating Facts

1. Kamprad made his first business deal at age five.

At a young age of five, Kamprad started developing his entrepreneurial skills by selling matches in his village, Smalad. He started this business when he discovered that he could buy matches in bulk at a cheap price from Stockholm and make appreciable profits from sales.

The farm boy with a bicycle at seven traveled to neighbouring fields to sell his matches. He later expanded his line of goods by selling fish, Christmas decorations, ballpoint pens, seeds, and pencils.

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2. He started IKEA at age 17.

Kamprad started IKEA in 1943, four years into the bloody World War II. He used some money he got from his father as a gift for performing well at his studies despite his dyslexia. He started out by selling carbon copies of his Uncle Ernst’s kitchen table. Five years later, he diversified his product lines and added furniture. He retired as CEO in 1988 and stepped down from the company’s board in 2013 at the age of 87.

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3. Kamprad lived a frugal life.

Despite the success of his company, he was the billionaire with a reputation for penny-pinching and an epitome of extreme frugality. During the inventory of his estate in 2013, it was reported that he had only two cars – a 2008 Skoda and a 1993 Volvo 240. He was known for flying economy class and shopping for second-hand clothes at flea markets.

 

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4. He was the second richest person in Europe.

According to The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the worth of Kamprad before his death was $59billion. At the time of his death, he ranked as the second richest man in Europe behind Amancio Ortega and only seven men were ahead of him on the world map.
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5. Kamprad left Sweden so he could pay lower taxes.

In a bid to reduce his taxes, Kamprad left Sweden for Denmark in 1973 and eventually settled for Switzerland in 1976. He lived in Switzerland for 38 years before returning home in 2014.
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“Creativity and believing in your work is absolutely a necessary part of success.” – Ingvar Kamprad
Before I conclude, let’s look at some interesting facts about his multi-billion dollar company, IKEA.

6. IKEA is an acronym.

The first two letters of IKEA originates from his names – Ingvar and Kamprad while the two remaining letters came from the name of the farm he grew up, Elmtaryd, and the nearby village, Agunnaryd. His love for Sweden can be seen in the two main colors of IKEA which can be found on the Swedish national flag – blue and yellow. He placed Sweden on the world map.

 

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7. IKEA is the world’s largest consumer of wood.

The furniture-making company has grown over the years with a total of 412 stores in 49 countries. To meet the demands of their ever-increasing customers, they munch wood and consumes 1% of the world’s supply of wood.

 

 

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8. IKEA has a store on every continent except South America.

Well, there is an IKEA store in the Dominican Republic and this part of the world is often considered as the Carribean. Hopefully, South America will get an IKEA store soon.

 

Source: Store locations by continent as at Aug. 2016 (www.ikea.com)
In conclusion, this is the story of a young farm boy from the village of Smalad that rose through the ranks of life to become one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century. Kamprad’s life teaches about the discipline to stay focused on an idea until it blossoms.

It unravels the power of an idea successfully birthed by a visionary leader that understood the essence of consistency. I hope this inspires you to chase success pants down and remain undaunted in the face of challenges until you lay hold of greatness.

7 Insightful Reasons Why You Should Keep a Writing Journal

7 Insightful Reasons Why You Should Keep a Writing Journal

by | Jan 21, 2018 | Writing

7 Insightful Reasons Why You Should Keep a Writing Journal

21

JANUARY, 2018

Samuel Osho

Autobiographies are hewn out of accumulated sediments of daily journals and presented either in form of a compelling documentary movie or an inspiring prose. You don’t need to be a celebrity before you keep a journal. Regular journaling has immense benefits and can positively influence your personal life. If you are a writer, it will go a long way to make a writing genius out of you. Journaling helps you to make daily writing a habit.

Keeping a diary may sound like a tradition for exuberant teenagers who want to chronicle the minutest events of their days. Growing up, I remember how teenagers especially ladies hold on to their dairies tenaciously; they guard it jealously so no one was privy to its details. For diligent diary keepers, a diary serves as a compilation of varying moods and delectable memories. It’s a personal property, it’s their best pal and the one with whom they can share their deepest secrets. 

Well, people hardly keep diaries these days except for folks who are yet to get a hang of the crazy social media. All in the name of audience engagement and brand building, our social media pages gradually become the place to share what is usually considered “private” in the past.

 

Regular journaling has immense benefits and can positively influence your personal life. If you are a writer, it will go a long way to make a writing genius out of you. Click To Tweet
This blog post is not a crusade for instilling the culture of having a personal diary but to encourage daily journaling of your most treasured moments. The benefits are numerous but the taste of the pudding is in the eating. It means you’ll never experience the reality of its merits until you do the act itself. In the act of journaling, you’ll engage in the art of writing but there is more.

 

The Seven Insightful Benefits

1. Journaling Helps You Find a Lone Time

In 2015, while reading Platform, a book authored by American writer Michael Hyatt, he talked about how he created time in his daily schedule to have a personal meeting with himself. At that time, it sounded weird but I now understand the importance of salvaging a lone time for yourself; the world is noisy, busy and constantly moving at top speed with strategic events meant to distract you. Journaling helps you create a lone time for self-reflection and meditation; this is how creative people recharge. This will help you do more and cover more grounds in no time.

Journaling helps you create a lone time for self-reflection and meditation; this is how creative people recharge. Click To Tweet

2. Journaling Fosters Your Focus

Keeping a daily journal where you write your daily goals, achievements and shortcomings can stimulate your ability to develop focus. Focus means the strength and vigor to concentrate on a task and complete it. To remain highly creative and productive, you need to be focused on your goals. You may never know how daily journaling will increase your focus until you start.

Focus means the strength and vigor to concentrate on a task and complete it. To remain highly creative and productive, you need to be focused on your goals. Click To Tweet

3. Journaling Increases Your Imagination

Turning thoughts and memories of the day into words is a product of imagination. Chronicling the peak and low moments of your day makes you relive those experiences. The words in your journal crystallize from pixels of mental pictures and add positively to your imaginative acumen. If you can imagine the past, then you can paint the future.

The words in your journal crystallize from pixels of mental pictures and add positively to your imaginative acumen. Click To Tweet

4. Journaling Boosts Self-Esteem

Journaling opens your eyes to the steps you have made towards achieving your goals; it’s an accelerometer that shows your pace and keeps you in check. When you cultivate the habit of writing a daily journal, you will be able to see your progress along the line of your set goals. Be thankful for the little victories and the seemingly minute triumphs.

Gratitude makes your face the headquarters of joy by dishing out millions of smiles to people; it makes you look good. In her book, Things We Could Not Say, Diet Eman describes journaling as, “this pouring thoughts out on paper has relieved me. I feel better and full of confidence and resolution.” Keeping an attitude of gratitude boosts your self-esteem and helps you build confidence.

Gratitude makes your face the headquarters of joy by dishing out millions of smiles to people; it makes you look good. Click To Tweet

5. Journaling Unveils the Writer in You

I became an addicted writer through journaling. I started daily and conscious journaling in January 2015; it contributed immensely to what you see today as the writing side of me. Often, I will be in my room writing stories from my daily encounters with people. In this daily process of writing, I found the creative side of my brain deeply rooted in the love of letters. To be honest, something will ultimately happen to the writer in you when you are devoted to journaling your experiences. Journaling is an open secret to becoming a powerful writer. Journaling will assist you:

 

  • Develop formidable writing habits.
  • Help you find your voice.
  • Locate your tribe.
  • Produce powerful ideas that can fuel other projects.
To be honest, something will ultimately happen to the writer in you when you are devoted to journaling your experiences. Click To Tweet

“The young John Quincy Adams begins it lifelong habit of keeping a journal with reluctance that he might one day have to read it. He hopes, though, that the flaws in his earlier entries will be balanced by the progress he is able to see.” – Paul C. Nagel

6. Journaling Increases Your Sensitivity

Ever since I started journaling, I have developed an interesting habit of paying attention to the details of my day. Whenever I am having a random but rare conversation with people, I take notice of such conversations with an intention of getting something meaningful for my journal. They always turn out to be stories that can inspire others or serve as portals of lessons for me in my daily endeavor. When you start journaling, you will have increased sensitivity to your daily interactions.

Your written journals always turn out to be stories that can inspire others or serve as portals of lessons for me in my daily endeavor. Click To Tweet

7. Journaling Helps You Develop a Positive Habit

This is a grand opportunity for you to develop a positive habit – writing. You ultimately become what you consistently do, journaling adds one more positive habit to your list of daily routines. It may be hard and tough at the beginning but it will become easy with time. Journaling will steal some minutes from the hours you waste on social media; it will make you more positive about life and forge ahead with clarity.

Journaling will steal some minutes from the hours you waste on social media; it will make you more positive about life and forge ahead with clarity. Click To Tweet

How Do I Start Journaling?

Before I conclude, I think it will be great if I can share some tips for first-time “journalists.”
Location: 
Get a comfortable and quiet place where you can be isolated from distractions and disturbances. Preferably your bedroom or a place in your house with a reading table and chair. You can play a soft music in the background; I will suggest classical music or instrumentals. You can check out this playlist on Spotify.

 

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Time:
I will suggest you do it early in the morning before you hop on the social media train or late at nights before you sleep. If it’s in the morning, you should write about the reflections of the previous day and if you choose evening time, you can write about the just concluded day.
Resources: 
You can go for whatever is convenient for you, either a book and a pen or you write electronically using your personal computer or phone. If you are using your personal computer or phone, I will suggest you install Cold Turkey or Freedom to disable your internet and social media apps when writing.
Tasks: 
You can focus on the following when starting out before moving on to other areas:
  • Your most memorable moments of the day.
  • Your interesting encounters with people.
  • The places you visited especially the ones you visited for the very first time.
  • Things you could have done properly or ways you can improve the outcome of your daily output.
  • Completion of tasks that got you excited.

 

 

In conclusion, I implore you to commence journaling this week and you will be amazed at the stunning outcomes. It will help you steer your life in the right direction and help you become the best version of yourself. You are doing yourself a lot of good and creating a collage of history notebooks for the unborn generation. You have a story and it’s worth sharing with the world. Before you can share it, you must first write it down.

It is your turn to share with me. I am curious! What’s your take on daily journaling?

Welcome to 2018: What Will You Do Differently?

Welcome to 2018: What Will You Do Differently?

by | Jan 4, 2018 | Personal Development, Productivity

Welcome to 2018: What Will You Do Differently?
02
JANUARY, 2018
Samuel Osho
I started the new year in the midst of brethren, we prayed and worshipped Yahweh until 2018 strolled in like a new baby in swaddling clothes.

 

The whole ground reverberated because of the enormity of the ecstasy that filled the auditorium. The tremulous energy was inundating, to say the least.
I only wish that our determination to succeed this year would wear the same regalia as our physical acrobatics. Unfortunately, only a few carry the grit of the first minute of 2018 into the second day of the year.
New year resolutions crash even before the first day gets completed. 
The year 2018 will chart the same route just like its siblings – 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 if we keep doing the same things over and over again.
Sadly, you must have heard this before but its true – “Nothing happens until you change.” However, “change” is relative and means different things to all of us.

 

What will you do differently this year? 
Will you reduce the number of hours you waste on social media? 
Will you increase the number of hours you use for personal meditation, retrospection, and thinking? 
Will you read those dusty books on your shelf? 
Will you write that pending book? 
Will you create that blog? 
Will you start that business and give wings to your creative ideas? 
Will you start that saving scheme? 
Will you enroll in that online course?
The world is waiting… And time is ticking away.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results. It’s just like saying that Arsenal FC will win the English Premier League when Arsene Wenger is still at the helm of affairs with his rigid tactics.

 

It’s not going to work. (Smiles)
Cheers to a prosperous 2018!
So, what’s the point of my admonition?
I have heard the mantras/prophecies for this year – “My year of awakening,” “My year of greater glory,” “My year of divine speed,” “My year of abundance.” […]
But these words may become slogans that fail to appear in your life if you fail to do one thing to your plans.

 

Execution!
I mean ruthless execution.  

 

It implies chasing your life goals with tenacity like today is going to be your last day on earth.
Create a plan for the new year with a room for the changes you want to implement. The plans will come alive when you take action – execution!
Planning and execution work hand-in-hand for the realization of your goals.
In addition, as you start the new year, there are two things you should watch carefully – comparison with others and negative people. 

The Two Things You Should Do

1. Stop Comparison
I know you have some fears, doubts, and worries but I am glad to tell you that your worries will die a natural death when you no longer measure your success based on the achievements of your colleagues. Social media fuels comparison because we often believe the manicured lies and pedicured deception. Friends, comparison shuts down the revving engines of euphoria within you. Comparison focuses on the needless things and manhandles your peace of mind.

 

When comparison and competition is your motivation, moments of rejoicing with others may become seasons of depression. Stop it! It kills you and renders your potential to pennies because you no longer focus on the strength within. So, what should be my motivation? Find your motivation in the scrolls of your purpose; let your purpose in life be your yardstick to measure success and progress. Oh! You want to leave a legacy here on earth; let that motivate you and spur you on to greater heights. Yes, it’s very possible!
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“Negative people are very toxic, say goodbye to them because you can no longer be their clients.”
2. Stay Happy and Shut Out Negative People
I want you to choose a new path where there is no room for any form of complaints or space for murmurs. Climb to a unique terrain where you leap for joy and jump with a grateful heart. In the midst of this newly found cheerfulness lies the power to conquer new grounds and surmount the mountains of challenges.
In 2018, learn how to make yourself happy by doing the things that bring out the best in you. The happiest moments of your life are not in your past, they are days of ecstasy waiting to be lived in your future. The more you realize how beautiful your future is, the quicker you forget your irreparable past. Be happy and learn to shut out negative people. Negative people are very toxic, say goodbye to them because you can no longer be their clients.
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In conclusion, avoid comparison, shut down negative vibes, find out what needs to change in your life, create a plan, and be intentional about executing your plan.

 

Welcome to your best year yet!
It’s a new book with 12 new chapters and 365 new crispy pages. Write a story of impact with the ink of time.
Expect explosive and insightful conversations from me in 2018.

 

How do you think I can be of help to you this year?  
I am reviewing my content and strategies. Your answers and replies will go a long way. 
Thanks in anticipation.

 

 

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