Economy
5 Business Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Bodybuilders
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former bodybuilder turned actor and politician, once said that he learned everything he knows from bodybuilding.
If you’re a business man or woman then this is something worth taking note of. After all, Schwarzenegger has proven himself a savvy businessman over the years and through a number of small businesses and shrewd investments actually managed to make his first million before he first graced our screens in Pumping Iron.
But surely this is just hyperbole! After all, what can you possibly learn about business from a pastime that involves grunting in the gym and covering yourself in tanning spray? Well, surprisingly a lot actually. Read on and we’ll look at some powerful business lessons you can learn from the bodybuilding industry.
Vision
One thing that bodybuilders and entrepreneurs definitely have in common is a steadfast commitment to their vision and their passion. Sure, for a bodybuilder that vision might be 21’’ biceps, but the principle remains the same.
Having a vision and staying committed is what makes it possible to wake up while the world is still sleeping; to get a gym session in before work or to meet with international clients on Skype. Either way, this is your fuel and you won’t get anywhere without it.
Goal Setting
What’s key to consider with regards to vision is the way you craft your goals. The easiest way to miss your goals in bodybuilding is to focus on distant and abstract goals. Instead, you keep your goal setting focused on things that are entirely under your control. A great goal, for example, would be to go to the gym four times a week every week. If you can do that, you’ll find the rest just works it out!
The same goes for business. Have a distant ‘end goal’ in mind, sure. But more important is to focus on the steps that it takes to get there.
Laser Focus
Schwarzenegger says that when he was at the height of his bodybuilding career, he used to imagine his biceps swelling up as big as the entire gym while he was training. More recently he referred to texting in the gym as ‘Mickey Mouse stuff’.
Either way, the message is clear: you need to be focused on what you’re doing if you’re going to accomplish anything. This is what leads to the coveted “flow state” that is such a buzz word at the moment.
No Pain, No Gain
This is one of the most popular mantras among lifters and if you head to any gym you can expect to hear it yelled out at least a few times a day.
And of course this is true: to be successful in the future you need to be willing to put in the work here and now. Really, the sport of bodybuilding is a sport of preparedness. The winner of each competition is decided long before anyone steps up onto the stage.
Train Smart
But the best bodybuilders don’t just train hard, they train smart. The top players are athletes and scientists rolled into one – constantly checking Pub Med for the latest research they can use to enhance their training.
This is absolutely key in business and is what makes the ‘80/20’ law so valuable. If 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients, it makes sense to focus on that 20%!
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has announced the commencement of compliance monitoring activities for large taxpayers under the National e-Invoicing and Electronic Fiscal System (EFS) regime.
A statement issued on Monday and signed by the agency’s chairman, Mr Zacch Adedeji, advised corporate organisations that have yet to adopt this system to do so on or before July 31, 2026.
Recall that on February 17, 2026, NRS issued an implementation timeline for the mandatory adoption of the EFS, also known as the Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS), by large taxpayers.
They were asked to complete the process of onboarding, integration, testing, and commence invoice transmission to the NRS e-invoicing platform in accordance with the prescribed implementation framework.
The compliances include the completion of onboarding on the NRS MBS; the successful integration of taxpayer systems through approved Access Point Providers (APPs) and/or Systems Integrators (SIS); the completion of all required validation and testing activities; the active transmission of invoices to the NRS e-invoicing platform in line with approved standards and guidelines; and the receipt of only compliant e-invoices with a valid Invoice Reference Number (IRN) from suppliers.
Ahead of the deadline, the NRS has commenced compliance monitoring activities to assess the level of adherence to the e-invoicing mandate across the large taxpayer segment.
Those that have not completed the process have been asked to conclude all outstanding onboarding and integration activities and commence invoice transmission before the compliance deadline.
The organisation warned that failure to comply would trigger regulatory and enforcement actions in accordance with the provisions of the relevant tax laws and regulations.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Transcorp Power Plc suffered declines in its revenue and profit in the first half of this year; details of the company’s financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2026, have revealed.
The losses were attributed to recurring transmission line vandalism, which materially constrained the organisation’s ability to evacuate available generation capacity.
Business Post reports that earnings contracted in the first six months of this year to N181.97 billion from the N205.81 billion recorded in the same period of last year, while profit before tax moderated to N54.99 billion from N58.73 billion.
However, on a year-to-date basis, total assets went up to N619.02 billion from N563.48 billion in December 2025, as shareholders’ funds grew to N189.34 billion from N183.40 billion in FY 2025, while retained earnings soared to N140.90 billion from N123.41 billion in FY 2025.
It was observed that the increase in receivables and borrowings largely drove the expansion in the balance sheet during the period.
Also, the firm’s gross margin expanded to 38.4 per cent from 34.7 per cent in H1 2025, operating margin increased to 30.6 per cent from 28.5 per cent, and PBT margin rose to 30.2 per cent from 28.5 per cent, reflecting cost optimisation efforts and disciplined financial management, positioning the company to continue delivering sustainable value for shareholders.
“Our H1 2026 performance is a reflection of the resilience of our business operations despite significant sector-wide existential challenges.
“Regrettably, recurring transmission line vandalisation materially constrained our ability to evacuate available generation capacity.
“Nonetheless, we continued to deliver strong profitability, maintain operational efficiency, and strengthen our balance sheet,” the chief executive of Transcorp Power, Mr Peter Ikenga, stated.
“We remain committed to working with relevant stakeholders to put an end to transmission line vandalisation and to further improving operational performance, power generation supply reliability, and creating sustainable value for our shareholders. We remain highly confident that we will recover lost ground in H1 2026 and finish FY 2026 stronger than FY 2025,” he added.
By Dipo Olowookere
A total of 2.819 billion stocks worth N182.499 billion exchanged hands in 226,729 deals on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week, in contrast to the 3.648 billion stocks valued at N220.568 billion transacted in 251,861 deals a week earlier.
From this, financial shares accounted for 2.006 billion units sold for N99.697 billion in 96,171 deals, contributing 71.17 per cent and 54.63 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Consumer goods equities traded 178.863 million units worth N7.872 billion in 26,637 deals, and energy stocks recorded a turnover of 151.237 million units valued at N38.309 billion in 16,879 deals.
First Holdco, FCMB, and Access Holdings accounted for 939.402 million units worth N57.673 billion in 19,051 deals, contributing 33.33 per cent and 31.60 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Business Post reports that the performance indicators were mixed in the five-day trading week, as the All-Share Index (ASI) depreciated by 0.14 per cent to 243,462.13 points, while the market capitalisation appreciated by 0.39 per cent to N157.057 trillion.
All other indices finished higher except the main board, consumer goods, energy, Lotus II, industrial goods, growth, and sovereign bond indices, which fell by 1.54 per cent, 0.15 per cent, 0.11 per cent, 0.40 per cent, 6.26 per cent, 0.09 per cent, and 0.33 per cent, respectively, while the commodity index closed flat.
Forty-four shares gained weight in the week versus 60 shares of the preceding week, 35 equities depreciated versus 28 equities in the previous week, and 67 stocks closed flat versus 58 stocks of the earlier week.
The best-performing stock was First Holdco, which gained 38.66 per cent to trade at N95.95. Thomas Wyatt expanded by 27.16 per cent to N3.09, Fidelity Bank grew by 15.00 per cent to N21.85, Learn Africa grew by 14.44 per cent to N10.30, and UBA chalked up 10.98 per cent to close at N45.50.
The worst-performing stock was BUA Cement after giving up 18.99 per cent to quote at N275.60, Red Star Express shed 18.53 per cent to end at N20.00, International Energy Insurance declined by 15.27 per cent to N4.66, C&I Leasing dropped 13.28 per cent to N5.55, and PZ Cussons crashed by 10.06 per cent to N80.95.
