Lessons for the Journey: Ibukun Awosika

It is an act of faith; business is a journey of faith. It is really about if you believe it enough to make a move – Ibukun Awosika

The spouse and family are invaluable support system for any business person. Biblically, a woman can only do all with godly wisdom and prosper when she has the support and encouragement of her husband – Ibukun Awosika

 

Our post last Tuesday generated a lot of questions; majorly questions on how almost all the women in our review of ‘The “girl” Entrepreneurs’ are people who had a rich and happy background. The question then was, how about young women who had rather poor upbringing and no resources or chance to the right connections? To this, I had one answer, we from such backgrounds will still have to follow same principles as we are learning from these women, we might just be slower in achieving our results.

But, I don’t think I’m in the best position to answer that question. I don’t even think the answer I gave is the right answer because after all, I’m in that category and also just taking baby steps. Just like the biblical Elisha, there was an Elijah for him to first learn from. This therefore led me to make 3 decisions:

1.      We are going to have to find a way to bring our very author, Madam Ibukun Awosika in on this. Honestly, I know this is such an audacious dream as she is by far one of the busiest women in Nigeria. But, no matter how long it will take us, we are going to have to find a way to bring her in and help us answer this question. What chances do those not privileged at all have at pursuing their dreams and becoming successful at it?

 

2.      Secondly, we are going to begin scouting for women with such backgrounds. Women who didn’t have these opportunities and had to break free from the very start but are now names to be reckoned with in their respective industries. You and I will go on this search together. We need real struggle and success stories so we can be duly guided on the path to follow and how best to follow it.

3.      Thirdly, we will begin scouting for young men and women around us who are just starting out and have to struggle through. They haven’t established their success stories yet, but they are starting out already; we will find these people and on a weekly basis celebrate and encourage them as our personalities of the week.

So, starting from next Tuesday, we will be taking our journey a step further, we will get more real by recognising even the young and growing entrepreneurs around us, we will build a community and as we proceed in achieving our goals, we will strengthen ourselves along the way. Stay tuned…

To the main business of the day: Our "girl" entrepreneur for today is the queen herself...

NAME: IBUKUN AWOSIKA

BUSINESS: THE CHAIR CENTRE GROUP

POST: GROUP CEO

INDUSTRY: FURNITURE AND SECURITY SYSTEMS

1.      Grew up with an independent mind set, multitasking abilities and a sense of adventure

2.      While growing up, she constantly read books and sat under the inspiring talks of great people and this helped to inspire her towards excellence

3.      Persistently reached for goals she set her mind to achieve, built a network of friends which  she leveraged in starting her business

4.      She presented her first jobs to people who she knew could honestly critic and correct her errors

5.      Her ears were always on ground for the latest news

6.      Starting out, she ensured  she was adequately branded and well packaged such that she could stand side by side with big companies and even attract huge businesses

7.      She also needed funds to start up but as expected, no one wanted to invest in an unknown company and an unknown young girl

8.      For years they still could not afford necessary materials needed for their jobs

9.      The quality of their work eventually paid off as they were eventually noticed for it and they got an investment

10.  Epileptic power supply was a major challenge and it led to frustration but she just had to keep going

11.  A car was not a priority even when business started booming, reinvesting into the business was her priority

12.  Her spouse was fully involved in the decision making of the company

13.  She had set her values from the onset; her company would be one devoid of corruption where there will be no bribery, cheating or helping someone to steal

14.  Whenever there was a problem and other business people panicked, she sought the face of God

15.  She sought help from other people, never for once planned to do it all alone

16.  Started  building a good financial record from the very beginning

17.  Because she had seen the trend that businesses in Nigeria tend to die with their owners, she already started a succession plan

 

Her Advice to us

§  Stay true to yourself and committed to your vision that’s the only thing that will keep you even in the face of challenges

§  The things you seek to do will not always come easy; but you have to learn to fight for the things you believe in

§  You are not an island. There are lots of talented people around you that can help you, treat all well as they can become asset for your success in the place that you least expect

§  It is important as a company to always prepare our hands for opportunities as we never know when they will show up

§  Ensure to build faithful costumer followership and never give up in the face of challenges

§  No matter how successful a woman gets, she should never forget the man will always be the head of the home

§  If you are called to business, once you can identify where the area of your calling is, take it, stick with it and conquer it!

§  Make sure you marry the right kind of person for the vision you have been given

§  Be conscious that no man can do it by himself, you need God!

Now let’s talk!

1.      Honestly, our generation find it difficult to seek information, read or spend to get trainings; we have to be ready to go out, meet people and  network by attending programs where we can meet and learn from great people

2.      Right from start, you need to recognise that our friends and family are our blessings as thy will be there to truthfully critic your work and tell you areas you need to improve upon

3.      Even when we are just starting out, do not carry the mentality of a small struggling business because that is how others will see you. Brand your business; give it a name, an e-mail address, social media accounts and even a website. Build a good brand no matter how small the business is.

4.      Apparently, even if madam Ibukun Awosika didn’t come from a poor home, she still had to source for funds and even struggled for some years as she could not afford the necessary equipment and materials for work but that didn’t stop her, should it then stop us? I don’t think so!

 

5.      Set a standard for quality from the very start and do not compromise that stance, develop and spell out your values system, they will keep you going.

6.      We need to set our priorities right. That you are starting to make some profit doesn’t immediately translate to buying a big car or more clothes. We need to know that for the first years of our business, what we earn should be reinvested into the business

7.      All the women so far have deeply emphasized how the role and place of the spouse is extremely important, don’t joke with it. Involve your spouse in the decision making process of the company.

8.      You need people; you cannot do it all alone.

9.      Build your financial structure from the onset and start planning succession as soon as possible

10.  Your spouse should complement your God given vision, ensure that area is secured.

11.  Ensure God is deeply involved, there will be no success story without Him

We have learnt and we have talked its left to us to work!

So many positive testimonies have been coming in as people have been sending in their business plan drafts, started branding their businesses and started reading books to improve their knowledge and skills. We want to hear more so please keep them coming in.

 Also, start looking out for young entrepreneurs around you; know anyone who is hard working and consistently improving in their businesses tell us and let’s celebrate them because they are our stars already.

You can drop them as comments or send mails to ifealonge@gmail.com.

Till next post friends, keep learning, keep improving, keep moving!