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!
