Hi, my name is 'Debo Ajayi and I am a Project Consultant and Strategist.
A few years ago, I discovered something called Project Management. Let me be clear, I didn't actually invent it (someone just breathed a sigh of relief) I just happened upon it. And I discovered that I was born to do this. It came easily and seamless to me.
Now over the years, I have worked in quite a few industries. From Non- governmental to Entertainment, then Management consulting, Construction, Security, training and capacity building and now Business Consulting, I have noticed that one constant factor in all my business and career endeavors is Managing Projects.
I currently run a fantastic organization called Endive Projects and one of the things we have done is create a Product for Business Owners called Project Management for SMEs. Many start-ups have great ideas. The question is how to turn these "fantastic" ideas into great products and services.....That's where Project Management comes in. It enables organizations turn strategic goals into desired outcomes. Every entrepreneur should take a Project Management course and there would be a radical transformation in businesses with astronomical growth and productivity.
Also I discovered that we have a cultural challenge that inhibits us firm achieving our goals in our environment and country (Nigeria). I observed that we are good Initiators, and even executors, but we are terribly poor at planning and closing out Projects or ideas. We are quick to blame governments for failed and abandoned projects. But the problem is cultural. How many of us know people who never finish what they start (hehe, I see guilty faces, plus me), how many of us can identify uncompleted buildings around our routes and streets. Indeed how many of us have ideas that we started on but haven't followed through on? Yeah. I guessed you also have a few (yes we do),don't be alarmed. We can learn and transform our experiences.
Truth is our nation is a reflection of its people. So we need to change certain patterns to make a huge difference in our businesses and careers.
Project Management is the Number one skill required in Management staffs in the world's fortune 500 companies and great multinationals. (Says who?) Here's just me jumping in with this picture I found that quite sums up why women especially need project management!! See!
Today's show was a blast. Matilda shook the studio! Thanks to all those that were able to tune in and listen. If you didn't, watch out for when the recorded version is uploaded and we hope to have you listen in next week. Cheers guys!
P.S The zit is still there o! What do I do?!!
On to the business of today, #inthespiritofenterprise!
When people say there is no hope for the Nigerian youth bla bla bla, I laugh because everyday I meet exceptional young men and women pushing boundaries and making a difference. I know how tough it can be to choose this path, so I respect them. I have hope in Nigeria! We have great people. Gossy Ukanwoke is one of them. If you haven't heard of him, you are about to.
Enjoy.....
Tell us about yourself
My name is Gossy Ukanwoke, Founder of BAU Research and Development. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Information Systems from the American University of Cyprus. I am passionate about Education.
Tell us about your business
BAU R&D is a higher education investment and research company with BAU Online, Beni American University and two other local institution under its portfolio of universities. We fund institutions, as well as carry out research work in the higher education sector on the African continent.
What was your Inspiration for this business?
The idea was inspired by my vision to transform how education was delivered to reach the last mile / under-served communities.
How did you get funding for the business?
I started the business mainly with funds from savings, family and friends donations.
How will you summarize the journey so far?
Inspiring and Enlightening. Every day presents an opportunity to innovate, create something new and try out solutions that can be helpful in the Nigerian Higher Education sector. There is still so much to be done and we are poised to continue on the journey with better commitment.
What are the main challenges you have faced so far and how have you managed them?
One of the main challenges of the business has been adoption. Innovating and creating an entirely new industry is one that requires the patience to convince the populace that the future is here and that they should adopt it, most especially when it is in Education. We have done our best to deliver the quality we have promised our students from the get go, we have grown through referrals.
What is your long term vision for BAU?
We plan to grow our student base across our institutions till 10% of all students in universities and other higher educational institutions in the country attend a BAU R&D institution. We will continue to research, innovate and fund learning on the continent.
Given the chance will you do this again?
Yes, even earlier.
What advice will you give to budding entrepreneurs looking to launch.
There is no Formula to success.(#gbam) Just do what you can do to achieve your own success. Start Now!! And do your best. There is no quick action in Entrepreneurship. Be Steadfast and Patient. Pray hard. What we offer;
BAU Online offers professional and executive programs, delivered online and tailored to the African market. Affordable and Convenient to study and undertake the programs.
I woke up this morning to find this huge annoying zit close to my forehead, eeek! I wish there was something I could use to blast it away. Mscheew.
In other news, have you downloaded the enterprise radio app? Come on now! My show #strikedanvil is on tomorrow o, from 9am to 10am. I know you can always stream the recorded version later, but I want the discussion to be rich and engaging, so I am humbly begging - Go to www.enterpriseradiong.com and download the app biko!
Here's a brief on what tomorrow's discussion is about;
Scenario 1
A small company gets an LPO to supply goods to a big company after presenting samples and getting selected. In the course of communication by mail, phone and face to face, the goods are delivered as per the LPO but with a few adjustments. However things get awry as the MD is not happy with the final result. Tempers flare and small company ends up with a threat of litigation for breach of contract if the advance is not paid back within a week! yawa
Scenario 2
A hall manager's friend calls him up to contract the hall for a week long program. They discuss discounts and agree prices. A deposit is made and the program sets off. One or two things go wrong with the service and as friends, they trash it out over the phone and the hall manager offers apologies. Oya Ogbeni, pay my balance now! Mr. Friend brings up issues Mr. hall manager thought were resolved and slams them a lawsuit for inconveniences caused, requesting for damages sef!. Lobatan
Scenario 3
NYSC graduate has an idea and approaches a money bag to invest in his idea. After series of rigorous analyses and reviews, he's told the idea cannot fly. A month later who turns up on the radio talking about the next best thing....... you guessed right! Money bag's nephew. Yeepa
Scenario 4
Yemi has an idea and calls up his friend Jackson. They are both excited and run with the idea. After years of sweat and hard work, Jackson gives up and moves on to other things while Yemi sticks with the idea, putting in all he's got. With determination and endurance, Yemi finally gets a big break and guess who shows up demanding for a piece of the pie...... uhuh! But how naaa.
These are real life scenarios that different people trying to make an honest living face every other day. How does one protect his business or himself from such scenarios? How does one deal with such issues when they find themselves in these situations?
+Matilda Otulana is the CEO, Serenpidity Legal Concerns. She is a Lawyer, biker (yes! isn't that just cool) and entrepreneur with experience in banking and corporate legal practice. She will be joining us tomorrow to give practical tips and advice on avoiding or handling issues such as these. Shine your eye! (I couldn't resist throwing that in, hehe)
I have stumbled on this before, but just last week I saw it on +Atim Amana's facebook status and it lit a new fire in me. Thanks Atim for sharing great stuff!
I am going to fish the book out, I need to read all of what +Marianne Williamson has to say! Plus, I just had to share this excerpt from her book.....
Our deepest fear is not that we are Inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are Powerful Beyond Measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
"Who am I to be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented & Fabulous?"
Actually,
Who Are You Not to Be?!
You are a child of God
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking,
Just so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own Light Shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others
(Don't you just want to scream!!)
From A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.......buy the book here
I was at my son's school yesterday and alas, his teacher is pregnant. In my mind, my first reaction was panic! Can she be effective, wouldn't she be cranky all day, snapping at the kids? Then I thought again; this is one of the issues women like me face in the work place. Just because a woman is pregnant, does that mean she cannot add value anymore? Does that mean that she must be relegated to a secondary role or relieved of her duty? I felt really silly for my initial reaction and made up my mind to be as supportive as I can as an active parent of one of her students, till she has to go on leave, so help me God.
The song for today has been in my head since last week. I heard it first in my cousin +Ayo Olajide 's car a couple of years back. Permit me to say this, it is not very common to find really well done songs in the gospel genre. Sometimes I wonder, is it the money? The fact that most believe it has to be sombre? Or the fact that secular talent hunters come to the church to entice then really gifted ones with money? What are your thoughts on this?
Oh well, you know already that I have a bias for anything with string instruments! This is another reason why I am totally sold on +Casting Crowns music. The lyrics of "Voice of Truth" written by #Mark Hall and +Steven Curtis Chapman have especially spoken to me at times when I have been at my lowest.
Don't just listen to the music, follow the lyrics and let them speak to you.....
It's Tuesday again, time for another entrepreneur showcase! It's quite interesting how many of us end up pursuing careers entirely different from our fields of study. I always say though, that no knowledge or experience is lost, somehow, someday, we will be able to connect the dots.
I have know Ms Ige for a long time and for as long as I can remember, all she wanted to do was sing. We even did a few gigs together (yep, I sang at some point in my life! hehe). All those Christian shows in Ife back in the day, in our white shirts and waist coats! It's really great to see her living her dream and getting paid for it! Here's her story in her own words......
Enjoy!
Tell us about yourself
My full name is MODUPE IGE MOBOLANLE KACHI, but most people call me Ige. I had my primary and secondary education in Command Children's School, Ann's Barracks and Command Day Secondary School Ikeja. I studied Electrical electronics Engineering at the University of Lagos. I'm married and I have three (3) boys. I love classical music! I love to sing!
How did you decide you wanted to be a vocal coach?
That desire came in my university days. I realized that I quickly noticed if someone wasn't singing comfortably and I had a strong desire to help. I also noticed that there was a great need for vocal coaching in our choirs and in the music industry generally but no one seemed to know what to do or where to go for help.
Being a trained electrical engineer, did your parents support your decision?
The only challenge I had with my parents was trying to convince them to allow me do music as a career and not just a hobby. I wanted to study music but at the time it wasn't being offered as a degree course in Unilag. But it didn't stop me from going for shows and concerts while I was in school. I guess my consistency and passion bought them over. Now they are probably my biggest fans!
How did you go about building a career in this field as it is not common in Nigeria?
Well that wasn't easy, because as you said, it wasn't common because people didn't see a need for it. So I started small. I gave classes for free! (all you money money chasing people, take note!) I started doing voice training workshops at very little cost and that got the news spreading. And I prayed! (Pray like you're not working, work like you're not praying) I created a need spiritually for my expertise in the music industry, choirs, etc Before I realized it, I started having students who were willing to pay for the classes. And then, of course, MTN project fame west africa.
What challenges did you face along the way and how did you manage them?
I think the major challenge was getting singers, musicians, choristers, etc to realize that they needed help with maintaining their voice and singing correctly. So like I said I gave free classes. Another challenge I had was knowing what to teach and how to teach it. So I read anything that had the word "voice" in it! (Read, research, read!) I needed to understand the voice and what made it work! So I googled and googled and read and read. I still do.
Tell us about your work with project fame? How did that come to be and how has it been so far?
Project fame was a major breakthrough for me and for all aspiring vocal coaches out there. For me, because I was given the opportunity to do what I had been doing in my closet in secret, on an international scale. And all aspiring vocal coaches out there could see that they mattered a lot. After my husband and I consistently created a need for my services in the music industry with our prayers, I received a call from Project fame to be the vocal coach in 2008. So God came through for me and God used people to bring it to pass, and I'm grateful to both God and the people He used.
What other services do you offer as a vocal coach?
One on one voice training, choir training, vocal training for kids, singers, super stars, voice training workshops.
Are there times you wish you had pursued your engineering path?
No way! I'm glad for the discipline it instilled in me, for the friends I made and for lessons I learnt and memories I made, but I am fulfilled doing what I am doing now. I might still go back to it, but it must be relevant to the voice. Maybe Audio or Sound Engineering! How will you summarize your journey as a vocal coach so far?
My journey so far has been interesting. I haven't arrived yet. But I'm enjoying each step. I have learnt so many things from all the people I have been blessed to teach. Each day I want to do more, or strive to do more.
Tell us about your brand name, Ige, what does it mean?
Ige is actually my middle name, and it's a name I got based on my birth circumstance. I was born breach (I came out with my legs instead of my head) and it can be a very traumatic experience for both mother and child. But mine was very smooth. So I decided to adopt the name as my stage name to tell everyone that there's more to you than meets the eye, and that as long as there's life there's hope!
What is your vision for the brand?
My vision for the brand is simple: to be the best music academy, to help you achieve all that you can. So my voice training outfit is called Find Ur Voice with Ige. It's growing into a reputable music school and resource center.
Given the chance, will you do this again?
Yes, yes, YES! What advice will you give to young ones trying to pursue their dreams?
Don't give up on your dreams and visions. A No is a Yes in disguise. Study, educate yourself and pray. Always ask for the finger of God in all you do. And be happy! Joy brings opportunities your way!
Exactly a year ago, I gave a belated shout out to my cousin +jide ogungbesan and shared #90smusic from Maxwell - about a year ago today! This makes me realise how long its been already since I started this blog, interesting how time flies. Happy birthday again today Jide!! Love you loads and thanks for encouraging me from the start.
It's Friday and I am in the mood for some good quality #90smusic, it's been a while. Before I get to the music though, anybody out there as happy as I am about the kids school resumption?! Whew!! That was one mighty long one. Here's one picture I saw that sums it up pretty well, hehe;
You know you feel the same way! Stop using bad eye to look at me joo.
The song I dug up for today was more of a spoken word released in 1998 by Australlian film director, Baz Luhrmann. I don't get that excited by work in this genre (i.e. spoken word), but this one got me! I read somewhere that the song was based on an essay written as a potential commencement speech by Mary Schmich, published in the Chicago Tribune in 1997. Enough with the history class (if you are interested though, go here), but the words of this essay still ring true today and I really do hope as you listen or read, you actually do hear them....
Enjoy.....
Read the actual essay here as published in June 1997.
Hi guys! Don't even bother asking where I have been. What can I say, life happens. In other news, I debuted my radio show on enterprise radio today!!! Whoop whoop! It's called "Strike the anvil" and it airs on Tuesdays from 9am to 10am west African time. You can call in to contribute or protest, hehe. The whole idea is to hit the nail on the head about entrepreneurship in Nigeria and Africa. You can stream directly from the site or download the app at www.enterpriseng.com. I look forward to having great conversations with you! You can listen to the premiere on soundcloud here - http://goo.gl/uqHnUx
In case you've forgotten and this is my fault, I know, It's Tuesday, #inthespiritofenterprise!! In the spirit of enterprise we have a wonderful ground breaking entrepreneur story to share today. I am super excited to introduce to you, Affiong Williams. All you weight watchers, here's a cool way to get your fruit on!
Tell us about yourself
My name is Affiong Williams, 28 Year Old entrepreneur, building a fruit processing company in Nigeria, and eventually other countries in Africa. I studied a general Bsc degree in Physiology and Psychology, and followed up with a diploma in business management. However, my most valuable education came through work experience. I am quite simple. I take pride in it. I am quite motivated (I have run 2 marathons (42 KM) and 1 ultra-marathon (50KM) before I turned 26). I am very ambitious. I am clumsy, passionate, curious (I love travel), introverted and a bit of a nerd. I hope to hold political office in the future (Power to the women!! Yaay), and I also hope to live in different countries in Africa. Tell us about your business?
ReelFruit offers healthy snacks (dried fruits and nuts) to the growing class of people who are looking for healthier eating and lifestyle. My decision to launch ReelFruit was borne out of my general decision to venture into the Agribusiness sector. I believe that Agriculture has huge untapped potential both in wealth and job creation, however, like any other business, it requires large investment, patience and expertise. I was excited about value addition to fruit products, so I decided to start with dried fruits as a way to preserve the shelf life of fruits and reduce waste.
What inspired you to go into agro food processing?
I am motivated by a number of things, but what drives me most is the possibility that I can change a community, and the agribusiness sector. The values that drive our business are rooted in our long term vision, that through agribusiness , we can change lives. Nigerian products can be made to world class standards, and can be sold anywhere in the world. This is reflected in our short term plans, of launching products that reflect the quality of a world class product, as well as our medium term plans of launching a world class factory. Anything we do will be novel, we will drive innovation and bring change to the agribusiness industry. We don’t want to work within the inefficiencies that plague the sector. We want to be a driving force of change
What are the products you currently have in the market?
Our range currently includes dried mango, pineapple, coconut, banana, a fruit and nut mix and cashews. We are currently present mainly in Lagos, but we are excited to be growing into other regions of the country and beyond Nigeria. We have sold our products in Ghana, South Africa and even the United States
How has the market acceptance of these products been?
Market Acceptance has been a constant challenge. Although we know customers like our products, marketing and awareness is one of our biggest hurdles. It is very expensive to create large marketing campaigns, and we don’t have to budget for that. We try to be creative and use as many free forums as possible to get the work out there about our products.
How did you raise funds for your business?
My savings in the beginning, friends, family and fools as well. :-) ReelFruit has won 2 business plan competitions, which came with some funds. Now we are at a stage where we are getting investors who are excited about the vision of the company and its potential.
What are the main challenges you have faced along the way and how have you managed them?
There are so many challenges, and you cannot plan for all of them. I could go on all day about challenges. The biggest challenge is that most things take longer than expected, so one must always leave a little room to accommodate delays in business. I have also had a lot of “unexpected expenses” which always increase our operational expenses. I have had a mild case of dubious suppliers and even dubious products sold on the market which spoil after 1 month of use.
For all challenges, I try as much as possible to seek counsel from people who have been in similar situations before. I would suggest that entrepreneurs invest time in expanding their network. The value of a solid network is huge. I have been so positively surprised by how helpful people (who didn’t know me prior) have been. I would recommend that people take time out for personal development by seeking out people in their industries that they can learn from. Many challenges offer great opportunities for one to learn about their businesses more intimately, so challenges are not always a bad thing…In retrospect, of course.
How would you summarize the experience so far?
Challenging, enlightening, interesting. I have had so many opportunities open up since starting my business. I have vastly increased my network to include other passionate Nigerians who are doing wonderful things that will be big in a few years’ time. Through my experience, I have ascertained what my purpose is on this earth- an achievement that has truly liberated me. All in all, It has been rewarding, and most importantly, the future looks very bright.
Given the chance, will you do this again?
YES! I would start earlier.
What advice will you give to someone setting up a new business in Nigeria.
In business, I advise everyone to take it a step at a time. Before I got an office, and hired staff, I started the business in my room, working alone, going from pillar to post, and testing the products with customers. Pay close attention to market feedback, and be willing and flexible to your products and services to fit the market needs. You have to be patient, committed, persistent, and hold on to your big ambitions.
Let's share some good music this Friday shall we.....
The rate at which new music is turned out nowadays is alarming. It's so hard to keep up. This minute you are feeling this song and before you know it another one comes and bounces it off. There are some however that just stick, they stand out because the lyrics are sound, the music composition is good and they just stand out from all the "shake your bum bum", "lie in my bed" hogwash we get bombarded with.
This song is a breath of fresh air. One of my top songs at the moment.
According to Wikipedia, The duo was asked about the meaning of the song and the inspiration behind it during an interview on Good Morning America, Nico Sereba said, "Inspiration is coming from a small country, but having huge dreams and people telling you, man, that's not realistic, come on, you can't be on the top of America or the top of the world or whatever we dream of......"
It's been a while since I sat by this computer to type anything, I bet I am all rusty, so forgive me if I ramble quite a bit. Besides, this post is more like a venting session so ....
There are these little demons, in my mother's church they call them "emptiers". You can't understand this concept of emptiers unless you have been through a drought. My people, the number one pocket emptier in this our grown up lives is "unbudgeted expenses". How does an entrepreneur who has not attained some level of predictable income streams deal with these unanticipated expenses that come not in ones nor twos but in droves!
Here's my recent experience;
#Emptier no.1
As is the case with many remote areas in Nigeria, home owners have to buy their water because government hasn't gotten round to their zones yet, so we buy a tanker load every month and a half with proper management. Lately though I noticed the time was getting shorter and shorter and we tried to do some layman troubleshooting before we decided perhaps our usage had just gone up.
Then, we bought the last batch this fateful day, only for me to waltz to the tap the next day to get some water and zilch! Nada! Nothing but that funny sort of burp that comes out of the tap when all the water has been drained! Oti o. Owo j'ona. At first I thought perhaps it was just an airlock issue until my hubby confirmed that the tanks were empty! 9000 naira tanker load of water, drained overnight. I could not cry. We got the plumber to come in and trace the source of the leakage with no luck of course (Remember my post about plumber *rolls eyes*). Rather than trace the source he suggested we lay new pipes and do a whole new plumbing system. For what naa! N'ile merent!
#Emptier no. 2
While the bad taste of the water experience, a few nairas later with no solution was still lingering, I come home one day to find that everyone had power and we didn't. At first I just thought oh, we have run out of credits on the meter, but when I go to check the meter, alas the thing is blank, staring at me completely blank. I take the card to the estate office to complain and ask them to load the card and see if it'll load. They tell me they have to get a technician to come in and inspect the meter first. It's bad enough that this took about 3 days (diesel burning days), then they show up with a letter saying the meter is bad and no longer under warranty, "kindly forward the sum of 85000 naira to the estate management office for a replacement"!!! Say what?! I gave the letter right back because my brain couldn't even process that figure. While we are vexing and trying to sort this out with the estate, the filling station down the road is smiling to the bank.
#Emptier no. 3
I know some men will blame me for this, because I guess y'all are perfect and you write down the date of your tyre purchases and expected change dates..... Wureva! In my head I have an idea how long a tyre should last and so it is upsetting when your tyres suddenly just give up on you after a couple of nail accidents. At this point, I am tempted to scream WHY ME!!! I had to make unexpected tyre purchases all in this same season of unexpecteds....
#Emptier no. 4
You thought that was all right? Hmmmmm.... By now even you would be like, who did this girl offend? You won't believe, the same day I condemned my tyres, I am driving home trying to stay positive and not think I need 1 week deliverance when gbaga (that's a sound, in yoruba), someone hits me from behind! That's when the meltdown came. I was so upset I cried like a baby, even after I saw that it wasn't too major, I still cried all the way home, especially because my hubby just had the car re-sprayed less than two months before.
So my people, that has been my past few weeks in a nutshell. Why am I sharing? This is about the real everyday struggle of an entrepreneur in Nigeria, especially women who have to run their homes too. There's just so much to deal with. Perhaps you're out there thinking "WHY ME", stop! We're all going to be just fine in the end....... Hang in there.While you're at it, stay safe too #Ebola is real.
Cheers guys!
P.S
I stumbled on this, you might find it useful. It highlights a few tips on how to manage your expenses
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