Ninekay Stitches - Nkemdilim Adeniran-Adedokun #inthespiritofenterprise

So we met Madam Tootsy, now let's meet Ninekay sticthes.

Are you preggies, listen up.....

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself

I am Nkemdilim Adeniran-Adedokun. I am by the grace of God the Founder and Creative Director of Ninekay Stitches, a Lagos based fashion designing concern with a lot of emphasis on the need of pregnant mothers and their newborns. Before I started this business in 2010, I was in the banking industry for six years during which I worked towards setting up a structure for what is my dream. I resigned in 2010 and went straight into this business. 

I gained a degree in Mathematics Education from the Delta State University Abraka and a Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Lagos, Akoka. I have also done a few courses in Fashion Designing, Fashion Management and Entreprenurship home and abroad. I am an Alumnus of the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan African University and a Goldman Sachs Scholar. I am currently on a one year Fellowship with Vital Voices VVGrow program to support my goals as an entrepreneur and leader of a small and growing business.I am married and God has blessed us with children

Tell us about your business

At Ninekay Stitches, We specialise in the design and manufacture of maternity clothing as well as the complementary accessories such as pre-packed hospital bags and nursing covers for expecting and nursing mothers respectively. We produce custom fitted maternity wear for special occasions (made to order) and ready to wear clothing( office and casual maternity clothing ) .

Our pre-packed hospital bags have been carefully packed for mom and baby, containing basically all the items an expectant mom would need for delivery. All packed in a bag suitable for travel even after delivery. We have our made in Nigeria nursing cover,suitable for our weather. I am an advocate of exclusive breast feeding and with our nursing cover you have no excuse. Lol. Our products are readily available and can be delivered to your door step.We also offer other services such as maternity photography, personal shopper and other tailored services our clients might need.It's our ultimate goal to make our target customers stylish ,comfortable and free of stress before and after delivery.

How did you get into this line of business

It was the choice I made out of a couple of other things that I thought I would like to be as a child. I always knew that I would be working for myself at some point and so when I started getting the exhaustion vibes from Banking, I began to consider which of those things I would love to do. 

One of the things I thought about growing up was Wedding Planning and then Fashion. At the end of the day, I chose fashion designing. I thought of the need to do something really different and then the experience that I had getting affordable and comfortable clothing during pregnancy inspired me into starting a maternity line, which we have continued to grow since 2010

What inspired you

I pray to and trust God a lot to give me directions about what to do and so I would say that this relationship with God led me into the actualization of this particular dream that I am living. I also noticed that each time I was pregnant as a bank staff, I needed to rely on clothes that came from outside the shores of Nigeria to feel comfortable, I felt this was totally unacceptable and thought that, God helping us, we could make a difference. It is the same reason why we have introduced the accessories, just to make life easier for professional ladies who do not have all the time to go shopping by themselves.

What are the main challenges you face and how have you overcome them

I will share one or two of those with you. A major challenge is that fact that the business environment in Nigeria is so unfriendly. Apart from the demands of setting up your business, you have to deal with so many other issues that should be the responsibility of government. For instance, you need electricity, you need water and all that. Running after these on your own increases your overheads.

Funding is also one major challenge that one has faced. There are no long term financing options with reasonable interests in this country so you have to sort it out yourself. Another challenge is the quality of workmanship. Many of our tailors do not just have the right work ethic and so we struggle with that. However time is teaching us deal with that and God’s wisdom and favour is helping out on the two other fronts.

How will you summarise your journey so far

It has been a learning curve in which God has really been there for us. We see the future as very bright and promising.

Given another chance, will you do this again

I most definitely will do this again. We are here to fulfil a purpose and I am very happy with the way that God has continued to deal with us and help us, it is a venture in which I have found a lot of joy and satisfaction and so there is even no debate.

You know what to do, contact;

8 Sura Mogaji Street,off coker road,Ilupeju,Lagos
08023211428,08063180647
ninekaymaternity@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/ninekaymaternity
Twitter:@NinekayPreggie
www.ninekaymaternity.com.ng

Tootsy Interiors and more - Oluwafunbi Fatore #inthespiritofenterprise

Hello fam! Again today I have two entrepreneurs to showcase, both ladies are "onise owos" crafts women in simple english. They turn fabric into useful products. We'll start with the interior designer cum events planner.

Let her introduce herself and share her story - straight from the horses' mouth!

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself

My name is Oluwafunbi Tokunbo Fatore. I am an Insurer by day, interior decorator and events manager by night.

I am happily married with 2 adorable children. My personality is that of a quiet and private person but I am a fun loving person, enjoy shopping a lot and I am a go-getter.

I am the chief responsibility officer of Tootsy Interiors and more services.

Tell us about your business

Tootsy Interiors and more services is an interior decorating and events management outfit. We have been in existence for quite a while now. For our interior decoration arm, we make fitted bedspreads, duvets, throws, furnishings and curtains to various customers’ specifications especially using color preferences.

Our expertise falls in the expanse of rendering consultancy services for clients in assisting to organize their events, manage and coordinate them.


How did you get into this line of business

It all started when a certain wealthy aunt was having a birthday party and we all couldn’t think of something really nice to give her that she doesn’t already have (You for call Trezorlandia naa). It was a great task ahead of us, but later on that day in my room, it just occurred to me that we could give her a bedspread. Not just an ordinary one but a customized bedspread, different from what she could be used to.

Then, we thought of a pattern, and went off to the market, picked a nice fabric, got laces, ribbons and elastic, and then got a tailor to get the exact design we had in mind. On the d-day, we wrapped it beautifully and presented it. Unfortunately, we forgot to put our name on the wrapper.

A week later, when my mum saw her, she asked if she liked the bedspread, and she was like ‘wow’ she liked it, and even laid it on her bed immediately she opened it, but couldn’t find the name of the giver. She asked to know where we bought it from and could bet it cost quite a lot, but proudly my mum made her realize we made it specially for her. She then requested for another one, but that this time, she was willing to pay for it.

Subsequently, for the next set of functions we have had, we made and gave out different sets of bedspreads, and the responses we got were always the same. One day, God just gave me this idea, that we could actually make money out of this concept and that was how we started the interior decoration business.

For the events management and consultancy arm of the outfit, it has always been there right from youth. You see, my mum is a master planner, she has always had her hands full; she was either planning for someone’s engagement, or wedding or birthday or graduation just name it; that was when I picked up the interest. I guess the saying an apple never falls far from the tree is true.

After school, some of my close friends and I decided to form an events company, and I went for training and certification in event management. We planned a couple of events before we all went our separate ways.

Later on naturally, when it was time for my sister’s introduction, I took it as an opportunity to start off. So I was the event planner for the ceremony. I also coordinated my own wedding, which saved me cost and gave me more experience which I used in planning my sisters’ wedding.

What inspires you

My inspiration comes from what I hear, what I can see, my past works, and my intuitions.

When my clients appreciate what we do for them, I am inspired to do more.

What are the main challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them

Unfortunately in the past, we have had clients who could not pay for our services on the onset of the job and still refused to balance off afterwards, this has led to unbalanced books and a lot of debt which has affected our stock and purchase orders. Due to this, we have made decisions to only give credit to those who have been faithful or credit worthy.

Another challenge we faced was delivering by hand through public transport, this brought about a lot of stress until we were able to purchase a utility vehicle for this purpose.

We also faced the challenge of creating awareness for our products and services, but we are currently looking for ways to position ourselves in better ways through mediums like; print media advertising , though we did a couple of that, but we had to stop because it was not bringing in the much expected clients.

Funding to expand is also a challenge. We intend to have our own fabric factory where we can make our own designs and give our clients the opportunity to come in and choose what they want for their homes or offices.

How do you balance your business with your day job

It’s a passion, so after my routine work, when I get home I work sometimes till late to get some things done. When I get urgent orders, I just pass it on to my partner and things get moving, in which of course decisions are coordinated.

Also; I attend to my family needs, and do some work before finally retiring for the day. I also work on the weekends, as they are my main free days and I ensure things are moving on as expected and properly coordinated.

How will you summarise your journey so far

Hmmm, surprisingly tasking because I thought it would be easier at first; but I find it enjoyable as nothing is more fulfilling than going after your passion.

Given another chance, will you do this again

Over and over and over again.

You know you need to change those sheets! Contact Tootsy Interiors;

Call - 08026589268 , 08099000854 

Add - 7B01F026

FB - Tootsy Interiors

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 4 #LCH

The global entrepreneurship week was great! I enjoyed every single event I attended and I met loads of interesting new people too! This is the season for entrepreneurs! Exciting times....

As interesting as it was, it took it's toll on me. Between the 10km walk, the security headache at the women in enterprise event, the ipad recording at the 50k challenge and the founder2be one yesterday, yours truly was knocked out beyond words! I am only just managing to turn on my laptop today. As in, o re body pata pata. I wish I could shut down and sleep in for two days straight! But who dash monkey banana!

Thank God it's monday, Kennedy has the floor with #LCH......

Part 4.......

I wasn't a spoilt kid,infact the only things they spoilt me with was regular beatings and absurd punishments. I was always top of my class yet was very mischievous, always hiding behind my innocent and chubby face. I was a terrible bully and was feared by my peers. I recall me playing the popular "police and thief" with my classmates, I was always a 'thief' but would be the one chasing the 'police',it was that crazy then.

This particular break time, I let myself be chased by this 'police' and as I ran past the swing set on the playground, I pulled it and let it go and like clockwork, it hit him on the forehead, he fainted(I know because I ran past him twice). My dad did beat the hell outta me, every cell in my body was in pain and that still did not stop me(at least not yet). Everyday,someone always came home to report me for one mischief or the other(and yet compare their children to me on price giving days).

I had been beaten with almost everything; stick,cane,belt,shrubs,wires,ruler,whip etc... I would always devise a better way to commit each mischief. The one time I came home crying was when I was bitten by a girl(always thought she was a witch cos she had to rows of teeth), my dad beat me for crying to a girl's bite. I got to school the next day with same vengeance and beat her to pulp(what?!......I was just a kid) (Evoo shaid) and on getting home,I shared my ordeals with my dad and he beat me all over again(I thought at that point he hated me).

I got into secondary school(the then great Lagos State Model College) at the age of 8 and upon seeing seniors with beards like my father and breasts like my mother who would beat shit out of you even in the presence of your parents, all my mischief just simmered and turned to pretence.

I'd fill y'all in with the rest of my secondary school days later but now I'd fast forward to 12 years after secondary school, this bus conductor stepped on my shoes on a way to an interview(one I wasn't sure I was going to get the job),I politely asked him to take a look expecting an apology and this guy rained curses on me and spat at my feet, I entered my zen mode(that mode of i-dont-care-what-happens-again)as he jumped on the moving bus to leave the scene, I dragged him down by his shorts and he landed on his back,I stamped his face with my heel,pulled him up and headbutt him severally. I told him to apologise and with every 'sorry' that he said, it was an extra headbutt, with all the touts and his driver begging for him, I let go of his bloody face with one last headbutt that he fainted.

I bought 'pure-water' to rinse my face and poured the rest on him, he immediately jumped up and started running, his driver caught up with him after hundreds of meters and assured him that I wasn't chasing, I got to the interview late only to find out it was a scam interview somewhere in toyin street, ikeja. I was pleased with myself  that I taught him a lesson because if I had ignored him only to find out about the sham interview, I wouldn't be myself the whole day. That would have been just too much to deal with.

Though I felt bad resolving to violence, once in a while, Lagos conductors need the lessons of a Hustler like me. I wonder how many tie-clad, white collar job seeking humans they have harassed. Then again,I knew I could take him on, but please if you go and try it...just take a picture before they stitch your lips,post it to instagram and tag me(@4qhen)

Do have a lovely day and I'd see you next Monday!!!

LCH is an exaggerated non-fiction story exclusive to mofolusade's blog. Every name or character is fictional and any resemblance to a real name or character is just mere coincidence.

Sora Tulip - Hilda Shangotola #inthespiritofenterprise

Market women can lie ehn!! It takes all the patience in the world to deal with them and keep your sanity. The hamper season is here and I am trying to dot my Is and cross my Ts. I haven't started importing these things myself yet because my current volume will not justify the headache and expense - Have you ever tried to deal with our customs or agents here?! Whew, I know a few sour stories. Naa men!

Anyway, so I go to this supplier, identify the bag I need and negotiate a price with her, then I go back to raise the money because when I asked, madam do you have up to 100, she goes aah, o po! O wa ni store. Isokay! I return with the money expecting to pick up my bags in batches, alas! Madam could not even gather 10. What da hell. These things frustrate me. This is why at yesterday's GEW event, I had to disagree with a facilitator who said we should never say no to our customers! Sometimes it is better to say no I don't have or I can't do it than string your customer along only to dash their hopes in the end. It's just plain wrong. Period.

Enough with my ranting. Its #inthespiritofenterprise day!! Whoop whoop! The entrepreneur I am showcasing today has her day job still. I am happy to share this because it'll bring another perspective to entrepreneurship. There is no rigid way or approach to business, while some take the plunge and swim immediately (or sink too), some joggle the ball for as long they need to. Our circumstances differ and we should respect that.

Hilda is a fresh London returnee (i just had to throw that in, and don't ask me why, I don't know, okay). During my chat with her, I was like fresher and she said "you can take the girl out of Naija, but you can't take Naija out of the girl" hahaha. Apparently, she is still very in touch with her base. I know many returnees who had to spend a whole year debriefing and adjusting! I can't blame them. Hilda on the other hand has hit the ground running.

Let's meet her shall we;

Tell us about yourself

My name is Hilda Shangotola and I'm 26 years old. I have a degree in Information Technology from Greenwich London College and I moved back to Nigeria in January 2013 (see what I mean! Less than a year).

What is Sora Tulip about

My business is focused on fruit displays. Fruit displays add color and glamour to an event plus its an edible and a healthy option for guests. Clients can also order fruit displays for loved ones, perhaps to say "I love you","Thank you" and "Congratulations" (That'll be so cute!! or marry me maybe). Fruit displays include fruit bouquet, fruit table, watermelon carving,chocolate covered strawberries, fruit kebabs and the list goes on.

What inspired you to go into this

The name represents my inspiration for the business. The S and O are my late father's initials, while the R and A are my late sister's initials. Tulip is a flower that comes in variety of colors just like fruits!

I am also inspired by the need to stay healthy. We eat too much artificial and processed food (canned etc) and these kind of food have been known to be a contributing factor to cancer and other illnesses due to chemicals used as preservatives. We can never eat too much fruits and vegetables. Infact we should binge on them more often (hmm, wahala dey o).

How has the journey been so far

The journey has been good, just baby steps for now and I have had lots of positive responses and enquiries about what I do and the business has a lot of potential. One or two people have even shown interest in investing in the business.

How do you balance Sora Tulip with your Job

My job comes first, once my work day ends, I resume Sora Tulip. My weekends are also dedicated to the business.

What are the challenges you face

The main challenge is electricity. The use of refrigerators is vital in this line of business and since we live in a country where we have no stable light, it becomes a problem. But I have alternatives on how to get things going regardless.

Where do you see the business in the future

My vision for the business is for it to grow rapidly and become a household name as the to go place for healthy fruit displays and be part of people's memories for many years to come.

Tell me how you can look at this and not give Hild a ring! Quit binging on all those things that make you have to hit the gym desperately, call Sora Tulip;

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/soratulip

Twitter - @soratulip

email - soratulip@gmail.com

BBpin - 7B63e616

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 3

Part 3.......

I recall 2002, I was writing WAEC and I brought my mum's 'GSM' to school, I was the trending topic for weeks. My mum bought the phone(motorola blue screen) for around 65,000 with an econet sim card(now airtel) on Loan, it was so expensive that she couldn't dare take it to work as they could someday slit her bag and steal the phone. I am a gadget freak and naturally my kinds are drawn regularly to the streets of ikeja where the infamous computer village is located.

I visit the village regularly to buy or sell phones and other gadgets. There were great and sad stories that are worth sharing from my experiences on these familiar internet worked streets of computer village. The funniest had to be that of myself and a cousin of mine(only rivalled by that of segun and his friend.....yes! The same stupid segun from my last post).

My cousin Dele had just collected his pocket money from his parents to head to his university in ekiti.I recall it was 25,000 naira exactly back in 2009. The reigning phones were the big nokias; e series,n-series,communicators and slide ups. He wanted one of the n-series which we both knew was going to go for nothing less than 40,000naira but he insisted I should follow him so I could help get him a better deal.
I felt reluctant, but I know how much Dele could nag and keep malice, so I did follow him. Like a trance, the first guy we saw at the entrance of the village brought out two N-series phones and asked us to come buy(like he knew exactly what we wanted).I told dele to ignore him and move on, he stopped to bargain and the guy said 30,000 was his last price...they haggled for over five minutes and the guy told us to enter a corner as policemen could be around. I tried to whisper to Dele that it might be stolen, it didn't just fall on deaf ears but his stupid big head too.

While in one of the corners,the guy asked if he had a small phone to add to his 25,000naira,dele hurriedly gave him his old sagem phone and began testing the phone and checking out the features,snapping himself and recording videos. Then the guy asked for dele to hand him the phone so he could remove his sim card, I told Dele that he should remove it himself but he snapped at me that I should let him do whatever before he changes his mind about the deal. Next he gave dele the phone and Dele's sim he had removed from the sagem back and dele gave him the money.

  

Then he asked us to leave in a hurry and make sure we weren't followed. We ran like fools,taking short and long cuts and finally got into a bus. I asked dele to at least buy me gala and viju for my efforts, stingy dele was eager to buy for me and couldn't stop bragging about his new phone and how much reputation he would get from it. Three bus stops from home in a crazy holdup, I asked him to put in his sim card into the phone so he wouldn't lose the sim card(sim retrieval were the hardest). He brought out the phone and as he opened the battery cover, we noticed this white looking substance stuffed in the phone's casing.....it was soft and upon sniffing it, we could not deny it was the unique smell of 'FUFU'......he just dropped the phone-ish and kept a straight face!!!.....we had been FUFUOOLED!!!

LCH is an exxergerated non-fiction story exclusive to mofolusade's blog. Every name or character is fictional and any resemblance to a real name or character is just mere coincidence.

Walked outta Heaven..... Jagged Edge #90sMusic (2003) P.S Tuface Came through

We walked the walk! 10km long. I started out with loads of energy then started to get tired and fall out until I looked ahead and saw Madam Bosun (If you are and entrepreneur in Lagos and you've been around, you would know her!) still going strong! This woman is in her 50s, yet she is always so active, agile and never ever late for any event, she is such an inspiration. I don't think I have met anyone that can match her tenacity. I was inspired to get my game on when I saw her and guess what? I got to the base first!! Yaaaay!! It felt so good, even though there was no trophy or nothing (what a bummer).

Tuface came through as well, I missed out on meeting him because he made his appearance long after many of us had finished the walk! Wharamess, *rolling eyes*. I stole miss gmotyshops trophy picture with him though, at least I can say I know someone who has met Tuface, hehe;

We have started the global entrepreneurship week in style then, I guess we can say that. There are still loads of other activities worth participating in, so if you haven't registered, you better!

Register Here

On to the business of today. #90smusic.

On her show earlier in the week, Toolz ran a poll on the greatest boy bands of all time. Yours truly "Boyz II Men" came tops. My song for today is by the guys that came third or so. I think it was backstreet boys that came second. It's all fuzzy right now, so I might have the order mixed up. Fuzzy or not however, I know for sure that this song rocked my world way back when. It's Walked outta Heaven by Jagged Edge!!!!

Okay, before you crucify me, I do know that this song was released in 2003 but right now I don't care. They came on the scene in 1998 with "I gotta be", so technically, they were 90s guys, yea! I mean, watch the video and see how they are dressed, with bandanas, face caps worn to the back (My dad could kill us for that!) and all! That is so 90s, please. Besides, after I heard the song on Toolz show last week, all I could think about was how I would share it here. If I don't share it, I won't get over it.

The single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December, 2003, making it the group's second best performing single on that chart. If you haven't heard the song before, listen and see if I am wrong to love it so much! Music lyrics back in my day cut right through!

Enjoy....

Click this link if you can't view the video above - Walked outta heaven

Verse 1 (Brian):]

I'm rolling down a lonely highway asking god to please forgive me for messing up the blessing he gave to me, I see,

Everything clearer now the nights is black as, black as its ever been

Without my girl, I'm gonna lose it, I pray that he would just shed his grace on me, I need just to be back with my baby

[Chorus:]

Feels like I just walked right out of heaven

Feels like I have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea

Scared, just like a child that's lost at seven

Don't know what to do, get back right wit you

Feels like I just walked right out of heaven

Feels like I have damn near thrown my life away, hey yea yea

Scared, just like a child that's lost at seven

Don't know what to do, Feels like I just walk right out of heaven

[Verse 2 (Brandon):]

See my mama told me that's if its meant to be she'll come back and she'll forgive me and the best thing I can do it to just

Let her, let her go I know, I don't wanna do it

But if I continue to push she'll just pull away and I know that in my heart its a reality I didn't treat her like she wanted

To be treated, and I hope that shes not gone for good no no

[Chorus]

[Bridge 1:]

Hey girl waiting for you all the time, suppose to move on with my life, and girl I tried and I tried

I feel like I can't walk, I feel like I can't talk girl I don't know what to do get back right with you I feel like I just

Walked outta heaven

[Bridge 2 (Wingo):]

If u ever loved somebody, and if you ever had somebody, but you know that you hurt that somebody, let me here you say yea

[Chorus (repeat till fade)]

Global Entrepreneurship Week Kicks off! 16/11/2013

The long awaited week is here. The week for celebrating entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. If you are in Nigeria and haven't registered yet for any of the activities in Nigeria, please do so here;

GEW 2013 Registration

The event kicks off tomorrow with a walk, it's going to be fun trust me, so get out of bed early tomorrow and come join us at 7am at the VI campus of the Enterprise Development Center. I know many of us could use some exercise too, hehe!! Don't be lazy now, come out and walk for entrepreneurship! Let's make those office workers jealous. :-)

The Land Is Green - Kehinde Olagbenjo(co-founder) #inthespiritofenterprise

Our entrepreneur today is more like a "Multi-preneur". You'll understand why I call him this when you read his interview. Kehinde is an octopus. Lol. He also has a lot of experience working with entrepreneurs and so I took the liberty of picking his brain to get some tips for us! So get your notepad and pen and take notes! Hehe.

Enjoy.....

http://www.lifewithoutpants.com/ - Another cool site for entrepreneurs and I love this picture!

Tell us about yourself

I am kehinde Olagbenjo co- founder The land is green limited. Associate consultant SME Business Platform and the CEO of 3m Global Resources Limited, an IT and media services firm set up to offer IT and Media services to businesses and individuals with the goal of helping them increase their customer base and sales through cost effective Bulk SMS messaging (www.smsmak.com), Website Design and development ,e-Commerce business www.alaba-intl.com and (www.madeinnaija.com.ng)

We also train SMEs (small, medium enterprise) and We have organised several seminars that have changed businesses positively and published over 20,000 business bulletins.

As a writer I have co-authored the best selling Book -The Land is green for Entrepreneurs. And finally we run a weekly radio program for SMEs (SME Business Platform) on inspiration 92.3Fm every wednesday by 3.30pm.

Last year I won 2 awards by Nigerian Entrepreneurship Recognition Awards As the most outstanding website designer of the year for alabaonline www.alaba-intl.com) and 2012 S.D.E.A (Success Digest Enterprise Award) young entrepreneur of the year.

How did you get into business?

I have been nurturing the dream of owning a business since when I was young. My mother ran a couple of businesses and I also I sold one or two things when I was young and when I got into school to study mass communication I fell in love with a course,  Entrepreneurship development program. Today I am on my own and I have been helping people to run their businesses also.

How did you finance your businesses?

Apart from having my own businesses I am a multi-talented person, I play and direct music productions and from this I was able to raise about N60k for my first book. In 2008 and I raised another N150k through my savings as well as a loan from a friend to register my first business name and start my sms business in 2010

Starting a business is not expensive if you have the right knowledge and relationship.

Having worked with a lot of entrepreneurs, what would you say is their greatest challenge doing business in Nigeria?

From my experience over the years as an SME consultant I have come to understand that money is not the reason many have not launched their business idea, but the lack of determination and skill.
For you to succeed in life you have to start with what you have not with what you don't have. To get anywhere in life, you have to start from somewhere or else you will get to nowhere.

There is always something you can start with in life. The issue with SMEs is that we tend to focus on what we don't have and neglect what we have.

There are many free things around you that you can use to start your business but the question is, how have you been able to identify what you have? Can you use what you have to the advantage of your business? People are afraid to invest in new business ideas so there is a level you have to push your business to before you can begin to attract investors.

Another thing is, lack of quality information and wrong mindset. The way an entrepreneur thinks is different from the way an employee thinks. It will be impossible for you to become an entrepreneur with your employee mindset. You have to think like an entrepreneur. Being a successful banker, manager does not guarantee you that you will succeed as an entrepreneur because most employee think about salary increment, security, strike, public holiday, thank God is Friday and you can’t control a successful business with such mentality.

You have to start thinking as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs think about ideas, risk, opportunity, freedom, expansion and so on. For you to succeed as an entrepreneur you need to get information on entrepreneurship. 

What will advise would you give to anyone looking to start a business

They need the following;

1. Business idea- and you must understand that there is difference between business idea and business opportunity. It is not every business idea that will lead to business opportunity.
For you to call your business idea a business opportunity you must ask yourself the following questions

A. Will my business idea solve a problem for people?

B. Are people desperate or willing to have my business idea or is my business idea relevant to their needs?

C. Is there a market for my business idea or people willing to buy my solution?

D. Do my target audience have the resources to pay for my business idea?
You need to answer these questions correctly to know if your business idea can be translated into business opportunity.

2. Develop a business plan for your business idea. Organise it in a way that it will be attractive to investors. Nobody will invest in you without a business plan.

3. Start with what you have. Before you will convince people to invest in you they want to see that you have put in something yourself. Use free resources around to promote your business.

4. Develop strong relationship. I have achieved many things in life and business due to quality relationships. There are lot of things you will get for free or at a reduced price if you build strong relationships.

As an entrepreneur you must not only discover, recognise or perceive business ideas, it goes beyond that. As an entrepreneur you are a leader and you must be able to manage what I called six Ms of management in order to run a successful business.

1.Man - (e.g staff, customers, partners etc)
People are key to the success of your business and you must learn how to manage people if you must succeed in life. Even if you have few resources and you know how to manage people you will succeed

2.Machine - depending on your line of business as an entrepreneur you must learn how to manage your equipment very well for you business success.

3.Money- capital for investment. As an entrepreneur you must learn how to manage your fund very well. Lack of money management is one major reason many entrepreneurs fail.

4.Market- this refers to your potential customers, your target audience, your niche market. Your product/service is not for everybody, identify your market and draw a plan on how to get to them.

5.Management –leadership- no business will grow beyond the owner. Show me your leader and I can predict the future of your business. When you grow as a leader your business will grow as well.

6.Method – your style of leadership and your method of running your business.

Kehinde John Olagbenjo
@KOlagbenjo @smebizplatform
www.smebusinessplatformng.com
www.thelandisgreen.com

Memoirs of a Lagos City Hustler (LCH) - Part 2

Part 2.....

I recall my first time I tried jumping off a molue on motion,my short life flashed before me and when I opened my eyes, the first glimpse I caught was that of some touts mocking me and one offered to pull me up, with my blood stained lips, all I could do was laugh. I've always learnt to get up on my feet and move on anytime I land on my back.

I would say this hustling life chose me rather than vice versa, I was touring London alone as at 2007, window shopping and sightseeing and now,I'm grown and detached myself from unmerited and unnecessarily expensive luxuries.I've survived long on these streets to see young lads rise and fall with unmerited wealth.

There was this illiterate lad on my street, he hires secondary school boys to help chat with his white friends and this very day,he came to my house holding his stomach begging for whatever food I could spare even if it were leftovers, I was heading out but had to make him rice and gave him to eat. The next day I heard he got a transfer of $1500 from his white friend(who are we deceiving?.....friend my foot) and his friends were racking up bills at the local peppersoup joint before he got back from the bank.

He went to computer village to purchase 6 blackberry phones, a laptop and other irrelevant stuffs and he totally forgot how much suffering he wailed in a day before. He lodged in an hotel with 3 girls(all of whom wouldn't talk to him a day before) and by the third day, he had just 500naira left($3.50) and he came back strolling to my house begging me to help sell 5 of the blackberries...as a sharp street boy na, I gave him 10,000naira for all 5 new blackberries(what??.....I'm not a bad person joooor), he had no choice, he needed the cash.

Immediately I entered the street and sold each for 35,000naira. His name was segun(as his many stories won't end here), segun's stories were prototypes and yardsticks of how not to act, he never learns and makes new mistakes in old ways and old mistakes in new ways.

Its been a year since this incident, he still hasn't learnt a damn thing, I lend him my laptop sometimes for 5000naira a night and every now and then he gets money, somehow(I still wonder how) everybody knows he has some money and all flock around him to hurt his pocket, so tell me, why would you pity such person; You try to teach him a lesson and he turns up without his homework.

Enough of segun today jare, I'm supposed to go help a company configure the 20 smartphones they got for their staffs and take a wild guess how much I'm charging for each smartphone??..........LCH for life!!!

LCH is an exaggerated non-fiction story exclusive to mofolusade's blog. Every name or character is fictional and any resemblance to a real name or character is just mere coincidence.

Chic Carpenter - Padebi Ojomo #inthespiritofenterprise

And we are back with our #inthespiritofenterprise post. Better late than never. Make sure you read this to the very end. Padebi has something for you.

Padebi studied Computer Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, she also has a diploma from the Sheffield School of Interior Designing. Might I add that she was one of the people that inspired me to start wearing my hair natural! #teamnatural, whoop whoop.

The first time I met her and she introduced herself as "chic carpenter" (oh yes, she is a chic, in the actual sense of it), I had to find out more, like what, how, ....? She is one of those lucky ones that knew for sure what they wanted to do upon graduation and had the courage to go for it. We had a chat then, but here's the one we did for your reading pleasure.

Enjoy........

Tell us about yourself

See what I said about her being a chic?!

My name is Padebi Ojomo, I'm first a wife, then a mother. Also an interior designer and a seasoned Carpenter, I've been doing this more or less for about 10 years

Tell us about your business

Chic Carpenter is a firm that specialises in affordable furniture pieces for the low and medium scale income earners. We know that there will always be a need for beautiful furniture pieces in every home. From sofa to beds, to bunks. Wardrobes kitchen storage solutions and even baby beds. Hence we stock a variety of designs of all of the above. And the prices are so affordable, you will not believe it. You could actually get products as low as 5,000 naira in our store.

How did u get into this line of business?

I have a diploma in interior design, and as you may well know furniture making is a key part in interior designing and decorations. I decided to set up a mini furniture factory in 2010, after I realised that 70% of my profit was going back into furniture production. Prior to that time, I usually outsourced all furniture orders to some woodwork specialist, or carpenters.

I also was not in total control of the factors of production and it became increasingly frustrating to keep telling my customers endless tales. So I had to take the bull by the horn, and started out in my own small way. 3 years down the line, its been an awesome experience. Of course there are challenges, but we try to meet them, learn from them, and move on with production and delivery.

How has the experience been working in a male dominated industry?

So far, So good. I usually get this look from people when I tell them "I am a carpenter" I'm very used to that now tho. LOL. As for the gender thing, it has never really been an issue for me or my customers, as far as they're concerned, all they care about is that you deliver. So whether you are male or female doesn't even come into question.

I will love to see more female carpenters in the future though, because women are naturally more creative than men, hence we do have an edge when it comes to furniture design. (I see the men rolling their eyes here, lol)

We are starting out end of year sales shortly and we will be giving 15% discount to readers of this blog!! Yaaay!! See why it pays to be here...

......use this code  SADE10

See you on the other side ;) ;)

Padebi Ojomo

Let's connect
Twitter,IG,Facebook
@chiccarpenta
08092020644,08052020644

What can I say, you've read it, go on check out pictures of Padebi's work on social media and place your orders, with the code of course!!