In challenging times like our, it may be very hard to see better days, prospects, prosperity and business opportunities ahead. The Political, security and economic situation including infrastructural decay, high interest rate and unfriendly business environment will definitely hinder the progress of a young business starter, yet I make bold to disclose to you that this is exactly the movement you must encourage yourself and move forward as everyone and everything around you may be discouraging and the moment you take chances, these discouragement will slow you down.
Being your own boss can be highly rewarding but becoming an entrepreneur in Ikorodu requires several key skills. In addition to having creative business idea, you must be mentally and emotionally prepared to achieve success
Great leaders often have great lessons to share – their stories remind us in business especially that failure is not avoidable and that success in any endeavor is a choice. While we cannot control all our circumstances what we can control is our response. And that’s what makes a leader great: – his or her decision to take responsibility in the midst of chaos.
Amidst all this troubles and unimaginable challenges; particularly when you have just launched your own business or a new project(s). There are seven (7) major keys that can be used to unlock the gate of discouragement, unproductivity and uncertainty of events that are usually characteristics of business failure. These keys are;
- START WITH WHATEVER YOU HAVE AND BE READY TO BE INDUSTRIOUS
Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motors Company Had once said that “it can be easy to look at a successful entrepreneur and think to yourself, I bet things come easy or they were just lucky”. But after spending time with successful men and women, I’ve learned that many of them were once broke, bankrupt and on the edge of giving up at one point in their life, myself inclusive.
What made Henry Ford successful was his decision not to allow his financial situations to dictate his emotions, define his worth or give him a sense of inferiority over others. He knows that money can be easily lost and easily made. The only thing that really matters is learning how to create and offer value.
Anyone who does not have a great deal of self-discipline should not go into self-employment as you must be industrious because, you will have to work independently most times, as your income and success depends on it
- DON’T MIND FAILURE
In your journey towards achieving success, you will definitely come across failures, they are meant to slow you down and frustrate you out of business.
James Dyson (one of my living mentor) is perhaps best known for his paradigm shifting vacuum cleaner. Vacuums that works using mini cyclones to suck and separate dirt, while never loosing suction at it fills up. He formed his own company to make and sell his invention after other manufacturers saw and rejected his unique design.
Today, his brand of vacuum cleaner I the most popular in Britain and the best-selling vacuum cleaner in united states.
Before he got it right, Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of vacuum before he got it right. There were 5,126 failures, but he learned from each one. Despite all the setbacks, the law suits and cash crises, the discouragement, the ridicule’ bad feeling, doubt, debt personal overdraft liabilities and rippers, he succeeded
- THE WILL TO WIN
As a young business starter, you must have a winning attitude and you must understand that the face that in the school of success, failure is not and option.
Your ‘will to succeed’ in whatever you do must be unstoppable. If you get discouragement to slow you down all because of road blocks, checking points, Zebra crossing and even accidents on prolonged. No matter what you do, there would be some bricks development, occurrences, and loses are not supposed to break you down, there are to help you move forward, get you focused and make you think far more better than you are doing at present. This is because if you are passing a road for the very first time, you may not know the location where there ae port holes but if you are good, focused, and smart, taking convenience of the various port holes location, it wouldn’t be very difficult to know the exact location of the various port holes on that roads.
Please not, your willingness to win will make you good, focused, and smart. This is because before you start your entrepreneurial journey, you must have a vision, a driving force that demand and keeps demanding everything from you- your time, resources, energy, thoughts, charisma, ability and everything you have.
- THE COURAGE TO WITHSTAND DISAPPOINTMENT
Honestly, disappointment is a word used, you should be ready to contend with as a beginner, this is because colleagues, friends, and family members who don’t believe in you will surely disappoint you; even the few ones who tend to see you as a determined person and believe in your ability, strength and courage may at times as a result of envy and or probably because they don’t want to see you as “THE OGA AT THE TOP” disappoint you.
Dis appoint do not have a home, it goes about with its children looking for shelter either temporarily or permanently. This is because disappointment can come in any time and once you are visited by disappointment and you entertain it, it calls on its wife (discouragement) who in turns calls on their kids (dejection, depression, failure, and loss)
The truth is that your primary source of finance or funding to start your own business, many of them will promise one form of assistance or the other and will definitely fail you, yes! Some of them will fail and disappoint you really good, only few will support you (if you are lucky) financially, physically, materially, and otherwise.
To be continued…
