SWEET INDULGENCE BY K.

by: RUFAI-LARIBA KIITAN 14/0786

9 to 5 jobs definitely don’t cut it for a lot of people these days, not even with the situation of our country(Nigeria) right now. People graduate with excellent results and find it very hard to get good jobs or any job at all. A lot of people would rather have side hustles and become their own bosses, right from their secondary school days and university days.

Rosemary Awoh, a 300 level Mass Communication student is a young entrepreneur who has decided to be self-employed and has decided to be her own boss. She makes special body soaps for different skin types and for different purposes.

Her entrepreneurship journey started when she was in primary school. She would buy things from the “tuck shop” as it was called then and go back to resale to her class mates and her teacher encouraged her. She went on to high school (Holy Child College), when in Jss2 she started making beads and also sold them to her class mates which went really well. Fast forward to her final year in high school, she started selling shawarma and cupcakes that went averagely well.

In 2015, she started her hair brand called Fleek hair and this was working well for her because she pushed her business through her Instagram. In 2016, she came up with Sweet Indulgence. it is a skincare brand, infused with pure organic products. She says that she is an average student but wants to be recognised for something different that nobody can possibly beat her in.

She says that being a student as well an entrepreneur has been good, because she has a lot of her course mates supporting her and also helping her publicize her brand. She also says that her family is really supportive and her mum is her number one fan. She mentioned that the recession has also been a bit of a problem but she’s working with it.

When asked where she sees herself in 5 years, she said she sees herself being a self-made entrepreneur and supplying not less than 3 countries as well as different stores in Nigeria. She advices other entrepreneurs to be passionate and original and aim to be better than their role models.

Want to be like Rosemary, here is a tutorial:

MY EDUCATION, MY HUSTLE.

BY: JUMOKE PINHEIRO 14/0670

In the world of today where everyone wants to be his/her own boss and venture into different things depending on their strengths, many have lost sight of the importance of school. Many just want to make quick money without the stress of school or having a certificate to fall back on.

This trend is common with musical artists. A lot of them kick off their music career and have a few hit songs, make some money and then drop out. I mean, a lot of them do this because a lot of the artists here (Nigeria) have done the same and are making a lot of money without getting a proper education.

David Adeleleke aka DAVIDO is a foremost Nigerian artist. Davido is one of the richest young Nigerian artist and also comes from a rich home. In 2015, he got his BSc in Music and Creative Arts from Babcock University with a second class upper. It is also rumoured that he wants to get a master’s degree. It is encouraging that even with all the money he has he still pursues getting proper education.

Chuza Declan aka Chuza, a 300 level History and International Relations student is a musical artist who is already gaining his grounds in the entertainment industry and has even been nominated for a Headies award. Chuza, who is also the head of the team called RED which means Reaching Every Dream. This groups organizes events and also contributes to the less privileged.

Chuza continues to be a role model, because amidst the fame and fortune coming to him, he ensures that he continues with his education. He says that he believes that he would rather be done with school first than drop out. He goes further to state that he may not go further with masters and all that but would definitely finish the first four years.

He says that nothing related to school has helped his career but then the whole idea of the schooling environment is you get to create a new fan base. He said that trying to manage both school and his music is hard but he knows he must finish with school in order for him to have a certificate to fall back on but at the same time nurture his musical career.

Here is a link to Chuza's latest video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfUzWcobPyI

GOD AND BELIEVE.

BY:  MICHEAL IFEANYI 12/2314

The intrepid path being forged by 19 years old, Inworikabo Sopriye Ryan, a young lad who didn’t allow the question of “when, where and how to start” hold him back. He recently unveiled his female shoes online retail store called SHOENIVERSE, he said that the shoe brand is his stepping stone towards building and expanding his fashion brand. He is also using this to penetrate the fashion market and expand his brand.

Setting out at a young age has catapulted Ryan, a fashionista who hails from Rivers State, Nigeria, to unthinkable heights. He is known for his tremendous fashion style. As a young man with the zeal and love for fashion, he decided to venture into the business of making people look good. He decided to start up gradually with female shoes with the bigger picture of building his own clothing line. SHOENIVERSE, his female shoe brand was a big drift from the cliché male startups.

“From a young age, my parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams, they told me I didn’t have to wait until I was older to be my own boss and do what I love.”

Fashioning items for friends and family in his spare time was a kick off to achieving his dream to be a reference point in the fashion industry.

Social media provided a wider jolt of recognition. Ryan's Instagram page "shoeniverse''

which now counts more than 100 likes which is quite incredible for a start-up. “Social media makes business easier” he says.

He talked about also branching out into other businesses. For over a year, he has been managing a fish pond business. It has been very lucrative so far and that has been his drive to be brave enough to open more businesses.

He said “a good business man should always be ready for the worse because business is all about risk and all we need is God to guide our footsteps”.

He made known that the only keys to being a successful entrepreneur is to believe and have God by your side.

outside of this, here is a video to educate you on the basics of entrepreneurship:

BELIEVE: TAKING THE STEP TO BEING A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR.

Believe: Taking the Step to Being a Successful Entrepreneur.

BY: ANTHONY IYORSHE 14/2013.

I recently had an opportunity to talk to Oyenaike Adeniyi, a 21-year-old entrepreneur from Babcock University, studying computer science and in his third year. The opportunity to find out what goes on in the mind of a very young businessperson was alluring.

  L to R: Ogundipe Yinka and Oyenaike Adeniyi

Adeniyi currently runs an urban outfit brand called: KARMA. He calls himself “a kid who wants to express his creativity through the art of fashion”.

The start-up story behind his business is somewhat amusing, during the interview, he says, “I was 19 at the time and all I did with my spare period was make graphic designs on my laptop. I got bored and tired of doing just that and decided to channel my designs on to t-shirts. That’s how boredom inspired me to start up KARMA”. Thus began his venture into entrepreneurship. At the start, the path was not clear. Working towards getting a computer science degree and running, a business at the same time was not an easy task. To put it mildly, it was a horror.

It is necessary to set up your business in a familiar territory, set up a business that is in line with your area of expertise, new start-ups often have the problem of convincing customers and winning their trust by diving into unrelated industries.

He pretty much is a busy person, mixing his school and social life alongside his business. “My average day consists of me waking up early, heading to class, meeting up with friends or just keeping in touch on social media and working on a few designs for my brand when I am opportune. It can be tough, but that’s life”.

His ideas stem up from watching cartoons and observing his surroundings. Oyenaike further adds, “When I generate an idea, it stays with me for at least a year. I also have buddies who give me concepts once in a while”. However, this is just the first hurdle, you must prepare for entrepreneurship by researching your next step. This way you can outline a good business plan. You will also do yourself some good if you refrain from digging into your savings to fund your business, it should only serve as a cushion for when outside funds are not available.

Adeniyi’s business is a profitable one. “Being a student and this business also being somewhat of a part-time job, what I rake in from sales of my products is really reasonable for a young person. I have not kept track of my financial returns of late due to the economic situation in the country. However, I do not call my parents for money as I used to in the past. I’m somewhat self-dependent now and haven’t incurred any heavy-interest loans, thanks to my parents funding my project”. Desperation should not lead you to take out large loans without you carrying out your financial homework in the course of starting a business. It is more financially reasonable to seek out to family and friends at the start, while sometimes relying on your savings or income. Government-backed start-up grants are also obtainable.

Concerning his customer base, Oyenaike says, “The bulk of my customers are Babcock University students and they are ready to purchase quality products. My customer base is small and still growing, so I communicate with them via social media to know their feedback and what improvements they will love to see. This way I can boost my market potential, attract prospective customers and also be trendy”. It is necessary to be content with starting small, baby steps are vital. It is wise and safer to do a business as a side engagement and with minimal financial investments. Rome was not built in a day.

“Aside from KARMA, another start-up brand I really admire is TITAN’S EMPIRE. Owned and run by Ogundipe Yinka. He is a good friend and it’s great to see fellow young people putting in work, doing well and not just being unnecessarily idle”.

He names the late Apple Mogul, Steve Jobs as an inspiration. “For me, Steve’s story was really amazing. He went from being a hippie to the CEO of a 700-billion-dollar corporation against all odds. Nothing stopped him from achieving greatness, but death.” He further states, “I want to be able to make an impact in people’s lives just as he did”. It is good to have someone to look up to in the world of business. Learning from them betters your chance of being a successful entrepreneur. Acquire from them tactics, but do not ignore the distinctiveness that made you pursue your own idea. Do not change your vision.

His advice to fellow students who want to become entrepreneurs is, “Don’t let anyone discourage you, believe in God and yourself. Carry your schoolwork along with your part-time business and you’ll be successful.”

“The journey as a young entrepreneur has been good so far, I’m hoping for bigger things in the years that lie ahead"

LET'S TALK ENTREPRENEURSHIP

BY: ASUZU CHISOM 14/0259

                       

Hi guys, welcome to "Entrepreneur Extraordinaire" meaning entrepreneur extraordinary. I know it looks like English words but that is actually French. The purpose of this lovely blog is to showcase young entrepreneurs who have found their fields of expertise and succeeded in it. My content creators and I will carefully select these people, tell the success stories and also what it took them to get to where they are. This first post is just an introduction. Watch out for other posts and even tutorial videos, enjoy.

 What is entrepreneur one may ask,

"an entrepreneur is one who organizes and manages any business with considerable initiative and risk". In simple terms, the entrepreneur chooses not to be an employee, he thinks of a good business idea of selling goods or services, he takes the risks and rewards of the business. An entrepreneur is the manager of his business and oversees the growth and in some cases failure of his business. Being an entrepreneur isn't easy. It deals with innovation and risk taking. Imagine having a stable paying 9-5 job, then a wonderful idea hits you. You research and come up with a business plan. Then you have to source for capital, you have to get possible investors to believe in your idea and not just believe, invest. For some entrepreneurs, they might have to quit their 9-5 job if their business is time consuming. Bottom line, entrepreneurship is a tasking process. Entrepreneurship is often affiliated with the term "small business". Some entrepreneurs start out as small business owners but not all small business owners are entrepreneurs. Most small business owners sell an existing product and do not really aim at growth, they basically look for profit as fast as they can make it. Entrepreneurs most times have fresh ideas and aim to grow the businesses past local borders. It is like running an organization not just owning a shop and selling products.

There are four types of entrepreneurship: small business entrepreneurship, scalable start-up entrepreneurship, large company entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. Small business entrepreneurship are basically super markets, salons, travel agents, electricians, etc. They are anyone who runs their own business. Their own aim is to get profit and not start a fortune 500 company. Scalable startup entrepreneurship is a lot different. These entrepreneurs start a company with the vision to expand, knowing that the companies might one day change the world. Large company entrepreneurship grows through twitching their new products to variants that look like their existing products. Social entrepreneurship are entrepreneurs who develop products that would solve a social need or problem. Their aim isn't to generate profit; it is to make the world a better place.

Some advantages of entrepreneurship are:

• It gives a great amount of freedom.
• It is exciting to do what you love.
• It allows you to set your earnings.
• It offers flexibility.
  Some disadvantages of entrepreneurship are:
  • It requires you to dedicate a huge amount of time.
  • It can be difficult to handle competition.
  •  Success isn't guaranteed.
  • Your schedule is unpredictable.
    Using Nigeria as an example, here are some successful young entrepreneurs:
    
    
    HONEY OGUNDEYI: CEO, Fashpa.com.
    
    
    
  Fashpa.com was created in 2013 by Honey Ogundiye who was tired of the limited nature of accessing fashion online in Nigeria. Combining her experience in technology with her love for fashion, she has been able to provide trendy clothes through a functioning and stable technology platform to various audiences, thereby creating a convenient online shopping experience for the audiences.
  MARK ESSIEN: Founder, Hotels.ng
  

  

He is a software and mobile development expert. He has revolutionized the hotel booking process in Nigeria. Hotels.ng was started in 2012 and it is the largest hotel booking portal in Nigeria and has hit 6000 hotels sign up and profit in 2014.

YASMIN BELO-OSAGIE: Co-Founder, She Leads Africa.

Yasmin co-founded She Leads Africa in 2014 with the intent of providing funding and mentoring the next generation of female entrepreneurs in Africa. They aim to provide not just capital but proper guidance. Ms. Belo-Osagie and her business partner Afua Osei from Ghana where on Forbes list as one of The 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa.

DR. OLA OREKUNRIN: MEDICAL DOCTOR, FLYING DOCTORS NIGERIA.

She became a medical doctor at the age of 21. Her passion to improve the healthcare system in Nigeria led to the innovation of the first indigenous air ambulance service in 2009. It started as an air ambulance service for a paediatric hospital. Her clientele base has grown to corporate organizations and the private sector. She has received various awards and international recognitions.

In summary, what's holding you back? Branch out, start something no matter how small. Don't forget to grow!