SELF STARTERS NIGERIA

Successful business people have many traits in common with one another. They are confident and optimistic. They are disciplined self starters. They are open to any new ideas which cross their path. Here are ten traits of the successful entrepreneur. 1. Disciplined These individuals are focused on making their businesses work, and eliminate any hindrances or distractions to their goals. They have overarching strategies and outline the tactics to accomplish them. Successful entrepreneurs are disciplined enough to take steps every day toward the achievement of their objectives. 2. Confidence The entrepreneur does not ask questions about whether they can succeed or whether they are worthy of success. They are confident with the knowledge that they will make their businesses succeed. They exude that confidence in everything they do. 3. Open Minded Entrepreneurs realize that every event and situation is a business opportunity. Ideas are constantly being generated about workflows and ef...

Becoming an ‘entrepreneur’ has become quite the rave these days and rightly so. What could be better than being your own boss? What could be better than running your own enterprise and following your own rules? Nothing, I would imagine. If you have the idea, the passion, the drive and endless motivation to see your idea materialize into something concrete, you possess the makings of a successful entrepreneur. It is important to remember that success, in this world and the Hereafter, is Allah’s (SWT) to give to whomsoever He wishes. Here are a few simple steps and reminders for Muslim entrepreneurs to kick-start their successful and productive entrepreneurial journey: Start your business with the right intentions More than just the act, the intention behind the act is what matters in the eyes of Allah (SWT). As a Muslim entrepreneur, it is important that you possess good and pure intentions before venturing into the domain of entrepreneurship and starting something o...

Do you have a tech idea you are struggling with? You should consider giving Letstechit a chance to help.  Letstechit helps in conducting idea analysis, research and also provides technical support for tech ideas at zero initial cost.  Letstechit was co-founded by Olowe Oluwaseun (Project Manager) and Okanlawon Emmanuel (CTO) after they have discovered that people with great and valuable tech ideas encounter a great deal of difficulty in bringing them to fruition —  probably due to high costs of hiring software developers, weak research and analysis, improper planning, or lack of technical skills. The mission of Letstechit is to help great minds with great ideas take their solution from just mere idea - through the project development stage - to a product that will add values to the society. For more information, visit http://www.letstechit.com.ng Here are the contact details of Letstechit +234 909 2977 043, +234 818 3013 202 info@ letstechit.com.ng ...

NATIONAL CAREER FAIR, 2017 The National Career Fair is a capacity building event designed to reduce the growing unemployment rate in Nigeria scheduled to hold in several major cities and states across the country. This event is an initiative of the Imperial Integrated Project. The 2017 Lagos edition is scheduled to hold on Thursday 7th December, 2017. Time is 9:00 am Venue is UNILAG Main Auditorium, Akoka, Lagos. In attendance would be thousands of participants comprising Students/young people, job seekers, and captains of industries, HR managers, sales executives, investors, entrepreneurs, Government officials, and the general public. The National Career Fair is an initiative of the Imperial Integrated Project, a social change youth-focused business enterprise creating opportunities for students and young people in an emerging Nigerian economy. They promote social development and focus on creating platforms for young people and the larger economy to interact for mutual benefit. ...

You must have read or heard about the branding failures of large businesses in the news – those massive errors that spelled doom for once successful ventures. While not making headlines, the collapse of small businesses are more common as a result of branding mistakes. Therefore never underestimate the power of branding. This must rank as one of the deadliest mistakes in the world of making business. Many people think of “brands” as being large, important identities everybody knows about like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Samsung. But building a credible identity for a small business is just as vital, and one of the first steps along the path to success. Here are five common branding mistakes committed by small businesses. All can be avoided with a little thought and planning. Bad business name Branding can’t be generic. It can’t be crude. It can’t be repetitive, or something we’ve all seen before. Your business is your baby, so give its identity th...

Facebook has launched its Nigerian SME Council, the first to launch on the continent, and part of Facebook’s ongoing commitment to help support small and medium sized businesses throughout Africa. The Nigerian SME Council brings together Facebook Africa’s SME team and Nigerian business owners from a range of industries, in a partnership designed to provide better digital tools for business and customer growth. Made up of a combination 15 vibrant start-ups and established SMEs from a range of industries, varying sectors and locations across Nigeria, including Lagos, Abuja and Enugu and Kano. Each business brings with them a wealth of unique experiences in understanding and embracing digital and mobile strategies, as well as reaching the Nigerian customer – making them ideally positioned to offer support to other companies who need it. Speaking at the launch, Abi Williams, Facebook’s SMB Sales Manager, EMEA said: “Small businesses form the backbone of most...

Africa's Young Entrepreneurs [A.Y.E] PRESENTS Networking With The Giants Conference! [#NWG] The conference will be a convergence of global corporate and business giants and would feature other eminent personalities as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. John Moore (USA), Mrs. Patti Boulaye Obe (UK) and Mr. Ashish Thakkar (Uganda). The Networking With The Giants Conference would also provide a networking platform for budding entrepreneurs, government leaders, policy makers, business executives, managing directors/chief executive officers, directors and public and private sector industry leaders to connect and share insights with like minds. Would you like to sign up as a volunteer at the #NWG programme. Volunteering is available for: ushering, protocol, event assistance, photography, accreditation officer and blogger. Send an email with NAME, AGE, NUMBER and select ONE of the interests to volunteer@ayeonline.org "Nothing is...

7 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Poultry Farm (part 1) It’s not unusual for new farmers to start out with poultry because of the popular opinion that poultry farming is an easy entry into farming in general. To an extent, this opinion is true. It is one thing to start poultry farming in your backyard but another thing when you bring in the business dynamics, and that is what we’d like to highlight today in this post. There are already a ton of post online that go straight into finding a good location for your farm. Instead, we’ll show you the operations, and the dynamics that 99% of these posts don’t talk about. Here are the things you should know before starting a poultry farm business. 1. Feasibility Study A feasibility study is not a business plan but it’s just as important. By the time you are done with your feasibility study, you will approach the business of poultry with a firm understanding of what is involved. The feasibi...

It does not require much thinking for one to realize that skill acquisition is what we need to reduce the high rate of unemployment. But unfortunately, our educational system does not allocate room for such. If much emphasis were placed on the development of talent and skills as it is placed on studies, we would have made progress as a people. Because in the absence of white collar jobs, as it is at the moment, the utilization of personal skills would make it possible for one to survive with ease. However, it is important to note that the acquisition of vocational skill is not limited to the unemployed. Vocational skill is just as useful to everyone as it is to anyone. Our job security in this country is poor and the take-home pay is not different either. But with vocational skill, you're certain that come what may, you can never be jobless. On the other hand, it can as well generate extra income for low salary earners. Here are five vocational skills that everyone should con...

Are you an Innovator, Problem solver, Startup founder and professional ? Join us for an evening of problem solving, as we discuss the question. ''How can we support young innovators in founding and accelerating digital organizations and companies for working and living?''. We believe that technology, digital transformation, and Africa's budding and thriving entrepreneurs have the ability and potential to modernize Africa's economies and provide solutions to her problems by creating new avenues of employment, and providing solutions to developmental challenges. Are you interested in an all expense paid trip to the EU-Africa Summit. Then join us: DATE AND TIME Fri, October 27, 2017 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM WAT LOCATION Impact Hub Lagos 14 Gerrard Road, Lagos. Register on  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youth-lab-tickets-39145868346

In the past, being in the Agro-business involves you owning and cultivating your own farm with hoes and cutlass. This has discouraged many young Nigerians from venturing into farming. They prefer to chase the limited white-collar jobs. However, with advancement in technology, this is no longer the case as you can now confidently be in the business of agriculture without necessarily getting into the farm. And the startup that is making this possible is Farmcrowdy. farmcrowdy.com , Nigeria’s first digital agriculture platform is offering a new way for Nigerians to participate in Agriculture using their online technology. Through Farmcrowdy, Nigerians across the world can commit an agreed sum to own a minimum farm space, start and complete a farming cycle. In doing so, the farm partner is able to sponsor a farmer in one farming cycle thereby empowering the farmer, expanding their farm operations, participating in the drive to end food scarcity and making use of 50 million hectares ...

IBPLC KICKSTART SEASON 3 … RELOADED! Season 3.0 is here, and promises to be bigger than any of the previous seasons of the program. With registration processes upgraded and a much elaborate feedback medium put in place applicants for this season will have a much memorable and engaging experience. The KickStart program is a competition for budding entrepreneurs and innovators aged between 18 and 35 providing them with business-skills training, development support, mentorship and chance to come away with grant fund. The ultimate goal of the programme is to help build a young prosperous society by creating a culture of entrepreneurship among the youths, thereby reducing youth unemployment for indigenes in the South West. The KickStart program is one major initiative that would turn around the lives of youths in the area and improve the economic prosperity of the South Western Region. Season 2 saw the emergence of 24 lucky finalists who got grants to kickStart their businesses from...

Dogonyaro (Azadiractin indica) or neem is widely known in Nigeria and has traditionally been used as a herbal remedy for malaria. However, its cash spinning potential is slowly being realised as the world watches India continue to roll out products ranging from contraceptives to anti-diabetic drugs annually and raking in a tidy income, aside from the employment benefits it provides for the populace. The journey to scientific documentation and knowledge sharing on Neem resources began when Prof. H. Schmutterer, a German scientist working in Sudan during an outbreak of locusts in the region in the late 1950s observed that the locusts did not defoliate the Neem trees as they did the other plants. He later went to work to discover the secrets of Neem’s pesticidal properties. Curiously, it has its uncanny way of distinguishing between harmful and beneficial insects. Athough its activities cover well over 450 known insect pests and nematodes, it does not harm animals and benefic...

At 9 years of age Babatunde Lawal started his journey into entrepreneurship selling female scarves with a startup of 4,000 Naira which came from his savings and gifts from relatives. With a mission to thrive and leave a mark in business, he has taken this early start in business and experience over the years to the agriculture sector, setting up Siyon-Jay Premium Company. Siyon-Jay Premium Company is an Agriculture enterprise focusing on production, processing and consultancy. With an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension Services, Babatunde set out to leverage on technology and innovation to improve agricultural practices, product yield and nutritional benefits of agriculture products. Over the years, his business which started out as a farm has grown into much more as the 2016 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur is setting up an ultra-modern cassava processing plant through which he will process cassava into several products including GARRIMAX (a nutritionally enhanced ...

Are you a tech startup founder looking for partners and/or funding? Are you a business owner seeking innovative technologies that can drastically bring down cost and radically increase efficiency? On May 11, 2017 about 1,200 technology startup founders; technologically-attuned entrepreneurs, tech investors, geeks, industry experts and successful technology entrepreneurs will converge at the Sheba Centre, Beside FCMB, Off Mobolaji Bank-Anthony. You will learn, get business mentorship, listen to amazing success models and gain access to funding partners. Akin Oyebode will show you how easy it is to access the N25Billion Lagos entrepreneurship fund. You really should not miss this. Speakers Include: Akin Oyebode- Executive Secretary, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Lola Masha- Country Manager,  OLX Godwin Benson- Founder, Tuteria.com Adewale Yusuf- Founder, Te chpoint.ng Maria Keshinro- Uber Country Manager Julliet Ehimuan- Country Lead, Google John Obidi- SmartBCamp Og...

If your business isn’t growing then it is failing. If you aren’t moving forward then you are moving backwards. Once you have the right people in place and have developed a good customer base your company should focus on continual growth. There are lots of ways to promote growth in your company and the specifics will be based on your particular business. Whatever your company does, you need to figure out ways to expand it. This goes beyond just figuring out ways to earn more money.     To grow your business, do the following: 1. Create Strong Business Relationships    Creating business relationships that are strong is the foundation of growing your business. Customers, clients, suppliers and business associates are the life blood of your business’s growth. You simply cannot forge ahead down the path to success without these helpers, which means you need to develop long-lasting and meaningful relationships with them. These relationships are ...

Being Honest with your business   The value of being an honest business cannot be overstated. Your company will grow faster and reach further if it is based on honest principles and ethics. It is important to strive for honesty at all times and at all levels of your business.  Honesty will keep your customers coming back. No business relationship can last if it isn’t based on honesty. Being honest with your clients and customers will help them want to continue to give you their business. Honesty builds trust and this can create a business reputation that will help you grow and get you more clients.     You should be honest with everyone that has to do with your business, not just your customers and clients. You need to be honest with your employees, your suppliers, your investors and everyone else. This means not making up lies to cover your own basis, owning up to your own mistakes and acknowledging the business’s state to your employees an...

BOI in Partnership with AGDC presents Youth Ignite Initiative - a platform where innovative ideas are brought to life. Objective The main objective of the project is to create new jobs through entrepreneurship by supporting 1 million entrepreneurs over the next 5 years to create 5 million jobs. Prerequisites for the contest Who we are looking for: Talented, creative and dedicated young people who have an existing business or idea that they believe in and are committed to bringing to life. TERMS & CONDITIONS Applicants must be of Nigerian nationality Applicants must be between the ages of 18 – 35. Failure to verify age will result in the application being declined. Applications must articulate a specific business problem to solve or opportunity to address. Applicants must be clear on the benefits from the loan. Employees of Bank of Industry, FirstBank, AGDC, Digital Jewels Limited, etc. and their      families are not eligible to apply....

Start Your Journey! Are you looking for mentoring to launch or grow your business idea in Africa? African Entrepreneurship Award powered by BMCE Bank of Africa is receiving proposals for ideas, prototypes or existing business. Submit a brief summary of your idea now to start your entrepreneurship journey with African Entrepreneurship Award. Join the train from February 17th, 2017 to April 28th, 2017. Visit https :// app.africanentrepreneurshipaward.com / en / auth / register

In our waste-to-wealth series.   Let's talk about biogas! Biogas is produced by processing residual waste from livestock (dung, manure and uneaten food), food production (fruit and vegetable waste, residues from meat, fish and dairy processing, brewery waste, food waste and much more) and effluents from industrial as well as municipal wastewater treatment plants. By constructing biogas power plants, agriculture assumes an important contribution to supplying energy from renewable resources as well as to the disposal of organic wastes. Digestates are produced as a by-product of biogas manufacturing, which can in turn be used as high-quality digestate. How Does Biogas Work? B iogas is a clean and renewable fuel (similar to LPG) that you can make yourself. You will be able to cook all of your normal meals with it. Biogas is made in a biogas digester. We call it a digester because it is a large tank filled with bacteria that eats (or digests) organic waste and gives a flammab...

AgriProtein (South Africa) Anything can be turned into a profitable business in Africa, including maggots. Yes, maggots! AgriProtein is a young business that is doing something very remarkable that could totally change the animal feed industry. The company is breeding billions of flies on a farm to lay eggs and produce maggots. These maggots are fed on organic waste material (such as human and animal waste, leftover food from restaurants and blood from local abattoirs). After the maggots feed on the waste, they are washed, dried and grounded to produce a product that is high in protein and used for feeding chickens, fish and pigs. AgriProtein’s maggot-based animal feed is more than 15 percent cheaper than other alternatives and has been proven to be highly nutritious for livestock. The company recently attracted more than $10 million in capital to build more fly farms in South Africa. In fact, the German government has offered AgriProtein one million Euros to set up a plant...

Heritage Bank Limited says it has collaborated with the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum to intensify its support for young entrepreneurs with N50m under the Young Entrepreneurs and Students Grant Scheme. In a statement on Monday, the lender said the grant was awarded to about 35 young entrepreneurs from sectors spanning agriculture, creativity and Information and Communications Technology. It said the awards followed a rigorous and transparent review process conducted by an independent body. It noted that tens of thousands entrepreneurs applied for the grant. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, while speaking at the YESGrant award ceremony in Lagos, stressed that the move would enhance the growth of small businesses in the country. Sekibo, who was represented by the Divisional Head, Retail/SME, Mrs. Ori Ogba, stated that the bank supported the initiative because of its belief in Nigerian youths, making up about 80 per cent of the countr...

The winner of the  2015 Global Students Entrepreneurs Award and Chief Executive Officer of Amborion Events & Media Global, producers of the Ambassadors Radio Show,  Joshua Oyeniyi, 29, talks about his work in this interview. Can you give a brief background of yourself? I am a media entrepreneur and the host of the Ambassadors Radio Show on UNILAG FM.  I am the founder of the Ambassadors Youth Empowerment Initiative, a social enterprise committed to reducing youth unemployment, encouraging entrepreneurship, inspiring and motivating youths to succeed. How did it all start? In 2013, I started business with less than N200 which I used to buy a pen and paper to write a proposal to the management of UNILAG FM to start a talk show that will celebrate achievements of Africans in Nigeria and the diaspora, as well as inspire youths. After three months of consistent pushing, the proposal was approved and I officially started in October 2013. In 15 months, I was able to grow...

Payant is a web-based invoicing software that helps freelancers, small, medium and large businesses to create beautiful invoices, automatically send payment reminders and lets them accept instant payments faster online. Beyond invoicing, it is also a payment gateway for websites and mobile application developers to accept instant online payments from their users directly from their applications. Features Payant is designed to make invoicing and accepting payments super fast and easy. You don’t need a developer to start accepting online payment. Quick Invoicing: Create and send beautiful invoices within minutes. Get Paid Around the World: Grow your business, go global and get paid by anyone, anywhere and anytime online using credit and debit cards. Automated Reminders: Send friendly reminders to your customers and get paid on time. Instant Bank Settlement: Get credited into your bank account the minute you get paid. Dashboard: See and manage every payment, customer, invoice...

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced acceptance of applications for the 2017  edition of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP).  The application is open to African entrepreneurs with transformative business ideas. The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) will avail the entrepreneurs with a 12-week intensive training session, mentoring and non-returnable seed capital of $5,000 and access to a $5,000 convertible loan 1,000 entrepreneurs will be selected based on the viability of their idea, including: market opportunity; financial understanding; scalability; leadership and entrepreneurial skills demonstrated in the application. Eligible businesses must be based in Africa, for profit, 0-3 years’ old, applicant must be at least 18 and a legal resident or citizen of an African. Women, French, Arabic and Portuguese speakers and those with business ideas from every region across Africa are also encouraged to apply. Application is already open...

An excerpt from an article written by Arinze Onebunne of Jovana Farms Mushroom farming is my passion; it connects me to my childhood. When I was young, I hunted mushroom as a source of protein for the family. Now I have turned that passion into a commercial enterprise. Nowadays, I cultivate mushroom in my backyard for profit. Beginning with few mushroom spawns, I’m using organic methods to produce mushroom for individuals and hotels. The farm has for sale large quantities of Mushroom seeds, fresh/dried mushroom ready for consumption, spraying equipment for mushroom cultivation, pure oyster shell and lime, polythene sheets, treated sawdust, sterilised compost and inoculated mushroom bags for farmers, etc. Many opportunities abound in the production of mushrooms as many hospitality industries in the country still import the product to add to their meals. Majority of big hotels in Nigeria have mushrooms in their daily menu, but this mushroom came from abroad; this means local produ...