In the present economy hardship, where jobs are lost every day, families and homes are being shattered because of lack of resources, can there be way out of this hardship ?
I hear wisdom calling from afar, trying to find way into our hearts but many hearts are shot tightly leaving wisdom outside in the cold.
The way out of this economy situation is learning the principles and dynamic rules of entrepreneurship, so I present to you “15 Rules to be a great entrepreneur in the 21th century”.
Now what is expected of you as a 21st century entrepreneur?
Before going any further, you need to first discover yourself
Knowing yourself is the foundation of wisdom; know what your capabilities, strength and weakness are, this goes a long way to help discover who you really are
1. Passion: Being passionate about things you do is the desiring force that drives you to do something even when you are not rewarded for it, it is something you are most times not ordered to do, you most times do them consistently out of your own free will. Passion should be the first thing to think of when choosing a career or skill acquisition , with passion everyday will be like holiday for you even at work.
2. Audacity: Be fearless and bold when handling life issues and business affairs , I learnt something from the CEO of “Konvit Records” Akon, when his record label was about to sign Lady Gaga, most of his company executives was against him signing Lady Gaga, but he was audacious in his decision taking. He stood on his ground and he went ahead to sign her, Lady Gaga later became a hit and brought the company fortunes, this is not to say being audacious doesn’t have its own shortcomings but still yet you still need to be audacious as a 21st century Entrepreneur.
3. Problem Solving: One of the major reason why I wouldn’t like to be a resident in a developed country is because there are no much problems there for me to solve, the people who solved majority of their problems have earned a fortune and they are now spreading their tentacles to Africa e.g. The Chinese. When you discover a problem, instead of you complaining to the government like an average Nigerian do, device a means to solve the problem and smile to the bank. All the billionaires we have today worldwide are problem solvers, quote me anywhere.
4. Spend Money to Make Money: As a 21st century entrepreneur you should spend money to make money not save money, you only save to later spend on a venture that will yield more. Majority of your money should be spent on avenues where you can get the money back, this is why the banks are loyal to top CEO’S in granting loans, because the bank is sure that these ones spend money to get money back. Know this now that CEO’S don’t establish a business with their own money, they establish industries and companies with the accumulated money from peasants and workers collected by banks.
5.Sacrifice: Bear the present pains, pay the sacrifice of that thing you believe in, Bill Gates sacrificed his degree for Microsoft, even our own Seun Osewa sacrificed his degree for Nairaland, this is not to discourage anyone to obtain a degree, just want to use them as an example to open our eyes to a bigger picture. To become a successful 21st century entrepreneur you must be able to let go off something you hold in high esteem that’s a hindrance to your set out goals. In the race of becoming 21st entrepreneur is always a tussle between the stoic trait and epicurean. A stoic is one who can sacrifice present pleasure for the future, an Epicurean is one who lives like there is no tomorrow, they live for now and are consumers.
6. Invest in yourself: When we say invest in yourself we don’t mean buying yourself unnecessary luxuries, invest in things that will add value to you. Like the saying goes “garbage in and garbage out”, computer hardware is useless without an inputted software, you input into a hardware system in relating this to human practicable act, we are humans are the computer hardware and information/ knowledge is the software. You are limited to the amount of information you have, educate and illuminate working scope, and general life engagements. All these will cost you something but never mind it’s for the betterment of your well being.
7. Be Humble: Being humble is as simple as the word sounds, but it’s difficult for many to practice, people naturally despises the proud which is the opposite of humble, no two ways about it, it is either you are humble or proud, so check yourself. No matter the caliber of customers, clients or staffs and even people around you, just be humble to them, because in people lies the treasure you seek (This is why we have the human relation department in companies). Be humble to the extent you make your clients and customers feel comfortable or even above you, being humble doesn’t stop you from becoming who you are.
8. Get a Mentor: Look for someone who is already successful in the direction you are heading to and be humble enough to be mentored by him or her. Apply the law of 33%,
· The first 33% of your time should be spent with those who you above
· The second 33% of your time should be spend with those who are your equals
· And the final 33% should be spent with those above you
9. Read More: Be a voracious reader, this saying in time past was made popular “you want to hide a secret from a black man, put in a writing” but in this present 21st century that saying holds no weight, ground or validity anymore. The fitness folks would say “ you are what you eat “ but I will prefer to say “You are what you read”. In those closed books are hidden treasures of this world, it won’t be revealed to you until you open and read it. Some years back I read the book “ The Angels and the Demons” few years later I watched the movie, but I tell you, It was nothing compared to the book itself, a lot of information was left out of the movie.
10. The Team : You need to work with a smart team, folks that are your like minds, people that will make life easier for you. With the right people around and the right attitude success is a must, a piece of broom stick can sweep only but a little, but with many brooms sticks bonded together there is a greater impression. Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution, while the positive people have the solution to every problem
11. Persevere: One company I will never stop admiring is a digital satellite TV company in Nigeria Sta*****s, when Mul********ce company came up with Go** an exact product like theirs, I exclaimed “ This is the end of Sta*****s” because of the strong reputation of Mul********ce ! But Sta*****s stood on their ground, persevere and restrategized to remain in business. One CEO I cease to admire is the Chairman of the defunct telecommunication company, he allowed the troubles in the business world to overwhelm him , hereby committing suicide, how I wished he has persevered. Rome wasn’t built in day, so start start small, work hard and watch that business grow
12. Consistency : Continue doing what you are doing, also seeking for better ways to do it, at the long run you will sure reap the harvest. Now lets rewind back to 2008, if someone had told Linda Ikeji that Blogging will later get her a mansion, fame and wealth she has now, she might have doubted it. Let the world know you for something, and not a jack of all trade. Being consistent and effective at your game is what qualifies you to be a professional.
13. Goal Setting: Set out your goal, write and execute them, it’s enough for you to just set out goals without execution. Write out your short term goals and your long term goals. Your short term goals ranges from 1 month to 5 years and your long term goals ranges from 5 years and above. Never make that mistake of thinking you can memorize your goals without writing them, our several life’s engagement might let those goals slip off our memory, so it’s we right them out and execute. Always write yours goals like a To-List, marking out each successfully executed goal.
14. Build your Network: In your road to success you are bound to meet with all kinds of people, these same people you came across coming up are the networks you will need to remain a success, everybody you meet are your potential network so treat them nicely. Try as much as possible not to break these networks with poor or bad relations so as not to experience severe hiccups in the business terrain, everybody is useful. Instead of cutting them off, keep them in touch, like Paul the Apostle would say “If possible, be at peace with all men”.
15. Be Optimistic : Expect the best in all possible ways, this is what the religious folks will call faith, stay positive, stay focused, the sky is just a stepping stone.
Narrated by Salisu-Thalith Ridwan
Composed and Written by Henry Nwachukwu (HerexG)
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