Great MIND; ‘I want my business to become an empire’

At a time when tens of thousands of Nigerian youths are roaming the streets in a hopeless search for employment, Martins Enoh, a hair stylist in New Karu, a fast growing suburb of Nasarawa State bordering Abuja on its south-east end, is counting his gains. He reveals his big dreams to ABAH ADAH and flays those who blame crime for unemployment.

Twenty-nine-year-old Martins Enoh is an Idoma and hails from Utonkon in Adore local government area of Benue State. He is the proprietor of Martin Luther Barbing Salon which is located in the heart of New Karu. A bustling place, the barbing saloon caters for the fashion needs of women, men, teenagers and even toddlers, who can be seen trooping in and out of the saloon daily, to get a variety of haircuts, maintain their styles and do some hair-wash.

Enoh carries himself with the pride of one who owns a business which employs a few hands, the sharp outlook of one who has aspirations and the good sense of one who does not look down on his customers.

When he was encountered by this reporter, he confessed the obvious: It pays to run one’s business, no matter how small. More so, he has one of the virtues which many who hope to be successful or already are possess – he enjoys what he is doing and sets his heart to it with a burning passion.

According to Enoh, due to the sub-urban nature of the area and the current economic state of the country, he does not make what he always hopes to, unlike top saloons in the city-centre.

Enoh revealed that at the end of every week he makes an average of N20, 000. However, out of this, he has to figure in expenses like fuelling and maintaining the generator (since the area of New Karu where he lives and works is in constant black-out), commission for labour and other running costs, and at the end, he said, N7000 or N8000 may be what is left of it.

“I have being doing this work for close to 10 years now and, by God’s grace; I used to earn just enough to care for my basic needs. In fact, the freedom I enjoy being in-charge and on my own has made me feel as if I cannot work as an employee elsewhere. It is not as if I have all I need but I cannot see myself becoming a busy-body and a societal liability,” he said.

Martins disagreed totally with those who blame the current spate of kidnapping and terrorism in the country on unemployment. According to him, youths who perpetuate such criminal acts under the guise of unemployment are only out to destroy the country and make staggering wealth overnight.

“How can you say that is unemployment? Many of them will not work if you give them. Besides, can’t they try their hands on what they can do to survive even while working towards securing gainful employment?” he asked. The Benue-born stylist, however, lamented the economic situation in the country which has given rise to the daily, unemployment figures.

According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), between 2006 and 2011, Nigeria’s unemployment rate averaged 14.6 per cent, and hit an-all time high of 23.09 per cent at the end of 2011.

While blaming the Nigerian government, which he said is not helping matters at all, Martins advised Nigerian youths to always discover their God-given talent and use it to sustain them, especially when the white-collar job they crave so much is not forth-coming.

“It is true that the government can only provide an infinitesimal portion of the jobs needed, but it is incumbent on it to create the opportunities. Small-scale businesses should be encouraged and empowered across the country. Look at this business; for now, it is all I have, but I intend to open two or more branches across Abuja, in order to improve my income. My dream for my business is for it to become an empire soon. I have all my plans and blueprint; I just need funds to get it on the road. Meanwhile, I have to postpone everything which I hope to do, until I raise the required fund,” he explained.

Its either you don't have idea or you choose to be where you are. It is yet a choice. Seek information and take the lead.

Building your business with the help of haters

When starting a company, most people handicap themselves on day one. They show their idea to people they know will be amenable and will rally behind them, people that will instantly become evangelists and spread the good word. While for some it becomes about ego, for others it becomes about making that golden idea even better for its instant fans. The cycle of goodness just keeps spinning and sometimes that entrepreneur gets lucky and makes it big time.

Doesn’t this all sound like the right way to go? Rally the troops, surround yourself with positivity, right? Wrong.

On day one, your idea should go straight to someone that you know will hate it. Not necessarily an enemy or someone who hates everything, but someone or someones who you know is a critical thinker. Looking for someone who won’t cheerlead, but someone who you are sure will have everything negative, even mean to say, will make your idea a thousand times better.

Doing so before even entering the beta phase will give your cheerleader evangelists even more happy. Going to market with an idea vetted by the haters first will also help you avoid surprises, or the painful sting of someone crapping on your idea when it’s too late to make certain changes.

Elon Musk and Dharmesh Shah agree

Globally famous inventor Elon Musk said in a recent interview, “Always seek negative feedback, even though it can be mentally painful,” adding that even if you want to ignore negative or constructive feedback, you should pay attention. “They won’t always be right, but I find the single biggest error people make is to ignore constructive, negative feedback.”

Dharmesh Shah, Founder and CTO of HubSpot, agrees. “Seek out the most critical opinions of your plan that you can find,” Shah notes. “The natural tendency for a first-time entrepreneur is to fall in love with an idea and then look for friends and colleagues to support it. After all, who wants to have a fledgling idea crushed by naysayers? But these are exactly the types of folks you should be looking for.”

Shah adds, “Have them shred your plan and designs from top to bottom. If you find yourself agreeing with them and having doubts, then your plan (and possibly you) may not have the mettle to make it. But if you are able to defend it with conviction, repeatedly, then you probably have both the moxie to last through the long, tough grind you’re facing, as well as a plan that just might work.”

Five essential ingredients to doing what you love for a living;

When I decided to leave my own corporate job years ago to pursue the culinary arts, I couldn’t think much further than doing what I love on a daily basis: cooking. But it soon became clear to me that leaving the safety of one career to take up another is not quite that simple.

Doing something you love will make you work harder at it, but that alone doesn’t mean you have a good business. Hard work, ultimately, has to meet with the right opportunities, and that’s where entrepreneurial spirit can come in, allowing passion to meet real business sense.

My own journey in the kitchen has taught me innumerable lessons that extend far beyond time and temperature. If you are looking to change yours, here are some tried and tested lessons I can share:

1. Treat goals like recipes. Remember to take it one step at a time.
It’s easy to get mired in the day-to-day, and though you may be doing something you love broadly speaking, that doesn’t mean you will love it all the time. Segmenting my goals and having a clear vision has allowed me to stay calm and focused on the process. Keep your ultimate objectives in mind, but try to appreciate and not look past where you are today. I often remind myself that I’m always learning and getting a little closer to my dream.

. Get to know the people who came before you.
When I changed careers, I studied star chefs like Jean-Georges and Thomas Keller as well as people with successful food and lifestyle brands like Martha Stewart and Giada de Laurentiis. I wanted to better understand the landscape as well as the successes and mistakes these guys had made. I never expected to take their exact path, but I did gain an understanding of what went into their level of achievement.

3. Always have something to offer.
I do a fair bit of traveling, learning from chefs and home cooks around the world. When I visit a new location, I like to shadow cooks in professional or home kitchens to learn their techniques and dishes. This has been a huge challenge as both a foreigner and a female. I usually start small, asking if I can watch service for the day. In exchange, I offer to prep and make something, whether that be the staff’s family meal or a recipe the chef may not know. Taking a little more time to build trust and having something to offer helps open people up more.

4. Seek help from those who do it better than you can.
Use your network and resources thoughtfully. If you don’t have a skill, you likely know someone who does. For example, I wanted to photograph the recipes from my book myself but I wasn’t a pro food photographer. I bought a great camera, reached out to a talented photographer and friend who was willing to teach me and prepared myself for trial and error.

5. Prepare to be uncomfortable, both physically and mentally.
Some of the greatest lessons and most gratifying experiences have come from times when I wasn’t entirely comfortable with what I was doing. I’m not just talking about having to lift 80 pound vats of stock in some of the kitchens where I worked. When I signed on to write my first cookbook, I was pregnant and already working full-time. I had to write, cook, test and photograph the entire book. This idea terrified me. There were days when I was so exhausted it was hard to get off the couch. But the book is done and will be out this year.

It just goes to show: When you’re pushed, you push back. Rise to the occasion because success might be waiting around the corner for you.

SEE YOU THERE.

5 Things Super Successful People Do before 8am

Rise and shine! Morning time just became your new best friend. Love it or hate it, utilizing the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful and healthy lifestyle. That’s right, early rising is a common trait found in many CEOs, government officials, and other influential people. Margaret Thatcher was up every day at 5 a.m.; Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney wakes at 4:30am just to name a few. I know what you’re thinking – you do your best work at night. Not so fast. According toInc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. Let’s explore 5 of the things successful people do before 8 am

Seven ways business networking is like online dating

Networking guru Rob Brown discusses how the lead generation process when networking bears a close resemblance to that of online dating.

Some people have said that business networking and career connecting is just like dating. With the advent of work intranets and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the world of business networking is as much about online interacting as the more traditional, face to face offline gatherings.

How to turn time wasters into gold dust

How do you feel about people, who either ask you questions about your service or look around your products, then leave without buying? 

Some business owners get angry at what they perceive to be time wasters. In doing so, they miss out on a massively valuable opportunity. They leave a huge business asset on the table… untapped.

I’m referring to the feedback these so-called time wasters can provide you with.

Time wasters are attracted to us for a reason

If you’re attracting lots of the wrong kind of inquiries, there’s a reason. It’s usually a sign that:

• Your marketing message needs to be improved.
• You are marketing to the wrong people.
• Or both.

It’s extremely easy to learn which applies to your marketing, so long as you ask these people for feedback.

Before they end the call or leave your premises, ask something like: What was it that prompted you to (visit or call) us today? This will give you some feedback to work with.

For example

If they often say they were looking for a low priced (whatever), yet your prices or fees are average or above average, you need to review your marketing message. Take a look and see if you are overstating how low your prices or fees are. If you are not overstating how low your prices are, then you could well be targeting your marketing message at people with too small a budget. You get the idea…

The key is to try and get as much feedback as you can from those who fail to hire you or buy from you. It will help you improve your marketing message, improve your targeting and generate more business!

In short: Speak with people who don’t buy from you. Listen. Learn from their feedback. Then, make the necessary improvements to your marketing. Don’t just assume that someone is a time waster and therefore of no value to your business.

Their feedback could be commercial gold dust. In fact, it often is!

A bird’s eye view of how to succeed as an entrepreneur:

Yep. They are going to think you’re crazy.

So you’re thinking about jumping ship, leaving that so-called steady job and go off on your own… you’re thinking of starts a business and living the life. It all sounds perfect in your head, even on that spreadsheet of how you will make the transition. Then, you tell your friends and family. They’re going to think you’re crazy.

Just about every business owner I’ve talked to over the years has had a similar experience that they laugh about it now, and hold it up as their inspiration to make it. As for me, I was too young and naïve to know a single mom couldn’t make it without a job – supposedly. The fact of the matter is that I didmake it, my family and friends did think I was crazy, only I did not understand why. The older you get the harder it becomes to throw caution to the wind and do the ‘impossible.’I’m so glad I did.

Scared? That’s a good sign.

Fear means you are already on the path, and all that is left is to open your eyes and start evaluating how to navigate the road ahead of you. Fear is telling you to grab on with both hands and look your future straight in the eye and declare only victory. Fear is not telling you failure is defeat – THAT is your conditioning – failure is a lesson that gets you one step closer to success. No one makes it to the top without a wheelbarrow full of failures teaching them to become stronger, better, and more agile.

You are thinking outside of the box when you dream about a life that has purpose. Now it’s time to get to work; purpose doesn’t just happen, it is created.

The key to success is simple, really – you have to want to, I mean REALLY want to. Simple doesn’t mean easy, the truth of the matter is that if you want it enough ALL of the road blocks will be overcome, the strength to be more than you’ve ever been will show up, and the skills that are currently missing become obtainable. When you want something bad enough, mountains will move because you will find a way to move them, climb them, or go around each one. There is no room for mediocrity when success is the goal!