SMEs

Farewell to Our Friend, Steve.

His name seems to linger in the air, “Steve Jobs”, the man who changed the world, changed the way we identify ourselves, “MAC or PC?”

At his core though, he was a guy with a dream; a regular guy from California who enjoyed beautiful design and tinkering with technology.  He found his mischievous match in friend, and Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniack, together they enjoyed pushing envelope and sought to do something different with their lives.

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Effective Networking

It's not what you know, it's who you know. We've all heard it. And for most of us it's a phrase which simply makes us wish we knew more influential people. But even for those who don't have an uncle in government, or a cousin on a national newspaper networking is a vital element of successful business. Read more

Demystifying the Business Plan

Myth: Business plans are behemoth documents that must be 100 pages, contain 5 year projections, 15 graphs and specific details on how you’re going to exit the business in 3-5 years.

Fact: Business plans are meant to be guides to help you articulate your business vision. They can be as long or as detailed as necessary but what matters most are clarity and depth.

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Investing in and Growing Your Business

Any small or medium sized business (SME) that wants to survive in this financial climate must understand that its founders and management need to invest in the venture first and this does not only mean financial investment. They must carry out their due diligence and spend time researching the market in order to create a niche for their enterprise. Before this stage is complete approaching a private equity or venture capital house is really a waste of your time and theirs. Read more

Starting a New Business in Nigeria

During last month’s Entrepreneurs’ Ecosystem Coffee Morning event Tayo Oviosu led an interactive session focussing on entrepreneurship and his experience in starting up his own business. Oviosu, one of the founders of telecoms group Pagatech, defined entrepreneurship in the words of Professor Irv Grosbeck, from the Stanford Business School: “The pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources currently controlled.” Read more

Creating a Dynamic and Effective Business Model

ENERGY SECTOR entrepreneur Kwabena Smith enthralled the audience at October’s Entrepreneurs’ Ecosystem coffee morning, leading a discussion on business model planning at the Daisy Management Centre in Lagos.

Smith began the morning – fully entitled ‘Strategy and Scenario Planning: Creating a Dynamic and Effective Business Model’ – by providing the gathering with an insight into his fascinating career to date, from his furniture business in Ghana to his current role as founder and head of strategy and business development at Orun Energy. Read more

I'll Do it Tomorrow

Firstly, it is not laziness. Procrastination does not mean inactivity, quite the opposite. It requires a great deal of exhaustive effort directed at any, usually irrelevant, task other than the pertinent quest at hand. Read more

10 Reasons Why (Some) Entrepreneurs Underperform

Being an entrepreneur is tough ... very tough. There are a myriad of reasons why some entrepreneurs make it big and others do not. In my speech, I spoke about the organic reasons why some business owners fall short of their goals. This message is not about capital or the economic climate; rather, it’s about those individual characteristics that keep some entrepreneurs performing below their potential. Read more

Getting Back to the Business of Running Your Business

For many companies, the current economic climate has led to a significant increase in the cost of doing business. Employers are facing rising unemployment claims, escalating health insurance costs and a host of other employee-related issues that are not easily resolved. As a result, more time is spent worrying about resources and cost containment, and less time running the core business. Read more

Creating a Unique Company Culture

I knew I was on track with my company culture plan when, one day, on the office suggestion board an employee had written “dress as a pirate” day.   I run a call center, and it’s important for me to have a team that’s energetic and committed to establishing an enjoyable workplace.  Though creating a fun-filled work environment may sound like an easy project to initiate, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Read more