Wisdom for Business Owner

Sometimes, the only solution is to wait it out...⁣
Yes, it works.⁣

I know you don't want to hear that. You want the quick fix, the new strategy.⁣
But sometimes, you just need patience.⁣


I still remember when I tried a new product some time ago.⁣
This product was so slow to gain traction.⁣
I was burning lots of money on marketing but the numbers weren't moving the way I expected.⁣

I started questioning everything.⁣
Is this the wrong product? ⁣
Or should I just cut my losses and try something else?⁣


I implemented all the strategies I knew. I did all I could do, but it was still slow.⁣

In fact, I even reached out to a friend,⁣
He told me to try something so seemingly simple I almost dismissed it.⁣

I tried it.⁣
A small tweak and that was when the product clicked.⁣
The same product, same audience, just a slightly different approach.⁣



This is the same thing that happens to many business owners.⁣
We tend to mistake slowness for failure.⁣

Just because something doesn't work immediately doesn't mean it's entirely wrong.⁣
Something not work in Week 2 doesn't mean it won't work in Week 8.⁣


When you ditch a process, you're resetting your momentum to zero.⁣
You lose the compound interest of your hard work.⁣
Starting over should be your last resort, not your first option.⁣



Before you burn it all down and start fresh, ask yourself:⁣

Do I need a new business, or do I just need a new strategy?⁣
Do I need to quit, or should I ask someone for a fresh perspective on what I'm doing?⁣

Sometimes, you're too close to see the problem.⁣
You might just be one conversation away from winning.⁣
Sometimes, you're one small tweak away from it working.⁣


I remember my senior man telling me how it took months of running 1 product before they could even break even.


So instead of quitting, refine.⁣
Get external fresh eyes, test a new angle, adjust the offer, etc⁣

But don't throw away months of momentum because you're tired.⁣

Keep winning 🙌

 
I was listening to Apostle Michael Orokpo’s message recently where he shared a touching story of an overzealous young believer.

The young man used to work for him. A day came, he went to the Apostle to report that he will be going for NYSC soon.

In a bid to give him all the necessary support that will help me settle down, Apostle gave him ₦150,000 for his accommodation and ₦1 million to invest in any business of his choice when he’s fully settled.

After the one year compulsory service, Apostle was waiting to hear good news of how this young man’s business was doing but didn’t get any update.

When they eventually met, the young man excitedly told him that he used that one million seed capital he gave him to sponsor a Crusade in the community he was sent to serve.

He was expecting an applause from the Apostle but he got a rebuke. That money was a seed not the harvest.

Except the Holy Spirit specifically told you, not a third-party telling you, but you heard directly from Him and Him alone, your business capital is a sacred thing you MUST not touch.

There are so many things you don’t do and should not do with your business capital.

You don’t sow dangerous seed with your business capital.

You don’t sow your employees’ salaries as a seed.

You don’t loan someone your business capital.

You don’t play betting with your business capital.

You don’t put all your business capital in one business you are not too sure of. Even when you are sure, you need to be careful.

You don’t marry with your business capital.

You don’t take a chieftaincy title in your village with your business capital.

You don’t pay house rent nor build a residential home with your business capital.

You don’t buy land with your business capital.

Your business capital is sacred and must not be touched anyhow.

Your business capital is a seed. When you eat the seed, you will have no harvest and when you eat part of the seed, your harvest will be limited.

God will rarely ask you to give Him your business capital because He’s a God of principle. What God demands from us when it has to do with your using our finances for kingdom service is to include His work and servants in our financial budget/plan.

But some of you out of overzealousness, ego and as a victim of fake testimonies of miracle money has given out your business capital only to plunge into untold hardship and turnaround to blame God.

Giving out all the money in your bank account is not the same as giving away your business capital.

God will deliver you and give you a second chance but learn the lessons.
 
Building a business is very hard.

Sometimes, I feel like going back to a 9-5 job, but again, in a 9-5 job, you are also building a business. It is not free money.

Some years ago, I was depressed, and I didn’t know when I ran into another car in Abuja. That incident changed my narrative. Imagine I died? I would have died a poor man, Chei.

I had to make a comeback, oh, starting to make difficult choices.

Don’t give up, people. Your time is coming, but don’t just wait for time. Go and meet it halfway.
 
Business Wisdom

Business is easier when you truly understand how your industry works.

No matter the industry you find yourself in, make it a priority to understand the system, structure, and formula behind it.

Once you understand the algorithm of your business, decision making becomes clearer, growth becomes intentional, and success becomes more predictable.
 
Think like a bank.

A bank does not spend money emotionally.
It protects capital, studies risk, and makes money multiply.

Most people work for money.
Banks make money work for them.

If you want to build wealth:

• Protect your income
• Create steady cash flow
• Invest with patience
• Think long term
• Stop buying liabilities to impress people

Wealth grows faster when you stop thinking like a consumer and start thinking like an institution.
 
After running businesses for over 50 years, I believe I can share a few insights on what makes entrepreneurship succeed. You will never rise above the need to work hard in business. Yes, working smart and networking are important, but work is inherent in all three. Hard work is non-negotiable in the school of success.

From the days of boarding the Awalawa bus from Lagos to Onitsha, to running a small shop and still owing rent, to building an office in Ajegunle, constructing high-rises in Victoria Island, assembling plants and Ford vehicles, managing a farm of over 3,000 acres, and now running a company in Japan, one thing has remained constant: hard work and fervent prayer. Work as though only hard work is needed, and pray as though only prayer is required. Both must operate hand in hand to achieve lasting success.

God bless you all.
Cosmas Maduka.
 
One quality that you must have a heavy dose of as an entrepreneur building a business is "Resilience."

Business is an endurance game.

Motivation can get you started but you need a good amount of resilience to carry you to the finish line.

There are certain problems in business that you cannot ideate, wish, or strategize yourself out of.

You just have to adopt old-fashioned endurance.

Unfortunately, this quality doesn't come easy.

Even some folks you see on social media singing entrepreneurship like the anthem can't survive one stress.

They are soft like Agege Bread on their inside.

I was up at about 3 a.m. - studying.

Then I stumbled on an interview of Aliko Dangote

He was being interviewed about how he dreamed up and built one of the world's largest refineries.

During the interview, he said something striking.

He said they started the journey in 2013.

But he spent 5 years on land disputes alone.

5 solid years!

Yet, this man didn't back down.

C'mon now...

That's a man with hard core resilience.

If you are a young entrepreneur, you must have a high pain tolerance; your ability to endure hardship.

If you easily back out when you are confronted with pain or challenges, you cannot build a big business.

Today we all celebrate Aliko Dangote.

But imagine the pain he endured along the way.

Not many of us can handle it.

One small challenge hit us in business, some of us are already thinking negatively, planning to give up.

That's a baby behaviour.

And babies don't build big businesses.

To build a big business, you must possess the heart of a lion and the endurance of an Arabian Camel.
 
Business is not sentimental.

You can upgrade a security applicant to an office assistant role, fine. But managerial positions are not sympathy appointments. They are competence appointments bro.

Someone applying for a security role, then suddenly becoming a manager simply because he has a BSc? That’s disaster waiting to happen 😄

A degree is not managerial capacity. Management requires Trust, Loyally even before Competence. One of the fastest ways to damage a business is promoting people beyond their proven competence because of emotions instead of systems.
 
A very important prayer point for Business owner and Entrepreneurs

Lord please send to me partners,who will work diligently,creatively, honestly & profitably with me,the way I worked 4 others.
 

If my staff can be bypassed my system the way it happened. Many business won't survive years to come especially those who are running their business on vibes and Isha allah. ⁣


You'll spend millions of naira setting up a business, you give job opportunities to people and the same people will always be looking for every loophole to steal from your business. ⁣


This thing is crazy. ⁣


This is a wake up call for those of you who only believe all you need to start a business is money. You don't know anything about building structure, systems around your business. ⁣


See ehn... its just a matter of time. Everything go clear for your eyes.⁣


Don't ever run your business on trust. Build systems as though you're working with thieves. Because indeed you'll be working with many thieves....⁣


If you ever forget anything you've learnt from me. Don't forget this. Let me repeat it.⁣


Don't ever run your business on trust. Build systems as though you're working with thieves. Because indeed you'll be working with many thieves....⁣

 
As a biz owner who truly wants to dominate, find a way to be close to power, I mean decision makers as well as policymakers, see eh! You can be doing biz like this, your competitor will lobby for a policy change that will cripple your biz for life.
 
As a biz owner who truly wants to dominate, find a way to be close to power, I mean decision makers as well as policymakers, see eh! You can be doing biz like this, your competitor will lobby for a policy change that will cripple your biz for life.
In business, execution alone is not enough anymore. The environment you operate in is shaped by decisions made at policy and leadership level, so understanding regulation, building legitimate networks, and staying informed becomes part of long-term strategy. The strongest businesses don’t just compete in the market, they stay aware of the system shaping the market.
 
Whatever you do, don't let money finish in your hand oh.
Ensure that money meets money in your hand.

Plan ahead.
Choose products that people will rush to buy.
Market and sell with energy.

No let poverty meet you oh.
Leave passion one side and chase riches. When you get rich, you can use the money to fund your passion.
 
The best thing that can happen to you is to have team members that thinks creatively and strategically and find ways to get things done even when it’s tight to do so.
 
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