Assumption is the lowest form of knowledge. You don’t thrive on
assumptions; you should thrive on accurate and reliable information
Let me emphatically say that I do not have a problem with
those earn a decent living from their jobs. No my problem is not with
them. My problem is with those who have the capacity to build businesses
but who are satisfied with the peanuts they receive from their jobs.
The highest any employer can pay you in Nigeria as a basic salary
monthly is 8,000 Dollars. That is about 1 million Naira. Now if you can
earn a million Naira a month, if your employer feels you are worth that
amount, just imagine how much you can earn for yourself if you were your
own boss. Here is a punch line: YOU EARN A MEAGER AMOUNT COMPARED TO HOW MUCH YOUR BOSS MAKES ,NO MATTER HOW LARGE YOUR SALARY IS. So if you are earning, say, 1 million Naira a month, your boss is making almost a hundred million Naira. Here is how Dr.Sunny Obazu Ojeagbase of the SUCCESS DIGEST fame puts it. He says: “If your employees ask you for the moon, give it to them. But ask them for the sun”.
The best you can be working for
someone else is a glorified servant. And there is nothing wrong with
that, is there? Well, we can’t do anything about the fact that there
will be leaders and there will be followers. My call is for that leader
who is trailing his boss like a follower. My call is for that wolf in
sheep clothing. Why allow the addictiveness of salary, its regularity
and predictability deprive you of the greatness you should become? Why
enjoy yourself when you have all it takes to help hundreds of people by
creating businesses that employ them? If you are in this category, I
think you are very selfish. And I sincerely don’t have an apology to you
for that. What nice things should be said to you when you have all it
takes to build businesses? Dr.Myles Munroe is right: “Many die without fully releasing all of their potentials. They die full rather than die empty”.
Let me discuss some wrong notions, excuses and deceptions people have for salary
NOTION ONE: YOU CAN WORK FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD,RESIGN ,AND START ON YOUR OWN.
Seemingly true. May I ask you this question? Are you sure you
can resign from a well paid job with all those responsibilities you now
have? I can imagine your wife telling you: “Are you sure all is well
with you?” Of course you know what that means. I can imagine your
mother, if you have the privilege of having her alive, telling: “My
child, I am your mother. I don’t think that is a right decision.” Now
think of those relatives that come to you for help. Do you sincerely
think you want to let go of that respect? You cannot work for a certain period and resign just like that, especially if your pay is VERY good.
I know a fellow who told me that he would leave after five years of
work with a certain oil company. Guess what? He has spent 10 years now!
And he doesn’t seem ready to leave. The only thing that may force him
out of there is a sack letter.
NOTION TWO: YOU CAN START A BUSINESS WHILE YOU WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
Great idea, isn’t it? May be. A lot of the seemingly job
secured guys do that. They pull their funds together and start up
something. But they aren’t there because they are busy. Who manages it?
They expose themselves to the risk of being siphoned.
Okay, let us assume the manager is a relative, a member of
his family. Does that change anything? Please answer that question.
May be there are examples of some businesses like this
working. Seems like a possibility ,isn’t it? Answer: Take out the
external funds from these seemingly job secured money bags, can the
business really stand without the continuous influx of external funds?
If they are standing, have they broken even? To break even means that
the investors have gotten back all the money they put in the business.
The truth is that the person who created the business must wean the
business to actualization.
I observe a great deal. Here is one of my findings. How many
part time pastors run larger churches than full time pastors? Almost
none. By the way, our modern day pastors are social entrepreneurs, or
are they not? Are we so gripped with religious fear we don’t want to
accept this? Anyway, there is nothing wrong with them being
entrepreneurs. Here is what you will notice: pastors who put in all
their energy into their organizations have a lot of support from their
followers. Those who do it part time notice that their people depend on
them to put in their own resources. Jesus didn’t teach us to do part
time. He understood this dynamics. No matter how you try you cannot
surpass those who are full time. You may seem to be succeeding
initially but over time the full time guys leave you trailing at their
backs. Life has a compensation plan. Fully committed people are fully
rewarded.
NOTION THREE: YOUR SALARY CAN SERVE AS CAPITAL
Yes. That is if you are among the lucky 4 percent or the
shaky 6 percent, or may be among the low earning 15 percent who have
jobs. But what if you are among the unlucky 75 percent who don’t have
jobs? What salary would be your capital? Again, you raise so much money
and give it to someone else to spend it for you. Nice idea, right?
NOTION FOUR: THAT YOU NEED EXPERIENCE TO BEGIN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
Notice that I underlined SUCCESSFUL. You
don’t need experience to run a successful business. Yes, with some
experience you can run a business. Your success would be to the degree
of the experience you have .In other words ,your true originality will
be put to the background and the so-called experiential system that you
assume is best will gain preeminence, thus actually limiting your true
possibilities. Which experience does Mark Zuckerberg of FACE BOOK have? At 24 years he is already a billionaire. Which experience does Larry Page and Sergey Brim founders of GOOGLE have? These are entrepreneurs the world talks about. Which experience did Richard Branson of the VIRGIN GROUP have when he started his business at 16?Which experience did Michael Dell of DELL COMPUTERS
have? Dell began his business in his campus hostel at 19. Which
experience did Bill Gates and Paul Allen have? They are the founders of
multibillion dollars company MICROSOFT. Bill Gates was 19.Okay ,before you eat me up! Let me give Nigerian examples: Which experience did Jimoh Ibrahim have? Which experience did Dangote have? What church did Chris Oyakhilome serve under before he started his world renown church? Where did David Oyedepo serve long before he started his ministry?
Apprenticeship is good, but must you serve in some one ‘s
organization to learn. Must it be a master-servant relationship? Can’t
we learn from constant interactions with our mentors? Must we serve in
their organizations or churches?
You see, there is a world class vision in you. Any form of
mentorship should only draw out your true YOU, not superimpose anything
on you. Chances are that you may think that the thing in you is inferior
when you work for someone else.
EXCUSE ONE :ISN’T IT ALL ABOUT BEING SUCCESSFUL?
Really? If you think like that then close this book
and read no further. You know why? This book is for people who think
beyond themselves. This book is for unselfish people. This book is for
those who want to move from survival and success to significance.
Anybody can buy car, build a house, marry a wife or husband. Anybody.
Success in the long run is measured in how you’re your name can reign
even when you are gone, not those toys that diminish or properties
people may not know is yours unless someone tells them. You are
different when you dare do what few really want to do. You are different
when you build a business that eventually employs people and impacts
lives. Henry Ford is long gone but his car is still driven today as
FORD; Conrad Nicholson Hilton is long dead but his hotels are still
talked about all over the world. Jesus left the earth 2000 years ago and
people are still talking about him today. He is a song on every one’s
lips. It is either you love or you hate; it is either you worship him or
you vehemently criticize him. Whichever way, you talk about him! That
is success!
The deep down quest for contribution is the reason for
many churches and NGOs. Do you not notice that churches break almost
every day. People crave for leadership. It is in man. We were not
created to be ruled. We prefer interdependence, but eventually rebel
against any form of slavery. Sincerely, I think that it is great
,although I am aware many go into it for their own selfish benefit.
The entrepreneur in you will always seek expression.
EXCUSE TWO: I DON’T LIKE MY JOB,BUT BILLS!HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT?
That is the reason I am going after the university
students just before they leave school. That is why I going for the job
seekers, the unemployed. You don’t want to taste salary.It is addictive.
You don’t want to be trapped in the rat race of life. You may never be
able to come out of it.Every now and then I organize seminars on
campuses to tell students what they should expect out there;that they
should stop being disillusioned about a great job out there. We have
started a consortium in some universities where the students can brain
storm and plan for their future. They learn to develop business skills
and other leadership skills.The vision is to have these consortium all
over the Nigerian universities. And we will do it.We also run weekly
community meetings to help those who are not in school and are
unemployed.
Really,if you don’t like your job, fire your boss, and start your own business. “Fortune favours the bold”
,the old saying goes. Providence supports commitment.The moment you
move,Life will move too.Stop thinking about your bills and start
focusing on service to others.Things will fall in place eventually.
EXCUSE 3: WHAT IF I ENGAGE IN BUSINESS AND IT FAILS?
Like I already mentioned in the first chapter, failure is
part of the success process. If you haven’t read books written by Robert Kiyosaki, especially his bestselling book, RICH DAD,POOR DAD,then
you should get it RIGHT NOW. May be you have and it is stacked
somewhere in your library.GO RIGHT NOW AND PULL IT OUT. Once you are
through reading this book, pick it up and read it. Some people stack up
books in their library and pride themselves with those collections when
they should be stacking up these books in their mental libraries. If you
have read the book, you will notice that Robert’s Rich dad says to him
that most successful business men suffer at least 3 MAJOR BUSINESS FAILURES
before they get it right. I think that is worthy of note. The reason
for failure is inadequate knowledge. No matter how many books you read
and guidance from mentors you have received, you will experience your
own share of failures. Reason? No two businesses are exactly the same,
and no matter how much you learn from anyone who has gotten ahead of
you, you will still make your own mistakes. No matter how great your
business plan is, it can still fail. Many factors could be responsible,
including timing. The timing may have been right for your mentor but
things may not just be the same when you begin yours. A certain man
observed that the king was in dire need of a diplomat and wise counselor
as issues were arising in the palace. He sent one of his two sons who
was wise in all his ways. This son got the job and was on the king’s pay
role. Then there was war and this man sent his second son who was a
prized fighter, and of course the son got the job too. This old man’s
neighbor noticed these happenings, but he wasn’t careful to observe. He
sent the first of his two sons who was wise and cunning in his ways. The
king was impressed but there was war in the land, and he needed
warriors, not sages or diplomats. So he ordered that the tongue of this
son be put out so that he does give the king’s enemies ideas. Without
observation again this neighbor sent his second son who was a prized
fighter. But now the land was experiencing peace and the king was
starved of wise men. When this neighbour’s prized fighter arrived the
king spoke harshly to him and asked that his foot be cut off so that he
doesn’t fight for the King’s enemy.The difference between the two men
was that one observed timing and the other did not.Times change in
business and things are not always the same way. Circumstances differ.
Personalities involved in the business differ. Taste of customers may
change.Yesterday’s formula may not be today’s recipe for success.So you
should prepare your mind for failure so that when it comes it doesn’t
get you out. Now ,should that be a reason for not daring to go into
business? I don’t think so. Napoleon Hill once said: “Every successful person finds that great success lie just beyond the point when they are convinced their idea is not going to work.”Bertie C. Forbes says, “History
has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered
heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they
refused to become discouraged by defeats”.
Entrepreneurs are tenacious people. They are not
lily-livered people. They are not comfort conscious people. They handle
constant pressure, calm down, think, learn from whatever mishap, and try
again. Their insurance against failure is their persistence.And you see
failure cannot cope with persistence. “Nothing splendid”, Bruce Barton once noted, “has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances”.
EXCUSE FOUR: I HAVE NO CAPITAL.
In another article, I will take my time to answer this question. I
will show you how you can raise money for your business. I will tell
you what banks require before they can give you loan. I will show you
other sources of funds to start.
EXCUSE FIVE: I THINK I AM A FOLLOWER.I AM NOT CUT OUT FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
May be. May be not. You never can really say. Remember :YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH UNTIL YOU TRY.
Dolly Patton walked through a mall and someone said to a friend close
by, “That used to be Dolly” .Dolly heard those words and shouted back, “
I refuse to be limited by people who want me to believe I cannot be
something else”. Benjamin Omin, speaker and friend, has this to say,
“The problem with today’s society is that Many people have
turned the theory of temperament into virtue. You don’t have to be a
choleric or sanguine to be a successful business. Bill Gates is
melancholic, Steve Jobs of Apple computers is a shy phlegmatic. For
Every 10 Entrepreneur that comes out to talk about what they are doing,
there are at least 70 more who would rather make a difference than talk
about it”
You may surprise yourself. Every one
is a leader of some sort. Where I reside there is a big State Government
Secretariat. I usually would just observe the thousands of people
thronging in there. Many of them doing virtually nothing except move
files! Many of them would retire and depend on pension. Most of them
will never reach management status. I believe that they are grossly
under-utilized. Most of them have capacities they are not even aware
of. I was privileged to deliver a lecture at a business school during
one of their 3 weeks management programs. As is my custom, I got to meet
some of my students. Now most of them were older than me. There were
some who were as old as my father, if not older. Curiosity got me to ask
a few of them why they were taking the program. Well, all of them were
civil servants and they were taking the program because of their fear
for their retirement. One of them told me, “When I see those who have
retired queue to get their pensions, I know that I don’t want this to
happen to me”. I was touched.
There is this other civil servant I know who has served for
up to 30 years in the Government. When we spoke, he was afraid. He told
me, “I don’t want this (his business)to die.
But the challenge is that is I don’t have capable hands to run this
place”. Who does he think would run his business for him. In the past 6
years he has had several managers ruin his business. There is one on
board and it is only a matter of time before the entire thing crashes.
Now frail and sick, I saw this man move around his business premise
wishing that he had given his active years into his dream and passion.
His children are not interested in it because they did not see daddy commit to that vision. I wish him the best, though. Children buy into what their parents believe in.
What you need is courage. What you need is motivation to attempt the heroic. John Maxwell says, “There
is something within us that is thrilled to see a man or woman attempt
the heroic. The pioneer, the successful entrepreneur, and the victorious
athlete all speak to us about the ability of the human spirit to
achieve monumental accomplishments when properly motivated.”A
great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage.
People of mediocre talent with courage and drive are doing great
things. Don’t you see? Sophia Loren a popular Italian actress puts it like this: “Some people with mediocre talent, but with inner drive go much farther than people with vastly superior talent.”
The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity.
It easy to opt for a regular pay if you find one.It is easy to conform.
It takes courage to be different. Stones are common; diamonds are rare.
www.georgeessien.com
This is rich, and I found it at the right time.
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