My Entry || Again & Again - Successful Nigerian Entrepreneurs: How They started

Believe me, every gift, no matter how small, has the power of transforming a person's life.

I had always imagined that some day I would help a random poor stranger, and the person would turn out to be Asher Kine, a content creator known for dashing out plenty of cash and provisions to strangers he deem fit.

In my dream eye, he would shower me with lots of gifts which would change my life forever.

The last thing my mind envisioned doing was picking out the wrong book from my bookshelf. But when this happened in June, I knew that this was divinely orchestrated.

How I got the book

I cannot fully recall how the book "Successful Nigerian Entrepreneurs: How They Started” found its way to my bookshelf. But I remember attending a conference some years ago and attempting a question then receiving it as a gift from one of the organisers. I never opened the text, let alone preview its content – it looked boring.

However, when I found it during my quarterly bookshelf clean-up some months ago, and skimmed through the first few pages, I began to wish that I had tried opening it before now.

About the book
Successful Nigerian Entrepreneurs: How They Started tells the stories of 12 outstanding Nigerian entrepreneurs. It gives a bird's eye view into the challenges and successes their brands recorded while growing.

These entrepreneurs were selected from all major sectors —agriculture, cosmetics, health, including tech. I was able to get a glimpse into the struggles of brands like Zaron, Printivo, and even the popular TV news network, Channels.

Truth be told, these entrepreneurs did not have a rosy journey. Some had to quit their jobs, obtain loans from family and friends, or engage in petty trades to raise capital for their businesses.

In every story, I observed that they all started small then grew into the massive companies they have become today. But what was the secret? Structure. Vision is what led them to starting the journey of entrepreneurship but structure is what has sustained them from folding up or remaining small.

I had so many key takeaways

1. You need to be able to take calculated risk, despite the uncertainties.
2. Invest in your team. They are the powerhouses that would keep the vision alive.
3. Collaborate. This is what most young people struggle with. From the stories, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Prince Ebeano Supermarket and Printivo decided to collaborate with people who shared their similar vision. They ended up growing together. That is the power of 2!
4. The power of innovation. One founder started out as a printing company but do you know what happened when it decided to collaborate with a tech savvy professional? That is how Printivo was born.

In all, entrepreneurship is not a walk in the park. This is a book I would recommend for all young passionate entrepreneurs who dream of breaking barriers.

Do you know after reading each page, I had to rain blessings on whoever gifted me the book. These inspiring brand stories helped me gain new insight on how to improve my personal and professional life. I have read it twice already but I still can't get enough of it. I would love to read not only the book again but more stories from these entrepreneurs.

If you are interested, I should give an exhaustive review of this book or share more insights so every budding entrepreneur here would benefit from the knowledge shared in this book.

Special thanks goes to @sergeyk for this interesting contest. Special invitation to @yhudy, @bela90, @chiomzy810 and @rossnenye.

_{Written by @ukpono on 7 November 2024}