Thriving Successfully As An Entrepreneur in Nigeria

Today, almost everyone has a business they run. When you observe the people around you, you would notice that either a family member, a friend or a school mate, has something they have ventured into. It's almost like a trend these days but it's here to stay.

 As an aspiring enterpreneur, What happens when you look around you and so many skilled people are into the business you are looking forward to starting? Seeing so many people around having a business of their own and being creative directors can either be discouraging or encouraging to an individual, depending on their perception. However, if you have a business idea that you are passionate about and confident in, start. Whether it will be a great success or a failure, you wouldn't know till you start. 

However, there are certain tips that will keep you in line to being a successful entrepreneur.

1. Develop yourself: Whether you want to make shoes, sell wigs and human hair, jewelries, phone accessories, sew, cook or any other businesses, self development is essential. If your new customers will stay or not will depend on how good your product is and how it can compete with others in the same field. A prerequisite to this, is to learn from the best. This will push you farther than being a clueless beginner. Take classes, read books or article's, use Youtube, train and explore. Also, keep up with trends. Self- development is a continuous process as learning never stops. Use ideas and knowledge you gain fron learning to create products(recipes, style, method,etc) of your own. You can even create a trend and be creative.

2. Advertise yourself: There is always the need to "shamelessly" advertise yourself. Let people know what you do! Talk about it everyday. There are various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and the likes that can be very useful in spreading awareness of your business. These platforms also give the oppurtunity to interact with people far and wide and talk about what you do. The importance of taking good pictures cannot be emphasized. People are more attracted to what they see than what they hear. You can also take a photography class as you advance further as a successful entrepreneur.

3. Sponsored Posts: This is totally different from the posts you make or the ones your friends and families make on your behalf. Though its important and effective for a small scale business, if you want to go bigger and bring in new clients of different age and economic class, you need to invest in paid advertisement. You can make sponsored posts on social media platforms, television, radio, newspaper, billboard, Apps and so on, depending on how big you can afford. This will reach a wider audience and take your business farther.

4. Packaging: This is a vital marketing tool. It goes way beyond protecting your product and providing information about it. It can be the deciding factor on whose good is to purchased in a competitive market of the same product. Packaging matters a lot. It can be designed in such a way that it's convenient for holding, display, storing, transporting etc. Packaging will attract new customers and retain old ones. It also gets people familiar with your brand. 

5. Accountability: Be accountable for every decision you make regarding your business. It's also very important to be accountable about your finances, the amount that goes out and comes in. This will help you to see through your business transparently. You'll be able to fill the gaps when you calculating income. It will also help you improve and be conscious of whatever step you take.