Business Archives - Simply Quintessential

The Secret Sauce of Instant Success

If you are more than 10 years old, you must have noticed something fishy about life. Ask the school girl who painfully watched the coveted spot of lead dancer she wanted so badly and worked so hard for go to the richest girl in class simply because the girl’s father was the chief sponsor of the school’s cultural festival. Ask the boy, who hates going to school because his bully who happens to be the Principal’s son, has never been punished regardless of how many times this bully had been reported. They will tell you one thing:

Life is Unfair.

And it only gets worse. Many graduates must have discovered that graduating with a first class or second class upper might get you an interview but it can never guarantee you will get the job. Many entrepreneurs must have discovered that having the best product in the market does not guarantee your product will be an instant hotsell and profit maker.

Far from it.

If you are missing the secret sauce, then your path to success will be long, tiring and filled with frustrations. What is the secret sauce?

It is your Connections.

Why Connections can Make you Successful Almost Overnight.

The old adage stills hold true, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Like it or not, “who you know” determines how successful you will be. I remember when I wanted to do a book launch. Two weeks to the date, I didn’t have any candidates to make the keynote speech about my book. I went to one of my mentors and a dear friend, Mrs. Ezeani, telling her my predicament. The very next day, she called me to tell me that she had arranged a topnotch magistrate -who is currently chief judge- to do my book review and deliver a spectacular speech for me on my launch day.

Without my mentor, there is no way I would have known this top achiever. Without my mentor, there is no way I would have approached this trailblazer and convinced her to make space in her busy schedule for me. Because of my mentor, she inconvenienced herself that day by going to a family occasion early and cutting short the amount of time she was supposed to spend there, then sped to the other side of town, just to grace the book launch of a woman that she didn’t even know three weeks prior.

And my case is just an example of how 1 powerful connection can make your life and success, so much easier. Listed below are the reasons connections make you an instant success.

1. Their success will rub off on you:

Imagine going to a networking event and someone you have never seen before is introduced as Bill Gates’ protege. Won’t you immediately start seeing the person in a new light? Won’t you find yourself admiring, respecting and actually listening to this previously unknown person?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are no different from 98% of humans.

This is because humans are wired to respect achievers because we all crave to be stellar achievers. Once you can connect yourself to an achiever, the respect rubs off on you. Subconsciously, people start to think “if an achiever can respect this person, who am I not to respect this person?” or “If an achiever knows and recommends this person, then this person must be worth knowing and respecting”

2. They will inspire and motivate you

Achievers are not driven by jealous rage. Can you imagine Warren Buffet being jealous of anybody? Or Aliko Dangote, one of the richest men in Africa, backstabbing another person?

No.

Why? Because they are accomplished. They have achieved a huge percentage of what they wanted to achieve in their lives. One peculiar thing I have noticed about achievers is that they lift people up. They try to inspire and motivate people. They reveal how they achieved their successes, where they made costly mistakes so that you can replicate their successes.

My sister Ify, got this right when she entered university. She immediately attached herself to achievers (older students who are brilliant, were on scholarship and had huge dreams) and they guided her rightly. She went on to secure a PTDF scholarship throughout her stay in Nigeria, then a commonwealth scholarship for postgraduate studies in Cambridge and within a month of graduating from Cambridge got a job in one of the most prestigious companies in the UK.

The reason her story is different from so many graduates out there is because she aligned herself with achievers.

3. They will introduce you to other industry leaders

Once you are a protege of an achiever, you life will be miles better than a highly brilliant guy that has no achievers to back him up. Achievers take delight in introducing you to their network of friends. And guess what? An achiever’s network of friends is made up of fellow achievers. This is exemplified by my mentor knowing a trailblazer who is currently a chief judge.

4. They will root for you

Once you prove yourself to an achiever, once you show that you are a hardworking, dedicated, focused and loyal individual, then the sky will be your starting point. Because this achiever will recommend you to not just their friends, but their clients and customers. LightWedge CEO experienced this firsthand. Before his product, a book light, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, this book light was averaging $3,700 a day. The day it appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, all Oprah said was, “I need to get me one of these.” and sales skyrocketed to $90,000 that afternoon.

Once an achiever recommends you or your product, you are on a fast-track to success.

5. Their advice can save you from losses worth millions

One common thing about achievers is that a lot of them had to make a lot of costly mistakes during their lifetime. Some of these mistakes cost them dearly in cash and relationships. So when you pitch an idea to an achiever, they will immediately advise you based on the experiences they have had, not on some theoretical assumptions many false gurus base their supposed “foolproof” strategies on.

I am a typical example of this case. Previously, in my first three failed blogs, I did something many rookie entrepreneurs do. I looked for an easy, shortcut to success. I met a lot of genuine influencers and achievers but the advice they gave me, I did not like. This is because the advice involved a lot of sweat, consistency and a minimum of 6 months to get to success. I wanted success in 3 days. So I instead chose to adhere to the advice of fake gurus, who promised that if you just implemented their tips and tricks, you will be on your way to insta-success in as little as a week.

Fast-forward 3 years, a lot of money down the drain, a lot of wasted effort and many frustrations, and now I am obeying the genuine influencers and achievers. And so far I have achieved a whole lot more than the nothing I achieved with the fake gurus.

6. They make it easier for clients and customers to build a relationship with you.

I have never met Bill Gates but I already trust him. Achievers are trusted. It’s the unfair principle of life. When an achiever recommends something to his clients or customers, the trust factor is instant.

Recently, one of my neighbours, Chike, got a posh job. The job was a managerial position in a pharmaceutical firm with the benefits of a car and a three-bedroom apartment in a choice neighbourhood. Here is the real gist: He NEVER applied for the job. In fact he didn’t even know the job existed until he was called to accept or reject the offer.

No Interview. No Aptitude tests. Nothing.

So how did he get the job? An individual known as a topnotch performer was previously offered the job. But this topnotch performer had so much work choking him, that he couldn’t accept the offer. Instead he made a recommendation. Chike was hired without even an interview to judge his skills but simply based on word-of-mouth referral. This simply points out that this topnotch performer has achieved so much that if he can be impressed by and recommend somebody, that person must be of his calibre. And the funny thing? Chike is not even related to this topnotch performer by blood or family ties. This recommendation was made purely out of a singular past business interaction.

How You can make connections with Achievers

1. Attend networking events. Though they are pricey, they are really important and is a suitable ground to mingle and meet achievers in similar industries. I greatly recommend attending an event at least once a year.

2. Help people: Do not scrimp from helping people no matter who they are, or what they do. Do not monetize everything you do. Sometimes extend favors to people, clients, customers because in the long term these favors can snowball into a leverage/recommendation for you.

3. Always deliver your best: Where I come from there is an adage, “the legs that walk about, is monitored closely by the eyes that look about”

Meaning that everything you do is watched by someone you do not know. When you over-deliver or supersede expectations, people are watching. When its time to make recommendations, your name will be the first to spring out of their lips.

4. Become a protege: No mentor will watch as their protege sinks and do nothing about it. Because a protege’s failure becomes their own failure. Which is why, in the political arena, unknown politicians attach themselves with accomplished godfathers in order to increase their chances of clinching a political position. Bringing this argument homeward, it is very safe to argue that without Tinubu’s influence and participation, Gen. Buhari will not have won the presidential seat.

5. Always seek an opportunity to help an achiever: Economics lets us know that human needs are insatiable. Contrary to popular belief, achievers do not have it all. There is always a favour you can extend to them. Many achievers will not hesitate to return a favor if you ask.

So there you have it. Did I miss anything? Do you know other ways of attracting the attention of achievers? let’s know in the comments.

P.S: If you found this article helpful, consider sharing it and helping someone else with the information they need to become successful.

Real People, Real Businesses: How Nikky Naz is conquering the blogosphere in her own way

Hi lovelies. Hope you had a splendid weekend. Mine was too short, but I do welcome another week to reveal how you can improve your life.

After going through some questions from my subscribers, I decided to start a new series on my website. It’s called “Real People, Real Businesses”. In this series I interview people who have made strides in their businesses or career and I share the interview with you. The purpose of the interview is to inspire and motivate you by showing you how these real people started their businesses/careers despite all odds and how they plan to grow.

Our first guest is Chidinma Naze. Chidinma Naze (fondly called Nikky Naz) is a good friend of mine and has been blogging for a while. When I decided to start the series “Real People, Real Businesses”, I reached out to her and she gladly agreed to an interview.

If you have plans to start a blog, then you must read this interview; which reveals some truths about blogging you might not find anywhere else.

What would people find fascinating about you, if only they knew?

I’m a Virgin

You have been blogging for how long?

Almost 3 years

What made you decide to venture into blogging?

It is a very long story I intend to tell in full detail after I make it big as a blogger . I always enjoyed reading blogs and reader’s comments, watching news especially bizarre juicy ones and entertainment, always had interests in the lifestyle of the rich and famous etc. When a certain event that had to do with a job /career change happened in my life, I got blogging out of circumstance, but was elated I could run mine with time.

What are the toughest challenges you have had to face as a blogger?

Electricity- Electricity to power one’s blogging computer in a place like Nigeria with epileptic power supply is a major challenge. Internet may be affordable, but diesel and petrol aren’t so cheap especially when you aren’t making money from your blog per say.

Never ending news- News and events never end. When I decide to go for a wedding or face other aspects of my life, lots of events happen. It is often difficult to keep up sometimes.

Reduced Social life/ Time Consuming- Blogging as interesting as it may be can affect your social life and consume your time. You discover you spend so much time indoors on your computer and have less time to socialize. A chic has gotta mingle to be married loool.

Irate reactions by victims of some stories : Sometimes, people are irate when you want to take pictures , cover a live story or report their gists. I once had my smartphone smashed after I took some pictures from a juicy scene .I could go on and on.

What are the 3 biggest benefits you offer your readers and why should they visit your blog often?

Juicy gist, I’m a blunt person and have no reservations posting some articles many may deem as unfit for a Christian( sex, nudes etc).

People should visit the blog often because I’m spontaneous. As long as the gist isn’t orchestrated to falsely tarnish ones image and I get wind of it, I’ll report it.

Currently, how do you monetize your blog?

Basically through Ad dynamo ads, but the payment process is slow. I however decided not to concentrate on the monetary reward at the moment, but on the passion and excitement it gives me. Hopefully with time, money will come.

Blogging is a tough terrain. What tips can you recommend that you only share with a close friend (or anyone lucky enough to read this blog)?

Do not go into blogging to make money alone, you’ll be frustrated because the money doesn’t automatically roll in. Do it out of passion and because you enjoy it.

Looking into the next 3-5 years, what can you predict for your blog?

Hopefully, it will be bigger and better with ads everywhere plus increased readership and followership

Let’s get a little personal here. What is your ‘best-kept’ secret that keeps you shining the way you do?

Being happy inside. Truth is, my life isn’t perfect on every side, but I spend alot of time reading inspirational books, getting to know God better etc and it changes my outlook on life.

When situations sometimes give me reasons not to shine or be happy, I concentrate /focus on some messages from the books or my bible and I’m filled with increased faith , hope and Joy .

How would you define your fashion style?

Very colourful and fun. I love colourful outfits. If it pops and has a great cut, I’ll rock it.

How do you relax and unwind?

Reading inspirational books, blogging, shopping, listening to music

Which will you prefer: A vacation at the Bahamas or an adventure in Singapore?

Vacation at the Bahamas. Always wanted to travel to the Caribbean Islands

Any something special you would love to share with us?

Love yourself. If you don’t love you, who will? Respect yourself and others , serve and love God. He will never leave nor forsake you.

Thanks Nikky Naz. To check out her blog please click here.

Want to be featured in our Real People, Real Businesses section? Then send a mail to inspiredtosuccess@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this article and know someone it will help, then please share.

10 reasons why failure could be your best friend

Ok, I bet your eyes are shooting daggers at me. And I know your mind is wondering “What does she mean by failure could be your best friend? Is she even thinking or has she run out of blog topics?”

Please hear me out before you crucify me. Yes I was thinking straight and no, I have not run out of blog topics. But today I wanted to write a post about something everyone experiences.

Its called failure.

Whether in a big or tiny way, we have all experienced failure at some point in our lives. And I understand how depressing failure can be, especially when a lot is expected of you. And that is what this post is all about: to let you know that failure is not the end but the beginning of beautiful things.

How?

Let me reveal a secret to you: Simply Quintessential was not my first attempt at blogging. In fact it is my fourth attempt. I started blogging as early as 2011. Within the space of 3 years I started three different blogs and watched them crumble.

But I didn’t give up.

Instead with each failure I learnt lessons that have ensured the success of Simply Quintessential. And I want to share them today, to encourage you and motivate you. Also if you are considering blogging, then you need to read this so that you don’t repeat the rookie mistakes I made.

1. Failure taught me to know my onions

This is number 1 mistake many entrepreneurs (and bloggers) make: They don’t know what they are getting into. When I first started blogging, it was the “IN” thing. The internet was awash with the success story of Linda Ikeji’s Blog. Everyone wanted a piece of the internet-riches pie, myself inclusive.

But we didn’t know the true story of Linda Ikeji’s success. We just thought that once you open a blog, write a few articles, then slap on ads in every available space, then the dough will start rolling in. I knew nothing about how to start a blog, I knew nothing about content writing, I knew nothing about how to set it up, I knew nothing about Google ads, I knew nothing about how to attract visitors. In a nutshell I knew nothing!

And I was in for a rude shock.

For starters, setting up the blog was easy to learn. I used Blogger. But there the fun ended. Because I did not have any audience in mind, I didn’t know exactly what to write. I wrote some random articles that I thought people would like and share with their friends. But guess what? Few people came to my site and I made nada. Nothing. With time, people even stopped coming, no matter what I wrote.

What I got wrong: I knew nothing about what I was delving into. I didn’t do my research, I didn’t understand what it would take to succeed as a blogger.

And that’s what many entrepreneurs get wrong. If you want to start a business you must know what is involved. Example if you want to start a fitness club, you must know what type of fitness solution you are providing, the amount of technical expertise and soft knowledge you must know before you can proudly call yourself a fitness instructor, what type of people your fitness solution will appeal to, how to get those people to know of your business, how to get them to trust and then patronize you.

Bottom line: You must know the business you want to start and how to monetize it. If you don’t know this yet, don’t start the business yet. Do your research and learning first and foremost.

2. Failure taught me to start a business I am passionate about.

Second mistake I made, was trying to start a blog in areas I was not passionate about. I love writing, I love building and developing businesses. But I am not a gossip junkie. As you just guessed, one of my first blogs was meant to be a forerunner in gossip gist, fashion and inspiration. It was a jumbled mess and it failed because I was not passionate about gossip.

When you want to start a business, don’t just focus on the money. Yes, we all start business to make money but that should not be the driving force. Why? because Money is not ever a good enough motivation. If money is the sole motivation, it means that whenever another shiny object that promises to give instant wealth comes along, you will abandon the business you started.

THIS IS BAD!

Because before you know it you will have a litter of abandoned projects and not one successful one. But passion is the quality that will ensure you hold onto your business, because you already love doing it and just can’t imagine life without doing it. So if you love fashion, start a fashion-related business or a fashion blog. If you love photography, go for a business in photography. Never venture into a business you don’t like solely for the profits you will make. Because when the going gets tough you will abandon that business and in the end make nothing from it.

3. Failure taught me that Business must always be defined

Try starting a business that is a fast-food joint, cement retail spot and toilet cleaning supplies manufacturer all rolled into one.

Big mistake right?

But many entrepreneur make this mistake in different ways. When you are trying to start a big business at one time, so that you can get thousands of customers instantly you are making this mistake. The best entrepreneurs started with one product, then expanded from there. Bill Gates started his company with developing an Operating System. Now Microsoft is into games, office tools, mobile, internet etc. But it all started with an Operating System.

You should do the same. Instead of starting an eatery that does African, intercontinental and baked yummies all at once, focus on one then expand from there. This will help reduce your startup costs and help you penetrate the market faster. Then as you grow stronger, you can branch out into other types of food service.

4. Failure taught me that “If you ain’t proud to show it off, don’t even bother”

This is so important, that I cannot overemphasize it enough. Why? because your first customers will be from the “cliq” of your family and friends. So if you are not proud enough to show your trade to them, what makes you think you will convince a random guy to patronize your business?

5. Failure Taught me to focus on Helping people and not focus on only making money.

When Facebook started out, there was nothing like ads on the entire site. For more than 1 year, the brains behind the social media giant worked on helping people with Facebook. How? Facebook was developed as a tool to stay in touch with family and friends regardless of location, time or distance.

They started out with a zeal to help people. Monetization of the site came latter, when they had amassed an active audience of millions of people.

When Facebook had grown a strong user base of millions of users, it introduced targeted advertising, this time to help small and big businesses. Before Facebook it was difficult to select the specific age group, sex, occupation of people you want to see your ads. But Facebook came and changed all that. The result?

The company reported a $7.82 Billion revenue for 2013.

Their focus paid off. They started out by helping ordinary people to stay connected, then they diversified by helping businesses advertise to specific groups of people with even a budget as small as $1. And then the money flowed in.

You should adapt the same model for your business or blog. Forget about making quick money and focus on building your audience, your network. To throw more light on it, consider reading this article

6. Failure taught me that marketing is the lifeblood of any business.

I must confess: I am a shy, delicate tulip.

On a good day, I love nothing better than to cozy-up to my loved one or to bury my nose in a book with a chocolate chip within reach.

I always balked at the thought of marketing. In my mind, marketing was for those sleazy salesmen. I was well-educated, hence I didn’t need to descend to that level of badgering people with my articles. A good market sells itself, so my readers will find me.

I was so WRONG that looking back right now, its almost painful to believe I once thought like that.

The truth is that there are a million wonderful blogs on cyberspace, there are thousands of people doing the same business you are doing. So readers and customers are spoiled for choice.

Developing wonderful products and articles is not enough.

You have to tell people about your business or blog. You have to show them why they should patronize your business. You have to hook them with delectable and delightful offers and freebies. In other words, you have to market your business but smartly. Today’s marketing is no more about pestering people to come and buy from you. In today’s marketing, you instead entice people by showing them how you can solve their problems. In today’s marketing you focus on offering value so that sales will naturally flow in without you coming off as a self-centered sleazy salesman.

7. Failure taught me that Your network will greatly determine your success

The one thing that can make or break your business is your network. By network I mean your customers, friends, advisers, employees, investors, partners.

For a business to grow you need an audience or customers or clients. Without them, your business will definitely wither away.

To learn more and to improve yourself and your business, you need to surround yourself with mentors, friends and associates who are achievers and have accomplished a lot in their fields.

To ensure your business is not run to the ground, you need worthy employees: People that are skilled, know their duties, perform these duties exceptionally and continuously contribute to the growth of your business. Make a mistake in picking the right network and your business will suffer greatly.

8. Failure taught me that Good things come to those who persevere and keep trying

The bitter truth of life is that nothing ever works out exactly how you plan. More so in business, where there are just too many variables that you can never predict what will happen in 2 months. For instance, you can’t tell when the value of dollar will fall or rise against your local currency. You can’t predict when the government will enact a policy that will adversely affect the way you currently do business and force you to develop another way.

But good things only come to those who persevere. Be persistent and smart with your business. Don’t abandon ship at the first sign of a turbulence. You never know what diamonds the sea will toss on your ship if you hold on.

9. Failure taught me that success comes to those that Keep improving

10 years ago, the only way to get in front of customers was to advertise through billboards, radio stations and magazines/newspapers. Fast-forward to today and those expensive traditional mediums of advertising is patronized only by established big corporations like Coca Cola, Total, MTN, who have deep budgets.

Today, small business owners use content marketing and social networks to advertise at extremely cheap rates.

The same applies to your business. What was trendy 10 years ago might be obsolete today. For instance in hairdo, we now have different types of human hair, and different styles for fixing these human hair from invisible parting to lace wig method. These methods were not even known 10 years ago. Imagine if a hairdresser refuses to improve/update her skills? Will she still get new customers or any customers at all? I seriously doubt that.

So to stay relevant and to ensure your business is profitable, update your knowledge

10. Failure taught me that Presentation is everything

The way you are dressed is the way you are addressed.

Simple truth. That’s why when people go for an interview, they wear their best formal outfits. So that they will be taken seriously.

The same applies for business.

My first two blogs were a mess. When I started Simply Quintessential I knew that one of the things I must work on was my presentation. What do I mean by presentation? Branding. From your business’s name to the colours you use to the tagline of your business. I wanted my website visitors to immediately know that I take my blog seriously, that is why I spent some good thing branding it.

So there you have it. I really hope these reasons help you avoid a lot of the pitfalls I faced. If you enjoyed this article, and know someone else it can help, go ahead and share it.

Have you experienced any failure when starting your business? Is there something you did but later learnt it was a mistake? Let’s know in the comments! So we can help others avoid our own mistakes.

The True price of success – Is it what you think it is?

Everything on earth has a price tag.

Doubt me? Ever heard of ladies who had to exchange their bodies for a job position? Ever heard of men who had to kill to acquire wealth and drag up their families from poverty. Ever heard of children who had to drop out of school to hawk?

Or even about the man who lost his wife and child because he could not afford a Caesarean Section. This is a true life story that happened just last year and swept the entire nation in a storm of shock and rage as it was discovered that the doctor won’t touch his wife until the complete money for the Caesarean Section was deposited.

So everything on earth has a price. Even success.

But there is a wrong price and a right price. The wrong price is sacrificing your self esteem for the momentary benefit of acquiring a job. Or selling your conscience for luxury. Success like everything else is developed on a foundation. When the foundation is rotten, it can’t last long. When the foundation is built with the wrong materials – like sleeping with ones’ boss, thuggery, theft and other misdemeanors – its only a matter of time before everything comes crashing down.

But if built with the right price and on the right foundation, your success will not just be solid but it will inspire and motivate many generations after you.

So what is the right price?

The right and only price for success is knowing what you want and going after it. Sounds simple right? Wrong. A huge number of people don’t even know what they want. They know they want to be millionaires but do they have a clear path of how to get to that millions. And that’s why, today, the number of people ready to do anything to live like the rich and famous has increased, while the number of people ready to sit down and plan how to arrive at that millions has decreased drastically.

Doubt me? Ask 10 fresh graduates what their ten-year plan is and you will probably get a blank stare from 8 of them.

A life without a plan is a life mapped for failure.

Or He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

Let’s just take a moment and think this through: If you want to deliver a child in the US (a trend nowadays), you will have to figure out the following: How much its going to cost, when you intend to leave for the States, where you will stay, how you will take care of yourself before and after childbirth. You will have a plan for at least the 6 months surrounding your last trimester. You won’t just wake up one morning and head to the airport like a zombie, without telling anybody where you are going or discussing with your hubby.

The same applies to Success.

Success is not something you stumble into. Its premeditated. Like you know this is what you want and you plan out how you are going to get there, the steps you need to take.

But that’s not all.

Success is a very picky bride. She has a lot of suitors and takes them through difficult, challenging tasks to see who is worthy of her hand.

Only the one who is persistent and smart, wins her in the end.

Some people have great plans but abandon ship at the first sight of trouble. I know because I have been there once. But if you take a good look at many of today’s success stories like Mike Adenuga, Linda Ikeji, M.I Abaga, you will notice something: They had bad times. They had really bad days.

But they persisted.

They didn’t give up because things were getting rough. They didn’t throw in the towel because things weren’t going as they planned. And today they are celebrated.

Thomas Edison put it this way: “Our greatest weakness lies in Giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time“.

And Edison should know what he is talking about because he failed 99 times when inventing the light bulb. But he persisted and finally, on his 100th trial, he was successful.

I have learnt that if you have a solid plan and you are persistent, success will be yours. What’s your own take? Contribute and let’s learn from you too.

My sincere advice

First figure out what you really want in life, aside from money. Do you want to be a world-influence like Mother Theresa and greatly reduce poverty? Are you passionate about beautifying women and want to be the next Mary Kay? Do you just love food and want to create a franchise like McDonald’s? Or are you so driven, focused and ambitious that you see yourself as the next Condoleezza Rice?

After Figuring out what you want to achieve in your life, map out the steps that will take you there. Be really sincere with yourself. If its going to take a lot of money to get there, then you need to state how you can start small and grow.

Do not be daunted by your dreams. Because where there is a will, there is a way.

Are you fired up? Is there a step you believe will help others get even better results and achieve success sooner? Please share in the comments so we can all learn and grow together.

5 Effective Ways To Become A Well Known Authority In Any Niche

The name Wole Soyinka commands respect. Chimamanda Adiche, Oprah Winfrey, Lanre De Silva are a few black women who are respected in their fields. Why? Because they all have proven to be an authority in his field. Regardless of their backgrounds, their education. It is what they have accomplished despite all odds that make people admire and respect them.

What is an authority?

An authority is a person who is knowledgeable and has in-depth skills in his/her chosen field. Notice that I didn’t say that the person has in-depth education; I said in-depth skills. Granted education can help you become an authority or expert in a field but many entrepreneurs did not start businesses centered on what they studied in the University.

A remarkable example is Tera Odukoya, Founder of House of Tara. Tara is an educated Lawyer (or an Learned as they call themselves). But today, she is the proprietor of a successful brand that empowers makeup artistes. She has spoken as an ‘authority’ in many shows and has come to be recognised as an Authority in the Make-up Industry. This is because of what she has accomplished in this field, not what she studied in the University.

Taofick Okoya with a HND in Ceramics is the hugely successful founder of Queen of Africa, a Nigerian-based company that produces beautiful African dolls. It has been reported that these dolls are outselling Barbie dolls in some areas of the country. As st the time of this writing, Okoya had a distribution network for his dolls in US and South Africa and is planning expanding to other countries in trhe world. But he doesn’t have a degree in Business Administration, or even Plastics, yet he is building a company that is charting new grounds.

So it not about your degree! Its about knowing what you do. After all, I have been a victim of a quack pharmacist who had the degree but didn’t know the skills of his trade.

So how do you become an authority in any field you choose? By enacting the methods outlined below:

Position Yourself

The mistake many entrepreneurs make is focusing on traffic, sales and profit. This might have short term gains but in the end, it will damage your reputation. Instead focus on establishing yourself as an authority in your business. When Tara wanted to become known as an authority in her business, what did she do? She started a make-up training course. She started a blog that inspires and motivates people.

In other words, the fastest and easiest way to become an authority in your field is to teach, to educate, to help people with the information you have. The cheapest way to do this is to start a blog and post articles. Example if you are a fashion designer, write articles about the right way to mix and match fabrics. If you are a health and fitness guru, write articles about how to live healthy, how to lose weight without stress. If you are an event and decoration expert, write articles about perfect wedding decoration colours, 5 unexpected expenses to look out for when planning an event. Etc. If you have pictures of real life jobs you have done, put it in your articles. This builds great confidence and trust in what you do.

Another way to establish your expertise is to write a book. Once you are an author, people immediately respect and reverence you.

Start with a niche:

The mistake many entrepreneurs make is to start with a huge field, in a bid to make as much profit as possible. Imagine this: an entrepreneur starts a new beverage company and makes beverages that look and taste almost like Coca Cola’s Coke, Fanta and Sprite. His ambition is that people who love Coke will patronise his beverage.

This entrepreneur will be lucky to recover his capital! Why? Because he is completing with a giant who has the resources to advertise, has the best prices for its products and has a loyal market-share that trust every single product Coca Cola makes. At best, the entrepreneur will be seen as a counterfeit or copycat.

How should he have gone about it?

He should have tried to provide something different from what Coca Cola has to offer. When La Casera started, they started with an apple drink in a disposable plastic bottle. This was during a time when Coca Cola products predominantly came in glass bottles which had to be returned after consuming the liquid contents. They then developed a remarkable marketing strategy: to target travelers who will want to take something liquid during their journey but didn’t carry empty Coca Cola bottles with them. The result? They became an instant hit and predominated a market they created for a very long time. How did they become an instant hit?

They started with a niche of beverage refreshment: just one flavour of apple drink.
Their taste was different
Their provided a solution to the pain of carrying replacement glass bottles
They had a unique marketing angle and quickly established themselves as the traveler drink.

Understand that people don’t care how smart you are

If you can’t deliver, you are worse than the dumbest kid. It’s that simple. A doctor that can’t cure his patients is a failure regardless of how many accolades and degrees he has. An entrepreneur that can’t deliver her goods and services will be seen the same way.

But once you have the relevant skills and deliver, nobody cares what you studied. They will be rushing to you because they know you can solve their problems.

Quit Procrastinating:

If you have a business idea and have the skills necessary to start, then START. Even if its just baby steps. This way you will learn along the way and grow stronger. This way you will improve your skills and experience.

I often hear this excuse: “I want to know everything before I start”

I have got news for you: You can never know everything. Everyday new discoveries are made, every day the market-scene changes. So if you are waiting till you know it all before you start, yo will never start a thing.

Also don’t waste money on unrelated products.

I have seen people rush to buy products that promise them instant success in 5 days with no work involved. I have been in the business scene long enough to know that business is just like Rome; it is not built in a day. So if you are really willing to be successful, then you should be ready to do the necessary work required to get there.

Don’t be ashamed of your humble beginnings:

People empathise and relate more with entrepreneurs who are open and reveal to us how they made it. Till tomorrow Oprah Winfrey will be respected, not just because she single-handedly started a multi-billionaire dollar company, but because she was open about her challenges and the rough childhood she had.

Even in Nigeria, people tend to trust people who are open about their past and current struggles. President GoodLuck Jonathan won his first presidential election on the strength of a single story, “I grew up without shoes…”

Tara also used this method on her way to the top. She exposed how passionate she was about make-up and how she started with just N15,000. And how she grew N15,000 to a multi-millionaire naira company.

One of the reasons Linda Ikeji’s blog is successful is because we all know how she started and the challenges she faced, even the failures she faced. We know how despite all these challenges, she has risen from the ashes of poverty to the grandeur of being a self-made millionaire. And that has endeared her to us! So don’t be ashamed to share your story.

The fastest way to acquire success

The easiest way to succeed as an entrepreneur is to take advantage of opportunities. When Ebola broke out and nearly halted international transactions with certain countries (Nigeria inclusive), many saw the disease as a problem. Only a few saw it as an opportunity. Because of the Ebola outbreak, Businessman Jon Schultz of Blue String Ventures made a whopping $200,000 in one day!

How?

In 2008, he bought the domain Ebola.com for $13,500. When Ebola broke out in 2014 causing global panic and frenzy, he put the domain in the market and sold it to a Russian company for $200,000. (The Verge)

But Jon Schultz was not the only one to capitalize on an epidemic.

The first place winners of the 2014 AMPION Venture Bus West Africa were developers who used their skills to create solutions tackling healthcare issues; specifically Ebola. Ebola was such an epidemic that AMPION choose to consider favourably applicants who could present plausible solutions to eradicating the disease from a digital standpoint.

And this is just one epidemic. History has shown that once you can help people by offering a solution to a pressing problem, you will be successful almost instantly. More examples include Jumia (which became widely successful because of the ease of transaction and guaranteed delivery it offered), MTN in Nigeria (which became widely successful because it solved the headache of acquiring a Line from NITEL and made communication more seamless).

Now there are two ways to capitalise on a problem: Either you provide a solution (which the winners of AMPION did) or you invest in events/products that could lead to a solution (which Jon Schultz did). Of the two, the less risky and more viable is option A. I am a firm believer in helping people solve their problems, putting people first because when you do this, money will always find you.

Interested in cashing in on a problem? Follow the steps below:

Identify the problem: This is the first step. If you do not see the problem, you will never know what solution to look for
Determine the magnitude: A problem experienced by a handful of people is not as profitable as a problem crippling a nation. When Edison created the Lightbulb, it was a massive hit. Why? Because the alternative source of light energy at that time, the gas lamp, was not as cost effective, safe, energy conserving and bright as the light bulb.
Figure a solution fast: When the Ebola epidemic broke out in Nigeria, a lot of smart shop owners stocked their shelves with Hand Santiziers. These shop owners made a killing before other shop owners saw what was going on and rushed to do the same.
Analyze your solution carefully: Business oftentimes demands an investment of cash or human resources or both. Make sure that your solution will be worth investing time and money on. Determine how much this solution will cost you and how many people are likely to buy it. Hint: make sure your solution is a plausible one and that it really helps people. Always put people first when starting your business, not money. Because once you develop something that is insanely helpful, people will be more willing to pay for it. Also make sure that during your cost price analysis, your product/solution will be affordable. This will also help you get more customers.
Deploy as soon as possible: you are not the only smart person on the planet. Chances are that someone else is brooding on that same idea. Normally the first to act and deploy gets the most reward. Example MTN is enjoying a large share of Nigeria Telecoms market not because of the quality of their service but because of the fact that they came in first. Same thing with Indomie and Coca Cola. So if you have an idea that will help people immensely to get rid of a terrible problem, work out your logistics, costs and market price, then deploy. Otherwise someone else will beat you to it and you will be forced to scramble for leftovers.

I really hope this article helps you and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to send a mail to canozie@simplyquintessential.com. If you have any additions or suggestions, let us know in the comments.

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