Is our culture or sense of community bond a hinderance to the success of Nigerian entrepreneurs/small businesses?
(these are all assumptions)

There are many reasons why I ask this question
For example, our business men are many times reluctant to sack staff. Even if there is a recession, we'd rather hold on to the staff without paying them except they decide to call it quits
I would imagine that a foreign businessman (lebanese or indian) in Nigeria will not hesitate to get rid of staff immediately the company's revenue takes a deep.



I would like some contributions. Thanks

Vague rationalizations
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I was thinking you where about to talk about the culture of giving handouts to nuclear, extended and unrelated family once its sensed that you have a little cash, or "something for the boys (bribe)" which has become culture in Nigeria, or the "chieftancy titles" to make you donate to your village, chairman of the occassion positions, and so on, those would put a tight noose on any business, for the issue you mentioned I don't hesistate to sack and pay off workers if there are any financial issues, most times the workers removed are even a contributory factor.

The objective of this thrread is to help us examine and sieve out aspects of our culture that has the ability to hinder or promote our business growth both locally and internationally.

-It has the potential of seeking to find out why businessess domiciled in South Africa could more easilly be international than those domiciled in Nigeria
-The thread seeks to do away with generalization by actually digging deep into the construct of regional and global business success.
-In examining such nuances, we might soon discover why Youtube, LinkedIn are globally popular, while NairaLand is a ninch champion. Is this because of Seun's culture, or the culture of NairaLand's birth place, or a concious choice?
-What drives such a concious choice, is it still culture?

ochukoccna:
Vague rationalizations
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I am trying to figure out why I (you might have seen the contrary) have never seen any Indian or Foreign businessman set up a retail shop in Nigeria and fail.

bigx: I don't hesistate to sack and pay off workers if there are any financial issues, most times the workers removed are even a contributory factor.

Good to know that this might only a figment of my imaginations. I have seen many occasions where nigerian businessmen hire staff, and with time, the staff end up being like part of their familly except they betray oga.

I know of a company right now that it is clear that some of the oga's top staff are incompetent (or not extremely efficient). But he still keeps them.

I do not think that Indian or lebanese businessmen will fill any sense of loyalty to their Nigerian staff.

For the staff issue, I think hiring family and friends is a contributory factor.

I was asking myself too barely a month ago when I went to get chicken at Zartech in Port Harcourt (a lebanese business I thought was Nigerian previously) why most of the long-term successful businesses in Nigeria are owned by Indians or Lebanese, you just spoke my mind here.
We really have a lot to learn from them.

bigx: For the staff issue, I think hiring family and friends is a contributory factor.

I was asking myself too barely a month ago when I went to get chicken at Zartech in Port Harcourt (a lebanese business I thought was Nigerian previously) why most of the long-term successful businesses in Nigeria are owned by Indians or Lebanese, you just spoke my mind here.
We really have a lot to learn from them.

Excellent example.

So what is it that drives such?
Is it that black folks accede more to their demand because of their skin colour?
Is it that they have some culture that drives prosperity?
Is it the way we are brought up? the parables we hear, but which are actually a reflection of our cultural nuances/indescretions?

For example, my dad always narrated a saying from his village:
"what use is there for a story of a man who set out on great adventures. He crossed a thousand seas etc" when you ask "where is this great man?" The answer you receive is that he died on his way back from the adventures

I soon noticed that not many from my dads village where rich, and quickly discarded this saying as being an integral part of a defeatist culture

Trying to do things to please "oyibo" might be a factor, we do that all the time here, you go to a restaurant, a white (or yellow or orange as the case may be) person comes 5 minutes after you, the waiters would keep you standing and attend to the other person, that's just an example,

What about the multiple parables of tortoise and co where a person is told to choose between a big pot and a small pot, the Big Pot would always contain killers and dangerous things while the small pot would contain only good things.

Those types of stories are another sure ambition killer

Another issue i find interesting is having discussions with foreigners (Asians and Westerners)

They and us (my experience) are always thinking of what they can bring to Nigeria to sell.
I actually had to grab one on his knee to stop the direction of our conversation
I said to him "so we've talked about bringing stuff to Nigeria. What can we bring to your country from Nigeria to sell?"

He paused for a second or two, then said "crude oil"

I almost fell sick that day