In Nigeria, a lot of us work in order to make money – lots of money. Asides other definitions, this is what most people call success, getting to that point where we can meet our needs and live our dreams without any struggle.

Success however does not come cheap. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or an employee, you’ll find that attaining success demands hard work, smart work, being deliberate{about many things including learning} and of course, your ability to deliver value on whatever it is you find yourself doing.

For this post, I studied the lives of two (2) very successful Nigerians, discovered some really interesting facts about them and picked out 4 common characteristics that contributed to their success stories. These people are:

1. Mike Adenuga: 64 years old. Founder of Globacom and Chairman, Conoil PLC.

2. Anthony Joshua: 27 years old. Profession British boxer and currently a unified heavyweight champion.

These two men are undoubtedly champions in their fields. They’ve shown that success is not a function of age or a wealthy background but by doing certain things, which I’ll share below:

1. Keep Persevering:

Perseverance means to keep doing what you are doing, irrespective of the delay or difficulties you may currently be facing.

Let’s take Anthony Joshua for instance. 10 years ago, 27 year old Anthony Joshua came to Nigeria and wanted a chance to compete for trials ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifiers. He was however denied the opportunity for a spot in the Nigeria’s 2008 Beijing Olympics squad. Disappointed, he went back to represent Great Britain and ended up winning Gold.

Again, just before he won Klitschko in one of the world’s most celebrated victories, Joshua had conceded the first 2 rounds. Yet, he fought on, came back from the setback, and won the WBA heavyweight championship!

Related Read: How to Win; The Anthony Joshua Way

Another person who also exhibited perseverance is Mike Adenuga. Before Globacom finally berthed in Nigeria, many people scoffed at him and tried to bring him down. They told him to stop chasing shadows. He even lost the bid (and a whopping $20 million), initially, when he wanted to get his telecoms license, but he too did not give up.

Therefore, in attaining success, whether it’s work-related or in your personal life, you may be faced with difficulties and set-backs. At times like that, keep persevering. When you fall, stand up and keep pushing, until you get your desired results.

2. Be Hardworking:

Another attribute we can learn from these men, as regarding success again is hard work. I’m very sure you have heard this one before and a lot of us actually practise this. Don’t worry if you are not getting as much result yet. Whether you are self-employed or have a white collar/blue collar job, hard work pays.

Let’s take Mike Adenuga for instance. Before he became a billionaire, Mike Adenuga used to work as a taxi driver and security guard to support his education while studying at the university. He also distributed lace & other clothing materials, and even sold Cocacola, at some point.

Despite his humble beginnings, with hard work, Mike Adenuga has gone ahead to make a fortune for himself. Now, he controls the continent’s largest business empires, comprising of oil & gas, telecoms, aviation, banking and real estate and is, in terms of net-worth, the 2nd richest man in Nigeria.

Still, with all these, the man still works 18 hours a day!

So, even the wealthiest people did not have success come cheap. Give your best to what you are doing and it will pay off eventually.

3. Maximize Relationships:

Success comes with a good support system. According to Mike Adenuga, “in business, you cannot do it all on your own.”

When he returned to Nigeria after studying, Adenuga made some friends in the military and relied on those relationships to corner lucrative state construction contracts. He acted as a private middleman who got term-based oil contracts, built military barracks, and supplied the armed forces and the police with weapons. It was from these relationships that he got awarded an oil prospecting license, which paved the way for his career in oil exploration.

So, to attain success in your business, you’ll need colleagues, friends, family and investors to support you, both morally and financially.

4. Take Opportunities; Take Risks:

These are two other attributes that makes for a successful entrepreneur or businessman. One thing with taking up new opportunities however is the risks attached and the fear that it may fail but successful entrepreneurs do not just take opportunities, they take risks too.

In 1990, an opportunity came for Mike Adenuga to participate in oil exploration. This opportunity came in the form of an oil exploration license, granted by the oil minister at the time, Professor Jubril Aminu. Though it was risky investment, he took advantage of it and searched for oil. In less than a year, he struck oil and became the first indigenous firm to do so in Nigeria.

As an entrepreneur, whenever you find there is an opportunity for you to do something valuable in your business (or maybe even outside it), take it up and don’t be afraid to take those risks too. At the end, they’ll pay off.

I hope you find this article helpful. You can share what you learnt with me in the comments. Also, if you have any question regarding entrepreneurship, job search or anything career-related, feel free to ask.

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https://discovery.insidify.com/success-doesnt-come-cheap-4-things-mike-adenuga-and-anthony-joshua-have-in-common

Your presentation is poor.

WhistleB:
Your presentation is poor.

It's still better than you who presented nothing.