goddyboy4u:
Gud day Fellas, if youhave idea on how the online training would look like, please share with, no information is waste...

Most likely same African Management Initiative online training. My fellow YES-P guys go understand.

BJ4REEL:
This is a completely different scheme from youwin; Not to be a pessimist, but if you applied for this programme with the hope of getting a loan or grant, please just zero your mind and not get your hopes high; maybe just do it for the training.

We've seen it all, from yesp to other time wasting programmes, its all propaganda upon propaganda.

At the end of it all, federal government may just use participants to score cheap political points by telling the media they trained 50,000 entrepreneur.

We all had a disappointing time with YES-P i know cos i was part of it including the in-class training.
But let's be a bit more optimistic about this one. We just have to keep trying. For you to have being shortlisted again on another platform shows that, you truly have something to offer in the business world.
Do you know that only 400 people were shortlisted in the entire North-Central region? Multiply that by the six regions and diaspora and you would realize that, we are actually a little bit above 3,000.

edoman2016:

I have no problem with equity investment Seriously. But the problem is equity investment is mostly for existing business, not start up. That's why you will notice Youwin connect is unpopular among Nigerian youth unlike Jonathan's Youwin. Jonathan's Youwin give grant to start up. There are many graduates that have business ideas and training but still can not start their business because they have no start up capital. And banks give loans only to existing business and not start up. Which is the mistake the same you win connect is making.

But i applied and indicated as a start-up. Yet, got shortlisted.

Congratulations to all that were shortlisted for this first phase of the YouWIN Connect programme. I would love to interact with everyone here in the next couple of posts ....

I do hear a lot of complaints from the YES-P participants. Could you guys share what exactly were the challenges you faced in the programme?

Let me share the challenges I had with a programme similar to the YES-P. It was organized by the same Bank of Industry (BOI) for corps members last year. The programme was tagged BOI-GEF. I participated, made the first stage success. We were then sponsored for a face to face training in the second stage. The training was rich, I must say. It really added to my business experience - more than any amount of money. The third stage was to write a bankable business proposal. We were to do realtime market survey on the equipment and raw materials supply, targeted customers etc. It was rigorous, time consuming and financially demanding. I scaled through and was offered an award letter for the one million naira loan I applied for. But my challenges were .....

1. Inflation hit the country and the prices I quoted for equipment and raw materials escalated. 2. BOI said their policy is that I get equipment from supplier on credit, that they will pay the equipment supplier directly on a much later date. 3. The loan I applied for was for 80percent of the project cost while I made intention of making 20percent equity contribution. But the cost of the gathering information for the business proposal and other things wiped off all I had. 4. I was to depend solely on this business. As BOI were to warehouse my NYSC certificate and that was not good enough for business at that nascent stage. Because of all these, I wrote to them and rejected the loan offer.

I would advice all that made it to this stage in the YouWIN connect to work hard to organize their businesses now. For you to get the loan or grant (whichever one will be obtainable) you have to demonstrate that businessmindedness. Bring out the corporate image of your business. Get a businss card, headed paper, do tax clearance, do VAT, open a corporate account, make more sales, and have some money in savings. Let your financial and operational record be intact.

For start-ups, start to work hard now. Don't exhibit the nature of an opportunist. Be ready for real business. Start to ask business questions. Start off your business at whatever scale possible and make records handy. Meet your would be customers/clients, equipment/raw materials suppliers and get 'non-academic' data that will be convincing when we'll be asked to write our business plans.

Let us know that the businessworld is different from the academic world. A lot of you might be lettered people with very high CGPA, like me. But truth is you need to unlearn that and learn business stricto senso.

Oduok:
I do hear a lot of complaints from the YES-P participants. Could you guys share what exactly were the challenges you faced in the programme?

I was a YES-P participant. Truth is, they were dishonest with us. That is just the summary of it all.

Oduok:
For start-ups, start to work hard now. Don't exhibit the nature of an opportunist. Be ready for real business. Start to ask business questions. Start off your business at whatever scale possible and make records handy. Meet your would be customers/clients, equipment/raw materials suppliers and get 'non-academic' data that will be convincing when we'll be asked to write our business plans.

How do one get the 'non-academic' data from customers?
Thanks

It is well

Zheemub:

How do one get the 'non-academic' data from customers?
Thanks

You should have asked first what I mearnt by 'non-academic' data. You know when doing research some works will be so beautiful to those in academic but with little to no relevance in the businessworld. When some people will write business proposals they'll stay online and down download beautiful academic works that might not be realistic. So I advice that when you have identified a felt need. You design a product or service to meet the need. Then go out face to face and find out from a section of your would-be customers how these products/service would add value to them. If possible send out samples at promo rate. Ask about pricing - how much they buy similar product in the existing market or how they have been coping without such product. Let them tell you about how they feel about the quality of varities of similar product/service. Fact is most of the time we design a product for ourselves and not our customers. A product no matter how beautiful is worthless if would not be bought.

I just remembered something now. Those in manufacturing. You might be carried away by the idea of producing so many products. I want to state here that it is practically impossible to commercialize many products at a time. When you factor the following: standard equipment, instrumentation, quality control lab, registration of brand, and NAFDAC registration, a serious business person will know that you can't handle these reasonably for many products. So zero your mind to one or two products that you can produce at a large scale, brand it, and let it penetrate the market. Things like these would be easily spotted in your business proposal. Start early now to streamline. Time will be too short from the time between our online training to when we would be asked to submit our bankable business proposal for the final stage. Aside the time factor, the stage will be hectic. So start now to work.

Oduok thanks you very much. I will like to chat with you privately concerning Biz Plan/Proposal.

I have proposal that I wrote for Yowin second programme that cancel and am still operating the biz. So I will need to gather more experience in other to boost my business Proposal.

lrauusart83@yahoo.com
Thanks.

Kemkaze6015:
Oduok thanks you very much. I will like to chat with you privately concerning Biz Plan/Proposal.

I have proposal that I wrote for Yowin second programme that cancel and am still operating the biz. So I will need to gather more experience in other to boost my business Proposal.

lrauusart83@yahoo.com
Thanks.

Mail me on: oduok259@gmail.com

OrangeDream:
I was a YES-P participant. Truth is, they were dishonest with us. That is just the summary of it all.

This summary and conclusion though. This is businessworld where nobody owes you any duty of "honesty". You have to be smart at all times to protect your interest - without being dishonest on your own part. I have seen things these few years in business. I always try not to be dishonest but I don't place any burden of honesty on people I deal with. Instead, I have my safeguard against dishonesty while transacting business in such a manner that my interest is not jeopardized. If you won't mind, i'd rather you ignore the dishonest part on the part of YES-P organizers and itemize the challenges you encountered so that we share in this forum and plan some safeguards.

Oduok:

This summary and conclusion though. This is businessworld where nobody owes you any duty of "honesty". You have to be smart at all times to protect your interest - without being dishonest on your own part. I have seen things these few years in business. I always try not to be dishonest but I don't place any burden of honesty on people I deal with. Instead, I have my safeguard against dishonesty while transacting business in such a manner that my interest is not jeopardized. If you won't mind, i'd rather you ignore the dishonest part on the part of YES-P organizers and itemize the challenges you encountered so that we share in this forum and plan some safeguards.

Ok. Nigerian youths applied for the #10billion support program. Those of us with better bankable business ideas were shortlisted. We were made to go through a thorough online training with the African Management Initiative for 3months of which an estimated sum of #56million was spent to train us.
Furtherance to this, we were made to embark on a 1week in-class training which subsequently qualified us as would-be beneficiaries for a maximum of #5million loan at a single digit interest rate. After much effort, some of us met their stringent conditions like the guarantors and networth conditions of the guarantors.
However, they started manipulating the process by asking some of us to either change an already submitted and accepted form, business plan or one thing or the other. We sailed through all these manipulations and even at that, ONE KOBO has not being released to anyone.
We petitioned BOI through several means like the dailies, NASS, EFCC and even the Presidency. When they realized that we had gained momentum and about to go on a protest, their highest body chaired by BOI's MD (Waheed Olagunju) called us to a meeting to calm frey nerves and promised to review the conditions and release the funds. But as i speak to you today, nothing has being released for a program that took off in March 2016.
The BOI MD has being sacked and i'm quite sure it is related to the YES-P mess. Truth is, BOI is all about propaganda and they hate to see anyone burst their bubbles in the media.

Congratulations to those shortlisted. I cant even remember the business plan i submitted to YOUWIN Connect.

Guys please help me out oh. I honestly forgot what I wrote about in the first stage of this program. I know it's all about poultry, fish farming to be precise. And I was shortlisted for the next stage, do I need to submit the same thing I wrote at the first place?

OrangeDream:
Ok.
The BOI MD has being sacked and i'm quite sure it is related to the YES-P mess. Truth is, BOI is all about propaganda and they hate to see anyone burst their bubbles in the media.

Kindly note that Mr Waheed Olagunju was acting MD when he headed BOI's management team. He only returned to his position as executive director when the current MD - Leke Pitan was appointed as substantive MD. He was not sacked as you erroneously mentioned up there. While some of your points are valid, it'll interest you to know that some YESP applicants have already gotten their businesses funded(quite a few though) I personally know three here in Lagos

ol2012:


Kindly note that Mr Waheed Olagunju was acting MD when he headed BOI's management team. He only returned to his position as executive director when the current MD - Leke Pitan was appointed as substantive MD. He was not sacked as you erroneously mentioned up there. While some of your points are valid, it'll interest you to know that some YESP applicants have already gotten their businesses funded(quite a few though) I personally know three here in Lagos

Yes, i was wrong on that cos i just updated my knowledge on the issue.
However, i stand by my statement that there is no valid proof anyone has being funded. I belong to an active whatapp group that has majority of us across the country. And not one person has come out to claim receipt of the money. You probably might be referring to loans gotten from BOI but outside the YES-P scheme.

click to download free PDF and educational course materials http://vializer.com/2gJw

OrangeDream:
Most likely same African Management Initiative online training. My fellow YES-P guys go understand.

and how was this done for the benefit of those who were not beneficiary of YES-P

Nyerhovwo101:

and how was this done for the benefit of those who were not beneficiary of YES-P

It's a bit of a tedious process. Online classes with tutors for each course, 14 courses, several online test at the end of each course, online assignments and exams.

Oduok:
I just remembered something now. Those in manufacturing. You might be carried away by the idea of producing so many products. I want to state here that it is practically impossible to commercialize many products at a time. When you factor the following: standard equipment, instrumentation, quality control lab, registration of brand, and NAFDAC registration, a serious business person will know that you can't handle these reasonably for many products. So zero your mind to one or two products that you can produce at a large scale, brand it, and let it penetrate the market. Things like these would be easily spotted in your business proposal. Start early now to streamline. Time will be too short from the time between our online training to when we would be asked to submit our bankable business proposal for the final stage. Aside the time factor, the stage will be hectic. So start now to work.

Sir, it doesn't work that way. You are just putting the cart before the horse. The training would be the bases for your business plan. Don't be in a hurry.
You may think you know now. But when you start, you will realize you only know little.

OrangeDream:
Sir, it doesn't work that way. You are just putting the cart before the horse. The training would be the bases for your business plan. Don't be in a hurry.
You may think you know now. But when you start, you will realize you only know little.

alright. Noted

@Oduok, pls kindly check ur email,I hv a message for you pls.thks

jamesmor:
@Oduok, pls kindly check ur email,I hv a message for you pls.thks

Seen. I have just attended to all mails now.

Please when is the online class starting?

Hi guys,
A new telegram chat group has been created.
You can join via my signature.

Regards