The last decade has witnessed a surge in all manner of motivational talk in Nigeria. Hundreds of seminars and thousands of articles have been churned out by the motivational talkers and the frenzy continues to gain momentum. This is good, as everyone surely needs motivation.
One of the most common subjects of such talks is entrepreneurship/self-employment. Good subject. I believe it is good to be self- employed and seriously craves being one. The benefits of owning one’s business are pretty obvious: you are in full control of your resources (time, finance, etc), you share all the rewards. Fine point. Owning one’s business is clearly one of the best goals a person should desire to achieve. It even makes you exercise your brain more. Most of the richest people in the world own their businesses, their brands. Aliko Dangote owns Dangote Group (although being a PLC, he doesn’t have 100% ownership); Mike Adenuga owns the Adenuga empire; Michael Dell owns Dell Computers; Bill Gates owns Microsoft; Mark Zuckerberg and friends own Facebook, etc. These guys are bottomless moneybags. No disputing that. They have done their selves some good by coming up with some ideas and making money from them. The entrepreneurship advocates therefore have in them fantastic examples to draw from in their self-employment sermonizing. But that is where it ends.

The self-employment preachers in Nigeria, good as their intention is, are however beginning to go off the mark. And this is where my problem with them lies. There is a dangerous trend of demonizing paid employment in the thriving business of self-employment advocacy. Every Ade, Ada and Adamu that can string two words together has turned into self-employment preacher and the fad is to demonize paid employment. Being in salaried job, to them, is slavery.
First, our self-employment advocates oversimplify things and sometimes when you listen to them or read what they write, you begin to wonder why they are not Dangote themselves. To be sure, I don’t have a problem with self-employment preachment; indeed, it is my ultimate goal too to own companies and businesses too, on full time basis. I also hold that being self-employed, if one gets it right, is better than being under someone else’s control. But is everyone cut out for being self- employed? Capital NO.

This is why I think in the process of advancing their advocacy, salaried jobs should not be demonized. I don’t believe salary job is necessarily slavery. I also don’t hold that you cannot be rich with paid job. You may not be as rich as Dangote or Adenuga, but if you work hard to become CEO of Shell Nigeria (a salaried job), for instance, I doubt your next generation can ever be poor. Not everyone will be as rich as Dangote, but with a dint of hardwork, becoming a manager in a decent company can earn you decent saving, and with sensible investment (preparing for retirement), you can live a satisfactory post-salary life.

I have seen some young graduates and prospective graduates vowing they can never work for anyone and they will go straight into entrepreneurship. Good one, if you have the idea. But managing businesses most times goes beyond the theories we read in those materials and the smooth talk of the self- employment advocates. Apart from the constraint of raising capital to fund the idea, there is an even more critical factor in management. Most times if you have never worked for any other person, you may find it difficult in running your own businesses.

Fola Adeola and Tayo Aderinokun founded GTB after working for other banks; Aig-Imoukhude and Herbert Wigwe apprenticed with GTB before breaking out to found Access Bank. Most of these guys cut their management teeth working for someone else. This is why I hold that learning by being under someone else’s employ is most times helpful. Of course, I have not said it is necessarily the case. It is very possible to go straight into one’s business after finishing school and still go ahead to make it big. Aliko Dangote is an example here. He started straight away. So, oh you self-employment preacher, before you tell me I am a slave for choosing the path of salaried employment (for now), know you that the CEO of Shell is a ‘slave’ to Shell. I want to be one.
www.jarushub.com/excuse-me-mr-self-employment-advocate/
Cc lalasticlala

Oshe

true talk.

These people forget that it is not every persons dream to dive into entrepreneurship.

Some people just prefer to be employed due to them being more risk averse and some other pertinent factors.

Op abeg tell them
The skills u need to b self employed you get them by working for others and learning from them.
Getting a great idea is easy executing it lies the problem.
The most important thing in life is for people to know themselves.
Rather than following other people's path hoping things will turn out for you like it did for them.

Op, one question for you. In Nigeria where getting a salaried employment is sooooo hard, we all know the unemployment rate, what do you advise? The person stays at home for years and keeps waiting for imaginary jobs Instead of hitting the streets? especially when you have nobody fending for you.

Nobody is forcing anyone who has no capital, good business idea or execution to venture into business. The speakers you talk about are simply giving their opinions and whoever wants to take, takes.. Nigeria with its large population holds a relatively good business environment because out of about 160million people, few must patronise your products na... Except them follow you from village ... Also, labour is cheap in Nigeria, you can even hire a graduate for as low as 20k per month or even less

You forget that all these big companies including oil companies which you crave to work for were founded by someone just like you?

I can only agree with you as regards demonising paid employment, they can pass their message without making those who work for people feel like slaves...

The writer of this article is so diplomatic, says he's on salaried job for now, why don't you be for life? . ..
The owner of the platform you got your writeup from has a paid employment but runs his side business. Why isn't he dependent on his salaried job alone? That should tell you the importance of having your own no matter how small....

For me, by God's grace I will have my own successful business in the nearest future, Amen.. Then, employ graduates

MarvellousGod:
Op, one question for you. In Nigeria where getting a salaried employment is sooooo hard, we all know the unemployment rate, what do you advise? The person stays at home for years and keeps waiting for imaginary jobs Instead of hitting the streets? especially when you have nobody fending for you.

Nobody is forcing anyone who has no capital, good business idea or execution to venture into business. The speakers you talk about are simply giving their opinions and whoever wants to take, takes.. Nigeria with its large population holds a relatively good business environment because out of about 160million people, few must patronise your products na... Except them follow you from village ... Also, labour is cheap in Nigeria, you can even hire a graduate for as low as 20k per month or even less

You forget that all these big companies including oil companies which you crave to work for were founded by someone just like you?

I can only agree with you as regards demonising paid employment, they can pass their message without making those who work for people feel like slaves...

The writer of this article is so diplomatic, says he's on salaried job for now, why don't you be for life? . ..
The owner of the platform you got your writeup from has a paid employment but runs his side business. Why isn't he dependent on his salaried job alone? That should tell you the importance of having your own no matter how small....

For me, by God's grace I will have my own successful business in the nearest future, Amen.. Then, employ graduates

I understand your point bro, but do you know that one out of four businesses close down within five years in Nigeria?

Yes, the person i quoted has a salaried job and has a side business but he got the experience of running his side business from his salaried job. Also, through his salaried job he was able too meet and attract more people to patronise his side-business.

The worrisome issue is that some people have never been even a class captain or hold a departmental post in their life, still they make 'entrepreneurship' sound so easy.

neahyo:


I understand your point bro, but do you know that one out of four businesses close down within five years in Nigeria?

Yes, the person i quoted has a salaried job and has a side business but he got the experience of running his side business from his salaried job. Also, through his salaried job he was able too meet and attract more people to patronise his side-business.

The worrisome issue is that some people have never been even a class captain or hold a departmental post in their life, still they make 'entrepreneurship' sound so easy.

@last paragraph .. You're so right, entrepreneurship isn't easy especially at the initial stage. People should still be encouraged nevertheless.

I get your point though, your problem is with those who belittle paid jobs and make entrepreneurship sound so easy... I agree with you in that regard

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It is essential for ppu to knw where they can fit in best. The fact is that some ppu made great success being employed while some made it thru being self emplyed. I have an uncle. He made first class in sch, received scholarship for masters abroad, was very sound and brilliant. He worked in oil coy, climbed to a very high position in Shell, was well renowned in oil industry because his brilliant and excellent performance. He was so principled and a man of integrity. He was indeed very rich and has travelled places across d globe by d work exposure. But at a time, he resigned and set up his own company (glass manufacturing coy) and was running the coy. But do u imagine that this person who was so rich and highly respected, became poor, his coy folded and this large estate where d coy is situated was eventually converted to rentage for residentials. Such is life!

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Godiskind:
It is essential for ppu to knw where they can fit in best. The fact is that some ppu made great success being employed while some made it thru being self emplyed. I have an uncle. He made first class in sch, received scholarship for masters abroad, was very sound and brilliant. He worked in oil coy, climbed to a very high position in Shell, was well renowned in oil industry because his brilliant and excellent performance. He was so principled and a man of integrity. He was indeed very rich and has travelled places across d globe by d work exposure. But at a time, he resigned and set up his own company (glass manufacturing coy) and was running the coy. But do u imagine that this person who was so rich and highly respected, became poor, his coy folded and this large estate where d coy is situated was eventually converted to rentage for residentials. Such is life!

Bro, so you see "you don't test the depth of the river with both feet".

Have you seen any of them with the story that they rejected a job of six digits pay immediately after graduation just to learn skill and be a boss of their own?

Those people forgot that if everyone venture into 'boss of there own whatever', there will be saturation.

Lets imagine a situation whereby all the branch managers of the big banks resigns to start micro financed banks. Imagine how many banks will surface on the streets.
How then will banking business be in Nigeria?

THE ONLY THING IS EVERY ONE SHOULD GO FOR HIS/HER PASSION.
Just make sure you are equal to the task in ur chosen field.

its all about passion. some pple are destined to be employers and some employees .

Laaads

..

Someone help me summarize.

G

Ok

hgbi

op you are right though, not everybody has the potential to be self employed.

Being an entrepreneur is a mindset. You have to see things as
opportunities all the time.

The thing most people don't pick up
when they become an entrepreneur
is that it never ends. It's 24/7.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, you must first of all know
it's not a job, it's a lifestyle. It defines
you. Forget about vacations, about
going home at 6 pm - last thing at
night you'll send emails, first thing in
the morning you'll read emails, most people can't even dedicate 10 hours of the day for there business yet they want to become an entreprenuer.

I totally agree with you OP, when people talk about self employment, the truth of the matter is everybody cannot be an entrepreneur.

Good

That's good tho I dint read a shit there

Every man and his opinion!

i'll be lying if i said i understood this thread,, but it seems educative shaa...

enterpreneurship has always been d best option,cos u r ur own boss n bosses 2 odas. u wake up weneva u please, go 2 ur place of business at anytym cos u v pple doin tins 4 u. but d fact is dat nt everi1 has dat spirit of bein self employed. D bitter truth most of us fail 2 accept is dat, even wit all ideas n skills, once u dnt av d capital 2 finance ur goal its bcums a mirage, capital is d most paramount cos money brings ideas. many pple venture in2 petty business wit little fund n at d end of d day, dey were left wit no oda options dan 2 fold up. ...speakin on motivational speakers, most of dem do dat just 2 meet dere daily nids cos all dey preaches is wat dey av read in a motivational books. y nt ask urself dis questn, dey kip preachin on ow u can mk millions of naira everi mnt n yet dere suit is notin 2 write home abt, most of dem put on "COAT" lolzzzzzz nt "SUIT". lets kip hustlin hard n pray hard , cos prayer has always been d master key. GOD bliss ur hustle fellow Nairalander.......stay bless

The only point I agree with is: "salaried jobs should not be demonized". Being an entrepreneur can be tricky though.

G

In addition to what the op has already stated. I think been an enterprenuer demands certain skills like:

Autocratic leadership skill
Democratic leadership skill and
Laisser leadership skill

And as an enterpreneur one of the above is needed

N/B Before going into that business there are certain attributes an enterpreneur must possessed like:
1.Goal oriented: An enterprenuer should be able to set objectives like
Where you are
Where you want to go
What to do to achieve it
2. Persistent: Without the spirit of persistence you can't be an enterprenuer. There are periods of difficulties so expect that there's always a way out
3: Seeking for feedback: Always seek for feedback by making findings and also make corrections by measuring your level of performances
4. Initiative: As an enterpreneur you should be creative. Have the ability to creating something new
5. Risk taking: We all know what this means lol

N/B In paid employment the idea of the employed is consumed in the enterprise cuz nobody reckoneds his contributions EVEN if they do the owner of the business may not even allow him to exhibit his talent and this is one of the problems of over reliance of wage employment
Just my lil contribution though