AreaFada2:


I think having a simple, workable & realistic plan is more important than money. At least in the beginning.

The real big business you want to end up with may not be the one you begin with. But you learn the ropes with a smaller business. People like Coscharis began simple and branched out.

Most people added oil & gas to their business much later, and eventually got very rich from it.

Most people think having millions at once is the only way to start. No.

And remember something important: you might even fail in first or even second attempt. Especially with the business climate in 9ja that can be quite harsh at times. Successful business people are just those who persevered.

realunclej:
I can kiss your comment. That is what I am trying to point out. Of course I know that many people go through that lane and fall by the wayside not because the venture is bad but because they do it the wrong way. As a certified blogger [/b]I know that quite well.

Gkemz:
I want to embark on an agricultural project but I'm kind of incapacitated financially because it involves huge funding for it to run smoothly. I'm still trying to pull resources together. I went for loan for its funding but the terms were not favourable to me. Going by the stipulated terms its like I'm running the the business for them. Its not only about coming up with viable business idea but funding the factors of production also matters. I managed to raise 35% but its not enough.

realunclej:
Yes sometimes it is possible to raise money for business from your savings. But now we are talking about the reality on ground. There are many good business you can start with little or no money. But for your business to give you the return you want, it must solve a basic need of man. If you look at my post, I suggested ever green products and services. Look at all of Dangote investment that is the industry he is mostly targeting.

maximunimpact:


Wow...certified blogger! sounds like you are my senior colleague.

realunclej:
In all my life, when it comes to source of income, the only thing I have not done is work for anyone in a 9 to 5 job. I made that decision long before I went for higher institution. I could remember my dad telling us that he is sending us to school to acquire academic knowledge but that if we want to succeed financially in life, we should be thinking of starting our own business. Those were my guiding words all my year in school. So, while in school, I made sure I had a profitable business. In fact, it was the proceeding I used to see myself through and even start a better business after graduation. Today, I have a couple of businesses and I still have bigger dreams. I can't thank my dad enough. Maybe today, I would have been roaming the street looking for job.

If you are a graduate and you are looking for job/employment, honestly, there are at least 10 reasons why YOU will not get a job. So, I will advise you should start building your capacity to start your own business. Below are 10 reasons why you will not get a job.

1. You Lack The Required Skill. Employers continue to complain about a dearth of skills among graduates. Employers are obviously tired of seeing same set of individuals with same set of qualifications springing up for interviews daily whereas they are in need of someone that will stand out. So ask yourself, what employable skill do I have?

2. You Lack Personal Capability To Deliver: I think many graduates believe in their certificate and not in their individual capability which would make or mar their pursuits of employment. Many lack self-development and I belief you belong to that category. What have you done since you graduate to develop your personal capability?

3. You Are A Product of a Bad Educational System: Poor funding and management of our Educational system in addition to strike has made our institution products a laughing stock. In fact, the curriculum of some studies in the institutions are not in demand. Failure of school curriculum to place emphasis on practical concepts of entreprenuership and too much emphasis on theoretical education than entreprenuership exposure is a major problem.

4. You Can't Meet Employers’ Unrealistic Demands: Employers stating job experiences as much as 3 years for fresh graduates. Age restriction, height, gender, language and many more, under these tense conditions, hardly will you see a graduate that will scale through and qualify for job application requirement except those who want to cross-carpet..

5. Lack of Digital Skills: In this digital age, if you lack the digital skills and creativity to thrive in relation to your profession, you will surely be chasing a ghost if you are looking for a well paying job.

6. You Are One of the Educated Illiterates: Every employer wants beyond just a certificate. Every employer is out to employ someone with reasoning and intellectual might, not someone who cannot play with a full deck. Someone who knows how to and wants to learn more than what they studied in school and on the job. Someone who can readily bring ideas to the table on how the company can forge forward. Not someone with low reasoning capability who won’t even be able to answer extremely trivial questions. But guess what, that is what many of our graduates are.

7. You Want The Pay But Not The Work: Many Nigerian graduates think of getting employed today and get a car or probably buy a mansion in the next month, based on their salary. You and I know that such only happen in dreams. Success is built over time and with hard work, perseverance, dedication and being focused over the years. Are you willing to make the sacrifice?

8. Too Much Ego With Empty Pocket: I have had the privilege to present some business opportunities to some graduates and all they can say is they can only do administrative work where they sit in an office to be answering yes sir or yes ma. It took someone who is not a graduate to embrace the same opportunity. Today these uneducated persons are 50 times better than the graduate in terms of personal capability, income, value and the caliber of people in their connection.

9. Companies Are Downsizing: I remember visiting a couple of industrial estates in Lagos recently. You will see busy security men at the gate, but when you approach them that you want to go in, they will tell you the company has folded or the workers are on strike. The story is the same across the state and I belief same thing is happening in other part of the country.

10. There Is No Job Out There: Investors are not bringing in money which means no new job opportunity is being created. There is economy recession in the country. Even the companies that are retrenching, what do you think will happen when they become financially buoyant again. I can bet they will simply recall their sacked workers. The reason is simple, it cost more to hire a new staff than to recall an old staff. So, where will you be then?

The Way Forward
The only way forward I see is for you to start something on your own. Do not despise small beginning. If you are going to start a business though, I will advise you focus on evergreen product or services. Those that are always in demand such as Agriculture, Health, Real Estate, ICT, Environmental services, Retail, Travel, Real Estate and maybe some few more. If you embark on this journey to discover your true potential, I pray for your SUCCESS but if you go down the popular path of seeking for job, I wish you lUcK.

carsprayer:


I am interested in starting a biz...Kindly list some profitable business ideas

jericco1:

well let's pray things get better

Supnaija:


A friend of mine who just recently got fired was regretting not starting his own business from day 1. He discovered that he totally depended on his salary that he forgot to even save up some cash for the rainy day.
Now he is peniless and jobless with only certificates - in his words he asked me 'na bsc i go chop?'. He never really expected to be fired cos he was the best at his job.
Now he wants to start his biz and does not know where to start to raise the capital needed.
Whats the way forward.....

Opistorincos:


Not extremely good but on a scale of 1-10 I'll say 5. You can checkout my blog www.eodob.com

realunclej:
Oh. I am a humble learner.

ednut1:
reason Nigeria will never progress everything is prayer, is it prayer dat developed china, usa, israel Singapore nd others. Prayer without action na wash

Ontarget:


Why would companies be in Nigeria and be demanding for Harvard certificates? They should better pack to those places with the Harvard certificates and skills.

realunclej:
My dear it is not that simple. But the reality in the country is disheartening. I function as a HR in an organization and when we advertise for job positions, the average age of the applicants is 30. Many are 34 or 35. That means at 33 many Nigerians are yet to achieve anything let alone settle down especially the guys. Before you know it, they are 40 with nothing to show for it. So, before it becomes late they should try and start something tangible and I belief their family will become sympathetic to their plight. Even though it is not easy but that is the hard truth.

realunclej:
My dear it is not that simple. But the reality in the country is disheartening. I function as a HR in an organization and when we advertise for job positions, the average age of the applicants is 30. Many are 34 or 35. That means at 33 many Nigerians are yet to achieve anything let alone settle down especially the guys. Before you know it, they are 40 with nothing to show for it. So, before it becomes late they should try and start something tangible and I belief their family will become sympathetic to their plight. Even though it is not easy but that is the hard truth.

deluxeT:
Hmmm, all these sidrens that have parents that keep giving them food and upkeep money while they spend time trying various ideas of entrepreneurship. when they finally hit the bull's eye they come and give people false impression.


mind you, Nigerian certificate is still very good and Nigerian graduates are still employable, provided you didn't sort your way out of school. The only much difference between a Nigerian graduate and a foreign graduate lies in INTERNSHIP, that's where graduates acquire industry skills. No school exactly what you will do in labour market, they are to teach you the theories and principles.

Here we only do yeye IT and mumu NYSC.

Our leaders are hiding their inadequacy to create good jobs by singing the praise of entrepreneurship, when they are supposed to drive the nation towards industrialization and modern technology. if everybody wants to raise chickens, who would make the vaccine, and other high-tech things we use in modern poultry farming.
How many of their children finished school and take to rubbish fish farming?

My own oga for my company go say he bought his first stock at the age of less than ten years or something only to go do background check and discovered that his grandpa deposited 20 camel loads of silver into the very first bank to ever exist in Nigeria.


anyway, I think the op is just saying the reality of Nigeria for now.

make I just stop because I don they vex for everybody.

oluwamitomisin:


Didn't you just say you don't hold a 9 to 5 job? Why function as HR for an organisation?

oluwamitomisin:


Didn't you just say you don't hold a 9 to 5 job? Why function as HR for an organisation?

Larryfest:
You are right op but where is the capital to even start a profitable business,not everyone has a sane father as yours..mine was also of the opinion of business ofcourse where i get the start up capital is entirely up to me so u see the flaw of the whole thing..

realunclej:
Noted. I will have to consult with some other business associates and get down to some research plus whatever experience I have.

ogawisdom:


Busted op so u can lie like this chai see wetin Buhari don cause with extreme hardship

ogawisdom:


Success is not tied to or measured with age. One shld jst work hard and pray hard, God's time is the best. D story of life is different for everyone, some were gainfully employed at 21 n but got fired at 35 n never got employed while others got employed at 37 and worked till retirement. A fool at 40 is a fool forever is d greatest fallacy ever

maximunimpact:


Wow...certified blogger! sounds like you are my senior colleague.

jideniceguy:
Thanks for this piece OP. I'm a graduate too and currently havin my NYSC programme and finishin by September ending. Plannin to set up a gas retail biz immediately after service, Is the business lucrative as well? Cos I've been learning the business for some months durin this my service year now.

Ontarget:


Why would companies be in Nigeria and be demanding for Harvard certificates? They should better pack to those places with the Harvard certificates and skills.

Back to main topic, of course we all want to start our businesses, but everything involves money. Starting a business is not free. OP should better tell us how to raise funds rather cos that would be a better info to many people.

realunclej:
In all my life, when it comes to source of income, the only thing I have not done is work for anyone in a 9 to 5 job. I made that decision long before I went for higher institution. I could remember my dad telling us that he is sending us to school to acquire academic knowledge but that if we want to succeed financially in life, we should be thinking of starting our own business. Those were my guiding words all my year in school. So, while in school, I made sure I had a profitable business. In fact, it was the proceeding I used to see myself through and even start a better business after graduation. Today, I have a couple of businesses and I still have bigger dreams. I can't thank my dad enough. Maybe today, I would have been roaming the street looking for job.

If you are a graduate and you are looking for job/employment, honestly, there are at least 10 reasons why YOU will not get a job. So, I will advise you should start building your capacity to start your own business. Below are 10 reasons why you will not get a job.

1. You Lack The Required Skill. Employers continue to complain about a dearth of skills among graduates. Employers are obviously tired of seeing same set of individuals with same set of qualifications springing up for interviews daily whereas they are in need of someone that will stand out. So ask yourself, what employable skill do I have?

2. You Lack Personal Capability To Deliver: I think many graduates believe in their certificate and not in their individual capability which would make or mar their pursuits of employment. Many lack self-development and I belief you belong to that category. What have you done since you graduate to develop your personal capability?

3. You Are A Product of a Bad Educational System: Poor funding and management of our Educational system in addition to strike has made our institution products a laughing stock. In fact, the curriculum of some studies in the institutions are not in demand. Failure of school curriculum to place emphasis on practical concepts of entreprenuership and too much emphasis on theoretical education than entreprenuership exposure is a major problem.

4. You Can't Meet Employers’ Unrealistic Demands: Employers stating job experiences as much as 3 years for fresh graduates. Age restriction, height, gender, language and many more, under these tense conditions, hardly will you see a graduate that will scale through and qualify for job application requirement except those who want to cross-carpet..

5. Lack of Digital Skills: In this digital age, if you lack the digital skills and creativity to thrive in relation to your profession, you will surely be chasing a ghost if you are looking for a well paying job.

6. You Are One of the Educated Illiterates: Every employer wants beyond just a certificate. Every employer is out to employ someone with reasoning and intellectual might, not someone who cannot play with a full deck. Someone who knows how to and wants to learn more than what they studied in school and on the job. Someone who can readily bring ideas to the table on how the company can forge forward. Not someone with low reasoning capability who won’t even be able to answer extremely trivial questions. But guess what, that is what many of our graduates are.

7. You Want The Pay But Not The Work: Many Nigerian graduates think of getting employed today and get a car or probably buy a mansion in the next month, based on their salary. You and I know that such only happen in dreams. Success is built over time and with hard work, perseverance, dedication and being focused over the years. Are you willing to make the sacrifice?

8. Too Much Ego With Empty Pocket: I have had the privilege to present some business opportunities to some graduates and all they can say is they can only do administrative work where they sit in an office to be answering yes sir or yes ma. It took someone who is not a graduate to embrace the same opportunity. Today these uneducated persons are 50 times better than the graduate in terms of personal capability, income, value and the caliber of people in their connection.

9. Companies Are Downsizing: I remember visiting a couple of industrial estates in Lagos recently. You will see busy security men at the gate, but when you approach them that you want to go in, they will tell you the company has folded or the workers are on strike. The story is the same across the state and I belief same thing is happening in other part of the country.

10. There Is No Job Out There: Investors are not bringing in money which means no new job opportunity is being created. There is economy recession in the country. Even the companies that are retrenching, what do you think will happen when they become financially buoyant again. I can bet they will simply recall their sacked workers. The reason is simple, it cost more to hire a new staff than to recall an old staff. So, where will you be then?

The Way Forward
The only way forward I see is for you to start something on your own. Do not despise small beginning. If you are going to start a business though, I will advise you focus on evergreen product or services. Those that are always in demand such as Agriculture, Health, Real Estate, ICT, Environmental services, Retail, Travel, Real Estate and maybe some few more. If you embark on this journey to discover your true potential, I pray for your SUCCESS but if you go down the popular path of seeking for job, I wish you lUcK.

ednut1:
reason Nigeria will never progress everything is prayer, is it prayer dat developed china, usa, israel Singapore nd others. Prayer without action na wash

jericco1:

na you sabi oh...we're not china or all those countries you mentioned...had it been you used an African country as a yardstick it would have made sense