AYPC NIGERIA, CELEBRATES GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK IN GRAND-STYLE

From Olaboye Olanrewaju

In commemoration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), African Youth Peace Call, Nigeria (AYPC, Nigeria) an independent non-profit research and educational organization devoted to the principles of individual liberty, private property rights, free markets and rule of law of limited government  organized an entrepreneurship workshop for startup owners and “wanttopreneurs” ready
to launch an entrepreneurship lifestyle: As one of the speaker commented, “Entrepreneurship is not a job, it’s not a career, it’s a lifestyle”.

The event unmasked with a Video revealing the problems solved by startups and businesses all over Africa, topping the list of startups are MPESA, Ma3route, and Makoko floating school, also, two staggering advances were made in favour of Nigerian movie industry: Nollywood, as it is not only the second largest of its kind in the world but also the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria.

Babarinde Kayode, AYPC Nigeria president pinpointed that Africans and Nigeria at large still need education on the importance of having bank accounts and possessing national identity cards as well as international passports. Aborisade Gbolahan, one of the workshop trainees added that he missed a big business opportunity some years back because he had no international passport to do the processing, and added that the story would have been different had he possessed one earlier.

Some other trainees, however, pointed that International passport and bank accounts are not the basic needs of African and Nigeria populace, hence their attitude towards possessing them, although these people underlined it is better to possess them before need warrants.

Daniel Ajumobi the owner of “Daniel Ajumobi international” who also happens to be a business coach, strategic speaker, serial entrepreneur and film actor, opened the floor as a guest speaker on the topic “Becoming an Entrepreneur”, presented his journey as an entrepreneur started from his young age as he hawked alongside, and had no university education, yet, making way as an entrepreneur “I have no basic or university education….all I have is a secondary school education” were his words. But he explained he reads massively as education can not only be gotten in school, and explained he reads practical based books rather than the theoretical books.

Jumobi explaining his Entrepreneurship journey

 He advanced that entrepreneurship is rather a lifestyle and not a job or work as commented earlier, entrepreneurship is based on problem solving idea generation, and explained this exists in three phases: idea stage, business idea stage and business stage.  He lamented “idea stage is not enough” when not backed with actions as there are many people thinking about same thing you are thinking or something similar, business idea stage  is halfway  as most businesses lack well patented intellectual property and a well registered business which are the essential characteristics of the third stage: business stage and core entrepreneurship.

Jumobi, however explained reasons why one may not be successful as an entrepreneur: not failing enough; caring about what others think about you; thinking you are smarter than you are when you actually need knowledge and expertise from those smarter than you are; you do not read and topping the list is inability to handle the truth.

The second speaker, Rauf Aishat the owner of “Aisha Collection” a shoe making brand in Nigeria, she explained her own entreprenurship journey too, she outlined need to hold unto oneself, discover oneself and not go into one business because others are doing it and this boils down to inability to handle the truth as Jumobi earlier noted, ability to bring down ego are also other essential qualities needed of an entrepreneur, she commented  “everything have been in my life, is not because of what I learnt in school”.

Rauf Aisha, the wonderful female shoemaker sharing her entrepreneurship story

Aisha unmasked during the story telling that her previous fiance broke up with her all because she chose to become a shoemaker and not a law student as everyone (parents and fiance) wanted her to be.

If there is one thing the life of the speakers has taught about entrepreneurship is it has nothing to do with academic process but rather with education, and education need not come from school, there is need to get inspired and not expired as an entrepreneur by reading practical books and tips. This does not however mean going to school is not good, it rather means climbing academic ladder to the top is not same as reaching the peak of education and entrepreneurs are expected to fail and learn everyday while making compensating successes.

Babarinde Kayode, the President of AYPC, Nigeria further added, he does not believe in “no schooling thing” as he is ready to further his education while holding to his entrepreneurship dream, and Joshua Alade a renowned social worker said he gained a lot from his university education as in contrast with the speakers' story, but he pointed his education was purposeful rather than academic and that was actually why he was able to gain useful insights from school.

Simply, entrepreneurship is a lifestyle of failing and succeeding. And those not ready to fail a lot not go into, but, the few successes override the failures.