Celebrating, encouraging and promoting young Nigerian entrepreneurs

August 2014. 2nd Edition

Samuel Adewale & The Art of Photography

THE WEALTHY

HABITS OF

MC CHRISTY

MEET THE COUPLE WITH THE MOST PROMISING FOOD ORDERING OUTFIT IN LAGOS.

4 GOAL-SETTING

AMAZING BUSINESS STORIES

N.V.O SHOCASES AT STUDENT FASHION SHOW SEE PHOTOS

HOW TO WRITE BUSINESS QUOTATIONS. BEAUTY AND HEALTHY LIVING TIPS...

N.V.O

YOUNG NAIJA

ENTREPRENEURS AUGUST 2014. 2nd EDITION. PAGE 4

CONTENTS

6 YOUNG ENTREPRENURS

Samuel Adewale and the art of Photography

10 4 Goal Setting Habits of the wealthy that you need to practice

12 AMAZING BUSINESS STORIES

Mary Kay Ash

17 BUSINESS INSIGHTS

Customer service that works

18 BEAUTY AND HEALTHY LIVING

Cucumber

Make up Artistry With

OMA P. FINESSE

4|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

20 YOUNG ENTREPRENURS

Meet the couple with the most promising food ordering outfit in Lagos

MC CHRISTY

24 AMAZING BUSINESS STORY

Li Ka-Shing

26 HOW-TO

How to write a Business Quotation

28 BUSINESS INSIGHTS

Where money is hiding

29 YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR

Naija Very Own (NVO) showcases at the Nigerian Student Fashion Design Week

34 AMAZING BSUINESS STORY

Walt Disney

38 Business Quotes

August 2014.Young Naija Entrepreneurs| 5

IN EVERY ISSUE From the Editor Classified Advertisement Business Quotes

SAMUEL ADEWALE

& The Art of

PHOTOGRAPHY By Segun Egbeyinka

I am a writer, but if I was asked to exchange my talent for another, it would be for the art of creating images;

drawing, painting or even photography. That is because a picture is worth a thousand words. So rather than write a thousand words to express how I feel, I will just make a pic-ture of it. Shola Animashaun is a man who has created countless im-peccable expressions with his shots, the quality of his photos are world class and their concepts are as original as any can be. So it was not a surprise when I found the same ingenuity and originality in the portfolio of his protégé; Samuel Ade-wale. Samuel Adewale has gone on to start his own photog-raphy empire, and as could be expected, he is doing impres-sively well. I had an interesting conversation with Samuel, during which the imagery specialist spoke about how he got into the im-agery profession, what photography means to him and what it takes to be an excellent photographer. Can you introduce yourself to us? My name is Samuel Adewale, and I run Samuel Adewale Photography. You are a topnotch photographer, how did it all start and when? {Laughs} Everyone prays to be a topnotch photographer. It started four years back, after I finished my secondary educa-tion and didn’t know what next to do with my life. Then I met a friend who introduced me to one of the greatest pho-tographers by the name SHOLA ANIMASHAUN. I started working with Shola Animashaun in 2011 and as time went on he made me his P.A., from there I kicked off. While I am still his P.A, I run Samuel Adewale Photography. What does Photography mean to you? Photography means everything to me. There is this joy that comes from within me whenever I hold a camera. I see the quality of your works and the caliber of your clients and I have this feeling that your ser-vices are for the rich, am I correct? {Laughs} We deliver quality images that don’t mean it’s for the rich alone. We are open to negotiation. Our client is our client, we treat them with dignity.

What does it take to be a photographer, particu-larly of your class? It involves a lot of hard work, because every second your brain is thinking of that concept that will make people be like, wow. So we put lots of hard work into it. You trained under Shola Animashaun; is it com-pulsory for every aspiring photographer to train under someone? It's not compulsory, but as we all know the best way to learn is by observing. You have done photo shoots at top occasions and for top individuals; can you share with us some of the big occasions you have worked in or stars you have worked for? I shot three editions of Hip Hop World, EME baddest boy concert, Bobby Brown concert, Koko concert, Darey art alade LOVE LIKE A MOVIE, Teju and Tobi's wedding, lots of them. I can imagine. Finally, if you were not a photog-rapher, what profession would you be into? I will be into Exotic foods. Thank you Mr. Samuel Adewale for agreeing to speak with me Thank you sir.

To be a featured entrepreneur on Young Naija Entrepreneur visit www.youngnaijaentrepreneurs.com/how-to-be-featured-entrepreneur/

INTERVIEW

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|7

at its finest Imagery

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|9

View more amazing photos at www.samueladewale.com

By Ime Ekpon John

4 Goal-Setting HabitS of tHe WealtHy

The rich are very good at setting goals and achieving them. Even though all humans are goal seeking organisms, it takes a lot of disci-pline and effort to sit down and set goals for ourselves, even more difficult is working to-wards achieving those goals. However, those who go through the pain of setting goals and working towards achieving them, reap the re-wards of their labor in the form of increased productivity, increased wealth etc. Below is a list of their goal setting habits you need to become wealthy: Bill Gates picture courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk

WRITE DOWN THEIR GOALS: The wealthy don’t just create goals in their mind, they take the time to write down their goals and go through the pain of checking their list every time to make sure that they

are working towards achieving them. In writing down goals, the wealthy have a guide that helps them check their rou-tines to make sure they are in line with the goal they seek.

FOCUS ON ACCOMPLISHING A SPE-CIFIC GOAL: The wealthy do not seek to accomplish mul-tiple goals at the same time. They structure their time well and take on their goals one at a time. From the most important to the

least important. By being focused on accomplishing one goal at a time, the wealthy are able to plan their daily activi-ties well to fit into their plans for achieving their specific goals.

BELIEVE IN LIFELONG LEARNING: The wealthy are never too tired to learn something new, they highly adventurous and are very curious, seeking to know eve-rything they can possibly know and are very

open to new information and ideas. Many of the ideas that have made them rich have come as a result of the direct and indirect learning they expose themselves to. To achieve some measure of wealth, you need to keep your mind open to new information and ideas, you may get an idea that will take you to your next million dollar mark.

BELIEVE IN AND FORM GOOD HAB-ITS: The wealthy are good at forming good hab-its. They believe that a person’s success or wealth is tied to his habits, and so they work

hard at creating habits that are consistent with their goal of achieving great wealth and good success in all areas of their lives. It takes a great deal of discipline and hard work to form and stick with goal setting habits. Forming good habits will make us efficient and increase our level of productivity which is one of the secrets of self-made millionaires.

10|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

Music

Productio

n with

Sholex Timbo of Knight House

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|11

Amazing Business Story Mary Kay Ash By Segun Egbeyinka

I have read and studied the business stories of many world-renowned entrepreneurs, but none touched me as much as the story of Mary Kay Ash. This dynamic and exceptional woman has single-handedly touched the lives of more business women than any other woman in history. she has given them the tools, the motivation and most importantly, the opportunity, to become as successful as they ever want to be without compromising their homes and families.

Pic courtesy www.wapissimaporlospelous.blogspot.com

M ary Kay Ash is the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics; a household name in beauty product. She was

born May 12, 1918 in Hotwells, Harris County, Texas. Her parents were Edward Alexander and Lula Vember Hastings. She graduated from Reagan High School, Houston in 1934. Mary Kay Ash’s entrance into the business world was, like for many entrepreneurs, by accident. In the late 1930s, a door-to-door encyclopedia seller had dared her to sell 10 sets of ency-clopedias. If she was successful at this feat her reward would be a free set of encyclopedia. Mary Kay agreed, and in just one day and the half sold the entire ten sets. This was a re-markable feat, considering the fact that ten sets was the three-month quota for the most accomplished salespeople.

This feat spurred her on, and for a few years she kept selling encyclopedias. She later quit and moved on to Stanley Home Products when she wasn’t too satisfied with the feedback she was getting from her sale of encyclopedias. Stanley Home Products was a direct sales company offering housewares and cleaning supplies.

Mary Kay’s exceptionally marketing capabilities once again came to the forefront, and in just a few years after she joined the company she became top sales producer. But in a busi-ness world dominated by men, and at a period when preju-dice against women in business was very high, countless of her male colleagues and even subordinates were promoted ahead of her. Many of whom were not as experienced or suc-

cessful as her.

Frustrated with being passed over, she left Stanley Home Product and joined World Gift co. in 1952. The episode at World Gift was virtually the same to that of Stanley Home Product. In just a few years of her join-ing, she had helped extend the company’s distribution network into 43 states and had earned a position in the company’s board of directors. But the prejudice still continued, and she repeatedly watched as men were promoted ahead of her. The last straw was in 1962, when a man she had trained was promoted and named her supervisor. The man was to get twice her salary. She instantly quit. After retiring from direct sales, she decided to write a book that would help women succeed in a male-dominated business world. She wanted to teach them, so they could avoid the pitfalls that she fell into. While preparing for the book, she made two lists; the first list contained things the companies she had worked for were not doing right, while the other contained things she felt they should have done; qualities that would make up a perfect, impartial company. When she was

done, she took a look at the second list and thought; why profiling a perfect or dream business, why not build one?! And that was what she did.

But first of all she needed a product. Having women as the focus of her business, this product has to be accept-able by majority of women, they must believe in it and

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|13

and they must be ready to talk about it and recommend it with enthusiasm. It turned out that the product she was looking all around for was already sitting on her bedroom dresser.

For nearly ten years she had been buying skin softener from the daughter of a local tanner who made the cream from tanning solutions. Armed with her life savings of $5,000 and with her sons by her side she launched her dream business on September 13, 1963. Her first sales force consisted of nine of her friends, she taught them to show women how they could use Mary Kay products, and what benefit they could derive from the use of these products. According to her, once the women saw the results the products would sell them-selves. The strategy worked. Within three and a half months sales of Mary Kay prod-ucts to- taled $34,000, and by the end of the first year in business it was $198,000 and her sales force, which she called Consult- ants, had risen from 9 to 3,000. Mary Kay Ash re- mained active in the com- pany until 1996 when she suffered a stroke. As of the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over 800,000 Consultants in 37 countries. In 2008 that num-ber increased to 1.7 million.

Mary Kay Ash is widely respected as the most successful and influential woman entrepreneur. She considered the Golden Rule (treat others as you would want them to treat you) to be her guiding philosophy when making any decision, and she considered it the driving force behind Mary Kay Cosmetics. She believed in setting life’s priori-ties right, which was; God first, family second and career third, and she steadfastly taught this to the women in her company. She believed in praising people to success, and she was known to reward, very generously, her out-standing sales individuals. She promoted products that had more acceptability in the market than those with more profit, because for her, it was always about treating the next person fairly. Very few entrepreneurs have touched and influenced as many lives as Mary Kay Ash, for her it was not just about amassing wealth and living luxuriously; it was about making an impact. For this reason her name will forever remain young, both on our streets and in the heart of every woman who is making a living courtesy of her in-ventiveness and contribution to humanity.

1.There are times you have to ignore the experts: Before you start a business, particularly as a beginner, it is advised that you speak with an expert in that field. While this is evidently a wise idea, there are times you have to ignore the ‘experts’ and trust your guts. The experts are not always right, they are humans; their predictions can fail. Twice, Mary Kay rejected advice from experts and in both cases that turned out to be the right decision. The first time was when her second husband, George Arthur Hal-lenbeck, who handled the legal and financial aspect of her soon-to-be-launched business died suddenly of a heart attack just one month before the business was scheduled to open. The experts (Accountant and Lawyer) had told her to abandon the business, that there was no way she could succeed without him. She ig-nored them and went ahead, they were wrong she was right. The second time was in 1985, when she decided to take her com-pany private again so as to save the legacy on which the company was built. The shareholders had began to question her motivation packages calling them ‘frivolous’. Mary Kay knew those ‘frivolous’ gifts were the pillars on which her business stood, therefore she concluded she didn’t need public money enough to jeopardize this legacy. Experts had warned her about taking the move, she ignored them. In the end she was right and they were wrong. 2.Motivate your workforce: This is so far one of the most im-portant criteria for any successful business. Any entrepreneur who neglects this aspect does so at his/her own peril and that business is basically standing on a knife-edge. Your staff has the power to make or mar your business; a motivated and well-compensated workforce makes for a successful business. Mary Kay taught her Consultants to regard the business as their own, the same thing that Sam Walton did. Mary Kay motivated her workforce with words and with gifts, one of her popular incen-tives were pink Cadillacs which she gave to her top Consultants. Presently, there are over 9,000 women driving around in Mary Kay’s Cadillac and other such cars. 3. Get your priorities right: Get your priorities right, put God first. The God factor may be getting less popular nowadays but that doesn’t lessen its significance. It is foolhardy to believe one can achieve a successful happy life without God. You may get all the money in the world but money doesn’t equate happiness, you could still be as miserable as a pauper. Also, regardless the accomplishment that you may be chasing it should never be done at the expense of the family/home. Many who fail at putting God first usually also fail in ranking family appropriately. Money can’t buy happiness; a happy family gives a wonderful life. 4. How can I touch lives: One important question anyone going into business newly should ask is; In what ways can this business genuinely touch lives? Customer satisfaction and customer ex-perience should matter a lot to you. Mary Kay usually tells her consultants; “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says ‘Make Me Feel Important’, Not only will you succeed in business, you will succeed in life”. Once you can achieve customer satisfaction your products essen-tially begins to sell themselves.

Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, 'Make me feel important.' Never forget this message when working with people.

Lessons From Mark Kay Ash

14|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

STAND OUT. STAND WITH ANKARA.

Amazing Creations| 08065851191| 2768DD55

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|15

At MC Christy... Every order comes with a complimentary free drink. Deliveries are free within Surulere. Offer monthly delivery

services where deliveries are made every working day. All order comes fresh! Hot!! And Spicy!!!

Enquires: BB pin:25A1ABC8, 08120157097, 07031604083, 08092422590,07054585887

Try Something different, add spice to your life.

Hello, it is Business Insight with Lady Ziba. Are you preparing for business tomorrow? You might need to add this to your plan. CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT WORKS The sustainability of any business is determined by the relationship of two key players; 1.The Business owner (you/ CEO) 2.The Customer Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss CEO, your customer is your most valued asset in business after your content/product. How you relate with them determines how speedy your business will grow and expand. Remember, your Customer(s), is your number 1 partner(s) in business. If you treat them right, they will remain loyal to you for life. Its just like the relationship between lovers. Don't forget; No customer(s), No profit. And when your business does not pro-duce profit, it’s no longer a business but a charity organization. Think!!! Its as simple as ABC. The way you, or your staff(s), attend to your first client to-morrow will determine how much profit you will make tomorrow, the whole of next week, and remaining part of the year.

By Lady Ziba BUSINESS INSIGHTS

CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT WORKS

Lady Ziba is the cerebral behind FL consults, an out-fit based in Nigeria dedicated to providing consul-tancy services to small and medium scale entrepre-neurs. She is a young and dynamic entrepreneur who is determined to bring about entrepreneurial success in the nation’s young citizens. She is based in Lagos, Nigeria. 09094637661, BB pin:27B81DC3

Customer Service

Excellent

Very Good

Satisfactory

Marginal

Poor

Check one of the above as regards your business

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|17

BEAUTY AND HEALTHY LIVING By Tosin Malomo

CUCUMBER

H ello friends, it's Beauty and Healthy Living with me, Teesmile. Today we will be talking about cu-

cumbers. I guess many of us don't like cucumbers, yeah that's true...How many knew before now that cucumber could do the things I am about to talk about? As a matter of fact, I can say so much about it because I use it alongside other natural things for facial sessions. Few slices rubbed on the affected areas gives great results instantly and its just waoh! Cucumber reduces fat puffiness and dark pigmentation under the eye, hydrates the skin, treats sunburn, blemishes and irri-tated skin. It gives the skin natural glow making it looking youthful and sun-kissed! Cucumber contains B-carotene, antioxidants, dietary fibre, 95% water and other major nutrients. This makes it a good remedy for constipation, headache, heartburn, Indigestion, hangover and blood pressure when eaten raw. It works like magic!

Malomo Oluwatosin is a simple, fashionable and God-fearing lady who loves to look good and loves to make peo-ple around her look good as well. She is a trained and ex-perienced Beautician and the CEO of Teesmile Beauty World. She is also the very first entrepreneur that was fea-tured on Young Naija Entrepreneurs. She lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. 08062574291, 08185344522, BB Pin: 79C41C43

What are the other uses of Cucumber that you know? Write them below. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

18|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|19

FROM THE EDITOR

O n the 15th of March, 2014 a national disaster struck; 18 young and vibrant Nigerian were trampled to death while

they were jostling to enter different venues for a recruitment exer-cise organized by the National Immigration Service. About a mil-lion young people had showed up in various states’ centers around the country for the recruitment test. The organizers had obviously not planned for such mammoth crowd, hence, there was a lot of commotion, confusion, injuries and ultimately, deaths. At least three pregnant women lost their lives in that ill-fated test. No one has since been charged for that dreadful organization, but that is a discussion for another day. In the wake of the unfortunate incident, accusations and counter-accusations flew around the airwaves. The Nigerian Immigration Service and the private recruitment agency that it employed claimed they never invited as much applicants as the number that showed up, they claimed most people showed up on their own voli-tion and that was what caused the stampedes. The applicants on the other hand claimed they were all invited, they claimed the exer-cise was just a façade, a cover-up, for the money that the govern-ment took from them. The accusations went on and on. Independent observers and analysts also had their own opinions. One opinion that however struck out most was; ‘the government cannot provide jobs for all the unemployed youth in the country, in fact, employment should not be the government’s responsibility’. As much I am reluctant to, I have to admit that the above opinion is quite accurate. Only 8% of the employed population in the United States is employed by the United States government. In France, only about 20% of the employed population is working for the gov-ernment. The private sector, particularly the SMEs, is responsible for the employment of the bulk of the population. So if we are willing to be realistic with ourselves, the government cannot fully employ the teeming population of the employed in the country. However, what the government is responsible for, and which it has failed momentously, is providing the enabling environ-ment for the birth and prosperous growth of small and medium scale businesses in the country. I speak to young entrepreneurs every week, so I know exactly what I am talking about. I see their struggles and their challenges, most of these young people are in business by the skin of their teeth, many of these young people will end up quitting their businesses because they wouldn’t be able to cope, and end up joining the already bloated population of job-seekers. They were meant to be creating jobs now they are out there searching for jobs; very sad. An environment that is suitable for growth of small businesses is one with reliable power supply. There is no country that can be-come industrious without sufficient power supply, and it is a very big shame that Nigeria, the self-acclaimed ‘Giant of Africa’ is inca-pable of providing even half of its electricity needs. A public speaker once said, ‘at inception a person who starts a small busi-ness in Ghana is already 5 years ahead of his counterpart who starts a similar business at the same time in Nigeria, all because of power

supply’. An environment that is suitable for birth and growth of small businesses is one where access to finance is not a cutthroat affair. One young entre-preneur that I interviewed some time asked me to introduce her to another young person who was very fortunate to win the much coveted YouWin grant. That young lady wanted to know the tricks involved in winning the grant. I later discovered she wasn’t alone, there are countless like her. Only the government can state specifically the figure of those who put in for the grant, but I am willing to bet it is in the hundreds of thousands. If access of finance was not an issue there won’t be hundreds of thousands of young people submit-ting application for this grant. Banks that would have helped have very high interest rate and would not even loan to a young entrepreneur without reasonable collateral, plus, the very diffi-cult process involved is enough to discourage any young person. Aside from the lack of power and lack of access to finance, there are other challenges that are unique to young people in Nigeria who wish to start one business or another. The government may truly not be responsible for employing all the young unemployed people, but it is its obligatory respon-sibility to provide a conducive ambience for the creation and sustenance of small businesses. Ni-gerians are gifted and special people, but without the government playing its part and doing the needful, our uniqueness, strength of mind, and exquisite creativity, might continue to be a mi-rage.

Segun Egbeyinka

Editor

MEET THE COUPLE that

runs one of the fastest growing and most promising food ordering outfits in Lagos.

20|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

By Segun Egbeyinka

T here is this old saying; the route to a man’s heart is his stomach. Although this may sound funny

and ridiculous, it is every bit as true as you can imagine. I for one, am a big respecter of my stomach and a wonderful meal, when needed most, can do a lot to win my favor. So when it was time to interview these young entrepreneurs, I found myself drawn more to their meals than focusing on our inter-view. Not only do they know how to make such eye-catching and mouth-watering foods, they have both, against all odds, created a business that is so unique, so in-novative, that it is wor-thy of my respect and admiration. Our young entrepre-neurs are Akanimoh E. Etuk and Christiana Samali, the cofounders of MC Christy ; a food ordering outfit based in Surulere, Lagos. In this inter-view, Akanimoh speaks to us on how MC Christy started, the setback they encountered, and the challenges confronting their young business. Can you introduce yourself to us? My name is Akanimoh E. Etuk, an aspiring young entrepreneur, a "Multipreneur", a leader and a motivator and by His grace I shall be the C.E.O of MC Christy Group of Companies. Can you tell us a little about your business? At MC Christy we pride ourselves as arguably the only company in Nigeria that does what we do. We major only in Basmati rice which is obtain-able only in Chinese restaurants, Noodles, Spaghetti, and eliche macaroni. Presently we do only takeouts and all our

only takeouts and all our orders come with complimen-tary pet drinks. How long have you been in this business? We started officially on the 1st of November, 2013, but the premises were razed by fire on 26th February, 2014. We re-launched 2nd March, a week after, better and stronger. How much did it cost you to begin? Also, what

was the source of your capital? Initially our funds mostly came from my fiancée and I, and then partly from friends and families. Our first start-up cost us about #200,000. After the fire incident it cost us about #100,000, because we had to economize the little we had, we got assistance from clients, friends, and families and so on. What is the average

number of orders you get per day? Fifty! Our rebranding takes effect from 1st of next month, so with adequate marketing we are targeting between seventy to one hundred orders per day.

Fifty, that's good. And how do you make your deliver-ies? Do you have food delivery vehi-cles? {laughs} Funny enough we use bicycles! No vehi-cles, no motorcycles; that is presently our ma-jor challenge. The Lagos state government bound the use of Okada and introduced 200cc bikes which cost about

200,000; when you add registration, road worthiness and Surulere LGA sticker, we are looking at about 250,000. So instead of waiting till we get a motorcycle for dispatch we use bicycles!

INTERVIEW

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|21

Bicycles! That's funny, but very innovative. Nice. Sure! And are you able to de-liver right on time, when the food is still hot? Within Surulere delivery is free and we are able to do it on time. Every order takes maxi-mum of forty five minutes. But outside Surulere it takes a bit of time that's if there's traffic or else it gets there on time. The way we pack our meals it remains hot for like an hour thirty minutes. Any order out-side our jurisdiction must be above a pack. Okay. Do you have staff? How many? Presently we are five; two de-livery guys, one kitchen assis-tant, one chef (my fiancé) and I (marketer, supervisor, man-ager, cashier) Okay. What are the meals on your menu? Great! We do Noodles, Spa-ghetti, eliche macaroni and Basmati rice. It can come with Snail, Seafood (prawns n shrimps), King Prawns, Croaker Fish (Full), Goat meat (assorted), Catfish (Cut), Chicken (fillet-Boneless n skinless), Sausage, Veggies (for vegetarians) and Chips. I saw 'Doro Special' in one of your ads, what is that? Sure! It’s a combination of va-rieties. It comes with its own packaging, for the middle/high earners or those that like a taste of different things.

If someone is reading this interview and he is willing to help your business, what are the

things you would ask for? Our challenge now is to get befitting premises, because where we are presently is actually a mechanic workshop and it is hidden, that's why we do takeouts only. Most of our clients want to come, sit and relax. We also have a major challenge with delivery. Any order outside Surul-

ere goes via public transport, as a matter of fact I'm in a bus right now heading to CMS for a delivery, the traffic over here adds to the delay. Getting motorcycles which are very flexible and can maneuver their way through any traffic is what we are looking for. Okay. Finally,

where do you see your business in the next five years?

We see ourselves revolutionizing the eatery industry, where rice is the or-der of the day, where there is a shift from how people see Noo-dles as meals for kids to meals for everyday person. Finally, we see ourselves as po-tential market leaders in the hospitality in-dustry. We can only achieve this through

22|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

hard work, perseverance and walking our talk, and not the other way round. Thank you very much Mr. Etuk for you time. We wish you the very best in your future plans. God bless you sir for recognizing our little effort, it has been my pleasure

Do you want to be a featured entrepreneur on Young Naija Entrepreneur? Then visit www.youngnaijaentrepreneur.com/how-to-be-a-featured-entrepreneur/

Pic courtesy www.eynjuls.com

23|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

L i Ka-Shing is the richest man in Asia. The extensiveness of his business empire is very similar to that of Richard Branson, while his rag to riches story is comparable with that of Andrew Carnegie. Li was born in Chaozhou in China’s Guangdong province on 29 July 1928. His father was a primary school head. In 1940, while Li was just 12, his family had to flee China to Hong Kong because of the Sino-Japanese war. Not long after their arrival his father fell ill and died from Tuberculosis. This unfortunate

incident forced Li to quit schooling and to take up selling plastic waistbands and belts to help support the family.

By 1950, ten years after, he had learnt enough, saved and borrowed enough money from family and friends to start his own small plastic company, he named it Cheung Kong, after the Yangtze River. Cheung Kong initially focused on producing plastic toys and other every day plastic items, but after much research Li discovered that plastic flowers were very popular in Italy and this could present a viable business prospect for him, therefore he abandoned toys and started producing plastic flowers. But he added a touch to his flowers; he learnt the technique of mixing colors with plastic thereby making his own flowers appear as real flowers. His was producing high quality flowers at very affordable prices. A foreign buyer who visited his factory was very impressed by the quality of his products and the mode of operations at the factory, the buyer later placed a very large order for Li’s flowers. This was to be the start of big business deals and large orders for Li’s flowers. Li would later go on to become the largest supplier of plastic flowers in Asia.

In 1958, Li’s landlord increased his lease rates, by this time Li already had enough money to purchase a land and build a factory for him-self. The opportunity to acquire more lands arose in 1967, during the Hong Kong’s 1967 Leftist riots which were marked with strikes, as-sassinations and planting of bombs. Many people were forced to flee Hong Kong, as a result, property prices fell. The astute Li knew that the riots would be temporary and that property prices would later go back up, therefore he bought several parcels of land at low prices. It was a gamble that paid off. By the time the political unrest was over Li was among the biggest land owners in Hong Kong. Therefore his company, Cheung Kong, diversified into property development and management. In 1971, Li renamed his company into Cheung Kong Holdings and took it public in 1972. He became Hong Kong’s largest private landlord in 1979. In that same year, Li made another move to broaden the horizon of his business through the acquisition of Hutchinson Wham-poa; a company created in 1977 from the merger of Hutchinson International and Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. Li bought 23% of the

Pic Courtesy www.scmp.com

Amazing Business Stories Li Ka-Shing By Segun Egbeyinka

of the company’s shares giving him controlling power. That number would increase over the years giving him even greater ownership. Li then used the Hutchinson Whampoa to enter into several other businesses in different industries in different coun-tries. One of such businesses is the Investment in port facilities in Hong Kong, Canada, China and several other countries. Currently, Li’s business controls an overwhelm-ing 13% of all container port capacity in the world. Others are; Retailing, the A.S Watson Group is a retailer under Hut-chinson Whampoa with over 7,800 stores.

Electricity; In 1985 Li, through Hutchinson Whampoa, bought 33% of HongKong Electric Holdings. Banking; Li, through Hutchinson Whampoa, invested hugely in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Telecommunication: Hutchinson Telecommunication, a Hong Kong mobile phone service, is also owned by Li’s Hutchinson Whampoa. Asset trading: Hutchinson Whampoa is reputed for building new companies and then selling them off making huge profits in return. Li also has investment in Technology through his firm Ho-rizon Ventures. He has investments in Facebook, doubleT-wist, Spotify, Siri Inc., Summly, Wibbitz and BitPay. Li’s two primary corporations are intertwined; Cheung Kong Holdings owns 49.9% of Hutchinson Whampoa while Hutchinson Whampoa owns 85% of Cheung Kong Holdings infrastructure.

Li is regarded as one of Asia’s most generous philanthro-pists, having donated over $1.41 billion to date to charity and other philanthropic causes. His net worth is $34.6 billion (2013) and his companies have operations in over fifty countries with more than 220,000 staff.

Three Lessons from Li Ka Shing -Your foundation should not determine your fu-ture: Are you a school drop? Do you have little or no education as compared to most of your peers out there? Then you should take comfort and motivation from the business stories of the likes of Li Ka Shing, Andrew Car-negie, Michael Dell, Richard Branson and so many other

world renowned successful busi-nessmen. These men were just like you, at a disad-vantageous posi-tion, but they never considered their bad situa-tions neither did they allow it draw them back, they looked for that one thing they knew how to do well, and did it like crazy. Li was a school drop, he had every reason to consider himself a failure and act the part, but he didn’t. He could

have chosen to sit all day and complain about how bad life was but he didn’t. He made concrete effort to change his circumstances despite his foundation. Your little edu-cation, or complete lack of it, is not a determinant of your future. The country that you were born in or the town that you reside is equally not a determinant of your fu-ture. It is about the determination and courage within you to change your story and live a life of significance.

- Choose your business name wisely: This point may sound sentimental or ridiculous but it is every bit as genuine as any business advice out there. The name of your business has a metaphysical or psychological impact that it plays in your business. Most businesses mould into, or take characteristics associated with its name. Li named his business Cheung Kong, an allusion to the Yangtzee River; a river whose power comes from the con-fluence of countless smaller streams. Li’s business empire assumed the major characteristic of this river; his two major corporations are being fed by countless smaller businesses and numerous alliances.

Pic Courtesy www.coffeeticks.com

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|25

HOW-TO... HOW TO WRITE BUSINESS QUOTATIONS

What are Business Quotations?

B usiness quotations are letters written in response to a request for service. Business quotation could be written while bidding for a contract or if an individual or a company requests your service for

a particular job. You have to appropriately sell yourself in your business quotation, because, for companies that don’t know you personally, your business quotation is the first sam-ple of your work to be seen and judged. If as a caterer, you were approached to feed 100 delegates two meals per day for 10 days, what you need to present is a business quotation. If you are a tailor or fashion designer, and there is a con-tract to supply window blinds for an office complex with 250 windows, what you need to submit as a bid for this contract is a business quotation. Just like I told a friend of mine, to make your quotation as professional as possible you should write it in your company’s letter headed paper. Also, this is an official letter, so try to be a brief and as straight to the point as possible. -As the heading of your letter you can use “QUOTATION”. -State what you propose to do and how you intend to go about it. -If bidding, you can tell them why your services will be unique. -State when the product or service will be delivered. -Importantly, clearly itemize what is needed for the job and their costs. -Make sure you include everything you will need, as it is un-professional to return after days to include an additional cost. -State how long the quotation will be valid. -And finally, insert spaces for signatures dates for both your-self and your customer. The above are the parameters you will find in a basic Business Quotation. Below is a basic Business Quotation in response to a call for bids to supply window blinds for an office complex.

Li Ka-Shing’s Amazing Business Story, continued from page 25

-Continuously study and learn new things about your business: One thing I love so much about An-drew Carnegie is that, despite his lack of formal educa-tion, he worked fastidiously at self-education. Self edu-cation is much more important than any classroom education; classroom knowledge can only take you so far, self education is what gives you the needed edge; it is what sets you apart from the rest. The reason a lot of big business fade away with time is their reluctance or refusal to learn new ways of doing things and change with the tides of time. Time simply passes them. A good example is what happened during the computer revolution, when large mainframe computers were still in vogue, and people thought it was impossible to make computers smaller. They considered Steve Jobs a joker. Many of such businesses went into obscurity. Never stop learning; never stop devising new ways to improve your business. The moment you stop, the world passes you and you begin to lose relevance. De-spite his little education Li was known for his avid busi-ness researches, it was during one of such studies that he discovered how popular plastic flowers were in Italy and saw the promises that it held. Never stop learning.

26|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

SAMPLES OF QUOTATION LETTERS

QUOTATION Dear Sir, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to bid for the contract of supplying window blinds to the Ministry of Tourism. At Amazing Creations Designs, we are reputed for delivering quality products at affordable prices in the shortest possible time period. Please you will find below our bid quotation:

The window blinds will be delivered and installed, at most, three weeks after an initial payment of at least 50% of the overall cost is made. The above quotation is valid for only 30 days. If you have any questions as regards the specifics of this quotation, please feel free to contact us. Once again, thank you for this opportunity. Yours Faithfully, Olaniyi Olaniyan

In a situation where you are being approached to be the caterer for an occasion or an event, it would go something like; Dear Sir, Thank you for your interest in Oluyole Caterers. Our exquisite products and services are known to speak for themselves in loud voices. In response to your inquiry, please find below our price quote: Fried Rice

All items are subject to variation. Thank you. Yours Faithfully, Morenike Kayode

NO ITEMS PRICE(#)

1. Fabric 100,000

2. Material 50,000

3. Transportation 10,000

4. Labor 25,000

Total #185,000

NO ITEMS PRICE(#)

1. 8 Sweet corn 1,360

2. 1 Green peas 1,800

3. 5 Kilo of Carrot 1,250

4. 1 Kilo of Green beans 800

5. 1 Kilo of Green pep-per

800

Total #6,010

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|27

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

By Lady Ziba

WHERE MONEY IS HIDING

A re you jobless, broke and looking for cash? Solve a problem and get paid by collecting ser-vice charge for it. I know you will ask now, how do I see these problems?

Well, if you are observant and care enough about others, you will soon discover that everyone is having one problem or challenge which is a concern to them and they are seek-ing means of solving or managing these challenges. You have to keep an eye out and be observant of your target clients and see which of their challenges you can help them solve within your strength, both with your inherent & ac-quired skills. Put your thought down on paper and propose it to them, attaching your service charge that is very moderate for your target clients. You understand me, right? You will be amazed in a short while how it will grow & be-come a start-up business or an SME for you. Money is hiding in problems. Money is hiding in your ideas, talent and skills. Do you know you are pregnant with wealth? Yes, you! Preg-nant with wealth! Why have you not implemented or estab-lished that beautiful business idea you have been keeping inside of you? Don't you know it has the capacity to bring you money? Now you will say I am planning. Okay, how

long will you keep planning? When someone has already starting making cash with something similar? Do you know your problem? I will tell you. You are proud and a perfectionist, you don't wanna start small where you are and with what you have. And to you also who is gifted with a talent, don’t you know you can make money from that talent? Ask Basket Mouth how he started. If you don't know how to start or what to do, consult me. Capital! No, don't tell me that capital is your problem, the problem is you & your ego; you want to start BIG. Who even told you that you need all these stuff in the list you have in your head to start? You will never be able to get some of those things or those pictures in your head unless you start, do you understand me? Even God had to start small by creating man from the dust, did He tell you He couldn't command man to ap-pear like He did to light and other stuffs during creation? But He chose to make man from the dust so that proud and ignorant people can learn to start small from the dust, from the scratch!

Lady Ziba is the cerebral behind FL consults, an outfit based in Nigeria dedicated to providing consultancy services to small and medium scale entrepreneurs. She is a young and dynamic entrepreneur who is determined to bring about entrepreneurial success in the nation’s young citizens. She is based in Lagos, Nigeria. 09094637661, BB pin:27B81DC3

28|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

Naija Very Own’s

Luke Adetule Gbenga

n V O

O n the 5th and 6th of June 2014, the second edi-tion of the Nigerian Student Fashion Design Week was held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos. Over 2000 guests were in

attendance with more than 40 emerging designers. Nige-rian Students Fashion Design Week is an initiative created by BlackNBold Fashion House, Africa Fashion Week, and Mahogany International. One of the designers that showcased at the glamorous event was Luke-Adetule Gbenga, the creative director of Naija’s Very Own (NVO). I had a conversation with the young tal-ented man, during which he told me about his experience at the NSFDW, how he came about his label name and where he sees clothing line in the coming years. Can you introduce yourself to us? I'm Luke - Adetule Gbenga, creative director of NVO : Naija’s very own. I'm a fresh graduate of Lautech, studied computer science. You are a fashion designer, when did it start? Yes I'm a fashion designer, I started march of last year. Did you have any form of training, maybe as an apprentice under a bigger fashion brand? Training? No I didn't have any. I'm a creative individual and as a kid I loved art, so it was easy for me to incorporate my talents into fashion. Okay. You were at the recently concluded Nige-rian Student Fashion and Design Week, what was the experience like? Yeah. It was a dope show. I never expected it to be sold out, there were lots of people. They loved my collection and gave me a standing ovation when I walked down the stage. I felt honored and it has challenged me to keep working harder. You have just partly answered my next question which was; how did you feel when you got that round of applause after your display? I felt on top of the world. Although I know it is fairly early, but has the NSFDW exposure began to yield fruit? Hmmm, like you said it is fairly early, the tree planted that day is still being watered and soon it would yield fruits. Before the show at NSFDW have you been in any previous fashion show? No. That was my first. Okay. Let's leave the show and talk about your clothing line; Naija’s Very Own(NVO) what in-formed that name? How did it come about? Let's see, it took a lot of pondering to come up with the name. I wanted to create a Nigerian brand that would rival other top designers all around the world so the name just popped into my head. NAIJA'S VERY OWN.

And how can you classify your designs; causal, corporate, classic...? It's just bespoke fashion. We cover all aspects of men's fashion Okay. What role do you think the more estab-lished Nigerian fashion designers can play in the careers of upcomers like you? They should pick young talents and make them their pro-tégés, this would go a long way in developing the upcom-ing designers and make them the best at what they do. Sooner or later foreigners would patronize our fashion industry. You are a fresh graduate, so what's next? God has it all planned out for me. I just want to be better than I was yesterday. So for now I would keep working on more designs and making people standout with my out-fits Finally, where do you see NVO in the next ten years? I believe that with God and hardwork, NAIJA'S VERY OWN (NVO) would become a top class brand just like Alexander McQueen, Gianni Versace, Nike etc. People would wear made in Nigeria fashion with great pride. Thank you very much for your time, I appreciate your agreeing to talk with me. You are welcome Gbenga NVO contact: 08182283256

INTERVIEW

30|Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

N.V.O

N.V.O

N.V.O

Pic courtesy www.doctormarco.com

AMAZING BUSINESS STORY Walt Disney By Segun Egbeyinka

I f you are reading this then you most likely would have heard of Walt Disney, or you would know at

least one of his creations; if you don’t fall into any of these categories then I must ask what happened to your child-hood. Walt Disney was an American animator and business mogul, and the cofounder of Walt Disney Company, the company responsible for such wonderful animations as; Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, Bambi, Peter Pan, Pi-nocchio, Cinderella and so many more. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chi-cago Illinois to Irish-Canadian father, Elias Disney and Ger-manic-English mother, Flora Call Disney. Like many other successful entrepreneurs, Disney developed an interest for arts and drawing at a very early age, draw-ing pictures for neighbors and friends and getting small money for it. His parents were very poor so his father had to move them a lot in search of jobs. In 1911, when Disney was ten, his family moved to Kansas City where Disney and his younger sister, Ruth, attended Benton Grammar School. It was at Ben-ton that Disney met Walter Pfeiffer, a boy whose family had a history of theatre, and introduced Disney to a world of Vaudeville and motion pictures. Disney began spending more time at the Pfeiffer’s and at the same time attending Saturday courses at the Kansas City of Art Institute.

In 1917, the family moved back to Chicago and Disney began attend-ing McKinley High School. At the school he divided his attention be-tween drawing and photography and he was the cartoonist for the school’s newspaper. He was also taking night courses at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in order to better his arts. In 1919, Disney got a job at the Pes-men-Rubin Art Studio, where he created advisements for newspapers and magazines. It was also at Pesmen that he met Ubbie Iwerks. Ubbie Iwerks would remain with Disney for a very long time, through thick and thin, and would be instrumental to many of the Disney World animation char-acters. Ubbie, also called ‘Ub’, was a cartoonist. In 1920, both Disney and Ubbie created their own company called “Iwerks-Disney commercial artists” but it didn’t sur-vive for long, a combination of inexperience and lack of suf-ficient capital forced the pair to abandon the venture and

both began working in Kansas City Film Ad Company. It was at Kansas City Film Company that Disney learnt a lot about animation. After working for a few years and hav-ing some savings he left to start up his own animation company, taking with him a co-worker at the company, Fred Harman. Their new company was called Laugh-o-grams. Laugh-o-grams were fairly successful and soon Disney had made enough profit to acquire his own studio and employ more animators including his long time friend and cartoonist Iwerks Ubbie. But once again, his inexpe-rience and lack of knowledge in managing money caused the business to go bankrupt. The Laugh-o-Grams studio had only stayed for five months. Having failed so many times Disney was no longer afraid

of failure, and having learnt so much from his failings he decided to give it yet another shot, this time, at the center capital of movies and entertainment in the country. Disney packed his bags and the unfinished scripts of some of his works and headed for Hollywood, Cali-fornia. His elder brother, Roy, was al-ready in California and together they set up a cartoon studio in Hollywood. In 1925, Disney hired a young lady, Lillian Bounds, he would later marry her that

same year and the couple will be blessed with one daughter, Diane Marie in 1933, and would adopt another, Sharon Mae in 1936. Disney also invited his friend Ubbie to join him in California.

The first project the Disney Brothers studio—as their new studio was called—produced was Alice Comedies, an animation Disney had began work-ing on before he left Kansas for Holly-wood. The brothers were lucky to find a distributor for the animation and soon they were getting paid. This suc-cess continued for four years, but by 1927 the animation had lost popular-ity and the money had stopped com-ing. Disney later went into an arrange-ment with one Charles Mintz to create

a new animated series called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Ubbie was the one who designed and created the charac-ter of Oswald. It was a big success, receiving acclamation from most of the people that saw it. But in 1928, Charles Mintz would not only cheat Disney of his returns but would steal all his animators. Disney was once again left on his own, to start once again from square one. Ubbie, however, refused to leave Disney. After the loss of Oswald, Disney set out to create another animation character; he wanted his new character to rival

Pic courtesy www.ww2.bc.edu

Pic courtesy www.desktopaper.com

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|35

Pic courtesy www.doctormarco.com

Oswald. So in 1928, Disney created Mickey Mouse. Ubbie was the one who perfected the sketch of Mickey and made it easier to animate. The first two animated features of Mickey Mouse were Silent films and were not successful because Disney could not find a distributor for them. The third Mickey Mouse cartoon, SteamboatWillie, however had sound. It was the first synchronized sound cartoon in the world. Disney found a man, Pat Powers, who provided him with both distribution and sound synchronization process. SteamboatWillie was a big success and soon Mickey Mouse became the most popular cartoon character in the world. Walt Disney would also be the first to make color cartoons, and he would hold the patent for Technicolor for two whole years. In 1934, Disney announced his plans to create the first full-length cartoon. It was an outrageous plan and the film indus-try dubbed it “Disney folly” because they were certain the pro-ject would be the end of him and his company. The conver-sion of Snow White into a full-length movie would take Dis-ney and his company almost four years to complete and would cost them $1,499,000! At a point the studio ran out of money and Disney had to go and borrow funds to continue. Finally, on December 21, 1937 the film premiered and it was well received. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would go on to become the most successful motion picture of 1938 earning over $8 million ($134,033,100).

After the Second World War, the studio went into full-length production for Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Cinder-ella.

In the late 1940s, Disney conceived the idea for an amusement park where his children and his employees’ children can go and relax and play. He initially planned to build it on a single plot, but soon, the idea metamor-phosed and the result is the magnificent Disneyland that we all know today. Since 1955 that it opened, Dis-neyland had entertained Presidents, Kings, Queens and millions of people from all across the globe. In 1966, Disney was diagnosed of lung cancer. The di-agnosis was made by accident when he went in for a pre-op procedure for his long time neck injury. Disney was a chain smoker for most part of his adult life. His entire left lung was removed but that was not enough to save him, as he fainted on the 30th of November and later passed away on the 15th of December. His elder brother, Roy, came out of retirement to take over the running of the Walt Disney Empire. Walt Disney during and after his lifetime won so many awards and got so many accolades it would take pages and pages to list them all, among which is a record 59 Academy Award Nominations, out of which he won a record 22, including a record 4 in a single year. His leg-acy is one that would remain with us for a very long time to come.

Pic courtesy www.bestwallpaperdesign.com

Lessons from Walt Disney 1.Learn and study to perfect your skill or talent: A few months ago, while having a conversation with a young talented man, I asked him; did you have any training, and where? He arrogantly replied, ‘I don’t need any training from anywhere, I have the talent already within me’. This is one attitude that most young talented people have, and it is the same attitude that would cause them to flop early or limit their suc-cess. Regardless how talented you may be, you need to study, learn, research, observe in order to per-fect whatever talent you have. Mozart was perhaps the greatest child prodigy that ever walked our earth yet, he studied from the professional of his time to perfect his own art. Leonardo da Vinci, arguably the most talented man that has ever lived, was an apprentice for years. If you can’t be an apprentice in your field of calling then study about it, research about it, read the biographies of people who are successful in that field, learn about the challenges that they faced and how they surmounted it. That is the only way you can per-fect your talent or skill, raw talent is not enough, the mo-ment you stop learning the world passes you and you be-come obsolete. 2.Believe in yourself: One major thing that stands out in the life of Walt Disney is the huge believe and faith that he had in himself and in his abil-ity. He never for once doubted his ability or his capabilities, after every failure he tried again, for every time he was knocked down he stood up and kept fighting. He had a talent and he had faith in his talent and he had faith in himself. One of the biggest maladies that confront young people is Inferiority Complex; lack of believe in one’s ability or in one’s person. It is one mental illness that can limit a per-son’s potential and cause him to live and die a mediocre. If you have the potential to be the President of a country and you do not have faith yourself, then you may never even become a local government chairman.

One way to get rid of this constraining disorder is to keep repeating the words of Philippians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengths me’ or that of Ro-mans 8:31 ‘If God be for “me” who can be against me’, or better still find and read the book ‘The Power of Positive

Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale and your true potentials will be released.

Pic courtesy www.fanpop.com

Pic courtesy www.disney.wikia.com

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|37

BUSINESS QUOTES

Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf

Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching. – George Van Valkenburg

Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop. —Jeffrey Zeldman

Entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.—David Karp

Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not.—Michael Dell

You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea. —Larry Page

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.—Mark Twain

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the com-pany from the chairman on down, sim-ply by spending his money somewhere else. —Sam Walton

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. —Theodore Isaac Rubin

An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate com-petitive advantage. —Jack Welch

The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them.—Benjamin Jowett

The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and ex-ploits it asan opportunity.—Peter Drucker

People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any dif-ference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.—Mary Kay Ash

Disneyland is a work of love. We did-n't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money. —Walt Disney

If you want to kill any idea in the world, get a committee working on it.—Charles Kettering

Our work is the presentation of our capabilities.—Edward Gibbon

Punctuality is one of the cardinal busi-ness virtues: always insist on it in your subordinates.—Don Marquis

I want to put a ding in the uni-verse.—Steve Jobs

No enterprise is more likely to suc-ceed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution. —Niccolo Machiavelli

If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance. —Abraham Lincoln

Success or failure in business is caused more by the mental attitude even than by mental capacities.—Walter Scott

You are not your resume, you are your work. – Seth Godin

The golden rule for every business man is this: “Put yourself in your customer’s place”. – Orison Swett Marden

To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth

Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games. – Babe Ruth

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. – James Thurber

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.—Theodore Isaac Rubin

The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.—Peter Drucker

One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.—Arnold H. Glasow

An organization, no matter how well designed, is only as good as the people who live and work in it.—Dee Hock

38| Young Naija Entrepreneurs. August 2014

Everyone is your best friend when you are successful. Make sure that the peo-ple that you surround yourself with are also the people that you are not afraid of failing with.—Paula Abdul

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.—Napoleon Hill

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.—Thomas A. Edison

Our work is the presentation of our capabilities.—Edward Gibbon

The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.—Henry Ford

All lasting business is built on friendship.—Alfred A. Montapert

Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You'd be amazed how many companies don't listen to their customers.—Ross Perot

I've never felt like I was in the cookie business. I've always been in a feel good feeling business. My job is to sell joy. My job is to sell happiness. My job is to sell an experience.—Debbi Fields

Try, try, try, and keep on trying is the rule that must be followed to become an expert in anything.—W. Clement Stone

And while the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every depart-ment.—Andrew Carnegie

If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work. —Khalil Gibran

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.—Confucius

Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.—Gary Ryan Blair

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.—Harold S. Geneen

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.—Henry Ford

No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.—Andrew Carnegie

Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.—Colin Powell

Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching around for what it gets.—Henry Ford

If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business.—B. C. Forbes

Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using preten-tious jargon.—David Ogilvy

Details create the big picture.—Sanford I. Weill

The common question that gets asked in business is, 'why?' That's a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?'—Jeff Bezos

Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.—Andy Warhol

Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.—W. Edwards Deming

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by peo-ple who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.—Dale Carnegie

If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late. —Reid Hoffman

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.—Colin Powell

Don’t worry about funding if you don’t need it. Today it’s cheaper to start a business than ever.—Noah Everet

Don’t play games that you don’t understand, even if you see lots of other people making money from them. —Tony Hsieh

The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.—Marc Benioff

Fail often so you can succeed sooner.—Tom Kelley

Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevita-ble. –Coco Chanel

A man should never neglect his fam-ily for business. – Walt Disney

August 2014. Young Naija Entrepreneurs|39

Teesmile Beauty World

Teesmile Beauty World