Better late than never.

It’s been over a decade and half I set foot in a classroom. After my Bsc, I felt I’d had enough of the school system and life lessons would be my instructor. I listened to great narratives about Bill Gates, Zuckerberg etc who’d quit school half-way to start their ventures, and well we all know their stories, they’re extremely successful. I consoled myself!

One thing I forgot to take note of was the culture whence they’ll hailed from. A system upon which the likes of Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Napoleon Hill etc had left indelible marks by their strides. This system cared to support their own who dared go out of the conventional to make things happen for themselves, and for the greater community as a whole.

Back to #237, we know the drill, write concours, join public service, fall bush… any other path different from this is considered an act of rebellion to the family or society where we grow up. Or we’re considered Judas’, betraying those who’d given up a greater part of their wealth and comfort, sending us to the best schools just for us to wish to become ‘entrepreneurs’. Besides, couple of years ago, few knew, used or understood the word. Such a big word, I’ll muse; ‘One must be French and extremely successful to be called thus’. Nonetheless conventional titles like doctors, lawyers, teachers, pharmacists, pilots, colonels, discipline masters… took precedence in hierarchy of importance within our socio-cultural scope.

Long story short, I ventured into my first entrepreneurial sphere with little or no knowledge of the solution I wanted to provide, product I wanted to sell, how to penetrate the market nor how to harness a team to work collectively for the realization of a common goal. As a result, I received my first baptism of fire and failed woefully.

Life humbled me!

As I aged, I came to the realization of how much time one wasted on theories upon theories, satisfying the ego of being called a CEO with little or no money in the wallet. Void the right blueprint, framework, united team, marketable product, one wasn’t too different from the unemployed.

Today, I see many youths spiraling down the same maze, in haste to meet with a gloomy fate and once they fail, they’ll disdain the day they set foot into the ocean void any tools or backup strategy. Nonetheless, there’s still hope to salvage before its too late. Some of the 8 not new/easy principles which works for me, could be applicable to many now.

-         Believe and have confidence in yourself no matter what everyone around you might tell, stay focused on your lane and keep going.

-         Accept when you’re wrong and not sure, there’s no pride in defending a concept that doesn’t hold water, no one will buy into it.

-         Seek counsel from those who’ve mastered the ropes, most of them have overcome similar challenges to get to where they’re right now. In other words, get yourself a mentor.

-         Surround yourself with the right team. Gone are the days to rally for idle talk, if the stories are not impacting nor making money, move on.

-         Never be afraid to start small and yes if you might have to fail and start again, try again. There’s no discomfort in acknowledging self-gratification when years of grind and work finally pays off.

-         Patience is a virtue but once the time is apt, rise to the occasion and seize the stage. Always be ready for the consequences.

-         Reading is ‘fun to mental’ let it be part of your arsenal as you aspire to be a somebody in life. And against all the clichés raised by some pundits about it, education is still very vital. A tailor-made school curriculum to suit the needs of our time should be clearly applauded.

-         Always show gratitude, and to this effect; special appreciation goes to @Roland Fomundam , @Fotabe Elmine, @Takor Ronald and the entire staff of @Rome Business School/FUNIC . The MBA programs at @Rome Business School/FUNIC are second to none in the country. To find out more or join the program visit www.funic.co.