A team of foreign consultants was assembled to conceptualise a fully self-serviced housing estate for Abuja, Nigeria. That was in 2014. Included in the assembled team are civil, structural, architectural, electrical, hydro engineers and other consultants. After the initial strategy session among the consultants, it was clear the team was still missing a very strategic link. There was a need for a consultant that is based in the country that the project was to be domiciled. And the team of consultants knew what they were looking for. Not only would the missing link in the team of consultants be able to understand the project environment very well, the person must have business planning skills, and be able to identify the project markets (both low-hanging possibles and the potential consumers). Also, the person they were looking for would need to have the capacity to query submissions and suggestions of team-member technical consultants in such a way that the final and approved blueprint would qualify to meet the needs of the target market. Clearly the team would not go ahead with the project conceptualisation until the required business consultant is found and made to join the team of consultants. No emotions. By the time the team eventually finished with the conceptualisation and planning, a 93 million dollar housing estate had emerged – a feasible, bankable and sustainable project meant for Abuja, Nigeria.
Contemporary business environment has gone extra-sophisticated. The intense competition from all spheres has shown clearly that the universal business intelligence can no longer ride over immediate (market) intelligence. As useful and necessary as the universal intelligence is, the local intelligence as per behavioural patterns in a market environment is key to business success. Whatever the business scale, whether micro or integrated industrial, the skills a business will require for it to become successful and sustainable must cut across all knowledge spheres. We are going to shed more light on this later on this page.
Basket Of Skills More Than Ever Before: Unemployment, underemployment, rightsizing and corporate reactions to the impacts of sudden occupational hazards are common issues in today’s business. As the working class members are feeling the heat, businesses are also experiencing dwindling fortunes. Three years ago, Dennis was enjoying a very successful career. Immediately he completed his national youth service, he joined the teeming eager working class group that are searching for jobs. Luckily, he got a job that offered him a great career path and opportunity to climb up the career ladder steadily. Not only was the take-home package exceptionally scintillating, the job offered him enough time and space he needed for him to improve on his qualifications and skills. His starched shirts and bespoke suits as well as his standard of living (his ability to throw around of money with less care) clearly showed, at least to him and his circle of colleagues, that he was on top of the world. Suddenly the tide turned. His employers’ business ran into storming waters. The company’s response to rightsize its human capital threw him among those to be shown where the back door was located. Dennis not only lost his job, he also realised he had never really been prepared to face the street. He was not ready at all for what came upon his life. Few months after exiting the well-paid job, he became so disillusioned, unkept, disoriented and pitiable. What happened to Dennis and others like him is also the lots of several corporate organisations. Not a few corporate organisations are dying when they experience bad weather.
From Here To Where?
Before I conclude this piece, it is very important we level the expectations of what this page will be serving you. As clearly understood by the initiates, there are four aspects of a thriving business. These aspects are the idea generation aspect, the conceptualisation and structure aspect, the business improvement aspect and the business expansion aspect. Breaking it down further, in the idea generation is found such issues as self-assessment, the hard and soft entrepreneurial and business management skills, how to identify basket of business ideas, analysis, and the screening and selection of attractive business ideas per time. How to turn an idea to a well structured thriving business requires several processes in the planning. Among these are business assessment, health check coupled with several analyses and what happens after a business has taken root and has passed through the waiting period? This is where many business men and women get stuck; and a great business is rendered lame just because the person that is calling the shots is deficient, capacity-wise, and could not just rise above the challenges the business may be throwing up. It is therefore necessary we delve into improvement and expansion of businesses also as we make progress on this page.
In addition to the above, millions of people are attracted to starting businesses because of profit potentials they envisage but very few ever think of the other side of doing business. But the fact remains that no business succeeds on one sided thinking. Besides unending thinking and sleepless nights, there are unforeseen circumstances that are capable of torpedoing any business. There are extra-terrestrial influences and dictates that are capable of throwing a good venture on either side of the extremes. For instance, a business may run into an unexpected end as a result of outcome of dealings with a seemingly-hapless client who suddenly turns out to become treacherous and rancorous. All these issues concerning a good and sustainable business shall be our focus for discussion on this page. Also we shall examine, from time to time, cooperatives principles and relevance of the movement in the present business dispensation. In addition to the above, we shall be discussing contemporary issues in business as well as tackle questions or challenges readers may want addressed.
We are going to ensure that the presentation style is simple so that different segment of readers, those with passable understanding level or top managers, a potential entrepreneur or an experienced industrialist, are able to enjoy what is served every week. It is going to be a very robust approach to business intelligence sharing. It is going to be both interactive and relationship building. The tools, modules and skills to deliver this is readily available and we trust God to deliver the expectations we have levelled as we embark on this journey together. You are welcome.
Ola Emmanuel is a business planning and cooperative consultant. He works with a team of international consultants to conceptualise and plan agribusiness and housing projects. As a certified trainer authorised to use the International Labour Organisation’s enterprise development modules, he trains entrepreneurs and organises workshops and seminars for potential and practising entrepreneurs as well as business managers and cooperatives. He also speaks and facilitates at leadership and management workshops on invitation. His book, Business Planning Made Easy: Step by Step Guide On How To Turn Your Idea To Profitable Business’ is the latest of the books authored by him. Tel.: +234(0)9068602954 (call and sms), +234(0)8023257707 (whatsApp only).
