Entrepreneurs and professionals don tok say dem need better guidance for business decisions and idea validation, no be just social media success story. Dis one na wetin come out for inaugural edition of The Clarity Room: Inside the Founder’s Mind.
Patience Uket, di person wey bring di event together, say she create am because many people dey struggle to find correct direction for dia next move. “This na di first edition, and I do am because I want make social impact,” she tok. “I realize say many people get ambition but no know wetin to do or who to ask. So I gather speakers wey don establish, wey fit give answer based on dia experience.”
Uket say di goal na to give participants clarity so dem fit make informed decision, whether dem be entrepreneur or corporate worker. “Once you get clarity, your confidence go dey assured. You go know wetin to do next. No matter if you be entrepreneur or for corporate world, di desire to do something dey important, but people still need guidance.”
Feedback from participants show say di event meet its target, and organisers plan to continue am for future editions.
One of di speakers, Morenike George-Taylor, founder of Reni Luxury Real Estate, tok say entrepreneurship need structured planning and realistic expectation, no be di kind picture wey people dey paint for digital platform. She say di session cover practical business tins like how to identify viable opportunity, how to manage business during hard time, and how to separate short-term, medium-term, and long-term plan.
“Dere bin dey plenty tough question. People want know how to manage business when tins dey go wrong, how to determine which business to enter, how to identify competitor, and how to distinguish between short-term, mid-term, and long-term plan so dem no run into financial wahala,” she explain.
George-Taylor say people must no see entrepreneurship through di lens of curated online success story. “Di discussion help people understand say entrepreneurship no be just posting fine picture for Instagram or watching people wey claim say dem successful for LinkedIn.”
From her own experience as founder, she advise aspiring entrepreneur to first validate dia business idea before spending money. “Di first step na to verify if your idea dey viable. Ask if people dey willing to pay for wetin you want provide, and identify di problem wey you dey solve.”
She add say founder must understand di functional areas of business, including finance, legal, operations, customer service, branding, and marketing, and develop business plan no matter di size of di venture. “You suppose know your expected revenue, profit margin, and understand your competition. Sometimes absence of competitor mean say no market; sometimes na opportunity. You need know di difference.”
George-Taylor also encourage entrepreneurs to seek mentorship, but note say finding di correct mentor need careful thought. She advise aspiring founder to first define wetin success mean to dem before identifying people wey career align with dat vision. “When you imagine where you wan be for five years, di people wey don achieve dat kind success na dem you suppose consider to learn from.”
Michael Alasa, founder and managing director of Recruten Consulting, talk say founder must first understand dia own capability before attempting to build business. According to am, people wey interested for entrepreneurship suppose assess dia technical competence, identify dia strongest professional skill, and determine areas where dem fit create value. “Di first tin people need identify na dia technical background and where dia expertise dey.”
Using human resources industry as example, Alasa say entrepreneur must determine if dia strength dey for training, consulting, recruitment, or talent management before investing for business development. “Once you identify those strength, you go fit develop dem, seek mentor, and acquire additional skill wey align with your goal.”
He add say founder also suppose understand dia target market and industry need before deciding whether to offer specialised or end-to-end service.
Participants for di event talk say di discussion give dem practical guide for business development. One attendee, Watchman Eveshoyan, wey be lawyer and entrepreneur, say he attend di programme to better understand how founder think and to connect with other entrepreneur. “I want meet people wey get similar interest, where we fit exchange business idea and learn how founder dey optimise dia business.”
Eveshoyan say di discussion answer most of di question wey he get before di event. “I figure out about 80 percent of wetin I want know. Di work now na to begin put those lesson into action.”
Di inaugural edition of The Clarity Room: Inside the Founder’s Mind, wey hold for Lagos, bring together founder from real estate, healthcare, human resources, and digital marketing to share lessons from building business and managing growth.
