ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH MUIDEEN ADEBAYO IBRAHIM : THE IMPERATIVE OF BEING SELF EMPLOYED

Muideen Adebayo Ibrahim the Founder, LIBRA CONSULTING; a Management Consultancy Firm and BAMIB RESOURCES

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

WITH MUIDEEN ADEBAYO IBRAHIM

THE IMPERATIVE OF BEING SELF EMPLOYED

“Great things must be done greatly, with a great purpose, a great mind, a great courage, a great energy and a great persistent patience.”

-          Elizabeth Barret Browning

The imperative or importance of being self employed cannot be over emphasized. Aside from contributing to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the Nation, a self employed person can also employ as many people as possible thereby reducing the un-employment in Nigeria.

A Nation cannot develop and/or move from the appellation ‘Developing’ to ‘Developed’ if so many of its people are not self employed. China, Japan, America and Indian just to mention but a few attained their level of development as a result of the fact that so many of their citizens are self employed and their various governments created the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

In America, according to Pew Research Centre, “Three in Ten U.S. Jobs are held by the self-employed and the workers they hire.” Self employed Americans and the workers they hired accounted for 44 million jobs in 2014, or 30 per cent of the national workforce.

In Nigeria, it is sad that an average Nigerian has lukewarm attitude towards being self employed. They have the mentality of corporate jobs and monthly pay cheques.  My candid advice is that our youth should as a matter of fact roll up their sleeves, think of the value they can add to the economy and start business ventures now. After all, the likes of Coca-Cola, Mobil, KFC, Dangote, Jim Ovia, CNN etc started from somewhere. Their Founders were bold, strong and persevered. Not only that, they all embraced what I often call the 5Ps (Passion, Perseverance, Persistency, Purpose and Prayer).

You too can build a big brand that will shape/change the fortune of Nigeria and indeed the whole world. So step out, instill confidence in yourself because; Yes! You can do it!

The imperative of being self employed are so numerous and some of which are as stated infra:

Firstly, you will make a lot of money, though you must persevere and/or endure in order to get to the Promised Land.

Secondly, you will control your destiny, nobody will push you here and there since you will be able to plan your time and move against tide.

Thirdly, you will develop, nurture and deploy talents since you cannot do everything by yourself, as you grow your business, you will need more people to work with and you must utilize them maximally in order to achieve the desired results.

The Fourth, Job creation on the massive scale, if more people are self employed and create various jobs. More un-employed youths would be gainfully employed.

Fifth, having your own business venture brings out the best and real creativity in you because a good entrepreneur would be forced to think outside the box always in order to solve the  various challenges in the society.

Sixth, you are liberated from office rules, politics, meetings and other issues usually associated with a typical office set up.

My dear readers, at a time like this, you need to start a business venture soonest. What you need is to keep dreaming and keep the dream alive. Howard Rothman, the author of the 50 Companies that Shape the World asserted in his book that “all the founders have extra ordinary vision, courage and commitment. That they all struggled to realize their ideas and drive their companies to success. That in a real sense, they are the true forces that have changed our world.”

The under listed are the 50 Companies that Changed the World; Microsoft, AT&T, Ford, Apple, McDonald’s, America Online, FedEx, CBS, Philip Morris, Wal-Mart, General Electric, IBM, Sears Roebuck, General Motors, J.P. Morgan & Co., Union Pacific, RCA, Nike, Intel, CNN, Boeing, Hwelett Packard, Standard Oil, Sony, USX-US,. Steel Group, Agence France Presse, Levitt & Sons, The Walt Disney Co., Netscape, Coca Cola, Thyssen Krupp, Proctor & Gamble, Yahoo, Toyota, People Express, Manpower, Toys “R” Us, National Football League, Kellogg, Johnson Publishing, Firestone Tire & Rubber, Avon Products, Hilton Hotels, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Singer Sewing, Shorebank Corp., Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer, L.L. Bean and H.J. Heinz.

From the aforementioned, you will observe that all the companies are household names, not only that, we cannot do without the said companies and/or products in the world today. For your information, all the various founders have one head each and they were all born just as you were born. So what is your excuse? FEAR!!! Please, banish your fear and hold the bull by the horns so that your own name can be amongst the people that will change the world in the foreseeable future.

Tai Solarin said that, “may your road be rough.” As far as I am concerned, it is not a curse but an encouragement to thrive and do more during adversity. In his Book entitled; Mayflower: The Story of a School. Tai Solarin succeeded in leaving a legacy behind and the school is still there in Ikenne, Ogun State like a rock of Gibraltar. Not only that, a lot of people that finished from Mayflower have contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria in all ramifications. Tai Solarin built and left a legacy. Who says you too cannot?

Nothing good comes easy and one must pay the price for success. There is no big deal in becoming a super star or a great entrepreneur, what you need most is determination and the passion to succeed.

So keep the dream alive! Success shall be yours.

See You at the TOP!

Muideen Adebayo Ibrahim is an entrepreneur: the Founder, LIBRA CONSULTING; a Management Consultancy Firm and BAMIB RESOURCES (a Pencil Company) based in Lagos and can be reached via muideenibrahim2004@yahoo.com or

08037221517 (sms) only please!

PS: This write up will henceforth be in series and would be released every Monday. My aim is to encourage as many people as possible to become entrepreneurs and my target is to reach at least 10,000.00 people within the next eighteen months.