Boma Braide: Is Entrepreneurship the answer to low-paying jobs?
I have been asking this question since the new change agents came on board in the running of affairs of Nigeria. Right now, everything is on the rise. The cost of fuel went up last week and so did the cost of every other thing in Nigeria. 1 fingerling of a bunch of plantain is as high as 250 naira in some parts of Lagos Mainland not to talk of 3 number of sick looking tomatoes that happens to be 200 naira. The whole thing looks like a scary-tale but this is the reality on ground.
Costs of products and services have gone up but our salaries still remain the same. There’s talk of increasing civil servants minimum wage but nobody in the private sector is even talking about increasing our salaries. Yet our targets remain the same. For those of us that work in a marketing and selling situation they seem to have increased our unrealistic targets. Can you imagine being told to bring in 44 million naira monthly as a target? A friend of mine was recently complaining that her target was recently pegged at 50 million naira the other day and was queried for not meeting her targets. Yet in 4 months on an average this babe had brought in on an average that same 50 million naira. Wonders would never end in this Nigeria. It seems to me they actually want her to go above and beyond that 50 million (in these TRYING times). How is that even possible, when to bring in the 50 million naira is a big challenge.
Just yesterday I was at a supermarket somewhere in Lekki and the lady beside kept on muttering under her breath “it is well.” She might have said it like 25 times because at the end of her time been there, she simply laughed and walked out of the shop leaving the rest of us in total dismay. I thought of her pocket, her budget and her family. See what change has caused.
My people there is serious famine in the land and do we just fold our arms and watch on with our low paying jobs and draconian bosses ready to change us with new unsuspecting job applicants! I know it can never be well for them but must we just sit down in our little corners and just complain and complain. In the words of Pastor Poju Oyemade of Covenant Christian Church the more problems the more solutions and we too must overcome.
Even the foreigners are crying for this untold hardship in Nigeria. I had the opportunity to speak with an expatriate neighbour of mine the other day and he too was complaining of the harshness in the economy because of the chaos we have found ourselves in.
But you know what, we can rant and rant all day about the high rate of unemployment but if we are not doing anything about it then the corruption that is being fought would thrive. I believe in solutions and solutions I would proffer. If there are no jobs, why don’t we create our own jobs. I know people would gladly pay us for our services and products. Let’s try something new. Let’s try entrepreneurship.
You don’t need qualifications, money, a planet-sized-brain or even a particularly very good idea to start. All an entrepreneur ever does is create something that consistently makes money. It is as simple as that.
Think of a company as a machine you design and build. Your ‘machine’ always has certain parts. It sells something to someone, and re-invests some of that to help make more sales in the future. What is left over is profit for the owners.
If you can design, build, own and care for such a machine, you can become very rich indeed. That doesn’t mean it is easy, but most of the barriers that you think will stop you won’t. Interested?
Let’s talk about you
Are you young, poor, unqualified – a student, or like me hating your job? Maybe a touch of rebellion? Perfect. You have no bad habits, and will work until your fingernails fall out and your eyeballs roll onto the desk. The world awaits you.
Older, wiser, bit of money saved, experienced with a stable job? Maybe a mortgage and kids? Your job is much harder. It can be done, but it might feel like you’re trying to dance backwards through quicksand.
The most important qualities of a good entrepreneur are energy and determination. It doesn’t hurt to be persuasive, but this can be learned. I started out as a shy little thing at age 11; I soon learned how to sell when it was the only way I could get pocket change and most recently to feed myself.
Enough of me rambling. Let’s go out there and make you a bajillion of naira.
Boma Braide is a Consultant with Forterun Global Resources, owner ForterunSocial - A Social Media & SEO Dashboard for Businesses and Entrepreneurs. He also blogs on MySocial and Forterun Blog.
