Lagos State government has reiterated its determination to tackle multiple taxes in the bid create jobs and unleash entrepreneurial potential of residents.

Speaking in Lagos, the Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr Babatunde Durosimi-Etti  said  the  state is  working to reduce tax and regulatory burdens on business.

Consequently, there are moves to harmonise taxes between the state and local government councils to enable businesses pay all their  taxes thorough a single window.

He reiterated that the government is  determined to  incentivise the creation of new jobs in the formal sector by  focusing  on infrastructure development, skill development, rural economy  to have  a direct impact on job creation.

According to him, the government is promoting domestic manufacturing sector, while simplification in tax rules for start-ups and small businesses would encourage entrepreneurship in the country and boost job creation.

These measures, he  added, would  have the potential to create gainful employment, build domestic demand and thereby revitalise the economy.

Durosimi-Etti noted that the state was going to witness a rapid escalation of efforts to produce moreentrepreneurs and better support them.

He saidthe government is determined  to  help the  next generation of entrepreneurs get the financial help – and the confidence – to turn that spark of an idea, into a growing, thriving business.

He maintained that there are plans to ensure workforce has the skills necessary to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Meanwhile , stakeholders at the just concluded Lagos State Government Wealth Creation and Employment Summit have called on policy makers and business leaders to work together to aid skills development and instigate labour policies that would help workers cope with the economic structural changes.

The summit urged the government to create the enabling environment to help smaller businesses exploit the business opportunities, by improving resource efficiency of SMEs and facilitating market access for entrepreneurs.

The summit observed that access to finance constitutes one of the most significant constraints on growth and entrepreneurship, adding that entrepreneurs have particular difficulties in raising finance in the early stages of their businesses.

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A Lagos entrepreneur is making waves with her call and order cake service. She personifies the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerian women. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Lagos entrepreneur Mrs Kwaghdoo Enyi, is reaping from perfecting the art of baking cakes. She is the proprietor of Kays Pastries Limited, a pastry company based in Lagos. She schooled at FGGC Gboko and read Economics at Benue State University.

What started off as baking for loved ones soon transformed into a business for Mrs Kwaghdoo Enyi. Having worked in a corporate environment, she wanted to do something creative. She used to bake on and off, since she was a child. She discovered a passion for baking and found her baked goodies were a hit among friends .That was when she seriously thought about turning it into a full time entrepreneurial venture.

She said : “I have baked since I was a teenager, luckily for me I had the full support of my Dad, I formally registered a company called Kays Pastries Limited in 2008.”

She added: “I started off in my kitchen, baking for friends and family with basically, my cooker oven and a hand mixer.”

Having decided that she wanted to start a home bakery business, she invested in a reasonably large oven and several baking equipment.  She has 15 staff.  Her expenses are flour, butter and other bakery items.  She said : “My company is a call and order cake service, we offer specialty bespoke cakes for events, cakes tailored to reflect the hobbies and personalities of our clients.”

Delivery is also fast; with cakes delivered in a short notice. Maintaining good relations with clients, colleagues in the industry as well as other entrepreneurs is also key. A passion for baking and the artistic side of cake decorating has steered her through the tough challenges in the business.

On ideas, she is constantly on the lookout for new trends and also undergoes training any chance she gets.

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There are countless talented make-up artists, but very few who possess the entrepreneurial skills required to take their talent to the next level. Asabe Tonia Moses has a business to prove she’s one of the select few.

Asabe Tonia Moses popularly known as ATM is a make-up artist. A graduate of Mass Communications from Kaduna Polytechnic, she never really thought of make-up as a career.

But things just changed. Her words: “The idea started during the previous one year industrial strike (ASUP). While the strike lasted,  I normally go for make-up modeling at Dee Jang make-up studio and academy, Kaduna. It was more of a dream come true, because I love colours and looking good as well. So I decided to go into make-up knowing full  well that I’ve got to pursue a dream even before I graduate from school. I chosed makeup artistry because I’m passionate about it. I love colours, I love to look good .Of course it is lucrative.”

The  strike was a blessing in disguise as she took advantage of it to start her make-up artistry business.  She started with little capital. She started with N100, 000.  She has been in the business for three years now.

So far, the  experience is rewarding financially and emotionally. She has learned so much about make-up artistry and products, and how to behave on set and interact with people in that world.

To achieve this, she has given everything to it. With experience, she knows how to pick the right make-up for red carpet looks, understand the lighting in different venues, and knows how to work well with celebrities. She has really worked hard on building trust.

One thing also helping ATM is her media background. This helps her to build relationships and get booked on bigger jobs.  Regularly, new clients request for her based on word-of-mouth.

Over time, she  found out that the business needs somebody that is patient, creative, calm, reliable, thick-skin to criticism, warm-hearted, eager to please, confident, flexible, jovial, ability to style-step and passionate. She almost has all of these.

Apart from being a make-up artist and beauty expert, she is a successful businesswoman and presenter. Her  most satisfying moment is graduating seven students under her own studio. In addition to running her company, she is also a freelance presenter.

As her brand continues to grow nationally, her message remains the same: “The secret to beauty is simple—be who you are.”

She is proud of her accomplishments. In 10, 20, years to come, she sees herself and business close to AlikoDangotes’.

Her words: “ He is  my mentor, and I quote him.“ So many youths want to be like me over night but it took me 30 years to be where I am today. Start small with big dreams.

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Her dream of starting a furniture company has turned into an amazing entrepreneurial success story. Founder and Creative Director of Design Options (DO.II), Mrs Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, is a living proof of a dream come true. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

The founder and Creative Director of Design Options (DO.II), Mrs Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, always wanted people  to buy beautiful furniture and home furnishings and this desire became her mission.

She said: “I was 12 years old when my father was studying for his MBA degree. He would come home from the university and tutor me on what he was studying. This inspired my interest in business. I decided to study accountancy in the university because I was very good in Mathematics and also because I knew I was eventually going to pursue a career in business.

While I was at the university, I discovered my interest in interiors. Upon graduation, I decided that my interest in interior design would be my future career. Eventually what I actually ended up practising which is my real passion, is furniture manufacturing. The interior design aspect of my business is to support the core business of furniture manufacturing.”

In 1990, she took the plunge into business ownership, kissed jobs good-bye, and set out in pursuit of the dream of starting a furniture production company. She started doing some small jobs and mainly through personal sale, until she began to get more and more work. “Design Options was started with little or no capital and was built on goodwill and excellent business practices,” she said, adding. “Today, the picture is different.”  Now, with a steady stream of orders coming in, she has moved to a bigger workshop where she has the potential and a space to do more designs. The place is much more industrial-manufacturing friendly and there’s room for expansion. The movement to a bigger workshop has resulted in her increasing her staff strength.

On how much DO.II is worth now, she said: “It is safe to say we have quadrupled more than our initial investment.”  At the moment the main challenge, is the high cost of production and the lack of cost effective power supply.  She noted: “Alongside this I would say the lack of a consistent flow of high quality raw materials, a very low calibre of manpower and an unregulated competition from imports, render us a lot less competitive than our foreign counterparts. We cannot work without power, so I will say that is actually one of our major challenges.

To boost capacity, she has employed over 40 technicians who provide their expertise in various capacities and departments.

Today, she has built a company that produces furniture from a large production facility in Ojota, Lagos, with regular deliveries to large corporate and government agencies.  Her service is proving to be in  high demand and she offers her impressive craftsmanship in both traditional and contemporary styles. She has had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to build something from nothing.

The sacrifices are huge, no surprise there. Fortunately however, the payoff happens a little bit each day. It comes in the form of accomplishments every week as she watches the   little company turn into a national brand. What she has learnt over the years is that design and business are interlinked – one cannot succeed without the other. The other thing is that positive leadership conveys a clear message and vision to the staff.  Consequently, she is enthusing her staff with passion and dedication to business and this has gone a long way to helping the company achieve success.

The best thing that has happened to her is recruiting young crops of professionals determined to see the business grow. Right now, the young team is taking the image and brand of the company seriously. These efforts are impacting on revenue and brand awareness.

She is encouraged by the fact that growth will continue to accelerate in the face of the current economic downturn and the attitude of government towards banning importation of products that can be produced locally.

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It is no news our economy is troubled. The removal of subsidy, the exchange rate, the price of tomatoes! It seems like the external pressures keep piling up and we are all forced to adjust to our new reality. And while the price of everything is on the increase, income remains stagnant while business revenues are declining.

The economic crunch is undoubtedly here with us requiring survival strategies by all.

The big companies seem to have advisers who teach them how to handle and survive in this economy, but what about small business owners? Here are suggestions for small business owners on how to cope with the economic situation in the country.

MONITOR EXPENSES

As a small business owner, you should make sure your business makes more income than expenditure . That is the essence of business.

You should monitor your expenses to know exactly which aspect of the businesses more money is spent on. This can be done in various ways depending on the size of business and the accounts being monitored. Expenses can be monitored from the use of apps to trusted professionals.

Since in a tough economy, everyone is looking to cut costs. It is possible that the service or goods you offer is being cut out of someone’s budget. Because of this, you have to ensure your company is only spending on necessary things.

After monitoring expenses, ensure you save money by reducing all non-strategic costs such as office supplies, administrative fees and others. If you decide to keep production budgets low, ensure that you still deliver quality products and services so as to set competitive prices.

WORK ON YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE

Although some people may disagree, studies show that the best time to diversify or introduce new aspects of a business is during tough economic times. The beauty of your small business is that you can achieve this without the financial and marketing struggles big businesses have to deal with. Ensure that the parts of your business you are offering to clients are necessities, so that even when clients cut budgets, your product remains a part of the said budget since it is a necessity. Remember to offer clients value for their money and pay attention to critical components of your operations

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT

This is no time to lose your clients. A recession makes it difficult to gain new customers, so why lose the ones you have worked hard to acquire?  During times like this, customer service and employee engagement are often put on hold while there is major focus on financial cutbacks.

While you concentrate on finances, ensure that your attention is also focused on employees. Feel free to ask for their inputs when creating strategies for your business’ survival. Make their care, happiness and support a priority. Happy employees will deliver top-notch services.

You should also ensure customers feel appreciated. This can be done by using first names when rendering services, listening to complaints and ensuring those clients’ needs are met. You should remain accessible to clients via social media, phone, and emails and other channels.

Ensure you are giving clients quality for money paid so as to keep them coming back. Make clients feel appreciated at all times. The highest levels of customer service given to customers will always reflect positively in sales

POSITIVE LEADERSHIP

Even after a recession, your leadership skills play an important role in the survival of your company. No matter how difficult things may be for your company currently, do not repeatedly tell employees that you are unable to pay salaries, or show reduced faith in the future of the business.

This kind of behavior in a leader may create a lackadaisical attitude in employees and even theft as some may work with the “after all the management can’t pay us this month” mentality.

This is also the worst time to leave employees to do the everyday running of your business. Whether you have clients or not, be present at your office. Work with the same passion when setting up the business. Lead with clarity and commitment. Set monthly goals and ensure that employees are motivated throughout the recession so your business does not suffer a reduction in productivity.

The post How small businesses can survive tough economic times appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

With a rapidly expanding population, Nigeria is facing severe environmental problems. The Redeemed Christian Church, Province 49, Igando, and Owoeye Foundation held a business emRecycle workshop/empowerment programme to expose members to opportunities through turning waste into wealth, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

From businesses that produce containers out of recycled plastic waste materials, to those  producing  bags, totes, and wallets from leftover, excess or obsolete airbags, many  companies are finding  new uses for recycled waste materials.

With intensive recycling taking place, the huge swell of waste materials are now available to manufacturers of corrugated cardboard, newsprint, and toilet tissue allowing them to play one material off another.

The result is an increasing number of green entrepreneurs making money from waste and emerging businesses   contributing  significantly towards building livelihoods  and  a world of flourishing communities in which eco-entrepreneurship drives sustainable development.

There are now entrepreneurs and firms involved in the purchasing, processing and brokering of scrap materials including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, electronics, rubber, plastics, glass and textiles.  One of those in the business is Chief Executive Officer, T. Cynthia Nigeria Limited Mrs Cynthia Saka.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Redeemed Christian Church, Province 49, Igando, Lagos State  and Owoleye Foundation , Mrs  Saka   said  competition for recovered material is also intense In the marketplace.

She explained that   a pile of garbage now represented a means of livelihood, and not something from which to turn away in disgust.

Mrs  Saka noted that there are opportunities for people to make money by collecting recyclables.

She said, whether it’s salvage or recycling, there is a host of business opportunities that not only offer good career paths, they are rewarding too.

According to her, waste recycling is an industry dedicated to transforming end-of-life products and industrial scrap into new commodity grade materials and driving economies by making the old, new again.

The recycling industry, she added, is not only a thriving economic engine, but also a pivotal player in environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainability.

With the talk about more green jobs, she said the recycling industry has capacity to create environmentally friendly jobs and other opportunities.

According to her, there are business opportunities throughout the value chain, not only for entrepreneurs interested in processing scrap materials into new, usable commodity inputs, but for those who want to supply the industry with recycled materials.

With new markets, she said the nation’s recycled materials producers create demand for materials that might otherwise end up in landfills.

According to her, new entrants can start from collecting used metals, plastics, reusable bottles, worn out shoes and clothes from households. The collected materials, she said can be sold to intermediate buyers.

The fact that there are many scavengers on dump sites today, she noted, demonstrated that value is found in trash. The most valuable finds are copper, aluminum, hard plastic containers and cardboard.  Because of these the scavengers, consisting men, women, elderly people and children competed for the best finds through the trash, in the rain and blinding sunshine, day and night.

According to her, many Nigerians work in a diverse range of solid waste based businesses – recycling and up-cycling plastics, organics, papers, fabrics and metals and make huge amount of money .

She said the industry does the nation a great service by reducing various types of pollution and taking away the things that would normally clutter up landfills.

President, United Recyclers Association, Afolabi Saheed, said there are opportunities for more Nigerians to explore opportunities provided through piles of unwanted goods such as glass, metal and plastic, which are then sold to scrap dealers, who then process the waste and sell it on either to be recycled or to be used directly by the industry.

According to him, a lot of industries that can’t survive without the heavy input of recycled material.

He highlighted the many positive economic contributions of the recycling industry to the nation’s manufacturing landscape.

The  President, the Men Fellowship, Mr Okey Eboh  said the group organised  the forum to create more  income earning opportunities for members.

He urged members to take advantage of the opportunities the forum offered.

He called on participants to seek knowledge that would make them economically self-reliant.

Principal Partner, Olugbenga Ibrahim & Associates, Mr Olugbenga Ibrahim said the forum is critical and will expose members to opportunities in waste recycling and collection. He urged members to explore emerging business opportunities to boost their income streams.

He acknowledged that the recycling industry has opened opportunities for   job creation.

As manufacturing ramped up and became more complex in response to society’s expanding needs, scrap recycling took on even greater importance, adapting not only to market drivers, but also shifting national priorities.

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Entrepreneurship is the latest buzzword across campuses and business segments as thousands of young Nigerians opt to be job-creators rather than job-seekers. U.S. based entrepreneur, Mary Olushoga, has established a platform to promote and mentor startups, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

When the Chief Executive, African Women Power (AWP) Network, Mary Olushoga, was doing her postgraduate studies in the United States (U.S.), she was inspired by  powerful testimonials from  entrepreneurs across the world, who  overcame the barriers that often prevent women  and men from succeeding in business.

After her studies in New York, she sensed the opportunities ahead of her and realised that being an entrepreneur was a worthy path to pursue. After graduation, she established African Women Power (AWP) Network in 2012.

Since then, she has never looked back and she is today in-charge of an empowerment network, reaching out to young and would-be entrepreneurs across sectors including finance, logistics, and healthcare.

She said: “After graduation, my foray into entrepreneurship and the business development space began at the New York City Department of Small Business Services, where I helped businesses start, grow and expand. From there I served as a Public Policy Fellow at the New York State Department of Transportation, followed by working as Programme and Project Manager at Count Me in for Women’s Economic Independence, where I directed the initiative supporting female business owners (nationwide) funded by American Express.

“My interest in small business continued as I moved to NY City’s Business Solutions Center before giving entrepreneurship a try, and launching my own business – the African Women Power (AWP) Network.”

“This idea came to me after a number of years working in the economic development space. I saw first hand, how the resources provided helped entrepreneurs become more successful in their endeavours. I saw how better access to business resources, education, and financing helped to transform the lives of entrepreneurs.

“After years of working in the small business development space, I decided the time was right.”

She  then launched the AWP Network as a solution to the unemployment issue facing Africa, particularly Nigeria, as the most populous country on the continent.

“The idea is that if we provide a supportive community to African entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, they will be sustainable and in turn create jobs and hire, thereby reducing unemployment. It is not an easy mission, but it is possible. At the AWP Network, we see entrepreneurship as a solution,”she said.

A mix between public relations  consultancy and small business development service, Olushoga’s platform shares startup stories of  entrepreneurs, organises events, webinars and clinics, and creates opportunities to connect with business experts in marketing, technology and human resources fields, for example. She mentors and  inspires  youths  to maximise their potential. The AWP Network is an internationally recognised award-winning storytelling and training platform.

She  said: “We interview African entrepreneurs and provide them with a platform to get their stories out to the media. One of such entrepreneurs is Bukola Dawodu. I first met Bukola when AWP launched its photo contest in 2013. Today, Bukola has featured on CNN Africa, NTA, and other media platforms. So, yes! We have a few success stories.”

The AWP Network also offers various training programmes. The first, is AWP Network Agribusiness Training for Women, this allows them  to work with women farmers in Northern Nigeria helping them to improve farming techniques, practices, as well as increase yield and production at reduced cost. This training is fully funded and supported by the Planet Earth Institute.

The other is the Dream project, which was initially launched with the HOPE Foundation at Covenant University, where they  train secondary school students and help them to write their business plans as well as provide monetary support for their business ideas.

Currently ongoing is the AWP Network Photo Contest, that allows them through the art of photography see how young people under 30 view entrepreneurship.

In addition, the Network has held social media trainings and leadership workshops. Also in the works is to launch the AWP Network Coding Academy for Girls, a programme to teach girls how to code in Calabar.

Olushoga is a vital voices global leadership fellow, a Planet Earth Institute, Africa Data challenge winner, an indiafrica young visionary fellow, a women4africa international media woman of the year award winner, a Crans Montana ‘new leader among others.

The AWP Network is proudly recognised as one of the leading organisations supporting African Women in Technology.

Internationally, she works with influential networks of entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors and advisors, as well as potential partners, strategic alliances, customers and suppliers, who can help the entrepreneurs think bigger, scale their companies and become market leaders.

She is determined to help Nigeria create jobs, support the economy to thrive and provide really important employment safeguards. She is determined to campaign for entrepreneurs and women’s economic empowerment.

The post Grooming tomorrow’s entrepreneurs appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

The nation’s social challenges are getting too big for governments and nonprofits to cope. This necessitates the need for social change entrepreneus. But there are challenges, according to a national social change summit that ended in Lagos, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

As Nigeria races to build out strategies for fostering local innovation and technology, there is a tremendous opportunity for forward-thinking social entrepreneurs. Rarely has the need for new ways of thinking been more glaring. From the sluggish economic growth and financial instability, hunger, poverty, and disease, people have come to realise that the old ways of doing things no longer work. One of those who share this thought is the  Chairman, First Bank Group, Mrs Ibukun Awosika.

Mrs Awosika said the economy is  looking for  innovators to increase opportunities and improve people’s quality of life.

She spoke during the social change summit organised by  Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) and Omidyar Network in Lagos.

Mrs Awosika  said the economy  needs creative and innovative solutions for fostering sustainable growth, securing jobs, and increasing competitive abilities.

Challenging youths, she maintained that the economy  has opened  opportunities that can  provide job opportunities for unemployed youth.

Around the country, she noted that the challenge of unemployment is growing by the year.

She  urged youths to explore new types of work, offering new opportunities to  improve the social and economic well-being of entire families, communities and nations.

Chief  Executive, Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB ), Bosun Tijani  urged Nigerians and  organisations  to transform  into active investors backing social  businesses   that  boost  startup ecosystem and  the economy.

He maintained that CCHub   has established itself as  a  centre for social innovation and entrepreneurship by supporting the development of applications to address  challenges  that require innovative ways of applying new technology along with grassroots-based solutions.

Tijani said the centre is ready to support young innovators, as their presence was going to provide the impetus for economic growth and social change.

He said CC hub has turned  its attention to technology  projects that produce things people can use —  like apps designed to help produce a functional blood supply  system.

These initiatives, according to him, have helped solidify Nigeria’s place on the global stage of technological innovation. They also help raise money.

The hub’s work so far has been a hit with tech savvy, artistic and young residents of Lagos and turned Yaba into the nation’s Silicon Valley.

Tijani said his organisation is working with international partners to help support the country’s startup and innovation sectors in developing new technologies for use around the world.

He reiterated that CC hub is scaling expertise and a platform to generate strong commercial returns for social investors.

So far, Tijani said the centre  has provided incubation space for  60   technology companies and  helped develop more entrepreneurs, companies and jobs.

Principal  Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Wiebe Boer said negative  reporting about Nigeria is not helping to attract foreign investment into the country.

He said Nigeria needs to improve the enabling environment for businesses to attract FDI.  According to him, the nation’s poor infrastructure is one of the country’s greatest challenges when it comes to attracting capital as it makes Nigeria uncompetitive in almost all sectors.

Director of Investments, Omidyar Network   Mrs. Ory Okolloh said her organisation is funding journalism-related projects.

She  observed  that  the number of funded journalism projects has seen an ongoing increase over time and includes a growing number of proposals from established media organisations. Such support, she added, have helped  innovative journalists overcome logistical obstacles, censorship, and other impediments to reporting the news. This kind of support, she explained,  ensures independent and investigative reporting .

As the general public, entrepreneurs, regulators, small businesses, educators, students and industry groups become more aware of crowd funding and the impact on small business funding, a groundswell of interest has emerged sparking dialogue and events bringing crowd funding education, awareness and issues into the spotlight. Managing Partner, Co-creation Hub, Tunji Elesho is one of them.

He observed that the crowd funding industry is exploding with entrepreneurs, investors, portal operators, wondering why Nigerians are not taking advantage of a promising and new fundraising channel for social projects.

Country Manager, International Finance Corporation Nigeria Eme Essien Lore said online  fund raising  platforms need to be regulated  and a set of due diligence  performed before allowing investors and issuers on their platform.

Mrs Essien Lore said  the broader financial system is much deeper and richer for entrepreneurs  with high growth potential to explore  to  translate their   ideas beyond the scope of crowdfunding markets.Mrs Essien Lore said  the economy is suffering because  businesses  have not experienced  the benefits  of   technological infrastructure that  could enable the nation  to develop more quickly  as other  industrialised countries  in Africa.

According to her, having good connectivity is a good way of encouraging business  growth, adding that compared to  countries such as Kenya and Ghana, Nigeria has not  made  massive economic leap  because of the state of infrastructure projects.

She  described  Nigeria  as  a global treasure trove of natural resources, but  businesses  see  the decrepit infrastructure as  a barrier to growth. She stressed  the need  for social investment finance to generate social and financial returns,adding that  it will  help social enterprises to fund innovation and grow, and provide investors another way of supporting social change while getting a return on their money.

The post Building social entrepreneurs appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

Agro entrepreneurs are exploring little grown crops with big returns. The strategy is to make money within a short period and attract young people and more Nigerians to business opportunities in the agro industry. DANIELESSIET reports.

Farming is fascinating but requires hard work to make your millions, Sotonye Anga, Coordinator, Agribusiness & Youth Empowerment, Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria has said. He is one of those who made their millions from ginger business.

He  is an agribusiness strategist with experience spanning 20 years in plantation development, value addition to crops and export of agricultural commodities.

His love for ginger is evident by the ease with which he talks about the opportunities the plant provides for those who do the farming and those prepared to export it at the end. He exports his ginger  to customers in the United States, Asia and Europe .

At the local market, households go for ginger because of its health benefits.  It is used for the preparation of herbal medicines and as spices for food. Because of this, the business is attracting a lot of farmers in the north as demand for the produce grows across the country.

With an investment of N300, 000 in ginger farming, he said one can make about 20 per cent profit. One can start on two to four acres.  The price is however determined by the prevailing demand and the season.

With proceeds from ginger and crops, Anga has been able to send his children to school, and invested in agro commodities business that enables him to fly on airplanes to his farm location like an average bank executive.

Those who want to export, he explained, would need about N3 million for one container but the return is between 20 to 25 per cent.

Anga said the demand for ginger across the globe is too huge to be met at the current production capacity and, as such, the industry needs new entrants, especially to meet export demand where the price is determined in dollars. He believes   ginger cultivation can help individuals lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

Apart from export, he said farmers can make enough money from  proceeds to help them set up their own small businesses.

Ginger and other crops  produced in the country feed an enourmous internal and external market. Soaring prices for commodities, he believes, would help lift the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Strong crop yields, higher productivity, according to him,  would help  Nigeria  earn more  foreign exchange  with increasing  global demand .

Working with  Colossus Academy ,Anga  said  this is an opportunity for Nigerians who want to farm and export ginger  and they are prepared to help  those who are starting ginger farming.  His advice for new farmers is to get into crops that give millions within four years. These include cashew, ginger and sesame seeds.

He explained that there are opportunities for Nigerians to process ginger and commodities.

He said CollosusAcademy is ready to work with producers and exporters on adding value by expanding activities to provide services such as collection and transport and improving the product.

According to him, improving packaging, quality standards and supply chain logistics are key elements in adding value and improving returns to farmers and exporters.

He added that technical assistance is also provided to producers on certification.

Part of efforts  of Colossus Academy is to promote the expansion of farming and commodity businesses that help   to improve the standard of living of the Nigerians, including entrepreneurial youths.

Colossus Academy President, Mr TolaFaseru indicated that the academy is determined to improve the value and marketing of the nation’s key commodities.

A successful cashew and cocoa entrepreneur, Faseru, stressed that the overall economic growth depends on performance in agriculture.

He highlighted that his academy is determined to help farmers and exporters of commodities to develop sustainable businesses in global value chains is an expertise of academy.

He reiterated that the academy is ready to assist farmers in adding value to their products.

To be competitive in today’s global marketplace, he believes Nigerian farmers need to be integrated into the full chain of production, from farm to fork.

His academy is facilitating this integration, enabling producers to better connect with agricultural trade and market opportunities.

Through the programme, he wants to train Nigerians on business strategies to meet the global food security and exports challenge.

The post ‘Growing ginger is hard work but very profitable’ appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

Fifteen-year-old master Babaimilehin Daomi is putting Lagos State in the limelight with innovations that have won him an award in Abuja. Daniel Essiet writes.

While most teenagers spend their free time playing video games, Master  Babaimilehin Daomi, a pupil of Dobar College in Ikorodu Local Government Area, Lagos State, has been working on creating self-powered appliances. His impressive works have already  earned him an award of ‘Outstanding Innovation in Technology’. The award  was presented by Kids & Teens with Outstanding Leadership Abilities (KOLA) Initiative in Abuja.

The 15-year-old captured everyone’s attention with the creation of a device that could charge cellphones in just minutes and do away with the smartphone battery-related anxiety once and for all. He has also got the attention of the state government.

Babaimilehin is gaining national recognition with little technology projects that separates inventors from ordinary people.  His remarkable success has made him one of the most famous young inventors in the country, a hero to hundreds of young inventors with great innovative stories  to tell.  The teenager rose to prominence after showing off a prototype version of portable charger and fan that he made.

The capabilities of Babamilehin enabled him to do a lot of  fabrications and prototypes.

While he is one of the youngest techies to find success, he is not dedicating his life now to making money but to improve on his products so they can make good business sense for large tech firms.

The post Here comes Daomi, the young innovator appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

A non-governmental organisation (NGO)), CHAMP Xceptional Women Network, a platform commited to women empowerment, has stepped up efforts at training women on how to start their businesses and market their products. Daniel Essiet reports.

THE Founder of CHAMP Xceptional Women Network, the platform committed to women empowerment, Mr. Abiola Salami, believes that entrepreneurs are the backbone of the economy and that they can  influence economic change within their  areas  and communities.

He has, therefore, been leading empowerment programmes  for  entrepreneurs especially women eager for tips on how to start and market their products or business.

He said: “Our primary targets are women between 18 and 40  who seek to live, learn and lead everyday like champions.We have received amazing testimonials from women above 40, who have received value from our programmes and products over the years.”

Salami said, for instance, that a testimony from a well-educated woman in her 70s, who attended one of the organisation’s programmes was encouraging. “I rediscover myself and renew my confidence anytime I attend your programmes,” he quoted the woman as saying.

Salami explained that the goal of the Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) was to be a hub for learning about entrepreneurship. He said the NGO was  partnering with government officials, community leaders and organisations on strategies that support entrepreneurship.

His organisation offers trainings and connects people who successfully support entrepreneurs.And as rural entrepreneurship continues to be a focus for the government, Salami believes  that the country  needs programmes  that support ,grow and  meet the needs of  start-ups and   entrepreneurs.

He  said he wants Nigerians to begin to see that there are  opportunities for people who want to start growing their businesses and  entrepreneurs to know they are not alone. He noted that the number of new businesses set up have increased  significantly.

Salami also noted that the  existing talents across the  sectors are potential pool that can be tapped into for innovative ideas. He said relevant government agencies need to consider programmes to develop, such talents with the necessary training and schemes to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

He said in 2013, his organisation  established the Women Making A Difference Awards, which is a yearly recognition and appreciation award for young and top women who have made sterling contributions to their families, industries and communities.

“We reward excellence, consistency, uniqueness, competence and exceptional acts that can serve as inspiration to other young and top women. Some of the top women who we have recognised over the past three years include Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Dr.Mo Abudu, Mrs Uchenna Erobu, Mrs Amina Oyagbola, Prof. Remi Sonaya, Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori and Senator Oluremi Tinubu,” Salami said.

Some of the young women the organisation has recognised include Maureen Iyasele, Adebola Deji-Kurunmi, Rita Ezenwa-Okoro, Kemi Ajumobi, Adesewa Josh and Tolulope Otunoluwa.

Salami said he is determined to  provide women  with information on income opportunities  to improve their standard of living; finding markets for their produce and to help them  in developing their skills in value-added production, business management and marketing through training.

He is also keen to attract more  younger women to serve as examples to other women of what can be achieved with limited capital resources, but strong determination and hard work.

To improve information sharing and promote networking, his organisation holds sessions to discuss the key challenges and new opportunities to enhance women’s led businesses.

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Innovation is critical to the success of interior design business. The Chief Executive, Blue Mahogany, an interior design outfit, Omon Anenih-Mordi, is aware of this. The entrepreneur is, therefore, riding the crest of innovative ideas and skills to delight her customers and change the face of interior design business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

THE has become a household name in the interior design business. Among the rich and famous, the Chief Executive of Blue Mahogany, an upscale interior design outfit, Omon Anenih-Mordi (a.k.a OaM),  has carved a niche for herself in  the interior design business.

With an increasing clientele,  sustained over the years with innovation and quality service delivery, Anenih-Mordi has become an entrepreneurial sensation, and she  appears determined to remain in the driving seat of interior design business in the country.

Her customers are mostly celebrities who engage her services to transform their homes. They are drawn mostly by her exquisite, eye-popping designs and professional advice.

But Anenih-Mordi’s rise to fame and fortune in the interior decor busniess was not instant; she had always loved the business right  from her young age. This was why after her degree, she decided to home her skills by enrolling for a design training in the United Kingdom (UK).

Since the completion of the training, she has never looked back. The innovation and skills she acquired from the training, which she has brought to bear on the business, has made her one of the most sought after in the crowded market for interior designers.

With a rare combination of beauty, brain and brawn, Anenih-Mordi has since incorporated Blue Mahogany Ltd. That was in 2006. She has been dedicated to the team ever since. Her international training and experience as well as her local knowledge has made her an invaluable asset to numerous project teams and a sought after expert in design, lifestyle and luxury.

Interestingly, the budding entrepreneur wanted to be a lawyer. Hear her: “Everyone told me I would be great at it (Law) and in theory, I was. I remember being in the university and negotiating an agreement with my landlady that involved a small discount if she would let me wallpaper my bedroom myself. Up until my mid-20s I still didn’t consider the possibility of design as a career. It wasn’t an option on my radar. For years I spent my days watching grand designs, and various home make-over shows. At some point, I read a book that planted a question in my head, one that I was never able to shake off. If I could do anything, what would I do? I knew then I wouldn’t be a lawyer.”

She said although, in her vision of herself as a petroleum lawyer, she was successful, but not fulfilled. “So I took some time to explore my passions, hobbies, and consider the things I would do for a living. Eventually the penny dropped and the rest is history, “ she said.

She had her challenges though. Like other start-ups, Anenih-Mordi said she started the business with nothing. Hear her: “I started with little to nothing really. Just as much as it took to register with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).  Eventually I had to sell my car to pay rent, but that is a whole other story.”

Despite the initial challenges, her rare ambition to succeed paid off.  With 16  full time staff, a team of free lancers and other consultants and professionals who  collaborate with her from time to time, Anenih-Mordi has hit it big.

Today, she is in the position to mentor and counsel young entrepreneurs. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Keep on learning. To be a game-changer you need to read, explore, experience, inquire, ask questions, experiment. Go through magazines, journals, books, blogs, exhibitions, everyday situations… anywhere you can learn, be inspired, challenged or given a question to ponder or a problem to solve.”

She also advised them not to be  passive observers, but solution providers.  She said she had made  sacrifices to become a successful entrepreneur. “There are many choices I have made and continue to make. Nights I had to work late or mornings I had set out extra early. Holidays I haven’t gone on,“ she said.

She however, said despite all these, each day still brings a new satisfaction. “Sometimes it is just enough that I have gotten through the day and crossed a few things off my ‘to do’ list. Other times it is getting an email from an aspiring designer or hopeful entrepreneur who wants to know how I did it and then I think to myself, I did it,” she stated.

She also said in her rise to fame and fortune, one of the biggest things she detested was mediocrity.  “To be successful you have to give up ‘ok’ in exchange for ‘excellent’ or at the very least, ‘better’,” she said.

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West African delegates to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit have held an investors and delegates breakfast meeting at the Stanford University, United States.

It had as theme ‘Partnering for growth in the West African sub-region’.

According to the conveners, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Stanford Seed, Afolabi Abiodun  and the Managing Director /CEO of Health Forever Product Nigeria, Abimbola Okubena both alumni of Stanford Seed West Africa, the purpose was to emphasise the significance of collaboration as the first stage of business growth in the sub-region.

The speakers, including Xavier Helgesen, Femi Oye and Ehizogie Binitie, who are beneficiaries of venture capital, advised participants that to attract funds for the expansion of their operations, they must have a clear definition of what they are seeking money for, and the financing profile must be broken down into tranches with clear-cut milestones.

They maintained that of importance is the long-term relevance of their product or service offering. In other words, investors need assurances that the offering has strong potential to sell well into the future. This is essential because investors who are attracted to high returns want to have clarity about the big picture with regard to their investment, against the backdrop of the entrepreneur’s protection strategy to ward off competition.

The facilitators said the investment-seeking entrepreneur must  understand the technicalities of fundraising and make diligent use of timesheets and be abreast with the unit economics of their offerings as regards the return on investment.

American-born Xavier Helgesen, a serial social entrepreneur is the Co-founder and CEO of Off-Grid Electric based in San Francisco and Tanzania. Femi Oye is the Co-founder and CEO of SMEFUNDS and recipient of the World Youth Leader’s Award, while EhizogieBinitie is the Co-founder and CTO of Rancard Solutions.

The meeting was coordinated by Ms Karen of Stanford SEED and Ms. Tijen Aybar of the US State department, organisers of the Global Entrepreneurs Summit and co-host Afolabi Abiodun, an award-winning entrepreneur and CEO/ chief ideas evangelist, SB Telecoms Limited based in Lagos.

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THE Rotary Club of Gbagada South, has empowered some women traders in Ifako-Gbagada, with soft loans ranging from N25,000 to N50,000.

Rotary International District 2110 Governor Pat Ikheloa presented the loans to the women. He was assisted by the club’s President Babatunde Jeje and the Baba-Oloja General of Akerele-Diya Night Market, Most Rev Matthew Akerele.

Jeje said in all, the loans were worth N600,000. He said the club started the scheme with N150,000 and grew it over the years to N1million, with N600,000 given to Lagos residents and the balance offered to Ososa community traders in Ogun State. The money is disbursed to the traders through the cooperative societies, Jeje said, praising the traders for being truthful to the repayment terms, which he described as excellent.

Ikheloa said Rotary is known for giving, sharing and assisting people, including traders. While commending the club for ‘’the wonderful project’’, he said: ‘’I hope that you will continue with it’’. He urged the traders to use the loans judiciously to enable them repay.

Rev Akerele said he was overwhelmed by Rotary’s gesture, noting that the loans scheme started 12 years ago. ‘’Rotary Club of Gbagada South has been good to our market’s association. For over 12 years, you have been helping us,’’ he said. He promised to ginger the recipients to pay back the loans.

The beneficiaries include Mrs Maria Messioye Arike, Mrs Adenike Oke, Mrs Deborah Fatimah Ajani and Mrs Adunni Badejo.

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Demand for cashew continues to grow, stimulated by its increasing export potential, its rapidly increasing demand as snack and for its nutritional value, among others. Through the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnership with the Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport Programme, (NEXTT), a new generation of agro entrepreneurs may soon appear on the horizon, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

The thought of growing the   cashew tree (Anacardium Occidentale tree) before now would not appeal to some farmers. This is not unconnected with its long years of maturity and the low income it generates.

Planting and  maturity takes between 36 and 48 months. Its production does not begin until 10 years after planting. The tree bears fruits for another 25 to 30 years.

But the tide is changing for the Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN).

In 2011, its global revenue value  was estimated at between $1.5billion and $2 billion, and global yearly production hitting 2.1 million tons.

Nigeria’s cashew production output was  between 150,000 and 130,000 metric tonnes in 2013 and 2014, placing her as the  fourth largest producer of cashew nuts in Africa and seventh in the world.

This development, and more, has propelled investors, such as the Chief Executive Officer, Matnad Industries Limited, Ifeanyi Chu  Ugwu, an Abia State-based entrepreneur, to venture into cashew planting and processing.

For Ugwu, investment in the product is not a waste of time or resources considering that every part of it is useful.

A breakdown of its composition reveal that Cashew nuts consist of 35-45 per cent seeds and around 55-65 per cent of shells. The shells contain 15-30 per cent oil. A ton of nuts contains around 200 kg seeds and 180 kg oil (cashew nut oil or cashew nut shell liquid CNSL).CNSL is used as oil in industry. This explains why the product is now in high demand.

Ugwu, who started the business  when nobody was knowledgeable about it, explained that his company is now the flagship of this business, representing the exciting trend of agribusiness entrepreneurs using opportunities for value-added manufacturing that creates jobs and grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The company is already operating successfully in the market and has attained a certain size.

To  boost local production, Anga stressed   the need  for  investment  in more cashew trees. With  investment of between N800,000 and N20 million, return on investment varies between 15 and 30 per cent.

There are opportunities for young  entrepreneurs interested in becoming mini processors, suppliers, village shop owners and local buying agents. The major component of a cashew processing unit is land, building, plant and machinery, and civil works. Basic equipment include cooking vessels, semi-automated peeling machine,multi-colour cashew kernel sorting machine, husk winnowing machine, steam pipeline, hot oven, hand operated cutting machine, peeling machine, filling machine, pieces separator, weighing scale, sealing machine, food grade plastic tubs, buckets, crates , bowls and generator set .  Apart from  a plot of land, a standard  cashew processing unit requires a processing, drying, and packing area.

The farmers  sell raw to local processors like Ugwu  who process them to kernels, shell and rejects used as feed ingredients. The pre-processed kernels are sent to factories for further grading, packaging and export.Cashew kernels are further processed and used as snacks. It can also be processed as juice , spirits and jams. At  small-scale factories, the nuts are steamed, shelled by  hand, and then pre-graded to ensure a high percentage of whole kernels.

Anga said cashew nut is a major answer to the development of the non-oil sector, adding that the government has neglected the sector for too long. He  said if the cashew crop was processed locally, new direct jobs would be created by  processing businesses that would arise from the industry and millions of naira would be realised.

He said a large quantity of cashew produced are exported rather than processed locally or consumed in the country.

But there are challenges in cashew processing, notably, the countless  exporters compared to local processors. Ugwu said processing of cashew is manual and highly labour intensive.

For watchers, developing a competitive private sector processing industry would create jobs. As a major producer of cashew nuts in the world,  USAID Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport Programme (NEXTT) Export and Business Development Promotion Team Leader, Mr Bob Ezumah said the quality of Nigeria’s cashew nut and cashew kernel has been a major issue affecting the export potential and pricing of the commodity that now fascinates the entire world, immensely.

He  maintained that  USAID NIGERIA funded NEXTT project has in the last four years worked tirelessly with strategic partners such as the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) to address this challenge.

Such strategic interventions include trainings and sponsoring Nigeria cashew traders on international tours and conferences for market linkages, which has increased the sale of Nigeria’s raw cashew nuts to almost 200,000 metric tonnes in the last trading season. The market linkage provided by NEXTT to the buyers in Vietnam and India, he noted, eliminated the role of Dubai-based middlemen, who had over the years, denied Nigerian traders, their maximum profits.

The project, he  added, has also worked with NEPC to develop the Nigerian Cashew Strategy which has enabled the Federal Government to list cashew among the top 15 export crop of Nigeria.

USAID|NIGERIA, through the NEXTT project, is facilitating the development and expansion of cashew processing facilities because of its immense potential to create hundreds of jobs for women and youths.

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At the University of Lagos (UNILAG), some young students dreamt of starting a web consulting business. Today, they are living their dream as the business has grown into a big concern. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Dreaming of a business in the university is one of the easiest things students do.

But, following it up is an herculean task for young people, who think mostly of white collar jobs on graduation.

Innovative Entrepreneurs Network (IVEN), which was conceived on the campus, is a different ball game. It has grown into a multi-million naira business.

IVEN is the brain child of students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) aged 18 and 27. They had 15 mentors, most of whom are parents.

Today,the group has established a technology business with a large clientele across the country.

It provides modern services, including website development, search engine optimisation and branding.

At the university, they learnt information technology (IT) skills. Before long, they designed the UnilagFaces website, launched it on March 14, 2006. Then they approached the American Embassy at the 2006 CTO fair to be allowed to cover the event online.

Their proposal was accepted. It was during this time that the then Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, became interested in their business and used IVEN Tech to publish his address at the event. This opened  the door to another level.

A medical  doctor and Business Development Director  of the Group, Becky Olofin,  said their  entrepreneurial spirit shone during the exhibition.

At the 2007 CTO, their first product, EasyLaw, a piracy-immune software, was displayed. It contains laws of the country from 1958 to 2007. They didn’t stop there; they started an interactive website -www.nigerianeasylaw.com. known  as LegalpediaOnline.

Since then, the group has not looked back. Instead, it has made tremendous attempts at building capacities and bringing people to do business using technology and new applications.

They developed products and applications to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owners to improve  productivity, market  efficiency and more effective business  practices.

Today, IVEN is a large enterprise. Within the team are strong women founders charging ahead, bringing a unique background as software developers, researchers, marketing professionals and others.  The team provides affordable marketing plans for various small business and entrepreneur needs. These include using search engine optimisation tools to help business owners and entrepreneurs  increase search engine rankings, attract more web visits, gain more leads.

One of the key packages they offer is helping entrepreneurs to build and nurture customer relationships, and grow sales with effective email marketing campaigns.

On how the idea came about, Olofin said: “One of our mentors had an idea and he told us, we then went on to build on it.”

They have been in the business for 10 years. She added:  ‘’We started with next to nothing mainly with an idea and from presenting that idea we got funds. Today, the business is worth N300 million.’’

They have 50 members of staff. On what have been some of their failures, and what they have learned from them? She said: “Focusing on the product instead of the customer.”

To generate new ideas, they brain-storm and listen to what clients request or challenges and create solutions.

Her advice for young entrepreneurs:”Think through your plan, but don’t wait to get everything right before you act.”

Her most satisfying moment in business: “Doing what everyone says is impossible.”

Where does she see business in 10 years? She said: “In 10 years, I see us positively impacting and influencing younger entrepreneurs. I see us becoming a relevant point of reference for many businesses worldwide.”

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Hope rises for snail farmers as an Ogun State entrepreneur, Prince Wole Adeyanju, launches an initiative to reduce the long maturity period of the organism. This, he says, will encourage more Nigerians to farm snails for export. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Snail, a herbivourous animal, is rich in protein. As a result, it forms a good part of meals of most Nigerians,  especially middle and high income earners. But it is expensive

This is linked to the long maturity of the animal. It takes an average of two years for a snail to mature. Consequently, most farmers are uninterested in its farming, as they see the business as low yielding.

But the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO), Wolegate Global Resources Limited (WGRL), Prince Adewole Adeyanju, explained that snail breeding  can, indeed, be lucrative.

He agreed that local snails take an average of three years to harvest. This is because they lay eggs between nine months and two years.

But, following the discovery by Adeyanju, things might just begin to change.

Through his firm, Wolegate Global Services, a new improved snail species will now be bred in the country. The species, known as the helix aspersa  snail, can mature in less than one year.

Already, Wolegate has signed an agreement with Touchstone Snails in Cyprus to breed this species locally.  Touchs tone Snails is among the biggest breeders of snails globally, with millions of snails being fed on greenery, seeds and meal in vast greenhouses yearly.

This initiative was fuelled by the need to spur the growth process of snails and reduce the cost, even as its demand keeps increasing. For now, meeting the demand  has become a huge challenge in the industry.

At Adeyanju’s farm, which sits on a 118-acre parcel in Idomogun, Ilashe, Idiroko in Ogun State, a snail matures in nine months.

This is why Adeyanju has been inspired to train more Nigerians to raise snail  for local consumption and/or for export.

With Helix Aspersa snail, Adeyanju said the Federal Government stands the chance of making millions in foreign exchange if it explores the opportunity in massive snail farming and exporting.

He said through his partnership with the Cyprus firm,  a new technique with which Nigerians can rear and earn huge profit in a nine-month growth circle against the usual three years of harvesting, using a special species of snail, Helix Aspersa Muller, and a more creative farming method – Curtain Method – has been developed.

With its introduction into Nigeria, Adeyanju said his organisation is set to revolutionise snail breeding, make it a sustainable agro allied business for export and a job creation mechanism.

According to him, his company is ready to train breeders on how best to rear the species of snails for greater yields and how to sell their products easily for profit.

He said the company would buy the Helix Aspersa Muller Snails reared and produced by farmers/investors using the Touchstone’s technique at a very competitive price and will like to share this knowledge and experience with all Nigerians.

Adeyanju is one of a few Nigerians who have turned to snail growing as a fast way to make money even during economic slowdown.

While others struggle to find a path out of the crisis, snail farming has not only survived the recession, but also continues to grow.

He has exported  snails and snail products from Nigeria to Cyprus and helped train snail farmers, helping them to sell their products. With his success, more and more people have become aware that snail breeding is an excellent avenue for considerable profit. Its boom has also been fuelled by a growing  pharmaceutical, beauty, and food-related uses of snail products.

He said Touchstone has hands-on-experience through its efforts, as well as academic expertise, for the breeding of top-quality snails over 15 years. It provides integrated services for entrepreneurs who wish to invest in snail farming.

The start-up costs of a small high-profit professional commercial snail farm, according to him, runs to about 50,000 Euro.  First return on the investment, he explained, is two years after starting with the first breeding stock.

With a start-up of 50,000 euros, he said, one could make about 2.5 million euro within two years.

According to him, there is an export market for would-be investors.

For him, the largest consumer markets are in Europe. The profit margin on snail farming is high, he said, if the right farming techniques are applied and investment is low.

Snails should be exported live, with a shelf life ranging from two to six months.

Touchstone will be involved in the purchase of the yearly production, sale and export of the snails.

Adeyanju is partnering with banks to help Nigerians who want to raise capital to start the business.

The post Quick success in snail business appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

A woman, Mrs Onyinye Anujulu, who owns a food processing firm which started from the kitchen has grown it into a large business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

As Nigerians’appetite for healthy things grows, young entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this to produce foods that are not only low in fat but also those which are fortified with good ingredients.

It was against this background that the Chief  Executive, Flinks Food and Beverages, Mrs Onyinye Anujulu, launched natural food and drink products.

She said: ‘’In Flinks we produce natural health and food drinks, such as kunu, ginger drink, soya-pap,gingered-pap,  blended with other nutritional contents in powdered form.

“In Flinks, we produce natural products as a good balance of convenient and freshness – no additives, only the real thing.”

Flinks Food and Beverages, is a subsidiary of Favourlink Oil and Gas Limited.

Based in Lagos, Flinks is an organic food firm, which started with a love of natural food and drink and wanting to know as much about it as possible.

She started from her home with  N50,000.  Her story is an example of how having educational qualifications is not a necessity for becoming a successful businessperson. She said: “It came through inspiration, though it has been a journey from taking an idea, conceptualising it into a value proposition, and then testing it until it has become the business it has become.”

Initially, not knowing anything about the food and drink industry, she got in touch with her trade association and experts in the food industry.  She knows all about image. To compete in an overloaded market, she is making efforts to get her products to the right places.

Daily, there is a challenge for Mrs Anujulu, as she has something new to learn or think about. Luckily, she has a supportive family and friends who could see the potential in the business. She is determined to keep a balance of faith, family and business.

She said just as the odds for starting a small business are many, the rewards are also long in coming. What is more, starting one’s company through hard work.

Her advice to new entrepreneurs is that ideas alone don’t matter but execution is the problem.

In  20 years, she sees her business becoming a conglomerate with an international brand. She said: “ I intend to run a non-governmental organisation (NGO) where I will be travelling round the country, educating, empowering and incubating young women and budding entrepreneurs and fulfilling divine purpose of God for me.”

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When Mark Esho set up his internet company 10 years ago, it was one of only four of its kind in the United Kingdom (UK).

But setting up the business was a big challenge. He claims the fact he was black and had a disability – he is unable to walk long distances because of childhood polio – made getting the venture off the ground much harder.

“I got zero support,” he said. “It was a new technology and people didn’t understand what I was trying to do.

“I started my business off on a credit card and I had to work for three months without pay while I built up my portfolio. It was pretty hard.

“If you are black and disabled you have two things going against you. What people tend to do is base their opinions on what they see.

“That’s why I’ve always been driven to prove myself.”

A decade on, and his company, Easy Internet Services, in Westleigh Road, Leicester, employs 17 people and boasts 50,000 customers.

“When we started up in 2000 there were only four of us in the UK doing search engine optimisation (SEO),” he said.

Esho’s taste for business came when he decided to do a MBA while drifting from job to job in London.

He came back to his home city in 1994 and enrolled at the University of Leicester. He then worked at city disabled charity Mosaic for a while before taking the plunge.

“The internet was a hobby for me,” he said. “I thought I’d go for it. It also gave me flexible hours.”

As a result of his polio Esho suffers from chronic fatigue. “I get it two or three times a month,” he said. “I get really, really tired. That’s why I’m better suited to running my own business.”

The business expanded quickly and before long had moved from his home in Thorpe Astley to premises in Ross Walk, Belgrave. It then moved to a larger office at the LCB depot in Rutland Street before ending up in Westleigh Road.

Eight of the company’s staff are in India and the Philippines because of lower labour costs and difficulty finding the right people in the UK.

“A really good server technician would cost you £30,000 a year,” he said. “A technician with similar skills in India would cost you a third of that. In the Philippines a junior optimiser will cost you a fifth of what it does in the UK.”

Esho said he had become frustrated after training staff only to see them move on.

The firm’s customers are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Of its 50,000 web-hosting customers, 25,000 of them are paying, while the company has around 200  SEO clients. The company previously worked with larger clients such as The Guardian newspaper and the Co-op.

“The problem was they accounted for 50 per cent of turnover and it caused all sorts of problems in terms of getting payments,” explained Esho. “So in 2004 we decided to concentrate on the SME market.”

The company has had a turnover around the £1 million mark over the past three years.

“We have increased profits by 10 to 15 per cent in the past three years despite the recession,” he said.

The company has lost around a quarter of its search engine optimisation work in the past two years as clients cut their marketing budgets. But it is seeing some of them return.

Esho helps other entrepreneurs as a panelist on Foxes’ Den, a  Sunday evening version of BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den on BBC Radio Leicester.

He said that, despite a more crowded market and an uncertain economic future, there was still a lot of potential for growth.

However, the 48-year-old father-of-two is looking to take things easier.

“The market is starting to pick up again and hopefully we will be looking to increase our turnover,” he said. “But I’ve got to the stage where I’m not pushing as aggressively as I was before. I am going for steady growth. I think it’s important to have a work-life balance. I want to spend more time with myfamily.’’

• culled from .”http://www.disabledentrepreneurs.co.uk/team_member/mark-esho/

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Nigeria is edging closer to growing more bell apples that can mature in three years. Agro entrepreneurs will make more money from it.This is news to entrepreneurs who avoided bell apples, also known as syzygium samarangense, because it takes more than a decade to bear fruit. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

pples business, though profitable, has been dominated for long by imports and the focus is on a few easy-to-grow varieties with long shelf-lives.

Internationally, there is a flurry of expansion in apple orchards. Various apples are grown across farms. Many of the flourishing small farms have capitalised on market niches, which feature fresh and specialty products. Agro entrepreneurs are growing apples because of increased use in the food industry. But they avoided growing bell apples, which produce fruits that are bell-shaped.

Though high in demand globally, as the fruit’s flowers can treat fever and halt diarrhea, producers shunned it because it takes more than a decade to bear fruit.  That is too discouraging for those considering quick returns on investment.

But there is good news.  Chief Executive, Apple Wealth Ventures, Gbenga Akinyemi, has found a new variety which matures after three years and produces more fruits with impressive results.

His passion for growing bell apples started after he discovered the fruit planted around where he lived is a money spinner.

“I started with a tree in my family house at Okota in Lagos. My aunt, now based in the United Kingdom (UK), planted it. From that singular tree, I began to sell the fruits and make cool cash,’’ he said.

He said the new variety, compared to the imported apple, has many attributes, including being attractive, nutritious, and medicinal. The apple could be processed for its juice, turned to jam, marmalade and other processed variants, aside consumption as fresh fruit.

According to him, raising bell apple seedling can bring one a good fortune within a few months. Starting bell apples seedling farming, he said, requires as little as N20, 000. Of this amount, N10,000 will go for seeds. At N100 per seed, one can plant 100. The balance goes for construction of container and other miscellaneous expenses. He urged new entrants to start with 100 seeds to maximise profit. One does not really have any other expenses until the bell apple seeds grow to seedling level, and ready for sales, he said

He offers training for new entrants and links them with where to get good bell apple seeds. According to him, bell apples grow in any soil, except sandy soil. Hence, the plant will do well in one’s backyard. Though the tree grows in virtually every part of the country, it is more prevalent in the South, especially the Southsouth states – Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Balyesa and Edo.

During planting, the seeds are pressed into the soil so that they are barely covered because bell apple seeds require light to germinate. Space the seeds one inch apart. The farmers need to keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate.

This may take as long as three weeks.The major cost of running the bell apple seedling business is purchasing the seeds and containers, among other things, such as watering can. Bell apple seedlings are ready for sale after 10 weeks of planting and can be sold for N750 per seedling.

According to him, one can make 650 per cent profit from investment in the business. The more bell apple seeds one plants, the more money one can make within 10 weeks. Each tree produces over 1,000 fruits per harvest and there is a minimum of two yearly.

Akinyemi said there is a need for millions of the seedlings in the country.

He noted that seedling growing is best  around the beginning of the year. There are high demands for them by big agricultural firms and fruit producing farms.

“I must say that the market is just growing in the country, while demand for it is so high. This gives better opportunities to anyone who ventures into it, “ Akinyemi said.

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