ROAD TO SELF DISCOVERY

I have listened and read several publications on how to become an entrepreneur and I must say it goes beyond having required resources and a desire to be one. Over the years and based on experiences (mine and others) have realized that it is a process that must be followed to achieve the desired result.

The following must however be clear from the start:

• Not all can be business owners.

• There are different types and forms of entrepreneur

• There are different parties to a transaction that those with entrepreneurial instincts can key into.

• Approach to business also differs from person to person.

That said, the following process is however key:

• Discovery Stage: discover self and come to full realization of what you want in life, what you want to do or enjoy doing, carry out self-appraisal - SWOT and most importantly align your personality, strengths, passion and desires to your choice of business or/and approach to business.

• Diagnose Stage: carry out diagnosis of the decisions you have reached and potentials for commercialization, develop expertise and seek information, knowledge on your choices, match it with your personality and test the market. Discuss with people who know better and where applicable, get a mentor.

• Design Stage: by answering the questions what?, why? how? who? where? when? and how much?, start the process of designing what you have in mind. The future (vision) you see and the means of achieving it (mission) is however key. Also, a business plan and feasibility study is also crucial as they will be providing more information into what you want to do and how you intend to execute the plan. Good understanding of the market and competition is paramount while you must surround yourself with the right team (people) that will help or assist you achieve your dreams and offer necessary follow-ups and feed backs to track variation and make necessary changes. BE FLEXIBLE!

• Distribute Stage: implement your action. Get your product or service to the market through robust sales and marketing strategy, collect feedback and review continuously for deviations and market changes. Be sensitive to customer changes, government pronouncements or policy changes.

Most important factor to consider in YOU! Know what you want, enjoy what you do, be flexible, believe in yourself, without forgetting to ask for divine assistance. It is worthy of mention that this process can also be applied to any other venture or project as the principles remains the same. You need to therefore:

•  Rediscover yourself, reassess your life and have the desire to change the status quo.

• Determine what is wrong with the status quo, challenges, issues, etc. and identify mitigants.

• Design and fashion the new YOU, itemize lines of actions and areas of urgent attention or change. Seek more information and determine what the future should be.

• Take steps towards achieving the new YOU. Review regularly to ensure you are still on course and take corrective steps to manage deviations. Be flexible and dynamic in your approach.

Good luck as you take steps to correct your past and achieve the new desired future!!!