Last weekend I was invited to a Youth Entrepreneurship Summit to speak on “Turning your passion into money”. It was obvious that the organiser wanted me to use my passion for PCs and the internet to encourage other young people to pursue their passion. I built OpportunityWorld (an E-business Consulting Firm) from scratch without a dime (yes, I only had N6, 000 in my savings account) to a total turnover of N6.5 Million within 2 years of inception & total sales of N3.5M in 2008 without a physical office. My business empire exists solely on the internet and this was at the time when my peers were busy destroying Nigeria image through online scams.
I’ll love to share a few tips I discussed at that event which can help young people jumpstart a business and stop depending on the already saturated job market.
1. Discover your passion & leverage on it: As I type this, I have been online for the past 10 hrs non stop. That tells you how much I love PC’s and this was how I got started. I created internet tutorials & distributed it for free, but today I sell improved versions.
2. Start for free: The best business success comes when you provide some services for free. I once encouraged a young wannabe makeup artist to start making her friends up for free. If no one notices the makeup or made any comment, it means she needs to improve on her skills. Few days later, she called me that she got her first Job to make up a friend’s sister at her wedding.
3. Choose a mentor & Read Books: A mentor is who you run to for advice on what you are about doing. Books help to improve you & Horne your skills in the area that you are passionate about. On a monthly basis, I read at least two books; attend at least ONE business training. It helps in networking & keeping abreast. Visit website like www.entrepreneur.com for free information.
4. Think Big & Start Small: Most times, we prefer to think big & start big. Do you want to run an ISP? Jumpstart by networking pc’s for small businesses. Do you want to become a record label owner? Start by leveraging on marketing with the internet. Do you want to run a magazine? Start with a magazine blog. Always start small!!!
5. Set Target for yourself: Setting targets and taking action helps you improve on your time management skills and ensure you achieve a particular thing within a specific period of time. Always ensure that whatever you do, add value to someone else life.
Are you prepared to follow your passion and turn it into money? This is the best time to start. Take action and start with what you have.
Guest writer: Olugbenga Aijotan is a young entrepreneur. He is currently the CEO of OpportunityWorld. www.opportunityworld.biz/blog.
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