| In February 2001, about 4 months after I got | | | | to LEARN from the experiences I was having, |
| promoted out of my shift-based Brewer position, | | | | how to develop alternative ways to GROW my |
| to become the Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery | | | | business, regardless of market place variations or |
| Technical Training & Development Manager, I | | | | even competition. |
| came to the conclusion that I needed to | | | | I actively subscribed to newsletters published by |
| fast-track my plans to quit paid employment and | | | | experienced entrepreneurs (mostly foreign |
| start my own business. | | | | American) and I used my knowledge of my local |
| I had been plotting my exit from the company | | | | business environment to adapt their ideas to |
| since 2 years before, in collaboration with a close | | | | work for me. Today, this has helped me reach a |
| friend and confidant of mine who - unlike me - | | | | point, where I can actually claim that I do not |
| worked in the Finance department. He knew of | | | | have any direct competitors in the markets I |
| my many frustrations with not being able to | | | | operate in - boosting my ability to get hired and |
| pursue my passions - and especially my desire to | | | | paid profitably. |
| be free to explore new ideas I had. | | | | 4. Find/use insightful tips that will eliminate trial and |
| In the process of preparing for my exit, having | | | | error from doing business: Again I did this by |
| made the final decision, I wrote out on the back | | | | reading widely, especially publications by other |
| of a computer printout, key steps I intended to | | | | entrepreneurs (e.g. Jeffery Meyer), and then |
| carryout to achieve my goal of succeeding in | | | | applying their ideas, tweaking them where |
| starting up my own business. Recently, I stumbled | | | | necessary. |
| on that sheet of paper, and from reading through | | | | But I also experimented using my own ideas, and |
| looking back over the past 8 years, it occurred to | | | | over time have tested and found some of them |
| me that I had actually followed those steps to | | | | quite effective. One example: I find I am often |
| get this far. | | | | able to get clients to hire me readily, if I offer |
| I now reproduce that list below, with brief | | | | them a barter exchange payment option of up to |
| explanations, in the hope that they might be of | | | | 50% of my total fee; or by giving them a |
| some use to others who may be contemplating | | | | discount if they agree to provide power supply, |
| doing something similar: | | | | Internet access on their premises for my work (a |
| 1. Begin acquiring new knowledge/skills that will | | | | great saving for me in terms of time, effort and |
| facilitate turning my dreams of independence into | | | | costs required to do them). |
| reality: I intensified researching possible types of | | | | 5. Do noble deeds: As I continued my work, I |
| business ventures to start. I then attended, | | | | soon discovered that there were many people |
| where possible, relevant training seminars or talks | | | | who needed help finding meaning/purpose in their |
| that provided needed information. Subsequently, I | | | | lives. Following chance encounters with some of |
| tried as hard as possible to put into use what I | | | | such people, I realised that I could actually help |
| had learnt. For instance, I actually used my annual | | | | them do so, by sharing my own experiences and |
| leave periods to try my hands at certain ventures | | | | discoveries. |
| on a micro scale (e.g T-Shirts transfer printing for | | | | So, I decided to start writing - articles, reports, |
| sale) | | | | books - and speaking. Later on, it occurred to me |
| 2. Remove my fear of getting started: I sought | | | | that I could use these same resources (my |
| out others who had quit paid employment to | | | | written stuff) to market myself and the products |
| start their own businesses, and listened to their | | | | services I offered. That process led me to start |
| narrations of what it was like. I asked them | | | | employing web marketing in my work. As the |
| questions about how I could go about | | | | opportunity presented itself, I shared what I |
| implementing my own plans. In certain cases I | | | | discovered from doing this, with others who |
| paid money to gain access to their knowledge and | | | | indicated interest. |
| insight via consultation sessions. What I learnt | | | | Final Words: As I said earlier, looking back, I have |
| from them, and from reading various books | | | | actually carried out the above steps over the |
| publications by competent authors helped me build | | | | years, and I truly believe that the progress I have |
| reasonable confidence to continue. | | | | made today is due, in no small measure, to that. |
| 3. Make my small business grow and prosper: By | | | | Therefore, if you are planning to start out in |
| the time I had operated for the first year, the | | | | business, the ideas offered above should hopefully |
| reality had dawned on me that it was not going | | | | prove helpful. |
| to be an easy task. Over time, I forced myself | | | | Good luck! |