I listened to a radio talk show on ceated for women on how to grow their business and educating business owners grow their business and, it shocked me how majority of people especially women who always thrash the idea of paying to get coaching on business/career growth kept asking tons of questions on how to start/grow their business as well as what to do so that they can get much patronage. These women forgot that all they can get from such radio show are small-small tips about solutions to their business/career problems and it will suprise you that after the show, if the resource person whom they were asking all kinds of questions asked them to register for a full coaching session where they can be gradually be educated on how to grow their business, they will not talk to him/her again. Why? Because they believe they should get the business knowlegde free of charge forgetting that the business expert also spent time and money to acquire the knowledge of empowering business owners.
Why do Nigerians feel that attending business seminars and workshops are a waste of time? Why do Nigerians hardly want to pay to acquire knowledge of any kind?
Still on the radio show, it got to a stage one of the women that called almost cired when complaining that after opening her business for the past 5months, the patronage is extremely poor and she is fraustrated and has no clue what to do to keep her catering business running and making profit. Do you want to tell me that such a woman has not been seeing or reading adverts on business seminars and workshops? Such women will rather spend money on shopping for clothes and iphones than investing quality time attending workshops and seminars that could educate them on how to grow their business. To such women, seminars and workshops are useless but here they are bombarding numerous marketing/sales questions on same people that speak in workshops and seminars on what to do to be a success in their job. Most times, the fees to attend seminars and workshops are very cheap but Nigerians still do not value it. They want everything free!!
In life nothing is free because someone, somewhere must have paid for it or taken responsibility one way or the other so that those who feel they are getting something for free will be happy. Again if you are in business or a career woman and all you want is to be looking for scraps and tips on how to grow your business and not having a total overhaul of learning about how to run your business successfully, you are simply a dreamer.
I have even met women who do not know how to record sales and what they make at the end of every week/month. Most women can hardly pay sales girls and staff and all they do is use the money they make in a long while to pay off a sales girl who runs a store for them but saves no money at the end of each month.
Some are just okay simply by having their shops being opened by a sales girl daily but secretly freaking out that no sales are being made. Those of them who are lucky to have husbands who are well-to-do and hardly ask them for any financial contribution hardly make any efforts to think outside the box on how to make profits. This is because, their husband takes care of all their financial needs and the business they claim they have is simply a mirage. You now ask, what happens to such business women if something tragic suddenly happens to their husbands who have been providing? Will that be the time to start learning how to boost their business? Would it not be too late for them then?
There are men who are reading this article right now who have wives that runs a business that they the husbands can hardly figure out. All they know is that their wives has a shop but no streaming income month after month. If you have such a wife, it is time you show her this article and make her sit up and understand that she must learn how to grow her business and stop depending on you. This is for the good of your family because one day, you might get stuck financially and things will turn ugly financially. If you help your wife open a business, try and make sure she gives you account of how the business is doing or else it is better she sits at home and become a full time house wife. Borrowing money to pay staff as a business owner sucks and this is not how to grow a business. You should be able to make enough money to pay your staff and then have extra to save. Then you know you are working or have a job.
Well as for those who are wondering how to attend a profitable business seminar, how to start/ grow their business successfully, let us continue this discussion on twitter- @jacquiworld. There is also a workshop for those in Abuja currently running for both males and females.
Coming to attending seminars and workshops, there are so much women who one their business can learn when they attend such events. Here in Nigeria , we have fantastic entepreneurs and business growth experts who oragnize seminars and business workshops weekly and monthly and if you follow them closely, they know their stuff and do good job in empowering business owners grow successfully.
Women should drop the silly idea of thinking that attending business meetings and coaching sessions on how to start and grow their business is waste of time. There are women who have so much money but totally cluless on what kind of business to do. Business seminars and coaching will open your eyes on how to invest your money and indulge in a business you will enjoy doing. Some women already have business but highly fraustrated because, it is not working out for them and they are simply stuck.
The time you spent watching nollywood and telenovelas from morning to night can be used meaningfully in getting either a personal life/career coach train you or attend seminars you get to know about.
No business succeds without you making extra efforts to grow it. You see powerful testimonies of successful men and women and to you, it looks they just wake up one morning, start a business and start making huge profits the same day. You should know better than this ladies. Get cracking your brains if you want to succeed.
JACLYN IWU
