Young entrepreneurs tasked on business ideas
Prospective entrepreneurs in Kaduna State have been advised to initiate clear-cut ideas before starting a business so as to guarantee sustainability.
The advice was given at the maiden Kaduna Entrepreneurs Conference where business experts further advised that capital should not be the first thing to consider when starting a business but ideas and how to sustain them to ensure continuity.
A representative of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Musa Suleiman, said banks were in search of business ideas to invest in and urged youths with ideas to approach them.
“There are supports from banks and the Federal Government. So, think and draft something down while you think big and start small. Don’t start a business because someone is doing it, plan on what to do before the money comes,” he said.
He added that financial skills, ability to multitask and marketing were essential to attracting customers and ensuring a successful business, adding that networking with experts will also improve their capacity. A panelist, Sani Zawiya, described fear as the first hurdle to cross by young entrepreneurs and that they must overcome that. “Conquering fear will be the first challenge you will face as a start-up; you have to put it in your mind that it is a road block and you have to break it to move on,” he said.
The convener of the event, Nafisa Lawal Idris, said the Kaduna Entrepreneur Conference was aimed at empowering and connecting young small business owners to discuss ways of propelling their businesses through networking.
“It is also an avenue for aspiring entrepreneurs that just graduated from universities or secondary schools to source business ideas to make them financially independent,”she said.
Idris explained that the idea is an initiative of friends who observed that small business owners have no avenue to network and showcase their trade to the world and for them to have a platform to attract corporate organizations.