Budding Entrepreneurs
Bolstered by the Next Titan, an entrepreneurial reality TV show sponsored by Heritage Bank Plc, business ideas of four young entrepreneurs have translated into productive outfits, writes Peter Uzoho
Kennedy Iyeh is a dark lanky lad; a graduate of Microbiology from the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State. He thinks and dreams business, and has a great business idea and vision. With his sight set on tapping into the huge opportunities in the country's agricultural space... K
Kennedy Iyeh is a dark lanky lad; a graduate of Microbiology from the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State. He thinks and dreams business, and has a great business idea and vision. With his sight set on tapping into the huge opportunities in the country's agricultural space, Iyeh came up with a brand, Blue Leaf (herbs and spices). His plan is to use organic method of farming to produce raw materials for the production of cooking flavours – a well-thought-out means of helping to reduce health hazards.
But how could Iyeh’s brilliant business idea come to fruition without the needed fund and mentorship, and without the right platform to market his idea? He was faced with confusion, discouragement, and the quit option. Fortunately, the Next Titan presented itself to him.
The Next Titan, an entrepreneurial reality TV show provided an opportunity for this enterprising young lad to realise his dream. He participated at the Season Four of the show alongside thousands of his peers who also have amazing business ideas and skills, and emerged the winner. Iyeh went home with the star prize of N5 million courtesy of the chief sponsor, Heritage Bank, and a brand new Ford Ranger from Ford Motors. With this win, he has seen his business idea move from paper to factory.
“It’s always very challenging venturing into a business without fund. I’ve been growing my interest in agriculture and its research while in Enugu hoping for an opportunity. So the N5 million I won at the Next Titan competition has helped me a lot in securing lands, getting premium seeds, and going a long way to establish an organic farm,” a relieved and excited Iyeh told THISDAY.
“The Ford Ranger has aided very much in logistics, especially shuttling Lagos to Ogun every week. It has also been helpful to me in getting clients and accessing contacts as it has boosted my status. Again, the car has also been helping in company branding,” he said.
Iyeh has completed full registration and documentation of his company and its relocation to Lagos with farm site in Ogun. “We acquired five acres of land and hope to acquire up to 20 acres by 2019. We have acquired the seeds needed for the farming season. We’re currently setting up and drilling borehole for irrigation of the farm.”
With this boost, he has been able to provide jobs to about nine people including four permanent and five contract staff, and plans to provide job to more people in future. “Before the year runs out we should have up to 20 people working in the factory.”
The young entrepreneur was not only empowered by the fund and the car, but by the quality mentorship and training he got from judges and top business executives during the course of the show.
“The experience was mind blowing I must say. You get to experience a whole side to business and entrepreneurship. We were groomed to not know impossibility in business and I feel it is one key thing young entrepreneurs should learn. We spent 10 weeks in the house having to deliver different tasks, as each week came with its own task. We learnt the importance of team work, team structure, strategy, planning, business branding, marketing, and advertising,” Iyeh explained.
He appreciated the organisers and sponsors for investing their time and resources on the valuable programme, and also thanked the Judges for their awesome mentorship and teachings.
However, Iyeh is just the latest beneficiary of the show as there are three young entrepreneurs who had participated in the first three seasons, emerged winners, won same prizes and are equally doing very well in their respective entrepreneurial ventures with the aid of the resources and trainings from the show.
Iroghama Ogbeifun, Davies Okeowo, and Marvis Marshal Idio won the season one, two and three of the competition respectively. The mentorship, training and inspiration they got during their 10-week stay in the Next Titan house, from top business experts and captains of industry, really armed them to be real business titans. With these resources, they have been lifted from the position of dreamers to achievers. They have been lifted from the group of job seekers to job providers, thus adding significant value to the Nigerian economy.
Ogbeifun, an enterprising young woman was crawling and wobbling in her business, and enveloped by confusion due to lack of fund and requisite mentorship before she took part in the maiden edition of Next Titan in 2013 and emerged winner.
Today, she is living her dreams as she boasts of owning and running a very stable and fast growing hair care product manufacturing company, Hairven Limited, located in Lagos and Port Harcourt. The N5 million she won has enabled her to scale up her business. Hairven is currently the only synthetic hair care product manufacturing company in Nigeria located in Lagos, and is being marketed by Jumia.
Ogbeifun has established in Lagos, ‘Reiki Spar’, one of the finest Spas in Lagos, and has opened a branch in Port Harcourt as well. The company is also working on a new range of hair care products and is billed for launch in the first quarter of 2019. In total, Hairven Limited has given jobs to over 35 people, both graduates and non-graduates.
“It was a time in my life when I needed structure, guidance, and direction, and I got that at the Next Titan,” Ogbeifun told THISDAY.
“It helped structure my abilities as an
It’s always very challenging venturing into a business without fund. I’ve been growing my interest in agriculture and its research while in Enugu hoping for an opportunity. So the N5 million I won at the Next Titan competition has helped me a lot in securing lands, getting premium seeds, and going a long way to establish an organic farm