How young innovators can excel – Awosika

The harbour point at Victoria Island Lagos, was awash with wisdom and revelation on Saturday, November 18, 2017, as serial entrepreneur with over three decades of experience, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika took out time to address the ‘Ignite Youth Innovation’ audience. Adesola Afolabi reports:

Mrs. Awosika, who spoke at the event sponsored by First Bank in commemoration of the Global Entrepreneurship week started by expressing how good it felt to have young Nigerians who knew what they want to achieve.

“If your idea seems crazy to people just stick to it and focus on your goal, don’t let anybody make you ashamed of who you are or where you come from, if your mother is a groundnut seller wow!

That’s good it makes your story sweeter. Don’t think short term or narrow, think big and broad, your idea may not be perfect you have to develop on it.” She advised.

She addressed the audience after various innovators and entrepreneurs had given presentations on what they do and what their intentions are.

In her opening remarks, Awosika said even though more than 300 people registered for the programme, only a handful of people showed up.

‘There is always going to be a crowd, but the ones that would excel from the crowd are those who see the need in’

She made the innovators understand that even if people freely gave them money, there is always an opportunity cost. There are so many options, what makes you that different and better option? She charged

Awosika also advised the innovators to play to their strength and be honest about their weakness.

She did warn that many disappointments would come but one has to make this disappointment to be fuel to one’s goal. “I don’t believe in failure,” she said.

To end her address, Awosika said the world is becoming interested in entrepreneurs because technology is replacing human labour and more people have become unemployed, the only way to create jobs is to create successful businesses.

“Everybody is not called into entrepreneurship, you can be a person that contributes to an entrepreneur, you are the only one who knows your strength so find it and stick to it.”

Awosika saluted the courage of everyone who presented, giving them tips on how to pitch themselves better.

According to her, a good pitch must contain what the innovator does, the market size to be produced, How much to produce and what would be the commercial value.

She explained how crucial it is to know if the product being manufactured wouldn’t be too expensive for the consumers who need this product.

She also touched on “Competitive Advantage”, if people can get what you offering cheaper then why would they go for yours.

Interestingly, Awosika started as an entrepreneur three months after she completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

She practically started with nothing; and her first job was to make wooden paper trays and dustbin, the materials used to produce this was provided with the advance payment given by the customer.

People asked to make desks for offices, and desks for staff rooms, she rejected no job and never saw any job as too small.

Speaking about the event that lead to her big break in 1995 when she was 32 years old, she confessed that the break won’t have happened if not for her persistence like the woman Jesus spoke about in Luke 18.

She never stopped going back to the company to ask about the furniture they wanted to make even though they complained that they didn’t find what they wanted with any furniture maker;

and they doubt if she could do it with their budget, she didn’t know their budget, yet she still wanted to do the job;

and this persistence she showed, created faith which made them consider her and they gave her the concept of what they wanted.

She did her research and came up with a solution after the company opened, her works brought a lot of customers to her, which made her who she is today.

She explained it wasn’t all the time you would make your profit upfront seeking innovative solution would keep you ahead of the market.

Mrs Awosika did express how tired she was physically, because she just got back to Nigeria hours before the event, but the thirst for a bigger and better Nigeria is always worth her time and how it can be achieved is to keep pushing and to have everyone thinking.

Youths, who attended the programme did not fail to express gratitude for how they were to be able to learn from the ICON herself.