Business expert speaks on 5 habits of successful entrepreneurs

Going by the gloomy economic climate in Nigeria today, those who wish to make progress must take decisions that enable them to move in terms of career and geographical location. 

This was the opinion of a business coach, Gbenga Ogunbowale at a business seminar held at Foursquare Gospel Church, Odo Ona Kekere, Ibadan, on Sunday.

Mr Ogunbowale, who is the co-founder and CEO of Grand Master, an online platform that connects grant seekers to funding, informed his audience that to excel as an entrepreneur, since paid jobs are no longer readily available, one must imbibe five habits of successful entrepreneurs. 

The first, he noted, was the need to have a mentor. Sometimes, he said, “Your mentor can be that person you are very familiar with but who has made a success of whatever he or she is busy doing.”

The Tony Elumelu Fellow noted that a mentor may even be your junior in age, but he has superior experience at doing something in a manner that translates into money. 

Aside from mentorship, Mr Ogunbowale said resigning from one job for another or going into business is one sure way of making more money, judging by the current financial climate. 

Although he acknowledged that not everyone is cut out for business, he observed that the practice of joining the Joneses in the same business is not a guarantee for success. 

Rather, he opined that successful entrepreneurs succeed because they dared to be different. 

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He listed the five habits as daring to be different, learning new skills, being impact-driven, trying something else if what you are presently engaged in is not fetching you your desired income, and seizing opportunities such as those available from grants and government agencies. 

The pastor of the church, Dr Damilola Lewis, explained that the rationale for organising the seminar was that the church has an army of young members and adults who are struggling financially. He felt these would be positively impacted by the seminar. 

The chairman of the organizing committee, Bayo Arohunmolase, said most attendees were greatly impacted judging by their comments and activities after the seminar as some were already thinking and taking steps to register their own businesses while some were already preparing their project proposals with the intent to seek funding grants.