FOR YOUNG BUSINESSES

Nigeria is a tough country to live in. Its tough to go through 4, 5 or 6 grueling years of academic studies (as the case may be) with the aim of being relevant in your field of study only to be disillusioned by the harsh reality after graduation that there are no jobs out there. Most young men come out of the University totally unprepared for this eventuality and it has led not a few to a life of crime to make ends meet.

However, kudos must be given to those who refuse to tow the line of the multitude of unemployed graduates who decided to join the league of yahoo boys already tarnishing what's left of Nigeria's rotten image. During this very difficult period, we have seen a lot of young people distinguish themselves by making use of their God-given talents to create businesses that have created employment for others.

Starting a business as a young person in Nigeria is difficult and if you've never tried, you'll never know just how mentally challenging, emotionally draining and psychologically exhausting it is with its attendant difficulties; chief among them being raising capital. Regardless of the jingles bandied about, the banking industry is very unfriendly to potential business owners with their constant demand for collateral security and their unbelief in little dreams, and by little dreams, I mean business plans that don't forcast massive turnover on investment. Personally, I don't blame the banks. They deal with other people's money and they are hounded to declare mind-boggling profits to convince investors and shareholders their monies are in safe hands...that's a story for another day.

This capital difficulty has led many young business men and women to engage in what I call Unintentional Advance Fee Fraud or simply put, Unintentional 419. Many times, I have encouraged friends and acquaintances who took the self-employment route by patronizing their wares and services. More often than not, it always ended up in disappointment. I have had to learn the hard way that business and friendship mix as good as oil does in water. In order to preserve old friendships, I do not let them stray to business.

What I got to find out much later is that most times, these young business men and women don't know how to handle the volume of work they get. This automatically turns them deaf to calls after failure to meet deadlines or they suddenly became scarce like jobs themselves as it suddenly turns into a game of hide-and-seek. The guy who called you every second of every day to ensure he got that contract from you or the lady who wouldn't stop stalking you suddenly becomes more inaccessible than the president.

What most don't realise is that at those earlier stages, a good reputation is more important than what money they make from the volume of jobs. The sure way to ensure longevity in business is to have a solid reputation as one who keeps to time and delivers on schedule. If for any forseeable or unforseeable reason, you won't be able to deliver on schedule, call your clients before the deadline to explain why there will be a delay and tender unreserved apologies. Yes, your clients may get mad but you owe them that duty; not just for them but for you and your fledgling business. It is the cardinal principle of customer service.

For young business men and women in the habit of making promises they can't keep and receiving payment for services not yet provided, it is a dance on a very slippery slope. Without a strong business ethic, you may find yourself spending such monies on all things unrelated to the business at hand and that's how it starts. Before you know it, you become a professional dodger hiding from clients or customers. This is Unintentional Advanced Fee Fraud or Unintentional 419, if you may. With that, goes your fledgling business that may have had so great, a potential.

The bottom line is this; you cannot do more than you can. For this reason, you must learn to say "no" or at least, explain how tight your schedule is and how it would prevent you from delivering on schedule. Forget about the money that may escape your hands, and the clients or customers you may miss. The important thing is that those you work for will have a good story to tell about you. Money cannot get you a good reputation but a good reputation can get you loads of money.

Think about it.

Malcolm O. Ifi.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON: AN EPITOME OF SUCCESS

It was something that had been most speculated on for a while. Many wondered when the knight would call it quits with the beautiful game after a life time of achievements. Well, the world of football was agog with excitement on the 8th of May, 2013 and not a few tears were shed when Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson announced to the world that he would be retiring as Manager of Manchester United - a position he held since 1986.

The Scot, 71 who has been at the helm of affairs at Old Trafford for the past 26 years is without doubt, the most successful coach in England and arguably, the world. His career at the Theater of Dreams has fetched him a most impressive haul of 38 trophies which include 13 League Titles, 2 Champions League Crowns, 5 FA Cups and 4 League Cups - a trophy haul that will not be eclipsed by any coach any time soon.

Accolades have continued to flow in commemoration of what is considered as a great loss to the football world. Rarely has the world seen a coach who has remained a relevant shot caller for such a long time. Before Sir Alex took over the club, Manchester United had not won a silver ware in 26 years and it didn't take too long for him to put the club back to winning ways. He injected a highly competitive and professional spirit into the club which transformed Manchester United to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Happily, the knight may have retired from active participation in the game but the affairs of Manchester United remains close to his heart. He is to become a director and ambassador for the club after his last game as coach against West Brom which will be his 1500th in charge at United. Ferguson will undergo hip surgery in the summer and is confident his successor will take over a club in good health after winning their 20th top-flight title 18 days ago. He stated in his press conference yesterday that it was important to leave the organisation at the strongest possible shape to ensure the long-term future of the club remained a bright right.

It was expected at a time that Sir Alex's closeness with former Chelsea and current Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho meant that he was grooming him for the job, especially as Mourinho had expressed a desire to coach United after Sir Alex retired. However, from all indications, it seems Everton coach and fellow Scot, David Moyes who will be receiving the flaming torch. It is believed that Moyes will blend in perfectly because he understands the club's history and is committed to youth development and would maintain the attractive and attack-minded game United is known for.

Sir Alex Ferguson was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 31 December, 1941. He began his football career as an attacking forward with Queens Park at the age of 16. From there, he moved to St. Johnstone where he was unable to command a regular place and moved again to Dunfermline in 1964 where he became full-time professional footballer. In 1965-1966 season, Ferguson had an amazing 45 goals in 51 goals and was joint top scorer in the Scottish League with 31 goals. He joined Rangers when he left Dunfermline and later moved to Falkirk where his coaching career began when he was promoted to player-coach. He ended his playing career in with Ayr United in 1974 with a total of 107 goals in 370 appearances.

He began his managerial career in 1974 with East Stirlingshire at the age of 32. He gained reputation as a disciplinarian which stuck for the rest of his career. He later moved to St. Mirren where he transformed the team from a lower Second Division team to First Division champions in 1977. He moved to Aberdeen in 1978 and won many silverwares and had his first taste of European victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup where they defeated Real Madrid in the finals in 1983 as well as retaining the Scottish Cup.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1984 honours list and became highly sought after being courted by top clubs in England. He was part of the coaching staff of the Scottish national side that qualified for the 1986 World Cup and had to take charge of the team when the manager Jock Stein suddenly collapsed and died. When Scotland failed to progress past group stages, he stepped down as national team manager. He rejected offers from Rangers, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers before he took over the reins at Manchester United on 6th November, 1986.

He was knighted by the Queen in June 1999 after the famous treble which included United's first Champions League title. He won his second Champions League title against Chelsea in 2008 and has led United to a record 20 league titles; a feat never to have been achieved by any English club. He has won a total of 49 trophies as a manager, 38 of which were with Manchester United. In 1498 games as manager at Manchester United, he had 894 wins, 337 draws and 267 defeats. He bought a total of 104 players during his stay at Manchester United; the last being Wilfried Zaha, signed from Crystal Palace for fee rising to £15m in January and loaned back to Palace. On the 23rd of November 2012, he was honoured with the unveiling of a statue of him at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson is married to Lady Cathy Ferguson and they have three sons; Mark who was in born 1968 and a set of twins Darren; born 1972 and the current manager of Peterborough United and former manager of Preston North End, and Jason who runs an events management company. In 1998, Ferguson was named as one of the biggest financial donors of the Labour Party of which he has been a life-long voter and in January 2011, Graham Stringer, a Labour MP in Manchester and Manchester United supporter, called for Ferguson to be made a life peer. If this happened, it would make Ferguson the first current or former footballer or football manager to sit in the House of Lords. In 2009, Ferguson received a Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the Manchester Metropolitan University. It was the second degree received from the university, after receiving a honorary masters in 1998.

The wiley old fox as he is fondly referred to, will be sorely missed at Old Trafford and indeed the English Premiership as one so passionate about the game. It will be a relief to some of his peers who must have been intimidated by his frightful competitiveness and staggering successes which never seemed to age as much as he did. This indeed marks the end of a golden era for Manchester United.

Thank you Sir Alex!

Malcolm O. Ifi.


Photo Credits: The Internet
Info Credits: Wikipedia