By Dr. Wilfred Isak April
BY now some of my fellow Namibians, are in full swing preparing for the festive season. I would like you to reflect on all that has happened to you throughout this year, because what I am going to share with you today is not different from what we learn every day at work, school, home or from the people we interact with.
Most of the lessons I have shared with you this past year really come from the heart and my experiences with people from all walks of life. In any business endeavor we tend to be so absorbed in what we are busy with, that we forget that owning a business or being an entrepreneur is all about strategic relationships and the desire to grow your business and succeed. More importantly, whatever business venture you find yourself in it must come from passion. An entrepreneurial journey can be associated with three key pointers namely: ambition, discipline and having a clear purpose. With these latter mentioned pointers it is important to constantly upgrade your knowledge about business as an entrepreneur.
I know that some people would argue that you do not need college education, since some well renowned businessman/woman in Namibia does not have a degree, but are entrepreneurs today. Certainly yes, but that does not necessarily mean that is the way to go. Because in essence the perfect thing education teaches us is how to learn and all this involves a very different approach to learning. Some people go out of school at a very early age and learn the reality of business through practice. This does not mean we should not strive to upgrade our entrepreneurial education and skills.
The platform we have in Namibia is probably the best gift life could provide and which many people around the world don’t have in terms of education and opportunities. Entrepreneurship is sometimes like a roller coaster, with its ups and downs as some of you might have noticed or experienced. However, the beauty of being an entrepreneur is that you always have a choice, either to “scream” or enjoy the “journey.” It really takes a lot of guts and emotion to be in business, not to mention to succeed in the world of business. You will or may have probably experienced so many crazy days and perhaps one or two good days. Remember, through the bad days that come your way, you have to realize that it is OK, you are going to learn and adapt, and train yourself into the next day. Sometimes most people give up in the most difficult days. Usually the worst days are when some Namibians would say, “Oh no, I cannot take this anymore.” That should never happen, because if you are passionate about something, and believe in something; you must never give up. You have every opportunity to have more of these good days to keep you on track for the next big deal.
Remember that the journey of being an entrepreneur is not only about the next billion-dollar idea. Most people think I have the most amazing idea and all I need is money for it. Having an idea does not give you money, but it is your aspiration that shows investors it is worth investing in your business. The quickest way to sell my business for a lot of money. This is starting a business for the wrong reasons. I have to remind you that one cannot create a business for the sole purpose of selling it. The possibility is that it might work, but that we call a lottery. Through these series of columns I want to educate you and all that you have to work towards. A lottery is not something we can predict. What we can predict is value for your business. Finally, we all can learn through failure, but if we do not learn why do it? You should be driven to succeed no matter what. If you have ambition, discipline and purpose underlined you can do it.
Dr. Wilfred Isak April holds a PhD (Entrepreneurship) degree from New Zealand and lectures on leadership, organizational behaviour and on entrepreneurship at the University of Namibia (Unam) in the Department of Management Sciences.