“Make in Nigeria” was the theme for this year’s conference organised by Marketplace Apostles, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation intending to equip men and women with principles for success in business career and leadership.

The week long conference is geared to create a fora for government, investors, and the banking industry to liaise with SME’s that are making in Nigeria and to start a movement that will move beyond roundtable meetings into actionable strategies and collaborative efforts. The conference provided the opportunity for business networking with private and government institutions.

Our favourite speaker was Dr. Anthony Van-Tonder, pictured right. He spoke twice at the event on “The basic business formula – from break even to mega profit” and on “Turning ideas into sales – the ultimate cash flow”. His speech was packed with business nuggets;

  • Be faithful in the little things.
  • You need to find more customers, not more money
  • Personal development should be your major focus.
  • A goal can be achieved by you, but a vision is achieved by people with like minds.
  • Work on your business, and not in your business.

My Personal Notes

Sharing the contents of my personal jotting during the conference

Don’t shy away from responsibilities, because those tasks help in your personal development. You cannot discover your talent if you avoid responsibilities, and that talent can only be turned into a skill by continuously striving for perfection.

  • I – Innovate (Using what is existing around you, and taking actions to commercialise it)
  • D – Deliberate (Taking deliberate actions towards actualising your vision or goal)
  • E – Entrepreneurship (Actualising the vision with a reason)
  • A – Action (Doing something)
  • S – Sustainability (It should out live you)
  • S – Seek/Solicit Customers (Look for your target customer)
  • A – Ask (“Want” Versus “Need”, you have to understand the difference between “Want and Need”)
  • L – Leverage (Using other people’s money, skills, time or time towards your own cause)
  • E – Earning Before Tax (EBT = Revenue – Cost of Goods – Operating Cost)
  • S – Sell (The dream/need has to be sold, don’t keep telling them about the features of the product or service)

Generally, we think the event was a success judging from the turn out and number of exhibiting vendors. As a team, it was refreshing to be reminded of what our brand stands for – Proactive, Dynamic and Flexible. That is why we take so much pride in striving for perfection in our service delivery.