By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Becoming a Chief Executive Officer (CEOs) in a company is something almost all upcoming entrepreneurs crave for.
To some, it seems like a walk through while to others it is a tough row to hoe. While some struggle between decisions and have unanswered questions silently crawling through their minds, some found their way to the top of the ladder of their brands and industry.
What made the difference ?
What was their defining point?
How did they start and what kept them on track?
These and many more questions will be answered in part, if not in full , in the course of this article – #LessonsFromCEOs.
Lesson One – Myth- You have to be popular, great, well experienced to start something.
Fact: You do not have to be great to start something, but start something to be great before you start”
Mr. Joseph Edet, CEO of La’ Shakara is an Odukpani born entrepreneur, a multi award winner in the fashion and branding industry and the CEO of a fashion outfit. He started La’Shakara Concept, his venture in 2011 immediately after his first degree in the University of Calabar.
He ventured into fashion and branding because he observed that there was limited access to quality branding in Cross River State.
He launched out with little capital of about Twenty Thousand Naira only. Most times, the available resources couldn’t not take care of the demands of most customers.
He had turned down a lot of offers to remain focused on his goal of building his fashion brand to a global standard.
Of course he started with one staff but currently his company has over 25 graduates and undergraduates plus interns and volunteers.
Because of his passion for Corporate social responsibility, La’Shakara initiated ‘HiLead Networks’ that trained young people in 2016 with plans to train over Three Thousand this year on skills acquisition to help increase human workforce while reducing unemployment and poverty rate in the state.
You must have learnt from Mr Joseph.
He didn’t start as a ‘big man’ or as the popular guy in town.
A lot of young people want to start a venture as ‘Oga Sir’. He started with a meager capital of about Twenty Thousand Naira only. He didn’t wait for a million dollar cheque.
He didn’t wait to be recognized as a fashion tycoon. He started out and all of these things fell in place. If you ask him what he thinks of some young Cross Riverians, he would always say ‘Cross Riverians need to start developing a global mindset and do away with local and stunted attitude by expanding their educational, moral and social coverage.
‘They should start thinking global relevance.’ He relates that a typical Cross Riverian will own a business and prefers to work with just a few persons, pockets his money and remains the same way he started for several years to come.
His recent award as one of the 25 most influential people in Nigerian fashion (South-South) brought Cross River and fashion branding together. His brand has served as a mother brand to many more fashion branding outfits in Cross River State.
Starting out a venture isn’t the problem but starting it with the focus on becoming great is where the difference lies. See the need to work extra to achieve global results.
If you have not started something yet, start something now because you don’t have to be great or popular to start something.
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