By Efa Sunday and Nsa David
An entrepreneur and chief executive officer of Ivana rentals, Mrs. Ivory Ivana has said greatness is planned and not accidental.
“You don’t just jump out of your bed early in the morning you must first plan and ensure that you follow through with it,” Ivana told host of ‘Lessons From CEOs’, a radio program on Fad FM monitored by CrossRiverWatch.
Ivana who shared her story to becoming an entrepreneur, said the journey was never easy but has since settled into it as she derives joy from positive compliments on how she has impacted on people’s lives.
“If you are an entrepreneur, you will have time. With the bank I did not have any time at all, I had to deal with house helps in and out, but as an entrepreneur, you are now in charge of your life, we say you are the boss, you are able to organise things in such a way that you can still run your business a hundred percent and you will have time for family a hundred percent. It is just for you to plan and follow through with what you have planned for the day,” she said.
She said the journey to owning a business began with the supply of chairs for kids at her friend’s baby birthday.
“In life there is more to it; you wouldn’t know what is waiting for you out there if you are confined in a particular environment. It all started when a friend of mine walked up to me and asked me to supply her with kiddies chairs for her baby’s birthday, specifically telling me to buy the chairs and I did buy them and supplied within 24 hours. The joy of satisfying her and thinking of people making statements like if not for you (Mrs. Ivana) I would have not made it gave birth to what you are seeing now,” she said.
She disclosed that her rental company as a way of giving back to the society partners with budding entrepreneurs who are faced with capital deficit.
She said: “What we do is that we partner with young entrepreneurs. When they have jobs and they don’t have the needed tools, they come pick and supply get paid and at the end of the day give us a little out of what they have gotten.”