Student Entreprise

How to build a relevant brand in the undergraduate community.

This will be longer than my usual posts. I started my firm while as an undergraduate and lessons learned, I want to share with the students out there.
1. Start small.
You don't need millions to launch your ideas. You need a community that trusts you enough and in undergraduate life, you'll see a lot of that. For example, If you intend starting your own clothing label, you might want to start with boxers. They're cheap, easy to make and every guy needs one. From boxers, you can then move on to the much bigger clothing line.

2. Gain momentum.
Whatever you do, strive to improve. When you leave school, the skills you've acquired will give you an edge. You might want to acquire more than one skill to enter your core field. Let me illustrate with a personal example. In building a media service firm, the first skill I acquired was aesthetic PowerPoint design. Then I learnt the use of corel draw and Photoshop in creating and designing print layouts, killer posters and beautiful magazines. Next came the skill of web design with HTML and then Dreamweaver. I also had to undergo short courses in advertising, Brand development, copywriting, presentation skills and public speaking. Then followed by two years training in leadership and team building.

All these skills have increased my effectiveness and make it possible for me to execute certain key projects faster and better than a lot of my colleagues. And for me, the skill acquisition doesn't end. This year, I'll be working on learning php and my SQL (web programming and database languages) and also on learning mandarin (Chinese language spoken by over a billion Chinese people). If you start with your first skill, just remember, you'll need to keep going. But it gets easier. Trust me. It does.



3. Make friends.

Undergraduate life is short. Don't alienate people. The folks you have as friends will become your clients and sources of referral after you graduate- and trust me, they'll remember how friendly or unfriendly you were.


4. Join a community. Or even better, start one.

Have you heard of theatre 15? Chances are you haven't. But you might have heard of gbenga adeyinka the first, eldee the don, teju baby face, denrele edun, koffi the comedian, yaw, basket mouth. All these folks were all members of a self started community called theatre 15 when they were students in Unilag. It's no surprise that they're all dominating the entertainment scene together now. That's what a community can do for you. Another member's success can rub off on you. If there isn't a community near you, you might want to start one. It'll be one of the biggest moves of your life.

5. Embrace failure.

You will fail initially. Everyone does. When you first start out to launch your ideas, you will face setbacks and experience difficulties. The setbacks might even affect your academic work. However, the true test is this- can you get back up easily?

The truth is - business, entrepreneurship and brand building is hard work. You learn by experience and you can't get experience if you're not ready to fail. In my early years while running a student enterprise, I made losses to the tune of one million naira. I had to learn how to wear faded clothes, tattered shoes and drink loads and loads of garri while working my arse off just to pay up some of the debts. But those debts taught me key principles you'll never read in the pages of a book. I recognized certain mistakes which can push any business into debt and now several years later, I know how to effectively avoid those mistakes even on a larger scale. The experience was priceless and truly educational.

6. Don't wear yourself out.

Your goal isn't to become a billionaire while in school. Fine, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg got lucky, but even they had to drop out to focus on their growing business. Trying to take on too much can cause you to breakdown and even fail exams, repeat classes and have extra years. The key thing is harmony. I'll say it again, your goal isn't to become a billionaire while in school. It is to build relationships that will endure when school days are over. Don't wear yourself out. Remember to have fun.You'll never be this free again. Most likely after you graduate, responsibility will beckon to you. There'll be marriage, children and you'll have to pay the bills. Have fun while you can. Trust me, all the money in the world isn't worth killing yourself over.

Finally, here's my personal favorite-
7. Connect the dots. Whatever you do now, please make sure you choose a business name and treat people in such a way that even after school, they'll remember you and trust you. There are no strangers anymore. Today, we are all well connected. All your deeds today will grow into your reward tomorrow. Keep in mind that these same fellow students will be the business leaders, executives and political leaders of tomorrow. If they trust you today, they'll be your clients tomorrow. There's more to be said but we'll continue in another edition.