‘My coaching business is based on self discovery’

I am a business coach. I provide business support services for entrepreneurs, their employees and the enterprises so they will all be well-aligned to achieve the common goal. The entrepreneur has a focus or dream and can tap from the Nigerian economy. Many people complain about what is not working while we are oblivious of what is happening and what we can make out of it. By visualisation people are coming out with different ideas. As a business-oriented person, you need to think with your mind eye and see opportunities which are everywhere while people are complaining that there is no opportunity.

I started the business about four years ago, on part-time when I still had a paid job. I was working with a business support service organisation providing consultancy and such like to businesses. The firm encouraged its employees to start their own business on part-time so long as there would be no conflict of interest with their paid job.

So, I started the business on a flimsy note. My passion was developed when I went for training and learnt about becoming a business coach. I saw more opportunity in that and I launched fully into the business in 2011.

I started as a boot-strapping entrepreneur, without an office. I would dress well and go out marketing. I would hand out very nice complimentary cards. Since I was offering a service that can be delivered at the client’s place, most times people do not need to come to my office. When they needed to come and see me, I would stylishly arrange a meeting point at a hotel, restaurant or eatery where the atmosphere is very conducive for business discussions. That saved me a lot of costs that would have been incurred running an office when I started the business. Over time I got a number of clients that pay well and I moved from Abuja to Lagos last year and now my office is located in Lekki.

I studied microbiology at the University of Ibadan. But after my graduation, I discovered my purpose in 2002. Going to university is a good way to start a career, but what I studied does not define who I am and where I am going, so I embarked on a personal discovery journey. I have realised that I am good at fabricating learning and development for people.

There are still many entrepreneurs that do not believe in capacity building for themselves or their employees, so they do not want to pay a business development services provider. These entrepreneurs believe they know it all until they hit the rock and then come back to me. So, at the initial stages of my business, getting clients to pay fully for my service was very difficult.

Some entrepreneurs believe they can simply read a book, and so ask – what does he want to tell me? But that is a fallacy, there are a lot that entrepreneurs still need to learn from experts.

I want to expand the business and welcome partners. Currently, I work in collaboration with other business coaches. They engage me when they have a contract and I engage them when I have. At the moment, I have just one employee to attend to finance, paying of cheques and so on. But I do the marketing and the training.

It has been a fantastic journey because it is my passion to support the growth of entrepreneurs, employees and enterprises and the business is paying my bills very well.

People need to know who they are and what they love before delivering a value for others to connect with and pay for.