If you know nothing about business and you still want to start something chances are that you may feel lost in your quest. But it doesn’t have to be that way forever.
Some of the best businesses we see today were started by people who absolutely had no clue what they were getting themselves into. You can be like them too – here are the four steps you need to follow.
Step 1: Learn
No one was born knowing everything. Not even Bill Gates was born knowing how to code or Mark Zuckerberg how create functional websites.
The thing is, you have to first sit down and learn a thing or two before you progress to the next stage of life. Don’t be a Mr. Know It All, there is always something you can learn out here – so learn.
And by learning I don’t necessarily mean getting a university degree. Rather I mean acquiring practical skills that can make you stand out from the pack. It could be cooking, photography, playing a musical instrument, designing websites, blogging, farming – whatever you are passionate about, learn to do it professionally.
Step 2: Practice
Learning by itself may not be enough. You can gain so much knowledge from the world but without practical implementation of the same then all that effort will go down the drain.
Let me break that down to you. It is one thing to learn how to make shaggy mats, it’s another to sew them.
It’s one thing to cook ugali but it’s another hassle altogether to prepare an actual meal. So the best step you can take to make the most of your life is to put your skills to practical use albeit in a small way.
A good cook? Start experimenting with different recipes. A good marketer? Find something to sell. It is in this stage of growth that you can harden and understand all the underground tunnels in your field of interest.
Step 3: Venture Out
Every great thing you see today started as a dream. So now that you have some skills, a dream and possibly an idea, it is time to venture out into the real world. Don’t panic but be realistic with your plans.
At this stage the most important assets you have are passion and experience – capital comes in third. Start small by capitalizing on the small opportunities and silly ideas available on the way.
Treat everything opportunity that comes your way like your life depends on it. Don’t focus on making a quick buck, rather focus on nurturing life-long relationships.
Step 4: Scale Up
One mistake that we make after venturing out is that we easily get satisfied and complacent with the existing opportunities to an extent that we don’t invest in scaling up. The disadvantage of doing that is we end up in hand-to-mouth situations where no growth or expansion is guaranteed. Don’t make this common mistake.
Keep flexing your muscles and aim to scale a notch higher. There is nothing that prevents you from growing from a mtumba kibanda to a fully-fledged garments manufacturer – nothing else apart from that little voice in your brain that says you can’t do it.
Final Word
See – there are so many opportunities that exist within us. Can you imagine a country like Kenya still imports toothpicks from China? Can you imagine that our toothpaste is made by foreign companies that have spotted opportunities amongst us?
If we want to move Africa forward, then we must be willing to start life-changing businesses ourselves. And as we have seen in this article, you can even start a business even if you feel like you don’t know anything about business. You first need to LEARN, then PRACTICE, then VENTURE OUT and finally SCALE UP.
What do you think is holding African entrepreneurs down and preventing them from taking full control of their economies?
