From the Desk of the CEO

START TODAY!!!




On this instalment of "From the Desk of the CEO", I want to start a "Strategy 101" series where I encourage my readers to "start today". Some of you may think starting today is such a "known" concept, well to you I would say, grab another book, this is not for you. This particular series of  "start today" are for youth,  potential entrepreneurs, small businesses and aspiring leaders of tomorrow.

Often we think we need the right office, the right capital, the right this and the right that, when the only "right" you should be looking for is "right now". I want to give you a challenge, think about what you would like to achieve and then list what you think you need to have in terms of resources etc etc to achieve it. By doing this, you have already listed an action plan, for some projects, the next step will be timelines.

Now under the "start today" strategy, the following should help any business:

1. Action plan of what you think is needed for your project:

I have found through years of experience that seeing a plan of action/tasks and things of such nature makes your tasks look achievable but most importantly it organises you with precision. As the years go by, my action plans (especially for some of our key projects) now have a plan A to C or even E in worst case scenarios. On one of our current projects, we are even on plan h. Planning allows you to think, in fact, for some people, it forces them to think. Nowadays, when we have completed our signing on process for our clients, we send them a six months overview of the actions on their strategy needs and plan review periods every three months.

2. Research materials on what is actually required in your sector/industry of interest:

You have google and WiFi at your disposal, if you don't, please save up and get data because research is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself. If your phone is not "smart", hang out with a friend that has one and borrow their device to conduct your research. You need to know what your sector/industry is saying. Once we were tasked with planning a Free Trade Zone and securing technical and finance partners. By far, this was the most important brief of that time, it came at a time where our only experience so far in creating strategic alliances for that type of industry was seeking Investors for the Lekki Free Trade Zone. In our bid to execute the mandate without fail, we researched the best at it, the best of such Zones in the world and the best of the best in terms of technology/finance and execution. Infact, our research even led us to several other intel that were very valuable till today.

As part of the research, profile successful people in your field

Success begat success. To be successful, research the successful, find out how they made it. I'm not saying copy their intellectual property or work, I'm saying mimic their strategy. What took Richard Branson ten years to achieve can take you ten months to achieve with adequate research and intel management and execution. Personally I read a lot, not books per say but reports, reports on brands in various sectors and how they achieved success with a particular project or concept or campaign. During the Free Trade Zone planning project I mentioned earlier, we went from knowing the basics of that industry to fast forward three months into the project, not only could we tell you the best constructed Free Trade Zones in the world, I could also tell you the gaps noted in that industry, which were the need for more Sea Ports in the entire WORLD.

You see when you research, you are doing so to obtain facts, facts that will definitely add value if followed with an action plan and an execution strategy.

Till the next time - "START TODAY" -

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