The Missing Key to Building a Mini Importation Business that Outlasts  the Competition

My name is Jade Joseph Sulaiman, and I have always been a dreamer. I am an eCommerce merchant and trainer... aside other things I do.

Faced with nail-biting poverty, I experienced endless episodes of cashless-ness. Being a graduate of Political Science from Bayero University, Kano and from a humble background, the odds against me succeeding, in a highly competitive society like ours, were high. That didn’t mean I can’t wade my way through… and I waded.

Until 2 years ago, I ventured into several businesses that crashed faster than it took me to start them:

-          Pay phone or call centre

-          Books salesman (during and after my NYSC)

-          Bakery (chin-chin and plantain chips. This one lasted longest of them all)

-          Business centre. My first employee helped me to get the business into the ground within the first month. I had to raise money from my daytime job to pay him off.

I always had some business ideas but, most of the time, either there’s little to no capital or I worked with insincere employees/partners.

During my undergraduate days, for example, I ran a relatively thriving business selling vegetable oil with a start-up capital of N700.00... way back in 2001.

I started my chin-chin business with N5000.00 in 2008. Yeah, the business centre cost me about N150,000 to set up. Of that amount, about N80,000 included loans from friends.

I didn’t realize there was a pattern until I sat down to do some research on how most wealthy people stumbled upon their wealth.

According to Business Insider by Pulse, there are 4 paths to lasting wealth creation. Of these 4 paths, 51% comprises Dreamers-Entrepreneurs and 27% of this 51% has failed at least once in their business adventure.

I was never alone. Let me ask, “have you failed in business before?” If your answer is a YES, then know that you are neither alone nor jinxed.

In October 2018, an ad jumped at me. The content of the ad kick-started my current story. That's how I met my mentor, Jonathan Melody. 

By getting a job? I don’t hate paid employments. In fact, part of the money I began my present eCommerce venture with funds from a salary advance I got from my 8-5 job. However, depending only on your salary to create financial stability will take ages to yield the desired results. And the job must be really paying well.

By “investing”? In Nigeria today, we have twisted the concept of investment out of shape. People believe that putting money into schemes that promise doubling, tripling or even quadrupling their “investment” within 24 to 72 hours as a legitimate way to investment. However, investing in high yield stocks, bonds and mutual funds is a legitimate way to invest and has proven to be a good mechanism to create wealth over the long haul.

By creating value? This involves putting your time and skills into producing a much-needed product or service. Buying and selling or starting your own business is foremost in this category. This wealth creation mechanism dates to times immemorial. Remember barter trade? People would exchange what they have for what they need…  every time.

eCommerce is about creating value in a digitally driven environment like the Internet. You look out for a need and strive to meet it with a product or a service. Simple!

Note: In 2019, I was testing out the niches to see where I could fit in and offer the most value. I made these sales on a shoestring budget and a low startup capital. Sometimes, I would partner with some persons to either boost my capital or just improve on my knowledge about the trade.

Yes, I gave no room for excuses!

Ecommerce could be a viable and legitimate way to build a strong business that can stand the test of time and outlast your competition.

My first eCommerce venture tanked right out of the door. I worked with the first two trainings I told you about earlier. That made me to withdraw until I implemented the principles my mentor, Jonathan Melody teaches. I realized I was using the wrong methods: my product search method was wrong; my ads were wrong… almost everything was wrong. I was building on a faulty foundation.

Someone said, "if you play the Nigerian game, you get the Nigerian outcome [result]". If you seek to build to build a business that will outlast you and the competition, then you must improve on your game. 

Most times, when people are failing at something worthwhile, it’s not because the venture is not profitable. It’s usually because they are busy doing the wrong things while expecting the right results. A great number of Nigerian eCommerce merchants I have interacted with have been using the wrong methods.

They go:

Any of the above mistakes can drive your eCommerce business or any business model into the ground long before it begins. Assumption is a major business killer.

I made at least one of those mistakes several times and I paid a huge price each time. It's the fastest way to turn your house into a warehouse - storing products nobody needs, not even you.

The story could be different.

You can have a different narrative, a different story from the rest of the pack. You can make your way into the top 51% class of Dreamers-Entrepreneurs, even if you have shared experience with me and the other 27% who failed at least once.

To do that, you must learn the right ropes.

Building a durable business that keeps your channels of wealth generation running doesn't have to be so difficult. Starting and running a successful eCommerce business in Nigeria is possible. But wait a minute...

How long would it take to come to such a discovery: 1 month? 3 months? 1 year? 6 years?

Since 75% of new businesses die within the first 5 years, wouldn't it be sensible to work with a set of methods that have done well in the recent 7 years and has helped nearly 8000 individuals to create wealth online while building a value-driven business on the same platform rather than just striving to make money online? 

The same battle-tested blueprint has helped me to realize anyone can create wealth and succeed if you are on the right side of doing things.

Competition and a tight budget may seem a big deal if you are running on the wrong track. These factors wouldn't be a real threat if you knew the right places to dig.

Then, just type your name and email in the box below -