African Entrepreneurial Forum

When it comes to successful leadership, attributes like vision, communication, integrity, and curiosity never go out of style. Today, executives also must be able to build strong teams in the face of recruiting and retention challenges, keep up with the latest technology, and demonstrate strong business acumen. Those at the helm of their organizations need these skills, among others, to navigate the business environment, which recent research suggests is increasingly difficult to do. In a Robert Half Management Resources survey, 66 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) said it’s more challenging to be a company leader today than it was five years ago. “Emerging trends, from the accelerated pace of change and disruptive innovations to dispersed workforces and regulatory compliance demands, have intensified the pressures facing company leaders,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. “Today’s leaders must be proficient in their chosen field, but also current o…

Creating long-term value with limited resources is a huge challenge for entrepreneurs, but it’s hardly a novel one. Sustainable growth is among the biggest challenges any business leader faces, but it isn’t a new problem. My grandmother, who lived in a remote village in Bangladesh, was barely 5 feet tall, skinny as a rod, and very soft-spoken. She could barely read or write and never had a formal education, yet she successfully managed a farming and sharecropping business, overseeing a network of farmers, merchants, and seasonal workers, all while raising nine children and keeping a household in order. To do that, she needed to create long-term value from the work she directed without exhausting the finite resources at her (and her community’s) disposal. Even though circumstances are very different for modern entrepreneurs, the fundamentals of sustainable growth remain the same. Here are seven of them. 1. AUTHENTIC PURPOSE
Every company needs to pin down “why we do what we do.” That’s the…

You may have thought up a business idea that you are sure is going to make you a great deal of money. However, there are a few aspects you need to consider before you can make your dream a reality. Starting a business may seem an incredibly daunting prospect upon first starting out, but you need to break the process down into smaller steps to make sure your business idea gets off the ground successfully. With that in mind, below is a step-by-step guide to follow to set up your small business with guaranteed success. 1.  Market research Before you truly know whether there is any longevity to your business plan, you need to conduct some market research to make sure the money spent in setting up your business isn’t wasted. You need to establish whether there is a market for your business as many of the best ideas fail in the first few stages due to the research aspect being completely overlooked. You also need to comprehend whether there is a current demand for your product or service, as we…

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Small businesses are often called the backbone of the economy. Policies that encourage the growth of small businesses and the role of entrepreneurship in the market are considered to be healthy for the economy at large.
Entrepreneurship is a veritable source of employment and wealth creation for Nigerians who desire to create wealth for themselves by starting a business of their own and nurturing it to maturity. A business empire can be created by starting small and working hard enough to maintain the business and making it grow through various stages. Many big companies in Nigeria today started small many years ago and their founders were committed in their pursuit and persevered until the businesses grew into world class brands. Despite the challenges, Nigeria is a beautiful place to do business that any entrepreneurial minded person can succeed in business if they are willing to start something no matter how difficult it may seem at first.
The most difficult aspect is in…