Olumide produces very cheap unbranded bath soap. She made very good daily sales while in Lagos but after relocating to Port Harcourt, she struggled to make sales.

Most stores in Port Harcourt were turning her down. After she spoke to her friend about it, her friend asked her if stores were buying in Lagos, and she said not so much. So where were the sales coming from? Her friend queried. And she said it was mostly "aboki boys" that bought the soap. Her friend asked her if she has tried reaching out to the clusters of "abokis" in Port Harcourt, and she said she hadn't thought of that earlier.

The moment she channelled her marketing to those areas, her sales grew instantly. The fact is that the quality of the soap, the pricing, and regular (unbranded) nylon packaging wasn't meant for the kind of stores she had been talking to.

Your struggle with making sales may just be that you are focusing on the wrong target market. One thing that must always guide you in finding the right market is to follow the money trail, and leave your fantasies for now. It's the revenue flow you need.

#DoBusinessBetter

When Ibiye and her ever-efficient team took over the management of Obinwanne restaurant brand, the monthly revenue was ranging from 700k to 1.2m.

The first thing they did was to introduce an ideology as they rebranded the business. The ideology was simply "have a good time", but it was not a mere slogan or fancy statement. They focused on ensuring that the signature meals were consistent in taste, quality, and availability. They disengaged the cook who didn't fit into what they were trying to achieve and hired another cook who was experienced and provided accommodation for him.

They reworked the supply system for kitchen supplies and drinks so that they never run out of essentials. There were gaps but as they kept adjusting, the gaps became very minimal. These adjustments were important because people cannot have a good time if things are not in place behind the scene. They impressed the ideology on the minds of the workers from kitchen staff to bartenders and janitors.

They also retrained the waiters and did some marketing using the new ideology as a slogan. In less than one year of taking over, they have made sales of over 4 million naira per month!

Random efforts and insisting on mere personal opinions will not take you far, be more intentional with your business branding and strategy. They make a world of difference.

#DoBusinessBetter

Brand identity is beyond the visuals of your business, it is how you are perceived, it is what you do that makes you stand out from the rest.

If you have ever wondered how brand identity can make or mar your business, then you should watch this video.

#DoBusinessBetter

A customer will not buy from you simply because you sold to her/him. You need to keep selling and one day, they'll make a buying decision to patronise you.

To keep selling, you need to also find ways to sell better. Do you want to know how to sell better?

Listen to the podcast
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/OWQ1OGQ5N2UtNDZkOC00NjQwLTkzMWItNGVkN2NmN2U2NzJi?ep=14

#DoBusinessBetter

"It's okay to have many ideas, and it's okay to experiment with various ideas but you need to be able to pick the idea that seems most feasible and give it your all, then after you've set it up, you can move to other ideas."

In this podcast, we're going to follow the money trail.

Do you want to follow the money trail too?

Then this podcast is for you.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/Yzg4MjAzY2YtM2VjNy00ZDE0LWEwNTUtYTk4NzYwZjFkNWMx?ep=14

#DoBusinessBetter

"You need a business plan because you need a reference document." It doesn't need to be lengthy, it can be short and straight to the point.

Do you need more information about why you need a business plan and the basic things that you should include in your business plan?

Then watch this video for more information.

#DoBusinessBetter

Emeka wants to build a business empire but when he started his first business, he made a lot of mistakes and the business crashed in less than a year. He wasn't willing to give up on his dreams so when he started his second business, he decided to be more intentional about it.

He registered the business and created a business account. He started to take note of all his business expenses, he also started documenting his business activities and ideas in a document.

In 3 years of running the business, he had established a good revenue, had 5 employees and a structure that enabled the smooth running of his business even in his absence.

When he told his potential investors about these achievements, they were impressed but they made up their minds for sure when he provided all the documents and bank statements to support all he had said.
He got the investment he needed and he was able to expand his business.

Opportunity doesn't waste time with those who are unprepared. Emeka learnt his lessons from his first business and he is finally building the empire he wants to build.

Did you learn anything from Emeka?
Has there been a time when documentation saved your business?
Feel free to share. You can also contribute by sharing some of the lessons you have learnt from running your business.

#DoBusinessBetter

In building a brand, you can never go wrong with being intentional about all you do including creating a strategy for your business.

Watch this video to know how you can create a simple strategy for your business.

#DoBusinessBetter

We all want our business to grow but there's no way it will grow if we're not visible enough.

Even if you're still a small business, there are some steps and tips on how to improve your brand visibility in this podcast episode.

Want to learn how to #DoBusinessBetter?

Then Listen to the podcast

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MzFiMGJkZWUtNGNjNS00YzUzLWJjOGUtZWI4YWM0ZjgxNGUy?ep=14

Ever since Ada conceived the idea to start a business, she started spending alot of time surfing the internet for information. She also invested in lots of business books to gain knowledge on various business concepts. She also asked her more experienced friends salient questions because she felt equipping herself with both theoretical and practical knowledge would get her better prepared.

Despite her preparations, every single time she thought of quitting her job, her heart would skip a beat. Her decision to start this new path frightened her increasingly each passing day. Her fear ranged from how her immediate family would cope since she was a support system to them, to what people would say, and the fear of things not working out as she envisaged.

All of these caused Ada to analyze her idea of starting a consulting firm thoroughly. She had observed that many companies were struggling with their finances in terms of proper accounts, analysis, management, investment plans, etc.

After fourteen years of experience in the financial sector and with several interactions and survey conducted by her to validate the feasibility of her idea, she decided to start her financial consulting firm.

Ada mustered the courage to resign and gave her all to building her enterprise. The fear of failure was quite real, as she could not get clients within the first few months but she stayed focused on the picture she saw in her mind on what the venture could become. She went from one company to another submitting proposals and securing pitching slots. Most days she got the usual response of “we’ll get back to you” and nothing happens afterward, but getting a response gave a glimmer of hope because many others did not even respond to her emails and proposals.

Ada, though discouraged at some point, kept pushing. Finally, she got a call from the General Manager of a firm that needed the services of a financial consultant and that led to her big break. It gave a direct reference point and from then, she kept building her firm’s portfolio until she started gaining recognition and influence for her fresh perspectives on tackling the financial problems of organisations.

Having an idea is not enough; you have to prepare for the tough process of implementing your idea just like Ada.

#DoBusinessBetter

Carving a niche for yourself makes it easier for you gain traction fast because it is streamlined and preserve your capital as a small business. It also helps you gain visibility faster.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about carving a niche for yourself.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ODEyYTliMjItYWZhZi00YzU0LWIxZDctMjM3ZDRkZmQ0Y2Zh?ep=14

Beyond aesthetics and packaging, do you have a GOOD product?

See how confident the CEO of TAC was as he entered the car for testing!

It is because he is 100% sure that he and his team have created a valuable product.


Dear Business Owner, are you confident about your product and services?

#DoBusinessBetter
#BuildYourBrandRight

Which of the investors' offers would you have taken?

Feel Free to share your thoughts and observations.

#DoBusinessBetter

Everybody has some form of leverage.

The question is, how well do you harness those leverages?

Your leverage is like a cow, how well are you milking it?

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how to milk your cow.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NjUzNTc4YmMtM2UyNy00NjU2LThhMzktMjNmMjc2MDIxMjEy?ep=14

#DoBusinessBetter

We're still learning about milking your cow.

Everybody has some form of leverage.

The question is, how well do you harness those leverages?

Your leverage is like a cow, how well are you milking it?

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how to milk your cow part 2.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NGE0MTNlNDctYjBhNS00MDhkLWEyOGYtMzM2MGM1NmE3YzFh?ep=14

#DoBusinessBetter

Is there a specific amount you need to start a business?

Are there things that must be in place before you can successfully start and sustain a business?

Watch the video to find out.

The goal remains to #DoBusinessBetter

Affiliate marketing is simply getting paid for referrals!

There are many ways to make money, but you need to be able to act!

Listen to this podcast to motivate yourself and learn more about making money through affiliate marketing.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80ZThjOGE1NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ODQxZmJmMmQtYTllMS00ODJhLTkwN2QtMDc2OTg3NTUwM2Yx?ep=14

#DoBusinessBetter

Please let's take advantage of this...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0FSsP8m8hFe31PjvZR9v44HtDPaMYPuGEetyP7qNLKHbuLgbRdYtpS2fR7diY8TP6l&id=659750912

When Mapemond Resources took over the management of a restaurant brand, most of the staff were problematic and gave the outgoing manager headache, particularly the cleaners and cooks.

Over ten months after, the same workers are mostly well behaved and improving daily. What changed? Leadership style. I will use a story to explain what I mean.

A few years ago I had a conversation with a restaurant owner who was frustrated by the attitude of her workers. When I inquired to know the grooming process for her employees, she revealed that they were trained by an international expert. I got further information and discovered what the problem was, the workers were trained with the standard template, not bad, but not enough.

These workers live in ghettos and slums. They fight to use the bathroom every morning. They even quarrel to empty their bowels. Then drama with yard people, keke driver, bus conductor that abused them that morning, and the underlying challenges of life they grapple with.

You cannot rework their attitude without addressing the underlying influences of their background. What works in Milan, Madrid, or Copenhagen, will not work the same way in Nigeria. You must adapt to local realities.

So for our restaurant client, we paid close attention to the background and environmental influences on the workers and gradually established a new way of relating to them.

One thing that provided this insight to me was a song by Phil Collins titled "both sides of the story". In one line of the song, a ghetto kid with a gun grabbed a passerby by the shoulder and asked "would you respect me if I didn't have this gun?"

I have lived in three ghettos and I could relate with that question, it is the same mindset behind most low cadre employees in businesses. They want to be respected, they want to be heard, they want to know that they matter, they don't want to be trampled upon, that desire for dignity in humans is also in them.

When next you feel frustrated by your workers, also do a self-evaluation on yourself. Do you treat them with disdain or respect? Do you let them talk or you always hush them? Do you pay attention to where they are coming from or it doesn't concern you? Their presence WILL rub off on your brand, it is a guarantee!

This matter is a major hindrance to the transition of many businesses into fabulous brands. You are putting in the effort but workers are messing things up, it is a real struggle and you have to find a way around it if you want to grow. Some of these workers are set in their ways and I advise for such, you work towards easing them out of your system.

These are some of the issues we tackle during the business structure as well as branding courses at Mapemond Business Academy.

We hope to see you in class!

Link to course calendar is below, just click on the month and course you want:

https://mba.mapemond.com/course-calendar/

The mission is to #DoBusinessBetter

Audio from Maple Dappa