At UBA Group’s quarterly business series held in Lagos last week, Veteran stand-up comedian and CEO of XQZMOI Television, Atunyota Ali Akpobome (Ali Baba); famous creative photographer, Kelechi Amadi-Obi; CEO of Diaryofakitchenlover, Omotolani Tayo-Osikoya and CEO of Kenya’s Melvin Marsh International Ltd, Flora Mutahi, took turn to tutor young entrepreneurs the on how to navigate pitfalls in business environment.

Sharing their personal stories, the speakers pointed out courage, originality, relationship, passion, creativity among others are winning virtues of most successful entrepreneurs even as they urged the participants to aspire to carve niches for themselves in the competing business environment.

The series, according to UBA, is aimed at boosting business sustainability, especially for its customers who run micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The recent edition was themed, ‘Built to Last: Building Generational Businesses’.

“As a business owner, you need to come up with ways to ensure that you stay on top of your game and remain relevant, this is where creativity comes in, you need to study the sector where you operate and come up with ways to bring dynamism to your business,” Ali Baba said.

Tayo-Osikoya advised MSMEs to continue to look for ways to stand out in their businesses as they “need to figure out your differentiating factor” as a business is about knowing what customers expect and finding a way to solve their needs.

As for Amadi-Obi, the goal is “to make an impact, first for myself and then for the client” as he believed that any product or service is a function of y creativity.

Mutahi, who spoke virtually from Kenya, said Africa has great potential to harness and acknowledged that the entrepreneurial spirit in the continent has become a revolution.

The bank’s Group Head of Retail and Digital Banking, Shamsideen Fashola, narrated the story of “built to last” and how the life of the Chairman of the bank, Tony Elumelu has personified the ideal from his days at the legacy Standard Trust Bank.

The philosophy, he said, has shaped the business ethics of the bank and its commitment to growth and governance.

“At UBA, it is not just about banking; we are also passionate about helping our customers to grow thriving businesses, and that is why we do this regularly. I therefore commend these professionals who have taken the time to come and share insights on building sustainable businesses. I know we have learnt a lot, and this will go a long way for all of us,” he explained.