Media group empowers small business owners in Lagos

No fewer than 100 small business owners’ have benefited from business nuggets aimed at assisting them to improve their business productivity even during economic downturn.

The training, organised by School of Entrepreneurship (SOE), an arm of 101 Broadcast Media Business with the theme: Starting And Growing A Business In Economic Recession: Exploring The Opportunities, attracted micro and small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, job seekers and start ups in Lagos.

Executive Coordinator of SOE, Vivian Akinyosoye, told the participants that the school would continue the gesture by ensuring that it is committed to moving people out of poverty through education and enlightenment on viable business opportunities.

The school also focuses on counseling, education and enlightenment, skills acquisition with 101 Business on television to improve the quality of their families and business life.

She disclosed that the free comprehensive business workshop would be dedicated to training after which the participants would be given certificates and access to start up funds.

Executive Director, Palmer Realtors Limited, Oluwaseyi Dada, attributed the failure of most small businesses to ignorance and lack of patience and perseverance to run the businesses.

“Basically, businesses should be given time to stabilise, but some business owners are not patience enough to grow them and see them succeed. However, statistics shows that most small businesses cannot survive more than five years.

“And because they did not acquire enough knowledge to sustain the business, they jump into another business when they collapse and never succeed,” he said.

He added that for any business to survive after five years, it must have learnt all the business secrets over the years; to mark time in chosen professions or businesses and pay their –dues and can afford to live a luxurious life -style. Dada urged people at this time of recession period, to think outside box, proffer business solution to a need.

Speaking at the forum, Director Business Development and Strategies Investec Integrated Services Limited, Lucky Christopher Oghenetega, pointed out that the Federal Government believes that empowerment of entrepreneurs was the way to take the economy to another level.

He, however, lamented that very little or nothing was done except for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that organise regular vocation and business trainings for entrepreneurs from time to time.