The power of being an innovator and not a follower

Starting a business may seem an easy idea, even sound glamorous. Once you start, you soon realize that the ‘easy idea’ is not that easy after all. Many young entrepreneurs fall into the trap of copying other ideas and this leads to the failure of their business. Why? Well it wasn’t their idea in the first place so to keep it sustainable and fresh would always prove to be a problem.

I understand the thought process of why reinvent the wheel? If something works, follow it. This is great for systems but does not apply to taking another idea and building your business model based on this philosophy. Africa is rich in many ways and the spirit of entrepreneurship is fairly new to us. We’re on the tipping point of great resources, ideas, people and opportunities.

Nothing worth it in life ever comes easy and the life of an entrepreneur is far from glamorous. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all doom and gloom, I would not trade it for anything but you need to be prepared to work. The work starts from the genesis, your idea. Emphasis on ‘your’. Why is there a need for this service or product? Workshop the idea yourself before getting out the parking lot, then take it further once you believe in it 100%.

This is vital on your journey of being an entrepreneur, you will most certainly come across many people that won’t buy into your idea and if you don’t believe in your idea, this will be a tough obstacle to overcome. You need to be confident that no matter what, your idea is worth giving it your all. The power of being an innovator and not a follower is that it identifies you as a strong and confidant person. Entrepreneurship teaches you many personal lessons in life and these build your character. I like to call it the university of life! Why rob yourself of these valuable lessons by merely copying an idea that will only teach you the opposite of what you can learn about yourself from the start? Nothing good ever comes from copying. Yes I know, almost every idea is out there, except yours! You can do it and you have everything on the inside of you to get there.

Make the first step and keep going. One day at a time. I’d rather live my life knowing I did my best and as authentically as possible. I would never want to live my life based on somebody else’s dream. I was created to be an individual and so everything I do reflects who I am. How about you?

Entrepreneurial thinking is about recognizing opportunities in the marketplace and understanding how and when to capitalize on them. Becoming an entrepreneur is not necessarily an inherent trait. It takes time to train yourself to use your talents and experience to see opportunities where others do not.~ Jonathan R. Aspatore

Cyril Naicker
Creative Director
Cape Town In Vogue
Twitter: @cyrilnaicker

A tribute to James Mulwana

James Mulwana
1936- 2013

This morning, the whole nation was stricken with the sad news of the death of a great industrialist, husband, father and philanthropist, James Mulwana. Every child knows Mr. Mulwana, those who don’tat least have enjoyed the fruits of his labor. May be like me, you have (and still use) a nice toothbrush every morning to clean your teeth, or you have used a Nice clear pen to write your exams, notes and letters. For the adults, you have used Uganda Batteries Limited products in your car engine. A very big number of the current generation has used these products and for this reason we celebrate the life of this great entrepreneur who eased certain burdens in our lives.

To clearly understand the outstanding contribution of this great businessman who started out in the import and export business as early as 1961, I highlight major milestones in his fruitful life.

§  In 1967, Mr. Mulwana established a partnership with Chloride Group (UK) which led to the establishment of Associate Batteries Manufacturers Limited. The company was renamed Uganda Batteries Limited  when the UK company sold all its interest to indigenous Ugandans enabling Mr. Mulwana full control of the company in 1991.

§  In 1970, he founded Ship Tooth Brush factory, currently Nice House of plastics, the country’s leading manufacturer of toothbrushes, household products, writing instruments and packaging products.

§  He is also credited for reviving the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) in 1988 and served as its Chairman until the year 2000. He has been serving as the Chairman UMA Advisory Committee.

§  1996, he was appointed Chairman of the Private Sector Foundation.

§  Member of the International Finance Corporation Business Advisory Council.

§  Member of the Board of Directors of Insurance Company of East Africa.

§  Chairman of East African Business Council an Apex body for the five East African Committee partner states of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

§  Chairman Board of Trustees of Eskom (U) Ltd a company responsible for the generation of Hydro Electric Power in Uganda.

The lives of men like James Mulwana a not only an inspiration but a motivation to the young industrialists of today, the next generation of entrepreneurs to work hard in their pursuit of their dreams. To aim at not just making money, but solving consumer needs. By building products that make a difference in people’s life, to pursue the Ugandan dream ruthlessly like it was the last thing we did with our lives.

Welcome World

I am pleased to welcome you to this platform where I hope to share my knowledge and experiences with you. An inner voice in me wants to speak out always, but life has shown me writing what I feel deep inside is the best expression of what I feel. 

Why I have started this blog

Starting this blog is inspired by the desire that as many young people as possible dare the world and follow their dreams. I would love to see a generation of young Ugandans and people in general who do not let the barriers to entrepreneurship to limit them from pursuing their life dreams and answer the call to entrepreneurship.

I want to document my life’s journey and use this community as the place to grow as a person, as business man and as a citizen driven by the love of God and Country.

What to expect on this blog

This blog will be an account of my daily exploits as a young Ugandan entrepreneur. I will share lessons learned, information found and opinions on different happenings in the life of young Ugandans just starting out as business owners.

It will be real life experiences and I will also do some writing on Entrepreneur focused events that occur around the country in case I am able to attend them. In times where its helpful, I will use this blog to inform readers especially those  near specific events in East Africa to attend them, meet other young entrepreneurs and improve themselves.

I will also write opinion columns on discussions I hold with other young people on business, and also consultations I make with industry experts, seniors who have acquired enormous experience and more.

My Humble request to the reader

My appeal to every person that visits this blog is to join the blog community and spread the word about it. Great information only makes a difference when shared! I welcome you and request your support.

Let us start this journey…