CHAPTER 1

TIT-BITS ABOUT AN ENTREPRENEUR

A major NEGATIVE product of economic crises is unemployment. Thisis a global challenge and hence its incorporation as a major agendain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The employableunemployed youths and citizens in Americas, Africa, Europe, Australiaand Asia need lucrative jobs. Such job should be a secure job. A securejob is a job whose remuneration package pays all bills (basic needs,medical, transportation, insurance, communication) and allows forsavings in anticipation of a rainy day. The doer, at no time, neverentertains the fear of sudden retrenchment or being sacked until theexit period (retirement) or in accordance with the rules guiding hiringand firing of employees.

In most underdeveloped nations, it is apparent that only governmentprovides secure jobs. Getting civil service jobs is a roadmap to moraland financial corruption. Certificates are altered or falsified to securethe few jobs advertised. Parasites among the workers becomehigher in number. The number of potential entrepreneurs is reduced.Recurrent expenditures are increased more than the investments oncapital expenditures. Reduction in capital expenditures is a reductionin the social infrastructures for the investors. The investors, local orforeign, are capitalists that hire and fire at will depending on theviability of their businesses. They capitalize on the huge numberof increasing number of employable unemployed in the nation toemploy cheap labour with the use of contract staff. They demand formaximum participation to get maximum output from the workersfor the slave-wage being paid. No government job is terminateduntil the doer violates certain working ethics or stated rules. Publicworkers (civil servants) work for thirty-five years or till certain varyingage of retirement in Nigeria, for instance, before retirement withfull benefits payment. Unlike in some of the private sector-ownedbusinesses, civil servants enjoy due welfare packages.

Unfortunately, these nations cannot employ more than twentypercent of the unemployed population. How would the remainingeighty percent get lucrative jobs? If government is found wanting inregulating the employers-employees relationship especially in theremuneration and the conditions of service, then jobs must not onlybe created but be provided en masse for the large number of theemployable unemployed to choose from periodically.

Simply put, new entrepreneurs must be created in a large number toexpunge hopelessness among the growing number of the employableunemployed citizens in order to employ them positively at a swap!

Hopelessness, as regards the future, to the idle youths, is a baitto become deviants and societal nuisance. Unemployment crises inGreece are leading to xenophobic violence when bail-outs are failing.Most nations are suffering from underemployment and terrorismespecially the poor nations in Africa. Recently, the call for wageincrease led to the killing of thirty-four miners and later the sack ofall the miners in South Africa. I wonder why nations cannot providelucrative jobs in excess (for the employable unemployed to makechoices of) for their nationals and migrants in the midst of limitlessopportunities abound in each nation. Africa has nations with goodclimatic conditions, mineral deposits, fertile lands and brooks, rivers,streams even oceans to start industrialization from farming and agro-alliedbusinesses. The major obstacle is how to create favourablebusiness environment for businesses to proliferate. America, Asia andthe Western worlds also have theirs especially digital technology thatis sending many out of jobs. Fortunately, this evolution can providemillions of new jobs from the existing ones in the light of the contentof this book.

In fact, this is the position of this research-based book. The Carribeans,the South Americans, the Asians and the Gulf nations have numerousdistinct endowments that could enhance provision of jobs and not justcreation of jobs opportunities being peddled around. Jobs vary from anation to another nation. Therefore, new jobs that are creatable forthe unemployed to make choices of in a nation may be to revitalizethe old jobs or converting odd jobs into lucrative and secure jobs. Inboth cases, be creative in introducing unique features in the jobs invogue in another nation towards creating entirely new jobs.

In the course of this research, we found out that many people,especially the youths, are more interested in picking up governmentemployment forms. They felt, as aforementioned, that publicjobs are more secure and lucrative than private companies' jobs.Unfortunately, only a government that reduces its nation to aconsuming nation, hence accumulating huge future human liabilitiesas nationals, would take up employment of nationals as one of itssocial responsibility. Employing the employable is and should not bea government business (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: 2012). A governmentonly needs a few hands (civil servants) for its administrative purposesand official functions. Rather, conducive business atmosphere shouldbe created by those in authority for entrepreneurs to spring up andthe nation becomes a producing nation.

It is a fact that not all people can be entrepreneurs as majority wouldbe employees working for the established creative entrepreneurs.The employees contribute their physical and mental efforts for thebusinesses of their employers in order to spread the national wealth.They hence assist in improving the positive multiplier effect on theGross Domestic Product hence Gross National Income.

Sadly, most employers of labour treat their workers like slaves andgovernment seems to be looking elsewhere. The frustration is enoughfor new entrepreneurs to spring up. These later become employersthat would treat their employees with a difference.

Meanwhile, as regard the bad employers, the buck is on the tableof the administrators. They should never close eyes on the rightsof employees under the employers. They should not show nonchallantattitudes about the plights or poor working conditions ofthe employees in the private sectors.

On a good note, the victims of bad employers that are currentlyemployed have two alternatives- enduring under such workingconditions or becoming their own employers (self-reliance) especiallythose with skills and talents but with little resources to start with.

We also found out that the once-employed youths, by privatecompanies, who lost their jobs have lost hope of getting new gainfuland secure jobs. Others are employed as contract staffs. These,outside monthly salaries, have no other severance terms and pay.They are fired at anytime unlike the bonafide staff. In short, theirjobs are never secure even if they are the best in the service of theemployer. Many work without total commitment to their employersand duties. Imagine the bad precedent on those in schools especiallythe undergraduates. They never take their studies serious as theycould see that most of their predecessors are roaming the streetswithout lucrative and secure jobs. Most underemployed graduatesare doing menial jobs below their expected standard. They thereforejoin cults, gangs, venture into hard drugs trafficking and doing allother illicit jobs to eke for livelihood.

In retrospect, we discovered at least five major categories of gettingthese employable to be gainfully employed with jobs under the titles:

a) Becoming self-employer with jobs with zero- capital. Thetwo volumes expose readers to the jobs in the category forthose who do not have the financial resources to turn anybusiness idea into product or service. More importantly, thisis relevant as not all can be employed by government andprivate institutions.

In fact, most developed nations rely more on self-employed peopleto create middle income earners. Those who have the spirits ofemploying themselves in the beginning end up employing manyothers in tens, hundreds and thousands. We can say that all bigcorporations start from one-man business/idea that was self-employed(sole proprietorship)! Cocacola incorporation startedfrom the powerhouse of John Stith Pemberton!

b) Creation of millions of jobs from converting wastes to wealthby individuals, organizations/institutions and government;

c) Jobs that are creatable from the studying and criticism of theexisting jobs towards providing for the limitless needs of allcreatures especially mankind. We mean creating new jobsfrom the existing jobs. This is the book being read.

d) Full-time housewives are prospective entrepreneurs

e) Jobs for the retired and the inmates.

Place at your front the product of your choice (existing) 'jobs' (product/service); meditate on what you can add to make it unique, new, better,more acceptable to create new market share with new packagingprocess or strategy (from within and outside the shores) from itsuniqueness or new look; and by so doing, you have invented a newproduct or service that could be patented or copyrighted in your name.

Many a new job or business is creatable but only by creativeentrepreneurs whose traits are shared in the next sub-section.Entrepreneurship is an art that must be learnt and then actedas aforementioned. We need to briefly look into the concept-entrepreneur-anentrepreneur that would create new jobs orbusinesses in the next sub-section.

QUOTABLE QUOTE

Brian Tracy wrote "every successful entrepreneur, every successfulbusiness person has been a person who has been able to identify aproblem and come up with a solution to it before someone else did."

There is need to define different creative entrepreneurs by theirtraits. This is the next step.

1.2 A-Z MEANINGS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR BY TRAITS

In this case, let us define the term entrepreneur as you would find itin the course of reading the book. The posers are: Who is a creativeentrepreneur? What are the hidden facts about creative entrepreneur?How would entrepreneurial skills be developed? What are themotivating factors for an entrepreneur developing self-motivation?These definitions from the shared traits of entrepreneur would assistin the making of many to creating of millions of new jobs.

a) An entrepreneur is the person that finds himself in a businessenvironment and desires of becoming self–boss initially. Hedesires to become a brand hence creates a trademark fortarget clients leaving a lasting legacy for generations unbornin the socio-economic and political sector(s) of choice. Hestarts with the building of the definition of his businessconcept (the business tradename or trademark) and theproducts or service specification(s). His business (brand)would outlive him and his motive of running a business iseither profit-oriented or charity-based after providing forthe identified or the identifiable needs of the segmentedconsumers.

b) He/she is a person that desires to be employer of others(employees), discoverer of the right persons for differentroles and the nurturer or the director/producer whose visionis beyond the scope of the person(s) being hired or employedbut is ready to share the vision with the employees.

c) He/she is the captain or coach player in the team beingassembled as the first employee of the business of his/hers. He/she defines the roles or mission as the jobs-valueraside the business ethics that would guide the business intofruition (achieving set objectives). He/she must be polite andmorally sound to be role model for the employees. He hasthe courage to start small and locally, grow bigger and biggerand then move up the ladder internationally. He could end upbecoming a mentor and a professional consultant for others.A shining example for future entrepreneurs!

d) He/she is the one that identifies the present and futureneeds of the consumers at a particular time and at their(customers') locations and is blessed with the natural ability tocreate something new or better from the existing product orservices periodically. He creates the target class of customersfor the need(s) being provided for just as he creates newmarket no matter the hostility of the stakeholders. He isconsumer-conscious and friendly. One can easily say that heis ever consumer-oriented to make his own set goal (profit).

e) He/she is the creative socio-economic thinker and creativemind or producer that is always on top of the situation as thethink-tank, full of self-confidence, self-conviction and self-motivatedto succeed in the chosen business. He is a versatileand a creative who works with time and need of the targetconsumers. He studies their ability to buy with their (buyers')purchasing power. He is conscious of time-economy andothers towards making his idea turns into physical productthrough creation of services (jobs) all in the name of makingshort and long run profits.

f) He/she is the person that identifies the right materials or inputsfor the productions and also sets the target output. He is ableto make a champion out of a dullard among his employees.He has the ability to turn a hostile business environment intoa friendly one through the positive impacts from the BusinessSocial Responsibility (BSR) as and when due. He has third eyefor shopping for excellence and creation of new marketswith his ingenuity. He has the ability to squeeze water outof stone. He has natural ability (instincts) to withstand thetest of time (adaptation). He is a type that has the ability toconvert 'wastes' to wealth (valuable resources). (The book-Wastesto wealth jobs by the same author contained thecomprehensive detail).

g) Someone that sets standard, pace for others to follow withthe constant practicable socio-economic research and earnsmore by learning different dynamic entrepreneurial skillswith accurate mathematical skills in the art of allocation ofinputs and the utilization of all towards achieving his setprimary objective is an entrepreneur.

h) Someone that prepares the work plan, the business plan andsets stated standard (quality of product or service) with timeas the objective is an entrepreneur; he is the pace-setterand the leading act in all the implementations of functionstowards achieving the target goal(s) for a specified accountingperiod.

i) Someone that is ready to admit and bear all the risks attachto the business in the chosen business environment is anentrepreneur. He provides the liquid and spiritual capital torun the idea of his until it comes into fruition.

j) Someone who manages, consults, coordinates and organizesall the other inputs such as capital, land, machine and all otherfactors of production for economic gains is an entrepreneur.Sometimes, he is someone that starts up with only himselfand his physical endowments without the rest factors ofproduction.

k) He is the one that is major or inevitable in the creation ofright jobs to prevent under-employment, creates related andcomplementary jobs opportunities; the producer of rightcommodities for the right (target) consumers and the providerof services for the economic growth of the community ornation shares the spirit of an entrepreneur.

l) Someone that understands and manipulates, for the businessbenefit, the four P's of marketing- that is the product, thepeople/consumers, the price and the place (of need) is a trueentrepreneur.

m) He is someone who recognises the business idea as an entityand a social brand. He treats the business as a legal entity anda creation that has the rights to survive and enjoy healthy life.

n) He/she is a brand that is out to create different brandsof product(s) and/or service(s) in affordable sizes for theconsumers. He/she sees beyond others around as thebusiness environment becomes more dynamic and moredemanding.

o) He/she is an all-encompassing and distinct individual beingthe manager, the director, the visionary, the coordinator, theproducer, the organizer, the planner and the major input thatcoordinates all other inputs to create needy product/servicefor buyers who are yearning for it. He is simply the majorbusiness consultant that understands the pros and cons ofthe interested business idea.

p) He/she is someone that is out to create new product/servicefor consumers to make choices of. He is a creator of varietiesof products and services to make profits. He is the creatorof events as he designs and defines roles towards achievinga stated goal.

q) He/she is one that creates a new thing through invention andintroduction of new inputs, new strategies and new packageswith different means of promotions at affordable prices withthe end product of profit-making.