BUSINESS DRIVEN BY NEED
GOOD GOVERNANCE OR NOT - GOOD BUSINESS IS GOOD BUSINESS
The world is always in Search of Value - Do You have any for us?
Tues.dec.19.2023 - Ubochi Orie
No Body Owes You An Africa That Works, You Owe Us Products And Services That Work For Africa. In Exchange We Will Pay In Gold And With Gladness, Because As At Today, The Rest Of The World Is Stealing Our Gold With BAD BUSINESS.
As I deploy our development agenda across Nigeria I am discovering how "cash" poor some of our great businessmen are. Part of this is because once many get to a certain point, some of them start to embrace government officials to a point that they loose touch with the "markets" and now have to depend on government patronage to survive.
Good Business is Good Business, it does not require good governance and better yet, it runs from the brain draining parasites of government favoritism.
Good Business is not Corrupt, because Corruption is bad for business. Corruption is poor, in comparison to excellence but it has an easier road to "cheap change". For one, even among thieves, there is no investment. They can rob others together, but they will never let one of them hold their wealth. Great capital is therefore the purview of trust and goes to the one who can show capacity and trust. This is reserved for the true businessman such that even those who steal for a living will invest their loot in the businesses run by those who are capable and true, not their cronies in the de-capitalization of the nation and its people.
This is why Nigeria has over 100 global
billionaires in "assets" but only a few can
raise A100million for a project. They have
seized resources but cannot force the God
of cash flow to flow. For that to happen you
need to know how to "run" a business.
Good Business is Good Business and Sells in Spite of Who is in Power.
GOOD BUSINESS
Good Business is a solution. Yes that's it.
Good Business is simply a solution. The Best Business is A Solution to Needs, but Great ideas can also serve wants. Bad ideas "leach" and work for as long as "no" Good Business comes along. It is because Good Business is dying in Nigeria, that it seems that Bad Business is better. While Bad Business can be profitable, it can never compete, even in Profitability, with Good Business.
No drug dealer, has ever been the richest man in the world and even when political figures have been the richest men in the world, that wealth has always been tied to the efficient management of the stolen or conquered wealth by Good Businessmen who have been delegated to manage the resources.
Outside of the outright rape and pillage of conquest, no Bad Business can compete with Good Business, as such even when the British "owned" half of Africa, they couldn't compete with the United States of America, once it achieved the Industrial Revolution and became the world's leading manufacturer of "Goods and Services" , the same thing is happening to the American Empire, now that it has left Good Business and focused on wars and conquest.
while it was Busy stealing Syria/Iraqi oil, China has become the hub of Good Business and is now (whether you acknowledge it or not), the largest economy in the world by any measure.
Good Business seems to be impractical in Nigeria and Africa because many of us, seem to believe that we are owed good governance and a fair playing field.
The mathematics of Good Business is simple, here is the proof that good business is superior to Bad Business.
The Bad Businessman gets for customers, Fools, Subjects and the Disenfranchised.
The Good Businessman gets for customers, Fools, Subjects, Disenfranchised plus the wise consumer, the people in power, the rich the poor and even the Bad Businessman who sell bad bulbs, buys the Good Bulbs for his house - The challenge for the Good Businessman is how to protect himself from the Bad Businessman and the world he fosters.
SURVIVING IN GOOD BUSINESS
Business is war, even when it is good business. That you have a good idea, does not Insulate you from the Political climate in your nation, so play politics but only to the degree that is "good" and Emasculates bad politics from destroying your trade.
Once you get involved in bad politics, they will suck you in and make you dependent on them.
Please don't worry if you are confused about good and bad politics, I will deal with it in a minute.
That you have a good business does not insulate you from human wickedness, as such you must invest in security in equal extremity to the particular line of business you are in. In fact some businesses like mining may force you to set up a private "military" force. This is what it is, a must to stay in the business and trust me, even solid minerals needs Good Business, however, even your men with guns must be good. Good to the extent of being able to morally justify each allocation of bullets to the bodies that pile. Again, I will set aside a section on security.
That you have a Good Business, does not mean that the Bank owes you loans. Men have been known to be selfish, nepotistic and tribal. Yorubas will lend to Yorubas and Khosa will invest with Khosa and Igbos will deal with Igbos but do not worry, all of them, will yield capital to a better idea that is clearly "winning". You must therefore conquer the market. Yes conquest, that is the rule of the world, no body ever married a beauty Queen by begging, you show value, sell your brand and "steal" her heart with coin or tactical pleading. Again, I will address Conquest below.
GOOD BUSINESS IN PRACTICE
In all sectors of life Africa is a "Virgin" waiting for a good pluncking. It seeks love but only sees people who want to "rape and savage". It yields to them small gains from their forced withdrawals but is reserving her loving blessings for those like Dangote who will bring a more favorable proposition of give and take.
The largest "fishes" in Africa, like them or not, the likes of Adenuga, Dangote, Wigwe, also represent the largest brands in Africa and therefore the largest cash flows in Africa. They are often not the largest holders of Mining leases, Banking Licenses, Communications Frequency etc., but are the most active users.
Many may quarrel about the source of their wealth but while you waste your time on that the smart money is learning the boldly clear lesson, written widely on the wall "Good Business is better than Leaching". Many will also quarrel about the true quality of these businesses, as a value to Africa and claim that they are monopolistic and opportunistic, you may well be right, but who do you want them to cede territory to, their counterparts who have seized our lands and will not develop, own our licenses and cede it to foreign "partners" , mine our minerals and sell it wastefully like crushed rock for "Pink" Rolls Royce and a 5th wife?
Build a Great Business and knock them off. In practice a Good Business is an upgrade of the old options as such it is clear to see the options that GSM networks provide over Landlines, Modern Banks and even Mobile Money over traditional Banking Pass books, Dangote/Bua's massive trucking networks and distribution of production sites as opposed to the old Benue Cement and Northern Nigeria Cement Company.
If you don't like them, beat them.
Good Business provides either Ease, Savings or Style points. All of these are hard for leaches to create or sustain but that does not stop them from leaching even the Good Business, as such business is war but Good Business will always win, if it is ready to fight.
GOOD POLITICS
No matter the structure of a society (Monarchy, Constitutional, Socialist, Communist etc.,) politics will be in play. Consider politics social interactions and you will understand. All politics is social interactions with government or governance (societies leaders). As such it is a must.
Just like you engage in CSR and other activities to endear your brand to the consumer, Good Business must make the "good" efforts to endear itself to governments (with good) and secure its position with the people such that governments (that are bad) become impotent.
Just like in social interactions, there are people you cannot convince to be your friend and in fact there are people you don't want to have as friends. Equally, good business must deal with the fact that it cannot please most politicians in a time of bad governance, but must survive without them, inspite of them and even in the midst of their spite.
This is achieved with a robust political strategy to which you must invest as much time as possible, in line with the size and success of your business. If you have a local business, local politics call, if your products are national, national politics call, if your business is Continental or Global, your political strategy must match.
Good Business, however, must do good politics. This includes supporting good candidates, sponsoring good bills, rewarding good politicians even when they are not in your sector.
Invest to build up the good powers in the corridors of power such that there is an equal Counterweight to the leaches that fester, and the good supports for positive enterprises to thrive. Do this with intent at a level playing field and never with the Myopic intention of selfish influence. To engage in politics with self first, is to risk being drawn in to the rapt rewards of the easy flows in the corridors of power and in tow to forget what it takes and means to run a Good Business.
Invest to build up the good powers in the corridors of power such that there are advocates for Good Business in the houses of Governance.
Furthermore, if your Business benefits the people, a strong investment must be made to show the people that you stand with them. An active effort must be made to protect your image from Political affiliations and association, such that the people can be a backup and adverse risk to any politician who tries to victimize you.
When "bad" politicians know that victimizing you will pose a risk to them, either due to the alienation of your direct political support, your political supporters or the people, he will stay away from you and your business, like leaches to corpses soaked in Formaldehyde.
Leaches will not suck blood that can kill, equally, even bad politicians will pass some good laws for the sake of survival, but if you are "harmless" they will harm you and if you dare to "join" their games, they will stain you and do everything in their power, to prove their righteousness by converting you into a fellow leach.
SECURITY
That you have a heart of gold, does not give you the right to move around with gold without something to hold the thieves away from the allure of gold.
The greater your business, the greater the need for security against political attacks, social blackmail, economic theft, sabotage, espionage and even an out right kidnap of your self, wife, children or leading talent.
Business is war. You can come to this war with the demand that government protects you, but what if they don't?, is it a good enough excuse to not do good business?
It is a fact, that God business has more enemies, both because of simple jealousy, envy and hate for your progress but also because bad business is often already run by bad people, as such a risk to attack. You On the other hand, are seen as a soft target and you must not be.
If you go into mining in Zamfara as a good man with a good business plan. The war zone will not settle down for you, as such you must do Good Business, with a mind for war.
Good Business is about product and service quality, pricing, differentiation, efficiency, management etc., and even in a war zone, it thrives but you cannot collect your profits without a gun. That is not a rule of business but a rule of war and the world will not violate it, to sooth your feelings.
Good Business can and should be done in the Oil Creeks of the Niger Delta, the Gold Mines of Zamfara, the Contract Corridors of National Road projects. Each of the aforementioned waters are shark infected but Good Business is Good Business, regardless of the threat level.
Even in Government Contracts where corruption and Cronyism is rife, the efficient and effective contractor is still needed quite often for the works that must be done. Be the guy who can beat all other bids when the work is to be done right, but don't expect them to not try and burn your Bulldozers, just make sure you have a robust system to catch the Thief and either recover your loses in court or burn their house down with their cats inside.
That was not a joke.
Why do you think, you have a right to stand among crooks in the creeks of the Niger Delta and preach peace when the efficiency of your operations are making the Laxity of theirs apparent?
They will come for you, but make sure that either the State protects you, or you met out "efficient" damage to those who harm your shipments.
Business is war - but a Good Business should focus on business, building Defenses and engaging offenses, only in response to attack and only with a measured punch that is geared towards security and not market advantages. If you play in the mud, you must get dirty, just make sure that it is others dragging you in and that you never get used to it, but if they pull you into the mud, do the feeding.
Compete on Business principles, focusing on efficiency, value etc., but do not forget to prepare for the burials of those who dare to try and bury your brand with offhand tactics.
Yes, burial.
Life is not a Superhero movie in which you tie up your enemies. Be good, so that you will be justified, if ever you have to "murder" the competition.
CONQUEST
The human kingdom, is merely a much more complex "animal kingdom" - Be King.
Good Business does not absolve you from the need to be dominant in your field and in the nation. The difference between Good Business and Bad Business is that your conquest must come from "good will" and the organic success of your brand, not shady tactics and the elimination of competition.
Often times, I hear Nigerian and African businessmen complaining about a level playing field. While this is the ideal, consider life a football match, even on uneven ground Christian Ronaldo is still King, the proof is in the pudding with Global recognition, Goal records and the like. (I just lost readers from the world of Leonardo Merci).
Excellence on the pitch of business, with goods and services that really serve the needs of the people in convenience or pleasure will grant you a goal, each and Every time and you must keep improving, securing ever more goals until you are the undisputed King. That is Good Business.
I often hear our businessmen complain about Foreign products "flooding the market" , flood it back with what they cannot make, compete, fight, war, conquer, don't complain.
In the quest for capital, I scoured the globe for 12 years, now I sit and capital calls. It is by grace and I am grateful to God but there is also an element of design. As I scoured the globe, I discovered that Nigeria has a lack of trust, so I scored goals in trust, building systems of reporting, presentation and income sharing that are transparent, yet private and giving investors confidence in myself and my intentions. I also discovered the perilous nature of Nigerian courts, and so I scored goals, by setting up systems for internal arbitration that allowed my investors confidence in the reduced probability of neck breaking litigations for our businesses. I also discovered that politics in Nigeria is a mine field and so I maintain relationships with everyone and Intermingling with none, making me one of the few investors in Nigeria that can create a project shared by members of all Nigerian political parties without issues, another goal. Should I rest? No, conquest demands that I Consolidate on my gains, by being Number 1 in trust, No 1 in investment security, No 1 in tactical political neutrality and No 1 in capital base, so that I can achieve the requisite volume of capital required for my principle vision of a full scale re-development of Nigeria.
Conquer. In fact if you're in the world of finance and can put up a better system than I have, send me to your back, but do so by being better, otherwise I will not hesitate to ensure your permanent retirement.
Business is war, hopefully you don't have to kill people in it, but if your not "killin it" in business, rest assured, your competition is killing your business.
GOOD BUSINESS IN AFRICA
Africa is lacking the scale economics to compete with the flood of imports and our businessmen have the false assumption that Africa owes them the support to compete. It is the other way around. We all owe Africa that combined muscle of our defense of our markets with Good Business.
For example, our import of Bicycles is a Weird bit of nonsense. This is a practical piece of mobility that should have been the 1st enterprise response to the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria and its impact on fuel prices in West Africa. Next week I will take my time to deal with the fuel subsidy removal and the economic opportunities it presents for the ORAnomist.
Good Business in Africa is not a call for a ban on Chinese generators. It is the gradual and incessant backward integration of generator manufacturing, Starting with the metal frames, then the aluminum casts, then engine parts and gradually getting to a point where you can produce a full generator, without Chinese participation. In doing this, do not expect that local politician who are sponsored by foreign missions, will not try to stop you, do not think that "good" Thieves will ignore stealing from the wonderful factory you are building, do not think that your competitors, who are traders in Chinese generators will clap for you, some will literally try to "clap" you and send you to heaven early.
You must do Good Business, but you must also play the politics and legal games to ensure that you are not stymied by malicious policies, some of which may be promoted by foreign companies and countries. you must also Secure your self and interests and above all conquer the market, because if any room is left, the importers will crash price, upgrade quality or even bad mouth your brand to win.
It is Good Business to refine fuel in Africa, but even Aliko Dangote, who is the "stated" richest man in Africa and is a very strong man in the political affairs of Nigeria, is being played by the system as if he was an entry level trader. This is because Good Business is good for the people, but it must also be designed to survive bad people, who only want gains if it benefits them.
Good Business is Good Business, in any part of the world. It thrives above all else because human beings want value and will always pick the short rich man over the tall lazy fool.
Generators, Power Plants, Solar Systems, in power, Africa needs Good Business and it doesn't matter who is in power if you take advantage of the power of value. This applies to so many fields, that only field I can think of that is fully saturated is Bad Business, so why do you want to join an overcrowded team?
If you build without your own selfish interests, you will always find a ready market and a natural buffer against the selfish interests of others.
Often I hear African businessmen complain that the system is unfair, but much of what they propose as an alternative is only "fair to them". These are not solutions, they are not Good Business but crass greed, covered in a Seaweed of government failure.
Good Business is Good Business and it thrives regardless of who is in power. It works in Biden's America, in Hitler's Germany, in War torn Gaza, it will have no reason to fail in Nigeria or Ghana or Morroco but, Good Business is not good, for bad business, bad politicians, Thieves, colonial powers and the selfish interests of all, as such giddy up and strap on to your horse very tight, make sure you have some armor, now market your good business with a focus on the principles of business, but if at all on your ride, an unfair road block arrives, don't jump it without Advising your horse to step on it with all 4 legs and a loud "neigh" and if possible, take a "shit" before moving on.
No body owes you an Africa that works, you owe us products and services that work for Africa. In exchange we will pay in gold and with gladness, because as at today, the rest of the world is stealing our gold with BAD BUSINESS.
Enough is Enough!