Success comes after hard work and making changes to your business strategy. Photo/FILE
By Canute Waswa
In Summary
My teacher taught me it is easier to accelerate from 60 to 120mph rather than from 0 to 60mph because momentum is on your side.
It all started in November 2009. Boda boda
operators in Kitengela got tired of frequent arrests by traffic police
and the squalid conditions of the houses they were living in.
“The police were arresting our members even for
small traffic offences and this angered us since we were losing motor
bikes in the process. We then saw it wise to start a saving plan to help
us pay for the fines as well as to improve our living conditions,” says
Aloise Mwai, the group’s chairman.
The group came up with three goals: Planting trees
in Kitengela town to help reduce dust; building themselves houses; and
buying motorcycles for each member. They have bought motorcycles; tree
planting is on-going and they are in the process of completing houses
for members.
This is the power of action. No matter how small
it is, action is the most important of all powers in success. My physics
teacher, Mr Pundo taught me that it is easier to accelerate from 60 to
120 mph than from 0 to 60 mph because momentum’s already on your side.
And the same lesson applies to business. You may
have all the knowledge in the world, but if you do not take any action
and apply that knowledge, there is no use of it. When you act, you gain
momentum and start seeing new opportunities.
Take Apple for example, the multi-billion-dollar
company was at first just a small idea that was executed extremely well
and consistently.
It is in the daily, consistent application of the
small stuff that success is built. It’s in the small stuff that the
foundations for growth are secured. Yet we always under-value the small
stuff. It is a hard, slow and unglamorous slog, but it is imperative.
“It was not an easy task saving Sh100 per day. It
was a sacrifice that forced most of us to give up on leisure activities
and focus on saving,” says John Ndegwa, a member of the boda boda group.
They each started saving Sh100 per day in 2010.
When each member’s savings hit Sh60,000, used the
money as down payment and bought a 50-acre land in Millennium area in
Kisaju, Kajiado County, at Sh15 million. Today, the 100 members are
beaming with joy, since they are the proud owners of what they are
calling Ngasemo estate.
You know why majority of people never reach their
full potential and excel in life? It is because they do not have a dream
backed with faith and if they did have, they never take any action.
If you see an opportunity, just grab it and get started. Don’t wait or somebody else will do it before you.
Successful entrepreneurs have always been quick to take action on chances they identified.
Just like the boda boda riders, most young
entrepreneurs have no business experience. They have not been confronted
by business challenges and they do not know how to solve intricate
business problems. But experience and competence are probably the most
important characteristics investors want to see in an entrepreneur.
When you start a small business, you will gain experience and improve your business skills.
Zig Ziglar once wrote: “The major difference
between the big shot and the little shot is the big shot is just a
little shot who kept on shooting.” Keep active and things happen, stop
and they don’t
No comments :
Post a Comment