Be aggressive but restrict business to clean contracts

• The key driver to successful business is not luck or greed; it is passion.

It is said Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once described Kenya as a man-eat-man society due to the citizens’ aggressive nature and ruthless capitalistic tendencies.

This is not entirely a bad thing because the rich are always aggressive in their pursuits.

Yet, the greatest danger in all this is the attitude of getting rich at all costs, even if it means corrupting one’s way to wealth.

Bribery and financial coercion have become so common in business that we have forgotten what clean business deals mean.

Stories of procurement managers who ask suppliers to inflate bids to cater for their cut are common.

Further, it would seem like more business deals are made in bars and clubs where money changes hands under the cover of darkness. And this is not restricted to government offices.

To be fair, many entrepreneurs who have played ball seem to be doing well. In fact, others have grown so fast we envy their success. However, when you have seen many market days, you tend to be cautious.

I have seen the richest man in the market loose everything and become the mad man of the market, and I have also seen the diligent honest merchant develop trust and grow to be the Mugumo tree.

Corrupt money leaks out easily. The corrupt lose their wealth, and then the banks rein in with punitive loan repayment demands.

The key driver to successful business is not luck or greed; it is passion.

How much do you like doing what you do and how long can you wait to see it blossom? If you are simply looking for a source of income, employment might be a better bet.

Short-cuts in business increase your risk threefold.

First, the man you are corrupting will not be in that office forever.

Secondly, if you are caught, there is the risk of criminal prosecution or loss of the business deal suddenly. Worse still, when other clients and potential clients hear of your corruption, the damage to the brand will be irreparable. You may even lose those other deals.

Thirdly, if you are successful and the business works through, corruption is an insatiable monster who keeps asking for more. In the long run, only the clean and lean businesses survive.