Enterprise

Don’t be fooled, starting business is not that easy

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Starting a business is not easy and so is creating wealth. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Jeremy now in his mid mid-30s begged a cousin to give him just Sh2,750 ten years ago. He had just graduated from Kenyatta University and that was all he needed to start a business that would earn him six-figure income in less than a year, or so he was promised.

He got convinced that soon he would be earning over Sh100,000 per month without working hard, when he attended a meeting of a new multilevel marketing company that was selling health products.

He heard testimonies and saw cheques of young and working people earning good money. Some confessed how they quit employment to create wealth stress-free.

After joining the company, which is by buying a health supplement pack, which he was supposed to use and get first-hand benefit before selling to others, he hit the road.
After four months of toiling and not making two sales even from relatives, his hope of making money and going places faded.

It was then that he realised the bogus company was selling hope and nearly all its sales were made to new employees, or rather sales people. Others who seemed to be doing well capitalised on recruiting sales people like Jeremy, to earn commission.

Jeremy gave up and started a small business of selling second-hand computers and accessories. The business has been steadily growing and today with three employees, he is happy to have followed the tough path of starting and growing a business.

Starting a business is not easy and so is creating wealth. Today we have self-proclaimed consultants who are misleading people that doing business is easy. Like the prosperity gospel peddlers, they are preying on people who lust for quick riches.\

READ: Critical factors that determine startup success

It is amazing how educated people can be fooled that starting a business and making money is as easy as ABC.

If you have been in any business class, read biographies or interacted with successful entrepreneurs, they all tell you starting a business is good and fulfilling but never easy. This is the truth. Anyone preaching to the contrary is a cheat preying on you.

There is nothing as good and fulfilling as starting and growing own business. Yet one must be prepared to make the required sacrifices to make it successful. There are no short-cuts.

Do not go into business expecting easy sail. The chances for smooth, easy and astronomical growth are rare and cannot be relied on.

Many people today are victims of false gospel of easy business where one does not have to work hard or full time and money is plenty. What they fail to understand is those who tell them they don’t need to work hard are themselves working hard to market themselves.

Look at the way they post adverts on social media day and night, send numerous emails and make frantic calls to their target. Is that really easy?