Hi, my
name is Ejiogu Vitus, the CEO, PalmGate Global Ventures Inc. I am a writer/author, editor, publisher and a trainer in human and leadership development.
Inspiration
Despite belonging to so many advocacy groups, I subscribe to the school of thought that
so much believes in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship as a way of impacting our generation and taking it to the next
level.
I so much believe
that since today’s world is not one that encourages anyone to sit with arm folded and watch events unfold, without being
part of those events or helping to create one, rather sits to watch from where the next meal will come, it would be expedient
to acquire entrepreneurial skills, which can be used as a means of generating income.
I began to develop my ideas because I saw that records of
the world’s most successful men and women do not reveal people who sat in one place from dawn to the dusk, for some
monthly wages, but people who took up the challenge to start up worthwhile ventures not fearing risks or the lack of finance.
I see them as the real entrepreneurs, and you can be one of them.
You may be coming across the word “entrepreneur” for the first time, or you
have but do not know what it means or stands for. Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying, developing, and bringing
a vision to life. The vision may be an innovative idea, an opportunity, or simply a better way to do something. An entrepreneur
is also viewed as an innovator – someone who introduces new ideas, products, techniques, and opens up new markets, etc
– one who perceives business opportunities and takes advantage of the scarce resources to use them. In the other hand,
skill acquisition is getting all the necessary training and experience needed to carry out trade or business successfully.
My Stand
To become a successful business executive
does not compulsorily require a university degree or too much financial support. Your innate abilities and talents can be
harnessed for your own good. You can also acquire skills and become the owner of your own business instead of living from
hand to mouth or waiting endlessly for the dream job that will never come.
I was once like you. I remember when I used to depend on someone for almost everything
just to survive. But something told me that I have the ability in me to succeed, even to lend out to people. So, I began to
think fast and reason intelligently to enable me access certain business opportunities after identifying a need and then moved
quickly to satisfy it. My eyes and ears are always focused on hearing about or seeing a business opportunity and I became
so fast in moving in when it appears.
To become who I am today, I tried so much to exhibit extreme courage so as to cope with all the risks of operating
my own business. I try so much to inject new ideas, create new business environments, add new product lines and try to see
that I succeed in turning around the fortunes of my business for the better. Over time, I developed into a great entrepreneur,
having an agile mind, business-conscious, courageous, dynamic, enterprising, mind focused on profit and human development,
hardworking, discerning, knowing the markets and understanding the rules of the business and ready to take and manage risks.
However, as a successful entrepreneur,
I try always to start new businesses from the scratch or buy an existing one and then bring creative innovations that are
bound to succeed. As every other succeeding business executive, I have my eyes fixed on profits as well as on human development,
and so, I take time to evaluate my progress from time to time and then take appropriate steps. I work long hours can hardly
give up on any plan to succeed. I take proper decisions, choosing between alternatives, with a good idea of who my customers
or target market will be before implementing decisions.
With a very good knowledge of what entrepreneur is all about, I quite understand that
many businesses are owned and operated either privately or jointly. I chose a privately operated business because I have preference
for moderate risk. I hardly take wild risks. I try as much as possible to reduce risks, taking calculated ones based on my
knowledge of the market.
Capital
One of the greatest factors
that turn people off, when thinking of establishing a personal business, is the fear of where to get capital. I was once in
that cycle but later overcame it and got liberated. There are several sources of financing a business, and they include: personal
savings, taking loans from family and friends, taking loans from commercial banks, taking a form of short-term trade credits,
angel investors, thrift and credit cooperatives, partnership funding, retained earnings, etc.
Management
In time, I have discovered that business failures are caused by the entrepreneurs themselves
through their personal mistakes or shortcomings. I was very careful in managing my mistakes, had sufficient experience to
succeed in my line of business. Since undercapitalization is a common mistake that some business owners make at the beginning
of their businesses, I was able to overcome the problem of poor financial control early enough.
In order to avoid certain circumventing business problems,
I avoided stiff competition like a plague. I sited my business in a comfortable, non-competitive area where the target customers
could be found. It is very important to state here that I did not choose my business location because there was a vacant building,
rather, I prayerfully and carefully took a proper study, investigation and planning before settling for the location.
As my business was trying to grow,
I was very careful not to have it exceed my ability to manage. With proper planning, I was able to grow my business to a greater
height. It has never crossed my heart once to disregard my customers blatantly or engage myself in an unethical behaviour
– exploiting my customers to make a quick buck.
New Plans
Having come up this far, it has been my dream to hold any interested person by the hand and lead him/her to greatness.
Opportunities abound, yet people are required to be adequately informed and directed on what to do.
Friend, for your testimony to come at the right time, you
MUST determine to break away from the company of spectators who only enjoy watching and cheering other people up. I want you
to join the band of successful men and women who are making things happen, and shortly you’ll also become a source of
challenge and inspiration to others!
Now Get Connected
I have developed a strategic business plan which I, in conjunction with my company, PalmGate Global Ventures Inc,
have packaged for people like you, who are willing to succeed in business. This plan has been carefully and thoughtfully put
together to lead you to the Promised Land. For more information and participation, please CLICK HERE.
Me And My Printing/Publishing Business
PRINTING is
a necessary service that most businesses need and cannot do without.Printing is a process for reproducing text and image,
typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an
essential part of publishing and transaction printing.
- Start-up cost can be from N5, 000, 000 ($33, 350) more
or less depending on the size of investment.
- Can be jointly carried
out with other forms of businesses
- Potential first year earnings: From
N7.5 million ($50, 000) upwards
- Breakeven time from initial investment:
very rapid (can be between 3 to 5 years)
- Future growth potential: very
high
- Dynamic, sustainable business
- Possible for Small business or Cooperative-based organizations
- Not
much staffing required especially at the beginning
I chose the printing/publishing business not necessarily because of the profit involved,
but to promote indigenous authors/writers who are out there looking for what to do with their talents. Printing/publishing
is a necessary service that most businesses need and cannot do without. Across the world, a large number of pages are being
printed annually. In Nigeria, there are over 1,000 printing companies of different sizes scattered all across the nation and
the business of printing is what services the paper needs of companies, schools, government, religious groups, and meets the
scholarship needs of our tertiary educational system. And that is how it is in other countries.
Printing is one service every business needs such as business
cards, letter-heads, envelopes, files, receipts, invoices, stationery, service forms, flyers, posters, post cards, and invitation
cards. Every business is a potential prospect and can become a loyal client that orders printing every year, sooner or later.
Even individuals need printing too. In fact, there is no end to potential customers that can be acquired through an aggressive
marketing campaign.
A Case for Printing Business
There
are diverse areas of printing that you need to know about. There are commercial offset print, web offset print, flexo-graphic
printing, gravure print, packaging, large format digital printing, screen printing or other personalized print services, etc.
You can even have creative shops or colour separation outfits that will serve the printer. The popular paper printing processes
are in various forms like screen printing and large format printing. It's good to mention that a small-scale business
person can start off their printing business by concentrating on an aspect of the printing process.
The Pre-Press
The pre-press involves processes like graphics design, plate making, colour separation,
etc.
The Press
The press stage is the actual
printing stage which can be done with the printing machine one can afford. This can also be done in stages. One can start
with the popular 201 Machine which prints on surfaces not larger than the A4 size/Foolscap paper. From there one can buy the
popular Kord Machine which prints sizes of A2 size (four times of A4 size). There is also the Sord Machine which prints sizes
double the Kord size (eight times of A4 machine).
The Post-press
One
can also start printing business through the post-press printing process. This involves the finishing aspect
of printing works - cutting machine (guillotine), laminating machine, folding and stitching machine, binding machine, etc.
This opens up the
business for interested persons depending on the area of interest and the available capital they have. An individual can start
the pre-press stage with a little sum that can buy computer graphics equipment - desk top computer and laser printer. The
same individual may decide to go into the press category with a capital twice the former - buying just the ordinary 201 printing
machine which prints the A4 size, or a small cutting machine which is the post-press stage. Another individual can also decide
to open a shop that supplies stationery and printing materials like paper, ink, plates and other materials needed by printers.
The flexibility in terms of how to start makes printing one of the best businesses to go into. Once started, one can now grow
by moving into other stages or buy additional machines.
Building a competitive position
- Quality Jobs - There
are attributes a new printing outfit needs to have to enjoy competitive advantage and the goodwill of the market.
To make a mark in printing business, we took to quality production and are ever since, known for it. Since printing deals
with what people see, the quality of our designs and packaging are not compromised. We achieve this feat by employing
qualified workers that man the sensitive prepress operations – e.g. graphic artists, lithographers, etc. As
long as that is done, the final products must constantly speak quality. We are also sticklers for timely delivery of
jobs. When customers know your word is your bond, they will move their printing business to your outfit.
- Integrity – This
is another thing we have cultivated on the job. If you cheat people, you will only succeed for very few times. But
if you are trustworthy, word will go round that you're dependable and that will translate into goodwill and more
business for you.
- Price - Our
jobs are reasonably priced as to help us do quality jobs and still make some profit for the business. They are always
better than, but sometimes comparable with those of our competitors.
Marketing and Promotional Campaign
People, mostly organizations and companies, at one point or the other need printing jobs.
It has been a good part of us here in PalmGate Global Ventures Inc to design a marketing and promotional plan targeting these
groups in order to secure their printing business. At the earlier stage, we offered some of our services gratis, but as people
see the quality of work that we do, more jobs started coming from these groups and their members. The print jobs these groups
ask for include posters, fliers, magazines, cards, letterheads and other stationeries, envelopes, leaflets, posters, newsletters,
petty cash books, calendars and Christmas Cards, etc. We went into this by starting with the people we know. We talked to
our friends and offer to do their printing for them at whatever level including with the smallest of jobs like complimentary
cards or invitation cards to a birthday event, and the moment we were able to deliver, we got their nod for printing their
jobs and moved over all other printing jobs to you in no time.
Likely Proposals
I wish to propose that printers are always at an advantage, and so can locate their printing press anywhere, especially
very close to a large business area or central business districts. They can also risk staying in populated areas, especially,
when your jobs are good, making people to come from far and near to do business with you. You can also own your printing business,
while you hire people to work for you. In this case, you get the jobs and manage the business, while your workers do the jobs
to meet clients' specifications.
More importantly, as long as human civilization continues to value reading and writing,
we shall continue to engage the services of paper printers to meet our diverse printing needs. Even in a paperless economy
such as we have today, technology still has not been able to displace the need and place for paper-based reading and writing
materials. And for many years to come, printing business will continue to service our needs as an enlightened society.
