What do you call that guy or girl that wakes the class group up with nine-ten pictures or more, and ends with a call to action like come and buy what we are selling so that we can eat. Let me give you another scenario, what do you call that guy that when you go and meet him in Zik hall to teach you something in Arc 111, he will always reply you when you meet with him with, guy I dey busy, I dey try update my business plan and business model, Tony Elemelu Foundation grant application don comot, or this grant application don come out, so I dey try apply as you see me so, just wish me luck make I just get am make my business hammer. If you are guessing an entrepreneur, a business owner, a hustler, etc, you are correct. But for this article, I will be sticking with entrepreneur/business owner. I am here to let you know as you read on a business community is very essential to a business owner for growth and support. Who then is an entrepreneur?.
According to Investopedia, an entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. The process of setting up a business is known as entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as an innovator, a source of new ideas, goods, services, and business/or procedures. Entrepreneurs also called business owners are superheroes who use their business ideas to solve problems for their consumers/customers in the form of products and/or services.
Communities come together and set up community businesses to address the challenges they face together. Membership in a business community is very essential to an entrepreneur because the entrepreneurship journey can indeed be a very lonely one and the entrepreneur needs to be assured that he/she is not alone in the entrepreneurship journey because entrepreneurs are never alone. People have gone ahead of you in that particular niche that you are and you can be able to learn from their experiences and use them to move your business in the right direction for growth. An entrepreneur needs to find a business community that is suitable to the entrepreneur’s niche. If you are a baker, for example, it is expected that you look for a community of bakers to learn from and grow.
When you are in a business community, you will be able to network and establish useful relationships that might not just be beneficial to your business alone but also your personal development too. Also when you belong to business communities, you can gain resources and you have access to opportunities that are useful in expanding your business. I am a living witness to this, with the various business communities that I belong to that are peculiar to my business, I have received opportunities in the form of coaching and mentorship program, resources to run my everyday business, opportunities to apply and receive grants, etc. Also when you belong to a business community, it helps to spur your creativity and innovation as an entrepreneur because you get to listen to the problem(s) and the solution(s) that your fellow community members were able to provide in solving the problem(s). The benefits of belonging to a business community are numerous and should be taken advantage of.
If you are yet to join one, you can start by searching around you, I have two I can recommend to you of which I am a member of which is Oak Nation Foundation (ONE) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Africa (MSME Africa). You can just search for them with their names and see how you can be a part of these communities. If you are an entrepreneur reading this, keep doing great things and do not relent. See you at the top high flyer.
AASA PRESS UI 