HOW TO START AND OWN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IN ONE YEAR
From the 70s up until the early years of the new millennium, if you wanted to start your business but lacked the necessary capital, the options open to you were to take up a regular employment in a private or public organisation, save up some money and then go off on your own. The second option was to liaise with someone in your chosen field and just learn on the job while also building your portfolio and saving cash. There were many young ambitious people that I gave this advice to and it worked for them. Things are different now. The rapidly increasing and improving advantages that the internet has brought makes it easy for someone with no funds but loads of ambition and commitment, to start and run his business with little or no cash and no experience. Someone, like James.
James is the nephew of an old friend. Like many ambitious professionals, he dreams of transitioning from employee to entrepreneur. However, with no capital and no quickly monetizable skills, he faces significant hurdles. But there is good news – this is a new era. With dedication and diligence, it is quite easy to leverage on the technological strides to attain any desired level of success.
James’ uncle had actually sent him to me so that I will dissuade James from leaving his 9-5 job. He would not listen to me, the uncle lamented, dramatically telling me how the young man was going to join the league of riff-raffs, moving from one fantastic idea to another but achieving nothing. I had to disappoint my old friend. I reminded him that things are different now and that many young successful entrepreneurs started with nothing but a vision and relentless desire to succeed. I assured him that his nephew James could be another success story; achieve his goal of owning a thriving business by following a structured approach that involves mindset shifts, skill acquisition, strategic networking, strict business strategies and technological innovations.
I assigned an accountability partner to him and together they created a step-by-step plan to guide James toward his goal of starting and owning a successful business before the end of 2025.
Already, James is at implementation stage and his progress is impressive. I will share the blueprint of the plan they came up with below and hope that it helps whoever needs the same type of result.
Cheers!
Step 1: Shaping the Right Mindset (1–2 Weeks)
Define the Vision Clearly
James must begin by defining what “thriving business” means to him. Does he envision a service-based business, an e-commerce venture, or a tech startup?
The more clarity he has, the easier it will be to take action.
Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Successful entrepreneurs embrace problem-solving, resilience, and adaptability. James must train himself to think like a business owner, not an employee. Reading books like The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau can help shift his mindset.
Step 2: Finding a Business Idea (2–4 Weeks)
Identify Low-Cost, High-Demand Business Models
Since James has no capital, he must focus on businesses that require little to no startup funds. Some viable options include:
- Freelancing or Consulting – Leveraging administrative and organizational skills.
- Service-Based Business – Virtual assistant services, resume writing, or social media management.
- Affiliate Marketing or Content Creation – Monetizing knowledge via blogging, YouTube, or social media.
- E-commerce Without Inventory – Dropshipping or print-on-demand.
- Digital Products – Creating and selling templates, e-books, or courses.
James should pick a business idea that:
- Solves a real problem. (ii) Has a paying audience. (iii)Requires little to no startup cost.
He can validate his idea by joining forums (like Reddit, Quora, or Facebook groups) and engaging with potential customers.
Step 3: Acquiring Monetizable Skills (4–8 Weeks, Part-Time)
Identify Key Skills and Learn Quickly
Since James currently has no skills that can be quickly monetized, he should focus on learning high-income, in-demand skills such as:
- Copywriting – Essential for marketing.
- Sales & Persuasion – Needed for any business.
- Digital Marketing (SEO, Social Media, Email Marketing) – For online business growth.
- Graphic Design (Canva, Photoshop) – Useful for branding.
- Free platforms like YouTube, Coursera, and Udemy offer beginner-friendly courses.
James should dedicate at least 1-2 hours daily to learning. These skills will be of help in any business he settles for.
Gain Hands-On Experience
The fastest way to build expertise is by doing.
Depending on the business he chooses, James can:
Offer free or discounted services to friends and small businesses.
Take on small gigs on Fiverr or Upwork.
Start a blog or YouTube channel to practice writing or speaking.
Step 4: Generating Initial Income (6–12 Weeks, Part-Time)
- Start Freelancing for Cash Flow
Before launching a full-fledged business, James needs to generate income. He should:
- Create a Gig Profile – He can offer executive assistance, writing, or social media management on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour.
- Pitch Clients Directly – Reaching out on LinkedIn and cold-emailing businesses can land him opportunities.
- Leverage Existing Networks – Informing his contacts that he’s available for freelance work may bring quick jobs.
Once he secures clients, he should save at least 50% of his earnings to reinvest in his business.
Step 5: Launching His Business (12–16 Weeks)
Choose a Business Model and Offer
By now, James has gained skills and some initial income.
He should formalize his business by:
Selecting a niche.
Defining his services or products.
Creating a simple one-page website (using Wix, WordPress, or Carrd).
Setting up social media pages.
Market and Sell Aggressively
To grow the business, James must become a master at marketing. He should:
Use Social Proof – Show testimonials from early clients.
Network Online & Offline – Attend industry events, join LinkedIn groups, and engage with business forums.
Use Content Marketing – Share tips on LinkedIn, Medium, or Twitter to build authority.
Step 6: Scaling the Business (6–12 Months)
Automate and Outsource
As his business grows, James must shift from doing everything himself to building systems. He should:
Automate some tasks
Hire freelancers for repetitive work.
Invest in a website with automated booking and payments.
To ensure long-term success, James must explore additional income streams.. He could create digital products like e-books and courses and sell through the assistance of affiliate marketers. James’ path to success would depend on consistent execution. He must track progress, stay adaptable and accountable, and remain committed to the process. If he follows this plan diligently, he can achieve his dream of owning a thriving business before the end of 2025 … and so can you. Success doesn’t come overnight, but with focus and discipline, James will transition from an executive assistant to a successful entrepreneur.
Fatherhood with Ibe
An African Mother’s Journey into Gentle Parenting
As soon as I saw the title of this article, I knew that I would share it with my readers. I know Ijeoma, the writer, I knew her when she was a very small girl and I am well aware that her family situation was not far different from mine; our parents believed in the “spare the rod and spoil the child” maxim. My father was always a bit lenient with the girls but Ijeoma’s father was said to believe in gender equality when it came to punishment. There were a few times that her older brothers ended up hospitalised after a serious dose of punishment and there were always wounds on their bodies in different stages of healing. It was said that Ijeoma and her sister did not fare better.
Ijeoma sent a message to me through one of my relatives. She said she had written a piece on Gentle Parenting and once I realised who she was and the kind of upbringing she’d had, I knew it would be interesting to read her view on that subject. I had long realised that children who grew up under the echoes of cane strokes could go ahead and repeat the same pattern as adults with their own children and wards or like me, would totally abhor that type of discipline. I wanted to know which side Ijeoma had taken.
Her story:
I sat at the kitchen table, holding a cup of lukewarm tea. It was an unusually quiet morning. My three children — Chisom, eight; Kene, five; and baby Adanna — were still asleep. We had been in the hospital till the wee hours of the morning. My heart broke as I recalled the way my little boy had looked, sprawled on the floor, not moving. His older brother had a gash on his head with blood dripping down steadily down his face and on his clothes … and it was all because of me and the way I let my anger rule me while trying to instil discipline in my children.
It had been a particularly stressful day in the office. I had made three different presentations to my director, the board and a new partner that my company was cultivating. Of course, each presentation came with its own questions, criticisms and suggestions. By close of business, I had a mountain of things to work on before the next day. My husband had been on an official trip for three days and my nanny was not live-in. She had called me a little after 7pm saying she really had to go home. I told her to leave the television on for the kids, lock up and leave because I was sure that I would be home in less than 30 minutes.
All the way home, I just prayed the kids would already be asleep so that I would have a few hours to polish up my documents. That was wishful thinking.
The sight that greeted my eyes as soon as I opened the door to my house was so chaotic that my first instinct was to turn around and flee. My living room was covered in white powder and it seemed the kids had bathed themselves with it. The two boys Chisom and Kene had obviously been skiing around the sitting room on top of the powder, making it to spread everywhere. I was livid with anger. My second son quickly shouted that it was their baby sister that had poured the powder on the floor. I dropped my bag and laptop on one powdered sofa and went into the kitchen; I had left a few canes there. I took two. I wanted to beat the irresponsibility out of my sons.
By the time my first stroke landed on Chisom, he screamed like someone that had been scalded by boiling hot water and ran. His brother, fearing for his own life, ran too. But they didn’t get far because the powder on the floor pushed them down and they collided against each other and a side stool. The next thing that I saw was Kene sprawled on the floor unconscious and blood streaming down Chisom’s face. It was a nightmare.
I took them all to the hospital, praying that they would be okay and silently vowing not to lay my hands on the children again. We were in the hospital for hours while I endured the lecture of the attending doctor and nurses. As we returned home and I put them all to bed, I thought of various other ways I could have conveyed my displeasure and corrected the children without those long harsh canes.
I thought about my own childhood. My father, a retired soldier, ruled our home with an iron fist. Any sign of disobedience, laziness or negligence was met with swift, painful discipline. “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” he would say and my mother, though softer, never intervened. That was the way things were done. I hated the way a cane was never too far yet there I was repeating the same pattern, causing my children to be hospitalised. I shed tears of regret.
The cycle would not repeat; I wasn’t going to let it.
I remembered something I had read in a mothers’ forum online. It was about gentle parenting. I had dismissed it at first because I felt it was unrealistic in an African setting but it was time to re-assess it. They said that gentle parenting deepened emotional connection between parents and children, instilled discipline without violence, and enhanced mutual respect. It sounded ideal…too ideal. I sighed and took a sip of my now cold tea.
It was time to try.
(Concluding part of Ijeoma’s story will be uploaded soon)