In Nigeria Two Business Cultures stand out, these I admire and found to be the best, also recent developments has it that one of these two is supposedly been studied in Harvard.
First is from the IGBO TRIBE....
the igbos are of the Eastern part of Nigeria majorly and also is one of the widely spoken language in the east and other parts of Nigeria, but there's something about the igbo business culture that i love so much, its a situation where a young boy say age ten goes to "serve" his "oga" (boss) for a number of agreed period of years, serving his boss means he goes about the bosses business with all intentionality of learning, serving diligently to observe and to do according to what his boss tells him.
the boss is his coach and mentor who teaches him everything he needs to know about the business, from the bases of negotiations, sales, profit margin, cost and revenue in running the business very well everything it takes the boss must show him, usually it's done in a period of 7 seven years or more till the boy servant masters every act and secrets of running smoothly a successful business on his own.
then the boss settles him well enough at the end of his service year, the settlement is done by the boss opening that same business elsewhere for him fully stock and he goes on to become his own boss.
now here's the interesting part, after the young man began the business he will go on to take other boys to come serve under him there also learning the art and science of the business, he trains them in the art of buying, selling, negotiations and profit margin, every tricks there is to know in the business.
that's how the circle continues one serving another within an agreed period of time after which the boss settles him by opening that same business for him and he is liable to take other young boys to come serve him and in the end of the day settles them to with the business that's how the circle continues....
NOW!
The other business culture i also admire is from the north, the northern part of the country is predominantly occupied by the Hausas and fulanis, you see the Northerners are also very hardworking people they specialize in farming and raring of cattles, I haven't been to the north to know the predominant business culture there but from what I have observed living in the southern part of Nigeria I love what they do here...
here's a thing, from what I have observed when an hausa man opens any business usually a kiosk selling groceries he will be there for a long period of time then after that time elapse another of his hausa brother will come over Stay with him for a while then the other will probably return back to the north to either continue farming and stay with his family...
The Hausa man will hand over the business completely to his brother, everything in there and will return to the north, I think this is how it's done, whenever it's farming season they will return to farm hand over the business completely to another person, while one returns back to take care of his family or farm, so like that they take turns in the management and smooth running of the business
Tell me what you noticed in this two business Cultures!, first is
TRUST....
The igbo man can hand over the business to his boy servant amd travel for months without panicking or suspecting any fowl play, however in the agreement the boy servant will come with some guarantors who will sign shorty for him, he will come with drinks and some money as a sign of commitment and loyalty with that the master after a period of time can trust a business worth millions to the boy and not feel unsure about it that he may steal from him.
samething goes to the business culture from the hausa, the hausa man trust his brother well enough not to squander all he has built so far and trust that he will handle it well,
what I learnt from this two separate business cultures in Nigeria is that, the number one ingredient in business is TRUST, this is the bond that holds the foundation for the smooth running of a business.
WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS
I also learnt through the business Culture of the igbos that together we can lift every one of us, when one lift the other, that extension happens to another as well and before you know what a chain of entrepreneur is created, same thing with the business culture from the north, a brother reaching out to his brother bringing him into business, teaching him the art of buying and selling through that a chain is also created......
