Olorunleke Shodayo, a young entrepreneur, is the Chief Executive Officer of Astute Trainers and Consultants (ATC), a training and consulting firm based in Lagos with core competence in project management. In this interview, he gives insight into how young people can rise up, working as entrepreneurs
What is your background?
I have a social science background. For my first degree, I actually studied Sociology at the University of Ado Ekiti and I have a Masters degree in Project Development and Implementation from University of Ibadan. I have always been a trainer because I was into public speaking as a young boy. I have always like standing in front of people and talk to them although it was a bit difficult starting out but I have always known that training is something that I have flare for.
How did you start?
I started training people way back in school. We (myself and my friends) used to organize seminars/training sessions for students. Shortly after my NYSC program, I got a job with a training firm and it wasn’t totally a new experience to me so I decided to continue and build a career as a training consultant. I realised that I was enjoying the job even when our salaries weren’t really consistent but I discovered that my passion didn’t drop. I woke up every day hoping to learn something new that I can share with my trainees. I became more passionate about it despite the fact that we weren’t paid regularly. For me, it was passion first, money second. That was how Astute Trainers and Consultants began.
What was the attraction for you?
It was the fact that people tend to respect you as a trainer and also because I love speaking in front of people. Basically, that was the attraction for me. I also remember that I facilitated a 3-day training session for a state government. What I was paid in 3 days was more than what I was earning at the end of the month where I was working. That really got me inspired and it was a decision point for me. This really got me interested in the job. I made up my mind that I was going to do more and reap the rewards, not just in monetary terms but I also wanted to enjoy the honour and exposure that comes with my job.
How long ago did you establish the company?
We started in 2010
Have you ever had a situation you felt, you couldn’t go ahead with the business?
Of course yes. That is true of every entrepreneur. I have had reasons to think that way on a few occasions. Starting up a business is a daunting task, especially in a feisty environment like ours. Every business has its own peculiar challenges. Some of the challenges you face at times can be both frustrating and discouraging. You tend to want to give up but you just have to keep believing in your aspirations. This is one of the reasons you need to have passion for whatever you are doing. It is the passion that will keep you going when the chips are down.
Is it lucrative to be a trainer?
Yes, it is. What determines that basically is the type of clientele that you have.
What skills are required?
You need to have the requisite expertise in your specialisation first, and then you will need lots of inter-personal relationship skills, presentation skills, management skills, business development skills, technical writing skills and effective communication skills to say a few.
How do you attract your trainees?
Acquisition of clients is a whole lots of work and because of the product we are selling (Training), our marketing approach must be carefully and specifically designed for our target audience. It is not everybody that believes in what we are selling but we have several people that also want to be part of it. As such, delineating between these categories of people is very important. We run a lot of focused marketing (including on-line and tele-marketing) and we offer special discounts and other add-ons that will spur our clients’ interest and overall level of satisfaction after the training. We also try to ensure that our customer service activities are spot on so as to get substantial referrals from our clients. We always treat our clients with respect so that they can go out there and speak well of our firm.
What is the difference between what you do and what obtains in normal academic environment?
What we do is very professional, practical and we discuss real world experiences. We bring the real world experiences to the training room and get every participants fully engaged in the training. Our training helps the participants in their career, either as starters or experienced individuals. Our approach is also a springboard for entrepreneurial endeavours, because we help participants build capacity that can help them to startup businesses of their own.
How did you start?
I started training people way back in school. We (myself and my friends) used to organize seminars/training sessions for students. Shortly after my NYSC program, I got a job with a training firm and it wasn’t totally a new experience to me so I decided to continue and build a career as a training consultant. I realised that I was enjoying the job even when our salaries weren’t really consistent but I discovered that my passion didn’t drop. I woke up every day hoping to learn something new that I can share with my trainees. I became more passionate about it despite the fact that we weren’t paid regularly. For me, it was passion first, money second. That was how Astute Trainers and Consultants began.
What was the attraction for you?
It was the fact that people tend to respect you as a trainer and also because I love speaking in front of people. Basically, that was the attraction for me. I also remember that I facilitated a 3-day training session for a state government. What I was paid in 3 days was more than what I was earning at the end of the month where I was working. That really got me inspired and it was a decision point for me. This really got me interested in the job. I made up my mind that I was going to do more and reap the rewards, not just in monetary terms but I also wanted to enjoy the honour and exposure that comes with my job.
How long ago did you establish the company?
We started in 2010
Have you ever had a situation you felt, you couldn’t go ahead with the business?
Of course yes. That is true of every entrepreneur. I have had reasons to think that way on a few occasions. Starting up a business is a daunting task, especially in a feisty environment like ours. Every business has its own peculiar challenges. Some of the challenges you face at times can be both frustrating and discouraging. You tend to want to give up but you just have to keep believing in your aspirations. This is one of the reasons you need to have passion for whatever you are doing. It is the passion that will keep you going when the chips are down.
Is it lucrative to be a trainer?
Yes, it is. What determines that basically is the type of clientele that you have.
What skills are required?
You need to have the requisite expertise in your specialisation first, and then you will need lots of inter-personal relationship skills, presentation skills, management skills, business development skills, technical writing skills and effective communication skills to say a few.
How do you attract your trainees?
Acquisition of clients is a whole lots of work and because of the product we are selling (Training), our marketing approach must be carefully and specifically designed for our target audience. It is not everybody that believes in what we are selling but we have several people that also want to be part of it. As such, delineating between these categories of people is very important. We run a lot of focused marketing (including on-line and tele-marketing) and we offer special discounts and other add-ons that will spur our clients’ interest and overall level of satisfaction after the training. We also try to ensure that our customer service activities are spot on so as to get substantial referrals from our clients. We always treat our clients with respect so that they can go out there and speak well of our firm.
What is the difference between what you do and what obtains in normal academic environment?
What we do is very professional, practical and we discuss real world experiences. We bring the real world experiences to the training room and get every participants fully engaged in the training. Our training helps the participants in their career, either as starters or experienced individuals. Our approach is also a springboard for entrepreneurial endeavours, because we help participants build capacity that can help them to startup businesses of their own.
In most schools, people are taught to pass the school exams and finish with a distinction or a first class upper level. Students in schools in most cases are not prepared for the challenges of the business world. We ensure that aspect is taking care of. What we train you about are the things that you will find when you go out there to practice and it will not be strange to you in anyway. Of course you have the solution to every challenge already with what you learn from us in terms of project management.
Is providing training worth an entrepreneur’s time?
Yes, most definitely. It gets you extremely engaged. Delivering the training is on one hand and getting people to attend your training is on the other hand. The latter is where the bulk of the work is. It’s a whole lot of work that will definitely get you busy both mentally and physically. Contrary to the opinion of several people who feel training consultants don’t have much to do, in the real sense, as a training consultant; you do a lot of work and this is why business development skills are of importance to you as a training consultant. You need to build a model around your training business that will ensure sustainability of the business and continuity. You’ll get to meet a whole lot of people and that can be very interesting too. And of course the financial rewards are there too.
What other plans do you have, looking into the future?
We have our long term plans and we have our short term plans. We keep working hard to ensure we make our services better. We keep trying to widen our reach and we are coming up with other capacity building programs for all cadres of people and of course organisations including religious institutions. We are looking forward to unveiling our Institute in an environment most suitable for learning. Our objective is to help individuals and corporate organisations build global and industry relevant capacity that will them achieve their goals.
Many young graduates are waiting to be employed, is providing training something they can be engaged with?
Yes, as long as they are interested in it and they have the required competence and knowledge-base to provide such training - that is very key. Training is not what anybody can just dabble into. It requires lots of expertise and specialised knowledge. You can’t just dabble into training, because you are unemployed. You need to go and get requisite skills first and take it from there. The passion for the career is equally important. If you don’t have passion for it, you will run into it and run out of it, because it won’t always be a smooth sail. For young people who are passionate and are willing to learn the things that are necessary to build a career as a training consultant, I believe they will do well on their own.
Is providing training worth an entrepreneur’s time?
Yes, most definitely. It gets you extremely engaged. Delivering the training is on one hand and getting people to attend your training is on the other hand. The latter is where the bulk of the work is. It’s a whole lot of work that will definitely get you busy both mentally and physically. Contrary to the opinion of several people who feel training consultants don’t have much to do, in the real sense, as a training consultant; you do a lot of work and this is why business development skills are of importance to you as a training consultant. You need to build a model around your training business that will ensure sustainability of the business and continuity. You’ll get to meet a whole lot of people and that can be very interesting too. And of course the financial rewards are there too.
What other plans do you have, looking into the future?
We have our long term plans and we have our short term plans. We keep working hard to ensure we make our services better. We keep trying to widen our reach and we are coming up with other capacity building programs for all cadres of people and of course organisations including religious institutions. We are looking forward to unveiling our Institute in an environment most suitable for learning. Our objective is to help individuals and corporate organisations build global and industry relevant capacity that will them achieve their goals.
Many young graduates are waiting to be employed, is providing training something they can be engaged with?
Yes, as long as they are interested in it and they have the required competence and knowledge-base to provide such training - that is very key. Training is not what anybody can just dabble into. It requires lots of expertise and specialised knowledge. You can’t just dabble into training, because you are unemployed. You need to go and get requisite skills first and take it from there. The passion for the career is equally important. If you don’t have passion for it, you will run into it and run out of it, because it won’t always be a smooth sail. For young people who are passionate and are willing to learn the things that are necessary to build a career as a training consultant, I believe they will do well on their own.
What are the benefits of being self-employed?
Independence, control and freedom from routine, in the sense that companies or individuals you work for are your clients not your employers. As clients, they can state what results are expected from you, but they do not direct your work. Also financial rewards, a deal may become very profitable.
Independence, control and freedom from routine, in the sense that companies or individuals you work for are your clients not your employers. As clients, they can state what results are expected from you, but they do not direct your work. Also financial rewards, a deal may become very profitable.
by Solomon Elusoji(thisday live)
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