David Apaflo's Blog

Business! Business!! Business!!! The one word that makes good friends become sworn enemies. Lol. My fascination with business started way back as a kid when a family friend who worked in CBN gave me some really crisp 10 naira notes. Ever since then I always wanted something that had to do with money and it was no surprise I went on to study accounting in the university and also become an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). I had no plan B that is all I wanted. Anyway this post is not about how I started creating paper currency notes and making paper wallets to store them or how I lost that monopoly of currency creation when my younger ones realized they could also create their own currency notes and hence did not need to follow my rules to get my notes. (Shout out to my Sis Mzjay!) I would be discussing how I started my first business venture. I would explain the following: • How it was unplanned; • How I took advantage of an opportunity

[ View the story "DA Reflections: Episode 3 - The Church and unemployment" on Storify ] Think on these things. Happy Reflections. DA

Earlier today I went to pay someone a visit. On my way back, I noticed this ewa agoyin seller. The food she was selling had a very inviting aroma and as a matter of fact that is how I noticed her. Walking past her simply because it was a road side food shop and as a fresh guy, I could not be found at such a place (you know na…lol). I hadn’t gone a few steps farther when I rescinded my decision and went back to have a taste of this meal with such a pleasing aroma. Ewa agoyin asides its taste, brings with it so many nostalgic memories of my childhood growing up in Nigeria and so this to me was more than just a meal. I finally went and placed my order for ewa agoyin (for those not familiar with the word, its beans and palm oil fried by the angels) and asked if she had bread to go with it. Lo and behold, she didn’t have bread. In a split second I imagined how people would have rushed the bread early in the day and hence as a late comer I had nothing left. However this was not the cas

Over the next couple of weeks, I would be running a five part series on some deep reflections on life. Some of the things you might have seen before but this time, take time to really think and develop a principle for your life. Reflection: If you are going to the 20th floor and the lift will only stop on the 21st or 19th floor, where will you drop and why? It is important to note that as with many of life's questions, this question has no right or wrong answer. The correctness of the answer depends on the WHY. Happy reflections, DA See the link to the second episode here

As a follow up to my post on 7 innovative e-commerce websites in Nigeria , I have carefully thought about two businesses that can spring from this internet vibe we are seeing in Nigeria. You know almost everyone has a web shop or a blog nowadays. Lol In the course of my daily activities as a business consultant, I am constantly asked for new business ideas and ways in which businesses can improve their profits and grow even bigger. Some people seem to be just waiting with capital to jump on the next big idea to hit the market. I can however say, that no matter how good a business idea is, if you do not have passion, discipline and good business design, it would fail. Below, I write of two business that you can easily setup with less than N500,000 to support these internet businesses. 1. Customer Call Centre What it is: Have you ever placed an order online? Did you notice that someone called you to confirm your order? That was a customer care person. Why it is a good busine