The Journey to Personal Transformation (part 2) – by Frank Ofili

In part 1 of this piece, I opined that there was something magical about taking an action. Was it not Albert Einstein who stated that nothing happens until something moves? It is the same with you. Your situation will not change until you do something.

Taking action is key to success, for if you succeed you earn; if you fail you learn; either way you will gain. So, eschew laziness and procrastination; do something to earn a living, no matter how small it might be.

God made life such that you must start from somewhere. Do not just sit there waiting for that big job to land on your lap. Start something now. For instance, pick up a part time teaching job – just for the moment. If you cannot teach, learn how to teach, only be sure to teach in the area you are strong in. It is through whatever you do that break-through comes. Stop waiting for manna from Heaven under the guise of faith.

Faith is supposed to complement what you do – not the other way round. It is not what you do that will complement your faith. Success will not come from praying and doing nothing. It will only come from doing something and having faith that it will lead to positive outcome. Faith without work is Utopia. So, do something, but be sure whatever you do is not only morally acceptable but also in the right direction.

Now, to the final step of the journey to personal transformation.

11. Be Confident: Believe in your abilities and what you can offer. Confidence is one thing only you can give yourself; confidence comes from preparation and self-belief. Confidence comes from overcoming the fear of failure. Whatever you do, never see failure; rather see yourself feeling the exhilaration that comes with success. I know that sometimes this is difficult.

I remember when I marketed a prospect for the first time several years ago, I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous, shy and uncoordinated. I met the prospect at Mate Supermarket, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja. I tried desperately to market water dispenser to him but made a poor job of it.

The man looked me over, extracted a business card and handed it over to me with an instruction to see him in his office the next day. The card read “Femi Ojeaghere, Senior Manager (Brewery Services), Guinness Nigeria PLC, Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja”. I thought I had made it.

When I appeared in his office the next day as instructed, Mr. Ojeaghere was all fatherly and convivial. After some probing questions which I found curious at the time, he took time to let me know that if I was going to make it in marketing, then I must develop self-confidence and believe in my abilities to succeed.

For about an hour, he lectured me on communication, marketing and self-management. When the lecture was over, he extracted another business card, wrote behind it and handed it over to me with an instruction to see Mr. Edafiogho , Brewery Manager, Guinness Ogba in a week’s time. I knew instantly that while waiting for the appointment in a week’s time, I had to read up everything I could about marketing and presentation.

Up till that moment I knew nothing about both. In fact, I reluctantly accepted the job simply because there was nothing else to do, and so I needed a place to go every morning. If you have ever been in a situation in which you, your wife and two kids, are being “squatted” by a benevolent cousin, you would understand where I was coming from. Here was I and my family, being accommodated by my late cousin, Isaac (may his soul rest in peace, Amen) in a two bed-roomed apartment. That was the situation I was in then.

Neither the mass recruitment nature of the marketing job itself nor the remuneration which was purely based on commission on sales helped matters for me, but I was determined to succeed. So, I searched for and read everything I could about Guinness Nigeria and marketing and presentation generally. Of course, there was no internet then, or if there was, it was not so easily accessible like it is today. So, I borrowed marketing books, got my friend who read marketing to take me through the rudiments. By the time the week was half way down, I began to visualize success in making a sale. I began to feel excited about the job even though I had not made a sale. At that time, the contemporary water dispenser was alien in Nigeria, not many people knew about it then, but I began to feel it didn’t matter.

On the appointed day, I appeared before the brewery manager 30 minutes ahead of time excited and expectant. The man listened to my presentation with rapt attention. I tried as much as possible to impress him. At the end of it all, he asked me to see him the next day. Unknown to me, Mr Ojeaghere had told him about my naïveté on the first day we met and both had joked about it.

Twenty hours later I was once again in Mr. Edafiogho’s office and behold seated at a corner was Mr. Ojeaghere.

“Congrats Frank, you did much better than on the first day I met you”, Mr Ojeaghere said. ” We have agreed to patronize you. We need 25 units, but not your type of water dispenser. We need the Semper Fresh water chillers. The type that is connected directly to water mains. Can you get it for us?”

I had no idea where or how to get it, but now feeling more confident and energized, I replied that I would look for it and give them feedback in a week’s time.

I left them and went straight back home to catch up on sleep. I spent the next two days thinking where I could possibly get the water dispenser. I spoke to friends, I asked questions, I visited electronic shops, I went to the prime electronics market in West Africa – Alaba international market – looked for it everywhere, but no dice. Then someone advised that I should try building materials dealers. Straight I dashed to Orile building materials market, still no headway.

In the course of my search, I happened upon one Mr. Fidelis who worked at Tehila Communications (then Econet Wireless dealer very close to my office at Abebe Village Road, Iganmu, Lagos). Fidelis directed me to his uncle, Mr. Obaze, at Falolu Street, Surulere, Lagos. Mr. Obaze listened patiently to my story and declared “I have what you want”. He shuffled into a file cabinet and came out with some fliers of the exact product. For the first time, I felt proud of myself. But then another problem. How could I finance the business?

The next day I was back at Mr. Edafiogho’s office with some fliers of the water dispensers given to me by Mr. Obaze. An hour later, I picked up an LPO for 25 units. Straight I went to Mr. Obaze. My mission this time? How to obtain credit from him. This was a man who knew nothing about me. But he was more than magnanimous. He agreed to give me the product on credit on condition that he would verify the authenticity of the deal and that payment be made in his company name. That of course was no problem to me. The next day both of us hit Guinness, Ogba, and the rest is history.

1. Moral of my story:There is a saying in local parlance, that “what you are looking for in Sokoto is actually in the pocket of your sokoto”. I searched everywhere in Lagos for the water dispensers whereas the source to getting it was actually near where I worked at Abebe Village Road, Iganmu. Sometimes, it pays to pay close attention to your immediate environment.
2. Don’t remain in your comfort zone; sometimes taking the unfamiliar path leads to great success. Afterall, the Albert Einsteins, the Thomas Edisons, the Michael Faradays, the Aliko Dangotes, the Donald Trumps etc., did not thread familiar paths. Calculated risks are healthy. It is instructive that my employer at that time did not forbid me from moon-lighting insofar as the job was not a salaried one.
3. Prayer or faith alone will not put food on the table. Work will. If you are the religious type, prayer should serve as request to God for good health, for life, wisdom, for direction and to crown your effort with success. It should not replace honest work.
4. Wherever there is a valley, there is also a hill. Every challenge has its inherent solution. You only have to look for it.