DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS

A few years ago, at my friend's grocery shop, I witnessed a heated altercation between him and one of his sales staff. The scene was unpleasant, with harsh words flying back and forth.

When I inquired, I discovered that he had audited the shop's accounts and deducted the cost of missing items from the staff member's salary, per their prior agreement. Upset by this, the staff member decided to resign, demanding a refund of the deductions.

My friend responded, "We'll need to inform your guarantor about the missing items before I can process a refund." This remark caused the staff member to angrily exclaim, "This small, nonsense shop is asking for a guarantor—how much is the entire business even worth?"

I noticed those words hit my friend hard. He felt his business wasn’t being respected because it was seen as “too small” to deserve proper structure.

To every business owner out there, running a business is a BIG deal, especially in Nigeria. If you’re paying salaries—even as little as 30,000 Naira monthly—and have been doing so consistently, you are a remarkable person. Never pay attention to those who cannot even imagine starting or managing a business.

Remember, Apple, Google, Amazon, and countless other successful companies we admire today started in small garages. Now, they’re global giants, and those who belittled them wouldn’t even qualify to work there.

Keep building. Fire anyone who doesn’t take your business seriously if you made hiring mistakes. But most importantly, NEVER EVER LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS.

Shalom. 🙏

Looking to print, brand, design and publish anything this week, please get in touch with me at Jewel Publishers and Services, +2348033615992, chukachiezie@jewelpublishersng.com

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