THE DAY MY EX-FRIEND CAME BACK FOR A SECOND CHANCE

I suppose repeatedly hearing me say, “If you go alone, you may go faster, but if you go with someone, you’ll go far,” led Francis, my ex-friend, to talk to me about becoming a partner in his retail business.

I agreed quickly because I had some experience in that line and believed I could contribute to its growth. Over lunch, while discussing our ideas, I helped refine the business strategy — I could see the excitement on his face.

Just two days later, Francis rushed back to share how one of the ideas I suggested had already triggered some customer orders. The only challenge was that he had no money to fulfill them, and since he was new, clients wanted to pay after delivery.

I was hesitant at first. We had yet to finalise our partnership terms, and he had already started working on our ideas. But I still provided the money—I didn’t want to discourage him or misunderstand him. I also made sure to express how I felt.

Two weeks passed, the orders were delivered, and payment was expected. Still, no Francis. When I finally reached him, he said five more orders had come in, and he’d fulfilled them too.

Weeks went by. I gave up on partnering and simply asked for my money back. But to this day, it’s yet to be returned. He didn’t seem too bothered either — business looked good from his end.

Then, a few weeks ago, I arrived at the office and found him waiting at my door. I thought he had come to return my money — and honestly, in this Nigeria, that would’ve been great news with the kind of bills we all face.

Cut long story short: he came to revisit the partnership conversation.

Smiling, I said, “I shared just one idea, and you ran away and left me. Imagine if I gave you the full blueprint.”

And guess what? I gave him the entire blueprint. But I told him plainly, “You’ll never execute this, because you lack the spirit of risk and execution.”

I freed him of the debt I knew he would never pay and told him not to return to my office. My line is only open to him for sincere emergencies.

Warren Buffett said it best: Integrity is a strong fabric in business. If someone, male or female, lacks it… Don’t waste time.

Shalom.

Comments

DEBT IS A VERY BAD THING

You may not know me personally, but take this from me: DEBT COULD BE A TERRIBLE THING. As long as you owe someone, you remain their servant, no matter how talented or respected you are. Yesterday, while driving to work and enjoying my heavenly sandwich, I spotted Emeka in traffic and nearly lost my appetite. Why? I remembered how badly I suffered in his hands after I was duped of the money I had borrowed from him to fund a certain business opportunity. Let me gist you. When I went back to Emeka to explain what had happened, he empathised with me and even offered a payment plan since it was clear I couldn't return the money all at once. Sometime after, we were both invited to serve as panellists at a supply chain management event. I was the first to share my thoughts on a topic, which Emeka later disagreed with. But my take must have sounded more compelling, because I was asked to expand further. Crazy me (forgetting that my oga at the top was seated beside me), I took a whiteboar...

DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS

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 ...

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER PRISON ?

A few years ago, I listened to a message by Bishop T.D. Jakes where he spoke about the high likelihood of ex-convicts returning to prison. This, he said, was largely due to the difficulty they face reintegrating into society. One major challenge is public acceptance. Many employers don’t want individuals with criminal records associated with their brand. Others fear that the ex-convict might relapse into old behaviours, potentially causing harm or bringing trouble to their organisation. While these concerns are understandable, Bishop Jakes advocated for meaningful reform during incarceration. He suggested that churches, manufacturers, and other businesses should create training programmes for inmates—equipping them with skills that will help them survive once they are released. The goal? To reduce the temptation to return to crime. A few days ago, while scrolling through social media, I came across a photo with a caption that caught my attention: President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina F...

Ask Chuka

Search This Blog