Ask Chuka

A few years ago, to support a friend who was preparing for his wedding, we donated some printing items he needed. A few days later, when he reached out for more items, we submitted an invoice, expecting that he would patronise us. To my surprise, he went somewhere else because their price was just 50 Naira cheaper. I was pained, but it didn’t take long to realise that his loyalty was questionable. A few days ago, we needed to buy a large quantity of paper for our work. As usual, we contacted Mr Okey , our main supplier, as well as other vendors to compare prices. This time, Mr Okey was more expensive. My colleagues then requested approval to buy from the cheaper supplier. They also mentioned that it would be wise to have more options in situations like this. I said, “No way.” I instructed them to return to Mr Okey and give him the price we got from the cheaper vendor. If he matched it, good. If he refused, we would know we tried. As expected, he matched the price and we bought from hi...

𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗟𝗬 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞? 𝗔 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙-𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 When William submitted his resignation letter to leave Jewel Publishers , I immediately invited him to my office to understand his decision. His reasons were straightforward; 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐲. After a brief conversation, he assured me that an increase in salary would keep him from leaving. I told him to give me a moment to consult a few colleagues and, without much delay, we were able to adjust his salary upward. He stayed. A few weeks later, John also tendered his resignation. This time, I simply delegated Stanley to conduct an exit interview , not because I wanted John to remain, but because I wanted to understand if there were areas our organisation needed to improve. John was shocked. Shocked that no one tried to negotiate with him , shocked that we didn’t counter-offer , and even more shocked when we asked him f...

 When we launched a small grocery store in our community, we employed people through ads on our WhatsApp status and simply agreed on terms for them to commence work. Because we were dealing mostly with FMCGs , we asked them to submit ID cards of guarantors, but there was nothing formally written regarding the responsibilities of those guarantors. A few months after we commenced operations, missing goods became the talk of our small shop. We started penalising them, but what went missing in some months became higher than their wages. The moment their guarantors were notified, voom, the staff disappeared. When we got the police involved, they requested engagement letters to know how to wade into the matter. Since there was none, the case lingered until we lost interest in pursuing it further. Learning from that experience, we decided to issue engagement letters and a few forms to new staff, clearly stating their responsibilities and what was expected if they wished to resign. They ...

  Before you think this story is about marriage, it’s not 😊. It’s about choosing the right person to help rebuild a struggling business. When Kevin (not his real name) engaged me to evaluate his small retail business, things were in decline. My first instinct was to sack everyone, hire new people, train them, and restart the process. It’s a radical approach, but one that works, I’ve used it before. My philosophy has always been: when something becomes stagnant, replace it with something new. It’s a law of growth, though I’ve also learned how much pain it can cause when applied without wisdom. I asked for six months and suggested installing cameras in all three store locations. Kevin agreed, and ordered the cameras from Jewel Multiservices 😊. I began visiting the stores daily, sometimes twice a day. I’d come early to check punctuality, then return before closing to ask two simple questions: “How much sales did we make today?” and “What did you do to achieve it?” By the second w...

The story Nightingales in Grey tells of a king who wanted to choose a successor for his throne. Since he had no heir, he decided to conduct an unusual test. In a room near his throne, the king kept two birds, a beautiful, brightly coloured parrot and a small grey nightingale with a lovely voice. From time to time, the king invited princes from neighbouring kingdoms to listen to the sweet sounds coming from the room. When the birds went silent, he would ask them to guess which bird made the sound. Most of the princes pointed at the parrot, convinced that something so colourful must be the source of such beauty. Only one prince chose the small, grey nightingale, and he was the one the king appointed as his successor. When I read that story, I couldn’t help but think about how often we misjudge people based on appearance. I remember when my colleague, Stanley , came to Jewel Publishers for his interview. The waiting room was filled with candidates in shiny suits and skirts, speakin...

 Yesterday, the anchor scripture on the YouVersion app was Jeremiah 29:13 : “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” In our home, Saturdays are usually our rest days. We don’t insist on a family prayer time because everyone deserves to sleep in after a long week of early mornings. But since it was the first day of November, I requested a general devotion once everyone was awake. We began by exploring what it truly means to seek God with all our heart. Each of us shared experiences of times when we desperately called on God for help. The children spoke honestly, and soon the conversation shifted to our daily lives and the things we want to achieve. My daughter started by sharing her battle with mathematics,  a subject that once terrified her. She laughed as she confessed that she used to cry whenever the maths teacher entered the class because everything sounded like gibberish. Thankfully, at Anglican Girls' Grammar School, Abuja where she studi...

  A Hard Beginning In a small town in India, Neelish’s dog was stolen and killed. The pain deepened when a policeman arrested him and accused him of being the culprit. When he tried to defend himself, he was tortured. His mother, a respected community leader, stepped in. She was slapped and humiliated, but she persisted and engaged a lawyer through an NGO. That decision secured her son’s release. Choosing Purpose Over Prestige Years later, as university approached, Neelish weighed courses that could bring a strong salary. His mother guided him to think about usefulness to the community. He chose Law. He remembered the NGO lawyer who showed up when it mattered. He wanted to stand up for others who suffer injustice and to make justice accessible. A November Reset for Business Owners We are in the penultimate month of 2025. It is a good time to reassess purpose. If your work has become only a pursuit of income, pause and revisit the original problem you wanted to solve. Pu...