CEO, Business Impact Limited, Olatunde Samson, has a vision that is working for him and is affecting his generation positively, writes Olaitan Balogun
Twenty-six year-old Olatunde Samson surely has his eyes to the top. And there is nothing stopping the CEO, Business Impact Limited, at least, for now. Humility personified, God-fearing, composed and calculating, he not only knows what he wants, but understands how full well to go about it. Olatunde is from a humble background, but through hard work and a clear vision , he seems to have secured his future, priding himself as the youngest internet millionaire in Nigeria.
And give it to him, while his contemporaries are still scouting for non-existing jobs, he is not only self-employed but also empowering many others, teaching them to explore the abundant opportunities around them, instead of roaming about, searching for jobs that are not even there.
A 2008 Business Administration graduate of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun state, Olatunde has trained over 700 Nigerians this year alone and over 70 others have graduated from his School of Wealth Creation within a year.
What started as a decision to take his future in his hands when he was in his 200-level in the university has today blossomed into a full time project. His company, Business Impact Limited, which was incorporated, while in his final year in the university, is basically involved in youths training and empowerment as well as awareness creation for online presence.
“The whole idea of doing something for myself started while I was in my 200-level at the university. My father was training four of us at the time and I asked myself: If I should lose him now, does it mean I will drop out of School?,” he recalled in an encounter with THISDAY. “That was how I started with a friend, training students on campus on the use of computer. I had the idea but my friend had the computer system and we settled for a 50-50 sharing agreement.”
According to Olatunde ,”We started with a computer system, teaching fellow students to be computer literate and charging a small fee. Our pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the campus offered us the worship centre, free of charge, on the understanding that our training sessions will not clash with church services. And by the time we were leaving the school, we had already increased our computers to 10.”
Recognition of the efforts paid off as Olatunde, in 2008, was honoured by the RCCG of the Olabisi Onabanjo University with the Most Enterprising Male and Most Influential Student Awards.
Currently, a member of the Association of International Marketers, he told THISDAY that “it was while I was graduating that I stumbled on information about internet business.”
He said the business “is not a get-rich-quick thing” as it has its challenges, noting that insincerity is the problem with most Nigerians going into online business. Olatunde however said “if you have a schedule, you can turn it into a system and through networking, increase your stream of income.”
So much has he mastered the art and was confident to tell his parents that he was not interested in seeking employment after graduation. And he meant every word of that. Within a year after completing his National Service programme, he has already established himself as a force to be reckoned with. He features prominently in empowerment seminars organized by various organizations within and outside the country, teaching and motivating youths to become self-employed.
Recently, Olatunde got what may be regarded as a rare birthday present, when, on the eve of his 26th birthday, he was honoured with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 15th Success Digest Enterprise Awards 2009 which held in Lagos at the same event where the Chairman and chief executive of Coscharis Group of Companies, Sir Cosmas Maduka, and six other achievers were honoured.
According to the organisers of the Awards, Olatunde, who apparently was the youngest of all the awardees, was honoured in recognition of “his courage to venture into entrepreneurship at a very young age while his colleagues are still looking for paid jobs.”
The Award, according to Olatunde, came as a surprise. ”I was not expecting it. It was a surprise for us.. We didn’t pay a dime, neither did we bargain for it,” he said. He however added: “The organisers must have been watching what we have been doing. I feel so great, appreciating God for this privilege. This award places on us a big challenge, to bring more manpower and strategies into our programmes.”
His plans for the coming year are therefore instructive as well as challenging. ”As we talk, we already have a plan for the first six months of next year to train youths in institutions of higher learning,” he disclosed, adding “we plan to move into the 36 states of the federation with our youth empowerment programmes.”
Olatunde recalled his experience in Ghana at the African Internet Summit, saying “We did the first edition in Nigeria and in September 2009, we had the Ghana edition with about 50 participants. We realised people are interested and we hope to go there next year and move into South Africa as well.”
Olatunde has an advice for unemployed Nigerians, saying internet marketing and related online businesses such as online stock and forex trading still work perfectly. He said greed has however become the albatross for many people.
“Online stock trading is the best online business in the world. Forex trading is the second best, it is still working perfectly and people are still trading in the same market, once they know how it works. But greed is making many people lose,” he said. “People should not be greedy but have a target. An average of $100 a day should be enough. If you understand some rules, you will make more gains than losses.”
To the Nigerian youths, he advised: “They should acquire skills and knowledge. They should be hardworking and rugged. I was working and studying at the same time.” Olatunde however stressed that “They should rely on God,” saying “all I have achieved is by His grace.”
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