The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Bank Limited, Mr Ifie Sekibo, has advised entrepreneurs and youths to embrace partnerships in their quest to succeed in business.
While speaking to a group of youths and entrepreneurs in Lagos, he said partnership was key to a successful enterprise because others might have information they did not have access.
Sekibo said, “Learning from people and forming partnerships is one of the keys to achieving success in any business enterprise. Trying to do things alone or hiding your vision from others might not give adequate result in any given enterprise.
“As a person, I have never done things on my own. However, I have my ideas at every point in time in life, but I have always done partnerships because most times, other people are privy to information you do not have. Partnerships have also helped in propelling my visions and aspirations in life. So, I am urging entrepreneurs not to keep their visions to themselves.”
Sekibo said that after working in an oil company for many years, he was bored and felt like doing something else.
“So, I saw an insurance company and I decided to buy it. At the time I was buying the insurance company, it was located somewhere in Ikeja and in one office; it had no window, no toilet and the company owed about ₦150 million. I said to myself that if we bought this business, we would be able to employ people and give them a life.
“I went ahead to borrow money – ₦7 million – from my brother’s friend and went to the bank to borrow another ₦7 million and bought the insurance company. Holding on to God and with the help of other people I shared my aspiration and vision with, within a year and half, we were able to grow the company to the tune of ₦12 billion.”
Sekibo also advised the youth to brace up for the challenges of life early enough, just as he asked them not to allow poverty mentality deter them from making headway.