The BusinessDay CEO Magazine December 2017

B R E A K I N G T H E V I S I B I L I T Y S T R U G G L E 

STORY TELLING. WHEN WILL BRANDS FINALLY GET THIS? 

SHOLA 

LADOJA 

ON KEEPING IDEAS 

HR GUIDE FOR STARTUPS 

“simply green! 

“ 

DECEMBER 2017 

A GUIDE ON HOW YOU CAN CREATE AND EXTRACT VALUE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

CON 

ON TENT 

ENT CON 

TENT 

04 

17 

ENT 

48 

Story! 

Story! 

When Will 

Brands Finally 

Get This? 

BREAKING 

THE VISIBILITY 

STRUGGLE 

HR 

GUIDE 

FOR 

STARTUPS 

08 

GUIDE 

26 

&A 

ON 

HOW 

YOU 

CAN 

CREATE 

Copyright, 2017 

Design/Illustration: www.getupinc.com 

Content: BusinessDay & GetupInc 

Cover Photo: Oyebola Famuyiwa (PotterClay Photography) 

EXTRACT 

VALUE 

FOR 

YOUR 

BUSINESS 

CONTENT

ART BY: COLIN O'MARA DAVIS, KELLI FUCHS - ROSEN, MELISSA MAXTED-HENDERSON

The BusinessDay CEO, Dec 2017 | 04 

Story! 

Story! 

When Will 

Brands Finally 

Get This? 

-Ebuka Ezeji


There's a reason why so many 

of us flock to the movies or 

spend hours reading novels – 

it's because we love to get lost 

in a good story. And if you ever 

listen to a good conversation, 

you'll notice that a lot of 

connection happens when 

people share stories with each 

other. 

Storytelling is a powerful 

technique for building 

relationships. It's an age-old 

concept that brings people 

together and keeps them 

engaged. It doesn't matter 

where in the world you're 

based or how much funding 

your startup has.


A good story holds the listeners' 

interest, builds feelings of 

connection between narrator and 

audience, and provides a satisfying 

conclusion. 

Good stories give big voices to 

small ventures. That's why it's 

mission-critical that brands take the 

time up front to fully develop their 

approaches to storytelling. 

On a daily basis, consumers 

(myself included) face advertising 

overload. Marketers are constantly 

competing for my attention. But 

truthfully, only the best story tellers 

gets my attention.


Let me tell brands the secret of how to get my 

attention in this age of advertising overload. 

· Make truth the cornerstone of everything 

you create. Your story should feature real people, 

real situations, genuine emotions and facts. As 

much as possible, it should show, not tell. It 

should explain--in terms people can relate to-- 

how your company adds value to my life. 

· Your story should offer a fresh perspective: 

What's interesting about your company? Why is 

it important to me? 

· Even if your company sells to other 

companies, focus on how your products or 

services touch the lives of actual people. By the 

way, when writing about people, follow this rule: 

Be specific enough to be believable and 

universal enough to be relevant. 

Email: ebukaezeji@gmail.com 

Instagram: @BuksMostFly | Twitter: @ebukaezeji

A 

GUIDE 

ON 

HOW 

YOU 

CAN 

CREATE 


& 

EXTRACT 

VALUE 

FOR 

YOUR 

BUSINESS 

This article will test your 

understanding of some 

basics concepts related 

to business models. A 

business model is 

simply a detailed 

answer to two 

questions: How do you 

create value and how 

do you extract some or 

all of that value? 

-Oris 

Eddu 

@oriseddu 

Business models are important for you to understand 

because your company, while unique in some sense, will 

probably make money in one of four broad ways. 

Understanding these four categories will allow you to 

more easily build a business plan, determine prices, 

identify customer segments, develop marketing 

campaigns, and other important activities.


The four types of business models represent 

different ways of thinking of your company and 

the way it relates to customers, partners, and 

investors. They help you tell a logical story 

about your business. 

one 

Customer Intimacy businesses 

operate by knowing and addressing 

the customers' needs. The emphasis 

in these businesses is getting to 

know each customer by collecting 

information about them. This 

information mostly comes from 

marketing, survey forms, interviews, 

and observation. Businesses that 

operate according to this model are 

able to predict and fulfill very specific 

needs that other companies do not 

notice, or don't care enough to 

address.


two 

Product Leadership businesses 

set themselves apart by 

offering new and different 

features on an existing product, 

or even an entirely new 

product. They are often 

described as “reinventing” an 

industry, and their products are 

immediately copied by 

competitors.


three 

Operational Efficiency businesses create products or 

services faster and cheaper than their competitors, often 

while sacrificing very little quality. These companies build 

dependable but comparatively simple offerings. Large 

clothing and food stores are good examples of the 

operational efficiency model in practice.


Marketplace businesses are a more recent type. 

They allow multiple groups to interact in a 

common environment, creating value by sharing 

information and discovering new opportunities 

to buy or sell things. While physical marketplaces 

are a good starting point, newer digital versions 

can grow quickly across countries and even 

continents. 

In any case, the core issues that you must 

consider are the same. Create value, then extract 

as much as possible. You must validate your 

business by answering tough questions. Please 

consider these all as you think more about your 

particular business. 

four


P lease consider these 

as you think more about your 

particular business. 

How is the customer and 

what am I offering them? 

How will I reach 

the customers I want in 

the marketplace? 

What is 

my idea's 

differentiated 

value? 

What are the costs 

What 

of 

are the unit 

production? 

What are my 

sources of revenue? 

Instagram, Twitter: @oriseddu 

economics of my product 

(i.e. revenue and costs or 

selling one single product 

by itself )?

Art by MUTI

Art by MUTI

Art by MUTI


Nnanke Essien 

BREAKING 

THE VISIBILITY 

STRUGGLE 

A fight for online 

entrepreneurs to be 

seen, found and 

patronized in an 

overcrowded 

market place.


Working from home, financial freedom, owning a 

business, being a CEO, sacking your boss, time freedom 

is the dream life most online entrepreneurs envisage 

when they set out to begin their online businesses. I mean 

who wouldn't love the prospect of literarily staying 

indoors and hearing the phone buzz with deposit alerts 

every single minute. Whilst these perks sound super 

awesome and genuinely have many benefits, my 

experience as a visibility expert has shown a different 

version of this dream life. Many entrepreneurs whom I 

work with are literarily up to their neck in frustration, a few 

of the complaints I hear from my clients are; poor online 

sales, poor visibility and reach, poor engagement, how to 

get more clients and to sell more product,attracting 

customers who are ready and willing to pay e.t.c and this 

tells me immediately that something is fundamentally 

wrong with the way entrepreneurs position their 

businesses online.


To survive and stand out, emerging brands must 

understand a few fundamentals about visibility marketing; 

sure enough posting your business, your products and 

your services online as well as social selling are all parts of 

visibility, but the often overlooked and frankly the most 

important part is the perceived value of your brand by 

your clients. 

It's in the way your client's see you as the best option over 

your competition, in the words you use, in the tidbits and 

trails you leave online, it's in the way you make your 

clients win all the time, it might surprise you to know that 

your clients are not really interested in your product or 

service, they are rather interested in how it solves THEIR 

wants and needs, so you have to pay attention to those 

needs and feelings for them to in turn pay attention to 

you. 

Value driven visibility takes time and should be planned, 

studied and implemented over time.


I have outlined below, 5 simple steps to help you 

start your journey to breaking the visibility jinx 

and attract the right audience for your business. 

1. Mindset: What is your mind saying to 

you? It is no news that the online space is 

saturated and filled with all sort of stories (good, 

bad and ugly). To survive in this environment, 

your mindset must be stellar, you must have 

ammunition to fight back each time your mind 

begins to play tricks on you. In my experience, 

affirmations, daily success routines and 

surrounding yourself with success triggers and 

people have helped me tremendously and I am 

certain they will help you too. 

2. Clarity, Confidence, Competence: 

As with any business, you need to have a clear 

vision of exactly where you want to be. It helps to 

identify your goals early on, be clear on your 

business message and how it will help your 

clients. In addition, confidence attracts, so you 

must have the potential to share your message 

with authority or else you stand the risk of losing 

your potential clients (people will follow you if 

they know you have a direction and you are 

leading them to it). I must also add that 

competence increases by acting and doing but 

ultimately you increase your competence level 

by self-development.


3. Identifying and understanding 

your ideal clients: I can't stress enough how 

important it is to know who your customers are. 

These are the people you want to add value to, the 

people you want to jump out of bed every morning 

to impact, to serve, and the best part is you get 

paid doing it. You want to genuinely identify their 

core, their desired outcome, frustrations, pain point 

and struggles, so that you can position your 

business message effectively as their desired 

solution. 

4. Visibility marketing: In a bid to remain 

relevant and visible in the market you must 

consistently lead with value. To achieve this, you 

should have a good sense of where your clients 

hang out regularly, thereby choosing the right 

platform to share your message for maximum reach 

and engagement (social media platforms, website 

or blogs). You should also understand the kind of 

words unique to them and the type of messages 

that resonates with them (long texts, audio or 

visual). Consistency is another way for your brand 

to remain relevant, stay visible and stand out in the 

eyes of your ideal clients. NEVER FORGET!!!


5. Defining your brand voice: 

Your clients are naturally drawn to the 

experience your brand provides as well 

as the way your brand makes them feel. 

Think about it, the last time you went to 

your favorite perfume or shoe shop, how 

was that experience for you…awesome I 

guess! In that same spirit think about how 

you want to delight and engage your 

audience…will you do that in your 

message, your logo, the words you use, 

the freebies you give them, the promise 

land you are taking them to, your colors, 

your genuine empathy and care for their 

needs and everything in between.I will 

leave you with these words by Walt 

Disney. 

“People spend money 

when and where they feel good” - 

Walt Disney


It is my 

genuine wish that you 

succeed in business and 

the more we have 

entrepreneurs do things 

right, the more successful 

and profitable businesses 

we have. 

Cheers to profitable 

businesses every day. 

XO 

Nnanke Essien

y JULIA GALDO & JUCO PHOTO

y JULIA GALDO & JUCO PHOTO

Shola Ladoja 

Shola Ladoja is a pioneer and 

example of the agricultural potential 

on the African continent. He started 

his company Simply Green after 

noticing that fresh juices and farm to 

table products were not readily 

available in Nigeria. What started as a 

passion project driven by curiosity 

and the need to fill a gap in the 

market, quickly became one of the 

most recognizable franchises and 

brands in Nigeria today. Simply Green 

has spearheaded agricultural 

initiatives with farms in Oyo and Ogun 

state, thus steadily contributes and 

enriches Nigerians' ability to enjoy 

farm to table produce. 

We met with Shola Ladoja, at his 

Simply Green location at Workstation 

in Victoria Island. Let’s read through 

the transcript of the interview given 

by Lehlé Baldé.


Lehle: What was your inspiration when opening Simply 

green? 

Shola: Simply green started as a farm. It started as adding 

value to the produce we were growing. There is the brand 

and then there is the store, Simply green juices. I started 

the brand because I wanted to add value since I was 

farming and adding value to things, one of them 

happened to be juices. I decided to open the stores 

because when I was working in New York I would drink 

green juice every day. When I moved back to Nigeria, I 

wasn't able to pop in anywhere to buy fresh juice. I 

thought it would be simple to have a place where people 

can walk in and get farm to table products. 

Lehle: Out of all the products at Simply Green, which is 

your favourite? 

Shola: Funky Beet and Kale.


Lehle: What has 

been your 

biggest 

challenge in 

business so far? 

Shola: Dealing 

with people 

(Laughs) 

My biggest 

challenge would 

be staffing. After 

that, it would be 

infrastructure 

problems, 

bringing things 

like farm 

produce, 

specimens etc.


Lehle: You entered agriculture at a time when it was not 

popular among millennials especially, what advice 

would you give as padding for those who are trying to 

start a business venture in agriculture? 

Shola: I am going to be very honest. A lot of people 

have gone into agriculture thinking it is pretty simple. 

They think it is the new cool thing and there is this new 

noise about it being the new oil and gas. I believe it is 

still the same as it used to be. Most people do not 

understand the culture. People go into agriculture and 

make the biggest mistake thinking it is cool. You see 

me now on this chair but if you see me on the farm you 

won't know I am the same person. It drains you 

physically. It is a very expensive venture. You have to 

buy diesel to make sure you can till the ground, 

process it, transport your goods, and preserve it in a 

cold room. All these things need power hence you 

need diesel all the time. My major advice is that you 

need to be patient. You cannot expect it to happen 

immediately. Regardless, it is very rewarding.


Lehle: That's very essential. It has to 

be worth it. 

Shola: Yeah, it is worth it. I am 

naturally stubborn, if not I would 

probably have left. I decided to focus 

on it as something I really wanted to 

do. I saw another side of it which a lot 

of people have not; and that is, you 

need to add value to whatever you 

are doing, you cannot grow 

something and expect to make 

money if you do not add value. The 

finished product is someone else's 

raw material. So it is about adding 

value. I don't do things unless I feel I 

am adding value.


Lehle: You have a background in engineering. Would you 

say that helped your business in any way? 

Shola: Engineering gives you the ability to solve 

problems. It is simple, there is just one answer. 

Lehle: 1+1 is 2 

Shola: Exactly!It gives you the ability to solve problems. 

My farm is still growing hence I am still doing a lot of 

things by myself. Things such as plumbing, irrigation, 

setting up of my solar system, building my farm house 

e.t.c I had to manage that by myself. So yes, my 

engineering comes into play for some of these tasks. We 

have a lot of machinery on the farm, so when something 

breaks down and the nearest town is 3 hours away I am 

not going go looking for it, I will jump in and try to fix it 

myself.


Lehle: You have to be self sufficient basically. 

Shola: Yes 

Lehle: Where are your farms located? 

Shola: I have 2 farms in Oyo state and 1 in Ogun 

state. Our biggest farm is in Oyo state, that's where 

we do most of our work. We transport to Lagos in a 

cold truck and then distribute to stores. Whatever is 

left has to be stored so they do not rot. 

Lehle: In your opinion, what is the reason for the 

heavy reliance of import of fresh produce in Nigeria? 

Shola: We actually like the easiest way out of things. 

When I look at what I am doing, I think someone 

should have done this a long time ago. There is no 

company that bags veggies the way we do it. When I 

was about to start, I felt, there would definitely be 

someone doing the same thing I wanted to do and 

found out that there is no one. I think Nigerians are 

looking for easy and simple ways to make money. It 

took me 4 years to start making profit.


Lehle: I'm sure there were times that you felt like giving 

up, how were you able to stick to your vision? 

Shola: It is passion. My dream has always been me retired 

at 50 years, watching my children being on the farm, just 

enjoying life I see it as, if a plan isn't working it doesn't 

mean you have failed. It just means you have to find 

another way. I believe there have been people before me 

farming and if they were not making money from it, there 

would be no farms. 

Lehle: What is your business structure? Do you have a 

board of directors, or advisors? 

Shola: It is just me. I do not have advisers however, I have 

mentors, not in agriculture but business in general. My 

Dad is my biggest mentor. I have even gone as far as 

going to bring two business partners who did not know 

anything about farming but now they are professionals. So 

I am also trying to build a group of farmers. I do not have 

advisers because I feel people don't understand farming 

in Nigeria enough for me to rely on them. I do not see 

anything out there that is better than what I am doing.


Lehle: So basically, you had to 

do a lot of research. You had 

to spend time mastering your 

craft? 

Shola: All I used to do is travel 

out of the country every 3 

months to work on a farm to 

learn. I have been to the 

Netherlands, Belgium, Egypt. 

It helps with staying innovative 

and competitive.


Lehle: How do you think 

technology helped your 

business? 

Shola: In terms of farming, 

my farm is highly 

technological. I monitor a lot 

of things on my phone. I can 

turn on the irrigation system 

online. Imagine if you had 

water for a big plot of land 

and you can control the 

irrigation system from your 

phone that just drops water 

on each plant. When you 

spray you run out of water 

faster but when you drop it, 

it stays. You give the crops 

different amounts of water. 

Infrastructure as well, the 

tractors, the cold room runs 

strictly on solar power.


Lehle: How do you see Simply Green growing in the next 

5 years? 

Shola: My biggest drive when it comes to farming is the 

annoyance I feel seeing things being imported to Nigeria. 

Things like tomatoes, lettuce e.t.c, which we have the 

capability to grow and sell locally. 

My hope is to continue providing farm to table produce 

and products for our customers and to further enhance 

and innovate the agricultural industry in Nigeria.


It is passion. 

My dream has always 

been me retired 

at 50 years.


For more information on 

Simply Green please visit: 

www.simplygreenjuice.com 

Instagram: @shola_ladoja


DEAR NIGERIAN 

ENTREPRENEUR, YOUR 

GREATEST BUSINESS THREAT 

IS NON-CONSUMPTION! 

-David Afolayan 

Sometime last month, it was in the news that a ride 

sharing app, GoMyWay decided to shut down its 

operations. This followed a decision by its shareholders 

to shut down operations as there were no funds to invest 

further. This struck like lightening in the tech space 

especially as the startup had not shown any sign of 

struggle. 

While there were attempts to explain the collapse by 

some, the bottom line is: Gomyway did not get the 

needed traction that may be converted to earnings to 

support itself and grow. Consider the figures: 2,000+ 

members; 106,630 rides offered and rides shared across 

16 states in 2 years. Divide these numbers by the actual 

pollution of the 16 states and the number of actual rides 

shared in these locations. It lost to non-consumption.


What is 

Non-Consumption? 

In his article, “Non-consumption is 

Your Fiercest Competition- and it is 

winning”. Efosa Ojomo defined 

non-consumption as “the inability 

of an entity (person or 

organization) to purchase and use 

(consume) a product or service 

required to fulfill an important jobto-be-done. 

This inability to 

purchase can arise from the 

product's cost, inconvenience and 

complexity, along with a host of 

other factors”. 

Simply said, people cannot buy 

what you offer because they cannot 

afford to, for a number of reasons. 

Like GoMyWay, some businesses 

are going under not because the 

business plan is faulty but because 

the people simply CANNOT buy 

what they are selling. But, how 

rarely is non-consumption 

considered when entrepreneurs 

are assessing threats to their 

businesses?


Who is buying what you are selling? 

A 2016 report by Ericsson revealed that 53% of 

Nigeria's population operates a bank account. That 

implies that 5 out of every 10 Nigerians do not 

operate a bank account. That implies that a near half 

of the entire population cannot make online transfers, 

pay with credit cards or even own BVN numbers. The 

World Internet statistics report of September 2017 

also indicates that only a total of 47.7% of Nigerians 

have access to the internet. That also implies that 1 out 

of every 2 Nigerian has a problem with internet 

connection. 

Other indices such as exposure to quality health 

services, access to power and quality education all 

point to one fact: the majority of Nigerians are still 

struggling with enjoying the basics of a quality life: 

electricity, health, broadband, quality education and 

access to financial services. How come most of the 

solutions we come with (ecommerce, transport, 

hospitality etc.) are designed to service the smaller 

privileged populace? Think about it. How many cabhailing 

apps exist in Lagos? How many FinTech 

startups? How many ecommerce giants? 

If you estimate how much is being spent on clothes 

daily at Yaba market versus how much Konga/Jumia 

sells on clothes daily, you can decide who is really 

leading the market? How many Lagosians would 

rather buy fruits from an online store than buy it in the 

neighbourhood market? How many market women 

make daily contributions rather than go to the bank?


Then, 

who 

is actually 

buying 

what we 

are 

selling?


Non-Consumption Exist when solutions 

are for Non-existent Problems… 

It will surprise you to know that ride-sharing is an old 

phenomenon in the transport sector. I traveled 

recently to a part of Osun state. When I got to the 

park, I found an empty bus with the driver screaming 

their destination endlessly. 

As I was contemplating joining the bus, my guide 

told me that I would find a bus quickly and at a 

cheaper rate, if I walked a few meters away. Guess 

what? I did find a bus 25% less than the garage price 

which picked passengers along the way. What is 

more? The driver was a private owner. We sat 

comfortably, discussed almost everything, shared 

drinks and paid less. That was a solution GoMyWay 

sought to provide. The real question is why should 

an average daily traveler use the app rather than 

walk few meters away and flag a car? People pay for 

solutions.


Non-Consumption: 

Because we are 

Nigerians! 

Certain things are not going to 

change. Nigerians love to 

bargain before buying. They 

somehow believe that a phone 

could be gotten at a cheaper 

price at Computer Village even 

when they see 80% discount on 

an e-commerce site. Any 

commerce solution that does 

not factor-in this fact will remain 

a luxury option. 

At this point in our existence, 

certain things do not constitute 

priority for the majority: making 

payments by scanning a code, 

searching for the nearest 

restaurant or recharging with 

an app. The solutions that are 

disrupting the developed 

climes may not stand the times 

here.


What shall we do to be saved? 

Efosa talked about Entrepreneurs investing in 

a type of innovation called 'market-creating 

innovation'. This involves transforming 

complicated and expensive products into 

simpler and less expensive products, making 

them accessible to significantly more people 

in society. Most solutions that appears to be 

for rich and skilled only today can be 

consumed by the rural majority if we go the 

extra mile to create those that suit their 

needs. 

Similarly, Nigerian entrepreneurs should start 

thinking about problems first then solutions. 

It should be clear that Silicon Valley models 

will not thrive here. 

Our challenges are different. 

Rather, we should look at creatively solving 

those challenges that seems to be holding us 

down: power, infrastructure etc. After, we 

have solved these minor problems, we can 

then sell our solutions on a larger scale.


Putting 

it all 

together. 

It bothers me to know that 

almost everyone wants to do 

the same thing that sells. 

The result is that we compete 

for a small niche until someone 

discovers a new potential. 

The millions we seek are in the 

hands of those that are outside 

the loop and how we get them 

depends on how much we are 

willing to sacrifice to reach 

them. 

THIS IS 

NIGERIA!


KABANGU by: OSBORNE MACHARIA & KEVO ABBRA

HR 

GUIDE 


FOR 

-Emmanuella Unuode 

STARTUPS 

– Develop you 

People Operations 

Strategy. 

Dear Entrepreneur Do you think 

of Organizational Structure? 

I always advise Entrepreneurs not 

to wait until there is a crisis or 

sudden growth before they begin 

to think of structure in their 

startups. Let's face it, building and 

developing structure in the


business landscape today is 

almost as important as 

getting your daily breath of 

air. Some might think that 

this statement is a little over 

the top, but if one really 

looks at the impact of clear 

structure on funding and 

scalability, the above point 

proves to be true. 

Ultimately, I advise 

entrepreneurs to consider 

the current and future 

structure of their companies 

early on. Taking this 

proactive approach has 

several benefits. 

It helps you build the 

company in a thoughtful 

way by guiding you and/or 

your leadership team to 

consider what positions you 

will need. 

It also creates clear 

responsibilities and roles 

when you begin hiring 

people to fill those needs. 

Finally, it will help you


identify the types of skills you need 

in early employees and/or 

business partners. 

Having a clear organizational 

structure will make your company 

more attractive to investors. 

They gravitate toward companies 

that have well thought out ideas 

and a clear direction. 

Today's workforce population 

includes millennials, who have 

been raised on technology, and 

see their jobs less as a career and 

more as a stepping stone to 

something else, in order to attract 

and retain the best talent from this 

millennial pool, you must step up 

your game and develop a 

compelling brand. 

One important part of this step is 

to ensure that you have a define 

organizational structure & 

articulated strategy, a defined 

structure including job 

descriptions and documented 

people operation processes is an 

important marker for serious 

investors/talent.


When your company starts growing, some of your 

employees may be in cross-functional teams 

reporting to different managers. 

An organizational structure will allow you to clearly 

identify the reporting relationships. 

Document the various roles and duties for the 

company;be specific and avoid vague titles for job 

descriptions. 

I strongly recommend startups should have job 

descriptions for various positions even if those 

positions don't yet exist or one person is handling 

several positions

The BusinessDay CEO, Dec 2017 | 52


I recently engaged in a conversation 

about people operations with a spa 

services owner in Lagos. 

She said: 

“Emma, I don't care about structure 

right now, I applied for money from 

investors, once I get it, I'm taking my 

business to the next level” 

My reaction: 

“hmmm Excuse me, I am confused??? 

Next level? Funding? With no 

structure??” 

Anyways, I suggested - among other 

things - that she works on building the 

necessary people infrastructure that 

would reflect her vision & values to give 

off the right perception to investors or 

partners. 

An investor may over look her because 

she may be perceived as a failure 

waiting to happen due to a lack of clear 

structure. 

When potential investors or partners or 

employees approach your business, 

what do they see? How do you want 

them to feel? How do you want them to 

perceive you?


It is important to understand that 

developing organizational structure 

require planning; I know it is a big 

step to take, one that can leave you 

wondering where to begin. 

The main thing to do is take stock of 

things & familiarize yourself with 

everything people operations (HR). 

Ask yourself these questions before 

investing in your organization 

structure- 

Ÿ Who will report to whom? 

Ÿ How will teams be 

structured? 

Ÿ Why do you want your 

workforce structure set up 

that way? 

Ÿ Does it meet the basic 

company priorities efficiently 

and effectively? 

Ÿ Can it sustain the company's 

vision should any type of 

disaster strike?


By analyzing these questions, you can begin to pick the 

areas to design and implement while you still have the 

time and resources available. 

The question then becomes “Do I have to have a fullfledged 

structure immediately?” The answer is No, you do 

not have to have a fully-fledged organizational foundation 

in place immediately, however, a basic structure will help 

you with many of your decisions, especially related to 

manpower planning and outsourcing any work. 

In the constant changing entrepreneurial world we 

operate in, it is imperative that you have the right 

structure & guidelines in place to help sustain even the 

smallest amount of growth, reflect your values as a 

business and attract the type of clients and employees 

that you desire.


Misconceptions of 

Millennial body 

positivity 

By Tamara Ncala 

When we speak of millennials and the general 

understanding of them, there tends to be a focus on their 

social liberalism that characterizes their approach to life 

as well as the digital age that has created a new era of 

communication and expression. 

With this social liberalism, millennials are seen to go 

against the discriminatory and oppressive norms that exist 

in Western influenced societies much more than 

generations before did.


Within this atmosphere, we have seen a 

rapid rise in advocating for the reevaluation 

of beauty standards related 

to body image and health and how the 

media plays a vital role in this. 

IT IS ABOUT 

WEARING 

WHAT YOU 

WANT AND 

EXPRESSING 

YOUR 

HAPPINESS 

AND 

PROUDNESS. 

We live in a social media infested 

society today where social media 

platforms have allowed for the 

millennial generation to express 

themselves and be proud of their 

bodies through imagery, articles, blogs, 

and many other media outlets. 

Millennials are much more aware of how 

marketing and manipulation in the 

media influences the ideological 

perception of beauty. We have therefore 

seen a shift in the body image narrative 

but with this, there has also been a rise 

in the misconceptions of what body 

positivity advocates for. 

This has created a tension-filled 

atmosphere that has formed antibody 

positivity movements by default, which 

stir away from the truth. 

The ideological shift is progressing but 

there is still a wide sense spread of 

discrimination concerning body 

positivity.


Body positivity emphases loving one's self at 

any size and feeling confident at the same time. 

The movement focuses on not shying away 

from exposing bodies that are not seen as 

conventionally attractive or normal within the 

mass media spaces and Western societies in 

general. It is about wearing what you want and 

expressing your happiness and proudness. 

Millennials are fundamentally fighting against 

the restricted standards of body 

representations within Western society, by 

pushing for an equal stance. 

Being within this space has created a negative 

perception that this movement has given way 

for 'fat' people to stay fat and not face scrutiny 

with unhealthy eating habits.


” 

Essentially as soon 

as something 

diverts away from 

the norm in society 

it creates almost an 

automatic defense 

which in this case 

centers on body 

desirability and 

body health. 

“


There is the misunderstanding 

that body positivity is directly 

correlated with an unhealthy 

eating lifestyle creating these 

antibody positivity movements. 

This perception is continuously 

expressed with the comments 

or responses on the media 

platforms that promote the 

body positivity movement. 

Essentially as soon as 

something diverts away from 

the norm in society it creates 

almost an automatic defense 

which in this case centers on 

body desirability and body 

health.


The concept of what is desirable and what is 

healthy I would argue is almost solely linked to 

media representations and the dissemination of 

what health and desirability look like. 

Mass media continuously promotes norms of the 

ideal body type. 

In a general sense, this body type would be 

described as slim with a small waist, flat stomach, 

small legs and small hips. 

Body positivity disrupts this norm and encourages 

people to love themselves at any size which is not 

something that is taught. 

Anyone that possess the traits of a 'slim' body 

is seen as 'healthy' because it is the 

‘standardized representation’ of what health 

looks like. If a 'fat' person and a 'slim' person 

stand together almost always the slim person 

will be seen as ‘healthy’ and the fat person as 

‘unhealthy’. 

People have different metabolisms, therefore, 

one person can eat healthily and still be a 

larger size, just as much as a slim person can 

eat extremely unhealthy but still be slimmer. 

This poses the question, 'how can we really 

judge health based on body shape when 

metabolism indicates that people process 

foods differently?'


People that are against body 

positivity need to understand 

that the movement is about 

eradicating discrimination 

against people that do not fit in 

the "perfect body" box and not 

misconceive it for an excuse for 

an unhealthy lifestyle. 

There is more to what makes an 

individual unhealthy and we 

need to focus on not solely 

basing it on a person's body 

shape. 

Millennial groups are 

acknowledging that size is not an 

overall indicator of health and it 

is these group that has the task 

of spreading awareness and 

changing perspective. 

The body positivity movements 

that exist today are a start in this 

direction but we still have a long 

way to go. 

By Tamara Ncala


4 

UNIQUE 

WAYS TO 

MAKE YOUR 

BRAND 

STAND OUT 

IN A 

COMPETITIVE 

INDUSTRY. 

-Bassey Ndiokho medium.com/@nathanbassey 

The concept of disruptive innovation seems to be the goto 

strategy for a lot of startups in today's market place; 

unfortunately, the idea is gradually being abused. 

Everybody wants to be the new ‘Zuck’ but forget the 

process and time it took for these companies to occupy 

the position they are in today. To put things in 

perspective, the average amount of years that Google,


YouTube and Facebook have been operating is 

about 15 years. Include Twitter, Instagram, 

Snapchat and Uber in that list and you still 

have an average of about 10 years. 

Technology has made it easy to promote any 

business today. Sadly, this leverage is also its 

weakness as more and more businesses are 

sprouting up everyday. While the rate of 

business supply continues to grow 

exponentially, the market size is still trying to 

catch up. Looking at industries that have been 

around for decades, it's easy to understand 

how the tech industry has enjoyed massive 

attention and popularity in the past few years. 

The market was tired of the same 

old story and was prepared for 

disruption. Borrowing a page from 

the tech industry playbook, the 

question now is; how can a new 

player in an industry stand out 

from it's competitors; how can 

your brand grab the attention of 

the same finite target market.


Be attractive - design with 

purpose. 

Design is not art. Design is 

functional and answers questions, 

while art is abstract and makes one 

ponder. When you want a website 

or logo, do some research. Find out 

the design trend in your industry 

and decide how you want to look 

different. It's saves you both time 

and money. A lot of times, the idea 

of being attractive is misconstrued. 

Some businesses want to start with 

a logo but don't have enough 

information on the kind of business 

they're into and the needs of their 

target market. 

There is the place of market 

research, which a lot of businesses 

forget. This is meant to inform your 

brand identity and everything 

related to it. The concept of being 

attractive is to bring or 'attract' the 

right customers to your doorstep. If 

you take care of marketing right, 

customers should be so excited, 

they can't wait to interact with your 

brand. With a customer centric 

design, this is possible.


Don't be boring. 

Content is king, but boring content is 

repulsive. To engage your audience, tell a 

story and see how they respond; however, 

you tell it also matters. Whether it's visual, 

audio or audiovisual, try and spice up your 

marketing strategy. A great content creation 

idea is to document experiences. Creating 

content from the scratch can be a boring task 

in itself, but documenting events is a form of 

storytelling on its own. It's a content 

marketing strategy many brands should need 

to explore to stand out in the market place.


Don't sell a product 

when you can sell an 

experience. 

Mass advertising used to be 

the norm in the early days 

but that is becoming more 

ineffective in the digital era. 

It's not just enough to tell 

people about your product, 

you must show them why 

they should choose you. An 

experience is personal and 

memorable. We always 

remember how we feel at 

certain moments in our lives. 

These experiences are 

culminations of our senses. 

You need to look at ways you 

can use visuals, sound, touch 

or smell to influence how 

your customers interact with 

your brand. I don't know 

about most people but I like 

the way my MacBook feels. 

This is an additional 

experience despite the 

functional value of the 

product.


Be empathetic 

This is simply answering 

the question; 'Why am I 

in business?'. If you're 

only out to make 

money, then the 

business may not last 

very long. A number of 

businesses we admire 

today were born out of 

a desire to change the 

status quo. After 

reading Richard 

Branson's, 'Finding my 

virginity', I understood 

and admired his 

passion and drive for 

business. Also I learnt 

that serving your 

market should be the 

core of your business. 

Any brand that decides 

to go the extra-mile for 

customers ends up 

winning their heart. 

Take time to answer 

complaints and look for 

feedback.

ART- 

Kaylan M 

Theodore Levy 

High Tide 

Maggie Picard 

Matteo Meraldi 

Happycentro Design Studio 

Alexandra Zutto 

Nicola Morino 

Muti 

Si Maclennan 

Zim & Zou 

Balint Jaksa 

Julia Galdo 

Juco Photo 

Colin O'mara Davis 

Kelli Fuchs - Rosen 

Melissa Maxted-henderson 

Osborne Macharia 

Kevo Abbra 

Ihor Smishko

ART BY: Udegbunam Tochukwu Bernard Johnbosco 

Instagram: u_tbj | www.osengwa.com 

FOR ADVERT PLACEMENTS & OTHER ENQUIRIES 

Linda@businessdayonline.com 

lynda4real@yahoo.com 

08026011296

The BusinessDay CEO Magazine December 2017

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