Today we are interviewing one person that has gone far and wide in an IT business, a website designer, an IT consultant, the person that has designed some of the website and blogs we are reading from, he is the current
MD/Business Development Manager at Cehost Technologies Limited. Read
the interview excerpt:
My
name are Anagu, Charles Iyke, happily married with two lovely kids. A
graduate of Project management Technology (Class of 2006) from Federal
University of Technology Owerri, an IT
Consultant and currently the MD/Business Development Manager at Cehost Technologies Limited
- How Did You Get Involved In Business?
I
once heard a speaker say, during my school days ''there are no jobs in
Nigeria; so if you want one create it for yourself rather than depend
endlessly on the government''. From then, I made up my mind that i was
going to create a business for myself no matter how small. Then, in
school i use to have a roommate who was into Information Technology and i
admired his skills and wanted to be as good as he was but couldn't
afford the trainings due to lack of funds as a student. Then during my
NYSC in 2008, I made up my mind that lack of fund was no longer going to
be a hindrance to acquiring the much desired IT skills. After making
inquires on the cost of the web design it was far beyond what my savings
could pay for. To overcome this obstacle I put up adverts telling
people that i offer web design training programs, even though i was yet
to enroll for my own training. Luckily for me I got two interested
candidate who agreed to a fee higher than what my trainer charged me and
they never knew that I was just a learner just as they were. I arranged
their trainings in such a way that, i will attand my own training in
the morning and come back in the evening to train them on the same topic
that my instructor thought me. Through these arrangements i was able to
raise some money to attain training in Web Design, Website Security,
Graphic design as well as Video and Audio Production. It was through
this process and arrangement that Cehost Technologies was born as a
business outlet. After my trainings, I met a lawyer who needed a Website
and I quickly put up a bargain for him to help me register Cehost
Technologies Limited with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in
exchange for the proposed Website which he wants me to design. After
much negotiation we reached a compromise and the deal was sealed. I got
his done and mine was done as well. This was how I registered my
business Cehost Technologies Limited during my service (NYSC) year.
- What Do You Do At Cehost Technologies
Cehost
Technologies offers services ranging from Web design, Web hosting,
Domain registration, Web security, Telecom support services like I
earlier mentioned, I doubled as the MD and business development Manager.
- What Inspired The Creation Of Your Business?
The
vision of establishing Cehost Technologies goes beyond business. It's
like a divine calling borne out of the desire to offer solution within
our given environment. And Info Tech being the pivot around which every
other thing revolves in our present dispensation, we felt we could be
more relevant within the field.
- How Much Effort Goes Into Your Typical Business?
The
IT industry is very dynamic, one where there are always a new and
better way of doing things each day than was done yesterday. So for you
to survive in the industry you must be innovative, creative as well
hardworking. In a nutshell, It's quite intellectually demanding.
- What were The Challenges You Faced in the early Stage Of Your Business. And Do You Still Encounter them.
Majorly lack of fund and difficulties in getting clients to trust you can deliver on their projects. Every client wants to know how many years of experience you have had in the
in the industry and a proof of your excellent track records and as a
beginner you may not have such. To overcome this at the early stage I
have to propose to the client to deliver on their project before they
commit their money and with such options where they have nothing to
lose, it was easier to get my earlier clients who i now use as my
references and referees. I still encounter some of these challenges but
not as much as it used to be in my early days.
- Is The Business Capital Intensive? And How Do You Source For Capital?(At The Early Stage)
You
don't need all millions of Naria to start an IT business but you surely
need a million idea to start and succeed in the industry. All you need
is the skills, determination and perseverance.
- Does One Need Any Professional Training In This Business?
I
will give you YES and NO answer. If your definition of ''professional
training'' means University kind of trainings, I will say YES. You can't
possibly do well in an IT business if you don't have basic modern
trainings or skills in the particular field you intend to operate in.
For instance, you can't do well in software development business if you
do not have an indept knowlege of programming, ethical hacking, cyber
security etc.
- How Do You Deal With Difficult Client?
We
understand that people are individually different and we try to
understand each client in their peculiarity and relate with them
accordingly. Mostly importantly, in Cehost Technologies we have a
culture and policy that recognizes the customer as the boss.
- Do You Think Young Entrepreneurs In Nigeria Are Receiving Enough Support?
The
Nigerian government does not have good policies that encourage the
spirit of entrepreneurship. The ''You Win Program'' was a partial
attempt, but later became more political than economical. Besides, there
are no enabling business environment in Nigeria- Power and other
physical infrastructure that are the backbone of economic activities are
completely inadequate leaving the business man fend for himself
- What Are Your Advices To Unemployed Graduate?
The
problem of the youth unemployment is not much of unemployment(Lack of
jobs) than it is of the un- employability (Lack of Skills) of some
youths. How can a doctor complain there is no job for him when there are
millions of sick people around him or her. Unfortunately our
educational system does not teach us how to solve people's problem but
how depend on others to solve ours. Until we begin to put more emphasize
on what we can offer rather than on our paper certificates, the problem
of youth unemployment will continue to be a menace in our society.
Besides your university certificate try and learn some relevant skills
and start something for the big catch, with good skills you can turn
your melons into millions of Naria.
- If You Could Go Back
To When You Started, What Would You Do Differently? What Are Yours Plans
For The Future (As CEO Of Cehostng)
If i have the power
to rewind the hand of the clock and go back to the very beginning, the
only thing i would have loved to do differently was to have started my
business earlier than i did. As for my plan, is to dominate the Nigerian
IT industry as well as positioning Cehost Technologies Limited to compete favourably in the global realm.
- What Projects Have Excited You The Most So Far?
It
will be difficult to say because I'm so excited in a small project as I
am in a big one. So if you are talking of the one that have excited me
most, it may probably be my next project.
- Have You Ever Experienced The Fear Of Failure?
Fear is part of the human life and so is the ''fear of failure''.
In business terminology, entrepreneur is constantly confronted with the
fear of failure (business risk) but the ability to master, control or
overcome that, make the difference between success and failures
- How Do You Balance Work And Personal Life?
I'm a very flexible person but funny enough you can hardly separate my personal life from my work life
- Can You Mention Some Of The Website You Have Worked On?
1. www.hdfilmacademy.com(High Definition Film Academy, Abuja)
2. www.powerprojectsltd.com(Power Project Limited, Lagos)
3. www.coldcarenigerialtd.com(Cold Care Nig. Ltd
4. www.familyfora.org(Family Fora)
5. www.amadorsuites.com.ng(Amadors Suites, Lekki-Lagos)
6. www.safrec.co.uk(Safrec Ltd. United Kingdom)
7. www.hispeedpowerltd.com(Hispeed Power Ltd, Lagos)
- What Are Your Advices To Anyone Who Want To Start This Kind Of Business?
If
you want to go into the IT business you need to be very patient to
learn the prerequisite skills, have enough perseverance to hang on even
when cash will not be flowing.
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