Selfishness, lack of
commitment kill business in Africa– Princess Arabome
By NJOKU ONYEKACHI JET
Monday, August 14, 2006
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•Princess Rita Arabome
Photo: The Sun News Publishing |
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Princess Rita Arabome, CEO and Coordinator, Sunrider International
(Nigeria) is a woman of many parts. She is a trainer, marketer,
human resources consultant and an international businesswoman.
A graduate of Yaba College of Technology, where she bagged
HND in Business Management. She earned a Masters degree in
Public Administration. Arabome hit gold in herbal cosmetics
and herbal health products.
The businesswoman whose firm currently distributes the Sunrider
range of products comments that lack of dedication, commitment,
willpower to succeed and selfishness militate against business
ventures in Africa. Arabome in this encounter with Daily
Sun offer tips to success in business. Excerpts:
Background
I am Princess Rita Arabome, mother of three and the first
child in a royal family of six in Irua Edo State. I am a product
of Apostolic Grammar School Ikorodu and Our Lady of Apostle,
Yaba, Lagos. From the Auchi Polytechnic and the Yaba College
of Technology. I obtained my OND and HND respectively in Business
Management. My Masters was in Public Administration from the
University of Lagos (Unilag).
I first came in contact with Sunrider in 2000 when I had gone
to California for an international conference of the Lions
Club. This was on my way to Michigan. In Los Angeles, California,
I met a Nigerian who introduced the products to me. It was
also at this conference that I met with Mr. Elisha Arkins
who to represents the organisation in the whole of Africa,
as well as some other European countries. I enlisted and gave
myself sometime to try out the products. The effect I got
within and outside my body was marvelous and that encouraged
me to register fully with the company.
Starting up
I enlisted with the sum of N25, 200. Till date, this is still
the starting up cost, though it could be less for those who
cannot afford the total cost.
Being in a business such as this, is one of the most comfortable,
flexible, easiest and cost effective ways to be success. You
need not give up your job if you are a worker nor abandon
your old business if you are already into one. More importantly,
the start up cost cannot be compared to the cost of securing
a stall, let alone stock the stall.
The business
The company is a leading producer of herbal extracts in form
of health, food and beauty supplements. The products have
made inroads into the more than 36 countries with millions
of distributors and customers around the globe, having a strong
base in China and the USA. The flexibility of the Sunrider
business affords me the opportunity to operate and manage
my other businesses perfectly well. My company is into consultancy
and corporate training in Human Resources Management. We also
offer logistics support to small and medium scale firms and
industries. As the chief executive of Domvent International
Limited and Ineree Entreprises, combining these with the marketing
of these products has become a way of life.
Sharing wealth
The business is networking in nature with the philosophy of
creating and sharing wealth, that is, the more you share wealth,
the more money you make. You do not only need to sell or market
the products to make money. The secret is in enlisting as
many people into the network as possible. I’m sorry
to say that the typical Nigerian is selfish in sharing wealth.
This type of business helps you to go against selfishness
because you have to be nice and friendly to bring people and
give them wealth and at the same time make more for yourself.
If you don’t share wealth, it won’t go round.
Strong drive
In achieving success in whatever you are engaged in, especially
in business, it takes commitment, strong will to succeed and
dedication. I have often said that we are not poor because
we are black, but because we are lazy coupled with lack of
commitment. When you want to do something, make up your mind
to do it. Create time for it, put your heart at it and show
commitment and strong will. When you cease every opportunity
that comes your way and put off laziness, your are bound to
succeed.
Challenges
Often times, you hear people say it is like this or that and
some quit when faced with challenges. This sometimes arises
owing to shortcomings either in the products or marketing
style. For me, the challenges have not been unnecessarily
enormous. I was trained in it like I said earlier; it has
become a way of life. This is why we train our marketers and
equip them to properly face the challenges and to live out
their dream.
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