How I became an Entrepreneur by Rudo Nyangulu

Rudo Nyangulu
CEO The Stimulus Group,  E:thos 
& Founder of The Art of Being Humane

When writing from a personal perspective on any subject, one hesitates and considers if they have enough within them to attempt such a task. I was no different, however it was an exercise that helped me realise I have a lot to say and share. So I start with this, Hello! My name is Rudo and I am an entrepreneur.

Whist my professional background is in Law, I have also worked with small and medium sized businesses from start-up, through to development and strategic planning for growth.  I have also had the opportunity to work within a multinational organisation and therefore have a broad experience base when it comes to business, experience that I find invaluable in my day to day communication with budding entrepreneurs.

 When I was contemplating on what experiences to share, I looked back to my first encounter or rather my debut 'entrepreneurial venture'. I was sixteen, a little bit of a rebel and very sure of myself.Confident that I could do just about anything I put my mind and engergy into! At the time my mother owned a florist shop and in a bid to keep me grounded and focused she presented me with a challenge in the form of two thousand red roses. It was the Wednesday of Valentine’s week and I was instructed to sell them all by Valentine ’s Day, the following Sunday. Being one who loves a challenge, I got straight to it, selling to neighbours, family, friends, their parents, dogs and cats! Anyone with cash who knew a woman in whatever capacity was not safe that week!

Back then I did not know that this experience would be foundational in my life’s path professional yet there I began to earn my entrepreneurial credentials. I had been given no specific training or instruction beyond ‘sell everything!’ I did not get some paper out and start drafting a marketing strategy or wording for my ‘elevator pitch’. The entire expedition was carried out based on gut instinct, ‘out of the box’ thinking and a little innovative initiative, though none of those terms were known to me at the time, let alone their meanings. By the Sunday I had not only sold all the roses, I also won a contract to supply a large company with office pot plants!

These are the same foundational skills I employed almost two years ago when I started a company called E:thos.This was a conscious decision to take a much loved and heavily invested hobby / skill and turn it into a viable business. Today, E:thos is a brand that has visibility in over 115 countries around the world and is growing organically into a formidable business.

With this in mind, I think back to my first entrepreneurial experience and how I navigated that challenge. I did not have to take on the project and I would have been forgiven for shrinking away or failing. What I did do was immediately create a plan, introduced an ‘up selling model’ to increase profits for reduced effort with leeway for discounting without cutting into the profit margin I required (in order to pay myself handsomely of course). I worked out how much it would cost to run the operation, what the risks were and what I needed to do to mitigate those risks. All this was done instinctively and quite haphazardly for the most part but there was a strategy employed and an end in mind.

The moral to this story is that I did not realise I was doing all of those things whilst I was doing them. It came naturally once the problem was presented to me and I identified the opportunity within.  I believe that every entrepreneur at heart is like this no matter what age. Every one of us has a passion for something, or a skill and a desire to pursue it in an environment that promotes self-determination.

The underlying truth to this story however, is that I was really, really, lucky! Unknown to me at the time, my parents had engaged and mobilised their large network of friends and colleagues to be ready and willing customers for me. Unfortunately real life in business does not work this way. It is therefore crucial that entrepreneurs learn the skills required for success, share their networks and experiences with each other and as for help in areas they have little knowledge in if they are to succeed. Stimulus seeks to create an environment where this can take place effectively.