The Office of Career Services in partnership with the African Wood Incorporation CEO Dr. David Amakobe on Friday June 12, 2020 held a Career Webinar from 5.00 – 6.00pm. This Webinar targeted beginner or mid-career professionals and was titled “Never Be Unemployed: Solve A Local Problem with A Scalable Solution”.
Dr. Amakobe graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1987 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He worked for Ministry of Agriculture for 7 years, Mumias Sugar for 3 years then set up a company in Bungoma for 10 years before migrating to the United States.
The Webinar discussions were centred around the following tips for those who are looking to become self-employed in the wake of today’s society where unemployment is rampant.
- Create a structure: Be a CEO of something – You have 24 hour in a day, 7 days in a week, you don’t have to be one thing all of them!
- Understand the community you live in: You are not a resource solving foreign problems
- Identified solvable local problems
- Narrow down to the problems owned by more people
- Zero in on the One problem you are passionate about
- Defined the problem for the market
- Own the problem and offer a solution
- Brand, Manage Perception and Build Trust
- Do not reinvent the wheel: copy, see Walmart!
- Don’t wait for permission always be ready to ask for forgiveness!
- Don’t try to be first to market Aim to be a follow up
- Don’t be stupid control the intellectual property
- Don’t be selfish share the wealth with stakeholders
- Refine, Perfect, Duplicate and Scale
Dr. Amakobe emphasized that thing that makes the difference between a job seeker and job creator is Attitude and Social Capital. Social capital which refers to networks of relationships among people should be developed right from the University to support you in your entrepreneurial ideas. An enabling attitude of success is important if you are to make breakthroughs in life. He quoted Henry Ford – Whether you think you can or you can’t – you are right.
He emphasized the importance of nurturing Alumni relations because in the United States, Alumni give back to the development of their Universities and Students.
This was the beginning of a series of career development Webinars with Dr. Amakobe. The Office of Career Services looks forward to empowering students more on venturing into entrepreneurship. 20 participants attended the Webinar.