In a time when building wealth has lost its purpose and focus in Nigeria, licensed Business Management Consultant and the Managing Director, of VINES REALTY, Oberaifo Udoh has advised that there is a need to go back to the drawing board to redefine the purpose of building long-lasting wealth.
In an article, Oberaifo Udoh recently signed, he stated that building a business that outlives the founder takes vision, commitment and hard work.
Using personal experiences to explain, Udoh stated, "Lifting my family and a lot of other people from the blights of poverty to the extremes of wealth has been my holy grail from the moment I grew to the consciousness of what my parents went through to keep our little family going.
"Growing up, I had a childhood vision to create wealth that would save us from ourselves. That vision led me to look beyond my College certificate to break myself and a lot of families from the shackles and manacles of poverty in many parts of Africa.
"This plunged me into asking myself some thought-provoking questions. The most profound among them was, ‘since daddy is always complaining of not being paid, this translates that there is someone out there who pays daddy thus responsible for how we fared at home as well as the general air of merriment or despondency that blew in our house’.
"I’ve always known I wanted to build and own a company or be at the top management level, employ and teach people how to run their own companies as well. I wanted to create jobs and reduce poverty.
"I love Real Estate, It is the best form of investment known to mankind and the purest form of Entrepreneurship. Though I have always loved to set up a Real Estate Company and own properties earlier, I lost a lot of money and was burnt severally while trying to do that. Being an empath, I wanted to help others like me or who could fall prey tomorrow solve this. Today, I am not just an Entrepreneur who has set up and managed multiple businesses and partnerships, I am a government-licensed Business Management Consultant and the Chief Consultant at Oberaifo Udoh Consults one of the top business management firms in Nigeria. Also Giving back to society by training and mentoring other young Entrepreneurs to become business owners."
Many journeys led the business executive to where he anchored his career in Real estate. Speaking further about what formed each decision, Oberaifo Udoh wrote:
My sojourn into the world of Real Estate has been a watershed for Humanity, as this has and is an opportunity for all who crossed this path with me to turn their lives around. What gave me direction and navigated my decision is I wanted to make a lasting impression. I was passionate about leaving a legacy and building something that would outlive me, looking back to see millions of people who have been lifted from poverty. THAT IS WHAT GIVES ME FULFILMENT. With Vines Realty, we are getting closer to that dream by the day.
I was mesmerised by the stories of global brands like Coca-Cola, DHL, Ford, KFC, McDonald's, and other mega entities who started as greenhorns some donkey years ago but are still dominating the space. I was determined to join that league. To set the ball rolling, I embarked on a fact-finding mission of reading any literature that told the stories of these entities.
The overarching characteristics I discovered in these men were:
Dreaming big: If solving human problems and helping people to create wealth is a lofty dream, creating a transgenerational one is a loftier dream. The depth and lifespan of any worthy course depend on how far the progenitor can see it. By studying acclaimed brands, I realised that building a business that would outlive you was beyond having a sustainable product.
I thought of something that fascinated me most, even as a child, and I could only see one resounding image – Buildings. I remember, as a schoolboy, I littered my notebooks with drawings of architectural masterpieces as I was good at Fine Arts.
I dreamt of having state-of-the-art edifices scattered in different parts of the world for residential and commercial purposes. This was a mountainous dream for a boy who was never sure when his father’s paymaster would pay him to save them from the next round of rent.
Discovering Problems and proffering solutions: I discovered that every renowned business proprietor discovered a unique problem that was arching for a solution and somehow found a way to provide that priced solution. Reasons why after their demise, the solutions they provided still suffice for humanity, and their brands still ring the bell in our stock houses. This pushed me to probe for the problems that my dream of owning buildings could solve for people. Well, it was not far-fetched; the rising rate of poverty and unemployment was enough, coupled with the housing deficit in Nigerian cities and the country’s surging population were already enough problems to tackle.
Perseverance amid challenges: I had never clearly understood my father’s admonition on courage in our family’s early morning devotions until I started researching transgenerational entities. I discovered that their founders often encountered situations that were enough to bury their dreams, but they persevered. Nelson Mandela remains a prime example. The lessons I drew from these noblemen were much needed to handle the trepidation of wandering into the already-troubled Nigerian business clime, but thanks to those whose audacity has become my reference point.
Hard work and integrity: I discovered severally that hard work and integrity were not only their professional mantra but an undocumented rule of engagement for anyone who cared to commit to their vision. They were the quirks for striking that precious balance between their ambition and morality. They were hopeful enough to aspire yet sane enough to do so within the ambit of probity. It taught me not to cut corners and that it is only through hard work, determination, commitment, and pragmatism that I will be able to teleport my desires from the realms of vision to the realm of reality.
An eagle-like focus: I remember with nostalgia how my elementary science teacher fondly defined ‘focus’ as – ‘face one thing until you succeed’.
By studying landmark brands, I discovered their founders focused on their pursuits. More remarkably, most of them started their journey to the top at a young age but did not allow youthful exuberance nor the vicissitudes of life to sway them from their pursuit. Instead, they stayed on course and jettisoned all distractions as they set out to write their chapter on history.
Team players: As a child, one thing I could never trade my pair of white-coloured all-star converse for another – it was a gift from Germany. The arrival of my shoe was also my first encounter with the global logistics giant, DHL, this is a brand that embodies a team spirit I admire, Additionally, I excelled in sports and joined the Pepsi Football Club and was once selected among a team of young players to represent Nigeria in Belgium even though I never made the trip due to family financial challenges. The team spirit eschewed by these experiences prompted me to scout for like-minded people whom I could share the burden of my vision with, and today we are rightly on the journey to chronicling our own brand success story.
Having rock-solid faith: It is often said that Rome was not built in a day. Faith and tenacity of purpose are mandatory traits anyone who intends to build transgenerational wealth must possess. If you consistently do what others did to succeed, you will be the next successful one.
We are still far from our apogee, still, I am certain that we are progressively on course to etch the progeny of my childhood vision of eradicating poverty, reducing unemployment and creating wealth in the annals of history. These celebrated men of untold riches, and the steps they took to achieve what they did, have become the models for tailoring our modus operandi in Vines Realty Afrique Limited, as well as my other business concerns.