Ways to Avoid Quitting

It’s no secret that entrepreneurship can be a lonely ride filled with countless twists and turns. 80% of African businesses fail within their first 5 years. Like many entrepreneurs, I myself have come close to quitting on multiple occasions – even taking the time to revise my CV and scroll through job sites every now and then.

While the journey can be incredibly difficult, it’s important to note that challenges are just part of the game – something I wish I understood during my early down seasons.

Here are some key takeaways that kept me from throwing in the towel over the years…even though I came very very close!

Acknowledge Where You Are

The early days of starting my first business, Toasties, were lonely. Point blank.

It was 2015 when I began working on the concept of an African fast food sandwich shop, and I didn’t know many entrepreneurs in the food space. I had no business partners to bounce ideas off of, to encourage, or to be encouraged by – which certainly had its pros and cons. I found myself Googling everything, and even that was a challenge seeing as meaningful research about the Nigerian food industry was not yet easy to come by. I’d often try to apply systems and processes I’d read about from Western businesses to my business in Nigeria, which, spoiler alert, was often not applicable.

I eventually learnt that trying to apply a foreign system designed for an environment that functions, let’s say, “more seamlessly” (i.e. uninterrupted access to electricity, advanced technology, and sound infrastructure) to my environment, with its myriad of challenges – well…it’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole a lot of the time. It doesn’t exactly work.

So I had to rework my approach.

Once I accepted that I was designing a business to function within a Nigerian market – rather than bringing a concept from another market and expecting it to work the same way in Nigeria – I was able to limit some of my frustrations. Instead of asking, “why can’t x work?” I instead began to ask, “how can I make x work?”

Although there are challenges with doing business on the African continent, things can work in their own way. You might have to go the extra mile to build the infrastructure around your concept, but it can still work. I’d even argue that you’d be stronger and more resilient for it.

Surround Yourself With Business Minded People

Aside from lack of sound data and having to learn many business strategies the long and more challenging way, things can get even tougher if you don’t have people to lean on through your journey. Self doubt, imposter syndrome and the general state of one’s mental health are real factors to consider.

Experiencing the low points of my business journey alone was tough. Who do you turn to when facing the setbacks from poor decision making, bad business structure, low customer retention, or unimaginable deceit from a team member or business dealing? In my early days I felt there was no one to talk to who could understand my experience. Sure, friends and family would listen – typically in horror – as I’d recount endless stories of my struggles – but it’s different when you can tell said stories to someone who can offer up tangible solutions.

Over the years, I’ve learnt of the importance of building a network of people to share in your journey – particularly those charting a similar path of entrepreneurship or leadership in their field. That problem that’s weighing you down – someone has been through it before. Imagine if you could get advice from someone who has survived the very challenge you’re facing?

I eventually started to build a network of friends and mentors within the food industry, and beyond, who would help to advise me at different stages of my journey. From building working systems, to managing teams, and raising money – a network of like minded people can help to keep you in the race.

Use the Resources Available to You

Sure, market research for my audience was not easy to come by in 2015, when I first began to research my concept for Toasties. I just made sure to use the resources that were accessible to me. This meant countless hours on YouTube devouring videos that explained various aspects of the food industry, and then trying to tweak what I’d learnt to fit the Nigerian market. Over the years I’ve taken courses, listened to podcasts and hunted down industry leaders to help expand my knowledge base.

Today, I’m even willing to argue that running a business in a country like Nigeria can equip the average entrepreneur to become more gritty and knowledgeable when it come to the inner workings of their industry – compared to entrepreneurs in other markets. My time in Nigeria’s Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) space has taught me everything from how to make a perfect toastie quickly, to how to make a perfect toastie quickly without electricity. I’ve learnt how to run a business safely during an extended power outage, understood exactly how the local power supply in connected to my stores, and know how to negotiate more economical power supply with our neighbors and distribution entities. And while such lessons may be less useful in other markets, they allow you to touch on other problems that need to be solved, and more opportunities to grow within your own market.

Use what you’ve got to your benefit.

I’ll get into business funding in a future post, but even in this instance it’s important to note that as long as you have a viable business, there are resources available to assist you, wherever you are.

In Summary…

Running a business anywhere is not easy, and those challenges can increase when operating within a community that lacks consistency in structure and resources. But this doesn’t make it impossible.

By acknowledging where you are and shifting your perspective, you can choose to embrace your circumstances and make your situation work, in its own unique way. From surrounding yourself with a supportive community of like-minded people and utilizing the resources available to you, you can overcome any desire to quit. And by the end, you’ll harbor a sense of pride for having put up a good fight – whatever the outcome.

I hope this was helpful. What are some tips you would share that have kept you in the race? Share in the comments section below or send a message.

Let’s stay connected

In the meantime you can follow @biscuitboneblog on Instagram and Twitter (“X”) for updates. Also check out Toasties and Board for more context. Or my personal page, if you simply can’t get enough.

Is there anything you’d like to know specifically about the food industry? Leave a comment or send a message.