Interned with Leadership Initiatives to improve a business in the developing world.

Consulted with CEOs and marketing experts to develop viable solutions for a business in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Received a grant reviewed by leaders from Exxon, The United Nations, and the Nigerian Embassy to implement solutions for my business partner.

Oliver Aguero

ITW David Speer

Class of 2024

Oliver is looking forward to be attending the International & Business Internship this Summer. He is excited to learn more about what business careers can lead him to and various job opportunities he can find on the way.

As an upcoming junior at ITW David Speer, Oliver has enrolled in the math and has competed with them. He is also in his high school’s varsity soccer team as well as plays outside of school. Volleyball is another interest he has but has never really played in a team.

In the future, Oliver is not sure what career path he wants to pursue, but he wants to see what doors can open up with the help of business.

Collaborated With A Business In The Developing World

Earned a Development Grant to Enact Solutions

Collaborated With Business Development Experts

Our team reviewed the economic, social, political, and environmental factors that impact our partner business to design a launch plan and identify how to bridge the gap between our business partner’s current and desired conditions.

In order to fund the proposed business, our team composed a detailed plan and pitched our proposal to request seed funding from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee.

After researching the socio-economic conditions facing our business partners, our team worked with the Nigerian development staff to create effective solutions to the challenges our business partner was facing.

My Business Consultant Training

Zakari Yau Goje

Quick Facts

Business Partner Age: 37 years old

Business Partners Current Living Place: Inkil Community, Bauchi State

Marital Status: Married

Spouse Name: Aminatu Muhammad

Children: Muhammad Zakari Yau, 8 years; Ismail Zakari Yau, 6 years; Usman Zakiri Yau, 3 years

Type of Business: Car Washing Business

Years Working: 11 years

Top Problems: 1) Lack of capital to start the business, and 2) Lack of space to run the business

Zakari attended Primary and Secondary school but was not further interested in education. Instead of continuing with his studies, he got a job at a computer center.

While working there, he visited his friend's car washing shop often and developed an interest in that type of work. He became an apprentice for his friend and learned enough that he was able to start his own car washing business. He loves being able to meet new people and satisfy them with his services.

He defines success as: "Being self-reliant and able to pursue education is a well defined success to me."

About Zakari

Zakari would like to reach a point where he is able to employ ten young men from his community so that they can afford an education and escape the cycle of poverty. Long term, he wants to open up an additional car washing shop at a different location so that a larger part of his community has access to quality car washing services.

Business Goals

Zakari is 37-year-old gentleman who lives in his brother's house in Inkil community in Bauchi State. He is married and has three children. His boys are ages three, six, and eight, and all attend school.

Every morning, Zakari wakes up early to pray and recite the glorious Qur'an with his children. He then eats breakfast, makes sure his kids leave for school, and then goes to work.

Zakari is responsible for feeding and supporting his family as well as covering any medical bills. When business is slow, his family struggles to find food to eat.

Family & Home

Zakari says that "with his partnership with Leadership Initiatives I hope to own my own business and employ some young boys that do not have anything to do to help them just like I was helped by my friend.

Zakari wants to help the men in his community so that they can support their families. He wants to give job opportunities to them to give them a source of income and the ability to feed those that they are responsible for. He loves providing people with his services and wants to give that joy to others as well.

Our Partnership

The purpose of this project is to help open a car wash in Nigeria. Ourbusiness partner Zakari, is a member of his community who is trying to empower the local youth that live near him. This project will also change the lives of his family by allowing him to provide and care for them.

While speaking to Zakari in calls, we learned that he was not tracking any financial data from his company, and was disorganized. To solve this problem, we created a financial tracking system in order to allow Zakari to keep track of his revenue, expenses, and profit. We also created a budget sheet which had the different equipment that he would need for his business, and the prices associated with it.

Zakari's new business is a car washing company, which also cleans rugs, carpets, and chairs. He wants to open a new car washing business so that he can provide for his family. Additionally, he wants to hire multiple young people from his community by hiring them as apprentices.

My Grant Proposal

Leadership Initiatives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating future leaders across the globe through experiential learning.

In the International Business & Development Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading business and development experts to learn about international business and development.

My Grant Proposal Presentation

At the conclusion of the internship, I presented my grant proposal to a panel of distinguished judges.

Internship Highlights

Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Zakari Yau Goje, and Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.

We learned more about his life, family, and desires for the proposed business venture, as well as the challenges he was facing.

By discussing first-hand the challenges our partner faced, our team successfully and efficiently began to brainstorm solutions to launch her business.

Each morning we held constructive discussions about our ideas, the advice we received the day before, and the timeline necessary to begin implementing our ideas in real-time.

I had the unique opportunity to visit the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, DC, where I learned about Sweden and its diplomatic relationship with the United States.

The current ambassador of the Swedish Embassy is Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter, who is Sweden’s first female ambassador to the United States.

While we toured the embassy, we also learned about a wide range of policy issues including climate and sustainability, trade, security and democracy, gender equality, freedom of speech and culture.

Our team met with leading experts in the field of business and economic development from the State Department, Exxon, Harvard University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, and top US companies and nonprofits.

With their guidance, we streamlined our initial ideas to further our efforts in launching the venture our business partner envisioned.

Our team advanced our communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through hands-on project management and development.

These leaders included Dr. Sarah Stiles, Professor and Provost at Georgetown University, and Carla Brooks, a marketing leader and advertising expert at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication

Our team pitched the final proposal to a panel of expert judges from Harvard University, the Leadership Initiatives Nigerian Development Team, and the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee.

This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.

At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner.

Over the next year, our business partner’s venture will be made into reality and monitored for sustained success and growth.