BusEshalHasan
Eshal Hasan
My Business Consultant Training
Collaborated With A Business In The Developing World
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.
Earned a Development Grant to Enact Solutions
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.
Collaborated With Business Development Experts
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.
Anas Abubakar
About Anas
Anas received his training as an apprentice for two years. Growing up, he always wanted to learn a skill. He initially started as an apprentice in a provision store before switching to tea and coffee. Anas trained under Mallam Musa Ibrahim, who owns a tea and coffee shop in the Nasarawa community of Bauchi. During the two years he spent with his former boss, Anas learned how to make tea and coffee, skills he has now mastered through practice. He didn't just learn the technical aspects but also how to treat and relate to customers in a way that benefits both parties. Anas is now a skilled tea and coffee seller, ready to make a significant impact in his field.
Anas has always had a desire to earn his own money since childhood. He began as a sales boy in a provision store in the Nasarawa community of Bauchi. Nearby the shop, there was a man known as Musa mai shayi, who ran a tea and coffee business. During his free time, Anas would observe Musa mai shayi, paying close attention to how he made the tea and served his customers. Anas was captivated by this, so he decided to switch to the tea and coffee business, becoming an apprentice under Musa for two years. During this time, he learned everything about the business, including how to pick the right favors and blend different types of tea leaves according to customer preferences. All these skills were acquired while he was an apprentice, laying a strong foundation for his career.
Anas Abubakar
Business Goals
Anas has developed a deep passion for the tea and coffee business for many reasons. Firstly, this business has given him the opportunity to make his own money, support his family, and pay for his school fees. Additionally, it has allowed him to interact with a lot of people, especially the young people in his community, and it has brought about meaningful connections.
Despite Anas’ genuine passion for his tea and coffee business, he grapples with several challenges that pose hurdles in his daily operations. One significant issue he faces is customers ordering tea and bread but leaving without settling their bills. When Anas attempts to collect a payment, confrontations occasionally arise, straining their relationship and complicating the business atmosphere. Such as disrupting the flow of transactions.
Anas Abubakar
Obstacles
Running a tea and coffee shop in Bauchi State, Nigeria poses several significant challenges for small business owners. Firstly, sourcing high-quality tea leaves and coffee beans can be challenging due to limited local suppliers, often necessitating imports that are subject to delays and fluctuating exchange rates. Secondly, ensuring consistent quality and flavor profiles amidst supply chain uncertainties and varying customer preferences requires meticulous sourcing and inventory management. Thirdly, managing operational costs such as rent, utilities, and wages within an unpredictable economic environment demands careful financial planning and budgeting.
Anas Abubakar
Home & Family
Anas is a 20-year-old man living with his parents on Ilelah Street in Bauchi. He is the 7th of 22 siblings, as his father has three wives, and they all live together in the same house. Each morning, Anas begins his day with prayers according to Islamic rites. After praying, he takes a nap for about 40 minutes. When he wakes up, he heads to his shop to prepare for the day. He starts by cleaning the shop's environment, fetching water, lighting the charcoal, and placing the teapot on the stove. He then washes all his cups, getting ready for his customers. Once everything is set, he has his breakfast.
After the morning sales, he returns home to take a bath and gets ready for school. Coming from a large family, Anas understands the need to work hard to support his parents and siblings.
Anas Abubakar
Our Partnership
Anas has faced many struggles throughout his life, especially coming from a large family. His father's salary is not enough to cater to 22 children and 3 wives. Despite these challenges, Anas managed to finish secondary school and had to fend for himself afterward. His tea and coffee business has been his only source of income. Anas is excited to partner with Leadership Initiatives, hoping this partnership will be a game changer for his life and business. He looks forward to learning how to run and grow his business, attract more customers, and make a profit. Through his business, he hopes to support his family better and provide employment opportunities for others in his community.
In his words, “Working with the Leadership Initiatives and the interns will be a great opportunity for me to learn and apply what I learn in my business so that my business can grow and be able to make more money and support the people around me.”
My Grant
Proposal
Anas has always had a desire to make his own money, especially in a family where his father’s salary was hardly enough to pay for his 22 children and 3 wives. This is one of the key factors driving Anas’s vision and company. Besides financial success, Anas also hopes to build meaningful relationships within his community and give back to them. Currently, Anas is pursuing his education and seeks to own his company for the next two years while he finishes school. At that point, he plans to expand the business and hire employees. Anas aims for this company to be his legacy and own it for the rest of his life.
We have found a few solutions for Anas’s obstacles. One main solution is that we gave him a new location so that he is near his community, which will incite loyalty among his customer base and develop relationships that support his business. We are tackling the issue of profit loss and customers not paying for their bill by creating a financial plan and budget that support his service.
The local market holds opportunities for Anas to thrive. Not only is there a spot in the market for Shuraim Tea, but Anas already has a loyal customer base and traffic. He has shown that this can succeed via his previous sales, and with a grant, he can fully thrive with the larger profit margins and established business and branding provided by the team.
My Grant Proposal
Presentation
In the International Leadership and Business Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to build my partners business and brand.
At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to a panel of esteemed judges from 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.
Internship Highlights
- Business Meeting
- Portugese Embassy
- Embassy of Argentina
- Expert Assistance
Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner,Anas Abubakar, and our Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.
We learned more about their life, family, and desires for the proposed business venture, as well as the challenges they were facing. By discussing first-hand the challenges our partner faced, our team successfully and efficiently began to brainstorm solutions to launch their 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.
The on-staff project coordinators and business development experts helped facilitate the ideation process and ensured our team asked the right questions to produce tangible results.
I had the unique opportunity to visit the Portugese Embassy, where I learned about diplomatic relations between Portugal and the United States.
The embassy serves as a hub for collaboration with partner countries and international organizations, which facilitates the creation of solutions to address global issues, such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change.
Portugese diplomats and officials work closely with local communities to identify needs and design programs that empower individuals and enhance overall societal well-being. This community-centered problem-solving is something my team and I aspired towards while crafting our business proposal.
I also visited the Embassy of Lebanon to learn about the role that Lebanon plays in domestic and international development work. We discussed critical topics including investments, international trade, and human rights.
While touring the embassy, I learned about the wide range of policy issues and gained a better understanding of the embassy’s role in international development through sustainable and inclusive initiatives.
My visit to the Embassy of Lebanon was not only educational, but inspiring. It allowed me to see Lebanon’s pivotal role in advancing international development and how I can implement their ideals into my own work.
Our team met with leading experts in the fields of business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the State Department, and GlobalGiving.
One such expert was Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Program. She provided us with a crash course in advertising and marketing, in which we learned essential components of an effective marketing campaign.
Our work with Ms. Brooks was essential in preparing us for our culminating pitch deck presentation. With her and other expert guidance, we streamlined our initial ideas to further our efforts in launching the venture our business partner envisioned.
By the end of the week, we had incorporated the advice of leading experts from across the globe for our business proposal to empower and transform the life of our business partner.