BusMehakPatel
Mehak Patel
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.
Muhammad Gambo
About Muhammad
Mohammed received training from his elder brother, a successful businessman in Bauchi. After four years of apprenticeship under his brother's guidance, he became certified as a cell phone accessories business owner. Influenced by his brother’s success in the cell phone business, both within and outside Bauchi, Mohammed leveraged his expertise to earn a substantial income, supporting his mother and other siblings. Starting as an apprentice, he dedicated four years to mastering the necessary skills to boost his business objectives, significantly transforming his socio-economic well-being.
Mohammed acknowledges the business potential in the cell phone accessories market but recognizes several challenges that make it cumbersome and difficult to operate. For example, the high cost of products and services has led people to prioritize essential needs such as food and other basic services over cell phone accessories.
Mohammed has long had a passion for the cell phone business, believing that since almost everyone uses a cell phone, there is a significant advantage in learning and trading in this market. This passion has given him the opportunity to serve people according to their specific needs and demands. The training he received has empowered him to achieve potential breakthroughs in the cell phone business.
Muhammad Gambo
Business Goals
Mohammed hopes to use the opportunity provided by Leadership Initiatives to positively impact people's lives. He plans to employ more individuals from his community, equipping them with valuable skills in the cell phone accessories business. This initiative aims to create a ripple effect on the local economy, reducing social disorder and fostering stability among residents. Additionally, Mohammed aspires to expand his business beyond Bauchi State, which would increase his income and revenue, thereby enhancing his family's status in Bauchi.
Mohammed faces several significant challenges in his cell phone accessories business. Firstly, the lack of modern tools and equipment hinders the growth and efficiency of his operations. Modernizing the business requires substantial capital, which is currently beyond his reach.
Muhammad Gambo
Obstacles
Operating a cell phone repair business in Bauchi State, Nigeria presents several formidable challenges for small business owners. Firstly, acquiring genuine and affordable replacement parts can be difficult due to limited local suppliers and the reliance on imports, which are subject to customs delays and fluctuating exchange rates. Secondly, finding skilled technicians proficient in repairing a wide range of smartphone models and keeping up with rapidly evolving technology poses a significant challenge, as formal training opportunities are limited. Thirdly, inconsistent electricity supply and occasional internet outages can disrupt operations and affect communication with customers, leading to delays in service delivery.
Muhammad Gambo
Home & Family
Mohammed is a 27-year-old young man residing in Bauchi, where he was born and raised. His parents were humble and well-respected members of the community. His father had two wives and a large family of 28 children. Following the passing of his father three years ago, the family faced significant challenges and had to fend for themselves. Mohammed's elder brother took on the responsibility of supporting the family, moving him and his eight siblings, who share the same mother, to a rented house.
In the face of these difficult circumstances, Mohammed demonstrated resilience and determination. He enrolled in a four-year apprenticeship program to learn the intricacies of the cell phone accessories business. Despite the financial and emotional strain of losing his father, Mohammed committed himself to mastering the trade. His dedication paid off, and he is now a certified cell phone accessories business owner.
Growing up in a humble background, Mohammed faced numerous obstacles. The death of his father was particularly challenging, as it dashed his dreams of becoming a medical doctor due to the lack of financial support. However, rather than succumbing to despair, Mohammed redirected his ambitions toward a viable career path in the cell phone accessories market. This decision has allowed him to gain valuable skills and knowledge, positioning him for success in a competitive industry.
Our Partnership
Muhammad Gambo
Coming from a humble background, the death of his father was a significant hardship for Mohammed. He had once dreamed of becoming a medical doctor, but his ambition was thwarted by the lack of financial support. Instead, he pursued training in the cell phone accessories trade to become a self-employed business owner. Mohammed is now enthusiastic about the opportunity provided by Leadership Initiatives and hopes to use the partnership with Leadership Initiatives interns to transform his business. He is determined to improve his fortunes and better the lives of his entire family.
In his words, "I am truly blessed with this opportunity. I least expect this to happen to me. However, as God will make it, I was fortunate to be included in the YDP program. I believe this will provide me with modern equipment and the needed technical skills for business transformation."
My Grant
Proposal
Muhamad Gambo’s business, “MG Global Connections” aims to sell affordable and reliable cell phones and their accessories. Gambo provides customers with a positive experience in his shop and endows a standard of trust to his customers. Unlike competitors, Gambo’s shop is placed in a strategic location near high-end cell phone retailers to enable customers to purchase accessories that meet their cell phone needs at a reliable and affordable threshold. Furthermore, Gambo advances local economic prosperity by contributing a technological basis for growth in businesses and community connectivity through more seamless communication. Specifically, Gambo’s reliable accessories will augment the possibilities of mobile devices and limit the risk potential for damage to phones. Gambo pursues to connect honest and positive customer service to the purchase of sustainable and effective cell phones or assistive accessories. Furthermore, the marketing team will communicate about MG global connections by employing a simple,easily understood logo, sign, flyer, and business card to fuel an advertising campaign both in person and on social media networks. Overall, through strategic locality, honest customer service, and communication of product quality and affordability, Muhammad Gambo can employ his grant-funded resources towards compounding profitability and technological growth in his developing community.
A threat to Gambo’s business is that his location has had past issues with crime such as break-ins and robberies. We plan to utilize our budget in order to invest in security bars which will be placed along the windows and door to prevent break-ins. Furthermore, all valuables will be placed inside Gambo’s personal safe.
Since many more shops just like Gambo’s may start to appear due to opportunities from local phone stores, we plan to utilize all of Gambo’s skills and assets, such as his phone repairing knowledge and the diversity of products he sells in order to make his business a better option compared to opposing startups. Gambo’s connection to his community can also entice more customers through word of mouth Uphold the spirit of innovation and creativity in shaping a solution that can be accepted by the wider community.
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,Muhammad Gambo, 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.