BusNaavyaKandukuri
Naavya Kandukuri
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.
Mansur Magaji
About Mansur
Mansur’s passion for auto repair began in his childhood. He has always been fascinated by cars, how they run, and their maintenance and care. This led him to become an apprentice for two different auto repair shops in order to gain the knowledge needed to start his own. He was an apprentice for nine years before starting freelance work on his own for the past four years. He has enjoyed the work but wants to establish a business to formalize his repair process and customer procedures. Mansur believes that one never stops learning and hopes to continue improving on the technical aspects of his business. He plans to continue attending workshops and learning from colleagues.
Mansur believes that in any successful business venture, there will be some issues along the way which may hinder the business from developing. For himself, he worries about the high cost of working materials, which has been a problem for his customers in the past. For any successful venture, there are obstacles that hinder business development. According to him the major issue with his business is the high cost of working material, this tends to make his services very exorbitant to many of his customers.
Mansur Magaji
Business Goals
Mansur believes that his auto repair business can help transform the economic situation of his community through training and providing services. This would break the cycle of poverty among many people in the surrounding area. He aims to produce more skilled auto repair mechanics, which would increase his earnings and enhance his ability to support his family, parents, and community members, ensuring significant growth and development.
He plans to offer low-cost services to attract customers from neighboring areas. With the necessary support from Leadership Initiatives and the International Leadership & Business Internship, Mansur is confident he can achieve his dreams of positively impacting the lives of his community members and enhancing his socio-economic well-being.
Mansur Magaji
Obstacles
Operating an auto repair business in Bauchi State, Nigeria presents several challenges. Firstly, acquiring reliable and affordable spare parts can be difficult due to limited local suppliers and reliance on imports, which can lead to delays and increased costs. Secondly, the skilled labor shortage poses a significant hurdle, as finding qualified mechanics and technicians proficient in modern automotive technologies is challenging. Thirdly, inconsistent electricity supply disrupts operations and requires investment in backup power solutions, adding to operational costs.
Mansur Magaji
Home & Family
Mansur is a young 27-year-old man who recently married Fatima in December 2023. He lives adjacent to his parents' residence, who were seasonal farmers, and he has 10 siblings and many relatives. Mansur ensures he takes care of his newly married wife's basic needs and supports his parents with funds for their food and medical expenses.
Every day, he diligently goes out for auto repair services to earn income to support his family and other relatives. According to Mansur, success means having satisfied customers who refer to his auto repair business as one of the best in town.
Mansur Magaji
Our Partnership
Mansur's journey started with significant challenges, as his parents belonged to the lower income bracket within their community. Financial constraints hindered his ability to pursue higher education. These hardships marked his upbringing, underscoring the importance of the opportunity presented by the International Business Internship Program through Leadership Initiatives. Mansur deeply appreciates the team and management for granting him this invaluable opportunity, which he sees as a pivotal step towards achieving greatness.
In his words, "I really lack words to express my gratitude for this great opportunity. I have never received any of such opportunities throughout my life. And I am assuring the team I will use it judiciously."
My Grant
Proposal
We are launching an auto repair shop with our business partner, Mansur Magaji. His business is called Mansur A.S. Workshop where Mansur will fix cars by providing engine repair, engine overhaul, wheel balancing, and wheel repair services. In addition to these services, Mansur will be making additional profit by accounting for the auto spare parts he will be using to perform those services.
Some problems are Mansur’s lack of education, traffic congestion around the location, visibility in the market, and the high cost of products. The solutions to these problems are implementing two straightforward budgeting systems, more branding exposure in his location, good marketing strategy, and financial literacy concepts.
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,Mansur Magaji, 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.