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.

Nicholas Abele

The Early College at Guilford

Class of 2022

Nicholas Abele is enrolled in the Early College at Guilford. Nicholas is a Dean's-List student at Guilford College, enrolled in college classes as part of the Early College program.

Nicholas enjoys playing video games and discussing philosophy and politics. He is the president and co-founder of his school's Philosophical Debate Club. He is also a member of the Interact Club and he has been working in the International Internship program since his sophomore year of high school.

Nicholas is very excited to participate in the Business and Development program. He is interested in working in the non-profit field in developing nations in the future and has a love for helping others.

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

Kabiru Adamu

Business Statistics

Mr. Adamu does not currently have a permanent store front. In the future, he would like his business to be located in Yalwan Makaranta.

Mr. Adamu is a proud tailor and enjoys sewing female clothing.

The other services that Mr. Adamu can provide include lining fabric and attaching embellishments.

Mr. Adamu tries to work as efficiently as possible with his services ranging from one hour to a couple of hours from start to finish.

About Kabiru

Kabiru Adamu is a 21 year old man who lives in a small mud hut in Yalwan Makaranta Community in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Mr. Adamu is one of six siblings. He currently has no immediate family aside from his brothers and sisters.

Everyday, he goes to the mosque for prayer and will arrive at his tailoring workshop by six in the morning, where he will stay until six in the evening.

Mr. Adamu and his mother, who works as a housekeeper, are the sole providers for their family. They put their resources together in order to support their siblings

Community Impact

Through this business venture, Mr. Adamu hopes to finance his family’s living expenses, save money for his family’s future, and maintain his business.

Mr. Adamu helps supply his community with clothing for important festivals and holidays, like Ed el-Fitr and Christmas.

In addition to Mr. Adamu’s desire to support his family, he hopes to empower young people through mentorship and employment opportunities.

Mr. Adamu is personally responsible for the wellbeing of his siblings and mother. The business would directly impact six people in his community.

Our Partnership

Mr. Adamu is very excited and honored to collaborate with Leadership Initiatives’ International Leadership & Business Interns.

Before partnering with Leadership Initiatives, Kabiru worked in a workshop he did not own.

Mr. Adamu hopes to transform his ideas into a self-sufficient business with beneficiaries to grow or improve it.

He wishes to empower people from his community and assist them in breaking the cycle of poverty.

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 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 the internship, I presented my research proposal to a panel of judges including Ahmed Muhammed, Umar Muhammad, and Marshall Bailly. Respectively, these judges are Harvard Medical School Director of Talent Acquisition, Leadership Initiatives Nigerian Program Manager, and Leadership Initiatives Founder & Executive Director.

In order to assist in the development of my business partner, Kabiru Adamu, and his tailoring shop, I presented this proposal to the distinguished panel of judges. I proposed a carefully designed budget that would allow Mr. Adamu to purchase new tailoring equipment and a wide array of inventory. These new supplies would allow Mr. Adamu to establish his own shop and take in the most customers, maximizing his profits.

My Business Proposal

I devised a plan that would allow Mr. Kabiru Adamu to increase his production possibilities and account for a larger demand of his tailoring business. In order to do this, I proposed funding for new equipment and new financial tracking systems to increase the efficiency of Mr. Adamu’s tailoring business.

In order to implement this plan, I proposed a strategic investment plan that would allow Mr. Kabiru Adamu to build a modernized tailoring business, allowing him to account for more customers. I recommended purchasing new sewing machines, chairs, stools, and accessories, along with a year’s worth of rent. These purchases help to put Mr. Adamu in a more modernized and efficient business plan, placing him above his local competitors.

The funding suggested would allow Mr. Adamui to provide his tailoring service to more customers. Increasing the speed and quality of his service will help to develop a stronger reputation for Mr. Adamu, further allowing for a stronger customer base moving forward.

Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Kabiru Adamu, and Nigerian Project Coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.

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

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

The on-staff project coordinators and business development experts helped facilitate the ideation process and ensured our team asked the right questions to produce fruitful results.

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.

Meeting the Business Partner

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.

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.

Top Executives & Experts

These leaders included Dr. Sarah Stiles, Professor and Provost at Georgetown University, and Steven Pressman, best-selling author and President at the Association for Social Economics.

Our team then worked directly with Professor Heather Aranyi, leading communication coach and faculty in Northwestern University’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship.

Professor Aranyi supported our team in developing the story behind our pitch, properly framing our business venture, and honing our pitching and communication skills.

Professor Aranyi’s coaching prepared my team for the pitch at the end of the internship and helped us build our entrepreneurial toolkit.

With her collaboration, we consolidated our proposal into a targeted and effective plan that embodied the vision of our business partner.

Throughout the internship, we polished our communication and presentation skills while preparing ourselves to sell the story of our business partner and her business.

Communication & Pitch Coaching

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.

Pitch To Development Experts