Funding follows value, Ebunoluwa tells entrepreneurs
The television network, Business Day, is famous for its episodes aimed at enlightening purposes for entrepreneurs, improving financial literacy, and providing business updates at a timely period. Its recent high-profile panelized session formed an episode themed “Passion to Profit: Balancing Work and Entrepreneurship,” featuring five eminent thought leaders who were invited to discuss the realities involved in combining full-time jobs with running individual businesses.
The speakers included Mr. Damola Richard, Ms. Temitope Okesenyin, Ms. Nkechi Alade and Mr. Peter Michael Ajassi. However, the voice that particularly resonated throughout the conversation was that of Ms. Ebunoluwa Opelami – a blistering professional whose footprints in formulating business strategies, driving talent performance, and engineering business growth continue to shape Nigeria’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Opelami counseled business owners to start with thorough self-awareness when asked about effective techniques that could enable professionals to reconcile their nine-to-five employment with side hustles. She pointed out that the basis of long-lasting equilibrium is an honest assessment of one’s own strengths, shortcomings, and objectives.
“Know yourself and know what works best for you. Ask for assistance when necessary; you cannot do all – the more cause you have to support creative networking,” she said.
Her advice captures a reality many professionals ignore: entrepreneurship is seldom a solitary endeavor. Burnout is rather common when one tries to juggle everything on their own while working full-time. Entrepreneurs can strike the balance required to create companies with learning how to use professional networks, outsource when necessary, and remain true to individual ability. undermining either their job advancement or their health.
The conversation quickly turned to one of the most vexing issues for entrepreneurs: financial instability. Many aspiring founders eventually end up siphoning their income from their traditional jobs to keep their businesses alive when they don’t have a clear sustainability plan. Opelami challenged that default experience by stating that money is not always the biggest challenge that entrepreneurs face.
“Instead of pulling everything from your savings into your business, make sure you go through the rigorous cycle of being resourceful,” she said.
She designed resourcefulness as being greater than capital. Entrepreneurs “can maximize their networks, trade with their peers, and get innovative as a way of solving operational bottlenecks,” so they avoid the dangerous habit of over-financing a business out of their pockets. “The cycle of resourceful networking,” Opelami explained, “is a great way to take capital out of the equation, while also building trust and a future to work together.”
Her argument was a thoughtful addendum to Ms. Temitope Okesenyin’s earlier point that entrepreneurs should make themselves the “face of their brand.” Temitope had stated that high-value personal attributes attract clients more than aesthetics related to the brand style. Opelami extended this logic to funding, reminding us that funding generally racks up value in ways that promote behavior.
According to Opelami, “The truth is funding follows value. If you lack the value needed, funding might become extremely difficult. Focus on building the value.”
This statement highlighted the main point of her contribution: entrepreneurs need to focus on creating real value propositions before they look for money. Instead of obsessing over getting investors or loans, focus on making something that fixes a problem and keeps delivering results.
She pointed out the usual blunders small business owners trip over, especially getting hung up on branding that doesn’t really matter. A lot of founders spend loads of time and cash on making logos, picking out looks, and making their social media look cool, but they forget about the nitty-gritty value that actually keeps their business abuzz.
Opelami warned that with all the flashy social media stuff, too many entrepreneurs miss out on making their brands solid, which means they’re up against a lot of incompetence. For her, the real test for any entrepreneur is not how they look on paper but how they perform after the deal is done. Brand markers like PR campaigns and digital polish can be handy, but they should never take the spotlight away from the real deal, which is substance.
Apart from value and resourcefulness, Opelami shared additional important lessons for people trying to balance a career and a business. These include:
● Constructing distinct boundaries: Entrepreneurs must defend their time and energy from having their work encroach on their personal space and wellbeing.
● Establishing a self-care regimen: Balancing employed work and entrepreneurial activity calls for purposeful breaks and mental wellbeing.
● Mastering the skill of saying “No”: It’s important to understand that not all opportunities are worth pursuing; a level of selectivity enhances concentration.
● Delegating and Outsourcing: External assistance must be embraced to ensure the business is not stalled by individual constraints.
● Deliberate practice: Discipline and unremitting improvement, not sporadic effort, are the yardsticks for measuring growth.
Opelami was emphatic that these practices ought to be integrated within the core of entrepreneurial service. They are not optional extras but bedrock for bolstering entrepreneur’s resilience and enhancing business performance over the long term.
In a professional environment where funding often seems elusive, Opelami’s perspective re -explains the conversation; instead of pursuing capital as a golden ticket, she asks for a deep commitment to value construction, resourceful networking and personal clarity.
Entrepreneurs who focus perfectly on raising capital without a solid value risk ending with branded but hollow enterprises. Conversely, people who prioritize value, nurture the network, and embrace resources, often find that funding – whether from investors, partners or customers – naturally flows more.
Ebunoluwa Opelami’s message is straightforward but profound: value comes before funding. The lesson is obvious for entrepreneurs. Make sure your brand offers real, consistent, and significant value before chasing investors or draining savings. Create networks, assign tasks sensibly, and stay away from the distractions of flimsy branding. In today’s cutthroat business environment, resilience and growth are ultimately guaranteed by the strength of your value rather than the size of your capital.
