In acknowledgement of the importance of entrepreneurship and small business management skills as a vital component in the training of students, the Centre for Business Development (CBD) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has organised an Entrepreneurship Clinic for all students of KNUST and other tertiary students in Kumasi at the Great Hall, KNUST on the theme: “Creating Tomorrow’s Employers”.
This year’s Entrepreneurship Clinic had prominent people from Springboard, a Virtual University for Youth Mentorship, to equip, train and expose students to entrepreneurial ideas and opportunities. The purpose of the Clinic was to educate students on general knowledge in all aspects of entrepreneurship and small business management.
According to Mr. Samuel Yaw Akomea, Head of CBD, the Entrepreneurship Clinic also sought to throw light on professional and business ethics. He said that, the main idea was to create awareness and knowledge of opportunities, challenges, characteristics, attitudes and skills needed for a successful entrepreneurship, venture creation and networking.
Mrs. Comfort Ocran, an Author and the Chief Executive Officer of Legacy and Legacy, in her presentation stated that, entrepreneurs must give solutions to people’s needs. She added that, for entrepreneurs to generate quality ideas, they must find a problem, think of a solution, be sure they have the ability to solve it, know the type of customers the solution will be for and how to commercialize it.
Mrs. Ocran encouraged students to unlock their entrepreneurial potentials through social media to promote their business concept by posting their business using images, quotations, and linking up with influencers. She also noted that, exhibiting excellence, being exceptionally friendly, emotionally matured, and planning finances can make one a successful entrepreneur. She further advised students to own their brands and make sure they go to school.
Rev. Albert Ocran, a Lead Consultant of Legacy & Legacy, disclosed that, Personal Branding is a key to business and career excellence. He explained that, Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. Therefore, while previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal-branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging.
This, he said, is important because it is the means by which one presents him/herself to potential clients and customers online or offline. He emphasized that, personal branding builds business and still centers around the individual.
Rev. Ocran also encouraged students to generate ideas in a special way and commit to excellence, but most especially advised them to identify their fields, be good at them, invest time and money, and improve every day.
