ASHISH THAKKAR'S 10 BUSINESS LESSONS TO YOUNG NIGERIAN ENTREPRENEURS

Ashish J. Thakkar is the Founder and Managing Director of Mara Group. He is a serial entrepreneur who started his first company at the age of 15. Ashish considers himself a native son of Africa with strong Indian roots, of British nationality and a resident of the UAE. Ashish is sometimes called "Africa's youngest billionaire"

Born in the United Kingdom, Ashish and his family moved back to Africa after surviving the brutal regime of Idi Amin and generational exile of Asian Ugandan families.[3] He grew up in the UK and Uganda and now lives in Dubai.

In 1996, Ashish borrowed $5,000 to start his first IT company whereby he bought and sold computers. Within a year, he transitioned from a high school student to a full-time entrepreneur.

Since starting out in 1996, Ashish J. Thakkar has built a conglomerate of IT, real estate and manufacturing companies with operations in 19 African countries and 21 countries worldwide, employing over 8,000 people through its investments and operations.

Ashish was invited to be a part of the Democracy day celebration organized by the Federal Governemnt of Nigeria for 1000 youth leaders in Abuja themed, “The Youth are our present, not only our future”.

In an eloquent speech, Ashish shared the moving story of how he started his business, what motivated him to create the Mara Group and advice on what young Nigerian Entrepreneurs should focus on to drive success in their endeavours.

His Advice:

1. Challenges are a part of the Growth process – Face them head on
2. Let people respect you for who you are
3. Nothing good comes easy. No pain, no gain
4. Dream big, start small
5. Change your mindset. Think Global and Innovatively
6. Don’t bring Silicon Valley to Africa. Let’s take Africa to Silicon Valley
7. I wear jeans wherever I go. Always be yourself. Authentic, genuine and real
8. Entrepreneurs are practical people. Ego has no place in business. It will only discourage you
9. Stop looking for shortcuts to fame. Don’t get into the rat race, for even if you win, you’re still a rat
10. With stress and fear- You achieve nothing. With hardwork and determination – You achieve something. With God – You achieve everything.

The Mara Group also launched their Entrepreneurship App for young African entrepreneurs.

The App is free and allows  young entrepreneurs to interact with mentors from different fields accross the African continent and beyond. To read more about the App, VISIT THE WEBSITE