One Man Mopol Syndrome and the Rise of Failing Entrepreneurs.

This piece was born out of a very funny craving for dundun (fried yam). I usually don’t like dundun but this night was different, I could almost touch the imaginary smell of dundun in my newly rented one-room apartment. I quickly jumped into the blue shorts bae had told me to throw away (you don’t want to know the reason why) and headed straight to the junction in search of dundun. After 30 minutes of receiving the “turn right, then turn left, then you will see a small church in front of a big mosque” kind of direction from Yoruba people, I gave up my quest. Since the hunger pangs won’t give me a break, I decided to patronize the Suya man I passed on my way out. And what joy fillleth my soul when I discovered dundu on a huge pot of boiling oil. They’ve got dodo on another pot of oil too *tears.
A happy young northerner manned the dodo pot while another was busy fanning the withering charcoal fire back to life. The third, obviously the seller was busy gisting with fellow customers anxiously waiting on the pots on the stove. I ended up in a conversation with a disabled fourth — Yinusa,the money collector, who quickly jumped into the long story of how all four of them boarded a cattle-laden lorry from Adamawa to Lagos and how they started a business “wey dey give us flenty money”. On asking him what he would consider the secret behind their success. With probably the widest grin I’ve ever seen, he simply replied “FARTNERSHIP”.
Right there, I knew (& I’ve always known) where my problem lies. I am plagued with the ONE MAN MOPOL SYNDROME. The one man mopol is a popular cliché in the ever evolving Pidgin vocabulary. It describes the typical I CAN DO BAD BY MYSELF, ANTI-PARTNERSHIP and IT IS MINE attitude of a typical Nigerian entrepreneur (to be).
From my very first stroll into the dangerous uncertainty of entrepreneurship I have been plagued by this unconsciously selfish and destructive disorder. From my video game business to shoe-making and even my current venture into the highly saturated laundry market in Ibadan, this attitude have largely affected the rise, rise and fall of these businesses. There were times all I needed was the complementary strength of a co-founder, the encouragements of a mentor or the business support of an investor, but I was flying solo. I wanted the glory of success all for myself. I never got to that glorious stage. I failed. Then I realized the“two heads are better than one” saying is not just mere cliche, it’s probably one of the truest entrepreneurial facts that was ever said.
Obviously, this doesn’t make gunning for glory all alone an impossibility. The likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson and our very own #selfmadegang of Linda Ikeji the blogger, Sim Shagaya of Konga, ola orekunrin of the flying doctors, Sijibomi Ogundele of Sujimoto have successfully braved the rough seas of entrepreneurship largely alone . In fact, there are enough young self-made entrepreneurs on the streets of Lagos to fill the main bowl of the Maracana. There would only be more if young entrepreneurs will embrace partnerships and collaborations. There is no doubt, partnership come with its very own challenges and finding the right co-founder could prove an herculean task but partnerships undoubtedly strengthens the ever present weak link.
Find great partners and you could enjoy the success of the duo at RedMedia, the trio at jobberman and just maybe the quartet of Yinusa, Mohammed, Abu and Isa of the Dundun Company.
