This is a sequel to yesterday’s issue of my Speaking IDEAS newsletter, titled “Speaking to Retirees & Aspiring Entrepreneurs“. If you have to organise training courses for (prospective) retirees, start-ups and/or aspiring entrepreneurs, THIS is one article you want to read. Otherwise you may get it ALL wrong. Believe me!

Before leaving in December 2001, to start my own business, I was Training & Technical Development Manager (TTDM) in Guinness Nigeria’s Benin Brewery. (In 2008, I’d acted on two seperate occasions – for one month, and later for 3 months, as TTDM). Among other roles, I arranged for prospective retirees, to attend pre-retirment courses, by liasing with external training provider firms.

Before leaving, I was also opportuned to act in senior management roles, as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

However, my entire 7 year stay in that company, often had me working closely with the Training Department. .

I have a habit of reflecting deeply on happenings around me. That habit has helped me discover ways to make a useful difference in various areas of endeavour.

Among other things, I noticed that many companies simply send employees on generic training courses. Little effort seems to be made to research the course contents. As a result, there is often not much relevance and tangible impact, with regard to the real world the attendees will return to.

Training Providers Need to Go Beyond What Others Are Doing

What is needed, is an experiential learning event that involves a facilitator who brings real world expertise to share with the audience.

It’s the best way to serve retirees or aspiring start-ups. That is, deliberately investing time, effort and energy, to RESEARCH, and highlight, ALL real issues likely to be faced by start-ups. And offering solutions based on what works in the real world, for them to use.

Burt Dubin stresses the importance of doing this, a lot, in his newsletter, and many speaking success articles.

It’s not just about getting attendees competent, in the ABC’s of the business area(s) being taught in the course.

Attendees need to be told the importance of developing “street wisdom”, to interact with suppliers, and especially buyers/clients.

Otherwise they could end up frequently struggling to get paid for their products and services – despite being competent!

I’ve seen a lot of this happen first hand.

For instance, I once had a client whose manufacturing operation sold an excellent consumable item across many states.

But his distributors routinely held him to ransom, by failing to remit money for sales of items he sent them on credit  via hired trucks.

Yet they still called and asked for more. He told me he could not say no to their (blatantly selfish and inconsiderate) demands, because they made a lot of sales for him.

I told him that was only because he was not actively recruiting new distributors who could perform.

These are not things we learn easily. It can be a painful process!

To show how bad this can get, that client ended up taking a bank overdraft facility that nearly ruined him. All in a bid to cope with cash flow demands, when he could not redeem over N2million in receivables from his distributors!! Among other things, he needed to pay salaries!

This is why coaching/mentoring of people who attend pre-retirement or business start-up courses, even AFTER the events, can be quite useful.

Along with books that help attendees get better prepared to handle such issues, coaching/mentoring can boost their ability to succeed with any business idea.

Attendees Also Need Exposure to Guiding Philosophies for Success

I have had considerable contact with many training providers. Most simply use conventional approaches to conduct learning events for retirees or start-ups.

When the attendees are told all the routine, recycled stuff, one major ingredient is often missed out.

Yet, that’s the stuff that helps majority of entrepreneurs who break through keep going till they do so!

Some found it by reading Anthony Robin’s book. I found it by reading books by Napoleon Hill and James R. Cook (Start-up Entrepreneur).

That ingredient is the “mental attitude” needed for success – an aspect that’s grossly neglected.

Quite often, failures are recorded not because the business idea is bad, or the entrepreneur is incompetent.

Often times it’s the mental attitude resulting from a lack of access to, or adherence to a guiding philosophy.

This is not something that most people can fully grasp at one sitting or in one learning event.

It often needs to be drummed into their heads, until they internalise it.

This is why I believe a practical coaching element, comprising this guiding philosophy, mixed with business practice tips, must be combined to help him/her.

That’s how training provided can make a real difference in people’s lives. Otherwise, it would just be the same old stuff.

Most successful entrepreneurs got that way by persisting despite huge visitations of adversity.

It’s rarely the number of academic or professional certifications one has that leads to success.

Instead, it’s often your ability to persist and stay focused, that gets you where you want to go in business – or indeed in life.

First time start-ups, or prospctive retireess contemplating business start-up, must imbibe a similar philosophy, after they’ve settled on a viable business idea.

Without it, the challenges they face will stump them.

And those of them who cannot cope will cut corners to survive (by doing naughty things), or simply pack it in.

Final Words

In summary, providers of learning solutions for prospective start-ups, need to focus on developing learning events – and resources – with the above factors in mind.

Maybe the approach I use could appeal to such training content providers…

For years, I’ve actively offered myself as a Contract Resource Person to event organisers. One time it got me invited to deliver a one-hour pep talk to 14 management trainees at Tantalizers headquaters in Festac. I was invited by a training consultant, who was hired to conduct a one-week induction program.

We’d met after my talk at Center for Management Development. I mention this only to give additional insight.

Basically, interested event organisers can have me research and prepare custom learning materials, and information products etc – branded in their name.

They would then use and/or sell those items as theirs, without reference to me, or as otherwise agreed.

That is one option.

In the event that the idea appeals to both parties, we could go further to collaborate in delivering that program to the target audience. Agreements would be reached on what to do, how, and where etc.

I would prepare any relevant information products for use – branded in the training provider’s name (or company name).

We could then also go on to collaborate to deliver the program etc.

You can adopt a similar approach (or contact me to help you).