Based on this blog’s schedule, I publish “Parenting” articles today, Friday. However on Tuesday, I published a “part-Parenting” article with a message on Entrepreneurship (Tuesday’s topic). So, to even things out, I now feature my email conversation with a Canada based Nigerian, who wanted a “feasibility study/business plan” for “a startup poultry farm and feed mill”.

This particular incident occurred about 6 years back…(there have been others since then, and I used excerpts from this exchange as a basis for responding to them)

At the time I’d been getting an unhealthy number of spam messages and phony emails.So, like others before him, I was not sure he was to be taken seriously when I first saw his web form request. And that informed the nature of the initial response I sent to him…

In case you decide you want to contact me on a similar theme (i.e. requesting a feasibility study/business plan), I suggest you read this to the end, so as to get a feel for what is required.

1. Kaffo first sent in this message via my Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas website form:

——————————-

> kaffo2@xyz.com wrote:

>> On 2008-01-09 at 21:32:43,

>> name = SEGUN KAFFO

>> interest = Feasibility Study

>> comments = i am interested in commissioning a feasibility study/business

>> plan for a start up poultry farm and feed mill.

——————————–

2. Then I replied him as follows:

—– Original Message —–

From: “Tayo K. Solagbade”

Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 4:50 AM

Subject: Re: Feasibility Study

Hi,

Your request will require a meeting with me.

Past experience has made me decide to require
ANYONE who wishes to meet with me pay <text deleted> for that to happen. This amount will be 100% deducted from the actual fees I eventually charge to carry out a project for him/her.

If however it turns out that after meeting with me s/he decides for any
reason not to take it further, only 50% of that amount will be refunded.

My apologies for this seeming self-defeating approach, but I have had too
much of my time wasted by many people who were merely “curious”.

If/when you are ready, please call me on 0803-302-1263 for further details.

I encourage you to browse through every page on my IFF website (http://www.iff.xyzdevelopment.com/) to learn more about what I

offer. Call me to clarify any areas.

Regards

Tayo Solagbade

3. Then Kaffo sent his formal/detailed service request(after we had spoken on phone):

Kaffo went ahead and called me on my mobile line. We spoke, I recall, for about 20 minutes, in which I asked one another questions to our hearts’ content! Then we agreed that he would follow up with a formal request, having sorted out the grey areas in his initial enquiry.

Subject: Re: Feasibility Study

From: “segun kaffo”

Date: Wed, January 23, 2008 11:22 am

To: http://webmail.xyzdevelopment.com/src/compose.php?send_to=tayo%40xyz.com

Hi Tayo,

It was a pleasure having a preliminary discussion with you. I am contemplating a poultry project of about 7000 birds in 4 cycles. That is about 28000 for the first year. In the second year, I expect an expansion to about 15000 to 20000 birds per cycle or 80000 per year. It will be a broiler operation.

I plan to site the poultry in the vicinity of Epe. My starting point is to determine the viability of the project. This is where you come in. I need a feasibility study which will assist me in determining whether to proceed. This should cover the total capital cost, operating cost, land area required, feed cost/conversion, acquisition of day old, equipment etc.

Before you proceed, I would need to have an idea of what your charges would be – just a ball park figure is sufficient. If the amount is reasonable then I would commission you to proceed. This way I do not waste your valuable time. I propose to pay 25% of your fees to start. When you are about halfway complete, I will pay another 25% and the balance on completion and receipt of the study. I hope you will consider this as fair to both of us. Some element of trust is inevitable and I am willing to set the pace with the mobilization payment.

You should be able to e-mail me the work as you proceed. I will pay you by Western Union. Please let me know if you find the above arrangement suitable.

Regards, Segun

4. And I responded with this email:

Hi Segun,

Your original submission via my website form refers below:

——————————————

> comments = i am interested in commissioning a feasibility study/business > plan for a start up poultry farm and feed mill.

——————————————

I noticed you left out the “feed mill” in the project details you sent in(see excerpt above from your original web form submission). Was that an oversight or did you decide to leave it out deliberately? I ask because inclusion of the “feed mill” has implications for “costing” of the study preparation.

Ball park figure to prepare the study is <text deleted>. If you choose to include the “feed mill” then it will be <text deleted>.

As for payment terms, (70%) advance and (30%) on completion is preferable.You can be sure of getting regular updates thru a restricted (login) access page that I will update with FULL details of progress.

The finished report will come with an automated Excel-VB driven spreadsheet application that allows you as the “owner” to do what-if analyses to mimic possible changes that could affect the farm biz plan costings. For instance if a change in major feed ingredient prices occurs, projected costs for feed compounding would be affected.

The spreadsheet software containing your original startup data/projection could be updated in relevant places with the new prices to automatically generate revised estimates that guide decision making.

This is a critical element in farm planning and management especially for poultry enterprises that are so capital intensive and RISK-prone even as they are potentially highly profitable.

I prefer (as I believe most biz owners should) to see the feasibility study &/or biz plan as a business management tool that can be adjusted as the project is implemented over time to reflect changes/realities of the day. Making it “dynamic” is a good way to make effective use of it to achieve the biz goals one desires.

Hope this helps.

Regards, tayo

==

Final Words: Today, I DO NOT require a face to face meeting or payment, for an enquirer to “speak with me”…

A lot has changed over the years. I get much fewer phony enquirers today. So I no longer require face to face meetings or payment of any sort to take on requests of this nature.

However, you WILL have to call to speak with me on phone.

During our conversation I will ask you questions to clarify what you need. And you will of course ask any that you have.

After that exchange, we will continue the relationship via email, Skye chat or other online channels, having established a firm basis of understanding. I will find it difficult to proceed with anyone unwilling to go through this process.

In truth, I’ve never really bothered myself much about winning clients looking for feasibility studies or business plans.

However, I have come across a few enquirers both online and off the web, subsequent to this one.

But in most cases, I sensed they were more scared of me taking off with their money, if they paid in advance as I proposed. Trust is one thing that can be hard to find in the Nigerian society – especially business people.

Since they were not my primary target audience, I did not bother exploring ways to get around that problem.

However, it has always struck me that serious minded others looking for a reliable provider will be out there.

I’ve written this article – proactively – so if/when they reach out to me (or I notice them), I’ll simply email this article’s URL to them.

That’s how I’ve worked for years, and it makes me very effective and efficient. Many times I’ve used one or two URLs from my blog to convince a prospective buyer to make the purchase of my product s/he is contemplating.

Rather than having to sit down and think/write for him/her, I simply pick one of a number of already published pieces that explains what I have in mind, and send to him/her.

In many cases s/he replies asking “Ok. How do I make payment?”

So, that’s my motivation here.

I want to offer my services to those who need competent help, without having my time wasted by persons who are simply curious.

Click here to contact me if you’re interested.