Tonny Ichangai is the founder of Accsoft Solutions Limited, a business consultancy company which helps businesses run efficiently and increase profitability by automating processes and training staff on business skills.
My biggest milestone: Being accepted and enrolled in the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a professional coach has been a major milestone for me. I am now able to benchmark from the best coaching models in the world, learn and improve my personal brand. I have also managed to get all the relevant certifications which has enabled me win the trust of my target clients as well as remain relevant in the market.
The secret to making it: If you cannot sell, you are not in business. Most people develop very good products or services. Some even go ahead and get very impressive academic qualifications. This is good, but if you cannot convince anyone to buy you or your products, then it’s all useless. Mastering sales’ skills is perhaps the most important thing for any career. Knowing how to attract attention, negotiation skills, closing sales, and how to request for referrals are top must-haves. I keep telling myself that I am a brand. How I package my personal brand goes a long way in determine the level of success I get.
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You have to activate, cultivate and package yourself in a way that attracts the attention of your target clients. Once you package your personal brand, you must then make yourself visible by publishing your statements of value through all channels possible. This can be either through social media or even through attending relevant networking meet ups.
Biggest career and money loss:Â I was once laid off from a good job. This happened when my career was blossoming and when I had started big commitments in my personal life. The job loss appeared huge enough to crash me. But I did not throw myself a pity party. I evaluated what I call my TRAP (Talents, Resources, Ability, Passion), and founded my consultancy and training business. In my business, I once diverted huge amounts of money to personal expenditure. I learned the hard way that this is the biggest mistakes one can make in business. Always separate your business and personal funds and accounts.
If I could go back in time: I would delegate more from the start. We have been told to work on our weaknesses, but I don’t agree. We should spend more time and energies on what we are good at. We can get the rest done by delegating.
My saving method:Â Saving in a Sacco is the best thing that happened to me. This method not only earns you dividends but also allows you to take a loan several times above your savings. This is growth. I used to save in a bank but ended up eating most of my cheese all the time. If you are such a spender like me, you should save in a place where you cannot easily access your money.
Tonny Ichangai parting shot: The world owes you nothing. No one cares about you until you win. Do not be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone and build the best personal brand you can. Everyone has something unique and of value to the world. Identify your uniqueness, package it and take it to the best market. There is money everywhere, the big question is, who’s got your money?
This story on Tonny Ichangai was first published in the Saturday Magazine edition of Saturday, 25th April. Saturday Magazine is a product of Nation Media Group. More info email: [email protected] Copyright @Nationmediagroup