Understand Your Car

Understanding the car you drive, what it can do and kind of wahala it can give you will help you figure out how to drive your car in Lagos. Putting a car with a bad radiator on Lagos roads will turn you to an overnight mechanic. Your car in this picture stands for your business. You must understand your business inside out more than anyone else. Knowing your strength, weakness, opportunities and threats your business may face will help you take smart business decisions. You need to constantly evaluate your business from the inside to ensure you’re standing on good grounds.

2. Understand the roads like you were born to navigate them

One way to get to your designation easily in Lagos is to understand the best roads to ply and when the use them. Understanding your business environment and how to navigate it is great for your business. Understanding the sector you are playing in as you were born in it goes a long way in contributing to your success as a business owner. Be a Mavin of your industry.

3. If you must change lanes, don’t inform the other guy.

When you hear the word ‘trafficate’, you definitely know you are in Lagos, but have you ever wondered why Lagos drivers don’t signal their intention to switch lanes before taking the decision? It’s simple, everyone on the road in Lagos is competing. This applies to your business; you must never let the competition know what you are cooking. Be smart, take fast decisions, and execute them without given your competitions the chance to figure you out.

4. Leave early

Your office is in Ikoyi, you leave for a meeting in Victoria Island 3 hours ahead. Well that’s the definition of being smart in Lagos. To be successful in business, you have to be fast and early to the market. Beyond the survival of the fittest, that what we call survival of the firstest in business. Whatever you are planning to build, start early.

5. Prepare for surprises

You know those days you leave home with the confidence that road will be free only to end up spending three hours from Oworo to Adeniji Adele? Well, that’s the kind of surprise you should expect when you drive in Lagos and this applies to any business you are building. Be prepared for surprises and unforeseen circumstances. You want to build a business that is positioned to respond to changes at the speed of light. Business in Lagos or anyone where else in the world must be positioned with surprises in mind. Be prepared.

This post first appeared on Printivo