After completing high school in 2015, Derrick Lijodi did not have the opportunity to pursue further education. He went out to look for a job but was not successful. He resorted to self-employment. Derrick ventured into the branding business where he saw an opportunity in the market. He set up his startup, Radical Designs, in partnership with a close friend.

The enterprise has been in operation for about a year and aspires to establish itself into a main player in the market.

“In the future I hope to have Radical Designs to be among the Top 100 SMEs in the country and serving major corporate clients. It is not a journey that will be easy but it is one that I will ensure will be fruitful,” Derrick says.

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Business Coach linked Derrick with Victor Agita, the founder of Gitz Design Limited, a major player in branding, so that he can offer Derrick advice on how to scale up the business.

Here are some insights Victor shared:

1. Have a clear focus as the vision bearer

A business is sustained and grown by the vision bearer. Therefore, it is vital that he has a clear focus as to where he wants to take the enterprise. For the vision to be fulfilled it has to be written down and constantly be referred to in order for the business to constantly align its activities towards it.

2. Model your business around your dream

There will always be a business similar to yours but much more successful. In order to grow your business to such a scale or even more, it is vital that you learn from the existing business what it is that they are doing right and implement it in yours.

3. Save with growth in mind

The branding business is capital-intensive as a result of the machines required for the different kinds of printing. In many cases, one starts by outsourcing but with time you have to save the profits earned to buy your own equipment and in turn reduce the costs incurred through outsourcing.

4. Retain clients through quality output

In the branding business, a client is only retained by quality products. It is, therefore, vital to always ensure that you not only give quality to the client but also be in touch with the market trends.

The Business Coach airs on KTN Home every Monday at 7.30pm. You can catch up on past episodes on YouTube.