How taking risks can reap rewards
He might be known as one of the giants in the Information communications technology and real estate industry but Tuva Adams Tuva or just Tuva as he is fondly referred to by friends and employees built his empire from scratch.
Currently, Tuva is the Adams Group of Companies - Africa, Managing Director. The company provides many different services and investment consultancy to Investors, governments and private clients. As a young boy and determined to make it big in the business world, Tuva started off by selling biscuits to his friends and colleagues while in primary school and was bitten by a business bug when he saw that the activity brought good money.
He says he would buy a carton of biscuits at Ksh500 and the profit would be twofold. In an interview with PD Wikendi Tuva warns that starting a business is not easy and risks have to be taken, adding that all that an aspiring business person needs to start a business is a business idea.
However, foolish it sounds and looks, one should just take action and implement it and not let anyone, including themselves, talk them out of it. He cautions that one should ready themselves to fail many times but the failure is not supposed to let ideas that don’t work prevent them from coming up with ideas that work.
Tuva says though changing schools at an early age from Mombasa to a boarding school in Kericho which was a totally different environment and culture was a hard decision to make, he has no regrets.
“Looking back I am grateful I did it because going to boarding school turned on my bulb compared to if I had stayed at my parents’ home,” he adds, saying that the move made him fend for himself to get pocket money because he could not depend on his parents all the time for the same.
In primary school throughout the university, Tuva says he scored very good grades in all subjects making him pursue a B. An in Information Systems Technology (IST), with a concentration in Networking, Applications and Software Development which was his course of choice at USIUAfrica.
He adds that the skills imparted in the course offered in university helped him quench his thirst for software development and gives advice on starting strong businesses.
1. Do not ask for permission: Tuva advises that when one plans to venture into a business they should not ask for permission from anyone to do a certain venture but figure out what they want to do and start to implement and capital should not be a hindrance as long as you have figured out the right product to sell at the right time in the right quantity to gain revenue.
It's all about taking big risks to get big rewards.
2. Set goals: The youthful entrepreneur advises that one should set goals. Massive goals. This will ensure that should you fail in some goals you will achieve some. He says: “I read my goals twice a day to see what I have achieved so far and come back to work on the ones I have not achieved.” He adds that goals are so important because they guide you on how to achieve them.
3. Growing business: Tuva says growing a business is not easy. For one to succeed, he states you need to build your brand and let people get to know you. Build brands on all social media platforms to enable people to look you up when they need something done because you have already built your brand and what you do.
4. Get employed: “I advise people to get employed for some years to get some knowledge before plunging into the business world as the salary will complement what the business generates to expand the business,” he says and advises that one needs to research on someone who can mentor them, someone who is not in the same level as you but way high. “It’s tough but you need to believe in yourself whether its works for the first time or not,” he points out.
5. Networking: Tuva says upcoming entrepreneurs should not have permanent friends. He says friends should be in three levels; people higher than you – the mentors; people on the same level as you, as well as those below you to mentor and help them up the ladder.
