Ewos Iroro- The Publisher, Travel & Business News Interview conducted by OYETUNJI ABIOYE * When did you start Travel & Business News? The Travel & Business News is a corporate travel trade journal, which we started in June 2005. What is your background, in terms of career progression? I began my career as an aviation reporter writing for a well known aviation magazine called Aviation & Allied Business Update & Africa Journal. While I was there, I developed my skills by writing profusely on features, research articles, news stories and attended several seminars, training workshops and international events which helped to prepare me for future endeavours. Eventually, I opted out to start something on my own which marked the beginning of Travel & Business News. Today, I am the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, a trade journal of the travel and tourism industry that has grown over the years to become popular in the sector. I am also the Conference Coordinator of the annual Safety, Security and Service Summit which is a platform for experts and captains of industry to converge annually for cross-fertilisation of ideas on pertinent industry issues in order to chart a course for the sector. Furthermore, I am the Programme Coordinator of the National Travel Essay Competition, a capacity building and industry awareness initiative geared towards addressing the challenge of ageing workforce and skilled manpower shortage in the aviation sector with a grass root approach. I have attended many conferences, seminars and courses in aviation both locally and abroad. * Why did you start the business? Long before I became an aviation reporter, I had always known I would be in business. I already had a registered business name well before I started working for my last employer. However, my experience as a reporter made me hungry for more and I decided I needed a new challenge. Without sounding too spiritual, I got a vision of where God wanted me to go. So, when the time came and the opportunity presented itself, I took the leap. * So far, how is the business faring? Running a publishing business in an environment like ours in Nigeria isnt an easy task. You must have a big heart, a dogged determination to succeed and the staying power to endure the long haul otherwise one might not get very far. Consistence is the key, but I must confess you need a lot of Gods mercy and favour as well as fantastic people and relationship skills to survive. It reminds me of a quote by Stephen M. R. Covey when he said: Without trust, relationships fail; but without relationships business fails. So you need to build your level of trust with clients as well as grow and sustain your relationships. So, all in all, it has been a tough but exciting and fulfilling ride. With each edition released, we get even more encouraged to do more and to hang on there. * What achievements have you recorded in the business? I will start by saying the fact that we have remained in business for the past eight years in spite of the harsh business environment is an achievement in itself. We have been able to add other projects to the magazine production including our annual summit that has attracted virtually all of the industrys high-profile experts and professionals for the past eight editions. The conference has been able to touch on several pertinent issues ranging from air transport safety to airport management and security; the role of technology as well as efficient airline operations. Furthermore, we came up with what we call our Future Workforce Development Initiative “ the National Travel Essay Competition, which is an annual writing contest open to secondary school students and more recently to tertiary institutions and graduates. It is aimed at encouraging young Nigerians to follow a career in the sector as a way of addressing the problem of ageing workforce and skilled manpower shortage. To date, the project has seen over 450 students take part in the competition with over 30 of them winning great cash prizes, free return air tickets as well as an all expense international travel experience. We also have our own Air Transport Youth Empowerment Summit that is celebrated every year to mark the children and youth day. Through the project, we have been able to empower no less than 10 graduates by offering them full scholarships to train in ticketing and reservation. Today, some of them now run their own businesses in ticketing and reservation. These are just a few of our achievements since inception. * What are the challenges you have faced so far? Challenges are more or less an integral part of any business and ours is no exception. One of the challenges we faced initially was getting to convince clients to work with us. But with time and consistence, we have been able to break some grounds in that area and we are still working on breaking new grounds. Its a continuous exercise. Another challenge is liquidity. Publishing is capital intensive and so one needs to have enough funds and at the right time to stay in business. Unfortunately, things dont work quite the way we want at the moment. Due to the harsh business environment, payments for jobs done are not released on time; so, one has to get creative. Another issue is that the operating cost keeps growing due to the lack of proper infrastructure. For instance, availability of power is part of our business but this is lacking and so most print jobs run on diesel. And you know what that means. The challenges are there, but somehow, we manage to jungle these things in such a manner that they dont affect the overall business. * What height do you intend to take the business to? My vision is as big as God who gave it to me in the first place. To say the least, we are currently doing a fraction of what I believe God desires for this business. I see Travel & Business News in the coming years transforming to a media empire not only in the print medium where we are now. Our dream is to become the leading and most renowned air transport journal in Nigeria and beyond the shores of this country. We know this requires a lot of Gods favour, dedicated staff and hard work and we are committed to delivering on this dream in spite of how challenging things might be in the country at the moment. I am a firm believer in Nigeria and its future and I am convinced our organisation will be an integral part of the change that this great nation is about to experience. * What counsel do you have for other young Nigerians like you about starting their own business? My first advice to them is to be sure they really want to go into business. This is because there will be tough times ahead and a lot of people will discourage; and sometimes it could be those close to you. Secondly, you must have a strong passion for whatever you want to do. Without it, you can’t go far. You must be determined to succeed no matter what transpires. Life has no guarantees; it respects those who know where they are going and stay focused on their goals. Furthermore, you must build relationships. Business thrives on good and healthy relationships. This is very important. You must ask for Gods favour and call on Him to bless the business. Thats my personal submission anyway. * How do you think the problem of youth unemployment in Nigeria can be solved? For me, I believe the time has come for every youth in this country to take responsibility for their lives. While they are trusting God for that dream job, they need not wait endlessly at home for governments intervention. They need to get creative and find something doing to make money. Enough of the excuses; get out there and start something. That reminds me of an old advert that says: Go start something new! I honestly think that is one way forward. Secondly, our governments need to be more creative and find various ways of engaging the youth. * How can Nigerian youths become more useful to themselves and the country? Like I said, the youth need to take responsibility for their life. I dont necessarily believe government can solve all our problems. If you recall, it was the older George Bush that said: Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. So, we must believe in this great nation of ours and take our future into our hands by being part of the change.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 17:16:49 +0000
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