SLC-S29/W5-“Thinking and Ideas!| Ideas That Failed (and Why)!”

Our heart plans our path but God directs our steps. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail they say.

I’ve made plans in the past, some failed and some successful. Today we are rubbing minds on the failed ideas I had. This one is very personal to me because till today, Something in me still wished it succeeded.

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Describe an idea, plan, or decision (yours or someone else’s) that failed.

This idea was one I carried out. Even though it wasn’t originally mine as per birthing it. But it was an idea I saw someone execute and I had to adopt it as mine hoping it was going to be awesome and work out well but I was met with a rude shock. It failed woefully.

Some years ago during my NYSC days in Bayelsa state Nigeria, I was working in a hotel as a receptionist and have been there for three years. By the forth year, I was already getting tired of the job and my soul wanted something more. Business was dull and the pay was very poor too.

I wanted to relocate to Owerri but I needed something flexible to do so that I can also fully get involved in church and ministry work. One of these days, while I was on duty, One of our guests gave me a fresh pineapple juice he bought from crunchies fast food. It was so cold and refreshing as I drank it, something just clicked in me.

Start something like this. I was elated. I asked him how he got it and he said from crunches. Those days, fresh juice wasn’t popular at all. Infact it was the first time I was seeing it. I went to crunchies and asked questions and I was told that it was a woman who supplies it to them. The drink didn’t have any Nafdac number.

All it had was a sticker and written on it was that it’s to be consumed with 48hours and it should be refrigerated.

I then decided that this was what I was going to start once I relocated. I shared this plan with my boss whom I found favour before and she bought me a juicer to use to start the business.

When I relocated, I excitedly went to do stickers just like the one I had seen earlier and started the business. I thought it was going to be an easy venture but I didn’t know it took more than just stickers and juicing machine. I was cumbered with challenges that it failed. The idea didn’t stand the taste of time.

The original intention behind this idea was for me to have something that would be given money regularly as opposed to having a 9-5 kinda of job that wouldn’t give me time to get involved in other things.

In my former place of work, I didn’t have the time to be involved as much as I wanted to hence it hindered me greatly. So I was looking forward to be a boss of my own and build some big from that idea.

Why it failed

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The first challenge I had was getting people to patronize the idea. I made samples of the business and went from fast food to fast food to tell them about supplying the juice to them but they all rejected the idea. It was very frustrating. I was close to tears.

After they all rejected it, I had to start selling it weekly at the stadium to some sports people but they were under pricing it and at the end of the day, not much profit comes in after the expenses. Making fresh juice was expensive and patronage was low.

Another challenge I had was keeping it refrigerated. I didn’t have refrigerator so I had to use cooler and buy ice block to keep them cold but it got spoilt easily if not well frozen. I had a time when I supplied to it to someone who ordered for some. I had to put them in a cooler to transport them to another part of town. It was so hectic. At the end of the whole deal, little or nothing came out. I had to pack it up out of frustration and lack of funds.

What would you do differently if given another chance?

Now fresh juice is more common than it was then. And there are more conventional ways to handle this type of business. If I was to do this again, these are what I’d do.

First, I would have to register my business brand and make sure I get a Nafdac number to proof its authenticity. Some persons rejected it then because it didn’t have Nafdac number.

I would also have to get more equipments to ensure its smooth running like a stand by refrigeration system as that would help to get it more easily preserved.

I would also lookout for good spot where I can use as a stand for startups. This can be close to fast foods, busy club sides and junctions at strategic locations where there is traffic and much movements.

With better and proper packaging and of course more awareness in this era of social media, it would definitely thrive and do well.