Introduction
Hello, greetings to one and all. This is Jack Lookman welcoming you to our series on Jack's curated business ideas. Today's topic is:
Raising Halal business finance for promising entrepreneurs.
Disclaimer
The thoughts expressed by Jack Lookman are not cast in stone; you could amend the thoughts to suit your needs. These thoughts don't guarantee anything; they could however be used as a vehicle to hopefully take you to your destination. I implore you to take notes and to capture any complimentary thoughts that it may ignite.
Inspiration
One of my facebook followers reached out to me recently. Their family income was reduced because her husband lost his job; and she wants to hustle to complement the residual family income. She requested a loan, a halal loan; and she will negotiate repayment terms. She wants to trade; because she is gradually overcoming health challenges. We don't know each other, we only met on facebook. She's a muslim convert and her parents and probably siblings have more or less disowned her.
My Thoughts
In response to our discussion. Different thoughts came to mind:
- I need to do relevant checks
- How can I help without giving financial aid?
- How can I optimise the help?
- Can I signpost her accordingly?
- Could she leverage crowdfunding?
- Are there organisations that could help people like her?
- Can they also help her to overcome bureaucratic huddles?
- Are there businesses or investors that give Halal loans?
- Are there businesses that help facilitate the loan process?
- Are there businesses or individuals that could collaborate or invest in her?
- Are there businesses that could leverage the Profit Sharing Formula App for transparent, fair and effective business collaboration?
- Are there businesses that could link her with investors and collaborators?
- Can this be facilitated in a painless and cost effective manner
- Can the internet be leveraged?
- e.t.c.
These are some of the questions that ran through my mind.
Now what is the business model?
The model of this suggested business can come as a profit making business; a non-governmental organisation; a charity or as a social enterprise.
You could do it for profit motives, to add value to the society, or both.
What's the process?
This shall include
- Registering the business
- Having a marketing and publicity team
- Having a bank account
- Having a business plan
- Having a monetisation plan
- Having a marketing plan
- Having social media platforms
- Having a website or blog
- Training and development for staff
- Automating your processes
- Leveraging the Profit Sharing Formula App
- Training and development for your clients
- Risk management
- Funding for the business
- Budgeting
- Costing and pricing
- Collateral from your clients
- Effective leverage of the internet
- Systems and structures for effectiveness and efficiency
- Putting legalities and feedback mechanism in place
- Etc.
Why Halal?
You might ask the question why does it have to be Halal? Why choose Halal?
Firstly, Halal products and services aren't just for Muslims. Halal financial products have a reputation for being fairer than the usual secular ones which are usually interest based.
I recollect my experience of using a large chunk of my pension money to pay off interest based loans. It was a very unpleasant and painful experience. Some people go into depression, commit suicide or become bankrupt due to the effects of interest-based loans.
What skills are required for this business?
These include:
- Communication skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Fundraising skills
- Accounting skills
- Legal skills
- Entrepreneurial skills
- Analytical skills
- Training and development skills
- Research and development skills
- Positive mindset
- Psychology
- Resource management skills,
- Resourcefulness
- Outsourcing skills
- Project management skills
- Logistics skills
- Content creation skills
- Marketing skills
- Advertising skills
- Effective networking skills
- Skills for teamwork
- People management skills
- The importance of great value
- Social media skills
- Managing competition
- Etc.
Some Useful Skills And Aptitudes For Your Clients:
- Positive mindset
- Entrepreneurial skills
- Money management skills
- Resource management skills
- Result oriented skills
- Integrity
- Social media skills
- Communication skills
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Interpersonal skills
- Determination
- Tenacity
- Marketing skills
- People management skills
- Time management skills
- Effective networking skills
- Team working skills
- And then also you can see the list of skills required by the business.
Most of these skill requirements are interrelated. And by the way don't feel intimidated by the long list. You probably have some or most of these skills already. You can be trained on others, or could collaborate with 3rd parties or outsource as necessary.
Another option is to get a team to the fill any skill gaps.
The recruitment and application process.
These are some thoughts on the recruitment and application process. Please disregard the order in which they are presented.
Some of the recruitment and application processes include:
- oOnline application, e.g via google forms
- State your requirements as a business
- State requirements for the clients
- Shortlisting of candidates
- Interview prospective clients
- Recruitment of successful candidates
- Working with them
- Leveraging the Profit Sharing Formula App
- Managing expectations
- Leveraging advertising platforms
- Conducting a test by using Jaaloo Puzzles or suitable others. You may use this as part of your process for testing the accuracy and logic skills of your clients
- You could carry out checks and balances
- You can get references for each client
- Get relevant collateral
- Get references
- Get the client to sign legal documents; for example, a contract, agreement or training and development contract, or Non Disclosure Agreement
- e.t.c.
Training, for your business and your clients.
Training could be a hybrid of physical and digital training. It shall address all necessary topics from mindset to business marketing, e.t.c. It’s content shall be updated regularly as necessary.
Marketing for your business and your clients.
You can leverage:
- Digital marketing
- Social media marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Podcast marketing
- E-book marketing
- Whatsapp marketing
- Radio marketing
- Television marketing
- Print media marketing
- Search engine optimisation
- Blog marketing
- LinkedIn marketing
- Website or blog marketing
- Affiliate marketing
- Youtube marketing
- Facebook marketing
- E.t.c.
Monetisation options
Below are some considerations:
- Payments for the service
- Payment plans
- Profit sharing formula
- Joint ventures
- Investors
- Sponsors
- Collaborators
- Consultancy
- Sell the business at a profit
- E t.c.
Some thoughts on the business plan and sustainability
- Carry out a research on relevant business models and adapt relevant ones to yours.
- Learn from pitfalls of competitors
- Leverage good practices
- Ensure adequate cash flow
- Carry out due diligence
- Leverage your resources
- Leave zero or little margin for failure
- Minimise unnecessary risks
- Take educated and calculated risks when necessary
- Have adequate marketing budgets for your company and those of your clients
- Have zero tolerance for fraud
- Educate your clients adequately
- Educate your staff sufficiently. Education shall be ongoing, it's not a one-off activity
- Leverage digitalisation effectively
- Minimise overheads
- Leverage resources effectively
- Leverage the Profit Sharing Formula App
- Leverage collaborators and investors
- Avoid interest based loans
- Integrate shock absorbers for unfavourable business tides
- Invest in research and development
- Invest in training and development
- Re-invest in the business as necessary
- Regularly audit your procedures and practices - always strive to improve on what you do
- Consider affiliate marketing and incentivise those who introduce paying clients
- Do your business ethically
As your business grows:
- Endeavour to give back to:
- The community and society at large
- To stakeholders
- To staff
- To those who are less well off
- Reward good practices and efforts of staff
- Sanction negativity
- Avoid overspending your staff - that is, avoid abusing them.
- Make the workplace delightful
- Get the best of your staff without enslaving them
- Encourage flexibility in the workplace
- Encourage work life balance
- Conduct effective risk management
- Be transparent
- Mitigate potential fraudulent practices
- Continually improve on your value proposition
- Introduce rewards and sanctions
- Undertake effective and positive mindset coaching
- Do regular research and development
- Control clients’ business finances for as long as necessary,
- Have a profit sharing formula
- Create performance metrics
- Create reasonable, attainable and practicable targets
- Leverage best practice
- Put round pegs in round holes
- Do effective training and development
- Encourage whistleblowing as necessary
- Have zero tolerance for fraud
- Include checks and balances
- Provide adequate tools for the trade
- Block any observed loopholes
- Build and maintain trust
- Ensure full accountability from all concerned parties and stakeholders
- Have policies and procedures in place - update them as necessary
- Have legalities in place - to minimise or avoid conflict
- Learn and act from your business experiences
Here are some business requirements for you
- A business space or location
- Business equipment such as computers, digital gadgets and administrative systems
- Office furniture
- A team - with relevant skills
- Funding for clients
- Etc.
Some client requirements include:
- A positive mindset
- Willingness to learn
- Integrity
- Digital device or devices
- Literacy
- Communication skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Serious-minded clients
- Entrepreneurial minds
- A bank account
- Basic administrative tools
- Result orientation
- Business idea
- Time and effort commitment
- Training & Development ideas
- Etc
Training and development ideas for your team and clients
Here are some thoughts:
- Customer services training
- Mindset
- Entrepreneurship
- Research and development
- Administration
- Exploring and leveraging, creativity
- Profit Sharing Formula App
- Marketing
- Social media marketing
- Information technology
- Leadership
- Ethics
- Business scaling
- Working smart
- Resource management
- Time management
- Being organised
- Corporate social responsibility
- Importance of charity
- Investments and investing
- Upsells
- Down sells
- Cross sells
- Sales funnels
- Creating membership sites
- Side hustle
- Leveraging social media
- Data management
- Business outsourcing
- Business legalities
- E.t.c.
Benefits and opportunities
These include:
- Job creation
- Wealth creation
- Opening of opportunities
- Adding value to society
- Facilitating entrepreneurial pursuits
- Increased tax earnings by government
- Crime reduction
- A fairer society
- Optimisation of potential
- Empowerment and inspiration
- Scaling of business
- Etc.
Threats and weaknesses
It's important to be aware of these, so that you can mitigate them. Threats and weaknesses may include:
- Failed businesses - either yours or those of your clients.
- This may be due to fraud, sickness, death, competition, associated business risks, business flaws, acts of terrorism, no tenable collateral from clients or some things beyond your control.
- It may be due to; insufficient funding, unfavourable government legislations, unmotivated entrepreneurs, inadequate systems and structures, power supply issues, issues with internet access and supply.
- It may be staffing issues, such as; sickness, resignation, abuse, absence, non-performance, clients dropping out of the program.
- There may be lack of continuity, intellectual theft, lack of commitment by stakeholders, litigation or acts of sabotage.
Case study
Assume a client wishes to explore Jack's Flexi Jotter (watch the Youtube video on YouTube, it's a business idea by Jack Lookman). And that the client downloads the idea to you via understandable language; this could be in text, audio or video; or a combination.
Once you understand the concept, you could use your resources to perfect the idea. You could package it, do the necessary administration, carry out due diligence, and find investors and collaborators (including yourselves). You could work collaboratively with the client to actualise the business dream. Stakeholders shall agree on the profit sharing formula, with terms and conditions agreed. The Profit Sharing Formula App could be leveraged. Sort out any legalities and carry out due diligence. Also do proper marketing.
The risk is shared by all stakeholders including yourself, and success is also shared by all.
Conclusion
I hope that this idea adequately solves the problem that was posed by the sister and that similar others could benefit therefrom. I also hope that this will stimulate thoughts and action amongst entrepreneurs.
Like the saying goes, there’s nothing new under the sun, just little tweaks here and there to make a unique selling proposition. Even though there was no formal market research done, it's very likely that the demographic mentioned is quite large, especially in Nigeria, Africa, etc. A lot of them wish to succeed in life and explore potentials, but are stifled by lack of opportunity and finance. Therefore, I hope that this content shall tick many boxes in the things to be accomplished, not only by other entrepreneurs but by necessary others.
I hope that you get some value, and will consider sharing this content. You can find our other products and services at:
Youtube channel: Curated Business Ideas
Facebook: Jack Lookman
Facebook group: Curated Business Ideas
Paperback: Amazon
We wish you all the best and thank you very much for your time.
This is Jack Lookman signing off.
Ire o (I wish you blessings)
Ire kabiti (I wish you loads of blessings).
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Jaaloo Puzzles 1
Jaaloo Puzzles 2
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Life Lessons For Teenagers
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Jack’s Curated Business Ideas
Raising Halal business finance for promising entrepreneurs - video
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