Why Your Business Proposal Might Be Missing the Million-Dollar Question

Hello and welcome to the show. I am chilling at an undisclosed location in Abuja and it's really noisy where I am so I decided to step outside and make today's recording. Now if you are interested in free business education, that is the goal of the show. So don't worry, this is not a spy podcast. And if by the time we're done with the podcast, you like what you hear, then please share, promote and talk about the show so that your friends and family members in Nigeria and abroad can benefit from the questions that we tackle.

They can do that by subscribing on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of their choice and you in particular, the person listening right now. If you have any sales or marketing questions, bring them to me. You can call, you can SMS, you can WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Now today on the show, Today on the podcast, we're going to look at questions from my radio show on Radio Maria 91.3 FM, Abuja. A listener of the show, Godwin from Guerinpa called in live on the show and we ended up tackling the question on the 15th of April 2025.

Of course, we are past way past that at the date of this recording. But looking back, I think that the question that we tackled and the answers, the topics that we explored have some relevance for audiences today, whether on the radio or whether on the podcast. And so that's the reason why we're going to look at the question today. Now, this is the situation with my man. What's his name? Begins of try. I've forgotten his name.

Hold on. I wrote it down somewhere. What is the guy's name? Godwin. Godwin from Warringah. Gigi. Yes. So this is the situation with my man Godwin from Warringah. He is an architect by training and he sells architectural models. And he has a proposal that he intends to use to raise finance for his business ideas. Now, my initial direction to him was to reach out to me later on so that we can chat some more on WhatsApp.

Because the thing with live radio shows is, you know, people are trying to call. People are trying to call. So I can't really spend too much time on one particular person. There are some people that we can just, you know, get to the meat of the thing, you know, sharp, sharp. But therefore, other people. I really need to discuss some more because I need to understand his business goals. I need to understand his unique value proposition.

Again on the podcast, when we say unique value proposition is just the answer to the question, why would anybody do business with you? That is what unique value proposition means. What is that value? What are the benefits that you provide to your potential customers, to your potential clients? That is the unique value proposition. So I need to understand what is UVP is I need to have a look at the proposal. You know, we need to discuss one or two things before I say or I

run them like this or do it like that. Now thing is, he didn't reach out. So the episode, the answer that I gave, I'm on the air and what I'm saying over here on the podcast is purely speculative. So it means I'm just guessing. I'm assuming that when he called, I understood him correctly. So I didn't get to see his proposal. We didn't get to talk some more. I didn't get to understand some key things. So if he had sent me the proposal and if I had looked at the proposal and if we had got in touch on WhatsApp or maybe even phone call out of advice.

And look, the main question when you have a proposal, the business plan or whatever, in this case, the main question you should answer is can you profitably sell architectural models for real estate? That's the Coco. That's the main question. In other words, is there a demand for this kind of stuff? How profitable is the market? Because these are the kind of considerations that make it likely whether people are going to give you money or not,

whether people are going to finance your business idea or not. You people can understand clearly what an architectural model is and that people are willing to pay for this stuff. I mean, sure, no problem to give you money. So of course I also wanted to be clear on what an architectural model means because I was unclear. That's why I wanted more discussions on once because from the small ordinary everyday man understanding that I have.

When you say architectural model, does it mean physical skilled replicas of building projects? Now what that means is of course physical something you can see. A skilled replica just means you make something small to give you an idea of how the big thing is going to look like. Now, the reason why that's the model of the definition of architectural model I know is because when I was in secondary school in Crested King College in Waghulada in Abuja, when we said architectural models, that was what we meant.

But you understand that I left secondary school, like it's been a while, the meaning of terms change and you know, fashions change, all kinds of things change. So when people say architectural models nowadays, is that still what they mean that you have a physical replica, a smaller replica of what the development project is going to look like? Then another meaning of architectural models that I know is that when you have basically the same thing, but now it is a digital replica or a computer model of the building or of the development project.

Now the reason why I know that is because by the time I got to OAU or bathroom at World War University after leaving secondary school, those are fine girl in architecture, I will say her name. Those are fine baby in architecture that I really, really liked and I used to go and hang around Archie department. But I I never had the the balls to, you know, to speak my mind, which is the reason why I keep telling you guys on the podcast,

those of you who you know, there's a fine girl in your ambit and you're just keeping quiet. See, my friend, she won't she's not a mind reader. She's not really know what's on your heart. And it's something that even me and my wife quarreled about because in the early days, I was being a good friend. I was hanging around, you know, making one or two jokes and my wife was saying that, look, if you don't open your mouth and say what The thing is like, how is the babe supposed to know?

And where my wife explained to me is this, that yes, sometimes you like a guy and then you put yourself forward and then the guy will say, I know you threw yourself at me. So realistically speaking, some babes will just pipe low. They self do chill where they are until you say something. So boys, young men, I'm talking from experience here. If you're feeling the babe say something, don't wait for her to fall into your lap.

I mean, if he falls into your lap, you know, Oh well, I'm good, you know, you know, life's the good love story. But one more learn to shoot your shot. Basically, where was I? So now, because I was hanging around this babe in hockey department and now study hearing about architectural models. And I now could see that in between when I left secondary school and when I entered university, people are now doing the same thing.

But I'm now doing it digital. You get a computer, I think used to be called an AutoCAD card, CAD, computer aided design, and they will build the whole thing on the computer. So in secondary school we used to use cardboard and glue to make these things. But the time we transition into university, everything was now doing digital. In fact, the gist I had then was that in some other countries that gone far, like in Japan,

they would only do AutoCAD and you show how the thing would look. You even do digital simulation that if earthquake happens with the building stand, if a flood happens with the building stand. So they're doing all that cool stuff. Back then, you know, was a just to some of us, but you know, now it's commonplace. So I know it's not going to impress anybody, but sure. You know, when I finished secondary school, when we're into uni, these I mean for us in Niger, these were the like mind blowing frontiers that were happening at the time.

Anyway, I'm not here to tell you about my love life. Where was I? So where was the architectural models? Now, for somebody like me who's you know, not to with the times when it's architectural models, those are the meanings that comes to my ear. So I need to have a conversation with him to even understand that. Look guy, when it's architectural models, what do you mean? What are you selling? Because that would determine the advice that I was going to give.

So either way, no matter the meaning, we still have to ask that question, what makes your own models? What makes your own design unique? Because it's Niger, the number of lawyers that we graduate in this country, hundreds of thousands every year. The number of architects that we graduate in this country, hundreds of thousands every year. So lawyers and architects, there are plenty. Nigeria is not lacking architects. Nigeria is not lacking lawyers.

I can tell you them all for free. Nigeria, OK, what I said, Nigeria is not lacking doctors, but unfortunately we are. We graduate hundreds of thousands of doctors, but it makes more sense for all of them to Jack by and we're earning dollars. So we're lacking doctors, but lawyers, architects, we have too much, too many. We can even sell the lawyers that we have, sell the architects we have and we'll still be fine. So given the fact that every single compound you look at,

every single village you enter, every single state you go to, every single wherever you go, if you threw a stone into the, you know, threw a stone up and it in lands in the market, you hit an architect on the head course, architects and lawyers were plenty. So given the fact that we're plenty now, what makes you different, what makes your models, what makes your designs unique? What is the value of people going with you?

You can see we're not going back to this whole UVP thing. Now, the reason why this is a question we need to ask is because there are already in house functions in property development firms in Abuja, in Lagos and wherever people already have architects and draftsmen on tap. Even though you say draftsman, you know a woman can be a draftsman too. That was just the old term. I don't know if they've changed it now, but back when I was, AI

was an embryo and I used to follow my dad to building sites and things like that. That's what he used to call them draftsman. The architect is a professional, the draftsman knows small architecture and the draftsman also understands building and construction and stuff like that. So the draftsman, like he draws, but he's also a handyman, he's on site is one that is trying to make sure that everything is going OK. So they won't build a house and then the house will collapse like my neighbor's house that was now almost collapsing and it goes, it was in this country.

Why was I? So any property development firm, any architectural firm, any whatever firm that you go to, they already have these people as member of staff that is already creating the architectural model. So if that's the case that people already have them on staff, why are people going to go with you? Whether it's physical mock up, whether it's digital simulation, why are people going to go with you? We need to answer this question.

And nobody's going to give you money to start a business. If as far as they're concerned, if they look outside from their window or if they go to the neighbor's house or if they go to the open market or if they go anywhere, they can find another alternative, another replica, another competitor, another, there's someone else that looks exactly just like you don't give you money. You have to be sort of like a one in town for that to happen because nobody wants to give money that is going to go to waste.

So if you can answer all these questions in your proposal, in your business plan, in your whatever and you can see how this has relevance for all of us. Because whether it is you're raising money to start your fashion business or even if you want to do business of a cleaning soakaway, you want to buy lorry. Maybe you notice that in your estate people don't really clean their soakaways. And so you know poo poo smell is smelling everywhere and you think on Monday is good business.

If I buy a lorry and I'm charging each person 100,000 to clear the soakaway and on average each estate in Abuja has maybe like 50 soakaways and you can clear 1. So Kuwait per week, you know, and then you come up with a business plan. We still have to answer all these questions. What is the unique value proposition? Why are people going to do business with you? Because let's face it, so key way is it not a lorry and pump and then stuff, you know while people do business with you and not anybody else.

So lots of questions that we have to answer before we can use our proposal, use our whatever to raise our finance. Now, other questions that we can look at or rather that he, my guy Godwin from grandpa would have to look at would be it also would have to be in the proposal, in the document how he's going to build this company. Are you going to build the company by partnering with existing developers or are you going to do this thing alone?

Would be nice to answer that kind of question because your financiers, the people who I want to give you money, they'll want to know this kind of thing. How are you going to run display? A good idea is good people want to want to know how, how are you going to execute it Then if you're going to partner with existing developers, what is the plan for identifying developers, starting conversations with them, closing the deal with them, getting the thing moving?

People want to know. Nobody wants to just give you like 10 M and then they don't know what the next step is. If you're going to do this alone, how you're going to use funds to build your company? And then of course, I'm also guessing in this kind of business where selling architect, architectural models, I'm assuming your financiers, someone will be curious, are you going to enter into property development eventually?

Is it only these models you'll be selling? Abby, one day you will start developing these models, building them and trying to sell these projects. So these are questions that financiers, possible investors want to know. Even if the person is your rich uncle, you can't be assured your rich uncle wants to know one or two things. So you'd have to answer all these questions in the document. Then on a side note, on a personal note, this is one thing I mentioned.

If I were trying to build a specialty design house in the architectural space in Nigeria, you know, to serve real estate in Nigeria. I think if you're going to go into it, it might be easier if you pursue A niche strategy because you remember we're trying to have a strong UVP here, unique value proposition. Why should somebody do business with you? And trying to pursue a niche in this space might make it easier. For instance, some of the niches that I thought of additional small research.

Also looking around what's happening in Abuja, I'm not sure what's going on in Lagos, what's going on in Port Arcot, what's going on in Kano? What's going on in in Nugu? I'm not sure what's going on, but in Abuja and in Lagos, I've been hearing of luxury villas coming up. I've also been seeing eco friendly or eco friendly living, you know, smart housing, Internet of Things, all those, you know, 21st century houses connected to the Internet,

automated houses, all those sorts of things are coming up in Abuja. In fact, the first real estate training that I did for Cairos Real Estate, that's the one that is owned by the bands that the first real estate company that I did training for. That's their whole thing. You know, smart houses, you know all those fancy houses where you entice and then you clap, all the lights come on and then the house is connected to the Internet.

You know, you want to open your garage, you don't Houseboy doesn't have to raise it up. You just press the button pump and then the thing opens. You drive out all those fancy, fancy houses. So that's their thing. So it's becoming a thing in Abuja and I've heard just is also becoming a thing in Lagos. Well, I'll buy that kind of house anyway. It's not about me. So luxury villas, that one is there eco friendly, smart houses, Internet of Things that one is there affordable housing.

Now that one has been there since like since I was a boy. We've been seeing them in Lagos Jack on the estate, you know, that's that's affordable housing. You know, mass housing in Abuja. There was some of those projects as well. What else? And then, you know, some people that trying to do their thing around innovative design. I haven't seen that kind of thing in Niger, but I know that in America and in UK there's some design houses, some architectural firms that, you know, that's their thing.

You want something avant-garde, you want something that is unique, something, you know, a design that doesn't look like anything that is out there. You want your own house to be unique. You know, one in town so that when they see their house, they'll say that this is chief so, so, so and so's house. It is the only one in town. No other place, whether in America or in Zimbabwe or in Nigeria or in Australia, if you see this design, this is, this is a chief so so and so's house or ladies so so and so's house.

So by niching down, you can start putting forward a clearer value proposition. That's my own opinion. Those of you who are architects, you know, you went to school because architects also have to do masters afterwards and I think some of you can do the business focused masters. So if you're one of those architects, you know, I beg give me up. I give my phone number at the beginning of the show and at the end of the show.

So give me up if I'm missing something, you know, educate me. That's the point of the podcast. We're all learning and growing together. I'm giving out some of my knowledge. Once in a while I will say one or two things that you know are equal to Musean. When I'm Musean, you guys reach out to me and you know I learn and I grow as well. So in my opinion, the reason why I think niching down is the way to go is because most property development projects whether in Abuja or Lagos is just, they just look traditional, they just look basic.

So the unique value proposition now could be that look, the reason why I'm asking people for money is because most designs in Abuja are traditional, they are basic. So if we want to really, really make money, we can make these designs and appeal to a wealthy clients base by using XYZ. You know, this kind of design principles to build luxury housing. Now an example of that is the World Trade Center in Abuja. That is the apple of my eye.

Every time I drive past, I look at this place, I say, wow, that is high end. It's a high end luxury development. So they have different things there. In the World Trade Center in Abuja, they have standard apartments, they have duplexes, they have penthouses. Now the prices are as you can understand the prices are you know on the open up and of course the only charge in dollars. So one bedroom apartment there from what I saw online prices are around like under kind $100,000 dollars not 100,000

naira dollars. Then two-bedroom apartments prices can be like from that kind 1.6 M dollars not naira while talking dollars. Then 3 bedroom apartments you want to buy it outright prices between 1.7 to $2.1 million with AD, not an N with AD. Then 3 bedroom duplex could cost anything between 1.9 M dollars to 3.1 M in dollars. What else 5 bedroom duplex down is like 5 M dollars. Then this penthouse, that's the one that I want to buy when I

arrive, you know, 5 bed, the penthouse is five bedroom, the six bedroom plus pool and villa. That's the one that I want to buy living on the top, on the top, top top high on the top in Abuja, anybody that is driving past to say Tara Shima is a big boy, he has arrived. So these are the most luxurious, the most expensive options but for that one you'll find the price online. You have to call him on his own bespoke and they will tell you what's up because.

It's also going to be built to your own kind of specifications. So that's the one that I want to buy when I arrive, when I'm a big boy, when my container lands. So I'll be up there on the Heights, World Trade Center, top of the world, looking down at all of you commoners. I'll say, look, all of you peasants be there in my swimming pool sipping champagne. I say yes, I've made it anyway. My wife says that all that is too expensive, but what the heck, I don't care.

I want to flex and when I get wealthy, I'm going to buy one. But my wife says the moment I start buying things like that should know that I have one side piece. I have one small girl on the side. And you know why woman, why do you assume this kind of guy just buy something? Just because, you know, those guys who wants to buy something must always be connected to small girls anyway. So what I'm trying to say is if you're the architect now or you're the developer and you get a reputation for designing these kind of things in this kind of space, that might be a compelling UVP around which you can build your business.

Now look, you know what? Call up Kunle, call up Kemi, call up Ahmed, call up whatever those people that I was social sound so firm, you know, this is what they do. So I am thinking that you could build, you know, a UVPA reputation around those sorts of things. That's just my own guess. But anyway, Sha, those of you who went to school to go and study Aki, the thing main main, especially those of you who after that probably went to go and get an MBA in this regard, I

bet you hit me up. Let me know the things that I said that makes sense. Let me know the thing that I said that didn't make sense, you know. Let me know. I am a sharpens iron, so let me learn. If nothing else, the more I learn, the smarter I get, the better I get, the quicker my money will come and the quicker I can buy my penthouse on the World Trade Center. Or by then Meyer says that the problem is that since it's called World Trade Center, that if people want to do another,

you understand 911 that, you know, maybe they might say, OK, let me target Niger World Trade Center. But I tell her, no, that's not the case. I think 'cause Kenya, I think Kenya also has World Trade Center. So they probably will destroy those places first before they come here at Niger. I mean, who's looking at Niger anyway? Let me not take up too much of your time. So either way, when you're reaching out to me through the podcast or through the radio show, look, I beg, the more details you can give me, the better.

So I can give answers that will be relevant and more tailored to your needs and more tailored to your business context. So that is all for today. If you have any sales and marketing questions, please bring them to me. You can call, you can SMS, you can won't have me on 08064662140. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I will catch you, dear listener, at the next episode.