Businesses You Regretted Doing & The Ones You're Glad You Tried

Stumbled on this interesting topic in the business section on Nairaland and thinks aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from the poster story.

Businesses I regret? Sure I have had my fair share of some and I have also enjoyed some too.

“aasog1: I have been doing some business since I graduated from Yabatech since 2005,
I have tried my hands on some couple handful of business. Some worthwhile, and with great ROI, worth going into. I hope we can share experiences and ideas, and here is mine!

1. I have tried Computer/Phone Accessories in Ikeja only to know if you dont have a Yahoo! Boys chain of suppliers, you would soon run bankrupt. This link was scarce to me, and besides, I dont know how on earth people like Slots and his ilks generate the kind of "istributorship Fees" running into $1,000,000 or more to pay Nokia, Blackberries and the likes to be direct suppliers of their products in Nigeria.

2. Went back to my profession as an engineer, managing my father's construction and engineering firm, only to discover Nigerians don't want to pay for quality. People just want to build, and only pay for the materials, and not the engineers. I love the job, but you sometimes feel like your wasting your life building peoples dreams, while you spend the next 4-6 months of your year working for 500k or less, while spending the remaining 6 months fighting dirty for another contract. And the contracts sometimes are so slow paced, you get irritated. Its a great job, but totally disastrous if you totally rely on it unless you work for J'Berger and other bigger construction companies.

3. And then, some windfall popped in, I went into Poultry, managed by me part-term with a farm attendant while working Real Estates and Engineering. The variables involved in this business was so crazy: the quality of birds, farm location, access to loans (which is 0%), finding a sincere poultry attendant, dealing with predators: snakes, wild cats, etc, Stress management, eggs theft, diseases, litter management, etc. Seriously, i havent even been in Poultry for more than 3 years, and all of a sudden, my farm is surrounded by hundreds of houses which were non existent when I went to Ifo in 2009, and now they want me out of the location, due to our occasional once in a month litter clearing mess. Which really isnt nice at all.

4. Selling the poultry for a whooping profitable amount, I'm planning going into starting a school, and building 1 or 2 Commercial structures along the express road. Ive long created a long list of where Nigerians pour their money, and I think education is one of the top 5.

So, my biggest regrets, computer / phone parts, poultry (though its fun and awesomely rewarding, though its insanely expensive and sooooo long-term and not for hustlers but investors!)...commercial properties, wish I could do more: A land I got for 4mil along the express September 2011 is now been sought after by a fuel station that wants to pay 6mil, despite, I havent done nothing on it. But i aint selling. So, I guess express properties are wonderful, but also expensive.

I cant keep listing....judging my experiences though totaling just 7 years, is little compared with some business veterans in here.
Please, what businesses do you wish you NEVER try. And which would you want to keep doing. Even at old age.”

Courtesy… Nairaland

What’s your own experience? Please share so we can assist one other. Thanks.