From the first day he came across the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme application in February 2019, Nigerian Timothy Williams, a teacher, agri-business enthusiast, business plan writer and Agric-business consultant, knew it was the right fit for his vision. He read everything about the foundation and the programme; the criteria and requirements for application and made himself available to take advantage of all the benefits.

The first business that came to his mind was poultry farming. He had tried his hands on this in the past, however, he was determined to succeed this time around with his vision. He learnt a lot from his failure as a Poultry farmer and knew to avoid the mistakes he made at the beginning of his entrepreneurship journey.

Having never once dreamt of owning a business, Timothy’s greatest challenge was the ‘fear to start’. On receiving the seed capital, he was anxious with several thoughts, but having a business plan – which he learnt through the programme – and the different masterclasses organized by the Tony Elumelu Foundation further encouraged him and provided a mental balance to proceed with his plans.

Timothy credits everything he knows about running a business to the entrepreneurship programme. Before the programme, he had never been as keen to acquire knowledge. The programme taught and trained him on how to write a winning business plan and other aspects of business and entrepreneurship. Today he is equipped to guide, coach and mentor people.

Timothy’s business started with an idea; launched and financed with the seed capital from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme and in less than a year, the business has scaled and employed 2 people. His business, Shangkinan Poultry Farm, is meeting the nutritional needs of the people within and outside the community. He hopes to expand the business and launch a second business location.