Sabirul Islam is currently plying his trade at the London School of Economics. An enterprising author, having written his first book at the age of 17 which sold over 45,000 coppies to schools and academics across the UK, Sabirul was awarded the ‘Growing up CEO award’ in Boston, USA, in 2008 by professor Michael Porter at Harvard University for being the most successful young entrepreneur from an ethnic background in the UK. He was in Nigeria pen ultimate weekend to grace the Under 30’s Financial Summit where he regaled PHILIP OKAFOR with his many achievements.
Meeting you Growing up in the Borough of Tower Hamlets in London with the City and Canary Wharf just a 10 minute walk from where I live almost meant that life is ‘luxury’. Even with the financial industries being very close, it still brought a lot of inequality around the area in which I was raised. But at a young age it’s about having confidence and belief to be able break the barriers of being the ‘everyday youth’ in a borough that sees crime and violence as a way forward and try something unique and different to make myself stand out from those around me.
At the age of 13, I was given the opportunity to work in my cousin’s business, the best thing was that I got fired after two weeks. It was a moment of failure which I look back too and see as a unique turning point. This made me realise that I don’t like working for somebody else and taking risks at a young age brings reward for the future. At the age of 14, I started my own website designing business called ‘Veyron Technology’ which won the award for being the best Young Enterprise Inner East London company. My aim was to make more money than my cousin who in a year of running his business made £60 profit, and to me that was a lot of money at that time. However, with the idea of designing websites for corporate businesses, I became a thousandaire in less than two weeks, having approached corporate clients such as Merrill Lynch, ABN Amro and Morgan Stanley!
At the age of 16, I knew that there was more to life than just being able to run a business. Merrill Lynch saw me as a unique individual with talent in East London, so they took me to New York on July 2006 where I learnt the basics of investment through witnessing live trading through the Dow Jones and New York Stock Market. The two week programme inspired me to take risks and put what I learnt in New York to action, and three months later, I started trading part time in the London Stock Exchange.
I have been continuously approached by young people on how I achieved such success at a young age. This inspired me to write my first book called ‘The World At Your Feet’ at the age of 17. ‘The World At Your Feet’ is a book which is an inspiration for all young individuals to follow that enables them all to turn their entrepreneurial vision into reality by helping them exploit what I call the ‘three strikes.’ ‘The intensity, the integrity and the intelligence’ within them to possibly become the next Richard Branson! With the book initially being self-published on New Year’s Day 2008, it sold just over 42,500 copies to schools and academies across the UK. This attracted mainstream publishers and now the book is now published by Marshall Cavendish who have taken the book worldwide from June this year. As a young entrepreneur, I have been awarded the Growing Up CEO Award in Boston, USA on April 2008 by Professor Michael E. Porter at Harvard University, for being the most successful young entrepreneur from an ethnic background in the UK.
On 26th November 2008, I was awarded as the Mosaic Entrepreneur of the Year Award by both HRH Prince of Wales and HRH Princess Badiya Bint El Hassan of Jordan, which is an award that recognizes the successes within the Muslim community.
Now at the age of 18, I am at the process of developing ‘The World At Your Feet’ brand through giving young people the simulation experience of running their own business through The World At Your Feet board game called ‘Teen-Trepreneur.’ There are also plans to launch a cartoon series to really follow through the objectives of ‘The World At Your Feet’ in inspiring young people to make their ideas happen. My interest and passions also lies within public speaking having spoken at over 379 different schools, events and conferences alone in 2008. I am also a columnist for Ambition Magazine, inspiring 25 to 35 on how to become a successful entrepreneur.
Age isn’t a barrier for me, it’s actually what drives me to take opportunities because I believe in making the most of the talent I hold as an individual in order to bring ‘The World At My Feet.
Your impression about Nigeria
My journey to Nigeria put a lot of doubts into the minds of my friends and family, over the perception that Nigeria is not a safe country and that people in Nigeria are not friendly. If that was the case I would have not even had thought of visiting the country. I strongly repel from stereotypical views or false statements about something or in this case a country. People usually are given false impressions through media or through hearing negative things from other people. But I’m a person who only believes in what I see and experience for myself, therefore I try not to let false accusations come between myself and others.
The hospitality I received and the support I got from each and every person in Nigeria was welcoming. The country is beautiful and the people are really kind, generous and friendly. Nigeria brought a whole new chapter into my life, it opened doors to making more friends, expanding my business and the fact that I was able to witness and see the country and the economic state it’s in for myself, really makes me want to make a change in the country for the better.
Nigeria has a lot of potential and really enterprising people whether they were people in the summit or people selling in the market places. I believe that every individual has the skill and talent to be able to sell in Nigeria; that for me is very enterprising. All I feel that is required now is for their enterprise skills to be used in a much more positive way.
Nigeria’s access to natural resources for me is a bold step forward for the economy, far more jobs will be created and the country will grow its GDP. I personally see potential in Nigeria, a country that is destined for greater access for tourists and future success. And I feel that from the 9th July to 13th July 2009 will be the first of my many visits to the country which I believe that my heart has fallen in love with.
Overview of the summit
Words cannot describe the Under 30’s Financial Summit, in fact it’s indescribable! The reception I got was like being a celebrity. Everyone wanted to see me, stand beside me, touch me, talk to me...it goes on! I even had security beside me! The summit brought together potential young entrepreneurs for future success. It brought together talent in Nigeria. Young people wanting to succeed and break the barriers of stress and failure within their lives and I feel that the summit has given them the opportunity to want to be different and open doors to a whole new path in their life. With the speakers attending the summit, talking about the importance of entrepreneurship, it has had a huge impact on the lives of each and every individual who attended the event.
I feel that the time to make a change is now, and that is what the Under 30’s Financial Summit brought into the lives of the young people. For me, having been invited by both Withworth Ltd and Professor Uche Azikiwe, I was truly honoured to be speaking at the summit. I know for a fact that every individual who attended the event has taken away something or if not has learnt something new which they will able to implement one way or another within their lives to bring in some form of success.
The Summit has opened doors for the nation has a whole because I believe that many young people who attended the event will be setting up their own business, which will have affects on the lives of many others. As far more jobs will be created for the future, the nation will grow and there will be money available for economic growth. I am very passionate about what the future holds for each and every young person who attended the event, and I feel that the Under 30’s Financial Summit brought together people with opportunity.
What is the relevance of the summit at this point in time?
The world at this point in time is suffering from businesses collapsing, going bankrupt and with millions of people losing their jobs. Therefore, it is now time for entrepreneurs to shine and make a change within the global economy. Entrepreneurs create jobs and are not individuals seeking for jobs. I feel that Nigeria needs to break the norm within the society and be job creators rather than job seekers. The summit has provided a huge step forward in creating entrepreneurs for tomorrows and has given young people belief and courage that their ideas can affect the nation one way or another.
Nigeria needs role models whom young people can look up to, and role models who are young and who have done something in life which young people can say wow too and follow in the footsteps. Role models are not celebrities and I feel that is what the Under 30’s Financial Summit brought to the nation. It brought role models who have made a change and brought success within their own life which they want to share and encourage other young people to do the same if not better. That is what I feel creates a whole load of wealth and success especially during a period of recession which the nation itself and the world is going through.
Specifically, why the target on under 30?
Young people are a change for the future…The future is tomorrow and for every individual who attended the event, they will have an effect on tomorrow’s nations. Being a teenage entrepreneur myself, I feel that young people are more effective, creative and are more talented than the seniors within any nation and it’s about teaching and helping people to learn the basic of entrepreneurship as early as possible for their journey for success to begin.
Many seniors of any nation are often victims of failure and have not learnt how to learn from mistakes and I think that is one of the most important tools within entrepreneurial success. Young people of today’s world need to be able to jump over hurdles, if not; they have to find ways to walk around it. That is what creates tomorrows success and I feel that the summit has given young people the opportunity to learn from their past mistakes and failures and create a positive future for themselves and for the nation as a whole.
What is your assessment and perception of Nigerian youths?
I feel that their view and belief in life and within themselves has changed. The understanding of the term success has changed. Opportunities has become wider and I each youth who attended has learnt something new, something different and has been inspired to a level which they would not have even thought of. Many young people are making very bold statements and already that illustrates self belief, something which many didn’t have before the summit. Young people are now asking questions on how to succeed. That is something which they were scared to do before the summit.
The summit and the speakers have changed the belief system as a whole within each youth who attended the event and I can say that every Nigerian youth who attended will be successful one way or another.
Will you advise that similar forum should be organized in the near future?
I personally think that there should be Under 30’s Financial Summit held in every country in the world, if not in every country in Africa, because it’s a summit that creates a change and has an impact on the belief system within every individual who attends. I would strongly recommend that summits like this happen each and every year, and in countries all over the world.
What were those things that you told the youths at the summit that you felt will make an ever-lasting impression in their minds?
I feel that every person has a story to tell and within every story there is a journey. At the summit I spoke about my journey as a young teenage entrepreneur and how opportunities are created and when pounced on can change a person’s view of life in a positive way. What I spoke about was how age shouldn’t be a barrier for any person and that if opportunities don’t exist; you will need to create them. Every place I go and for every summit or seminar I speak at, I always talk about my journey on how I was hired and fired at the age of 13. When I turned 14, I became an entrepreneur and was running a website designing business for 2 years. At 16, learnt how to trade in the stock market having gone to New York with Merrill Lynch. At 17 , I wrote my first book which was self published called ‘The World At Your Feet’ which will then eventually become the name of my business and get published through mainstream publisher called Marshall Cavendish.
I believe that for a young person to be talking about their journey in life is a greatest form of inspiration there is, because it illustrates that if one person can do it than so can everyone else.