The Parable of the Talents - A Lesson in Investing

For a serious-minded business-oriented person, investment is very important to grow or create wealth. It is necessary because just like some would say, "money brings in more money" or "you spend to gain". Surprisingly, even the Holy book talks about the parable of the talents and this can literally be seen as treasures or money.
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The story of the parable teaches the importance of investing, we see from the story that the men who invested the talents or treasures given to them gained more or extra, while the one who did nothing with the talents entrusted to him brought no increase to his master which can literally mean that investments bring about multiplications (Matthew 25:14-27).

Although for one to invest in any business, it is important that one should have at least a proper background knowledge of the business, should be able to ascertain the taste or preference of goods and services provided to the consumers, should be able to identify the business’ target consumers and should also be able to know if and when the business is running on profit or loss.

It is also very important to note that it is advisable for one to invest in various business opportunities, as businesses can sometimes be unpredictable. Like the saying, "Do not put ALL your eggs in a basket". This maxim proves true when it comes to unfortunate circumstances such as business mishaps or loss, or fund mismanagement etcetera that comes with handling business.

In Nigeria today, there are a lot of business opportunities one can invest in, these may include the agriculture or food industry, real estate Management, Petroleum, hotels, and restaurants, etc. You may be discouraged from investing in the above-mentioned business opportunities because of the huge capital involved in starting up. This is why it is important that as an entrepreneur or an investor, you should be able to match your available capital with the business opportunity it can cover.

Every businessman or entrepreneur goes to business in order to make gain or extra cash, although business comes with taking risks because it's either you lose or gain, it is also important that one invest his or her resources wisely. It would also be noteworthy that every businessman or entrepreneur should have foresight, know your expectations, and work towards economic growth.

Nowbefore one invests in any business opportunity it is of utmost importance to ask a few questions like;

• What business am I investing in or venturing into?

• Do I have a background or proper knowledge of my business?

• What are the risks associated with the business of my choice?

• Do I have the required capital to start up?

• Who are my target consumers?

• In the case of business misfortunes, what are my alternative plans?

If one can honestly answer these questions, then he or she can handle any business of choice and the challenges associated with it.

One of the challenges that comes with investments is probably Capital or funds, many persons may have wonderful business ideas, plans, and proposals but are constrained by a lack of funds to run the business. However, not investing even the little resources you have would not bring an increase at all. It is particularly important to start small and grow your income than do nothing at all. One can invest in small-scale businesses too, which may not require large sums or capital to start.

I recall a friend starting a small chops business some time ago with N15,000 and today her enterprise has really grown, she now renders catering services, supplies in schools and supermarkets, etc. The business is just about 8 months old and you can say she is counting in hundreds of thousands today. Her little business as some may say has yielded this much because she had invested what she had earlier. Now think of it, if she never invested then there would be little or no possibility to grow her money. There are so many people who really started small and are today making it big in their businesses.

The resources (money) within your possession remain as it is without increase unless it is invested into something that can yield more. Just like the seed that needs to be planted or buried in the soil first, before it yields a plant so is investments.

Today many known successful businessmen and women (entrepreneurs) didn't make it big overnight, it took many years of commitment, consistency, and hard work to achieve their dreams, goals, and ambitions. If I have learned anything, these three attributes are key factors in achieving greatness. With them as your watchword, you can be amazed at how successful you will become.