Entrepreneur and founder of YBI Group, Yahaya Buhari Ali, has urged business owners to look beyond daily sales and operations and focus on building organisations that can continue to thrive without depending entirely on their founders.
Ali shared the advice while speaking at the third Young Entrepreneurs Summit in Kaduna, held under the theme “Cigaba (Continuation): Building Businesses That Last.” His presentation focused on how entrepreneurs can move from running founder-dependent businesses to creating structured organisations capable of surviving leadership changes.
At the centre of his message was what he described as the 5 R’s of building an organisation: Roles, Responsibilities, Rewards, Right People and Right Seats.
According to Ali, entrepreneurs must first clearly define the different roles required as their businesses grow.
While founders may initially handle almost every function themselves, a growing company needs clearly established positions and functions that can eventually be managed by other people.
The second principle is responsibilities. Ali stressed the importance of making expectations and accountability clear so that employees understand what they are responsible for and what is expected of them.
He also identified rewards as an important part of building a sustainable organisation. Appropriate incentives can help align employees’ efforts with the broader objectives and growth of the business.
The fourth R, right people, focuses on attracting individuals whose skills, values and capabilities fit the organisation. However, hiring talented people alone is not enough.
Ali’s fifth principle, right seats, emphasises putting people in positions where their strengths can have the greatest impact. This, he suggested, helps organisations make better use of their talent while reducing the pressure on founders to personally oversee every aspect of the business.
Ali also highlighted the difference between working in a business and working on a business.
In the early stages, entrepreneurs often have to work directly in their businesses by making sales, dealing with customers, supervising staff, delivering products and solving operational problems.
However, as the business expands, Ali said founders must create time to work on the business by developing employees, improving systems, strengthening processes and building leadership capacity.
The shift is important because a company that cannot function without its founder remains vulnerable to disruption whenever the founder is unavailable.
Ali’s argument is consistent with his broader approach to entrepreneurship.
He has previously emphasised the importance of developing people who can make decisions, accept responsibility and manage operations without constantly referring matters back to the founder.
For Nigerian entrepreneurs, the message comes at a time when many businesses remain closely tied to the personalities and direct involvement of their founders.
Such dependence can make succession difficult and expose companies to significant risks when founders step away.
Building an enduring company therefore requires more than increasing revenue or expanding operations.
It requires systems, capable employees, clear accountability and leadership structures that can continue functioning even when the person who started the business is no longer directly involved.
Ali’s central message was that entrepreneurs may need to be the most important worker in their business at the beginning, but long-term success requires them to build an organisation that is ultimately bigger than themselves.
