The positive reinforcement theory, also known as the carrot and stick methodology, is a system for encouraging good behaviour and discouraging bad behaviour among a group of people, be it a business, community or the society at large.
When people are recognized for doing good, they are encouraged to do more and at the same time held to a higher standard which can deter them from doing things that are not acceptable in society.
Recognizing positive achievements also serves as a system for modelling behaviour in young and upcoming entrepreneurs who learn at a young age that you are rewarded for good works and punished if you behave badly. This can greatly influence their life choices and help them make positive decisions.
This is the success story of Tonye Rex Idaminabo, a man who has set out to recognize notable achievers in Africa, and in the process, has built a successful business around it.
See Also: How This Nigerian Entrepreneur Built A Billion Dollar Business By The Age Of 30
Here’s how he did it:
Who Is Tonye Rex Idaminabo?
Tonye Rex Idaminabo was born in Nigeria in 1985 to Nigerian parents. He had his early education in the country before moving to Glasgow Caledonian University in Glasgow, Scotland, where he earned a degree in international contracting law. He also went on to acquire his master’s degree from the same institution.
While in Glasgow, he held several positions including the President, Nigerian Student Society of Glasgow Caledonian University, and Secretary of the Niger Delta Professionals, United Kingdom.
Tonye Rex Idaminabo’s Story
Tonye Rex Idaminabo is the founder of African Achievers Award, an award that recognizes notable achievers in Africa across multiple industries like politics, business/commerce, human rights, the environment, amongst others.
He was ranked on the Forbes list of the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa in 2015, and was one of Africa Youth Awards’ 100 Most Influential Africans in 2016.
He is the founder and CEO of Achievers Media, a reputation management company that focuses on developmental analytics and innovation in governance across the world, and creating, profiling and promoting brands.
He is also the Executive Director of Reputation Poll International Ltd (UK), and the co-founder of the Young CEOs Business Forum, a platform that trains and empowers young entrepreneurs across various countries around the world.
Idaminabo is also the first-ever West African member of the advisory council of the World Leaders Forum in Dubai. He has received various prestigious awards from global and well-known international institutions, including the Cambridge Leadership award which was presented to him by the Mayor of Cambridge, and the British Award for African Development at the UK House of Parliament.
See Also: How This Ex Nigerian Journalist Built A Rice Production Business Worth Over $1 Million Dollars
How Did He Get So Lucky?
The term “luck” has a direct relationship with hard work, tenacity, vision and all other characters that make a great entrepreneur, and when we attribute success to luck, we indirectly demean the hard work and sacrifice it took to achieve success.
Luck is attracted and maintained through hard work. The people we term lucky today are those who were prepared and ready when opportunity came their way.
Idaminabo’s “‘luck”’ surely came through hard work, ambition, tenacity, and drive. It is quite apparent from his story that he has risen through the ranks to get to where he is today.
The Start of African Achievers Awards
With a passion to help motivate the youths to do great things, Tonye, upon leaving Nigeria, had a dream to create a platform that celebrates African success, and in the process, would inspire many others to go the same route that only brings progress to a people, nation, continent, and to one’s self.
In an interview with Forbes, Tonye said: “Growing up in Africa before I left its shores in pursuit of my studies, I saw many wrongs that I needed to make right. I also found that no matter how deep a person’s passions ran, one man cannot build a nation. So this is just one of many platforms to try and unite African icons for the purpose of her progress.”
To achieve this, he founded the African Achiever’s Awards, and while met with a few challenges at the beginning, executed the events successfully.
Asides just the award’s ceremonies, people who saw the quality and integrity of the events began to approach his company to help manage and host their events also. and while they started small, managing events for as little as £500, they eventually grew to manage larger client events and earning well over £50,000 per event.
Beyond this, the organisation also does rebranding and profiling for other organisations.
What Is The African Achievers Awards?
African Achievers Awards is an annual awards event where awards are given in the categories of community development, leadership, arts and culture, business and entrepreneurship, agriculture, community service, rural development, and education. It is organized, funded and hosted by Achievers Media, founded by Tonye Rex Idaminabo.
The award is a popular one that recognizes individuals in Africans who are making a positive impact in their industries, as well as outstanding individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in service towards the growth and development of Africa.
The first African Achievers Award was presented to Archbishop Desmond Tutu on his 80th birthday in 2011, in recognition of his fight for human rights, justice, and peace. He was the only recipient. The first award event was held at King’s College, London, in February 2012. Nominations for the award were accepted online and several categories of awards were presented at the event. Two awards for excellence in leadership were presented to the President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, and the then Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria, Orelope Akinfulire. The African Achievers Award for women empowerment was presented to the former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe, Thokozani Khuphe, for her work and service to women and children in Zimbabwe.
Awards were also presented to organizations, including the Charity of the Year award to Children of Songea Trust, an Edinburgh-based charity organization which supplies school meals, educational materials and school clothing to the Songea community in Tanzania.
So far, the award ceremony has held four times in London and once each in Nairobi, Johannesburg and Nigeria.
The official website states that “Everyone is eligible as long as they are Africans doing something awesome that inspires you,” meaning anyone can be nominated for any of the award categories. According to an article in a Nigerian newspaper, The Nation, “The awards ceremony has fast become established as one of the biggest gatherings of influential and global African Achievers on the continent and is rated as one of the most reputable awards for African achievers across the globe.”
To Sum It Up
This success story of Tonye Rex Idaminabo shows that simply just making money should not be the bottom line for entrepreneurs. They should possess a strong vision of changing the world positively by providing value in their chosen industry.
Research has shown that entrepreneurs that are internally motivated and whose motivation is ideological in nature tend to succeed more than those who start a business for money. They tend to be more tenacious in the face of adversity, more focused and they tend to go farther than they ever imagined.
Entrepreneurs need to ensure that their motives for venturing into entrepreneurship is valid and can be sustained over a long time. As the inability to go through this process can lead to failure.
I love to know about the exporting business and the know hows.
Thanks
Oaks Folarinde
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Thank you.
This is an impressive success story worth talking about. I am inspired by the write-up and the story itself.
I will also like to seize this opportunity to thank and encourage the publisher of this blog, Stan Edom for a job well done of inspiring people with the contents of his blog. Good job, bro. Keep it up
Thank you for the comment Emeka.
I appreciate you being a reader.
Do have a great time.