Anvitha-Kartik
Anvitha Kartik
My Jumpstart Training
Isiyaka Sa'ad
About Isiyaka Sa'ad
Isiyaka Sa’ad is a dedicated electronics technician with over ten years of experience repairing home electronics.
Driven by a passion for understanding how devices work and a strong desire to provide for his family, he aims to grow his small repair shop into a respected electronics service and sales center near Zango Market in Bauchi State.
Isiyaka envisions his business as a place that not only maintains devices but also trains and empowers local youth through technical skills and mentorship. His goal is to build a sustainable business that supports his family and uplifts his community.
Isiyaka Sa'ad
Business Goals
Isiyaka’s work is guided by honesty, hard work, and continuous self-improvement. He treats every customer with fairness and clear communication, ensuring they fully understand what can be repaired and what cannot.
Constantly learning about new devices, he aims to deliver top-quality and reliable service. His long-term vision includes training youth, reducing electronic waste, and becoming a trusted leader in his field.
Isiyaka plans to grow his shop into a fully equipped repair and sales center serving Bauchi and beyond. He wants his business to be known for quality, honesty, and keeping up with evolving electronics technology.
Isiyaka Sa'ad
Obstacles
Isiyaka trained for five years as an apprentice at an electronics workshop in Bauchi, gaining skills in circuit diagnosis, soldering, and troubleshooting household devices. After completing his training, he opened his own shop in 2019 and has now spent eleven years in the field.
Despite his passion and expertise, Isiyaka faced major challenges starting his business. Raising enough capital was difficult since he earned very little during his apprenticeship and had to save carefully.
Now, he struggles with outdated equipment, high fuel costs due to unreliable electricity, and limited funds for expansion. Yet, he remains committed to his vision.
Isiyaka Sa'ad
Our Partnership
Isiyaka is seeking support from Leadership Initiatives through mentorship, financial assistance for tools and shop improvements, and training on branding and business growth.
He urgently needs modern equipment like a mini solar system, advanced diagnostic tools, and replacement furniture to enhance his shop’s layout and comfort. He hopes to receive advice on attracting new customers, organizing finances, and marketing his services better.
Looking ahead, Isiyaka dreams of expanding his shop, acquiring modern tools, and opening a second branch. He also wants to provide for his family and train youth, creating opportunities and reducing unemployment in his community.
My Jumpstart Proposal Presentation
During the Jumpstart Program, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to expand my partner’s business and brand identity.
At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to Bill Stefan, Leadership Initiatives Board Member and Deputy for Enterprise Management for the Department of Defense. This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.
At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner. Over the next year, Isiyaka will utilize our proposal to propel sustainable growth of their business.
My Jumpstart Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Isiyaka Sa'ad to gain a clear understanding of their business goals. Though Isiyaka has leveraged their skills and years of experience to create their business, they face obstacles hindering the expansion of their work.
Guided by their vision, we crafted a proposal detailing the infrastructure and marketing materials that would support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Isiyaka to optimize their business through a new budget, financial tracking systems, and logo.
This new budget enables Isiyaka to allocate funds toward essential materials and equipment, supporting the optimization of their services. Effective financial tracking will be crucial for managing growing profits and preserving assets, ensuring the business’s long-term growth and stability. Investments in a logo and marketing materials, such as signs and flyers, are also vital for establishing a strong brand identity and expanding the customer base.
Career Exploration
Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Isiyaka Sa'ad, and our Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.
After discussing important considerations for our marketing materials including local populations, family situations, and prior experience, we began our exploration of the business industry.
We received briefings on marketing and branding tactics from Carla Brooks and Nikki Hendricks.
Outside of the classroom, we received a personalized tour of the Embassy of Austria where we learned about Austrian culture, US/Austria relations, and international business.
To begin our exploration of the medical field, we learned about patient histories and doctor-patient interactions from Dr. Zainab of the Kidney Center of Kano State, Nigeria.
We also got hands-on training for building plaster casts. After receiving this training, we had the opportunity to build model casts and practice assessing damages and breaks.
At the end of the week, we got to put our medical skills to the test through a demo EMT scene where we used triage and emergency response.
To explore the legal field, we received a briefing on legal advocacy from Professor Sarah Stiles, an experienced educator and leader in advocacy and leadership.
I also got to meet esteemed DC District Judge, Adam Hunter. Judge Hunter taught us about questioning, data analysis, and evidence collection.
I also received a personal tour of the University of Maryland Crime Lab where I learned about forensics science, evidence viability, and how to assess crime scenes.
We got the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the intelligence community from an active government investigator, Kesha Middleton. Ms. Middleton taught us about the role of investigators, how careers in government work, and the process for entering the government and intelligence fields.
Outside of the classroom, we took a tour of the International Spy Museum. Throughout this tour, we learned about intelligence and counterintelligence equipment.
We also got the opportunity to discuss topics related to global affairs and government relations through our meetings with the Austrian Embassy officials, government officials from the NSA and DoD, and through collaborations with representatives of universities including Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, American University, and more.