This is my first post on this blog, so am
pretty excited about sharing with you guys stories of incredible men and women
who have made it in Africa and how you too can TRIUMPH in Africa.
Being recent a university graduate with no
job, I spend most of my time in the internet looking for a job and learning as
much as I can about interviews just in case am lucky enough to be called for
one.
However, I have always had a burning
desire to become an entrepreneur. This takes me back to my primary and high
school days. Remember when you were young and your teacher would ask you what
you want to become when you grow up... well, I was quick to raise my hand and
confidently say "I want to be a doctor".
Thanks to the many nights spent watching grey's anatomy, I always saw myself wearing the doctors' blue uniform (as I had
seen the doctors of grey's anatomy wear) and performing surgeries to save lives.
I thought it was a really nice way to help people and give back to society (I
still do think it's a cool way to help people).
My desire to be a doctor continued
motivate me to work hard in high school as I knew getting accepted into medical
school would require excellent grades. During my second year in secondary
school I developed an interest in entrepreneurship. The stories our business teacher would tell
in class (to keep us entertained and perhaps motivated) really caught my
attention. She would tell of men and women who were running their own
businesses and making lots and lots of money. How they were able to work at whatever
time they want (because they are one not on anyone's payroll) how they were
able to purchase expensive cars and houses not forgetting lavish holidays to
amazing destinations.
The idea of living such kind of a
lifestyle really got me thinking... hey why shouldn't I start my own business
and make enough money to live that kind of a life? To cut a long story short I
didn't start a business when I was in high school but I did start one in 2013
while in campus. I would sell high-end perfumes, lotions and soaps to other
students. the business was doing very well but eventually I stopped selling the
products due to the high cost of importing and also because I had to focus on
my studies which were demanding more and more of my time as I progressed
through university.
The idea of starting a blog occurred to me
when I was doing my project back in 2014, I was introduced to blogging by a
friend of mine, who was helping me with the project. I had never heard of it
before until then. I used blogger platform to help implement my project.
I never delved much into it, so I went
ahead to create two blogs for my project, implemented it and presented it to my
lecturers (they were pretty impressed with what I had done) and moved on with
life.
Which fast forwards me to 2015 when I
again became interested in blogging, so I did as much research as I could about
it. I came across so many articles talking about how to make money through
blogging, how to start a blog, things to know before starting a blog etc. but I
needed to know for sure that there were people making money from blogging.
That's when I came a cross professional bloggers like Darren Rowsey of Problogger.com, pat Flynn of smartpassiveincome.com, harsh
Agrawal of shoutmeloud.com and our very own African
queen Linda Ikeji of Lindaikejisblog.com
(by the way she is one of my biggest inspirations for going into blogging, I
admire how she has managed to change her life as well as challenge us women to believe
in ourselves).
Now at this point I am convinced that I
can make money through blogging, but my question is what should I blog about?
While I was doing my research, one thing that really came out clear is that one
should start a blog in a niche that they are really passionate about. For me, I
love travelling and visiting places that I have never been to before. So I
thought I should start a blog in that niche, but I didn't start a blog in that
niche or any blog for that matter.
The reason I didn't start a travel blog
was because I didn't know the exact topics I should write about. Moreover, I
have discovered that am not passionate about writing articles related to travel
so I have dropped the idea. However, this didn't stop me from looking into
other niches that I could blog about. As I gathered more information about blogging
the idea of starting a blog that will empower and inspire Africans to clearly
see the opportunities that lie in front of them, to start their own businesses,
grow their economies, achieve financial freedom and provide employment to
others, came to mind.
I am encouraged by the few but brave Africans
who have established their own companies right here in our promising continent.
Most of them have managed to turn their fortunes around, they built their
businesses with almost nothing just a few years ago, and it’s amazing to see
what they have achieved today.
I truly believe that Africa’s future will
be driven by a new generation of entrepreneurs who have the potential to
collectively drive the continent into a better future.
There are two common myths around starting
a business: one is that you need an amazing idea, the other is that you need an
awful lot of capital to get started. Well, you need neither of those. Instead
of the extra ordinary, Africa needs businesses and entrepreneurs that will
supply a range of everyday products and services.
Many of the continent's successful men and
women both young and old have proved that you do not need an extraordinary idea
or a hefty capital to make it; some commenced their entrepreneurial journey
with little or zero capital in hand. Today they manage great businesses on the
continent and are being featured across international media.
In
the future posts I will talk about some of these courageous men and women who are
taking Africa to the next level. I will also tell you about businesses one can
establish and become very successful.
For now, my recommendation is that you
dream big but start small. And moreover: work smart. Like I have done. I don’t
know everything about blogging but I have decided to start blogging anyway. I will
gain so much knowledge as I blog than I would if I just keep researching
waiting to gather enough information to commence. There is no such thing as the
‘perfect moment’ to start your venture. Get going with what you have. If you
don’t start, one year from now you will be the same place you are today, still
waiting for the ‘perfect moment’ to begin.
Start and learn through the journey!
