FEAR. FAILURE. FRIENDS — My Story

When I was in Kano running my Cyber Café business I made a lot money from writing reports, projects, and most especially, resume and CV.

At a point what was bringing in the money was >95% writing and not browsing. I made research with my data bundle.

Interestingly, most were from BUK and other tertiary institution students and some Corps members and graduates. Others were corporates.

That was 2016–2017.

My very good friend and benefactor, Saheed Oladele (SURETRUST) whom we shared a great time together would visit me at Kawo area where I had my Cafe, and I often spend some time at his laundry shop at Suleiman Crescent, Badawa.

We were big boys in Kano, serving in Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO). We worked from the Headquarters in Niger Street, Post-Office and would often go on our field work in full-blast AC vehicles. It was a big deal, as we cruised the city daily. It also affords us the opportunity to go to numerous communities we wouldn’t have been. Through it we experienced rural Kano, as we go about our customer enumeration exercise, aimed at capturing new customers and blocking revenue leakages.

We did a lot of work and learnt from great bosses and in different department.

We however looked crazy not to be disturbed by the tension of getting a better job after service. We were unperturbed. Getting to the end of the service year, most of our colleagues were panicking, as it usually is, and you could predict that 1 in every 3 conversations was about ‘life after service’.

Saheed on one hand was a lowkey business man. He had a thriving remote business even before NYSC that allows him to live wherever he wants and afford the necessities of life with ease. He’s financially independent and would later sponsor himself on lesser hajj (pilgrimage) in 2017.

I got a part-time coaching job during service too plus my freelance writing services. So, my take-home was around 100k in a month from which I saved up to start my café.

We were both E&E engineering graduates (from Lautech and Unilorin) but had eyes for acquiring new skills, even those out of our field.

While others were fretting about after service, Saheed did market visibility study and learnt laundry. Laundry was a selling business in Kano, so he learnt laundry on YouTube targeting high profile clients.

I did too with Café business and we both stayed back running our business in Kano after service and helping each other grow. It’s interesting that one of the foremost clients of Saheed was a KEDCO staff who needed to dry-clean her wedding gown. My friend has never done a wedding gown before but he did a perfect job after watching a few YouTube videos. His client was impressed.

This story is long but the most memorable part of it was the down moments. One of it was when a rogue, an elderly man, disguised like he wanted to give me a contract and in the process packed my phones and some gadgets away.

I was already having some financial challenges so the eagerness to jump on the ‘sweet offer’ didn’t allow me to do due diligence. So, I was duped. But Saheed, despite being duped too 2 weeks earlier came along for me. He was like a shock absorber and gave me moral and financial support.

He was nursing his, but he stood by me anyway, And we moved on but not without learning key business lessons.

1. If the offer sounds too juicy, that is the time to wear your critical thinking hat and deploy your sixth sense.

We did not do due diligence and were both duped simultaneously. It was as if those guys trailed us before coming for us one after the other. We were carried away by the returns we’d make from the offer and overlook the tracks and signs.

Be careful to enter into a deal when you’re too happy or in need. Those moments are your weak moments, you can be caught off-guard by the dumbest even if you are the smartest.

I was born and raised in Lagos Island and know how this thing works, and never imagined I would be duped in Kano. It took me a long while to forgive myself.

2. Diversify

My friend had a thriving remote business but he still started laundry and dry cleaning service. He also had a growing online business community. He invested in real estates too… so, it’s not too hard on him when some of it were crashing.

I also relied mostly on my freelance writing and good powerful people-skill during this moment. And I was still expanding my coaching job.

3. You Can’t Do It Alone

In my last podcast, I talked about networking and having a good tribe. It would have been difficult to do what I did alone. That is why it is said that “One is too small a number to achieve greatness”. Don’t start forming KINGKONG, you need people as you progress in life and business. Your job is to identify people whom you have mutual value and genuinely seek to help them grow. Only then would they be committed to yours too.

In my case, Saheed, my good friend, supported me in ways I never imagined. He got me a new phone when the nonentity stole mine. And in other numerous ways.

4. Don’t be Shy to Go Dirty

My old friend Abdullahi Muhammad used to tell me that,

“Ibrahim, don’t be afraid to carry your business on your head.” He would say, “if I had to start again, and pure water is what will bring money, I’d sell it gladly in traffic.” He concludes, “people will soon forget that you were the one in traffic when you make your money.”

Bashirah Ajao (Sisi Herfrican) was the NYSC editorial secretary when I was the president. It was like play she started her business and with dedication she rose tremendously. A very industrious lady, she never ceases to amaze me. You’d always see her going ‘dirty’ to get her business moving. No shyness. She sells like crazy. And now, she’s a growing household brand to reckon with in the skincare industry.

If you live your life on what people will say, you’d die a coward and broke. Sadly, these are two disastrous ailments you don’t want to regret on later in life.

What is that thing you know you can do but afraid to start because you are afraid of what people will say?

You better get legally ‘dirty’ and start today, else you’d regret it later. You don’t want to, do you?

Mind you, I went to learn electronics repair during 100level break. When I was critically broke in 500level, I went around Tanke, Ilorin with multiple printed posters, that reads,

“if you need a private teacher for your kids I’m a phone call away.”

I got a ridiculous offer of N5,000 out of all. I was broke and hungry so I took the job. It was flexible too, so I jumped on it. Through the job, I got a space to do NYSC registration business for my colleagues and from that what later would be a vote of confidence from a client who happened to be my fiancée’s friend when she was researching me whether to consider my proposal. This, I didn’t know until she told me after marriage.

Let me add one more lesson before I stop.

5. In business, you must know when to innovate and move unto the next big thing.

Just like the story I shared in my last podcast episode from the fable of the book Who Moved My Cheese, you should be flexible to change and not wast time on lamenting on what’s not working.

Open your eyes and ears to life and business trends and most especially your industry, to know when to transit.

Before this turns into a lecture, let me pause here.

If you’ve learnt anything, feel free to share it. We rise by lifting others.

PS: I am Ibrahim, a communication and digital media strategist with professional experience in helping individuals and corporates use storytelling to break complex concepts into seamlessly easy and engaging bits of information that are not only actionable but translate into impactful returns.

I recently started the GrantMaster Africa where I consult for entrepreneurs, SMEs and social enterprises on how to win Grants and grow their Businesses.

Visit https://grantmasterafrica.com to learn more!

You can also subscribe to my podcast here or visit my main website to listen to any of the tracks.