I had recently turned 29, so I have been doing a lot of introspecting, reflecting on my journey so far, my choices and how to make the most of my youth. So, when I came across Dr. Tayo's twitter post, it spoke to me, as I believe it should to, to other Nigerian youths.
But who is Dr. Tayo and why should you care about his opinion? Well, Dr. Tayo is a business leader with start-up and corporate organization experience in Africa, Europe, and North America, he has 22 year’s experience across finance and management consulting. He is also the founder of Overwood, an investment firm in Nigeria. Beyond this stellar portfolio, he utilizes social media to mentor and dish out counsel to professionals and entrepreneurs, you should definitely check him out.
On the 5 things he wish he knew, he tweeted;
These are surely words to live by, especially the 5th point, considering how commonly misunderstood the prayer is in the Nigerian religious space. Prayer is not meant to take the place of hard, smart and strategic work. Sam Adeyemi once said if prayers solved everything, then Nigerians would not have any problem, considering how much they pray. In my experience, money comes from building leverage, a system that gives value to people and rewards you in return. So, think of an idea that will solve a problem and add value to people, businesses or the society. Plan and strategize on how you will implement the ideas but start small. Ensure you start with least possible financial commitment you can afford, so start where you are, with the things you have already. In testing this system, you will see what works and what does not, and you will keep iterating. Allow the value grow, let those at the receiving end get it for free at first, if possible. The system will grow enough to the point, that the financial reward or money becomes inevitable. This is my investment model.
On taking risks, this is surely something I have come to embrace recently, especially as it regards implementing some of my ideas. In my early 20s, when I had just started out conceiving ideas, most of them were always so big and seemed too risky that I did not know how to navigate the implementation. Like the one time I wanted to do a Food truck business in Lagos, or the time I wanted start a mobile money company. Nowadays, I plan, strategize and execute. Let me fail along the way.
Some consider these points if you're in your 20s or early 30s still.