Lessons So Far - On Entrepreneurship

First guys, I want to thank you guys so much for leaving encouraging comments. I’m not sure you’ll fully understand how much they help me. I appreciate all the love and advice cuz somedays it’s just that much harder to follow through but then I truly wouldn’t want to let any of you down!! So thanks again!

Now I’ve been thinking about some of the lessons I’ve learned so far on this journey. It’s been interesting because it’s not at all what I thought it’d be like. It’s quite a different world, sometimes I feel like I’m living in an undercover world I never get to see while sitting at a desk at your 9-5 job. But anyways, here are some lessons:

1. Surprisingly one of the hardest things to get used to is the not waking up in the morning and going to the office. Or sitting in a boardroom in a meeting while someone prepares coffee or something like that. As an entrepreneur, meeting is anywhere, and work is everytime! This is actually VERY challenging for me as I’m always feeling like a slacker. It takes repeating it to myself over and over again like a mantra: “I’m trying to build something here”.
   
2. You do everything, everytime. It sounds clichéd cuz you always hear people say it but you don’t really get it until you have to go meet with client, come back type proposal, develop your ad, give ad material to communication vehicle, go pick your cards from the printer, write contracts, speak with your lawyer, etc. all in a day’s work!
   
3. Entrepreneurship is like school. (school of the hard knocks lol). But really it is like school because you have to know your sh--. You have to know your apples from your bananas and how do you do that? You research and research and research and read and read. Then you have to apply yourself. Except this time your grades are not printed on a paper and handed to you with a pat on the back at the end of the year. You get them in you bank account. A D grade = no money = you’re gonna drop out soon my friend!
   
4. As an entrepreneur you’re constantly thinking in the future, and I think as an employee, you’re constantly thinking in the now. That’s a different orientation that I have to be conscious of changing. As an employee you’re worried about THIS project, and THIS work your boss gave you, and THIS year’s performance review…etc. As a self-employed businessperson you’re thinking, how will what I’m doing now translate 2, 3 years from now?
   
5. I cannot explain the feeling of fulfillment you get when you see your project implemented in the real world. When you see 4 young men, working, making an income because of your project or your brainchild. It is so fulfilling. Yesterday as I was just about to go to sleep, you know that time period where you’re kinda almost dreaming already but you’re kinda awake, it felt like I had a dream where I actually commissioned a market research project and people are actually out there, answering it, and I felt this sense of pride, and then it occurred to me, I wasn’t actually dreaming, it was REALLY happening. The feeling is amazing.
   

So I think that’s it so far, I really want to take the time and ruminate more but I have so much work to do and on days like this where my focus is 110%, the less distractions the better. But you get my drift.

Ciao bambinos!

Rainmaker, Rainmaker....

I'm sitting at a bar....trying to plan a project i'm sooooo dedicated to. I guess I'm just not a good communicator like I want to be cause I can't seem to convey the same belief, hardwork and commitment to this project from others. It's quite a daunting project but I just wish people would see something and just truly belief in the potential rather than trying to humor me.

I know it's hardwork but truly there's money there. But i feel people are more interested in the easy type of money making....the looking for godfathers and godmothers to just rain the money on them...and for that they are willing to go all lengths. Not that I'm condemning that but I'm just not used to that. I'm not used to not believing in things. I'm not used to not believing I can achieve ANYTHING (my last post notwithstanding lol). I'm my own rainmaker dammit!!!! why do I have to move to the whims of some egoistic, small-minded people. To me that always limits your achievements.

Aaargh, i'm just frustrated.

I hate Lagos sometimes. I hate Nigeria sometimes.

Just open your minds............jeeeeeez! be creative and work!

I don't care who your father is.

I don't care if Puff Daddy has done that project before. (not the case here lol)

I don't care if I have to go and suck Fashola's middle toe.

I don't care if it's never been done before.

I just really believe that the great ones, the truly inspiring ones are the ones that write their own rules.

I WILL BE MY OWN RAINMAKER BABY!!!

Follow Follow

I'm in a weird place right now, just this very moment. It's like i have this negative cloud just perched behind me, monitoring my every move, trying to remind me that.....that....it's there.

I can try and grab the bible and inject myself with a dose of faith and spirituality and God. Everything will be okay, God has ordained it so.

Or I can try clicking refresh on facebook several times willing it, God, willing it to just show something new that would take my mind of that....that cloud.

I can submit to it and go fully into depression mode.

How did I get here? (situation, not existence!)

Where am I going?

Is this the right decision?

Why Do I feel so out of water?

Am I just being lazy and not looking for a proper job or do I really believe in what I'm doing?

It's so intangible. Belief. How can I quantify it to anyone in explanation. Okay, I can have a job for Nx million or I have this belief that this is where i should go. Although right this minute it's more expenditure than income. This minute.

It's not the job alone though. In my relationships, I feel like I may not be saying the right things to the right people the right way. Nothing is structured with emotions flying here there and everywhere. I'm the one who has walked away from those who loved her, loved those who did not love her and could not love those that did. Confused?

Truly though, I feel like these are just demons, you know. Fighting these demons that's in my head, in my mind, in mind blood, telling me I cannot and will not achieve the things I want most to achieve. They are not real. I know. It's my fear. I know. But my fears are taking on lives of their own, pulling up cushions and lodging themselves in my consciousness. Why is this so important to me anyway?

This fish is out of its fishbowl. I'm feeling a bit of fish outta the water. Me. The accidental entrepreneur.

I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. Ever since I was little and decided I wanted to be a bigshot power business executive, I always dreamt of the top floor, corner office, wielding and dealing, but never wanted that top floor to be of my own building! In fact I used to always say while I was in college, "I'm not an entrepreneur", so I never took any of those classes. Nope. My dream was Fortune 500. Now look at me. The accidental entrepreneur.

I'm just following the flow. Going wherever my feet is taking me and whatever seems to be the next logical step. Foot forward. But there's so much instability EVERYWHERE. I think it could kill me.

I've been having panic attacks for the last 3 weeks and I'm afraid to face the fact that I know why. That I'm constantly checking, where is my paycheck gonna come from? And then I muster up some faith and stubborness, then pick up a bible......

Something in me tells me, this is a growth period for me. It doesn't make it any less difficult. A line from one my favorite movies (Evita) says "sometimes it's difficult to keep momentum when it is you that you are following."

So I'm testifying here with this post. It is difficult to follow yourself, your heart.

He who has ears, let him hear.