Only those who do NOT know me will make the BIG mistake of thinking that ANY setback, delay or disappointment can EVER make me change my mind about achieving a goal I’ve carefully thought about and concluded to be worth pursuing.
If truth be told, I simply do NOT know how to give up on anything I set my mind on.
That’s why those who find themselves in my way (especially ones who go beyond nay saying to making efforts – openly or hidden) to try and stop me, will rarely find it funny, because I AM fanatically relentless.
And that’s what has gotten me to build my brand to be what it is today, online – despite the fact that I literally had to crawl my way up from way below ground zero.
I had nothing left after less than 18 months in my first startup year – back in 2003. The little change I’d left Guinness Nigeria with, after I resigned had evaporated before I had time to unlearn the bad spending habits I’d picked up during my 7 year journey as a well paid high flying manager in that company.
Looking back, I must say it was from that point that I really hit rock bottom.
Especially after I tried valiantly for another 5 years following that period, without success, to get my act together towards making the impact I believed I was capable of.
Nothing just seemed to work the way I planned or wanted them to. Nothing at all.
At this time, I should add, that I was completely and totally unable cough up a mere N100.0 naira to buy fuel into my own car, talk less of giving money to the kids or their mother (who did not work at the time).
The only saving grace I had was that we’d been forced to move in with my parents in the family house at the time, after I’d failed to find accommodation in Ibadan where, in line with my exit plans from Guinness, I’d originally intended to settle down, in preparation to launch a Catfish Farm based business.
So, at least my family had access to food and shelter – but that was more or less it.
Each day, I had to find a way to go out and “hunt” for business – any business at all, that my skills set could attract.
But I soon stopped looking to big companies after I got tired of the silly mind games and nonsensical demands that those whose personnel I had contact with seemed to be so keen on.
Instead I began approaching small and micro business owners, who I was over time able to win over.
But those sales took time to make. The came in trickles that went on and off erratically, until I learned to make them happen on a more regular basis via pavement pounding.
(TIP: Today, however, I no longer go “hunting” and instead deliver the very same solutions to clients who discover me online, via my web marketing).
I got to a point at which I borrowed from anyone close to me, to get N200 to visit the cafe and check my mails, and/or to by petrol into my car to go out each day.
Eventually, some people, especially close relatives/friends stopped taking my calls, and often let their phones ring out. They had given and given, in various amounts, and I rarely was able to RETURN what they gave.
It was bound to happen -and I did not blame any of them for doing so. They had their own responsibilities and priorities.
But those experiences during my darkest days as an entrepreneur (and they happened every now and then for many years) were the making of me – to paraphrase Thomas Edison, in a quote referring to his mother.
Those terrible days and nights when I had nothing and found myself still getting hit with what were seemingly harsher doses of more bad luck than I’d faced, were what transformed/shaped me into the force of nature that I am today.
I wish it was not true, but the fact is that I NEVER had any mentor anywhere, who showed me the way or opened doors for me. Neither did I have any fan club of admirers who openly rooted for me from the sidelines all through most of my dark days.
All I had was myself.
And I realized I would simply have to dig deep within myself to find the solutions I needed, when no one else was willing to believe further with me at that point.
Thankfully, I’d always read a lot, and my reading had often been focused on books for personal achievement – like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, and similar others (like James R. Cook’s excellent New York Times bestseller “The Startup Entrepreneur), as well as several of Robert Kiyosaki’s books.
Those were the closest to real life mentoring I got, and I had to accept that they would have to be enough.
You see, I’d trained myself YEARS before I went into business, to NEVER look outside of myself for answers to my problems.
If anything comes from outside of me, that helps me progress or succeed, I’ll take that as a bonus.
But most of my effort is deliberately focused on intelligently exploring ways to achieve my goals. And that includes connecting with the Creator, so that relevant inspiration comes to me that I can harness for use in the physical plane.
This latter statement highlights the key to the success I continue to enjoy today, despite exposure to myriad visitations of heart breaking adversity.
I tell many people all the time that they can tap inwardly for guidance to solve problems from the Creator, if they are willing to LISTEN and LEARN from him, instead of chasing others to do it for them.
This is why I have so many experiences that I narrate as true stories to individual/group audiences in which I achieve what others consider impossible or miracles of sorts.
A good example is how, several months ago, I convinced a total stranger – a Nigerian born professional living and working in the UK – who has still yet to meet me in person, to fund my web hosting reseller account with $100 US dollars.
This was so I could use the money to effect renewal payments for my webhosting clients in Nigeria and Benin Republics. And it’s not the first time I’ve done such a thing – with others too.
You will agree with me that, as we say in Nigeria, THAT goes beyond “ordinary eyes’.
Yes. That’s evidence of spiritual intervention – but not in a religious sense, as I point out to my audience…since I do NOT practice any formal religion and have not done so since 1989 (my 3rd year in the university).
But guess what?
I’ve diligently applied myself with single minded determination in pursuit of my goals, by promoting my brand at low to zero cost using the web.
The positive results I’ve have recorded over the years, evidenced by the growth in name and brand recognition I now enjoy at an increasing rate, today, makes more people willing to believe and invest in me
Unlike what happened in the past, I find that some friends, relatives and even clients, are now more willing to go out of their way to support me, anytime I make the request.
Sometimes I’ve been shocked by how readily some accept to do so, and that really helps me appreciate how far I’ve come.
This brings me to the core message I want to pass in this article
You see, your journey to success is very unlikely to be a straight and short one.
Life is very rarely lived that way – especially not for an authentic non-corner-cutting entrepreneur.
The peaks (successes) and troughs (failures) you pass through will form an integral part of your learning experience, and you will be wise to make smart use of them to improve yourself.
Doing that will however not be easy: Failure can be very painful, discouraging and frustrating!
Sometimes you will wonder “why does it have to be so hard?” and even complain that you’re suffering too much. Don’t worry, it’s only human to feel that way!
Feel free to vent.
Find someone who cares enough to share with you during those tough moments. [Hint: For some people, their spouses WILL NOT be THAT person :-)]
But never let yourself get into a rut from which you’re unable to emerge. Understand that no matter what goes wrong as you work hard to succeed, YOU ARE 100% capable of beating it and advancing to the next level of success you desire.
What you simply need to do is resolve never to give up, and instead aim to do more, with greater intelligence and creativity, based on careful analysis of why you did not succeed before. Sooner than later, you will find success on a more repeatable and consistent basis.
Everything I’ve said to you above, is what I’ve done countless times over the past 14 years, to get my brand to the point I’m at today, in which I get paid by clients from within and outside Africa to provide my multidisciplinary range of solutions.
That’s why I know that nothing can EVER stop me from doing more, and succeeding even better than I am currently doing.
It is also why I am convinced that if you adopt a similar mental attitude and strategy, you WILL also become UNSTOPPABLE, no matter what goes wrong in your life – like I AM!
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“…we’ve brought to you today these stories of not-giving-up, the stories of success that you won’t hear about in the evening news. The real stories of everyday entrepreneurs who quit their jobs to pursue their passions—and succeeded.
These are the real stories that can help you chart your course on your way to success, to give up the fear of failing and begin your new life as an entrepreneur.
Against the odds
These successful entrepreneurs preserved against all the odds—the constant doubts placed on them by their friends, family and others. But they not only survived, they thrived.
https://blog.invoiceberry.com/2016/11/25-successful-entrepreneurs-quit-jobs-passions/
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“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge
PII 064: Life Will Not Always be Fair – The Secret to Having Your Way Anyway [Hint: Is Your Job Keeping You from Being a Better Parent?]
