The incurable optimist: my 2018 review
Sometimes, people ask me why I write a yearly review.
Is it for self-promotion?
Is it for entertainment?
Is it for inspiration?
I’d leave you to answer this when you get to the last line of my story (or better still, collection of stories).
For now, I’d like you to pull your zobo close (or any bottle of something cold), strap your seat belt on and get ready to fly with me through the fascinating journey that is the 6th installment in the series (you can read up 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 & 2013). I’m incurably optimistic you’ll have a safe flight.
What a year!
From leading a terrific digital design agency to reaching thousands of orphans in Africa’s biggest orphanage outreach, 2018 came clothed in drama, prose and poetry. Some months were so tough, it took incurable optimism to get me through. Other months were so awesome, I practically didn’t want them to end. Here is a categorical breakdown of my best experiences and biggest lessons from 2018. Ready?
Awards
I love seeing the shock on people’s faces when they visit me for the first time. I have a few awards on the walls and while it may seem braggadocios, these awards actually inspire me at my lowest moments. I look around and I remind myself that there is nothing I cannot do. While these awards are not an accurate barometer of my impact in any given year, they simply show that someone somewhere is paying attention. This year, I’ll talk about each award and share a backstory.
#1
Yali Star of Business
In July, I was selected for and participated in Cohort 5 of YALI West Africa 3 weeks onsite training. Among 125 young leaders from 8 different countries, I was in the entrepreneurship track. In my group, I worked with Abraham & Emmanuel (Liberia), Beatrice (Burkina Faso) & Moni (Nigeria).
Entrepreneurship track was to have a group contest. I found that Liberians talked like they were rapping and I had to be extra-patient to hear their thoughts. Beatrice spoke French and struggled with English. Together with Moni, we suggested simple words & helped articulate her thoughts.
Though each person had different views, we harmonized by choosing ideas most likely to scale. In the end, I presented on behalf of my group, we won the contest with our idea of bringing digital skills to universities. We then represented entrepreneurship track and won the other 2 tracks. This experience taught me that diversity births robust solutions & collaboration can accelerate impact.
Other people like Oyesanya Moyinoluwa Adesewa (my PwC friend) worked with me in other teams. Moyin was exceptionally friendly and led well too.
Amadou Chico Cissoko was a phenomenal instructor. The Myer-Briggs personality test was a revelation. Beatrice literally dragged me to the club house. It was fun, even though I danced terribly.
At the closing ceremony, I was awarded the ‘YALI Star of Business’. The award was a recognition of my team work, time management, group presentation & peer-to-peer support.
YALI Regional Leadership Center West Africa is a wonderful opportunity for young leaders to sharpen their leadership skills, learn from Africa’s brightest minds, make a difference in their communities and launch into the global stage. My first application didn’t work out. My second application did. Ensure you apply for the next cohort and don’t let rejection discourage you from applying again. Stay incurably optimistic.
#2
Finalist, Kickstart
I was recognized as 1 of the top 40 young entrepreneurs in South West Nigeria by International Breweries PLC in the Kickstart Contest.
This journey started in November 2017 when I saw the opportunity online (you have to constantly track opportunities in your area of interest). Epower moved on to the boot camp phase and on to the pitching phase and visitation phase. A summary of my pitch was actually showcased during the award ceremony. Even though we did not receive a grant (the judges felt we had enough money and enough structure and didn’t need their help), it was an interesting experience (albeit prolonged). If you’re applying this year, prepare for a long walk to freedom.
#3
Change Alliance Entrepreneur of the year
Talk about last minute miracles.
I belong to a socio-political group on WhatsApp where issues bordering on development and nation building are brought to the front burner every single day. This group has some of the finest young minds across Africa. It has Mandela Washington Fellows, YALI West Africa fellows, Tony Elumelu Fellows, PHDs, social change agents, politicians, lawyers, activists and all kinds of awesome folks. So, when I was voted as the ‘Entrepreneur of the year’ on the 31st of December 2018, I felt both humble and grateful. For the recognition and for the awesome things we are going to do together in 2019.
Friends & Neighbors
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart”
Eleanor Roosevelt
“Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you”
Misty Copeland
Being surrounded by a strong support system of trailblazers and leaders is one of the best things that happened to me in 2018.
Femi Iromini (CEO, Lead360) shared extensively on the power of relationships and marketing and even though we spoke few times in 2018, we often spoke for hours at a time, on the phone.
Thanks to Olorunsola Sarah Bidemi for serving as my special assistant while I could barely lift anything (not even 1 bag of pure water) after the Jacuzzi accident . I am very grateful.
Ayo Atitebi is a rain maker. He literally made rain by sending me info when anyone on his timeline needed a website. He kept sending updates until when one such update landed Epower a big fish. We were commissioned to design a website for the CEO of Eventecture (the biggest &perhaps the busiest event company in Nigeria). Ayo showed He cared by sharing what I cared about. Friends like Ayo are rare and special. By the way, Ayo is one of Nigeria’s hottest corporate MC’s. He is so good, He is bad. Holla.
Famurewa Olumide is a friend for all seasons. Thank you so much for hosting me at your place and for helping me print and submit my Kickstart documents.
Dr Yemisi Adeyeye of Life Fount Hospital came through for me at the nick of time. Thank you so much Doc.
Owolabi Sarah is a different kind of neighbor. The kind that brings a 2 course meal of rice with meat & vegetables to a bloody bachelor who is terrible at (I mean great at) cooking. I know what you’re thinking. Sarah is engaged to the love of her life so delete that ‘efo riro’ thought that just crossed your mind. Sarah is a fashion designer so y’all should holla.
Adefajo Rasaq Opeyemi was another exceptional neighbor. Where I live is a bit far from ATM’s and so, sometimes, I’d have N1,000 notes or no notes and would need change (that’s N50 or N100) to get from my crib to the ATM. Rasaq was a lifesaver on numerous occasions (plus, He gave me 90% of the movies I saw in 2018) and I do not know what I did to deserve such kindness. He is picture shy, oops!
Do not forget to surround yourself with the right company.
Let me add this: some persons assume you have all the money all the time and that when you do not give them, you are just being stingy. This corrosive belief sadly affected 2 of my good friendships. Friendships should not be sacrificed on the altar of money. Different people are dealing with different things at different times. It just might be timing, not that your friends don’t care. Enough said.
Family
Single ladies who are 28 and above, I hail you.
I guess being a guy is saving me from being under intense pressure. Still, my mum ends her prayers for me with ‘you shall find a good wife’. Dad only mentioned it once or twice all year.
Our parents (especially our mums) want to carry their grandchildren like yesterday (never mind that my mum already has 8 from my older siblings). While I think marriage is important, being ready for marriage is importanter. Rushing into marriage without being emotionally or financially ready is a recipe for disaster. Yes, I have found love again and She actually read the first draft). But no, I will not be getting married in 2019. It’s more like 2022 at this point (no placards please).
My parents & siblings were a solid rock in 2018. Thank you so much for your love and care. Let’s do it bigger in 2019.
Media
First things first.
I’d like to thank the numerous media outlets who felt I had an inspiring message and kept inviting me to share my ideas. In no particular order:
I had my first interview on TVC via Skype.
The network was so bad they had to switch to audio. I shared on youth unemployability and they were so intrigued by my perspective, TVC requested another interview barely 48hrs later. This time, the video was on point. I still believe unemployability and not unemployment, is the biggest challenge facing Nigerian youths. Before you pick that placard, see for yourself.
I was on Impact Business Radio and Impact Africa Television numerous times. I spoke on topics such as ‘social media, electronic voting, volunteering’. The last TV interview I did was on how December to Remember is changing lives across Africa. Catch up here.
While growing up, Saturdays mornings were dedicated to watching wrestling and soaking up BCOS TV Saturday Special. This time around, I was on Saturday Special with special guests. Edem Ossai, Babajide Fadoju & myself spoke on the ‘social media addiction’. It was a cracker.
I was on BCOS TV other times though, I even did a Yoruba interview (trust me, it was a disaster).
Mr Dike of APRECON conducted a very explosive sit down interview and I still remember the electrifying atmosphere, the comfortable sofa and the intense gaze of my interviewer.
I had Radio interviews at 32fm & Oluyole fm. I had so many requests, I actually turned some down and recommended trusted folks.
If you’re wondering how to get on TV or Radio, be visible on social media (you never know who’s watching) and be connected to friends who have media connections (like OAPs or anyone working in a media house).
From my experience, media houses are always looking for exciting, intelligent experts to feature. You have to know your stuff. If you’re loaded, you’re needed. You are needed to the degree to which you are loaded. Apart from people you know, people who know you matter. The power of recommendation is real. Media houses have asked me to recommend people too. Be so good that they can’t ignore you.
1 million: Projected reach via Radio & TV.
Someone reading this will ‘blow’ in 2019 (is that you screaming amen?).
Movies
Confession time: I saw way too many movies in 2018 & I will certainly cut down on movies in 2019.
Right now, I have drastically reduced the number of movies on my PC. Watching a 10 minute educational video while eating is far better than watching a 2hr movie. 2hrs is too much time to commit to just any movie. That said, I saw some incredible movies in 2018.
The exceptional ones
Ninja Assassin: 2 detectives launched an investigation into high profile assasinations only to discover Ninja’s were behind them. The number 1 suspect turned out to be their ally and boy, can He destroy. I could see mastery in action. Extreme competence, discipline, focus and strength of character The one move the master didn’t teach is the move that the student used against him. Beyond Ninja fighting and the insane action, the story melted my heart.
Captain Philips: Tom Hanks was a very stubborn captain. Somali pirates threatened but in the end, the NAVY seals took out the pirates. It’s amazing how many assets were deployed to save the life of one person.
Conviction: A movie about a man who was wrongly convicted of murder. He was framed by his wife and a police officer and for 18 years, his Sister sacrificed her life, nearly lost her family, got into law school, learnt about DNA evidence from a study group, didn’t give up when evidence She needed was 16 years old though it was meant to be destroyed by year 10, She persisted until it was found. She totally believed in his innocence. The kind of love She exhibited is very rare.
The Numbers station: A special agent was assigned to protect a broadcaster/cryptologist, He was also instructed to terminate her but didn’t do so. In the end, not doing so saved his life and the life of his bosses.
To Do List: Epic comedy about a high school valedictorian who wanted to let loose and drafted a sexual to-do list. With input from her sister and support from her friends, She ticked off every item and finally discovered that sex is not a big deal but can be a big deal. Sometimes, sex is just sex but sex is different with the right person. The humor was off the charts. The cast were down to earth and delivered the goods. Incredible story.
Quantico Season 1: It explored the lives of young FBI recruits training to become special agents. Priyanka Chopra was phenomenal. The action and compelling story telling was enchanting until I got bored at Season 3. Amazon (almost) totally nailed this one.
Invictus: Even in the midst of Apathy and despair and tough opponents, Mandela inspired South Africa’s mainly white Rugby team to win the Rughy world cup on home soil. Inspiration is powerful.
Books
Confession: I did not read enough books in 2018 even though I read all kinds of articles and reports. That said, I came across some pretty wonderful books.
Principles: Even if you don’t read the book ‘Principles’, watch Billionaire Ray Dalio share in this epic TED Talk, how His radical philosophy of honest communication helped build Bridge Water into the world’s biggest hedge fund.
Becoming: ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama is the best compendium of personal stories & anecdotes you will find this year. Michelle takes us way back to her humble beginnings. How She grew up in the South Side of Chicago, overcoming self-doubt and falling in love with the man who would become the 44th President of the United States. I liked her chronicle of the political campaigns in particular. Get your tissues handy.
Blue Ocean Expanded Edition: If there is one book on strategy that can change your paradigm, it’s Blue Ocean Expanded Edition. If you run a business or work in one, this should be your bible. You’d learn how to get out of the red ocean of bloody competition and create blue Ocean of uncontested market space. If you’re like me and you’ve read the first edition, trust me on this one: the expanded edition will blow your mind.
So good they can’t ignore you: Thanks to my friend from France (Koye-ladele Mogbekeloluwa), I got to know about Newport’s ‘So good they can’t ignore you’. After reading Koye’s review (He is very cerebral), I simply got the book and read it to pieces. Newport debunks the common myth that ‘finding work you love is the key to a great career’. I have always thought passion was the key until Newport dazzled with facts, stats & stories to prove that having skills that are rare & valuable, rather than doing things you love, is the key to a great career. If you want to take your career to the next level or you’re contemplating a switch, this should be your next read.
Money: Master the Game: For the second time, I had another go at Tony Robbin’s book (even though I didn’t finish). It is filled practical wisdom on how to create & grow wealth. You certainly should read this.
Tribe of Mentors: What happens when you get the world’s most successful people to answer the most intriguing questions about life & success? Timothy Ferris’s ‘Tribe of Mentors’ is what happens. The book cover lacks taste but the content is ‘stewed’. This intense page turner is sure to blow your mind with granular insight into the lives of legends and wise counsel capable of transforming your life forever.
Epower
Permit me to reintroduce myself.
My name is Olugbenga Ogunbowale, CEO of Epower.ng
For businesses who wish to gain visibility & attract more customers online, epower.ng is a digital agency that connects SME’s to customers through websites, games & apps. Unlike traditional advertising that is hard to target & difficult to measure, Epower.ng harnesses the power of design & digital storytelling to help businesses make the shift from overlooked to overbooked. We are design driven, customer obsessed and laser focused on tangible results for our clients through our websites, apps & custom digital solutions.
But don’t just take my word for it. Take Mrs Ayo Oseni for instance.
Mrs Ayo Oseni of USC Experts was tired of her old website. As an expert in helping young people secure admission into US colleges, her website was a critical component of her marketing. She knew the old website portrayed her brand in a poor light and needed a reputable digital agency to change the face of her brand. A friend shared one of our posts with her on Facebook (remember that radical post where we harassed friends for shares) and She got in touch.
Mrs Ayo used these exact words “the difference between the old and new website is the difference between night and day”.
Instead of talking about how we transformed USCexperts, how about you see for yourself and make your own judgment?
We worked with really awesome clients. Take Mrs Ramatu for instance.
Dilemma
The CEO of Pure Garment, Mrs Ramatu Ibrahim had tried several digital agencies & was not satisfied with what She was getting out there. She subsequently ignored anything online marketing. We met at the Sheraton event and She warned me She can be difficult to satisfy because She has high standards.
She was selected by Enterprise Development center (of Pan Atlantic University, Lagos) to host the Global Entrepreneurship week in Kaduna. Mrs Ramatu sought to influence Entrepreneurs in Kaduna to attend the GEW events through Social media. Epower had barely 2 weeks to deliver physical attendance as follows:
The Walk: 300
Women Enterprise Day: 200
Youths Program: 200
Our approach
First, we created social media pages for her brand and we branded these pages with compelling designs. Then we created designs for the different events and special designs for each speaker. Next, we ran a targeted Facebook lead generation campaign. Then, we can ran a simultaneous SMS & Email campaign targeted to the leads. All on a shoestring budget.
Result
Total Physical attendance in excess of 800 participants.
Over 40,000 impressions online.
Kaduna won the award of ‘Partner of the year’ beating other host cities including Lagos, Abuja & Ibadan.
Why should you be concerned?
In a medical survey, 94% of participants said that they disqualified a medical website based on the website design alone. Design.
You cannot afford to go through 2019 with a barely manageable online presence/website/app/designs. Quit handling your brand image to that ‘cousin of yours that can design’ or that friend of yours that ‘just learnt web design’.
If you want your business to be taken seriously, you have to get serious about your brand image. Find amazing client stories here.
Inside stories
In 2018, we expanded from 1 office to 2.
Suite 13 now hosts another office and a kitchen. We do not play with food o. A couple of friends who last saw me in school say I have added. Well, that is due to the mighty hand of Victoria. Her interview was the finest ever! Victoria Ezekiel dazzled with Semo & Egusi. Oh. Lawd.
We also launched our new website (you’ve not seen www.epower.ng like seriously?)
We created a compelling story for Epower’s April Fool prank.
Our fake CNN design & story worked so well, people still congratulate me till today on our international expansion (well, it’s gonna happen soon). I hope y’all forget you read this and fall hard for another prank on April 1, 2019.
In 2018, we scrapped Saturday as a work day at Epower!
To the best team ever: I love you.
Rasheed Ridwan has been awesome. Thank you so much for ensuring our operations & web projects run smoothly. Thank you for your brilliant ideas and your relentless quest for excellence.
Hammed Oyedele & Emmanuel Akinosun, thank you for spinning terrific designs. Your passion and dedication remain legendary. Mayor Smith, for working round the clock to seal deals, thank you so much. Thank you Victoria Ezekiel, for ensuring we stay fresh & our necks don’t get long. Komolafe Ronke, thank you for keeping our work space squeaky clean.
The best investment I made
The best investment I made this year was the N45,000 I paid for my battery/inverter. If you live in Nigeria, then you know how erratic power supply can be.
Now, imagine you have a noiseless device that works for 7 hrs stretch needing no petrol or engine oil. Thanks to my inverter, I do good work on my PC anytime I want (I do not have a TV and will not be buying anytime soon). Since my lights are almost always on, my neighbors secretly call me ‘the inverter man’.
Nigeria’s messed up health care system
Dec 22
While taking my bath at a guest house somewhere in Ilfe-Ife, Osun state, I slipped, fell hard and hit my left rib cage against the Jacuzzi.
The pain was so sharp I cried for help, except none came (no ‘911’, except ‘ara adugbo, egbami o’). I struggled to get up. I tried to get an ATM in town. Didn’t work out, I eventually hit OAU campus & tried to get help at the Health center but the Doctor was so emotionless and He asked that I get a card.
I was in pain, I did try to get the card but with no one to attend to me at the registration desk, it looked like I would be stuck for the entire day and the pain would worsen. I opted to leave and managed to get Aboniki & Paracetamol outside the campus.
The next day, I heard about the untimely death of a 200L accounting student of OAU. He was robbed, sustained injuries and was rushed to health center, which then referred him to OAUTHC. The folks there refused to attend to him because He didn’t come with an ID card. ‘ID Card’. I was so angry, I wrote a post on Facebook chronicling my own experience.
That Crazy TEDx Talk
On the 23rd of April and for the first time ever, I shared that I had scoliosis in a Facebook scoliosis support group.
Sharing in this group triggered an outpouring of support. Communities are powerful. And just as expected, I was asked for the degree of my curve, except I had no clue. They encouraged me to find out and I did a scan. It was not fun seeing my spine curved and I started exploring options.
Scoliosis means you cannot sit anyhow or bend anyhow (else, back pain sets in). I had to switch seats at work and at home.
I was in the midst of dealing with scoliosis when I received an invite to speak at TEDx UI.
My initial reaction was to share on digital marketing, entrepreneurship or maybe volunteering. The theme was ‘1,000 ideas +1’ and I wanted to deliver a truly radical idea with the potential to change lives. It was the biggest decision I took in 2018: the decision to share my story at a TEDx.
Watch the talk here.
Speaking engagements
My sessions have been described as ‘energetic’, ‘thought provoking’, ‘mind blowing’ & ‘life changing’. None of which would have happened without the awesome leaders who considered my story inspiring enough to share.
Jan 20: I spoke at SOZO Strategy Master class Ibadan organized by Dr Segun Fatundimu. Estimated Population: 30
Jan 31: I spoke at TEEP mentorship summit at Kwara, organized by Dr Yemisi Adeyeye. Estimated Population: 100
Feb 10: I spoke at Yali network meet up Ibadan. Catch the slides here. Estimated Population: 80
Feb 16: I delivered a 10 mins talk at Jesus, Love & Costume organized by Harvest House Christian Center. It’s all here. Estimated Population: 250
Pacesetters Leadership Club: In 2016, I co-founded Pacesetters Leadership Club alongside the absolutely inspiring Gbenga Asaolu & our hero Amupitan Moses (who we lost, sadly, in 2018).
PLC is the leading speaking and leadership club in Ibadan and we meet on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of every month. I delivered several speeches and won a few contests. Estimated Population: 30 to 80
March 23: Spoke at Mayor Smith’s event for secondary students. Estimated Population: 70
March 27: Spoke at Oredola Ibrahim’s UI event on “Saving Nigeria’s education through technology”. It’s all here. Estimated Population: 60
April 7: Spoke at Rachel Lucky’s ‘Talent to Business’. Estimated Population: 100
April 28: Spoke at Rasheed Ridwan’s Zero to One. Estimated Population: 90
Facilitated an E-merge class. Estimated Population: 250
May to October: I trained SME’s on how to use digital tools for business courtesy Facebook & She Leads Africa. Estimated Population: 600
June 13: Spoke at Mc Pherson University on Digitally Utilizing Social Media to your advantage & How to write a business plan. It was organized by Kayode Olumurewa. Estimated Population: 60
July 28: I was a Panelist at SOZO’s Safe conference. Estimated Population: 250
Aug 4: Spoke at Dayo Nigeria’s LEAP Master class: Developing a Compelling online brand. Here’s how. Estimated Population: 30
Aug 5: Taught a Telegram class on ‘How not to use your phone’. It was organized by Ogundare Kolade. Estimated Population: 1,000
Aug 10: Spoke at LET bootcamp on story telling for impact. Estimated Population: 30
Aug 12: Taught another Telegram class on ‘How to use your phone to accelerate in life’. Estimated Population: 1,000
Spoke at Latter Glory Evangelical Ministries on ‘Youths in economic development’. Estimated Population: 1,200
I facilitated a WhatsApp training for Ex-sesewa folks on ‘social media for personal development. Estimated Population: 100
Taught digital marketing at Isura’s training backed By Total Oil. Estimated Population: 30
Sept 9: What’s a birthday without impact? I organized Spectator to Spectacular 3. International, multiple award winning speakers like (my dear brother) Oladayo Bowale Olujuwon and Oladeji Slitz Kennie shared on how to ‘Lead a purpose driven business’ and how to ‘lead a purpose driven career’. Estimated Population: 80
Sept 16: Spoke at Jesus Discipleship ministries. Taught “Harnessing the digital age. Catch up here. Estimated Population: 50
Sept 22: Spoke at TEDx UI on What if banter could save your life. Dr Adereni of help mum spoke on health care. Inspiring talk. Simi spoke passionately though She didn’t sing. Rubbed shoulders with speakers like Mary Onyali. Estimated Population: 500
Sept 23: I spoke at Build Your Business, an event put together by YALI West Africa Cohort 5 fellows in Ibadan & Pacesetters Leadership Club to deliver a free business training as their community service. Estimated Population: 70
Oct 6: Taught a Whatsapp class on 3D: Entrepreneurship Development, Ideas & Opportunities. Estimated Population: 250
Oct 12: Taught a Whatsapp class for 9 Scholar on Get Funded. Estimated Population: 100
Oct 17: Taught ‘Digital Media Marketing as a veritable tool for increasing Sales & Products marketing’ at the Nigeria-American Chamber of Commerce Int’l SME conference, Sheraton, Abuja. I was only meant to teach a workshop in the afternoon but Opeoluwa Fayomi deployed her super powers to ensure I featured on a high profile panel that featured my dear friend Emdee Tiamiyu, it also had the co-founder of Crowdy in attendance. The slides are yours for the taking. Estimated Population: 150
Nov 27: Spoke at the Agribiz summit. Estimated Population: 60
Nov 28: I spoke at the Ife Accounting Summit. The last time I spoke in Oduduwa Hall, it was 2012. OAU’s most prestigious hall has a special charm and class to it. From the cozy seats, to the enchanting lighting and the huge stage. And it was fitting that I led Psychology to first place in the Social Sciences faculty competition. 6 years later, I was back on the same stage. This time, as a keynote speaker, to inspire the next set of trailblazers on ‘Disruptive Innovation’. I think I did justice, at least, Lovelyn my PROTOCOL officer seemed to think so. Estimated Population: 1,000
Dec 9: Spoke at PLC’s Winning with words. I told the stories of Mrs Ramatu & Ayo Oseni. Estimated Population: 100
Dec 28: Spoke at Sozo’s Bootcamp for Social entrepreneurs & NGO leaders. Sell Out! That’s what I taught. Get the slides here. Estimated Population: 15
Dec 29: How do you lead transformational volunteer teams? This is the #1 question on the mind of NGO founders, project leaders and volunteers. I taught Youth Alive coordinators ‘8 Keys to leading transformational volunteer teams. My last speaking engagement of the year was electrifying. Using December to Remember as a case study, the session has been described as ‘mind blowing’ and ‘remarkable’. Get the slides here. Estimated Population: 20
7,585: Total number of people reached directly via seminars (est)
Get Funded
As a rule, I stop doing what’s not working and I do more of what’s working.
This is why I refused to organize another GET FUNDED online master class after the first one.
If you’ve never heard about GET FUNDED, it’s an online class where I teach entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs how to position their businesses to raise funds. I was expecting good news from my 10 or so students but I heard nothing, so I assumed the class was a failure.
Some weeks ago, Oluwatosin Onihale chatted me up to share the incredible news that He had been selected as a Tony Elumelu fellow. He was a Corp member during the class and what struck me about him was how He was willing to empty his pocket into his brain.
A few days ago, Babajide Oluwase shared how the tips I taught helped him become a Tony Elumelu fellow.
Tosin and Babajide are not alone. People like Osho Ademola Joel have since shared how new doors of opportunities opened after GET FUNDED.
The greatest investment you can make, is investment in your personal development.
The Tony Elumelu application is on right now and as a TEF Fellow, I would be coaching a very tiny number of people. If you’re interested in participating in this exclusive master class, fill this form. Only exciting ideas/submissions will be considered. In case you do not get in, I will be speaking at TEF drive events and several fellows across Nigeria will be holding events too. Learn all you can from these events and free resource materials such as this one.
December to Remember
5 years ago, at a tiny orphanage somewhere in South west Nigeria, the seeds of what would become December to Remember was born. I met Ruth and her friends and saw firsthand, what it meant to be in need and to live perpetually in survival mode. Several orphans across orphanages and IDP camps do not have the basic necessities we often take for granted. Take bathing soap for instance, or the next meal or a decent cloth. How else do you explain 5 kids sharing one tooth brush?
My encounter with Ruth inspired me with a dream to empower orphans and I founded ‘December to Remember’.
With December to Remember, we show the world what is possible when a group of passionate, resilient people come together to make a difference.
In 2016, we reached 300 orphans across 6 states in Nigeria.
In 2017, we reached over 3,000 orphans across 5 countries.
In 2018, with a massive force of over 5,000 volunteers, we put smiles on the faces of thousands of orphans (the numbers are still rolling in) across 19 countries. Thousands of volunteers raised funds and gifts and taught vocational skills to show love, spread kindness and empower orphans.
On IATV’s Breakfast Weekend, Favor Ongele & I shared on the December to Remember movement. It’s all here.
From Borno to Banjul, our food supplies, toiletries, medical care & 100% free skill acquisition for orphans and care givers are a reminder of the infinite potential of orphans across the world who just need a little helping hand to unleash their greatness and the gargantuan kindness of volunteers all across Africa who have chosen impact over comfort.
I remember when our online campaign was still zero naira, zero dollars after the first week. I remember when we barely had any structure in 5 talk less of 20 countries. I remember the endless meetings and arguments and strategy sessions. Even when it all seemed like we were going to fail, I kept faith and all the coordinators kept faith with me. Talk about incurable optimism.
I am infinitely grateful to all our volunteers, partners, donors, care givers, state/national/regional and international coordinators for their unwavering support and commitment. Any great dream needs a great team. And as John Maxwell said “team work makes things work”. We made this happen.
Starting this 2019, Africa’s biggest orphanage outreach will no longer happen only in December but all year round!
Final Words
2019 is here and it’s flying at JET speed.
While I look forward to hearing about your amazing exploits in 2019, do share your best experiences and biggest lessons from 2018 in the comments section below. I sincerely hope that I inspired you or at least entertained you without coming across as ‘salesy’.
The next time someone asks me why I write my yearly review, I have the perfect person to refer them to: you.
The Stats behind this review:
It took 5 days to analyze and compress my entire records into this review.
While preparing this review, I found out that in 2018, I spent N65,830 on Data & N24,130 on phone calls.
This review was possible because of meticulous record keeping. I keep a daily dairy (where I write key things that happen), a financial diary (where I record daily expenses), a yearly planner (where I record dates & details of Speeches, Events & Training's) and a weekly planner (where I track my activities for the week and for each day). They are all digital, making it easier to sift through.
I also used Facebook extensively (especially for retrieving key pictures). This is because I am most active on Facebook and i tend to share my key milestones on Facebook.
Peter Drucker’s quote totally inspires me “you can’t manage what you can’t measure. Happy new year!
