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Hello and welcome to the podcast. Today I would like us to talk about something real, something practical that lots of people don't pay attention to, especially when you are beginning your business journey or your content production journey. That's for those of you who want to create content. OK, I guess what I'm trying to say is this. Money is a significant factor. Let me repeat again, money is a significant factor. We are starting businesses or we want to be in business.
We're trying to build brands, we're trying to build careers. We're trying to do a whole bunch of stuff. And let's be frank, making content is easy. It's very, very easy because nowadays all you need is a smartphone. That's all. Once you have a smartphone and you download camera, you're good to go for Instagram. Once you have a smartphone and the phone has two cameras, you're good to go for Instagram views and all that stuff.
Once you have a smartphone and the phone has decent recording capabilities, like my own phone, because I have, I've done over 1300 podcast episodes since I started. I had this thing about six years ago and I've not recorded any single podcast episode in the studio. It's always been on my phone. So making content is easy. Making content is also glamorous. It's also sweet. It also gives you a high. You also feel as if you're doing something.
And so because of that, it's something that lots of Nigerian business owners, a lot of wannabe Nigerian entrepreneurs, they rush to because it's easy, but then they give very little thought to the money conversation. So when some people reach out and say I want to start a podcast and I say don't start a podcast, it's not because I don't want your progress. I'm just trying to refocus you on a very key important fundamental thing, which is that money is important.
And when we do these things, whether we like it or not, money is one of the things that is behind us and is pushing us and it's OK. It's not bad. It's not bad at all. So excuse me. So the reason why I'm talking about all these issues today is because of this. I've been chatting with someone recently. Well, by the way, bro, you know, if you think, is this me, yeah, it actually is you. But I'm just sharing the benefits of this conversation here with other people so that people will not, will not go down the same path that you and I have gone through.
Because I could have told you the end from the beginning. And I tried to say it. And what did you tell me? You told me leave me to worry about money, that you know what you are doing. I said OK, and I freed you. To be honest, at that point, I need to cut off the conversation because I was thinking like, what the hell, I'm giving my time for free to listeners of the podcast. You reach out to me, I'm trying to give you some free advice to tell you how you suppose I
arrange one or two things and he give me attitude. I need to cut you off then and there. Not only cut you off only to block yourself because to be honest, I didn't like your attitude. But anyway, since I started this podcast over six years ago and since people have been reaching out to me to have conversations and to ask questions, I've only had to block one person. And honestly, after that, I regretted. I was like, no, I shouldn't have blocked him.
Like the guy's a young dude. I should have just checked him. I should have corrected him. Like, you know, you know what, you know, we're in Nigeria. So there's a certain way of doing things. You don't just call somebody, you know, after midnight, like from where to where so and the limbs not being cryptic. So this dude reaches out now and he has a very important message that he wants to share. And so because of that, he wants to start putting our content and it's really, really wonderful work.
It's around recovery in talks. All I put it now, I don't want to say too much just in case the other people who listen to the podcast who know this guy, it's around recovery, you know, from intoxication and substance abuse because people go through all kinds of things. And I've said before on the podcast, that is one of my cousins who, you know, that's how the guy lost his life. You know, you start playing around with small, small things,
before you know it, you graduate. You graduate. You don't need my great bigger substances. Before you know it, you're in a mess. You're in a huge mess. So this guy wants to talk about substance abuse and things like that. Sure, no problem. Really. The first thing I told him was like, OK, cool, you want to do these things? So I asked him straight up. And I asked any of you who reach out to me, I tell, look, are you a missionary or are you a mercenary?
Excuse me? So I asked him the question, are you a missionary or are you a mercenary? And anybody who has come to me to tell me, I like what you do. I understand the podcast or I understand going on Instagram or whatever. Ask anyone who has had a chat with me. It is one of the first questions I'll ask you. Are you a missionary or are you a mercenary? Now what does that mean? Missionary is people feel like they have come across some good news and from the very bottom of their heart, they want to share this good news with the rest of the world so that everybody can find healing, can find purpose,
can have, you know, can find whatever it is that they're looking for. People like that, people like those. Those are missionaries, you know, like the early apostles, you know, Peter, Paul, Andrew, the rest of them. Those ones are missionaries. You see the light, like, is this the truth? Is this the salvation of mankind? And then you want to run and spread the good news as far as possible. Those are missionaries. Then the other people like me,
mercenaries. A mercenary just wants money. I need money. I need Bali. What should I do? Show it to me. I will do it now. Give me my money. I'm a mercenary. So I ask people, who are you? Are you one of the apostles or you're like me? If you're like me, let's have this conversation. Let's figure out a way to get this money quick quick. By the way, I'm not unethical for any of you. If you're just discovering this podcast for the first time,
please don't Take Me Out of context. Listened to yesterday's episode, Listen to all the prior episodes. And you know you have all my ideas in the fuller context. But before you begin, you're coming into the entrepreneur space, the business space. You want to get into this whole content game. You have to ask yourself very, very clearly, are you a missionary or you're a mercenary? If you're a mercenary, no problem. We start having that money conversation from the get this Instagram channel, this podcast,
this, whatever it is that you want to do, this TikTok handle this whatever. What is your content calendar? What is the strategy? What are you going to do for community building or product? Are you going to sell? Are we going to start? What plans do you have for conversions along the way? What kind of time frame do you have to realize these goals? And by the way, time frame is really important because there's no content.
Anything that you do that will make you hammer within the short term. Now there are people who hammer from content in the short term. Those people are anomalies. It is not the typical way that people pop off when it comes to social media. So don't look at somebody that you know or somebody that you heard of that they created a TikTok handle in January and then by March they were a millionaire. Don't use that person as your yardstick on your standard.
All right, that's an outlier. So we have the conversation of your mercenary. But then if you're a missionary, we also have to have the conversation because missionaries, the gas to eat, they have to eat. It's basic. So even in the post in the Bible, Apostle Paul, at some point when he was raking for the church, what did he say? He said, look, I don't want to stress you people that if I could, I could have been asking you people for money.
But I said, no, I'm not going to burden anybody. I'm a tent maker. So I use my own hand. I make tent and I make money, my own money, because even apostles have to eat. So for those of you who see yourselves as missionary, you've discovered something good about, I don't know, motherhood or raising children or recovery from drugs, or you've discovered something good about, I don't know, the environment or your deeper self, your truer self.
Whatever the gospel is that you want to spread, missionaries have to eat. What is the plan for eating? Because you don't have a plan to eat, it's going to cannibalize that mission that you want to do. If you can't put food on the table, you can't pay bills. What else? Internet fuel, some basic, basic stuff. Then your missionary thing that you want to do, you will stop it. You want to spread the good news about drug recovery because yes,
it's a it's a big scourge in Nigeria. Lots of people are on drugs. When I was in, if I knew one or two boys used to smoke. You go, but you know, it's just you go now everybody does it minus me. I didn't do you go when everybody does it? You split up once in a while and then life continues. But from there, you know, but for some people, you both was a gateway drug from you go, you now enter all kinds of things. Then my brother was in UNILAC
and I even saw what was going on there. Some people, they'll be cooking beans, for instance, you pull you go inside, they say, Ah, don't be married. JB this you say no, no, no, it's just it's just vegetable. That is not it's not as if it's drugs that it's just vegetable. So when they're cooking beans, you just put small go inside. You say, no, I don't take it, but I don't smoke. When you're cooking beans, you sprinkle Mary J inside and then from there and then and there.
And then when I went to Carnal, the things that's not in Carnal, somebody would take sachet of pure water. They will now take cough syrup. Then they will mix it inside the pure. I don't even know how they use the mix yourself. You see somebody carrying pure water. The pure water is looking pink, is looking reddish. They just they'll be sniffing the pure water like that and boys are getting high. Until one day I came out of my office in then I was with Fuchsia Ada Ramona, her lawyer and Carnal came out of my office.
I'm serious. I'm not lying. I saw somebody sniffing. Gutter shook away. That guy stood up. That was the closest thing I ever saw to a zombie. You see a human being working, but you see their eyes vacant. You can't see anything Again, the eyes just black, just vacant. I see. So yes, there's a huge drug problem. So my guy, you know you're listening. You know, I'm talking about you when you are telling me about this thing you want to start.
Believe me, I know that is a good gospel that you want to spread. It's a gospel that we need in Niger because boys, I even hear that girls have started taking stuff too. Like I hear for instance, that in Abuja is just, I've heard, I don't know for a fact I hear that you know, babes are now taking cocaine. That's what I mean. I help but don't cook me outside so boys and girls are messing themselves up. So I know that is a good good,
good, good good gospel they want to speech. So when I asked you what about money, I said don't worry, I'll worry about the money. Look, I knew where I was heading from. I knew I was coming from and I could see the end from the beginning. If you rush into something with your missionary zeal begin to create content. No problem should be end of the month is coming. Eventually your landlord will say oh boy, what's up? How far?
I haven't heard from you one year don't reach your little cousins and you know sisters and brothers, you know, somebody will get small accident here and there say bro, I bet I need like 5K. Then eventually you get into your car, you crank it and then you see that oh boy, now quarter tank ID I suppose fill up. Where will I get like 70K now to fill up my car? Spreading the gospel is nice, Making content is nice. Being your Troy self on the Internet is nice.
By the end of the day, money is a significant factor. So we had this conversation and I told the guy no, no problem. I didn't block him, vex or seriously angry. But I'd like to keep my composure. I'd like to keep my cool. So I told the guy, no problem, this is what you need. First of all, he hadn't heard of a content calendar. And by the way, that's one reason why a lot of you who are thinking of using social media or creating content to build your business, this is one of the reasons why you will struggle.
You do not have a content calendar. Excuse me? The content calendar is just a plan for what it is that you're going to create or what it is that you're going to publish. And then behind it is the overall strategy of, you know, who am I, what is the message I'm putting out there? Who is my target audience? You know, things like that. Now, for some of you, I say get a content calendar for the whole year. You won't think it's excessive.
See, I'm not being excessive. And truth of matter is most of you are not going to follow it anyway. But The thing is the discipline of sitting down and having to decide who is my audience, who is my target audience? What am I going to say to them? What are the major themes? And then how are we going to break this down on a daily or on a weekly, the Instagram posts or the blog posts or the this or the that? And then thinking, how does all this channel into my business?
How am I going to get money from all this? The discipline is invaluable. So get a content calendar. So I told the guy and yeah, he sorted the content calendar out. And, you know, that was cool. So eventually the guy started preaching the gospel. And I was not surprised, you know, when he now said, oh, you know what? I've been thinking about making money. How about this idea? How about this idea? How about this idea? In my mind, I begin the laugh.
When I was telling you weeks ago, the half hour, the money, what did you say? So again, I'm not trying to shame you. I'm just trying to let you know other people in on this convo also so that the next time somebody reaches out to me to ask one or two things, and I'm asking you some very directive, very pointed questions, you should understand where it is I'm coming from. I'm being real with you here because anybody that comes across my path, I want the person to get value.
Whether people pay me for my advice or they don't, I don't want to hear. I don't want to be heard anywhere that anybody came across my path, that anybody met Tavishma, you did that. You had a conversation with me and you didn't get one or two things to put you on the right path. Whether I was free or whether I was paid, I'm guiding my reputation. Jealousy. I need to be there. Every single time people hear Tavishima Ayede, they hear value.
My name will be synonymous with value. That's what I'm aiming for. Oh, by the way, this is your first time listening to the podcast. My name is Tavishima Ayede. I'm a former lawyer turned business consultant. I love solving business problems, especially from a sales perspective. So that's what we do over here on the podcast almost every single day. Business goodness, solving business problems. So that's what I do. If you'd love to connect with me, just like this guy did,
call, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Especially people who are trying to get into business. You're not sure which idea to start with? I'll put together a package on how to start your business in three easy steps. Number one, we'll find an idea #2 we'll validate it to be sure that it's profitable, that people are willing to pay for this product or the service and willing to pay at an amount that is going to make sense to you.
Then we also will build a selling system around it so that people don't just buy once, they come back and buy again, and then we get repeat business. Sorry, that is actually repeat business. So yeah, they start making introductions. We get referrals. So reach out. So now back to this conversation with my guy. He's now discussing money ideas, something that I brought up weeks ago should be one hour back to it. So for those of you who listen to this podcast, you like this podcast, the thing sounds sweet,
sounds sexy, or you're seeing influencers in quote on Instagram. This thing looks sweet, it looks sexy, it looks fun or whatever it is. Sure you want to get on this game because I have your best interests at heart. I will ask you, what's the plan for the money? This podcast that you want to create? Good *** what's the plan? Where's the money going to come from this Instagram handle? You want to go and buy light? You want to go and buy a video?
You want to start making TikTok? Fine, let's be making this TikTok. No problem. Where's your content calendar? OK, content calendar is looking OK. We're good now. In the meantime, what's the plan for the money? Do you have a nine to five? Is your spouse willing to support you? Will you collect from Mumsy and Popsy? Are you going to raise investors? That's why I say raise investors. Raise money from investors. What's the plan for the money?
So I guess I'll set it all. Money is a significant factor. This thing looks like a suite, looks like it easy, it's easy. But The thing is, for those of us who are mercenaries, want to make money, social media, content production, content marketing, whatever it is you want to call it, does not bring in sales in the short term. Short term means 0 to one year. So there is no business idea that you are going to have that is built around content marketing, social media or whatnot that will bring in money in less than one year.
There is none for the people who have done that. Those were outliers. I repeat it again because some of you be quick to say what about this guy? What about that guy? Those ones are outliers. That is not the usual thing. That is not the average thing and the guy says he's not an outlier. That was deliberate. Oh, then please go and pay him whatever it is he asks for or she asks for so that they will teach you the system.
So for those of us who are mercenaries, if we know that this path we have chosen, so long as you want to do inbound marketing strategies by doing content marketing, by producing content, by producing content on social media. If you know that money is not going to come in between zero and one year, what is the plan for the money? Ask yourself what's the plan, the gas to be a plan there for those of you who are missionaries?
The reason why I scold you people a lot is because in my family, I have plenty missionaries. My father started a foundation, the acronym was FRUIT, that's foundation for rural and Urban Integration. And that's because while POPSY was alive a long time ago, so before I went to secondary school, POPSY was complaining that there's a problem in Nigeria. And of course, you know when your kid and your POPSY is talking be like old man, here he comes again.
So my POPSY was saying, look, everybody's leaving the villages and everybody's run into Township. But it's not as if when boys enter Township, there's anything for them to do. Now perhaps is better for some people to see how some people like, we can sort out people's livelihoods back when they're in in the village and in the smaller provincial communities. Because now everybody's supposed to be coming to the city. Now I can, I can.
Now that I'm older, I can see. I've seen that things are played out the way my old man said it. If you don't believe me, go to any building today in Abuja. There's a security guard. Go and talk to that security guard. You'll find that 8 out of 10 those security guards are thief. I'm thief. I'm from Benoit State, so it's not something I'm proud of. But whether we like it or not, it is just the case. Boys are leaving the village,
everybody's floating into town, but there's nothing for them to do. So what next? Team boys are becoming security guard. So yes, my father was like his, his, his, his concern was was true that whether it's Yoruba P boys or teeth boys or Plateau boys or whatever, everybody is saying I gas enter Lagos, but then when I enter Lagos, what is there to do? People are saying, I suppose enter Onicha, but then when you enter Onicha, what is there to do?
People are saying, you know, let me find my way to Abuja. OK, You're now in Abuja. What work are you going to do? So that was what his his foundation was about. His own missionary efforts are about. But of course, like most people, you know, you didn't really think about the money anyway. My father is no more. And of course, the foundation is dead. I've heard somebody say, I don't know if it is true that Nigeria has the most, the the most number of charities on paper,
that's Ng OS. Whether the Ng OS is devoted towards gender based violence or female mortality or the environment or whatever, that's just I've heard. I don't know how true it is, don't quote me, that we have the, the highest number of registered Ng OS on the planet. We have the highest number. The reason why we have plenty of Ng OS on paper, but we can't see them on the physical is because people are not paying attention to the money.
So you start this NGO, you start promoting this good, you start promoting this, you know, whatever your social justice warrior, no problem, fine. But then when you run into product, you don't have money. What do you think is going to happen? How you stay in a house, you have kids, you have a spouse, people are struggling. And then you say no, that is this charity that is going to take all my time. You will shut down that charity and start looking for what is going to bring money.
So my missionary people, my missionary people, the reason why I'm hard on you is because I've seen it. Even one of my cousins too, his only thing was boy illiteracy. Because in my own part of the world, I'm from Penray State, you know, boys not to go school again. Now everybody knows boys are not going to school. So because of that, you know, boys can't read, boys can't write, spell your name, can't spell it. Because there are some of us who are educated, you know, like me as all my cousins and things like that.
You look at us and say it's not a problem. But The thing is, I am not typical and I am not average of what's going on in my own community. I am not. And even yourself, you that are listening because you're educated, you think you are typical, you're representative of your communities. You are not. So for my cousin now starting his own thing, yes, it's good that boys have to read. And we need to make sure that boys in our place can't read because we serve, we suppose,
take our own place on the grand scale, on the national scale. People supposed to know, say, you know, chief, people who are around, who are on ground. So yes, you mean well, but what's the plan for the money? Said that not everything is about the money. I said, OK, I kept my dirty mouth shut. So close to 20 years now. Where's that one? Where's that charity? Nowhere, because eventually what happened, my guy Mary got himself a bunch of kids.
After a while. See, it's just real. You want boys in the village, You know how to read? No problem. But then you have a wife and children at home. What are you going to do? Continue to send money to the village so that boys can read? Or you sort out school fees for your kids? So missionaries, that's the reason why I'm going to be very, very blunt with you. What's the plan for the money? And so, my guy, sorry, I'm opening your in public.
I just want to share this conversation that we had for the benefit of other people who are listening. Yes, I know there's supposed to be a sales podcast, but you know, even though we're all chasing money, we have a good heart. So we're trying to pursue some nice, you know, social justice, charitable causes and things like that. So for those of you who are missionaries, what's the plan for the money? In fact, that is the question that you asked first.
Because if there's no plan for the money, forget it. This podcast, this NGO, this charity, this whatever that you're doing, this thing will fail. And that's the reason why it's about my older podcast episodes. I dedicated a whole series about people who run NGOs, how you can use sales principles, sales tactics, sales frameworks and philosophies to grow your NGO. So when you say ah, no, no, that's somehow that's somehow.
I didn't say that when the NGO and this thing starts making money, you should pocket the money. I didn't say pocket the money. I'm just saying that we have to be real about this thing. What's the plan for the money anyway? So if you're like this, my guy, thinking of starting an NGO, you're wondering if sales principles and tactics have anything to do with an NGO, reach out, get in touch with me 08064662140. We need to have these practical conversations because your love for the cause is not going to sustain you.
It is money that will sustain you. That is money that will sustain this project. Then for those of you who are thinking of starting a business, you have two 3-4 ideas. You do not know which one to start. Reach out. The phone number is 08064662140. Reach out. Let's figure out which business idea is the best. The one that we can validate and be sure that people are willing to pay for and that is going to be profitable. And then the one that we can build the selling system around.
Then of course, there's some other people who say, oh, I like this, but I don't like step one and two. I only like step like Step 3. That's not a problem You can reach out and say look my challenge now is building a selling system around the idea. No problem reach out 08064662140 So again guy, sorry that I opened your in public, but it's a message that other people need to hear and by the way, still behind you still support you.
So any which way that I can offer value, I, I definitely will. So wishing you well and plenty of prayers for those of you especially who are working in this whole drugs and recovery space. Because this drug thing, man, it's called carnage in Niger, it's yours carnage. So yeah, my prayers are with you. And I really, really hope that this thing takes off because speaking from a family point of view, when we had some of these issues with my own family before my cousin died, the thing was we didn't even know where, like,
OK, are there recovery centers in Nigeria? Where is it? How do you get the person there? How much would they cost? How do you start the intervention process? How do you get your person to even want to seek help? Like as a family, we didn't even know our left from our right. So you people are actually doing this thing. People are actually doing very, very, very important work, very important work. So keep it up. And then so that's it.
Thanks for your time and attention. I'll catch you all some other time.