Are you a Nigerian, if yes, keep reading and start planning your own side business and if you already have one, congratulations my lovely.
Are you a Nigerian, if no, please just feed your eyes, because to us, poverty is not an option, we’ve got to make ends meet.
Okay, you must have noticed, there’s this ideology Nigerians have especially the working class, that salary will never be enough to take care of all the bills, as a matter of fact, before that salary comes in , some would already have a mountain of debts, all piled up, waiting to be cleared by that same meager salary. Na wa!
Well, trust me, I’ve been there and done that and it never paid. If you’re waiting for the month’s end before you see some cool cash in your bank account, before you get new cloths, before you buy electricity cards, before you fix that faulty car, before you stock up the kitchen with foodstuffs, mon cheri, as D’banj would say, “You’re sitting on a long thing”.
You would ask me “Haba, why are you this pessimistic? Why are you exaggerating like this? Why do you think that waiting till month end for my salary to come in before I get all needs and bills settled is not a good idea?”
Honey it is okay to feel that way, but what is not okay, is feeling that way in Nigeria. You have to work extra-hard. The side business which could range from selling accessories like jewelries, clutches, sandals, sun glasses, with the utmost at work to your colleagues, or to church members after service on Sunday, to having your own super market and employing a sales person to keep it running while you are at the main business doing your thing, to having a car wash service, laundry service, owning your own boutique and the likes.
A side business is very essential. With a side business, your purse never runs dry, you’ll always see money especially in emergency situations. Let’s take for example the teachers in Nigeria. As we all know, when it comes to the welfare of the teachers in Nigeria, the Nigerian government is always lackadaisical towards it. The Oyo State teachers’ strike and that of Osun State for an example, where they didn’t get paid for more than six months, of course, we’ll all expect them to be down, haggard looking, hungry and borrowing, but basically, we almost see none of that thank God for a side business.
Before the strike, they had the business quite alright, just that it was the sales person running it while they were at the main job but when the strike came up, since they weren’t doing anything at home, they fell back to the side business, laid off the sales person and put in their utmost energy into the side business which would now be the only source of income holding the family together till the government pays them in arrears.
For example, last five weeks, I was at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, went in for some unplanned business and there I was at the photocopy stand and I over-heard this old man’s conversation about how the photo-copying he did daily was the only source of income he had to feed his family because the State government had not paid up their salary for almost seven months. I was shocked and then again, I wasn’t. As someone who majored in Education, I know how the government handles the welfare of teachers, and why I wasn’t so shocked was that he had something going for him, he didn’t just sit around and become a liability on the population by begging, he did what was necessary, he focused on his side business. How wise of him.
Now that’s just the Educational industry and I’m sure by now you’re thinking “ehn ehn? Sebi it is only teachers that need the side business? What is now my own?” My lovely, let me tell you your own, which is, get a side business today, else you won’t just be sitting on a long thing, you’ll also be sitting on a chair with only three legs, liable to fall and scatter anytime, but don’t worry, I got you 😉
You see, when it comes down to having a side business, nobody is exempted, nobody! Okay, we all know that the banking job can not be relied upon, especially now, that machines are taking over, doing almost everything the humans are capable of doing, which ultimately leads to the lesser need of human factors in productivity.
You say you’re a banker, everyday you suit up and rush to work, especially those in Lagos, waking up 4:00am just to be able to get into to work before 8:00am, all that struggle for 5 days a week, sometimes there’s even work on Saturday, all for you to be laid off suddenly? With no where else to fall back on, no lovely, it shouldn’t be that way.
As a banker, you should have a side business, because how much sef is the salary? They’re not paying you for waking up at 4:00am o, they’re only paying you to get in before 8:00am, if you like sleep when you get home, if you like, don’t, same salary will still come in at the same end of the month. Sad isn’t it?
Get some side business, could be one, could be two, as much as you think you can run asides the main business, pay someone or people to look after it. Don’t pay them more than you’re making from the business o, thats just bad business.
During the weekend, or after work, you could visit them expectedly or unexpectedly, take stock, look around and check out the weekly or daily records of the business. This way, if you lose your job, God forbid, you’ll be able to keep your mind off the disaster, gather all the strength in you and put it all into the side business, make money, feed yourself, cloth yourself and pay bills. You will be most certainly glad you did.
We could go on and on about the perks of having a side business because it is never ending, but most certainly not on here. I appreciate that you have taken out this short time out of the little you have to read up on this article and improve upon yourself. I’m proud of you.
Be on the look-out for my book, “The Nigerian Dream” and in there, you’ll find all you need to know about hustling, making ends meet and flowing on only positive vibes.
Thanks for stopping by and get a side business today. ;-).