Happy New Year!
It's never too late for that, right? I wonder what came into your mind as what the content of this post would be immediately you saw the post title. I've been asked this question quite too often these past few days that I decided I should probably write about it.
"Why don't you have a business?" "When are you going to start your business? And so much more. Most times, these questions come up as a result of a discussion that has to do with the situation in Nigeria and if the person I'm talking to happens to be an entrepreneur which is the case most of the time, this question always gets thrown at me. In recent times, it has been the trending topic on Twitter Nigeria arising from tweets that aim to 'inspire' but end up job shaming several people. It usually ends up in banter as most 9-5 people were all about opposing tweets that attempts to belittle what they do.
Being the typical low key Twitter user, all I ever do is laugh, read tweets and retweet the few ones that express my opinion on the issue but recent occurrences have pushed me to write about it.
Not to sound cliché but I think entrepreneurship is everything and more. I'm the type of person to get excited whenever someone I know starts their business and I always do my best to help push out the ones who want to be in their shell. Perfect example, just last week, I was with a friend who sews and someone we both know happened to be going through her pictures and goes on to compliment about 2-3 outfits she was putting on and all she said was 'Thank You'. It was funny to me because I knew that if I were in her shoes, I'd do likewise but I still went ahead to tell this person that she made those dresses herself. My friend definitely shot me daggers with her eyes but I'm pretty sure the extra compliments that came with that revelation made her feel more confident about her craft. It's everything and more because
1. It provides a form of security : You don't have to go around searching for jobs if you don't want to, talks about the labour market being saturated doesn't have to both you and so on. You already have something you're doing so all you have to do is invest more time and energy into it.
2. You're your own boss : Most people do not like the idea of having another person breathing down their neck for any reason whatsoever or making unnecessary demands. No one appreciates being on the receiving end of any form of shouting.
3. You get to employ other people : The best. If I were to be an entrepreneur, I believe this is what would make me super happy because I'd actually be helping someone cater for their own needs.
What's not to love about all these? There are many other perks of being an entrepreneur. I mean who doesn't want some extra cash? Who doesn't want to work from home?
We all have certain traits that make us who we are. So, what if all of my amazing traits do not translate into me having a flair for entrepreneurship but yours does? That doesn't make me inferior to you neither does it make you to me.
For the longest time, I used to wonder if something was wrong with me for not wanting to 'sell' something or rendering some kind of service, I've finally come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe I'm one of those people who entrepreneurship isn't for because trust me, no matter what your favorite motivational speaker/book says, it just isn't just for everyone.
Take for example, I consider cooking fun and I've taken some catering classes. I've had moments when I think about just taking it seriously and starting a business hoping that I'd love it along the line but one word? Epic Fail. Make that two words haha.
It's not fear, definitely not laziness or anything close to that. It's just a genuine lack of passion for this 'business world'. In life, I've learnt to never say never as my interests regularly change hence I wouldn't be surprised if I have to update this post even before 2020. Haha 😂
Why am I writing this post? I'm writing it to
- Tell every entrepreneur reading this that they are real MVP's. I have friends who are into businesses and I always admire their resilience.
- Let every other person like me who's tired of being asked this question know that nothing, absolutely nothing is wrong with us. Hehe. Also, to remindme you to never succumb to unnecessary pressure.
- Be able to finally and finally send the link to this post to whoever wants to keep asking me this question. I definitely do not owe anyone an explanation but then I think it'd save me the stress of being the object of their somewhataccusatory motivational talks.
It's never too late for that, right? I wonder what came into your mind as what the content of this post would be immediately you saw the post title. I've been asked this question quite too often these past few days that I decided I should probably write about it.
"Why don't you have a business?" "When are you going to start your business? And so much more. Most times, these questions come up as a result of a discussion that has to do with the situation in Nigeria and if the person I'm talking to happens to be an entrepreneur which is the case most of the time, this question always gets thrown at me. In recent times, it has been the trending topic on Twitter Nigeria arising from tweets that aim to 'inspire' but end up job shaming several people. It usually ends up in banter as most 9-5 people were all about opposing tweets that attempts to belittle what they do.
Being the typical low key Twitter user, all I ever do is laugh, read tweets and retweet the few ones that express my opinion on the issue but recent occurrences have pushed me to write about it.
Not to sound cliché but I think entrepreneurship is everything and more. I'm the type of person to get excited whenever someone I know starts their business and I always do my best to help push out the ones who want to be in their shell. Perfect example, just last week, I was with a friend who sews and someone we both know happened to be going through her pictures and goes on to compliment about 2-3 outfits she was putting on and all she said was 'Thank You'. It was funny to me because I knew that if I were in her shoes, I'd do likewise but I still went ahead to tell this person that she made those dresses herself. My friend definitely shot me daggers with her eyes but I'm pretty sure the extra compliments that came with that revelation made her feel more confident about her craft. It's everything and more because
1. It provides a form of security : You don't have to go around searching for jobs if you don't want to, talks about the labour market being saturated doesn't have to both you and so on. You already have something you're doing so all you have to do is invest more time and energy into it.
2. You're your own boss : Most people do not like the idea of having another person breathing down their neck for any reason whatsoever or making unnecessary demands. No one appreciates being on the receiving end of any form of shouting.
3. You get to employ other people : The best. If I were to be an entrepreneur, I believe this is what would make me super happy because I'd actually be helping someone cater for their own needs.
What's not to love about all these? There are many other perks of being an entrepreneur. I mean who doesn't want some extra cash? Who doesn't want to work from home?
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| Just chipping in this really pretty flatlay because a post can't be without pictures. Lol |
We all have certain traits that make us who we are. So, what if all of my amazing traits do not translate into me having a flair for entrepreneurship but yours does? That doesn't make me inferior to you neither does it make you to me.
For the longest time, I used to wonder if something was wrong with me for not wanting to 'sell' something or rendering some kind of service, I've finally come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe I'm one of those people who entrepreneurship isn't for because trust me, no matter what your favorite motivational speaker/book says, it just isn't just for everyone.
Take for example, I consider cooking fun and I've taken some catering classes. I've had moments when I think about just taking it seriously and starting a business hoping that I'd love it along the line but one word? Epic Fail. Make that two words haha.
It's not fear, definitely not laziness or anything close to that. It's just a genuine lack of passion for this 'business world'. In life, I've learnt to never say never as my interests regularly change hence I wouldn't be surprised if I have to update this post even before 2020. Haha 😂
Why am I writing this post? I'm writing it to
- Tell every entrepreneur reading this that they are real MVP's. I have friends who are into businesses and I always admire their resilience.
- Let every other person like me who's tired of being asked this question know that nothing, absolutely nothing is wrong with us. Hehe. Also, to remind
- Be able to finally and finally send the link to this post to whoever wants to keep asking me this question. I definitely do not owe anyone an explanation but then I think it'd save me the stress of being the object of their somewhat
- Which of these points I mentioned is why you decided to go for entrepreneurship?
- What other reasons motivated you to start up a business? What's the best thing about being a business owner for you?
- If you're not an entrepreneur, how often do you get asked this question? Frequently? Never?
- What are your reasons for not being one?
I always want to hear from you. Kindly leave me your thoughts. xx
Hey there laitanbee, How's the new year treating you? Very well I hope...
ReplyDeleteAlthough you didn't mention something I was looking forward to seeing, I enjoyed this post being an entrepreneur myself. It's important to realise that passion isn't essentially needed for everything in life. It's important;yes that I know but is it really all you need? I've been an entrepreneur for 3 years now and trust me when I say I have no passion for what I do but do it because I see it has something I should do, it's like knowing when you're hungry or knowing when you're ill. Without passion one would expect me to be at a point of turning back right? But I'm still at it thankfully, my point exactly is whether one is an entrepreneur or not you don't need to justify that to anyone, you don't need to present a reason for being or not being, just do you. People always try to look for reasons why they're doing this or why they aren't doing that and basically that just takes the fun outta life in it's entirety, live, learn and work,my personal mantra this year...
Cheers, laitanbee.
Oh, it would have been nice if you mentioned what you were looking to see. Passion is definitely never enough and it's astonishing that you've been at the business side for 3 years without it. I believe there's still a little bit of passion involved. Lol. I lovee your personal mantra! There's definitely no need to take fun out of life by trying to question everything. Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment! xxx
DeleteNice post. There is a booming entrpreneurial culture for sur,e but what most people don't get is that, entrepreneurship is not for everybody. And everyone's timing is different in life, jsut because you started yours does not mean that my time has struck too. If that was the case, everyone would be "Beyonce".
ReplyDeletewww.rshanphonsi.com
Lool @ everyone would be Beyonce. I know, right? Entrepreneurship is definitely not for everybody. Thank you hun. xx
DeleteAt the moment, I have no intention of starting a business. I would like to later on in life but right now, I'm good. I know nowadays a lot of people look down on 9-5 jobs but I'm all about that life, at least for now.
ReplyDeleteEntrepreneurship is very good and a lot of hard work is required to excel in it especially in Nigeria. I commend those who are trying their best. As Shasha above said, entrepreneurship really isn't for everyone, we all need to keep that in mind. Great post and welcome back Laitan, I've missed your blog! xx
Coco Bella Blog
Demilade love, I definitely missed you too! Your comment is basically me. Interests change and I can be an entrepreneur in maybe 5 years time. Never say Never lol. Yess, shout out to all entrepreneurs out there! Thanks for coming over. xx
DeleteI definitely want to build my own business because of the freedom of it. 9-5 jobs are no longer what they used to be because nowadays corporations work their workers to death and can lay them off at any time with no explanation.
ReplyDeleteI want to be my own boss as you've said and mainly because I want to make my own rules when it comes to my career.
Great post, and good luck with your own entrepreneurship endeavors!
xoxo,
Sheyla
www.freestyle-moda.com
That's definitely one of the numerous downsides to not being an entrepreneur. Making your own rules is definitely fun however. Thank you for reading and good luck too. xx
DeleteVery good point. It's never late or early to start a business. The feeling of being one's own boss is simply epic! Great read!
ReplyDeletewww.liveinibadan.blogspot.com
Thank youu! I know, right? xx
DeleteThe importance of having a business even while running a 9-5 can't be overstated. Like you said, it provides a form of security which is very necessary in this Nigerian economy.
ReplyDeleteLifeofdammy.com