The Only Obstacle You Have Is Your Ability To See Opportunities

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The decision to start my website was quite random. I didn’t start out with a calculated plan to make money from my website. On the contrary, all I knew was I enjoyed writing to express myself and I needed a platform to share what I wrote. So I bought my domain name, stumbled my way around getting the website up and with a little help, I was on my way. I started to write and I started to share. This was my window to the world. Hmm…actually, my world was just my family and friends. The first time I got a call asking me to provide a service, I was stunned. My very first client had asked my brother in law for someone who could put together a strategy document. My brother in law told her to check out my website. She read some posts I had put up, really liked them, got in touch with me and that’s how I got my first freelance job. She paid me in six figures. My reaction was “Really? Just like that”, Because you see, I enjoyed putting together the strategy document. It was not something I had to force myself to do because there was an incentive. I got more jobs subsequently and I started to charge a lot more because I realized my true value. Until recently, my investment club was just something I did with four friends. All we do is put money together and invest. Quite random, in my opinion. Or so I thought. We started out green-eyed so we made some bad investment decisions and we lost money. This made us dig deep into learning how to make better investment decisions. I wrote about my experience here. I noticed a lot of people got interested so I put a framework together and decided to hold a workshop to teach the framework. The first edition of the workshop created two more investment clubs (one in the USA and one about to start in Nigeria). I also got appointed to the board of an investment company domiciled in Nigeria and the USA. It’s still hard to believe I’m holding the second edition in September but yes, I am. And it’s for a broader audience of people who want to know what to do with their money sitting in a bank account doing nothing but giving the bank money to trade with. So what’s the point of all this story? Or like my daughter would say, ‘Mummy, what exactly are you trying to say?’ Lol. Well, here goes; Opportunities are available where we least expect to find them. Anyone who knows me pretty well will tell you, I was one of those who saw only one or two paths leading to where I wanted to be; It’s either one gets promoted at work or one gets a higher paying job. If you think that way, I've got news for you. You're selling yourself short. I listened to Mr. Sola Adekoya (CEO,Konga) speak at an event where he talked about how he manages his pineapple farm as a side gig. I also met a senior reasearch analyst who shared how she developed her speaking skills so she could get paid to speak at conferences. There are opportunities to offer value and earn income in ways you would never expect. Apart from the fact that there are more enablers today than there were a decade or two ago, the honest truth is there are too many gaps in this market you can take advantage of. So, step out. Try something new. You'll discover opportunities when you stop thinking and start doing.