Latest / Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint / Why a Leg Up Isn't a Guarantee of Success

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Why a Leg Up Isn't a Guarantee of Success · Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint

0:01
Hello and welcome. My name is Tavishma Aide.
0:04
I'm the host of the podcast that I'm making today's recording at
0:07
home. It's one of these late night
0:08
recordings, so there might be some noise in the background.
0:12
Now if you'd love to connect, you can call, send a text
0:15
message or a WhatsApp message to me on 08064662140.
0:23
Now today on the show, I want us to look at why looking at other
0:27
people's fathers. It's not a good way to assess
0:30
business growth or strategy. I know some of you are confused,
0:36
so let me repeat and explain why I'm looking at something like
0:40
this today. So why it's not a good idea to
0:42
look at other people's popsy and momsy and say that is the reason
0:47
why so and so person is successful.
0:50
Now the reason why I'm tackling this question today even though
0:53
I've tackled it before. It's just that the thing has
0:56
come up again. Oterdola, Femi Oterdola,
1:01
Nigerian billionaire, released a book recently.
1:05
I can't remember what the title is called.
1:07
And you know, so the usual, just like people were flogging down
1:11
with it, they've not started flogging Oterdola.
1:14
So basically they're saying that.
1:17
One of the things I've heard just by looking at write ups on
1:22
LinkedIn is Oterdola took £250,000 from his father to
1:28
start his business and today he's a billionaire.
1:31
So the scope people are saying is Otola took 250 K pounds,
1:37
that's a hard currency to start his business.
1:41
So because Otola had a popsy who could afford to give him 250 K
1:46
pounds hard currency. And that's the reason why,
1:50
excuse me, that's the reason why the guy is successful.
1:53
So those of you who've been listening to the podcast for a
1:55
while, you remember that you know the podcast episode that I
1:59
made where I was addressing the, you know, the Dempsey Dempsey in
2:04
newspapers about Downward and how his uncle loaned him a
2:08
couple of lorries when I was 12 lorries, I'd be 19 lorries or
2:11
whatever to start his business. So that's how Downward started
2:15
in logistics because his uncle was severely paid up and gave
2:19
him a couple of lorries and then he started his logistics
2:22
business and then now he's a billionaire.
2:24
And so the argument is rich uncle with C capital to buy
2:31
lorries equals to that's the reason why he's a billionaire
2:34
today. So you can see the line that
2:37
people are making Otterola, rich popsy.
2:42
That's the reason why he's successful.
2:44
Dangwati rich uncle, that's the reason why he's successful.
2:49
So the result is there's all this smoke going on on LinkedIn.
2:52
You know, people are just saying that hotel and Dangote are not
2:56
good examples of the Nigerian entrepreneurial spirit or
3:01
entrepreneurial grit because there was no need for grit as in
3:06
they didn't have to struggle because they had name that can
3:10
open doors or they had capital like an open doors.
3:13
So people say basically there's nothing that we can learn from
3:16
Dangote, nothing that we can learn from Oterdola because they
3:19
got a leg up, they got a boost from their policy.
3:25
So that's one of the questions I want to tackle again on the
3:27
podcast. Is that true?
3:32
Is having a rich father a guarantee that you have billions
3:37
in the future? The answer is no because in
3:41
Nigeria, we have many, many, many examples of people who had
3:48
a leg up but they were not able to leverage it for
3:52
opportunities. I repeat, I don't want to call
3:55
any names. Just think about, you know,
4:00
think about your tribe and in your tribe, I'm sure you
4:04
remember some names of yester yesteryears, some families that
4:09
they used to call, some heavy families like that.
4:13
And then today ask yourself, where are those families?
4:19
Is having a rich father a guarantee of billions?
4:22
No, because there are lots of people who get a leg up and
4:28
they're not here today. I'll be your toddler.
4:32
Yeah, that's what toddler senior epoxy He gave his 1250K.
4:38
Is his son the only person he gave 250K?
4:41
The other people that he gave C capital, where are they done
4:45
with his uncle? OK, so he gave down with a Lego,
4:49
is down with A the only person that he gave Lego?
4:51
It was automatic. All the other people that he
4:53
gave Lego should be they will all be billionaires today.
4:58
It's not a guarantee. Now we all know former families,
5:02
rich families, powerful families, powerful dynasties,
5:05
whether Yoruba, whether thief, whether Hauser, whether Ibu,
5:08
Edoma Bureau. In fact, the Tea family in
5:11
particular, I just don't want to call the name, you know, let me
5:14
not disrespect people's families and people's legacies.
5:18
You know, there's one particular family that the man was a Don
5:23
was a big boy, she was a billionaire.
5:28
He had a bunch of sons. I set up everybody.
5:33
But today if you call the family, you know, you can't say
5:37
where they are on the map, but Popsy was a billionaire.
5:42
And if you check your tribe is the same thing.
5:44
They've been big families, big boys certified like large
5:49
families. But today no millionaire among
5:54
among their ranks. So it's not a guarantee that
5:58
because Popsy is a big boy that you self you be a big boy as
6:01
well. It's not that simple.
6:04
So like I'm not saying you have to clap for these people or they
6:09
have to be their fans. So there's no need to be
6:12
clapping for all these daddies boys and daddies girls because
6:16
there are also some women in Nigeria today who are large, if
6:21
you understand. And people will say it's because
6:23
her popsy was large or she had one kind benefactor who gave her
6:30
C capital. So we don't have to clap for all
6:34
these daddies boys and daddies girls.
6:36
We don't. But then we should not
6:38
trivialize what these people have achieved just because
6:43
somebody gave them leg up. Let me repeat, we don't have to
6:48
clap for these people, but let's not trivialize what they've done
6:51
except, you know, because somebody give them leg up.
6:55
Now, there's some clear cases where I understand if people
7:00
want to shout too much, like this one particular African
7:03
dictator. Let me not say it because you
7:06
know it's them say them say is gist and I don't like to give
7:09
something I've not verified. And this dictator had lots of
7:14
holdings in his country, I think diamond related or something
7:17
sharp mineral related. And of course, you know when the
7:20
girl's out of the picture, you know his first son, you know,
7:23
inherited the whole thing. But you know those some state
7:26
pressure. You understand this thing can be
7:28
now your pop series is in charge, your popsy corner,
7:31
everything using power of the state, Poppy is no longer in the
7:36
picture. But all those things that they
7:39
controlled using power of the state, everything has now been
7:41
handed over to you. If you want to shout at people
7:44
like that, I understand. I say OK, I understand because
7:49
in that kind of situation, it doesn't really require much
7:51
ingenuity as your popsy was military dictator, the guy
7:56
cornered everything by force, gave everything to you by force.
8:00
You inherited monopoly, you know, by force.
8:03
So that kind of thing, if I have to be an idiot to lose it, as
8:08
you have to be completely stupid to lose it.
8:11
So in those kinds of circumstances, I understand.
8:15
But nothing we have to understand is it's not as if
8:18
Nigeria is a wealthy country or I know people like to say giant
8:23
of Africa and you know, you quote GDP and everything.
8:27
But look, let's face it, Nigeria is not a wealthy company and so
8:33
because of that, a lot of people who are complaining about
8:36
Dangote and not a dollar. One thing you guys don't
8:40
realize, all of you are complaining.
8:43
People can turn around and say the same thing about you because
8:46
I've been seeing some names on people that are complaining.
8:49
You're complaining about whatever that Popsy gave him 250
8:53
K pounds higher currency back in those days when 200 and when 1/4
8:59
of £1,000,000 was something. But you then you're complaining
9:05
you have a father who paid for you to go for masters abroad in
9:10
Stanford. Then from there you entered into
9:14
YC That's AY combinator and you're complaining.
9:22
You don't know that in 20 years when you self you hammer you're
9:26
a big boy. People can turn around and say
9:28
and you had a rich popsy who sent you to America to Stanford.
9:32
From there you get connect, you enter YC.
9:35
That's the reason why you blow. People will now start
9:39
diminishing the work that you put Abby.
9:43
We shouldn't celebrate you because your Popsy was rich
9:45
enough to pay for master's degree in America.
9:49
Does Sammy would diminish the hard work that you did because
9:53
it's not automatic that you go to Jand for masters.
10:00
It's not automatic that from there you will enter Y
10:02
Combinator and even if you enter Y Combinator is not guaranteed
10:07
their business will succeed. There are lots of Nigerians who
10:09
have entered Y Combinator before and their business is in all
10:13
blue. So it's not guaranteed.
10:16
We don't realize all of you are just bashing on turtle and down
10:19
with your up and down. You don't know that tomorrow
10:21
somebody can say the same thing about you.
10:23
Or consider this one, One of my classmates, the guy comes from a
10:27
poor background. His father was AI can't remember
10:31
what they're called. Is it taxonomy or something like
10:33
that? You know, these people that take
10:35
you take animals and then you start creating specimen, you
10:38
know, agricultural specimen like you do skeleton or you, you
10:43
mount the you create samples, samples of animals you now sell
10:48
to laboratories. So that was the work that the
10:53
guy used to do. But I admit, yes, the guy, he
10:56
didn't come from a rich background, but because his
11:01
Popsy now does is what his Popsy used to do is probably started
11:04
making skeleton samples. And then my guy started taking
11:07
these things and selling to laboratories and then selling to
11:13
schools. So because of this family
11:19
business now that is started with Popsy's skills, Popsy's
11:23
training by the time when year 4 back then in OAU, this guy has
11:29
several million in his bank account.
11:33
Those one time I only have to go to the bank.
11:35
I said let me just go and check my bank, you know, and the guy
11:37
said no problem, he took you go and check.
11:39
Back in those days we didn't have ATM and was well up where
11:42
my where my bank that we had in in OAU back then above my World
11:47
University. So there was one my bank there
11:50
where my bank the branch was nearly was under underneath the
11:55
amphitheater. So that's where we went.
11:58
So then you go, you give the cashier your account number, you
12:02
write it on a sheet of paper, your balance, I give it to you.
12:05
So it ripped my balance. I checked.
12:07
I saw some money inside. I said correct.
12:09
I said today I will flex. Yeah, I was curious.
12:12
I said oh boy, how much is he on now?
12:14
The guy showed me 7 point something million.
12:17
I said. I said how come?
12:21
And then that's why he gave me the back story about the
12:24
horsewood and he and his pops you are doing all day.
12:26
In my mind I was thinking year 4, you already have self
12:30
million, why are you staying in school?
12:32
Resign and do this in full time. Although I didn't tell him
12:34
Michelle, but that's what I was thinking.
12:39
So. And of course now today the guy
12:41
is a big boy. Should we in 20 years when the
12:47
guy is a billionaire now, should we be shouting at him that's the
12:54
reason why he started is because his father had unique skills
12:58
that we could monetize. So because of that now would
13:02
diminish the work that was done. Because there are lots of people
13:07
who have skills, lots of people that their popsy have unique
13:10
skills but they have not been able to harness it.
13:16
So should we shout at somebody like this and say is Popsy's, is
13:22
Popsies Connect that made this thing happen?
13:25
Well, I take somebody like me. That's one of the reasons why
13:28
I'm public. You know, when people are
13:29
talking about this and it's me, I keep quiet because it's not as
13:32
if I'm from a poor background. I'm not from a wealthy
13:34
background, but I'm not from a poor background either.
13:39
So I was master master's educated abroad, and while I was
13:43
studying, I stole 200 lbs from Mumsy.
13:46
That's what I used to buy my first camera.
13:48
That's how I started. So in 20 years now when I'm a
13:55
billionaire, is it that people should not celebrate me because
14:01
the money that I used to starting business was not my
14:05
own? I stole it from Mumsy, so people
14:09
should not celebrate me. So is everybody that can get the
14:15
£200 from Mumsy or Popsy. So it's everybody that gets that
14:20
kind. You know, the, you know, no
14:22
matter how small is everybody that gets it that will now
14:26
become a billionaire. It's another example.
14:30
It's one of my classmates in secondary school.
14:34
When is Popsy died, he was sad, you know, everybody's sad.
14:37
You know when your Popsy died. I remember when my own Popsy
14:39
died, when mom, she gave me the gist, I could not believe it.
14:44
She called me. She said, Tavish, where are you?
14:47
Yes, I'm on my way home from work.
14:49
So are you sitting down? I said, look, Mommy, what's
14:51
happening? Just tell me.
14:52
Say. Well, there's no easy way to say
14:54
it. Your father has been shot.
14:56
I don't know. I haven't got any information.
14:59
Again, when I have any information, I'll tell you.
15:02
I said OK, no problem. I got home.
15:04
I was confused. I said let me make some more and
15:07
do me before I tear the sachet. Another phone call.
15:11
Say yeah, I've just confirmed your father is dead.
15:15
One more I cried like a bastard that day.
15:19
So anyway, when is my friend Popsy died?
15:25
You know you feel sorry and you know you remember your own your
15:28
own loss as well now. But in his own case, that is my
15:33
classmate. When he was crying, he said
15:35
don't cry, don't cry. The thing that they used to wipe
15:38
his eyes was the fact that his Popsy left, his Popsy left a
15:43
nice inheritance for him, a hotel plus some landed
15:46
properties in Abuja. So you know, when you're crying
15:49
and people say, yeah, don't cry, don't cry, then they're using
15:51
title documents to clean your eye, to clean your eyes.
15:54
So yeah, don't be crying, Don't be crying and sorry, sorry,
15:57
sorry. And they're using the title
15:59
documents worth millions and millions and millions to wipe
16:03
your eye, you know. So somebody like that, now that
16:08
inherited, correct Bar serious cheddar in 20 years.
16:15
Now, if he's a billionaire, are you saying that we shouldn't
16:17
praise him because his father left him an inheritance?
16:23
As if he's automatic, that if somebody's pops, he gives them
16:26
inheritance, that they will be big, that they will blow.
16:32
There's just one more. It's just like I remember the
16:34
person's name. I'm not sure if it was Chino
16:36
Achebe, but you know, back in, you know, those of us who are
16:40
late 70s, early 80s kids back then we had this African writers
16:44
series, you know, like the book about or Concord, Things Fall
16:48
Apart and all those things, Afghan writers series that we
16:50
have to read. So I know that those one of
16:52
those authors that, excuse me, how he got his big break was
16:58
when he was, he was even one of the Ebo authors.
17:00
When he was in in the village, people saw that this boy is
17:04
bright. This boy is very sharp.
17:06
So what they did was the village contributed and then that's how
17:09
they sent him to school and then from there, school scholarship,
17:15
you know, UK everything. That's how the guy's destiny
17:20
changed. He now became renowned author.
17:26
So for somebody like that, we should not praise him because
17:29
it's the village that contributed and got him started.
17:33
We shouldn't praise him. You want to look at examples
17:37
like this. We'll keep going on and on and
17:39
on and on. And in my opinion, this kind of
17:41
beef is non constructive. It is not constructive at all.
17:48
I'm not saying we shouldn't have these opinions.
17:50
We can. But we're better off trying to
17:52
see if the person started by selling skeleton samples and he
17:57
and his pop see that's how they start a new business.
18:00
Then try and learn how did you go from here to here to here to
18:04
here to here, Take the principles and apply, that's
18:06
all. If you hear that person's uncle
18:11
gave him 12 lorries, it's still the same.
18:14
OK, you started with 12 lorries, How did you apply from here to
18:17
here to here to here to here, Take the principles and then run
18:21
it. If you hear that the person
18:25
started because the whole village contributed together to
18:28
send him to school is still the same thing.
18:30
How did you go from A to B to C? Take the principles and apply.
18:38
Try and learn from whatever legacy people have required.
18:42
What? This kind of beef is unnecessary
18:44
and you're just wasting your time tearing people down.
18:51
See how you can learn from other people's examples wherever they
18:54
started from. Some people start at 0, some
18:58
people start at +5, some people start at +100.
19:03
Either way, there's a lesson that you can learn.
19:06
And by the way, news flash, for those of you who have been
19:09
hitting or downloading or hitting an Otterola, I said it
19:12
in the other podcast and I'm saying it again, Downloading has
19:16
this refinery going. Apart from that, he's raising
19:19
more cheddar. He wants to open a shipping
19:24
port, another shipping port in West Africa.
19:27
I'm sorry, in Nigeria, I can't remember where exactly Otterola
19:33
is investing in power infrastructure.
19:37
So for those of you who've been beefing, I'm just letting you
19:40
guys know you think they have billions now with the moves that
19:45
down with an Otterola are doing, they have many more billions to
19:49
come. So those of you who are beefing
19:51
will now go beef die. I'm telling you this one is
19:55
small refinery plus shipping port.
20:01
What do you think this is going to become a certified boss and
20:07
then the way that Nepal is useless in this country, just
20:12
stressing out our lives or Ted and the others who are making
20:15
moves to invest in powerful structure.
20:19
If any of those plans click, what do you think is going to
20:21
happen? In fact, Eve goes back to my
20:26
point, are there not other Nigerians who have serious bar,
20:30
serious money, serious pepper but have refused to make this
20:34
kind of bold plays? Is downloaded the first person
20:37
to have enough money to say you know what, let me raise capital
20:40
and open up a second port before downloaded did not.
20:47
OK, well Donald Duke, Donald Duke was a governor.
20:50
So that whole thing of Tinapa and HAM and free trade Zone and
20:54
stuff like that. So these ideas are not strange,
20:59
are they not other people who go Lego from their policy or Lego
21:03
from sponsoring government but did not make this bold move.
21:08
Now these two are making these moves.
21:13
Can we not see that there's some foresight for these two guys in
21:17
particular? There is some foresight because
21:21
what they are seeing other people have refused to see.
21:23
For the people that saw, it's not everybody that had the
21:26
gumsho to move forward and take the bet.
21:28
Then I'm taking the Bet Hotel and I would say they're making
21:34
big bets in African infrastructure.
21:39
The other people who are richer than them before who didn't do
21:42
that anyway, for me looking at them, I think they're sharp
21:46
guys. The lesson I've learned is that
21:49
betting on infrastructure in Africa, I think is the way to
21:51
go. You know, those the other
21:55
billionaire from so excuse me, I've forgotten the guy's name
22:02
now, the one from Zimbabwe. I made an episode about him as
22:06
well. You know, so looking at these
22:09
these guys and then Chairman Moore as well, making
22:12
investments in mobile telephony infrastructure, looking at these
22:17
big boys. And I've seen the game that
22:18
they're playing. I'm beginning to see that.
22:19
OK, maybe that's the way forward.
22:22
Infrastructure. So I didn't have hotel as dad as
22:30
my proxy. I didn't have Dangote's uncle as
22:33
my uncle. But the small that my mom and my
22:36
dad gave me, I will do my best to build upon it.
22:39
And you should do the best to build upon whatever you got to.
22:42
If you're one of those people who started from zero, as in you
22:45
were born under a bridge, your momsey was a beggar, Well, it
22:49
doesn't mean that there's nothing in store for you because
22:52
there are people who have risen from those circumstances who are
22:54
born with absolute 0. But it doesn't mean that we will
23:01
now belittle somebody's accomplishments because it
23:08
started with a leg up. And I'm letting you guys know
23:13
ahead of time, 50 years from now when my sons are billionaires,
23:18
if I catch any of you saying that the reason why they're
23:21
billionaires is because me, I give them a Lego, I'll knock you
23:24
guys on the head. It's not a guarantee that my
23:30
boys will be billionaires just because of things that I've
23:35
started today in 2025. If they don't arrange themselves
23:39
well, do you think won't click? If they arrange themselves well,
23:43
do you think we click? And it will click exceedingly
23:45
well. So.
23:50
So excuse me. So when my sons are billionaires
23:53
in 50 years, it will be not just because Popsy started something,
23:59
but also because they grew up to become men of ambition, men of
24:07
vision, and they had the backbone to execute.
24:12
So when that time comes, none of you should be looking at my
24:14
boys, I say. And it's because of what Popsy
24:16
did. And then the side note, because
24:21
I've noticed that whenever these things start trending, if you
24:25
create content on these things, it actually does trend.
24:29
So the amount of opinion that Wendy don't create content on
24:34
trendy stuff. So those of you joining the
24:36
bandwagon on beefing Otterola because his book is out, you
24:39
know they call it news jacking. When something is trending in
24:42
the news and is newsworthy, you may comment the content about
24:45
it. Yeah, you can do that.
24:47
You're trying for a while, but if you're on your content game
24:50
to be long, all you have to do is focus on having a distinctive
24:53
point of view in your professional space.
24:56
Build content around that instead, and you'll be fine.
25:03
Anyway, I have a little podcast here, so I'm not trying to new
25:07
Jack because anyway, this is a business podcast anyway, so it
25:15
is not the kind of thing that will trend or cause controversy
25:17
or whatever. But I'm just trying to speak to
25:20
those of you who've been listening to my podcast, who
25:23
follow the podcast, who you feel are safe.
25:29
The things I say make sense. I'm just trying to speak to you
25:31
guys for those of you who've been seeing some of all this
25:34
controversy, you know, in forums and on LinkedIn and things like
25:40
that. That's what I'm making today's
25:45
episode. So don't join them.
25:51
Let people news Jack and get their content to trend or
25:56
whatever. For now, you just focus on
26:00
having a distinctive view in your your business, in your
26:03
space and then you'll be fine. So it's like me and my podcast,
26:07
you know, news jacking or news, news jacking.
26:10
Things come, things go. But my core thesis still remains
26:13
the same, that the only reason why people's destinies change,
26:17
why people's family change, is because someone figured out the
26:21
knack. Someone was able to figure it
26:25
out. That to make progress, you need
26:30
to be able to sell. Sell your product, sell your
26:35
service, sell your vision. You need to be able to get
26:39
people on board with whatever the agenda is.
26:42
And that's the reason why I'm making this podcast.
26:46
Anyway, sorry that today's podcast was not directly sales
26:54
related or marketing related. I just saw another one of those
26:58
posts today and I was like, whoa, these people are just
27:01
taking the piss. Anyway, So that's it and that's
27:05
all. Remember if you'd love to
27:07
connect, you can call SMS or what's happening on 08064662140.
27:13
Thank you very much for your time and attention.
27:14
I'll catch you next time. Same place in your headphones or
27:18
in your speakers. And don't worry, the next time
27:20
you hear from me on this podcast, it definitely will be
27:24
business related and not not another rant because of stuff I
27:29
saw on LinkedIn. So I'll catch you guys.