Latest / Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint / The real reason why artists and photographers stay broke: Closing the sales and marketing gap

Transcript

The real reason why artists and photographers stay broke: Closing the sales and marketing gap · Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint

0:01
Today on the podcast, we're going to do some general talk
0:03
around sales and marketing and also talk a little bit about the
0:07
MVP. The MVP is the minimum viable
0:10
product and that is the smallest version of your product of your
0:14
service, of your big idea that you can put out into the world
0:18
so that people can see, they can touch, they can taste, they can
0:21
smell, they can decide whether they like your stuff or not.
0:24
Now, the reason why we're going to be looking at these things
0:26
today was because I got a message from a listener of the
0:29
podcast and his name is Bolu Corey.
0:33
So excuse me, really interesting name.
0:35
I mean, I've met lots of Bolus and I've met a lot of lots of
0:38
Corey days, but I didn't know it was possible to have a Bolu
0:42
Corey day. So unique name.
0:43
Nice one. And yes, since I'm a bit pressed
0:48
for time, I figured, let me just make this podcast recording,
0:51
respond this way and then Bolu, you can listen to it because my
0:56
schedule is tight today, so I'm not going to be able to call you
0:59
for a chat. So yeah, that's it.
1:03
So today we're responding to a listener questions or a set of
1:06
listener questions. Now, if you like these sorts of
1:11
things, talking about sales and marketing and career and things
1:13
like that, how to find customers, how to improve your
1:16
business, how to improve yourself, then this podcast is
1:19
for you. So make sure you subscribe on
1:21
Spotify, YouTube or Apple or any player of your choice.
1:24
My name is Tara Shema Ayede, I'm the host of the show.
1:27
And if you would like to reach out in the same way that Boluk
1:30
already did to connect or questions or queries,
1:34
collaborations or whatever, then call, send a text message or a
1:38
WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Also making today's recording at
1:47
home. So there's going to be some
1:48
noise in the background. It's a weekend wife.
1:50
He's home. She's watching game shows.
1:52
The kids are watching game shows with her and, you know, to just
1:55
running all over the place as kids like to do.
1:59
All right, so background. Bullock already.
2:02
He's an artist. Yeah, let me just leave it like
2:05
that. He's an artist.
2:06
He's not quite 30 yet. And I sense that there might be
2:11
some hang ups there. So let me tackle that thing
2:14
first, OK? Now there's a lot of pressure to
2:18
blow before a certain age. And I understand, you know,
2:22
perfectly well because I didn't marry when I was I didn't marry
2:28
when I was young. I mean, like now my kids are
2:31
still primary school, just, you know, pre junior secondary
2:36
school. But meanwhile, my own younger
2:38
brother, I'm older than the Dubai two years, his kids are in
2:42
university. So I understand the pressure
2:45
when like you're watching the clock.
2:47
Yeah. OK.
2:48
I'm 25. I never hammer, I never marry.
2:50
OK, I'm 30. I never hammer.
2:54
I never marry. OK, I'm 35.
2:56
I never hammer, I never marry. I understand the pressure.
3:01
But realistically speaking, the best you can do is the best you
3:05
can do. Don't put yourself under immense
3:08
pressure because it makes the journey even harder.
3:13
Just realize that you know where it is that you need to go.
3:15
There are a couple of things you need to learn.
3:16
There are a couple of skills you need to acquire.
3:19
Do your best to learn. And acquire those skills the
3:21
best you can. Then also take your grounding.
3:27
Take your identity, especially for those of us who are
3:31
Christians. Take it in your faith.
3:34
You're a child of God. You know the hand you've been
3:36
dealt is the hand you've been dealt.
3:38
If you play it well, it's all good.
3:40
If you don't play well, well, it's all good any which way.
3:47
So don't be looking at the fact that you're 25 or that you're 30
3:51
or that you're 35 or you're 40 or that you're 50.
3:55
There are some people who secured the bag at 20.
3:58
You know, glory to God, there's some people who secured the bag
4:01
at 30. We're happy for them.
4:03
There's some people who secured the bag at 40.
4:05
It's all good. There's some people who their
4:09
container lands are 50. It's all good.
4:13
There are some people who blew at 60.
4:16
It's all good. Any which way, it's all good.
4:20
But the journey can be tough. So let's calm down and let's not
4:23
put ourselves on that. Too much pressure.
4:25
If you're looking at us, I'm 25. Next year I'll be 2634.
4:30
Next year I'll be 35, man, that's that's, that's a lot of
4:34
pressure. You just take it easy.
4:36
Just chill. So don't be looking at the clock
4:38
too much, just looking at the things that you need to learn
4:42
and see how you can acquire those skills not just quickly,
4:46
but efficiently, you know, to take you to the to the next
4:50
step. So young men, and they're also
4:52
babes, Please don't put yourself under pressure.
4:55
Is 1 girl on LinkedIn. Don't call her name.
4:57
She's absolutely blowing up and you know on and on about how you
5:00
know she's 22 and everything you know, and it's all good.
5:04
You know, it's all good, but don't be looking at people like
5:06
that. And you now be feeling somehow I
5:12
see this babe, she's 22. She don't blow me.
5:15
I'm 34. She she I no get that's not the
5:20
way to look at it. All right.
5:22
So, yeah, this is not a motivational podcast.
5:25
So let me go. Excuse me.
5:28
Let me see if I can answer his questions.
5:31
OK, so first thing, Balu, in the messages that you sent, you
5:36
know, you didn't have one question per SE, or two or
5:39
three. You spoke about a bunch of
5:41
stuff. So I'm trying to tease out a
5:42
couple of issues. So it's not as if there's one
5:47
big question I can answer. So Baluka, really my advice for
5:51
next time, you know, you're reaching out to someone, you
5:54
want them to help. It's OK to give the background.
5:57
It's OK to give the context. But just make sure you have
6:00
questions. OK, So this is the background.
6:02
So therefore my question is 123 so that the person can help you
6:07
with 123. If you give a background and you
6:11
wait for people to tease out stuff, you know, to be honest,
6:14
I'm going to take the time and tease things out because not
6:18
only do I want to help you because I like to give value to
6:21
everybody who comes across my path.
6:23
I think that your story and the issues that you face.
6:27
Are the same kind of issues that other people face and so
6:29
there'll be some value you know with me making this as well
6:32
because other people will learn from it and grow from it but the
6:36
other people like let's say you had down with his phone number
6:38
you boss down with him. I don't think down with the
6:40
would have responded because it's like man this is plenty and
6:43
then he's thinking about you know down to be thinking oh OK,
6:47
you know I need to go for echoes union.
6:48
I need to go and do this. I need to go and build this
6:51
port. I'm fighting with new Peng.
6:53
I'm doing this. And then you know he won't
6:54
answer, but then you give the. Background and then you say so
6:58
so therefore down with it. My question is 123.
7:01
You know, down with it can now respond and say on issue one, do
7:03
this issue 2 do this issue 3 do this.
7:08
By the way, I'm not saying me, I'm down with your mates.
7:10
I'm just you know, you get the point.
7:15
So you say you're not getting anywhere.
7:19
I understand. I understand perfectly well.
7:21
That's the reason why I started making this podcast.
7:24
There are too many people. You know, you are an artist and
7:27
I consider you to be my brother because I keep saying that my
7:30
primary constituency is wedding photography because that's where
7:35
I started. So I consider you my brother.
7:39
You know, we're from the same. I mean, yes, I use a camera and
7:43
you use a brush, but essentially we're the same.
7:46
I started making this podcast because too many of my brothers
7:48
and sisters were not getting anywhere, but they always felt
7:52
as if it was the technical stuff that was holding them back.
7:55
So if they're artists, they're thinking about how they can
7:57
import canvas from Italy. Canvas from Italy is not your
8:00
problem. If they're photographer, they're
8:02
thinking about getting a bigger camera with more megapixels.
8:06
Megapixel is not your problem. The reason why the artist in
8:09
Nigeria is not getting anywhere today is because he lacks sales
8:12
and marketing skills. Bam, full stop.
8:16
In the car yesterday, I was listening to a documentary with
8:18
my kids. It's a podcast called Who's
8:20
Smarted and it's for kids, you know, real nice.
8:23
So for those of you who have children, just download it.
8:26
You know, nice podcast, simple episode, short, short, short, 20
8:29
minutes. You know, you and the kids be
8:30
learning nice things on the move.
8:32
You know, it's a nice way to build relationships with your
8:35
children. You know, you guys listen to
8:36
podcasts, you just stop. You discuss, you have your own
8:39
opinion. They will have their own
8:40
opinion. You learn interesting things
8:41
about the world, you know, So, and we're talking about
8:43
Michelangelo and Michelangelo's patrons and how he started off
8:48
in business. Of course you will.
8:50
Look already you know who Michelangelo is.
8:52
Now, for other people listening to the podcast, Michelangelo was
8:55
a Renaissance painter. He was contemporaries with
9:01
Leonardo da Vinci, you know, also the painter and the
9:05
inventor. So it was nice to listen to this
9:07
sort of thing. But basically what I'm trying to
9:09
tell you, Buluco Renee, is that it's not today, since the
9:12
Renaissance, as in, you know, hundreds and hundreds and
9:16
hundreds reaching like thousands of years, it has been a problem.
9:21
I'm an artist, how I would shop, how will I pay bills?
9:24
I'm an artist. I want Mary, how will I do it?
9:26
I'm an artist. I want build house, how will I
9:28
do it? I'm an artist.
9:30
I can't be broke forever. What's the way forward?
9:35
So this problem didn't start with you.
9:38
The problem is not going to end with you.
9:41
Photographers, painters, sculptors, you know, they will
9:44
always wake up and be perpetually broke because they
9:47
don't know that the thing that they need to make them move
9:50
forward is sales and marketing. So my brother, you listening to
9:53
this podcast, you're on the right track.
9:55
Don't really listen to my stuff. Listen to other stuff as well,
9:58
especially other artists who in you know that you know who are
10:00
successful. Listen to their stuff because
10:02
you hear, you know, one or two things about how they started
10:06
selling their pieces, how they network to success.
10:11
You never know what are you on the right path listening to this
10:14
kind of material, how to sell and how to market yourself.
10:18
So the reason why you feel like you're not getting anywhere is
10:21
because you're lacking when it comes to sales and marketing
10:24
skills. That is the very idea.
10:28
That is the main thing that made me start this podcast.
10:31
If you don't believe me, those of you who are listening to
10:33
these things, skip scroll. You'll be hard because I have
10:37
over 1200 episodes here. Scroll all the way to episode 1
10:40
and listen. You will hear that I'm not
10:42
lying. This is what started this
10:44
journey. Too many photographers are
10:46
broke. Too many painters are broke.
10:49
Too many video people are broke. Sales and marketing skills,
10:56
that's the way. Then you say you don't have
11:00
money for big plans. OK, no problem.
11:04
This is where minimum viable product comes in.
11:10
There are people in different kinds of businesses, different
11:14
kinds of sectors, people who want to do big things but their
11:17
money is holding them back. The thing is, if you wait until
11:20
you collect all that big money before you will start, I mean,
11:24
who knows? Who knows how long it will take
11:26
to arrange the big money. So what people do in other
11:29
industries is this. They come up with a minimum
11:32
viable product. A minimum viable product is the
11:34
smallest version of your idea that you can introduce to the
11:38
market. So you can be collecting some
11:41
small coins and be saving or so that the market when I give you
11:45
feedback whether this thing is working or not.
11:51
So if you're an artist and you come with some revolutionary
11:56
groundbreaking painting technique, don't want paint 100
12:00
pieces and then try and sell you paint 1.
12:04
You see how you can flog it in the market If it works the next
12:09
time you try to you sell two of them.
12:12
The next time you make 4, next time you make it.
12:16
That's the idea behind MVP. What is the smallest idea?
12:21
But too many artists. You want to go all go all out,
12:24
go all big, rent the studio space, put AC, get all the
12:29
canvas, stock up 5060 of your pieces there.
12:33
You know it's good to have all those dreams and you will get
12:36
there. But for now, take it slow.
12:39
MVP minimum viable product. What is the smallest version of
12:44
this? My wonderful idea that I can put
12:46
out into the market, let me be making small coins or let people
12:50
show me. Let the market show me that this
12:53
idea is valued or not. So you should be thinking MVP,
12:59
minimum viable product. So you have big plans.
13:03
What is the smallest version of your plan?
13:07
There you can just start now. One example that I gave, I gave
13:13
this example because this name pay me, really, really paying me
13:15
those ago young lady. What she wanted to do was she
13:20
had this idea that she could create a website, so an app in
13:25
the logistics space that will be matching truckers in Nigeria
13:29
with people who need trucking services.
13:31
Now. The moment she said it, I was
13:33
like correct. The reason why I could say
13:36
correct was because trucking is a problem in Nigeria.
13:39
My brother and I, we used to do, we used to export charcoal.
13:45
And of course, you know, you get all the consignment in the Bush.
13:47
You need a trucker to take it from the Bush to the port.
13:51
Now when people are fresh, it's a huge nightmare.
13:57
Which trucker do you know? You don't know any trucker.
13:59
OK, There are different companies.
14:00
Which company is a good one? You have absolutely no idea.
14:04
So I thought it would not be. I thought it was not a bad idea
14:08
for somebody to enter that space to say, you know what, just like
14:11
how with Uber, you know, taxis, you know, blah, blah, blah, you
14:16
can do something on that same scale for trucks.
14:20
But of course that kind of thing will be capital intensive.
14:23
And of course, you know, the girl didn't have money.
14:26
My rights to how was yeah, money is necessary.
14:31
And at some point you have to start talking to investors to
14:33
make this thing work. But in the meantime, MVP,
14:37
minimum viable product, what you can do is Excel sheets.
14:41
You can use Excel sheet to manage this thing.
14:44
You have your database of truckers, you have your
14:46
relationship with trucking companies, You have everybody's
14:49
whatever on an Excel sheet. And then what you do is you just
14:52
mediate the demand and supply. Put this thing out there, people
14:57
call and manually hand by hand, you are connecting.
15:00
People call this person, WhatsApp, this person, you're
15:03
doing the hand by hand. Number one, you will get small
15:07
coins #2 you will even figure out is this a problem that is
15:11
even worth solving? Because I thought it was a good
15:13
idea. But it's possible that Nigerians
15:16
don't give a hoot like they don't care when it comes to
15:21
trucking. Perhaps Nigerians are OK with,
15:23
you know, you go to the garage and start negotiating one-on-one
15:28
with the truck driver or whatever.
15:31
It's possible that Nigerians don't care.
15:32
But The thing is, you never know until you start.
15:35
So that's a conversation we had. Then a couple of months later,
15:38
like, hey, babe, what's up? How you been?
15:40
This your idea? How's the thing going?
15:41
She said, Oh no, now I started an NGO, Something, something,
15:44
something, something, something. And the thing really pained me.
15:47
It's like, poor girl, she got scared.
15:53
She got scared. So she didn't start MVP.
15:59
If you're looking at how big, big, big, big, big, The thing
16:01
is, you'll never start to start small.
16:05
Facebook did not start big was him.
16:11
And you know, depending on who you listen to him and the
16:15
Winklevoss Bros and you put together this small thing, your
16:20
classmates are using it. OK, now the faculty is using it.
16:24
OK, now the department is using it.
16:26
OK, now the university is using it.
16:28
Let's see if we can enter another university.
16:30
It's like that from faculty to faculty, from university to
16:33
university. And then before you know it,
16:35
Facebook is all over the place, small, small, small.
16:37
What is the smallest version minimum viable product?
16:40
So all of you with big plans that require big money, please
16:43
always be thinking MVP. So you want to build that app
16:46
that will transform Nigeria and you require millions and
16:50
millions of naira to develop this thing.
16:51
No problem, I agree. But in the meantime, what is the
16:55
smallest version of this idea that you introduced to the
16:57
market that you show that this thing can work?
17:01
You'll be any some small coins. The point is not the coins.
17:03
The point is to see, are people even interested?
17:05
Do they even like my stuff? Do they feel my ish?
17:07
That's the main thing. So Bulu Curry, the main thing
17:11
first is your artistic, you know, your style, your flair,
17:14
are people even feeling yourself?
17:15
That's the main thing we need to figure out now.
17:19
Grandiose plans, big plans, yes, it's good, but now you know, put
17:23
out a couple of pieces, it's that simple, 1-2 pieces and then
17:27
see how you can sell it. MVP.
17:30
It's time for big plans. We'll get there.
17:34
So bully, you don't have money for startup.
17:38
Of course it makes sense because as an artist you definitely need
17:42
money for supplies and equipment.
17:43
You go buy brush, you know, you buy palette, you buy solvent,
17:46
you buy vanish, you buy canvas, you buy paper, you buy
17:49
sketchbook, you know, you buy all those things, you know, I
17:52
did find out. That's the reason why I know so
17:53
small, you know, But that was a long time ago.
17:58
Then of course, there's also studio setup, you know, you keep
18:00
up your place. Then you also need lighting, you
18:03
know, color corrected lighting, correct lighting, you know, So I
18:06
understand, I understand. But The thing is, I want to go
18:10
and just do some small mathematics and from what I've
18:13
found, brush palette, you know, canvas paper, I added up all the
18:18
numbers is looking like 155 K to about 300 and something K, of
18:24
course, depending on quality, because not all cameras is the
18:28
same quality. Not all paintbrush is the same
18:30
quality. But sure, if you must rush it to
18:32
start is looking as if one 5300 and you know, 40 something K you
18:37
will start. That's something you can save
18:40
all for. That's the reason why on this
18:43
podcast and also on my radio show where some people call in,
18:46
I tell them, have you heard of bootstrapping?
18:48
Bootstrapping just means you're growing this business from your
18:50
own savings or you're growing it from your small profits.
18:58
You make 10,000 naira profit or something.
19:01
OK no problem. You remove 4000 naira 2 flex the
19:05
remaining 6000 naira, put it back into the business as as
19:08
bootstrapping or you save. So stop looking at how big the
19:15
the mountain is in front of you. Start saving.
19:20
Except if I did my research wrong, you know, 150, throw it
19:25
out for the something key. You don't start.
19:28
Of course, that is my nose. My nose says studio setup.
19:33
My no studio setup. Now, there are a lot of us who
19:36
work from home because rent is expensive.
19:40
I used to have a studio, but then by the time my first mom
19:43
was born, I thought about it. Back then, diapers.
19:47
I used to think diapers was expensive because then, you
19:49
know, me and my wife, we used to use the expensive stuff.
19:51
We used to use Huggies. Yeah, used to buy the expensive
19:55
stuff back then. Huggies was 7000 naira for a
19:57
cartoon. And then my my video guy Shagun
20:01
used to laugh at me, say you people are for me, Big boy Abby,
20:04
big boy, big girl is OK, is OK. So you should spend 7000 on
20:08
diapers. And then my studio space was
20:12
costing me about 30,000 a month. And I thought about this thing.
20:16
I'm spending 30,000 a month and half the time I'm not even
20:20
there. So what's the point?
20:23
And I closed it down as is. Then I've been working from
20:26
home. If there's a need for a meeting,
20:29
a presentation or whatever, I use a Co working space.
20:34
So we look already the money for studio.
20:38
You don't even need it right now.
20:44
I don't know what your family situation is like, Bob.
20:48
In this part of the world, parents love and support us.
20:52
So if you say Popsy, I beg. Let me colonize this corner and
21:00
let me keep my easel here, my canvas, my something.
21:03
I beg. Just leave it.
21:05
Popsy, I beg. Just give me, like, one year.
21:08
Let me be strong first. Let me just get this thing off
21:10
the ground. Your parents won't mind because
21:12
in this part of the world, you know, that's what we do.
21:15
Yeah. Things I'll be rough in the
21:16
West. I remember living in Scotland
21:18
where those guys, they're harsher.
21:21
Once you turn 1617, you quarrel with your pops, your pops, you
21:24
say get out of my house. You're a man.
21:25
Go and do your own thing. I say, I say you people.
21:28
When I hush gone small quarry, you just kick your children out
21:32
of the house. But here it's not like that.
21:36
Just tell popsy. Just tell mom.
21:37
See, I beg mom. See this small space.
21:41
I beg you, just let me have this small place for like 6 months,
21:45
the guest room, this corner of the guest room.
21:46
Let me just keep all my material here.
21:48
They won't mind. They will support you.
21:50
They say my boys trying to do big things.
21:53
They will even be proud of you. So see how you can arrange
21:57
300400K studio setup. Ignore studio setup.
22:01
From now you can be painting from home.
22:03
All those ones that the chemical smell really bad.
22:06
Wait until everybody goes out of the house.
22:07
Then you now do that painting before they come back.
22:10
Open the windows, you know blow the fan, you know blast AC, you
22:14
know air up the place. I'll be arid the place, but
22:20
that's about the money concerns. Well, just remember MVP minimum
22:25
viable product. What is the smallest version?
22:27
Let's push that out studio space.
22:29
Don't worry about that for now. You 300 to 400 K that you need,
22:35
you know, savings or borrow from moms and popsy.
22:39
That's a good thing. Also about this part of the
22:41
world. If you borrow 300K from Popsy,
22:44
he will give you after like a year or two.
22:48
If you're struggling and say Popsy, I beg that 300K.
22:50
He will say, my son, don't worry.
22:51
Don't worry. It's OK.
22:53
I'm not saying defraud Pops you. I'm just being real with you.
22:57
Yeah, You'll borrow money from Popsy.
22:59
He will say yes. I expect for it to be paid back.
23:01
It's not as if he expects for it to be paid back per say.
23:03
Per say. You know, he just wants you to
23:05
learn that nothing is free and he's trying to help you, trying
23:09
to, you know, build you to become a man so you can borrow
23:12
from, I'm saying policy if it's possible.
23:16
Then he also said art is emotional, that people have to
23:19
feel the art to buy it. And you're absolutely correct.
23:21
Good. Now this is your first lesson
23:23
when it comes to sales and marketing.
23:25
You said you have been listening to the podcast for a couple of
23:27
weeks. So I hope you've come across
23:29
this where I talk about the ICP. That is the, excuse me, ideal
23:33
customer profile. Ideal customer profile.
23:36
Who are the people that we should be chasing after?
23:38
Who are the best people who will feel this thing?
23:44
Don't feel hamstrung by the fact that, you know, emotions are
23:47
evolved when it comes to art. Rather, spend your time focusing
23:51
on targeting, chasing after the right people.
23:54
Funny enough, is something I've spoken about over here on the
23:56
podcast, somebody talking to me trying to sell me some cubist
23:59
stuff. I'm not a Cubism guy.
24:02
I'm more of an impression. Isn't, you know, an
24:04
impressionist kind of guy, you know, So Picasso and all that,
24:07
Like I don't feel all that jazz because I look at him like, and
24:11
this is something that the child can do in my own opinion.
24:13
I look at them. I'm like, man, this, this thing
24:15
is infantile. No skill here.
24:18
In fact, a lot of times I see it because I'm like this Picasso,
24:21
the guy don't bow all over. Like the guy is just the scopes
24:24
that is using all of you. So if you're a cubist artist,
24:31
don't waste your time talking to boys like me.
24:33
I will never buy. And by the way, even though I
24:39
like impressionist art, I will never spend money to buy an art
24:44
piece. Never.
24:45
Because in my own opinion, I think those things are
24:47
overpriced. So I think you're spending time
24:53
talking to too many people like me who will never buy art.
24:59
Or your art is one thing and you're wasting time talking to
25:02
people who don't get it. Don't try and educate somebody
25:05
on why you're art is good or your technique or whatever.
25:10
Decide from the beginning targeting ICP ideal customer
25:14
profile. Who is the ideal customer?
25:16
Them and only them. Talk to them only don't talk to
25:23
average Joes like me. Don't.
25:29
So try and figure out your ICP. How will I figure that out?
25:34
That is very, very simple. I made a broadcast episode about
25:39
that yesterday. I showed you how Joy in Port
25:43
Arcot, how we're able to use Google Gemini, play around with
25:48
some prompts and come up with a hit list.
25:50
Come up with a target list is the same thing.
25:55
Use these AI tools. I'm a Nigerian painter based in
26:00
Lagos. My style of art is this, that,
26:02
that, that, that blah, blah, blah, blah.
26:06
I want to start my career or build a business, you know, in
26:09
this space. Who are the kind of people who
26:13
typically enjoy XYZ kind of art? Bam, send it.
26:18
The thing will now start giving you some things.
26:22
Oh, congratulations. Welcome.
26:24
Now that you're starting your business, you should be looking
26:26
out for these sorts of people, the kind of people that like
26:29
this kind of art, cubist art, impressionist art, this art that
26:34
art, this, this, this dot dot dot dot dot.
26:37
From the criteria that he gives you, you will now start getting
26:40
a mental picture of where you you need to look.
26:48
For instance, if it says people who are art lover, see, this is
26:53
me just making stuff up, so don't quote me on this.
26:56
For instance, if it says, for instance, that the people who
26:59
love art in Nigeria are typically members of the
27:02
diplomatic corps and the diplom, the diplomatic community, then
27:07
your answer is there. It now means take your paintings
27:10
and try and see how you can be entering British Council,
27:13
British High Commission, American High Commission,
27:17
Nigerian Embassy, Denmark Embassy and then all these
27:20
places where people hang around or start trying to approach what
27:26
was it called, art museums and you know, stuff like that.
27:29
I'm just saying that you sit down with your GPT and you play
27:32
around a bit, you will get some ideas of, OK, this is where I
27:35
need to start heading because I suspect that Corey, you're
27:38
talking to some *** like me who will never buy art.
27:45
So forget all the emotions that are involved.
27:47
You cannot get somebody to. It's OK.
27:53
It's like this. Am I laughing?
27:54
You know, my wife likes Amala. Me, I'm a pound and young
27:56
person, you know, stop trying to sell Amala to pounded young
28:00
people. Stop trying to sell pounded
28:02
young to Amala. People just don't work.
28:04
It does not work. So if you are a purveyor of
28:08
Amala, only look for people who like Amala already and sell the
28:13
Amala to them. Stop wasting time trying to
28:16
educate pounded young people to like Amala.
28:18
Stop it. You're wasting your time.
28:22
So forget all this emotional whatever.
28:24
There's an ideal audience. There's a target base for the
28:29
kind of art that you produce. Use AI tools, try and figure out
28:34
who these people are, where they hang out, and then start chasing
28:37
them and only them. I don't talk to people who
28:41
don't. Don't bother trying to educate
28:43
people. Then he also said some stuff
28:46
about people taking you seriously.
28:47
I understand. I understand there's a way that
28:50
we look at young men in this part of the world, especially
28:52
people we know, you know, like you don't have money.
28:55
I understand it perfectly. I remember when I finished from
29:01
Greg's, Saint Gregory's College, SW Ecoe.
29:05
That's how we say it. You know, the sound cool.
29:08
And then my wife would say, SW Ecoe.
29:10
How shut up. Is Oberlin there Any.
29:13
That's besides the point. Oberlin there.
29:14
Southwest Korea. No problem.
29:16
I prefer to say SW Ecoe because we were gentlemen in Saint
29:21
Gregory's College and I was the deputy senior prefect there.
29:25
So when we finished now and I passed my exams, I had that
29:29
there was meeting of all boys. So I dressed up, looked sharp
29:33
because I was the deputy senior prefect now.
29:34
So I suppose represent an entire boss because you know mom, she
29:38
only had one car at the time and of course she used the car to go
29:41
to work. So I enter boss and arrived and
29:44
I came for all boys meeting and I walked straight to the hall,
29:48
Charles Taylor Hall. That was where the meeting was
29:50
going to hold. Then I saw my house master
29:53
there. I said good evening Sir, good
29:57
evening Mr. you did now what brings you here?
30:01
I stood with my full chest as a young blood that I was then like
30:05
I'm not carrying 19 years old. I stood with my full chest.
30:07
I said I'm here for all boys meeting and then my house master
30:12
laughed. Is that Mister you did?
30:14
When they say old boys, it's not old boys like you that they
30:17
mean. Now first of all for him saying
30:21
that he was stupid, because when the young man steps forward and
30:26
says, you know I'm here, I want to assume my place amongst the
30:28
committee of men. What you do as an owner man is
30:32
to say, correct, young man, you are growing up, come and sit
30:35
with the elders. That's what you say.
30:38
You don't say that. Who are you waiting?
30:43
You carry waiting, you all. Now when we say men, we're
30:46
looking for men of timber and calibre.
30:47
You, you're too small. Go away.
30:49
So first of all, he was an idiot for saying that.
30:55
But anyway, I was a child, So what did I know?
30:56
Me. I turned back with my head bowed
30:58
and I left. So I understand perfectly well
31:05
that people will look at you somehow and they won't take you
31:07
seriously, you know, because behavior you not get, money you
31:11
not get, car, you not get. So I understand perfectly, but
31:17
The thing is there's nothing you can do about that.
31:20
So you just take yourself seriously.
31:26
Make sure you have a sales process, Be assertive in the
31:30
sales process. Always set the agenda for
31:33
conversations that you are having.
31:35
That is the best that you can do.
31:36
The person that will take you seriously, they will take you
31:38
seriously. The person that will take you
31:39
seriously, they won't take you seriously.
31:41
So like me back then, if I had small courage and I looked at my
31:45
house master and decided to do strong head, I just bulldoze my
31:50
way inside the hall, The people that would have taken me
31:52
seriously, they would have taken me seriously.
31:54
The people that would have not taken me seriously, they
31:56
wouldn't have. So some people would have said,
31:58
who is this small boy? But I know that there would have
32:02
been some wise people there that would say the small boy, he's
32:05
ready to roll with us. He's ready to fulfill his
32:08
responsibilities as a Gregorian. There's some people there that
32:12
would have said a young man, confront, confront.
32:17
We can't do anything about those people who won't take us
32:19
seriously. It's not in our control.
32:23
So just do as I said, you, you need to come up with your own
32:28
sales process. You need to figure out a way to
32:34
set the agenda when you're having conversations with
32:36
people. And that is the best you can do.
32:38
If somebody takes you seriously, good, roll with that.
32:41
Make progress. Anybody who doesn't take you
32:44
seriously, you say to hell with those MFS, to hell with them.
32:48
We don't need them. We know where we're going.
32:55
You know, you flow with people who flow with you.
32:57
It's not simple. Somebody's not flowing with you
32:59
X them. But all these kind of things get
33:03
you down. People taking you seriously or
33:05
not, it's their loss. When you now blue, they will not
33:10
want to associate with you. It's like that.
33:13
Like me. No, I haven't even blown.
33:17
I haven't blown yet. But because the podcast is
33:20
getting more visible Before people that used to say, hey,
33:24
what's up now, we should do something together, they'll be
33:26
cheating me. Now they don't.
33:28
They heal me. Small, small, it's like that.
33:29
It's normal. So you also spoke about support.
33:37
So excuse me, I also spoke about support and my brother.
33:41
See, I'll be honest with you. This support game is hard.
33:46
Having a patron is hard. So I don't even tell people to
33:50
start that hustle at all. Because the problem with this,
33:53
especially for artists, finding a patron or a benefactor,
33:59
somebody who's going to give you money out of the goodness of
34:01
their own heart, those people exist.
34:03
But the problem is once and look, this is Nigel.
34:08
Once anybody identifies A patron or a benefactor, too many people
34:11
will be on his case. Like, see, like, take me now.
34:15
If let's say when I hammer. Now, if I decide to bless one
34:19
artist and say, oh, you want to come up, no problem.
34:22
Just take this 10 M and sort yourself.
34:27
What do you think will happen next week?
34:29
Two more people will come and meet me.
34:31
Let's say I get you for them 55. What do you think will happen
34:34
next week? Four of them will come.
34:37
So yes, benefactors are there, patrons are there, they're
34:40
overrun. So in my own opinion, don't play
34:47
that game. But if you must play the Patreon
34:49
game to promote your art, no problem.
34:52
There's a tactic people used to do back when I was in Lagos.
34:54
I don't know if they still do it.
34:55
It's kind of hit and miss and I know it to be mostly like a
34:59
Yoruba Lagos thing, although I've seen some of it in Mac OD
35:02
2. But it's like this, all you do
35:05
is you identify somebody that you think is a patron.
35:07
They now give them a gift. It's deceitful by the way,
35:13
because you're giving them a gift in the hope that as you
35:15
give them that gift them too, they will appreciate you.
35:20
So like in Lagos, what they will do is, you know, you now get
35:23
these big canvas, you know, maybe like 60 by 40 or
35:26
something. You now paint the guy's picture.
35:29
They're really, really imposing, look really nice.
35:31
You now deliver it to the guy. You say, Sir, I just seem I
35:35
agree to you. I just want to appreciate you.
35:39
You just give the person. The hope is that the guy will
35:44
see this painting and say wow for me and then the person will
35:48
give you something. Hopefully the thing will make
35:50
sense. The problem with this tactics is
35:53
that The thing is hit and miss because I have met people who
35:56
tried it and the thing failed woefully, woefully.
36:02
You make the thing, you give it to the person, the person says,
36:03
ah, thank you very, very much, God bless you.
36:07
Is it OK Sir? You are looking at yourself
36:09
awkwardly. It's OK Sir, I'm going no, no
36:11
problem, no problem, thank you very much, thank you very much.
36:14
And they now leave empty handed. Then the money and the time and
36:17
everything that you spent producing that painting for the
36:20
guy, The thing is just wasted. So it's a tactic that I've seen
36:24
in Lagos, but just know it is hit and miss.
36:26
So if you want to try that looking for patrons, no problem.
36:29
Come up with a list, let's say 10 people, people who you think
36:32
are wealthy art enthusiasts, then that is what you're going
36:35
to do. Appeal to their ego, paint
36:37
things that you know, put them in larger than life terms, in
36:41
grandiose terms or whatever. And you know, hopefully people
36:45
will give you some some things at the end of the end of the
36:49
day. But like I said, I don't like
36:51
this tactic at all. I would not recommend it at all.
36:55
But if you want to play that game, the patron game, just know
36:58
that they play that. What?
36:59
My assumption is that you're in Lagos, so I'm sure you've seen
37:02
other artists who play that game.
37:04
So that's the game you play. But you must play that game.
37:08
Be realistic. In my own opinion, give yourself
37:10
one year. Don't make a painting for one
37:12
person. You think it doesn't work and
37:14
then you say, ah, this thing doesn't work, give yourself one
37:16
year. But if you ask me, if you are my
37:22
younger brother, I will tell you, don't even play that game.
37:26
We should be trying to sell our paintings from the beginning
37:29
outright. Then you kept saying that I have
37:33
my own problem. See, language, language,
37:38
language, language. Hustle is hard.
37:42
Growing up is hard. Becoming a man is hard.
37:44
But language, we don't say things that make our jobs more
37:48
difficult. So I have my own problem and my
37:50
own problem. You're not talking about it the
37:53
right way, my brother. So you are not the problem.
37:57
The problem is you don't have the playbook, you don't have the
38:00
cheat code, you don't have the system code, you don't have the
38:03
map. That is the problem.
38:06
You are not the problem. Let's not be talking about
38:10
ourselves like that. Now.
38:15
Money would they find? It's just money.
38:17
There's no need to get so deep and so psychological about this.
38:20
You are not the problem. The problem is you're looking
38:24
for the mind map. You're looking for the playbook.
38:27
You're looking for the Expo, that's all.
38:30
So the problem is I don't have the Expo yet.
38:32
I don't have the CHEAT SHEET yet.
38:33
I don't have the system yet. I don't have the map yet.
38:36
That is the problem. The problem is not you.
38:39
So keep looking for the playbook and learn the skills more.
38:43
Please do not assume that you are a problem then.
38:51
As for the emotional things you spoke about, you know some
38:54
things don't work. Your energy changes see my
38:56
brother that's one thing you need to know it's it's normal
38:59
happens to everybody now never change that was to everybody.
39:04
You open your phone, you hear pinging is big money.
39:07
Your emotions rise and then sometimes you look at your bank
39:12
account. You don't like what you're
39:14
seeing your emotions fault. It's just normal, which is the
39:19
reason why I keep saying that for the Nigerian entrepreneur,
39:24
we ought to be systems based, process based, so that whether
39:30
we are feeling happy, we are doing the same steps every
39:36
single day. Whether we're feeling sad, we're
39:37
doing the same process every single day.
39:40
So whether I make money, So if one million hits my account now,
39:45
I will still make podcast episodes.
39:47
If 10 million hits my account, I will still make podcast
39:49
episodes. If I want my account and all I
39:52
see is 1 naira, I will still make podcast episodes.
39:59
I will follow my system come rain or sunshine.
40:03
If it's raining, I'll still make podcast episodes.
40:06
If it's sunny, I'll still make podcast episodes.
40:11
I also tried to do outreach, reaching out to people every
40:14
day. If things are good, I will still
40:18
do my outreach. If things are bad, I'll still do
40:20
my outreach. If I'm happy, I'll still do my
40:21
outreach. If I'm sad, I'll still do my
40:24
outreach. Create the system, follow the
40:28
system. That's why the emotional role
40:32
coaster is normal. There's UPS and there's downs.
40:35
Welcome to the human condition. Nobody is immune.
40:40
Nobody. So Bullock already, like I said,
40:49
you know, you said a lot, there was lots of issues.
40:53
There was no business question per SE that I could tackle.
40:59
So this has ended up becoming one of a more like a
41:02
motivational issue or something. But one thing that you can learn
41:07
from the traditional sales and business perspective is this
41:10
idea of the MVP Minimum Viable product.
41:13
What is the smallest version of your idea?
41:15
Take it and then start selling it, start promoting it.
41:18
In promoting it, pay attention to another concept that we use a
41:22
lot in sales and business development.
41:24
That is the ICP, your target market, your ideal customer
41:27
profile. Who are the main people you
41:29
should be chasing? Focus squarely on them, then
41:39
let's see what else. MVPICP.
41:43
What else? Yeah, so I think that's just it.
41:48
But honestly speaking, patrons, don't look for patron in your
41:51
beg. That game is hard, but if you
41:53
must do it, don't try only on one person.
41:57
Just come up with a list of 10 and give yourself like one year
41:59
before I say the thing doesn't work.
42:03
Then your startup capital, 300 K, 340 maybe 400 Max should be
42:08
enough to get you going. Save up for it or borrow studio
42:12
space. Don't worry about that.
42:13
Now Beg mom. See.
42:14
Beg popsy. They will allow you one small
42:16
corner in the house or your bedroom.
42:22
Yeah, you can use your own bedroom.
42:25
Move things around, you know, declutter if you can find a few
42:32
feet in your bedroom, that's it. You begin, you start.
42:36
By the way, it might not be safe to be sleeping in the same room
42:39
where there's solvents. So if you convert your bedroom
42:42
to be your studio space, then maybe you start sleeping in the
42:44
living room instead because it's not good because solvents, you
42:49
know, can. And when I was living in Kano is
42:51
then I realized that boys, boys like to sniff solvents.
42:54
I didn't realize that until I got to Kano.
42:58
I was crazy. You see young boys, young boys
43:03
sniffing glue, sniffing solvents and getting high for one day.
43:08
Because then I was, that's when I was a baby lawyer.
43:12
So I came out of the office, I was supposed to go to court and
43:15
I saw two of them. They're working like zombies.
43:17
Their eyes were vacant. Was the weirdest thing I had
43:20
ever seen. You see a human being walking
43:23
upright and they're walking towards you, but you look in the
43:25
eye and it's as if there's nobody there.
43:28
The eye is black. Those guys were high as as in
43:35
anyway, bottom line, if you convert your room, don't be
43:38
sleeping where the sovereigns are before you become addicted
43:40
to sniffing insolvents don't want to add a drug, drug
43:43
addiction to your problems. So that's it.
43:45
But like I said in the message, if there's any specific business
43:49
questions you know ask, let me know and I'll tackle that for
43:53
you. But me responding to you this
43:57
way is because I'm low on time, so let me kill two birds with
44:00
one stone. Also, it's because there are
44:02
other artists out there who need to hear this.
44:04
Artists, photographers, painters, sculptors, you will
44:06
need to hear. You will need to hear sales and
44:09
marketing is the way forward. Land sales, land marketing.
44:12
That is the difference. Land sales, land marketing.
44:15
All those other people who are blowing right now, this guy,
44:18
what's his name, the postmodern artist, you know, Banksy them,
44:22
them. And then who again?
44:24
This one. I caught the pig in half and
44:26
then put diamonds all over it. What's his name?
44:28
I can't remember. All those boys, The reason why
44:31
they are living the life artists.
44:33
What artists? They get yacht artists, they get
44:35
penthouse, is because they know how to sell and to market
44:38
themselves in order to promote themselves.
44:40
That's the way forward. This hungry artist thing is a
44:44
lie from the pit of hell. We all don't have to be hungry
44:48
artists. We don't.
44:52
Anyway, Michelangelo, that's what we were listening to
44:56
yesterday, me and the kids. Michelangelo was able to make
44:59
it. So don't worry, Yousef, you will
45:02
make it. If some people have made it, you
45:06
can make it too. We'll get there, don't worry.
45:09
So that's it and that's all. Thank you very much for
45:12
listening to today's podcast episode.
45:13
For those of you who like to come here for hardcore sales and
45:17
marketing stuff, sorry about today's soft motivational
45:20
episode. Doing it tomorrow, we'll get
45:21
back on track. So that's it.
45:23
Thanks for your time and attention.
45:25
If you would like to connect, then call, send a text message
45:29
or WhatsApp message on 08064662140.
45:34
I'll be in touch.