Latest / Masterminds Podcast / Stop Chasing Clout. Start Building Value: Mr Meister Explains Why || Masterminds Podcast EP36

Transcript

Stop Chasing Clout. Start Building Value: Mr Meister Explains Why || Masterminds Podcast EP36 · Masterminds Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: We have the mastermind on mastermind.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_03: What could be the mindset that creators can monetize if they put structure to the wall?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: When I see a creative pitch into the mind, I know that you pitch into the brand little make the decision.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_03: That's not where their focus is.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: They don't know the path they're supposed to follow.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: We're currently fighting for a greater vision.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think maybe we're not hungry enough to figure out how to monitor that?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_03: Look at Nigeria.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_03: No matter who it is, that gets a valuable moment.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: They find a way to turn it into something.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: How do we get creators to not buy into the hype and actually rather not like be interested in valuable?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Talking about your time and saying it makes you sound older.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: My time is older.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Masterminds Podcast.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So over here, we are dedicated to making sure we grow your most powerful tool, your mind.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Richie Menta, and I'm going to be your guide on this awesome journey.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have a great conversation today.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm actually quite excited about this conversation.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: So many creators out there looking for what to do next.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, it's not just good enough to be creative.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: You need to add strategy, marketing, some structure, and especially monetization.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm about to talk to somebody who has shown over the past 15 years to grow talent, grow creatives.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: He's helped them from being a manager to working with corporate institutions, and now he's actually created a space and spaces that is helping creatives to grow.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have a very good conversation.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: But there's another reason I'm excited he's here because today's episode is a play on words, because we have the mastermind on masterminds.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: His name is Bernard Sokpe, but everybody calls him Meister.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Charlie Meister.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: Mastermind.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So today I can say I have a mastermind on my show.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: On the mastermind show.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: Ali, nice to be here.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: I was you know, when I walked in, I was like, I really like to get on podcasts, but I don't know why I'm sitting here.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: And the only reason is because when you ask me, I'm like, hmm, Richie's podcast is gonna have a lot of weight, a lot of content.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_03: And I thank you.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: I I like I like your brain too, and I want to, I'm happy to be sitting here to share with you.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, my my whole aim is to be able to help people grow their minds.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: I basically believe you can achieve anything if you have the right mindset.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I I got tired of sitting at home complaining about people's mindsets.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I said, let me find a way to bring other people like you with brilliant minds so we have a conversation so that they can benefit from it, you know.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, how you feeling?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: How you feeling in general?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: Like um, I won't say the first time on a podcast, but yeah, like it's not something I do all the time, but I'm feeling I'm feeling good.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: I feel good, I feel comfortable.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: What's your your day-to-day like right now for my stuff?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: These days I do a lot of traveling.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And please take me with you, put me in your bag or something.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: I actually wish for these days, but um these days have come, and then now I'm like, oh, I I really want to I wanna sit down, I want to stay put.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, naturally, I like to travel, so in a way, it also the escape allows me to feel like feel refreshed.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but my day to day, I spend a lot of time at jumbo and a lot of time at home with the kids, and a lot of time cycling.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I I shuffle between cycling, um going to jumbo and spending time with family.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_03: Nice, and then um, if I'm not doing that, I'm I've traveled for some reason, one one or two reasons.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great balance.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: You're you're living a like a very nice lifestyle.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: If it starts reflecting in my account, obviously right there.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: But I know I'm building something.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh today I was tweeting about traction, how uh traction is the decisive factor to what's your how your business is going to scale or blow up.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: But in Africa, you can have like really good traction, like everything that makes traction what it is, except the profits part.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: So even you might be making money, but it's just going back and bootstrapping, yeah.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's not making it it don't you don't feel like you're growing, so it can get tiring, and then you ask yourself that do you really want to be doing this?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: The number of times I even ask myself, tell myself that shall I go back to nine to five?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because this hustle thing is just crazy, yeah.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: But can everybody said they say as a creative, you give up nine to five to work 24 hours.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: No, that would be closed, but the first thing I want to once your eyes are like once your eyes are open, you're working.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: Once you open up your eyes, like work starts instantly till it shut.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes, even when your eyes are closed, you're still working.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: You have to dream of the next time about deadlines.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of creatives just follow the passion and just say, I'm creative.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: But you're one person that I've seen over time, you found ways to monetize that creativity.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: I I want to understand the mindset that came.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: How do you even thought about it?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: That let me help put certain structures in for people to monetize.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, so I think I don't want to sound too old, but I come from I'm an advertising baby.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: I come from that era of where like most creative modern creative art, you could only find it in the advertising field.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, where the art agencies like MMRS or Gilvie, um, is it Scank, like all those old, old agencies that were Origin 8 and the rest, they were the ones who were you would find all the professional modern creatives at everybody, every other person was because it's nothing like social media, every other person was probably like uh um well, apart from the film industry, um, every other person was probably like those wayside people who draw artists.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_03: So because I come from that era, I studied communication design in tech.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: And um, like you know, when you when you in when you do communication design in tech, you you choose in your third year, you choose to do either uh advertising uh and packaging or animation.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_03: And I chose advertising and packaging.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_03: So that gave me uh a good insight, like first hand insight.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: Like my in the beginning, immediately like I started, I did an industrial attachment in um um uh how do you call it a publishing company.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then after that, I I worked in a I did my national service or like when I came out of school, I worked in an uh advertising company, one of those satchel companies.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: So it gave me a good understanding of what structure is like for creatives.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm like in the whole um spectrum, that space was the only space that was like structured and had a lot of creatives because I met animators there, I met graphic designers, I met copywriters, that's why I learned how to do copyright, copywriting.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um I learned, I I I met all those people in the in those sp in those spaces, and I saw that there was a structure with the whole account management, design team, yeah, um, there's finance, um, there are people who go and pitch and that kind of thing.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm like, hmm, this is a creative setup, but it looks so proper.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I was seeing the checks too that were coming in from the client because it was a very small agency, and I'm like, these guys are making bank, and they're making bank and the structure as creative people.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: But then when you meet other freelancers, you realize that they're only making money for themselves or uh hand to mouth or some just some gig camp.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: They do it, get their money and then they go.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_03: But these people were like making good money to the point that there was enough to actually hire people, have enough to do team bonding, um buy uh other buildings.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: Company trips and stuff, yeah.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_03: You know, things like that.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um there's a there's a popular um agency.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if I'm allowed to mention names and oh you can mention agency or group that is um is yeah, sell them down, um Innova Results, touch points, and it's so ad it's it's admirable to watch how they have they they they have like multiple agencies um under the group, right?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_03: And they are they are doing like BTL, they're doing AT or and it's beautiful to watch because it's a creative company and they'll be able to you can see the growth, yeah.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: And you can see that they are um expanding, and it just tells you that it's possible, it's possible to monetize.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_03: And based on that, it's always good in the mindset that creatives can monetize if they put uh structure to it well.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I would say that for me to even get to this point where I am trying to help people monetize, or I can see the business of monetization as a creative, uh, it's also because I did a little corporate.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: So whilst working the agency, I I got interested in the client side because I I just felt that uh the client didn't understand the agency.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe if I am there, I might be able to be that bridge between the agency.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: And by going there, I sort of understood how the client thinks.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_03: So there are days that I have I put on my client's heart, and sometimes I boast to my friends that or people in the in the industry that I'm really good at uh um uh pitching for like partnerships and uh um sponsorships and stuff because uh I've spent time on the client side and I spent time on the agency side.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_03: So I know when I see a creative pitching to a client, I know that do it this way.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like today, even before I came here, I saw on Twitter uh there was a yogurt, dole dole yogurt, right?
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, yeah, and I saw a creative had quoted the he's a voice over something, he had quoted their tweet about something, about something they were doing randomly and said, Oh, I'm a voiceover actor and um I've done this for this brand, this brand, this brand, and I want to be a voiceover actor for your brand.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: He's speaking to Dole.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_03: So I just tweeted at him publicly and said he should find the agency that records radio ads for the Dole and say this thing to them and pitch to them because you pitching to the brand itself, yeah, they're probably they don't make that decision.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they don't make that decision, and that's not where their focus is.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_03: And it might even be campaign-based.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: So if there's no campaign that requires a radio ad, there's no need for a voice.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_03: But if you're in you contact the agency that does it and they like your voice, they keep you, they keep your voice in the pool, and then anytime beyond the lair, they would always get you gigs.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: And that's how when we're growing up, like all the people who are doing radio ads constantly, is because they probably sign their voice, probably signed to a radio agency, and then they constantly pick the oh, yeah, I like Richie's voice, oh, I like Caroline's voice, I like this, and they constantly present it to the client.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: You understand?
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: And critics don't know that.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's the problem.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think that a lot of lack of knowledge, if I can say, a lot so many people say they want to enter the industry, but they don't have knowledge of how the industry works, so they don't even know how to approach certain things.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: But you know the wild thing.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: What's that?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: When you you try to do um workshops, master classes, and stuff like that, they don't come.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: They don't come.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I I don't know how to wrap my head around it because you see, you see that saying where they say he who knows not and knows that he knows not is not a fool.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: But he who knows not and knows not that he knows not is the fool.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I think that is the biggest problem we have.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just the fact that people don't know, they are not even aware that they don't know that they don't know.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: So when they hear there's a masterclass somewhere, their first thought is, oh, this is for the beginners, or oh, it's not for me.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not I'm not the target audience.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: They they don't know that I'm still going for master classes.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I'm doing masterminds and going for I'm always ready to learn.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like sometimes when the Gen Zs are doing their things at Jumbo, I'm like, I'm just curious.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, how do you do this?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: So why are you doing this?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_03: And they'll be telling you their point of view, and I realize that yeah, I need I need to constantly like update so that I can do deliver the service I'm delivering to the event.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not shy to say I don't know something, to be honest.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think personally that's one reason I like to hire a lot of young people because I remember the radical change I brought when I was from 17 to 21.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm 39 right now.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I may not be able to bring that radical change, but there's a 21-year-old who has 40th birthday, it's loading.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's loading, it's loading.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody will ever hear it.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't invite me.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, but what's it like?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: What's the difference for you between monetizing for a creative versus like a brand, a client?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like what's the difference?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because, like, how you mentioned the structure of the Innova and stuff.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: So um I don't know, creatives or creators, uh most of the time it's one person who is talented.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_03: And through through that they start finding a way to monetize, and then now they say, Oh, I need to set it up and become a company, and then they start expanding and that goes on and on.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_03: So when you're working with creatives or creators, you are now trying to figure out even what the product is, right?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's like the creator is when it comes to that, the creator is here and then the the brand is here because the creator is now like trying to figure out how do I even monetize this talent that I have?
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I blew up overnight, or I made a basket and it went viral.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: All of a sudden, like people are calling me.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to now figure out basic things like registering your business.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, what is really the product?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_03: How many are you gonna do?
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: What's the product market fit?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, how are you gonna stand out?
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_03: What's your position?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: Who are gonna be your target audience?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: So you'll be doing a lot of raw business development from the start, just teaching them the basics of how to make money.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: Now, brands or legacy brands or existing brands, it's the way this optimization.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: They already have set it up, they're already doing their thing, but now they want to maybe do better, or they want to have competitive advantage, they want to be better than their competitor, or or they want to scale.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, in in that scenario, they've started they're starting from somewhere, they probably have money too already, they'll probably have know-how, they've they've hired a team already, but they just need you to with your insights and your experience and maybe your execution to guide them.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a very big difference.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: You're doing a lot of business development for the creator and a lot of optimization for the yeah, the brand.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: That's true.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it comes back to the knowledge.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like most of the creators, they don't know the path they're supposed to follow.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was launching my book, Yes Is Your Fault, um, I had a conversation with uh an artist who was also starting out, and when I told them, like I'd finished setting up everything, was available on all online stores and this and that, they were like, How did I do it?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: But I was like, I I just went online and I learned how to do it.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: I just took my knowledge from distributing music to realize there must be a way that you distribute books as well.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Did the research, found a distributor, set it up.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a guy that came to me and was trying to convince me to write a book.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I do want to write a book eventually.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: I've always been feeling like, is it time?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: But every time I speak to someone, they're like, you know, your life evolves as you go on.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: So you can always write a book, even if it's every year, about whatever has happened in your life.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_03: Anyway, back to what it was.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_03: The guy who is trying to convince me to write a book is trying to just focus on apart from just a hard copy, he's not thinking of like you said, yeah, online, how to sell it online.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I when I suggested that he seemed like really clueless.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_03: And because he's probably he's used to uh writing books for like the OGs, yeah.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: So he didn't seem to understand what I meant by oh, is it gonna be on any online platforms?
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and and how are we how it's how are people gonna um get it digitally and that kind of thing?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: So, and that's a knowledge thing too because yeah, he probably doesn't know or he knows when he's stuck in that era of ovation where you have to do only the physical copy.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: I I find it ironic that creativity is about bringing something to life, yet so many creators are not innovative enough to adapt to these new, you know, methods.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: And it happens to all of us sometimes too.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there was a period that I used to work with Mr.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: Easy.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember that's how we met.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and then I paused for a while to do other things, corporate, whatever.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and then when I came back to music, I was still coming with the old the old strategy that worked there.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and like when I said I'm like this thing is not going the way I thought it was.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_03: Because everything had changed, a lot has changed, and I had to just sit back and be like, I need to adjust and I need to adapt and understand the TikTok approach and understand the teaser approach.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know, like in our time, I don't want to sound old, but in our time, even if you're in a studio, right?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: You you you don't even want to let people know what's going on.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: What song is being recorded, yeah, or you don't want to even tease a snippet of a song because it will leak.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: Or something like you know, it will leak and then you can't put it out again, and then there are there are people whose songs leaked and then they forgot about it.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: But now a song can leak and it will even let it garner streams, and that is how what will make the song become a hit song because then when you finally release it, you can map out all the leaks to the original song, and then you know, you know what's sad about this?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: You're talking about your time and saying it makes you sound old, but my time is older, so it's but it's actually very true, and I think innovation is constantly happening.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I say is that with the way the like the way technology is right now, nothing stays the same for longer than two months.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're not keeping up finding what's new, you know, right now, right now, an artist is no longer just competing with other artists in their country, they're competing with artists all over the world.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now they're competing with AI artists.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, it's competing with TikTokers.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: TikTokers, things like TikTokers are making music now too because of maybe um a phrase or something that went viral, then all of a sudden it's a song.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: I believe people should always be looking at how do you innovate, or else, even if you master the way of being able to monetize, it will become obsolete because what you offer is no longer valuable.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say you're a graphic designer right now, somebody can prompt an artwork on 10 million different AI sites.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, what are you adding to it?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: But I I want to keep using this opportunity to let people know that AI is a tool.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have a skill, instead of letting AI replace you, use it better than the person who doesn't have the skill.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like let's say you're a videographer and you are trying to get a treatment from Mid Journey.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: The difference between you, the videographer, and the regular person who say, Prompt me a podcast set, right?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine podcast set, two chairs, blah, blah, blah.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is you can add cinematic lighting, yeah, you know, 85 mm lens, shut on, you know, um uh a Nikon this, blah, blah, blah.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it will give you a better image.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: So you can use it to enhance your skill and still beat the person who is now trying to compete.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: And you know the funny thing, people who don't want to adjust to the um advent or the emergence of AI constantly want to shame people using AI.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think it's wrong if someone sends me a document that they use AI to help them write it.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_03: But it's how you use the AI.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: If as soon as I look at the document, I can see AI all over.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: I can see the AI, the chat GPT hyphens.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I can see the eggs.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody even did it and didn't fill in the spaces.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: You know where it's enter name, enter name.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: Someone sent that was crazy.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, my wife's friend, someone sent uh a WhatsApp chat to her, like a guy talking to a girl, and then he sent a WhatsApp chat to her, and in the beginning said, Is this this is a better response?
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_03: And the girl was like, Yo, are you talking to me with are you like using AI, like using charge to help you respond to me?
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, yeah.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: So using AI is not bad, but how you use the AI, yeah, it's what makes you stand out as like someone who is like just into technology or innovation.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I believe it's like when social media came, so many people said.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Social media is, you know, 666 and it's the worst thing to have ever happened, and this.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: But a lot of people have used social media positively.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're watching us right now on social media.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: They said, I love this thing that they talk about in the secret.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: They said electricity can be used to cook a man's dinner, but the same electricity can be used to cook a man.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it all depends on how you use it.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite things was Twitter.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: When you were running Twitter, I think that is the time that I enjoyed the use of social media in Ghana the most.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because we had somebody who was running things who actually cared about how the creatives could use it and monetize.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: So, how are you able to come up with the Jumbo Space idea from there?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's it's one thing just thinking about ideas for people, but creating a space that continues to grow different creatives.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Jumbo Spaces has oops.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, it's your fault.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, it's my fault.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um Jumbo Spaces has uh evolved.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_03: Do we wait?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, no, you can go, don't worry.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta say hi to the camera.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: So they're gone.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, okay.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_03: You find a way to piece it out.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um jumbo jumbo spaces has evolved in different ways, even like before the idea came.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's been a it's been a combination of my experience over time and things I've gotten involved with.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: And one day I just sat back and I'm like, hmm.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: Well, there was a time that I tried to launch an influenza uh platform with my co-founders.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: It was called Ripple Influence.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um we launched, it was doing great, but it was heavy on tech.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: It was just supposed to be a platform that would connect clients to influencers, help them agree on their rate cards, or everything automated, give them the job, and then pay them through escrow.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_03: Nice.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it was too heavy on tech and too dependent on the CTO.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_03: And when eventually the CTO disappeared, everything else disappeared.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_03: Anyway, um also I worked with creators for a while, creatives, creators.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, at the time I was running the agency, Brandmeister, we used to do a lot of um, we used to handle a lot of influencer um management for brands.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um and we're doing it so well that even they might, I don't want to mention it, but they might give the job to let's say a big agency, and the big agency is clueless as to how to go about it, and then they would subcontract it's a good to us.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_03: So there was a period that like a we'll I'll come to work and a lot of creators just sitting in our office, uh working from our office, we're constantly teaching them how to do their rate cards, things like that.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: And it just hit me that okay, if I decide to move out of this office, I need we need a bigger space that would support these creators beyond even just giving them gigs.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then the final show was Twitter.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_03: When I was at Twitter, I was working closely with creators, like supporting those whose voices matter on the platform.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_03: And that's a lot of creators, like all across Africa, supporting them with their campaigns, supporting them, trying to find gigs for them so that like through Twitter so that they would earn money, uh, helping them monetize, things like that.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: Even though Twitter wasn't actively monetizing, but we're working on something called a tip jar um to help people monetize, and all that just came together for me.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_03: So when eventually Elon Musk decided to pull the rack from under us, but he made it your ex.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: This guy I I had uh we had already started planning, so we had even started looking for a spot, so it's something I was gonna do regardless.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_03: And then when they finally pulled the rug, I'm like, maybe this is a sign for me to actually do this thing like full blown.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we started jumbo.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: So jumbo offers uh three things um the first is spaces, um, the second is education, and the third is resources.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: Spaces is the physical space where we have the uh music studio, co-working space, event space, podcast spaces, and any space at all to create.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_03: The physical space uh to us is a community builder because you need to build a community first before you start uh doing any other thing digital or any other thing that's remotely uh scalable.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um and we've spent we're in the third year of building a community.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: I'd say we've we've had over more than 10,000 creatives walk through our space, like visits, tours, actually using.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I'm one of the 10,000, so yes.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: Actually using the space.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then we have our as for our newsletter, I think it's it's maximum of 20k now because some people find it online and then add to it, and it's just growing, and now it's even people in other African countries are learning about it.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_03: Then the education part is um workshops, masterclasses.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um you've you've even come to speak at our, like you said, speak at our place like twice for the copyrights organization, for I think French Embassy, I can't remember, but the you've you've been there, you've spoken at our place.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but our biggest product for education is our academy.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_03: We launched an academy called the African Digital Creator Academy.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, it's basically an academy or a way to teach people how to monetize their creativity.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's as simple as that.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: Because that's our our slogan of what we stand for, helping creatives turn their creativity into currency.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_03: So we call it ADCA.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_03: The African Digital Creator Academy is the tool, it's our main product that is meant to help these guys.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we did the first co-hort this year, 25 students.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: African Digital Creative Academy.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: Creator Academy.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you had made it African Digital Arts Creator Academy, would have been ADACA.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_03: I'll be basically putting them underground.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_03: We want them out of underground.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, um, this guy thinks of his feet.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so Adka.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm tempted to say Adaka.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_03: Adka is um, yeah, it's our flagship like product.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: And we have dreams to scale it like properly, like beyond we're first on with the 25 people, um, 18 paid for it, then the rest was scholarship.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um and we had over 800 applicants.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: But because it was just a room that we were piloting it in, we couldn't like obviously we can't bring all the 800.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: But that has shown us that there's a need for for people who want to learn, right?
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: And we are willing to take it to uh the next stage.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: Now the last one is resources.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so I mentioned spaces, education, resources.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_03: Resources is simply connecting creators to opportunities, providing them with the tools that would help them excel.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: So um when I came, I was uh excited about your cameras because we recently um bought some cameras that the French embassy helped us.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_03: Oh nice um and that's just so that creators can uh access, you know.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: We've been running the we've been running the space for two years on one camera and really two lights.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, you've done it.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we've and we've shot like a lot.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, people come with their equipment too, we encourage that.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_03: But now we we are like plug and play, we have everything now, and that was part of the dream, so that creators can just come and they use our equipment to shoot whatever they want to shoot.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um then also connecting people to get um money.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the goal is to have a fund eventually that we can give them the money, but we don't have to do that.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: So how build up the creatives, yes.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: But now not one step at a time, yeah.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, one step at a time.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're achieving everything you set to achieve, so definitely means you achieve that too.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_03: So uh we we now we support created created by even in our first year, we connected um Link Up, uh Spacey Steam, connected them to um a sponsor.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: They wanted to do a merch um event and then we're able to um connect them to a sponsor who paid for it and helped them with the ticketing and stuff.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: And it was a profitable event, and they were happy because on their own they were struggling and trying to figure out how um they would do that.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_03: That and many other ones.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we've taken um creatives to France.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_03: We've taken some la this year.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_03: Someone had done uh a sound, we took a creative to uh France to do a sound design course through the French help of the French Embassy.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh, we participated in something called Africaans uh with my runway group where we took a lot of creatives to um to France.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: Some of them were through my runway group, but we helped in the facilitation of the visa because of our relationship with um the embassy.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, like Chef Abby, um NOAT, all of them like we we were instrumental and played a role in um helping them.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um there was even a situation where uh in the arts uh had his visa revoked.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_03: Well, he didn't get it, and uh we jumbo had to step in and uh through my runway group and we spoke to embassy and uh we we confirmed that they were also going with us.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_03: And in less than 24 hours, they put his they gave him his visa.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_03: Nice.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_03: So these are things that we want to be able to help um creators when we speak to other embassies.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_03: We are like we're currently fighting for a creator visa.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, that actually makes sense, yeah.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that doesn't make it so difficult for creators to be able to perform and exactly work outside the country.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: It's been things like that have been there for people who are like musicians and stuff, yeah.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but this whole creator thing is is quite new, and sometimes people don't get it.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_03: So if there's something like that, the application process might be different that will allow them to um to excel.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so that's a resources part of it, and it's a lot of things that create creatives need, but there's it's a journey and we keep evolving.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: But the end goal, like you like you were asking, we want to move beyond just the physical space, especially at the academy.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_03: We want to even um create a digital portal where people can just access all these resources, uh-huh, watch webinars, download stuff, yeah, connect with other creatives across the world, get to a new country, um, find a partner hub.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um let's say if you go to Kenya and we partner with let's say uh there's a place called Ikigai Garage.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: You could easily just get one of my favorite concerts in the world.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the Japanese thing, yeah.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's a space in um Kenya that has a name similar to Jumbo.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um so they just it's a very rustic old house, and then creators come and tech people come and sit there and then they work.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um so if, for example, if we partner with hubs across the world like that or across Africa, you could go to let's say Kenya for just a trip, and then you want a place to work, or you want a place to shoot content.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um, there's a place in Kenya took a Barraza Media Lab, and you want to let's say shoot content, you could because you'd probably be on the Jumbo portal or part of those.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_03: All you do is just check, okay, um Jumbo spaces near me, and then you can connect to maybe Baraza or Ikigai and go shoot whatever you want to shoot there, or find a creative or find an animator, or anything at all.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_03: But it's a long journey and it's it's not easy because I I constantly wake up wanting to give up.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like even this week.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_03: Even this week, I think wanting to give up is part of the journey.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think somebody asked me in an interview when was the last time I woke up and got about giving up like yesterday.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: That's my like listen, that's my the number almost every other month I rewrite my saving because I'm like, why?
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like, why am I going through all this when I can just go take some job as a director of brand or something and cash out and just because I have school fees to pay, I just don't want to bother.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_03: But it's because you found your icky guy.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_03: I know, man.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_03: The purpose just keeps waking you up, and that's what even I know when I go sit in an office, I would still be itching to step out and still do that thing, and that's just what keeps me out here.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_03: That's what like keeps me out here, trying to figure it out because and every day I'm reminded that it's working.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: I see creators become successful, I see people take people are taking the creative industry even more seriously.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_03: People come to me now and say, Oh, we we like what you're doing, we don't really understand it, but we want to invest.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, you understand?
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm sure you've had your own fair show people coming to you, and even currently there are people investing.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it reminds you that what you started doing, people find meaning in it, and people are willing to support it.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you know at least you're walking in the right direction, exactly, even if it's a bumpy road.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: I know, yeah, but purpose is everything, but I think that's also one of people's biggest fears when it comes to monetizing creativity.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: How are you able to still instill that balance where the the person, the creative still respects the art and also respects the commercial value of what they are creating?
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_03: So, what I tell like creatives is that um the reason why they're even what they are, and everybody's excited about them, especially even music artists, is is the arts that they are creating, right?
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's is what attracts the people.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like inviting people to a party and then there's no like what next, there's no music, there's no food, nothing.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you brought them there, right?
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_03: And at the end of the day, you also need to live beyond because most of the time it's a face and you want it to be sustainable.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: What makes it sustainable is the commerce, right?
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like the commercial part of it.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that allows you to okay, a lot of people are here now.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_03: I blew up overnight, I was a TikToker, I did a viral thing, and everybody's now on my page.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, what next?
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_03: You can either keep creating content, that's fine, because you're keeping them, you're keeping them there, but if you don't put structures in place, you you will just be that guy that would I want to mention him, but you can say the one hit wonder.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, one hit wonder.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_03: You'll just be that guy that went viral and everybody was excited, yeah.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_03: In Ghana, like I'll mention it.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_03: There's that's a guy this guy called Tutozy.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_03: Tutosy.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_03: I remember Tutosy.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like he he enjoyed the buzz, right?
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_03: Or whatever that came out of it, but he didn't monetize it.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_03: And if you look at Nigeria, no matter who it is, that gets a viral moment, they find a way to turn it into something.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I really admire.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_00: I think that hunger is part of it because as you mentioned, Nigerians, it's true.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: Every almost every Nigerian creative we see stumble upon success finds a way to monetize it.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so do you think maybe we are not as hungry enough to figure out how to monetize?
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_03: I think the environment of Nigeria, if you've spent time there, is that when we get to the airport crowd, they're hustling you.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, everybody is hustling.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're born into that hustle environment, you will always automatically be looking for a way to make it.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: At the airport, this guy was heckling us to buy padlocks, and we're trying to tell him that we have padlocks on our bag, and another guy that comes out of nowhere to offer needs a padlock, another guy that comes out of nowhere to offer us padlocks, and the first guy that goes to him.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't help but laugh.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_03: This guy but the mindset there is a bit is very different, and I think we are born to have some mindset.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_03: They come to Ghana and then they say, Ghana's are so chill.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, we just if you're talking to Nigeria, you say you guys agree on doing something like, Oh, Charlie, so I'll call you.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_03: Like, let's do it, let's let's work together.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the next morning he's texting you.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, yesterday it was nice meeting you.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_03: Half our let's start.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_03: Like they don't do you know, Ghana's do a lot of oh, we go do arm, yeah.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_03: We go do armor, and they never get back to you.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, anyway, how do we even get here?
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like getting the viral moment and monetizing that.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_03: One there's one guy that like I really admire.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: He's one of out of many who have also done that.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I remember his growth.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_03: Ola of Lagos.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_03: Ola of Lagos was the guy that had a phone, and when he sees, he's a car spotter.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's what he was doing.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, you know what a casporter is, right?
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_03: No, so casporters and films, yeah, yeah.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, and it's a thing, like the content creators who are just car spotters, they spot nice cars, they film it.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes they go and then they tell you the spec of the car.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, or if sometimes they talk to um the person driving the car and ask them things like, Oh, what's the speck of this?
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_03: Can you rev the engine?
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_03: There's another guy in the UK too that does that, uh, Nigerian guy.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_03: But a lot of Lagos was just a car spotter.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: His own, he's not even talking about the specs, he's just filming when he sees a Range River or something, you just film it, you'd be like, it's plenty, it's plenty.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_03: That's all you do, you chase the car and then it goes.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_03: And then you put his thing a lot of Lagos, so you're just showing people like how they're affluent in Lagos and stuff, and people started like he started going viral, you gotta get a lot of viral moments.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_03: People started inviting the dude to showrooms to come and actually um talk about their cars for them.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, now the guy is selling cars, he has his own showroom now.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, he has his own showroom with people he's selling cars now.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he's he's even advertising beyond just cars now, he's even doing for houses.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: I saw that someone flew him into Ghana to come and advertise advertise some houses in East Lagoon.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_03: And oh, this house is$2.5 million.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, this is just a car spotter, and he's we found a way to.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_03: And the crazy thing is when you reach out to him, I haven't reached out to him before, but I remember when I was, I mean, I work in music, so sometimes we reach out to content creators and stuff in Nigeria, and you think that, oh, this person that just always maybe fooling on their page, but you reach out to them, it's a whole team.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they have an accountant, they have someone who is a salesperson, they have someone who is like they have an account manager, they and people who you follow up later two months later and be like, oh, we work with you on this, um, we have this thing, we want to work with you on it.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's like a whole like funnel.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: Because building a brand is the same as building a business.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if you don't put that level of seriousness to it, it doesn't translate into the money that it should.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: I've I've seen this happen.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: I have had like influencers, creators, and stuff that you want to work with.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: And even signing a contract is difficult because they don't understand the process.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they don't have a manager.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: There was a there was an influencer, I got their manager's number, and I kept calling the manager.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: The manager, I'll get back to you eventually.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_00: He was honest to me that he's calling, she's not picking up.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_03: That's normal.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, me, I work with picking their own manager's number.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_03: I work with a lot of them, yeah.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_03: They don't they don't respond to you, their manager.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_03: Like this there's a lot of work that needs to be done in this space.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_03: A lot, a lot.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_03: Like there are answers that are blown up in you, you just want them to do something for a brand, and yeah, it's not easy to reach them.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, do you think that's one of the common mistakes that like creative entrepreneurs make?
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: Not understanding that even though creativity is one aspect of the business, there's the real business aspect which needs to be taken more seriously.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: I I I I I think it's a mix of ego today.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody's screaming my name.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I've blown up.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um like I don't, it's it's all me.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, do you know who I am?
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_03: Have you seen my followers?
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_03: They don't they don't want to, they don't think of it as a business.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_03: So they don't want to drop the ego and partner with someone who just focus on like sometimes you meet some creators, right?
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_03: Or some celebrities, and you realize that maybe their team, some of them cannot even be bothered about the music.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_03: They're just pure accountants or a purely like pure business person who just focus on taking this thing here, and it's not phased by all.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: the glam and things around it.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's a very common mistake that creators don't think of them themselves as businesses.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_03: So they don't find business people to help them handle their business and they want to be the face.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_03: They want to be the face of the business.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_03: I mean everybody knows you have to like it's you.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's you're the reason why we're we're coming to you but the moment they reach out to you just pass them to a manager.
• 44:29
  unknown: Yeah.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: Pass them to someone and it actually makes you even more respected.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because when people know there's a team behind you they they know they they can't deal with you in a reckless way because you have people who are you know showing you the way and they can rely on you more.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know the thing that even busts my mind sometimes we we support creators too sometimes and help them with their management and stuff.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_03: There's some of them that even fine they've agreed to have a management.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_03: Now brands reach out to us and then we want to even reach the creator to conclude and you can't reach the creator.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: And if you can't reach the creator creator then problem.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: How do we solve the problem?
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I think one of the biggest problems which I don't know how to solve I mean I've tried it in my field but it's still never solved how do we get creators to not buy into the hype and the buzz and actually rather like be interested in value building is that dopamine thing yeah that's thing that I'll give you an example just a few weeks ago there was a we have a lot of stories there was a big creator that we all know in fact two of them one of them is a big creator in America but connected to Africa and then there's one that's here came to sit with me or one called me and because they have the same problem that oh they are making um they are they're struggling um with finances monetizing that kind of thing and then all I just kept asking them was oh why are you not on YouTube?
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_03: Because I've seen their content I'm like you have viral moments every other week every almost out of three things you post you go viral and a lot of creators can't get viral moments and you get that thing on the platter but they're spending a lot of time on Twitter Instagram um TikTok in some in in another market TikTok will pay you but in this market not yet and they don't understand why financially you know the enter so I'm like why not youtube like oh youtube shall it's boring shall it like the comments be slow this but you see they are feeding off the the hype the dopamine the comments like but when it's time to pay your bills comments comments don't pay your bills emojis don't pay your bills you can't walk to ACG and say here's five million likes rich total just give me electricity as a post say you you turn on my light yeah so uh I mean the thing in in Africa right youtube is the is the trusted and the one that we know that automatically you would make money and now Facebook yeah and now Facebook yeah yeah but not everybody can be a youtuber not everybody can be a Facebooker but there's simple things like even you sharing knowledge people buy it yeah right there are all these websites like Gamroad and stuff that if you even do good content that people buy it you can even sell an ebook you can sell you can sell your knowledge you can sell what you know you can sell anything at all you can sell merch you get what I mean and I tell them this all the time that figure out some product that's gonna make you money and even if you think this YouTube thing you can't do it but for creators who are going viral I'm like convert that thing to YouTube and now use the Kikiki on the Twitter and the rest as a way to drive traffic to the YouTube.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: I really enjoyed when headless youtuber did his unveiling and because it it made it it found a way for him to monetize what he was doing.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah and even him right he came to me to ask me what what I think and I was worried me I'm I can be very conventional sometimes because if something is not broken don't don't like if if it's not broken just keep doing it.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm like you've been you've been anonymous and it's working for you why are you coming to reveal yourself but it's it's proven that it's even grown his brand even more but what I was coming to was that his approach was that he he first was was shy to because I think he had lost his job at he had he had done music yeah and he felt like ah it wasn't going the way he wanted then um he he was working at YFM and I think he lost his job.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_03: So then now he didn't want to now come out as he's doing content creation because he was afraid he'll be laughed at um but in the process of hiding himself to do that's how the anonymity came he told himself that he's going to do I can't remember the number but let's say 50 videos and he's gonna put out 50 videos before let's say in three months and consistently release on specific days and when you post can you imagine posting your your video as a YouTuber and you can't share it with your friend to share for you because they'll know who you are so it's like he's posted it and he's you have to just hoping somebody will find it.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah he himself he wants to no he wasn't even retweeting himself because he didn't want anyone to link it.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah so you can't even repost it with your other accounts that have following you you just have to quietly watch it unfold on his 17th video or something and then he had a viral moment like think about it he was not looking you see this is the difference he was not looking at the responses in the comments he didn't care about that he had given himself 20 videos and it was only based on whether he when he will reach or 20 or 50 when you reach that number of videos he wasn't thinking about how many likes would I like how many comments would I like how many shares it's how many videos I'm putting out yeah the consistency.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah yeah just put it out and wait it out you get what I mean and I just think a lot of people should think that way a lot of creators should think that way because they're looking for that dopamine thing like hey nobody's commenting no one is liking oh this platform that new especially I want to pick a new platform this platform that have just joined people don't know you just said set up a new account but because maybe your TikTok was buzzing and then a new platform when you post you're not getting anything nothing's really happening.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_03: But just keep posting because you might have one viral moment and then people go back and watch me when I discover a new creator you just watch everything I I get into this um rabbit hole of watching from when they started and I I watch it all and I just think people should think that way that it's about the number you put out and not the response.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_00: So you know I always like to do research before I jump into anything right so before I started choosing the podcast I went to watch one of my favorite creators Mel Robbins.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I was watching Mel Robbins's and then when I opened her podcast and then I saw the video that I was watching was the 322nd video of the podcast.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like yes that's a goal I can get behind.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: So like the motivation is not how many followers do I have?
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_00: How many views am I getting it's like can you be consistent for that long?
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know we talk about purpose as creators we talk about passion and everything but to really have something as your purpose can you keep going until it becomes so strong that it's undeniable.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think one of the limits of our creators is the fact that they are chasing the buzz.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_00: And when you are chasing the buzz it's very easy to give up you know how you said the number of times you wake up and you think should you just give up it's very easy to give up if you are doing something for the wrong reasons.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah true but if you are really in it for the right reasons and that's your purpose yeah you don't stop because hype isn't real like it's it's it's like someone standing on the stage and screaming I'm the baddest alive and the bad and then the audience are just watching him yeah because they don't believe he's the baddest but what if he's standing on stage and the audience starts saying yeah yo you are the baddest like now that's the difference like the hype man is it's creating hype and the audience now when is the audience then this actually like the buzz is there and then now it's it's real you get what I mean so yeah and then I mean we've even made the word buzz very it is clout simple like stop chasing stop chasing clout guys stop chasing clout I'm on the page yeah yeah like focus on yourself a lot of people don't focus on themselves so like you see a creator who like the one who calls me like every now and then like she's she's doing so well but she's looking at other people she's looking at other creators who are being paid to go on trips who are touring the world who are doing this brand and that brand and she's like I'm not getting some of these gigs yeah I might not get some of these gigs comparing themselves instead of don't do that like just focus like I I I these days um I've been sitting there thinking about how things were like in the past and I don't know why I'm doing that but like I just try and imagine like how our parents excelled without having to see online the pressure like what people are doing they excelled even more if yes because they were focused yeah on what they're doing it's like this is what I'm building the only time you get to see people is probably at church or maybe someone comes to visit you and then they tell you oh this one day but you don't see you don't wake up one day and then someone has posted Lamborghini or is on lake como and then you're feeling like hey me I'm sitting in this office or I'm picking George I should be I should also be in the Como and it doesn't make you want to do fake things it doesn't make you start feeling like oh I'm not doing it now but they were just tunnel vision this is what I want to do and then they were in there and it just made me feel like a lot of people need to just ignore all the the fluff all the noise especially the creators they just need to focus okay I am a food creator and maybe someone inspires me fine but this is my journey and this is where I want to get to you can't be walking walking like on a you can't be walking on a path and every now and then you're stopping to dodge leaves and things or people shout jeering at you because you will never get to destination.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_03: You will just need to put your earphones in and then go till you get there and that's the only way I think creators can excel if they think about themselves have the purpose and then think of the end of the journey and not just how people think about or what other people are doing and how another person looks more successful than them.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of it is packaging that makes me wonder something right now so how important is your brand integrity as a creator I ask this because we're talking about monetizing as a creator right so let's take me I've set out on a journey to educate people enhance their mind so we're having these great conversations so let's say somebody watches my numbers they like what I'm doing and they say Richie here's$100,000 do dance video for us I want to watch that at what point is it monetizing and at what point is it selling out what point is it what monetizing yes and at what point is it selling out like yes if somebody comes to me right now and says they want to give me$1000 so that I talk about their products that's in line with my brand integrity.
• 56:54
  SPEAKER_03: Okay but you know they want me to do dance video to hype a song okay I think um there's there's room for pivoting right but you should also need to ask yourself if whatever you're about to do it falls in line with your brand brands are built on pillars and they're built on values and if everybody that's that's building a brand needs to know what their values are values are basically what you stand for.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_03: If you think that this thing that they're asking me to do it doesn't align with my brand and you still go and take it and do it then you're tarnishing your brand yeah and even the audience that supports you will see that it's it's disjointed and then it doesn't it doesn't connect it doesn't connect and then it feels like this is this doesn't look right that's why sometimes you see like your idol doing something out of the way it's cringe for you like I don't want to mention this but like this my brother caught me is like why this guy did do this thing the way and respect from the time I grew and he saw the guy do something completely like out of his path and he was like why what's happening is it money why is he doing this online and so yeah you need to ask yourself is it in line with your brand does it align with your pillars does it align with the values that you stand for um if it doesn't don't do it because then you start to look out of place it's like you drag um a 90 year old to a club party she looks out of place doesn't look right because maybe she'll be she'll be offered to offer a new kidney or something so that's why she came there but it starts to look desperate and um I think people should be very clear on what their brand stands for.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah especially when you're a content creator because like if you see a lot of Lagos um I mean he does some things that are cringe though but if you but that's his start yeah yeah maybe right you know he's done it so much that now you've accepted that yeah something he can do maybe see a lot of Lagos um reviewing a house when he started with cars it was cars that he was known for it when I saw him reviewing houses I'm like okay it's not cars but it's still false in the whole affluent bracket like yeah it's still um wealth related it's still material stuff it's still um signs of um success and it's still a review yeah still uh it's still a review so and I think if you're ready to pivot to the question you have to ask yourself is is it something you can be consistent in yeah it needs to mean something to you I I can let you know when I started this journey of wanting to share my knowledge educate people and stuff it caught people by surprise I know people who are like this is not a ritual we know but it's something I meant yeah something I actually wanted to do so I knew I could be consistent.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_03: Mean when I saw you do that thing I I just had the feeling that that is you on the day to day yeah and the people around you keep telling you that yeah you should be sharing this knowledge 100%.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_03: Because I get that too a lot so I when I said I'm like his team has probably told him that you can't just be sharing this knowledge in the office every day.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know I had a former employee who bought my book and the response the the review they gave back to me was I love the book and it reminded me of listening to you talk all the time about your knowledge I was like oh wow you see like and this is me not even knowing the story behind it but by watching one two three of these I'm like this is him like this is the Ritchie that's if you're around him he's probably this is what he really stands for.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah right the the rich that people know is just oh the guy that made music and is behind the hits and the talent and stuff but Richie is probably someone that when you sit by him he's just spewing knowledge he's just sharing things like an a wise sage and I'm sure his team has said master you better go sit on behind camera and share it yeah so yeah it it's very much in line with your brand and yeah if I see you with because now you have an audience I see you um doing TikTok dances and I'll be a bit confused.
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like wait what is going on here unless there's some hidden talent dance talent I don't know about but I think a lot of people end up selling out unintentionally and especially because they can't find ways to monetize now they become desperate.
• 1:01:40
  SPEAKER_00: So any opportunity looks like an opportunity to them I've seen happen to a lot of artists where maybe this is their style of music but they're not making enough you know money they're not getting the numbers that they want so they just decide to pivot to something that doesn't connect with them.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_00: There's an artist I won't mention his name but I saw this happen to him where he was an underground artist and he was a great dance hall artist and he kept trying and trying and trying and it wasn't working.
• 1:02:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then he recorded one asopah song and the song hit.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now he was stuck because he can't keep giving them the asopah songs because that's not him.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and now when he tries to do the dancehall music nobody's minding him because they're like I was just as music.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_00: So he he now got stuck and ended up becoming a one-hit wonder.
• 1:02:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah you know it happens to them a lot it happens to them a lot I think that if if you even did asapo and it's something that you can do because sometimes artists are versatile yeah then yeah then pick that then that becomes a sound yeah but if it's something that you just did because you are desperate to hit and then you hit and then you can't keep it up then you become a one-hit wonder I think yeah they're saying the same thing they should just all focus on doing what is um in line with what they start for yeah what kind of systems or structures financial structures do you think a creator should start putting in place right from the word go to be able to monetize in the long run?
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_03: I think in Africa I don't know if it's a financial structure but it should start from contracts to me to me a contract is the biggest financial step you should take to protect yourself as a creative in this space or even it it's at least put some structure on paper because now you know it's a contract it's listed what you're doing what who is doing for you how much you'll be paid and stuff contracts me I'm a victim should I say victim the word victim but yeah I've been undone before because I didn't have an ironclad contract um but I've learned from it and it's only made me a better person.
• 1:04:10
  SPEAKER_03: But not everybody will get opportunity to learn from it and it might mess you up for good.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I think contracts are very very important people need to first make sure that they have a contract before they start any um anything they do because it it allows the money to come in because it's it shows you what is really happening.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's a documented um piece of whatever paper that allows you to be paid and that allows you not to be exploited.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_03: Registration registration a lot of people don't register their businesses but these are I know these are things that like uh business one on one like just do these are but I'm talking in the context of Africa and I know you act on finance financial steps but if you don't register a business you can lose an opportunity just because I'll give an example we just did we are currently running an incubator for fidelity for creative entrepreneurs over 470 people applied some of the things that we used to sift through to arrive at the last 25 was things as simple as are you registered business and these some of them are popular brands that are allowed online and are doing things and have you following but you're not registered the end goal of this is to do a payout or to give you a loan and you're not registered they've lost the bag they've lost money so that is a financial misstep by just not registering your company so that's another one so registering your business um I Think um having having a f financial person on your team it's so essential to a creative person.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_03: Like even me that I've come this far, I'm not the most financially literate person.
• 1:06:15
  SPEAKER_03: I won't even lie about that.
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_03: I I have an idea of what you should be doing.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_03: But when it comes to very hardcore detailed conversations on investment and things like that, my my business partner, um, and Natasha will step in because they understand those things and I'll be there, but I I'm not and if if even it goes beyond us, we are not shy to ask our consultant and say, please, we need an investment consultant, or we need this person to come help us crunch this.
• 1:06:52
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think you should be shy as a creative to partner with access that help or partner with someone who understands their numbers and knows what because let me tell you, like in the financial world, right, there are there are tricks to becoming wealthy and there are tricks to moving money around.
• 1:07:15
  SPEAKER_03: My friend was saying financial engineering, like I love that financial engineering, yeah.
• 1:07:19
  SPEAKER_03: Because there are there are ways around it, especially when you go to America and you talk to some people who are super wealthy.
• 1:07:24
  SPEAKER_03: Well, how'd you make this?
• 1:07:25
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I had this, I had that, and this, then this was making money for me, and I put this here, and then I got a cut back on this, and my tax losses on this.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_03: And they're like, yo, you understand the system.
• 1:07:35
  SPEAKER_03: You you you figured out how money works for you.
• 1:07:39
  SPEAKER_03: You you get what I mean?
• 1:07:40
  SPEAKER_03: And sometimes in this part of the world, we we're just used to oh, money making money is that you you someone just bought this, you got the money, you put it in a bank account, and then it was there, it was growing, getting interest.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_00: You say about 62% of Africans are financially illiterate.
• 1:07:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:07:58
  SPEAKER_03: And we have to accept that we are so that we learn.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um, like I said, even me, I don't think I'm the best at it.
• 1:08:08
  SPEAKER_03: Like I've survived till now.
• 1:08:11
  SPEAKER_03: But when I need help, I call.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_03: Like when I need help, I reach out to people that I think know what they're doing.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_00: As you're talking about help and building a team, okay, we're talking about the structures they need to put in place.
• 1:08:24
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of ecosystem can a creator surround themselves with to make sure in the long term they monetize the talent?
• 1:08:31
  SPEAKER_03: So, like I said, people, business, or is it analysts or people who business developers, someone who can help them run a business, um, they need to have tools and like tools that would help them uh do even like accounting and things like that.
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think every creative needs a mentor.
• 1:08:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
• 1:08:52
  SPEAKER_03: Everyone needs a mentor.
• 1:08:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, my mentors change every now and then.
• 1:08:57
  SPEAKER_03: Not that I move on when I feel like I don't need anything from you anymore, but because I evolve every now and then.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_03: So I find a new mentor who is towing that line.
• 1:09:08
  SPEAKER_03: So mentorship is great.
• 1:09:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, building a team is important.
• 1:09:14
  SPEAKER_03: Having finance and business people in the team is important.
• 1:09:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and having the tools and software and resources that would help you um excel to is important, and that allows you to have an ecosystem that allows you to excel.
• 1:09:31
  SPEAKER_03: Nice, you know.
• 1:09:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's this one thing I like to do, right?
• 1:09:34
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to imagine because over here, our aim, like I always say, is to turn people into masterminds.
• 1:09:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:09:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to imagine you could stretch your hand into the camera and implant one mindset into a creator watching you right now so that they can become a mastermind.
• 1:09:52
  SPEAKER_00: What mindset would that be?
• 1:09:56
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm giving advice.
• 1:09:59
  SPEAKER_00: But deep seated advice.
• 1:10:03
  SPEAKER_03: The first thing is a mindset is everything for a creator, right?
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_03: Putting you accepting and understanding that you are a business and not just a content creator.
• 1:10:16
  SPEAKER_03: You understand?
• 1:10:17
  SPEAKER_03: There's creating content, and then there's a there's a point where I am creating content, there's a point where I am a business.
• 1:10:25
  SPEAKER_03: You need to know when that when that time comes, right?
• 1:10:29
  SPEAKER_03: So you should always be ready to become a business.
• 1:10:34
  SPEAKER_03: Then the second thing I'll say is um ego, let your ego down and learn.
• 1:10:42
  SPEAKER_03: Let the ego down and learn.
• 1:10:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's the only way you learn.
• 1:10:46
  SPEAKER_03: Because yeah, when you like you said, he who said he who knows not and knows not that he knows not.
• 1:10:53
  SPEAKER_03: So let the ego down.
• 1:10:54
  SPEAKER_03: You can only learn if you put the ego away, because you can't learn anything if you feel like you know it.
• 1:10:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, we're all learning every day.
• 1:11:02
  SPEAKER_03: And then the last thing is consistency.
• 1:11:05
  SPEAKER_03: Consistency is the only way out of this.
• 1:11:08
  SPEAKER_03: Because if you're waiting for quick results, it doesn't happen.
• 1:11:14
  SPEAKER_03: You have to keep going because even when people want to trust you with things, they want to trust you because they know that you've been doing it for a while, or you're credible, or they can be assured that oh, this person has been in the game and knows what they are doing, but you're not like a flash in the pan or a one-hit wonder.
• 1:11:31
  SPEAKER_03: So be consistent, let your ego down and learn, and also um what was the first thing?
• 1:11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, have a mindset change.
• 1:11:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you so much, Maister.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_00: We finished, we finished though.
• 1:11:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's an awesome conversation.
• 1:11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, no, no, no, no.
• 1:11:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great conversation.
• 1:11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I do know that a lot of people watching them will be able to benefit so much from this.
• 1:11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Creatures, if you're out there, follow this mastermind and become a mastermind.
• 1:12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for watching this episode.
• 1:12:04
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that you stayed all the way through to the end tells me that you're not only curious, but you have the discipline to see what you do all the way through to the end.
• 1:12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's build a community of thinkers who are ready to become the best version of themselves.
• 1:12:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, subscribe to the channel and the mindset that you will develop and grow every day to become a true mastermind.