Early this week, we are at our own 'national assembly', a brother's shop where we do gist, joke and rub minds on relevant issues revolving around politics, economics and of course spiritual topics most especially how some of us will step up or step out from 'one star' lifestyle.

That fateful evening, the conversation was centred on how to make money. Then I raised a proposition that most of us (Yorubas) don't know how to make money, why our fellow countrymen from East and North are very adept and intuitively skilled in the art and science of making money or amassing wealth. Contributions started coming in from others, a brother raised his point that my proposition was quite right that most of us are suffering from three problems, namely arrogance, laziness and obstinate stance that we should make it big time from the non-existent white collar job. He narrated a story of how an Hausa man raised a business empire while he was in Ivory Coast.

All of a sudden, this young woman (she should be in her late twenty or early thirty at most) joined the conversation with emphatic NO to the last discussant viewpoint. She said we Yorubas are also very industrious and possess business acumen. Then she used her hustle story to substantiate her stance. Below is her story as she narrated it to us.

Right from my high institution days, I have been making cool money from selling jewellery. I sold my wares to students, business women and my lecturers inclusive. After the graduation, the business continued fetching more money, hence I decided to expand my business scope. Thus, I decided to join clothing traders at Gbagi market to learn the business of selling clothings while I still maintained my jewellery business in the same market.

Inevitably, I got married, become pregnant and I thought then was a good time to enjoy myself a bit. As I went for maternity leave I had to handover my jewellery business (which worth #500k plus at the time) to a friend, having agreed on a profit sharing formula. To my surprise, my friend squandered not only the profit alone but also the capital. I couldn't imagine it, I had to return to the market after maternity leave with #45k naira people gave me as gifts, out of which I spent #26k on clothes, shoes and bags. It remained just #19k and my friend failed to render accounts of the business nor restock the inventory. Thus, I am determined to start over from the scratch once again, now with different strategies.

I studied those who are at the bottom of the value chain of the jewellery business, our brothers from the North. I had to join them, no option, no more capital to stock latest jewellery. Thus, I had to start buying 'out of vogue' wristwatches, did little repairs (replacing batteries and the like) myself, those I couldn't repair became scrap immediately. I started selling these, and profit started rolling in, any profits made would be quickly ploughed back into the business. Gradually, my capital was increasing with every weekly transactions, #59k to #87k, it was growing though I had to stretched myself a lot to the extent that people always showered me with pity and compassion.

The hustle was becoming very serious and rigorous like that until one day, one of my former customers while I was at the university/polytechnic called me and told me she just arrived from China with some jewellery which worth millions, she needed my help in selling these items. We reached an agreement and signed MOU, I was surprised this woman came into the country with items that our Lagos suppliers sold to us at #900. The woman told me she would be okay and fine supplying me at #350 each. I don't even bother to know whether she bought those wares at #1 or #100 from China.

Whao! The real fortune started here, one time I fixed my price at #800 for those buying at wholesale and sell for consumers at the market fixed price of #1k or more. Fortunately enough, at times I sold more than three hundred pieces within a week. Within six months, I realised a million naira as profit. Having made millions from jewellery business, I delved into clothing business and that is what I do till today while the jewellery business remains intact.

You see, we are not lazy, here is my shop address at Gbagi or just ask for (she gave her nickname which I had forgotten now) you will see me there. I look forward to your patronage, though you alfas don't wear Ankara but you can still patronize me. She said this while we're parting our ways.

Before she left I asked her some questions which she answered and I later dropped some pieces of advice for her as well.

There are many lessons for us in her story. Some of which include:

Let people know you with a particular business you're doing and be serious with it. So that you will be remembered when opportunity comes.

Never afraid to start again even if you lose your initial startup capital, you may have to start from the scratch again.