Many people are running away from poverty, but very few are running towards financial freedom.
I don’t know the lie that you tell yourself daily to justify your financial struggle but the truth is that you are not poor because you were born into a poor family.
If you look around you, you will discover that you have an ‘unfair advantage’ that even children born with silver spoons do not have. Everyone, irrespective of their family background has an ‘unfair advantage.’
You are not poor because your late parent never left you an inheritance. No! You are not poor because you didn’t attend the best schools in the world.
You are not poor because your God has destined you to be poor. Even the devil knows that God is a good God.
You can pay your tithe committedly, and still die poor. Your tithes and offerings cannot manipulate God’s principles. That you are a born again does not automatically take you out of poverty. God is not a magician.
Stop spiritualizing your poverty. Every year is a year of financial breakthrough. It all depends on you. You can be so prayerful, yet poor. You don’t pray away poverty; you learn away poverty.
I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. But I also believe that it is foolish to think that it is the prayer of the poor or needy that will make you rich.
It is good to give but you can be a cheerful giver, yet die poor when you do not have any means to receive.
Isé lóògùn ise is NOT absolutely true. Hardwork alone is not the antidote for poverty. You can be so hardworking, yet poor.
If hardwork alone can lift people out of poverty, truck pushers and well diggers will be the richest. Poverty is so stubborn that even Poverty Alleviation Programmes cannot make you rich.
You can be so frugal, yet poor. You can be famous, yet shamefully poor. You can be of good morals, yet poor. It is not the duty of your employer to make you rich.
You can be so knowledgeable and skillful, yet poor. You can bear the name “Riches,” yet die poor.
You can’t wish your way out of poverty. No way! If wishes were cars, even beggars would ride Lamborghini. People don’t become rich by luck. If you are waiting for luck to be rich, don’t be surprised when not much changes.
Although poverty may be systemic, poverty is not territorial. You are not poor because of the country you reside in.
There are poor people in the richest countries and there are rich people in the poorest countries. You are not poor because of the course you studied in the university. No!
You are not poor because of your class of grade. There are so many Second Class graduates struggling to eat two square meals daily and there are also bookworms and First Class graduates who have become laughing stocks among their colleagues.
If a C student knows how to sell excellently, he will make money while an A student is still swimming in the pride of classroom honour and wallowing in ignorance of the real-world ultimate hack.
Although some skills are in higher demand, you are not poor because of the skill you are acquired. Every core skill has people that are succeeding and people that are struggling. Stop blaming the skill.
I have seen wealthy teachers. I have met broke techies. I have seen struggling nurses too. If you have the best skills but you cannot sell yourself, you will struggle through life.
When you meet a genuinely rich person, don’t hate or envy. Ask questions. Observe and learn. All rich people have one thing in common. They may not have businesses, but they SELL more than they spend.
Even if you do not have a business, your personal life is a business. Selling is not only for business owners. Selling is not a grace. Selling is not hereditary. Selling is not a temperament. Selling is a skill everyone MUST learn.
Most of the financial hardships you are facing today can be solved if you know how to sell. The real reason you are poor is because you are spending more than you are selling.
Whenever you run out of money after using your monthly income to settle your bills and basic needs, it is a warning signal that you are not selling enough.
For example, if your salary or monthly income is ₦100,000, your landlord has a share in it, your government has a share in it (tax), the market woman who sells foodstuffs for you has a share, DSTV and Netflix have their shares in it, your children’s school has a share in it, and the boutique owner has a share in it.
The salon shares in this money too. The bus driver or petrol attendant has a share in it. The electricity distribution company has a share.
Depending on the network you use, you pay the telecom company their own share in terms of airtime and internet data.
The question to ask yourself is, if I am paying many people on a daily basis, how many people is paying me daily? If I am spending money to buy stuffs every day, what am I selling to make money every day?
If the money you spend every day is more than the money you make, your journey to financial freedom is very far.
If you do not know how to sell your skills, your knowledge, your experience, your vision, your own products or other people’s product to many people, you are not leaving the trenches anytime soon.
Whether you have a certificate, a ‘sabificate’ or both, if you can sell, you are gonna make money.
If all you can sell is your ‘unfair advantage,’ you can never die poor. Until you look deeply, you may never discover that there is something that you do for free but can also be done for a fee.
When I began my entrepreneurial journey, I never set out to become a Business Consultant. It was never in the plan. However, friends who started building their businesses later sought my advice on several business issues.
I proffered solutions to several business owners. My counsels yielded significant results. I did this for 5 years before I then decided to commercialize my business knowledge.
Imagine being a sought-after consultant who had proven solutions to people’s business challenges, yet broke. Sometimes, I was on phone calls for over 2 hours.
At the end, all I got was “Thank you!” I paid for trainings and courses. I committed my time to study hard, yet I was broke.
If I didn’t learn how to turn those “See what is happening, what do you think… I have a problem; I want to share it with you… I would like to see you to discuss a business idea…” conversations into paid consultations, I would still be a famous but poor nigga.
I had been speaking for free in events during my undergraduate days. At the end, I got souvenirs as honorariums and as a form of appreciation.
As a passionate and charismatic speaker who dish out so much value, I quickly learnt how to charge a fee when I am being invited to speak. My fees are known. I do not let people pick my brain for free. Speaking is a business. Talk is not cheap.
Just in case you think that you have nothing valuable to sell in exchange for money; look at what you can offer for free, package it and do it for a fee. Position yourself as somebody people can pay.
Whether you do a 9 – 5 job or you are still a student, if you know how to sell, you will make more money every day.
Whether you relocate to a new environment or you have been sacked from your job, if you know how to sell, you will never be scared.
If you can teach your children how to sell, you have successfully empowered them to survive anywhere they go. If you can sell yourself and your vision excellently, you can contest and win any political election.
Irrespective of whom you are and what you do, selling is one of the life-saving skills that you must learn.
If all you can sell is your time, do everything possible to increase your hourly rate. It is not how long you work, it’s how much you make per time.
© Kingsley Ndimele
Your Reliable Consultant