OVER 2 BILLION NAIRA IN BROKERED DEALS AT 23

THE BEGINNING

The Search for Financial Independence……

Financial independence is a state all humans try to get to. Most youths try to achieve this quite early in their lives to set a precedent, a foundation, a basis, we could say, to live life on their terms. Whilst this is assumed to be perfectly normal, in certain parts of the world it’s frowned upon, entirely in some other parts of the world.

For most youths trying to achieve financial independence at a young age, specifically between the ages of 16 and 19 years, one of the greatest challenges they face, if not the greatest, is Control. The question is, ‘Why is Control so important?’ ‘What makes it so powerful!’ The answer is very simple. ‘_He who controls the money, controls the person. ’

Normally, having a child achieve financial independence between the ages of 16 and 19 should be and is considered a blessing by the parents, and in most parts of the world, it’s encouraged, but in Africa, it is a very different story.

In Africa, the mentality is different and even underdeveloped. Most parents do not want to give up control, and so they hinder opportunities that could aid their child or children from achieving financial independence.

Taking a deeper look at this trend, is the issue really about control or the insecurity of the parents? In all situations and beliefs, if you have raised a child properly with guiding principles for 16 to 19 years of their lives, then you shouldn’t have any fear of losing control whatsoever. So the real question here is, ‘How have you raised your child?’

The second underlying challenge is the mindset challenge in Africans. That is what makes them ask the question, ‘How can a teenager become a millionaire legitimately?’ My response to this is ‘Why not?’. You see, I realized that maturity is not a function of age but a function of depth and insight. Age is just a number. Well, I can confidently tell you that it is possible, that a teenager can become a legitimate millionaire. So many youths have done it. I did it...and this is a part of my story.

There’s a popular book by Eddie Iroh titled ‘Without a Silver Spoon’, I

remember being forced to read the text in primary two. Young and naive, I thought the book would be about a silver spoon, so I was bored before I even began reading the book. Reminiscing back now that book was one of my best reads to date because of the context. The story of a young boy who came from a poor but honest family. He worked hard to pay his school fees as a houseboy. The metaphor ‘Without a Silver Spoon’ simply meant someone not born into a rich or privileged family.

This wasn’t the case for me, in all honesty. I guess it’s safe to say I was born with a silver spoon, with privilege in life, especially being the only child of my parents, with opportunities others may never have. My life was filled with luxury, privilege, power, and influence, so it’s quite surprising and confusing why a child who was raised with all this would be seeking financial independence, for what?

Thinking back to when I was younger, I remember that during the holidays, I would always accompany my mum to every catering job she had on the weekends. I would be so eager to work alongside her; serving food at events, washing plates and cooking utensils afterwards. After jobs like that, I would return home exhausted, sweaty, and just wanting to sleep. You see, what I didn’t realise was that those experiences helped shape my life, even though I grew up with privilege, there was still a place for hard work. I grew up understanding the value of hard work and the honour it brings.

Thinking back to when I was younger, I remember that during the holidays, I would always accompany my mum to every catering job she had on the weekends. I would be so eager to work alongside her, serving food at events, washing plates and cooking utensils afterwards. After jobs like that, I would return home exhausted, sweaty, and just wanting to sleep. You see, what I didn’t realise was that those experiences helped shape my life, even though I grew up with privilege, there was still a place for hard work. I grew up understanding the value of hard work and the honour it brings.

Each day, I would wake up to my mum always making sure she was the first to get to the office (the school she owned). The school was located on the same premises as our home residence, so in all honesty, there was no need to rush, plus she owned the school! She was her boss; she reported to no one. In this, I learned dedication, extreme discipline, and diligence.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22 verse 29, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men”. Diligence refers to the quality of being careful, thorough, and persistent in one's work, efforts, or tasks. It involves a conscientious and dedicated approach to achieving a goal or completing a task. Diligence often includes attention to detail, a commitment to completing work to the best of one's abilities, and the willingness to invest time and effort to achieve success. Being diligent means taking the time to research, plan, and execute tasks effectively and efficiently. It's a valuable trait in various aspects of life, including work, education, personal projects, and even relationships, as it can lead to more successful outcomes and a higher level of achievement.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a CEO; I just liked the ring to it, honestly, but I also liked being the boss, so leadership came naturally to me. Being the one responsible for making key decisions and giving direction was something I always dreamt of doing; thus, owning a business was a natural development, you could say.

A whole lot of people dream of being billionaires, millionaires, and CEOs, but there’s a popular saying ‘More money, more problems. This can be interpreted as ‘More responsibility, more problems’, and so being a ‘CEO’ comes with ‘CEO problems’. Most people don’t realise that any task that comes with more responsibility automatically comes with more problems, so problem-solving is an essential skill in business.

The world of business is all about survival of the fittest…..

Part 2 drops next week!

I’m rooting for you!

Emmanuel Famuagun
The Billionaire Advisor

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