Happy new month, Friends !

Welcome to the last quarter of the year. I pray it becomes our best yet.

In my last email, I encouraged you that no matter where you currently are on your journey this year, whether you’re doing great so far or just doing okay or even doing poorly, you shouldn’t give up on this year yet.

That’s because great things can still happen for you this year. Three months is more than enough to create something amazing.

If you’re an existing business owner, three months is more than enough to increase your revenue for the year.

If you’ve not started your business, the remaining three months of 2024 are more than enough for you to build and launch your business.

I thought of what to share with you this first issue of October to encourage you and probably give you the ginger you need to go after your goals, and an email I published here earlier last year came to mind.

The subject is 5 steps to N30 Billion.

In that email, I gave in quick summary the 5 steps I would take today if I were to start all over and want to build a successful business very fast. 

They are the same five steps that have helped me to build a successful career so far.

My goal in this email is to expand on each step a little bit than I did in the initial email over almost one-and-a-half years ago.

I know that “30BG” (thirty billion gang) is a thing, thanks to Davido, and it’s a nice gang to be in — I mean in terms of money earned, not in terms of fandom.

As a business owner who has generated far, far over 30 Billion Naira in sales and revenue, I might be able to give some advice to help you not just get there but surpass it.

Good thing is that not a single kobo of those revenue generated came from an investor. Everything about my businesses was fully bootstrapped.

So how was I able to build something that big?

There are five (5) major steps I took in the early days of my entrepreneurial journey. And these are the 5 steps you should take, if you want to succeed very fast as an entrepreneur:

1. I found a mentor.

If you have ever followed my “success story” you’ll know that it all started with me traveling daily from Ibadan to Lagos for 5 days to attend an online business seminar hosted by the late Dr. Sunny Ojeagbase.

And you’ll also know that I got close to him afterwards and he became my direct mentor.

This man is literally the foundation of all I’ve achieved today. I can boldly say that I can’t imagine where I would be today without learning at his feet.

It’s a simple life hack: I found someone already successful in the industry I was interested in as an entrepreneur – information marketing.

And luckily for me, he was willing to mentor me and offer advice along my journey.

This, Tolulope, is the shortest cut to success in life. And I’ve even successfully applied it to other areas of my life, including politics.

2. I read books and articles.

It’s crazy that people don’t read these days unlike before, even when there are easier reading technologies and formats like audiobooks.

Yes, we now consume more valuable content than before, in forms of online videos and courses, but they are scattered information that don’t form a whole framework you can put to use and achieve a goal.

Successful people spend months and even years to put down their stories, experiences and strategies into a book. That is pure gold you shouldn’t play with.

I know because I’ve written two books that are both bestsellers and I know what I put into them. And people’s feedbacks and success stories validate it.

I can’t even start counting the number of books and the thousands of articles and newsletters I read and studied when on my journey to success – especially from those who had the kind of success I wanted.

3. I attended seminars and workshops.

You’ve heard the story of how a seminar started me on my journey to success, despite how very inconvenient it was for me to attend. This is why sometimes I reward people who travel from far distances to attend educational events — like the last from Kano at the just-concluded #IbadanTechExpo.

I’m sure you don’t think that initial life-changing seminar was the only event I attended to become successful in life. Of course I attended plenty more seminars, especially those specific to my industry and the topics I was interested in – from online marketing to info marketing, making money online, copywriting, sales, etc.

Not only did I learn from the speakers, but I was able to meet other like-minded people who offered their own insight and who I’ve formed productive relationships with over the years.

4. I networked a lot.

Like I said above, I didn’t just go to those seminars and other industry events, I met people. I ensured to talk to as many people as I could, and like a sponge, soak up all the knowledge I needed. 

Valuable business friends and colleagues I’ve met and stuck to over the years are a result of such seminars and workshops. And I’ve gone on to do amazing things with some of them who went on to become best friends and partners, like Ronald Nzimora and Toyin Omotoso. 

Till date, I don’t joke with networking. And it has taken me to the very top.

5. I took action.

I wasn’t an information junkie like most unsuccessful “entrepreneurs” – I wasn’t soaking up information just for the sake of it; I was doing it so I could take massive action on the things I learnt.

Everything I’ve achieved so far is as a result of applying the things I learn (from mentors, books, events and networking) to my business, career and life generally.

Now those are the five steps that’ll shorten your journey to entrepreneurial success, as they did mine.

As you can see, it’s all about learning from other people and applying what you learnt to your life.

I hope you take these 5 steps strategically and indeed achieve your goals for the remainder of the year and beyond.

All the best on your journey,