Pleasant greetings, my fellow students. You know, once a student, always a student. Lol. Student life sweet sha, despite the challenges, especially the hustle to make ends meet. Agh! Unfortunately, the ends have refused to meet, even till now. I wonder when it will. Oti o. Lol.
Enough of the ramblings, Luchyl. 😂
The topic for this week actually totoried me and equally brought back fond memories of my early side hustling days. Hehehe.
Right from childhood, I've had a flair for independence. I just loved the idea of making my own money, so I don't depend on my parents or family members for everything. I think this desire stemmed from helping my elder sister in her small business - pastry and fried groundnuts.
So my side hustle journey officially started right from my secondary school days. Then I was dealing on fresh vegetables. Lol. My friend and I would often go to our farm or other fallow farmlands to pluck water leaves, which we'd sell either at the local market or supply to one of our neighbors who'd often place order for it.
With my earnings, I maintained this formula - "Save more, spend less." So I'd save most of the money and then spend a little on treats. At the end of the term, I'd give part of the savings to my mom to help buy things for school.
When my elder sister left home for school, I stepped in and continued with selling the fried groundnuts right in front of our house. I even added "aki hausa" to my stock. My groundnuts were a hit, with neighbors placing orders in advance. Money was rolling in and I was happy.
Luchyl, the business mogul, lol.
Getting to SS3, I expanded my business again, and this time, biscuits. So I was selling fried groundnuts, biscuits and aki hausa. One of the popular biscuits then was Olympic biscuits, and my mom would buy in bulk, and I'd sell them in my class along with fried groundnuts.
It was a fun and lucrative venture. My clientele involved both school mates and some teachers, and I'd sell out quickly. In fact classmates would sometimes request to pay upfront to ensure they'd get their favorite biscuits before I sell out. It was a great feeling knowing that I had a loyal customer base.
Fast forward to college, it was strictly academics business, lol. I switched to helping some course mates do assignments and term papers for a fee. I recall landing a job or is it contract, to source materials for textbooks, courtesy of one of my lecturers who was the author. I partnered with my close friend, and together we successfully sourced materials from both the school library and a private library outside campus.
Then it was time for my one-year Industrial Training, IT, and yours truly landed a freelancing job for a telecommunications company. The commission-based was good, at least for my level, and I also received an allowance. I worked diligently to meet my targets, earning substantial commissions. In fact, I was making banks. Lol.
I still stuck to my mantra of "Save more, spend less." Hehehe. I had a target and wasn't going to swayed by frivolities.
My commitment paid off, and I continued freelancing with the company even after my IT period. This opportunity allowed me to save more money and support myself while pursuing my studies, without burdening my family members.
I remained focused on my studies and work, adopting a conservative lifestyle. I avoided unnecessary expenses and only prioritized my goals. However, in my final year's last semester, I decided to quit to focus on my studies and graduating.
Experience Is The Best Teacher.
With all these side hustles, I learned to be more independent and responsible, without having to ask for money all the time. Most importantly, these experiences taught me the value of hard work and saving.
Initially, the freelancing job, which was my first start into field marketing wasn't easy. However, with patience and hands-on experience, I learned to navigate these challenges. The skills I developed during that time has continued to benefit me professionally, and the experiences have equally proven invaluable in my current role as an Advert/Marketing Executive.
That's a wrap. Thanks for reading.
Peace and Love ✌️💕
This post is part of my entry to the #Hive14Challenge with @hivecreatorsday. It's actually my first entry and I hope to continue in the ongoing challenge.
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Still the #threadsaddict 😂
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