Dear friend, 2017 was the first time I ever tried to start an online business
I had just dropped out of school, the crisis kicked in and like every other journey, nothing seemed to be working straight away.
My mom visited me one time in my tiny student room and because the bed was too small to accommodate we both, I burnt the entire night on the table working from my laptop
Family witnessed me go hours upon hours on my screen but as I’ve mentioned several times, I didn’t make any penny for almost a year
I’ll tell you the true story..
My first ever payday was a refreshing 5,000frs momo transaction that came through my friend Gabriel.
That was about 7 months into the journey
Gabriel convinced one of his boses about me and they decided to give me a shot by buying space for a banner ad on my website for a month
That’s how I got that first 5k deal
On fulfilling my promise to him, I gave Gabi 20% as referral commission, one thousand francs that he reluctantly took because I sent to his account without his permission.
He knew I needed that money so badly
And the rest 80%?
I remember slotting that in an envelope, walked to church and dropped as my first fruit
You see my friend, I could feel the pain in doing that
It’s not about the amount, but what that meant to me in that moment
That period I nearly lost my mind
It was around the same time when the Anglophone crisis intensified in Cameroon
I needed to find a MEANS of SURVIVING amidst all the gunshots
I couldn’t rely on my parents who lived kilometres away and were battling the same crisis, trapped at home amidst the random shootings outside.
ONE OF MY BIGGEST FEARS WAS THAT I WAS GOING TO FAIL and may not have anywhere to sleep or something to eat
I wanted to learn how to fish for myself, find a way to foot my small bills and just to survive in all the troubles
‘So Arrey, where are you going with this story?’
You see my friend, today as I looked back on my journey and put that side by side with any other success stories I’ve witnessed…
I’ve found that there is no single way to success but there are specific secrets that constantly govern every true success story
One of them you’re going to hear every time is the proof of INVESTMENT!
And these will come in different forms.
For some of you it’ll be investments into yourself, building your own skills and capacity
For others, it’ll be investments into your values, spiritual principles and the things that govern you as a person (and that’s going to set the pace for who you become)
And for others, It’ll be investments in the form of making sacrifices that are worthy of your course and whatever you’re building. Time. Money. Relationships.
When I write these emails, I try to keep them open and follow where my spirit is leading me but I’ve got the feeling you’re going to relate with this differently and will know what exactly you’re need to do with this message
A lot of times we’re looking for the next big break outside when all we need is to invest to grow ourselves into the people who are ready to handle that success
Maybe for you it’s going to be the feeling that all you need at this point is a bit more time and consistent energy into building yourself
Do what you will with this random thoughts today
Like I always say…
Cheers to many more years of shamelessly living and crazily excelling in passion and purpose
Arrey Bate
Internet Entrepreneur | Author | Journalist