One of my students recently wrote to me. Here’s what she said: “I’m seriously busy with academics, but I want to earn money. To be honest, I’m overwhelmed.”
Well, the truth is that there is nothing wrong with academics. Another truth is that if you are only interested in academics, you are preparing to work as an employee.
However, what I encourage my students to do is prepare to work as self-employed digital nomads. It takes a long time to assimilate and some believe they can eat their cake and still have it.
Some of the most influential and wealthy people on the planet today didn’t go to college and some did, so it’s not about how many certificates you have, it’s about understanding how today’s global economy works and how rapidly it evolves.
You have to decide what you want: more certificates or financial freedom. However, if you are still looking for certificates at the age of 45-55, it doesn’t make much sense. What are you going to do with the certificates when you retire at 60?
So my call to you as you read this article is to start learning right away to expand your digital footprint, your reach, and your bank account. When you create more influence and impact, your bank account will definitely swell as your target audience find their way to what you create.
The age group having the most impact and creating the most wealth today are those between the ages of 27 and 43. Amazon started operations in 1994 (27 years ago) and founder Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world today.
The richest musicians and artists in Nigeria today are Davido, Burna Boy and Whizkid and they are respectively 28, 30 and 31 years old. According to publicly available online sources, Davido, Burna Boy, and Whizkid are worth $25 million, $17 million, and $20 million, respectively. In contrast, King Sunny Ade, the Nigerian music legend, is worth $12 million and is 75 years old and started his music career in 1963.
What Davido, Burna Boy and Whizkid have in common with Jeff Bezos is that they are all harnessing the power of the web and multiplying their reach, income and wealth by the minute. Using the web, Amazon reaches millions of people around the world and that is why Jeff Bezos has been able to create so much wealth.
Using the web, social media, and associated technologies, Whizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tuface Idibia, Tiwa Savage, and Linda Ikeji have emerged as Nigeria’s richest and most recognizable under-45 influencers.
While online success does not depend on age, those born in the digital age, the so-called millennials and Generation Y, have a clear advantage, as they can swim through most things digital like fish through water. .
You too can create more impact, influence and income by copying what those ahead of you in terms of wealth are doing. In short, have a web presence and learn how to grow your reach exponentially.
However, making it “BIG” online is no walk in the park. You must be willing to put in the hours to learn how the entire web ecosystem works together to enable artists, entrepreneurs, academics, doctors, teachers, and freelancers such as graphic and web designers, and sculptors, to name a few, to create mind-blowing wealth. .
To get started, you need a social media presence by creating an account on at least three social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The ones you choose will be guided by the goals you have set for yourself. Having what techies call social media handles is just the first step. You also need to learn how to post relevant content to drive traffic.
Once you’ve set up your social media accounts and started generating traffic, you also need to have a “place” to direct to and where that traffic is directed. That’s where your website or blog comes in. The choice to start with a website or a blog will also depend on your goals. All in all, you need guidance from someone who knows how to build a web presence and online business.
There are many types of online businesses and each one requires a different approach. You can sell physical and/or digital products or pure services in areas as mundane as planning a meal to something as bizarre as potty training a cat.
Having done the basics, you need to continue to deepen your knowledge on how to keep growing your traffic by creating and publishing attention-grabbing content. Overall, I’m assuming you know you need to position yourself in a niche where you have a lot of experience in order to be playing to your strength.
As with everything live, all you need to do is get started. Once you get started and stay consistent, the momentum you’ve created will propel you in directions you never imagined, and before you know it, you’ll have extended your footprints, your reach, and your bank account will begin to grow on equal footing.