Before I start, let me rewind you back to few years ago. You know na around the early 2000s where as a young Nigerian man I am who have a lot of plenty of dreams but didn't have direction as I was actually getting frustrated and trying to navigate out of the chaos in life. At that point of my life, I was actually trying to figure out whether I should study an engineering course or probably I should just run away from the house to pursue a music career.
Well that's not even where I am going today. Let me share with you that one idea that will have really changed my life but at the end of the day, I didn't act on it even until now. There was this particular day I was sitting inside this small internet cafe in Lagos. I was actually just surfing around the internet that fateful day when I come across a new e-commerce then. Yes even though I have heard about Amazon but at that time, it was just getting popular in Nigeria.
And the major reason is that Nigerians then were still skeptical. Skeptical in which sense, we still believe then that untill I see what I want to buy physically, it can probably be scam. But while going through e-commerce, something just dawn on me. At that particular time, I begin to picture an imagination of building an online store in Nigeria. Kind of a localised Amazon where Nigerians or generally people can buy clothes, electronics even to the smallest buy garri at the comfort of their homes. I mean over 15 years ago that was when the idea popped up.
But as Nigerian I was then, lot of questions and doubt begins to flow through my mind. Will people actually trust me with their money? What will happen when there is issue with NEPA probably if they strike? and many more. Before I knew it, the passion to carry out the idea began to dwindle and I moved on with my life.
Now this is 2024, over 15 years later, we have platforms that have carried out the idea. Platforms like Jumia and Konga. I think currently now they are the major two superstars in the Nigerian Tech space when it comes to e-commerce. That particular idea which I was daydreaming about 15 years ago had suddenly become a reality but was carried out by someone else. Till now, I constantly feel like a mumu for not actually acting on that idea back then and even till now, the regret hasn't left me.
Well that was not when the end of the issue. I thought about myself, though I might have missed out on the idea over 15 years ago, but that particular idea have not left me but it keeps evolving as the world of social media continues trending. I saw another idea, another opportunity that looks much bigger than the one I missed before.
This was the picture of this current idea. Imagine a mobile app that is a shop for everything a Nigerian will need. Now this one will not just be limited to be e-commerce but also something that is designed for an average Nigerian lifestyle. Using this app, you can pay bills, buy food and even order clothes in this one single app. This will give a massive convenience. Imagine at the end of the day, an app that is built by a Nigerian for Nigerians.
But something came up again. Even though I have the full picture of the idea. Fear and comfort zone keeps preventing me to act on this idea. Fear is a constant enemy of progress. But I have come to understand in this world that failure is actually part of the journey. At the end of the day, I overcame the fear. I decided to go all in. I reached out to this my tech friend who is into app developing. We have started gradually and I must say it has not been easy. In fact the last few weeks, we have been trying to integrate a payment gateway that will work well even with our Nigerian banking system. But I guess we are making progress step by step. Though the plans have been on hold for now due to financial needs but we still believe we will definitely achieve that.
Well as I looked back, I realised how young and naise was then 15 years ago when I first got the e-commerce idea. My worries then which was NEPA taking light and majorly Nigerians been skeptical about anything internet or online but right now, everything is build online. This opens me to actually realise that ideas at first might look impossible but with the way the world is changing rapidly fast, if you did not act on the idea, at the end of the day, someone else will act on it and that can really be painful.
As I round up and my advice to someone that might be reading this. That idea you have right now, across on it. Whether it is looking small or impossible, be bold to take a step to act towards it. Did not let fear of uncertainty to hold you back. You might not know, your idea might be the next big thing that will change and transform the world positively.