Thread by @FavoredSinner

#Thread I was triggered to write this by a status I saw over the weekend which was figuratively calling people who aren't entrepreneurs fools.
You must have seen similar ones like it. The one where they will claim you're building somebody else's dreams if you work 8-4 or 9-5.

The earlier you people who peddle entrepreneurship realised that not everyone is cut out for the business world, the better it would be for everybody.
You think I'm not living the life I dreamt of just because I answer to a boss? *Just let people do what they love, man.*

How difficult is that for you to understand?

If you're truly an entrepreneur in Nigeria and you sell real goods and services, you can't paint entrepreneurship ( in Nigeria) as exciting, attractive and something only foolish people will not venture into.

You can only deceive illiterates and educated cretins. Nigeria is ranked 146th out of 190 economies in the ease of doing business index.

To put that into context, it's easier to do business in Iran and Pakistan than it is to do a business in Nigeria.

tradingeconomics.com/country-list/e…

I'm talking to real entrepreneurs, with taxable incomes. This is not for premium oloshos or Yahoo boys who only clean their money by selling liquid soap or Chinese sneakers on Twitter and Instagram.
If you're an olosho or Yahoo boy, I'm not judging you.

I'm just putting my opinions into context. If you're doing a business as a front (and you have an illegal 'hustle' where you get your real income), you can't understand the extreme anxiety that business owners in Nigeria go through.

Imagine putting the hard work you put into your business here in a similar business in saner climes that do not do everything to frustrate your life.
Just imagine how better off you would be.

Personally, I've never been driven by monetary gains in my career. Even some of my colleagues wonder at my idonkia attitude towards money. So whether I'll get wealthy doing my job or not is not my major motivation. So far I have enough to cater for my family and achieve set goals

I'm okay.
Although I understand people have different backgrounds and such backgrounds influence the way they look at money and wealth, I am of the school of thought that your happiness should not be dictated by how much is in your bank account.

People read Rich Dad Poor Dad and feel they are suddenly expert entrepreneurs.
Many Nigerian youths are planning to travel out of the country to work for people but will bite themselves in the tongue when it is suggested they work for people in Nigeria.

I understand labor is cheap in Nigeria but as long as I am doing what I enjoy, I'm going for it. If you have a good business you enjoy, by all means you should also continue.

Why should I not enjoy the job I've always dreamt of doing? Why should I not be grateful for the opportunity to do so. I got the rare privilege of monetizing my hobby but you still feel I'm not doing enough until I venture into entrepreneurship.

See ehn, 83% of Nigerian youths who are entrepreneurs will abandon their business if they got a paid employment of similar monetary value.
Don't ask me where I got the figure, goan watch How I Met Your Mother 😁.

So what are we now saying?
Are you an entrepreneur because you love it? Or you're a victim of your circumstances? Why do feel the need to constantly shame people who chose to take up paid employment? Is it because you couldn't get one?

My friend is an entrepreneur because he loves it. He never looked for a job for a day. Even when we were in uni, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

I know the challenges my entrepreneur friends go through. If you're being honest, you will acknowledge yours too. That's why I'm particularly more incensed when I see people glorify the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria.
It. Is. Not. Easy.

I'm not ridiculing entrepreneurs in Nigeria, I'm just pointing out their usual condescension of paid employment. How many times have you seen the 9-5 jokes on the Internet?

The truth is that we are not one another's enemies. The system is the enemy, and that's where we should focus attention.

Blue, white or pink collar, one cannot function without the others. None is more superior than the others. We all have different paths to take in our individual race of life.
Run your race make I run my own.