The Curse of the Middleclass, Gokada & the 2020 Olympics! #5WFs(12th)
1. What I’m inspired by: This “straight to the gut” excerpt from Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup. “…the most common objection I have heard to building an MVP is fear of competitors, especially large companies…stealing your idea…if a competitor can out-execute a startup once the idea is known, the startup is doomed anyway.” Summary; if it’s good, it’s good. If it’s not, it’s not. Scrap it and move on.
2. What I’m reading: This pragmatic article titled; “Why middle-class kids are less likely to succeed than their rich or poor counterparts.” Apparently, we are stuck. See why here: https://lnkd.in/dgnwTK6 And, oh, it is written by my sister Izere Imosemi
3. What I’m excited about: Gokada! Last week was the one year remembrance of Faheem Saleh, its inimitable founder who was brutally murdered. He was 33. One year after his passing, Gokada is still going strong. Save for its latest app update –*tsk, *tsk, Gokada is quickly becoming one of Nigeria’s most dependable logistics providers, surviving several internal and state regulatory upheavals.
Are we finally getting to a place where MSMEs — the growth engine of the Nigerian economy, appreciate the importance and rudiments of building sustainable businesses? Perhaps we are reaping from years of orientation, training and compliance enforcement. I personally suspect it has a lot to do with investor and funding attractiveness. Either way, good times ahead. A huge well-done to businesses trying to do things right!
4. What I did: Sat in my first meeting as a Board Advisor. Quickly realizing that one of the benefits of serving as a member of an Advisory Board is that you get to learn too! High level, brass-tacks, condensed exchanges. Looking forward to more of such opportunities.
5. What’s up: The Olympics! My 2 most memorable Olympics opening ceremony moments; 1. Watching Muhammad Ali light the flame in Atlanta ’96. Deeply moving. Man is a fighter! 2. James Bond (Daniel Craig) parachuting Her Majesty the Queen into the London 2012 Olympics. Very 007-ish. Did you watch this year’s opening ceremony? Any favourite moments? Hoping the Olympics enthusiasm catches on as the games progress. So, who are you rooting for?
Enjoy!
Every Friday-ish, I do a quick round up of 5 things; What I’m Inspired by, What I’m Reading, What I’m Excited About, What I Did and What’s Up! These are my takes on 5 significant, sublime and sometimes silly stuff! Click below to read and follow me on Medium so you don’t miss this! Feedback’s great so don’t forget to clap, like, comment and share with others. Again…enjoy! #5WhatsFridays
