Hello everyone in the wonderful hive community. Once again, I’m thankful to the hive learners’ community for these wonderful initiatives, it has really made a lot of us think big.
Do you remember when you were young and you and your friends talk about money? I remember my friends and I talking about making a lot of money. Everyone wanted to become rich. We talked about the kind of clothes, bags, wristwatches, phones, cars we’d buy and the kind of houses we’d build for our parents. After some minutes of talking about the expensive things, we’d finally laugh it off, saying we are too young for such thoughts. I grew up in a place where most of the street kids were rich and depended on their parents for their daily needs. I wanted to be different, I knew I was a survivor. At an early age I did not want to depend on my parents for minor things that I could’ve bought for myself if I did the necessary things. I wanted to follow the footsteps of my siblings, they became independent at an early age and I really fancied that.
How my life was before I made my first money
Remember when we were kids and we’d cry and cry and cry before our parents would buy the type of nice clothes our friends were wearing? That was how my life was before I made my first money. Imagine seeing a nice wristwatch on your class captain’s hand and you’d be like “wow, I really would love to have this type of wristwatch” and on getting home, your parents refused to get you the wristwatch, saying you don’t need one. Growing up, the kids in my street had access to almost everything they wanted. They wore nice and big shoes, colorful clothes and different types of watches. Obviously, their parents bought it for them. I didn’t want to be like them. I feel good when I buy things with my own money. When I was in JSS1, (Junior Secondary School 1) my parents do give me #500 to school everyday. I would spend #200 on transport fare, #100 on snacks, and save the remaining #200 in my piggy bank. I really cherished my piggy bank so much. I remember there was a time someone stole my piggy bank, including all the money I saved for three terms. I cried my eyes out when I couldn’t find it, until my mum got another one for me and my dad replaced the money. I depended on the pocket money I got from my parents to buy nice thigs. Unlike other kids, I didn’t wear flashy clothes, but I was happy that I bought them with the money I saved.
Getting introduced to Opera news
When I got to SSS2, (Senior Secondary School 2) I told my sister how I didn’t not want to depend solely on the pocket money I receive from my parents, and how I’d love to make money with my own hands. At first, she refused bluntly, saying I won’t focus on my studies because writing on opera news is time consuming. After much persuasion, she finally agreed to show me the ropes, but only on the ground that I promise to bring home good grades and make the family happy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t start immediately because I didn’t have a cell phone, neither did I have a laptop. Few months before that time the phone my sister bought for me got stolen. About two weeks after, I was chosen as the chapel prefect. I got home and shared the good news. My brother was so excited that he gave me his second phone which he used solely for gaming. We agreed that I use it for only two hours a day. Now that I have a cellphone, my sister introduced me to opera news, one of the websites that has contributed to my life today.
Challenges I faced
I thought writing on opera news hub was going to be really easy. No, it wasn’t at all. The first challenge I faced is buying data. I didn’t want to ask my parents to give me money for data because they did not support the idea of using cellphone at an early age. Though, they promised to get me one when I get to SSS3. I reduced the amount of money I spent on snacks and some days I didn’t buy snacks at all, just so I’d have enough money for data. I remember my first five posts were rejected because they were outdated news. I remember my next 3 posts were accepted but had not up to 50 clicks.
Electricity was also one of the challenges I faced. Our street didn’t have electricity for about 3 months. I had to trek to my friend’s place twice a week to charge my brother’s phone. I didn’t find all this easy at all. I had to stop for a while because it was starting to affect my studies.
Victory at last: how I made my first money
I waited until 3rd term break (usually the longest break in secondary schools) before I started writing again. From the first day of the term’s break, my spirit was filled with much joy, determination, and focus. I had only one thing in mind; that I was going to use the term’s break judiciously. I shared all the money I saved for that term into two; fifty percent for data and the other fifty percent for other minor things. I begged my brother to allow me use the phone four times a week, and surprisingly, he agreed.
Everything was set. I had enough data, my brother’s phone was available, though we still didn’t have light, but I secretly used my mum’s power bank. I committed myself to writing two good articles a day. I remember I focused on health category. For the first week, I focused on health category, but they were not giving me enough clicks. Soon enough, I mastered the way things worked. I stopped writing on health category and started writing on societal issues.
I noticed writing on societal issues caught a lot of people's attention. So, I was like, yes, this is it, I have to keep moving in the direction. Luckily for me, my friend joined during this period and he didn't have any difficulty getting clicks. So, I was very inspired. I thought if he could make it then why not me?
Then finally came the moment I had been waiting for. That morning, I woke up around 4 am and discovered there was fresh news about a girl who had sadly been physically and sexually abused when she went to study just beside her house. I quickly gathered every information that I could and wrote an original article on the story. At that time, the news wasn't trending on Opera News. I also used the opportunity to highlight the effect of abuse on victims and the ways these victims can overcome all they went through.
Then I went back to sleep again. I didn't know I would be waking up to one of the happiest moments of my life. About 8 am I woke up and I heard my phone bursting with notifications. I rushed to my phone and realized the news I had written a few hours ago was getting a lot of engagement. It was this post that laid the path to my success.
The post got a very high engagement and that week I made it to the winners of the "Top writer of the week" weekly contest. That way, a lot of people started visiting my blog. I kept earning from all these clicks.
I developed the habit of waking up early and quickly posting valuable and fresh news. It was also this time that I realized that my title matters a lot. So, I started using very creative titles. I was getting clicks and making money.
That month, I made my first 250,000 naira, which is about (500 dollars). Immediately, the credit alert came in, and I screamed happily. It was tears of joy. I was so happy. I just kept doing very funny things: I kept stamping my feet. I turned on the music and danced. It was a dance of joy. Trust me, here in Nigeria, some people make 500 dollars a year. And I made it in a month at the age of 15. I was super excited. My parents were so proud of me.
This victory further fueled my passion for success. I also began networking on the platform. I did not discriminate. I advised newbies who needed it. I also reached out to the more experienced writers and they gave me more tips. All of these also helped to boost traffic to my blog. The next month, I also made about 550 dollars. That means I made more than half a million naira in two months. And that's all because I chose to be hardworking and resilient. I learned what was working and what wasn't working and I put it to use.
How did I spend my first money?
The first money I made, I just took out some for buying data and I gave myself a good treat. I got some chicken and chips and I saved the rest. However, the next month when I made about 550 dollars, I got myself a phone. Just wow! I had always thought my parents would be the ones to get me my first phone! But I did it myself. I also invested in real estate (I got a small piece of land). Hopefully, it appreciates in the next 3 to 5 years.
Words of advice to everyone out there
The path to success is definitely filled with a lot of setbacks, errors, mistakes, pain, and loss. But I want you to know that success starts with making up your mind to be successful. You have to have the mind of a winner. You have to dream big. If you don't, then it's very possible to settle for less.
There will always be obstacles along the way but always fight. And no matter what you pass through, I hope you choose to fight. Because, who knows? You just may come out of it victoriously.
Above all, always have a positive mindset. Just as the saying goes, "Forward ever, backward never".