Hi hivers, with hope your fine?
Like many rich kids, i have always been into computer games. As a child, my dad could buy me any computer game I wanted. If a new playstation comes out, he would get them right away. If asked for a pair of game console on a Monday, my mother would make sure they were on my hands come Tuesday.
Unfortunately, it still didn't make me happy. I didn't satisfy me at all. Instead of being excited to have a new pair of games, all i could think about was the latest or next edition that I didn't have. All the different games and consoles that weren't in my closet. Instead of feeling grateful for what I had, i felt disappointed. I didn't have a job, but somehow wanted to collect #500000 video game. And still, felt unhappy when he actually got them.
One day, my father and I was driving through rumuola, a city in portharcourt, when I noticed that a sneaker store was going out of business. Immediately, my father remembered the owner who was his longtime friend. My dad told me that James loves drinking. He added that sometimes, James would use his capital and profit to buy drinks.
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However, my dad pulled down to buy me a couple of pairs. Being an inquisitive child, i asked the owner why he was going out of business? He explained that he picked the wrong location and wasn't getting enough customers.
“What are you gonna do with all these sneakers now?” my dad asked him.
“I don't know,” he replied.
My dad told him that he would buy off his shoes and shop. The gentleman jumped to my father's offer. I didn't know my dad bought the shop for me to start up something for myself. I was 23 years of age then. When he broke the news to me, I was super excited . I was the new owner of over 30 pairs of Nike and Adidas Sneakers.
My plan all along was to ship it down to Lagos and sell it off and buy the latest PlayStation. As soon as we left the shop, I called up my friend Ariyo. She is always fascinated with shoes.
" Well, I just figured a way of how you can afford them for yourself and also get to earn little money". I broke the whole plan to her. Ariyo said all the right things on phone, and I had the shoes shipped to her to lagos.
Weeks passed by and even months passed too. I never heard anything from her. Months later, her mother called me to inform me about a new business idea to open a clothing boutique in Abuja. Wait what? I was shocked to know that the sneakers business had collapsed and Ariyo was looking at opening a clothing boutique. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was a great disappointment for me because she had wasted all my money and I was sad because I disappointed my father and didn't do that business myself. I thought since she loved shoes, she would sell it better and make more money and send me my own returns.
Years later, I realized that if I had an online store like suggested to me by my father,it could have ended up being a great deal. We had the conversation years ago. Since then, online sneakers sites have become incredibly lucrative now. Jumia.com is valued at #2550 million, while konga.com has a billion naira valuation. If Ariyo had followed through on what we had talked about, years back in that conversation. We could have been fabulously rich today. It was stupidity on my side and laziness too.
Why did I not listen to my father and start that the online business myself instead of playing computer games always. That event seriously changed my life and changed my attitude towards life. It has made me become responsible for myself. I no longer look at my father's wealth.
I have regret. I have learnt that we need to hustle harder, and hustle smarter. Time lost, can never ever be regained.
Thank you for reading
See you in my next