The Clique Effect

Being part of a clique is considered a cool thing, almost everyone wants to be associated with a certain group of people who have the same values or want the things they want. These days it is referred to as 'squad'. When I say clique, I'm not referring to the mean girls in secondary school or the boys who beat people for the fun of it.

The clique effect, can be positive or negative depending on who you associate yourself with. When the effect our friends have on us is talked about, we tend to relate it only to teenagers, which is not correct considering the fact it affects octogenarians too.

In order to discuss the clique effect fully, we will look into the lives of two young women; Draya and Tricia (I would have loved to use common names, but I have to protect my face LOL).

Draya is a fashion forward, jet-setting, life of the party kind of girl. She has this personality that attracts everybody, to top it up, she works out hard so all her clothes fit like a glove. Most girls want to be her and every guy would want to be with her. She had a group of friends she would always go shopping with. All the big stores knew them and would call them once they have new arrivals. Most of her whatsapp groups were to inform her of new arrivals or fashion sales.

Tricia on the other hand, is also a fashion forward person, lover of the good things life has to offer but also very much business oriented. Her group of friends are the ones Draya's would consider boring, no extravagant life, they only spend on what is important. Their whatsapp groups are for brainstorming and mastermind sessions where everybody had to bring their A-game. Due to her kind of friends, Tricia knew she had to double up her hustle to be on their level. Most of her money were invested in stocks and bonds and she also knew the importance of self development, so she always set money aside for seminars and conferences. She also buys herself things, when necessary or as a reward for a job well done.

One day Draya and Tricia meet in a boutique and Draya overhears Tricia's phone conversation with her friend and is impressed. She always felt women in business were stone faced and mean, but this one was just a normal girl like her and also within her age bracket. As soon as Tricia ended the call, Draya went to her and they exchanged contacts and a new friendship began.

Tricia introduces Draya to her group of friends, helps her understand that there is more to life than spending every penny on clothes and trivial things. Gradually, she started weaning herself off her friends, no more shopping everyday, she started taking online courses to help her organise and be able to communicate with her new clique better. She was forced to level up not because she was intimidated by them, but because they had common goals. Within a short period, Draya started helping young women find themselves using herself as a case study.

Sorry if i bored you with the fairytale, I just had to find a way to best describe this topic. In life, it is very important to know that you are the average of five people you associate yourself with. Your clique may not necessarily be the materialistic type, but do they do things that will help you level up and achieve your goals? Do the math and start adding or subtracting. God in his infinite wisdom decided to give us our family and let us choose our friends. No friend you have is custom made for you, if he/she is not helping you grow, do well to gently let them be.

It is very easy to get sucked into a well of negativity, it is a known fact that the road to destruction is a wide one with little or no obstacles. Tricia could have easily been introduced to Draya's squad and her values will change. No matter how driven you are, if you mix up with people who have no plans, you will continue to hold off on your plans till you eventually forget you had them in the first place.

Today, you can create a whatsapp group for you and your close friends who you believe want to do something great with their lives. The group shouldn't be for discussing others or other unserious stuff, it should be where you share ideas, encourage each other to do more and be more. From there, you might even create something the world needs. Please don't go telling your friends they are not good enough for you, you can gently dissociate youself without making anybody feel bad. Also no matter the outcome, do not ever feel guilty for leaving anyone behind, we are allowed to be selfish once in a while. Ask God for direction in everything you do.

May our squads be like that of Elon Musk or even better. Amen!

The Power Of Mentorship

In the world of google, bing and other search engines, we tend to neglect the power of mentorship. In the olden days, young girls were sent to live with their grandmothers, who taught them how to cook and keep a home. Young men were sent to learn a trade, what we call 'boy boy'. The idea was to have someone who is experienced to guide them. These days, we tend to do everything our way, simply google it or watch a youTube video and we are good.

A mentor is a friend or person who guides a less experienced person, by building trust and positive relationships. Mentorship is a relationship where a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The power of mentorship cannot be overemphasised, according to Forbes, it is  key to success for young professionals.

Growing up, we  acquired a set of core values from our parents, friends and other relations. A lot of people's fingerprints are all over us. These and many other factors have gone a long way in shaping our attitudes towards life and business. Growing up, my Dad always emphasised on entrepreneurship, he also wanted me to write. He kept on buying me Queen primer, dictionaries, I even got a Thesaurus when i was really young. These played a major part in shaping me.

When I first started blogging, it was mainly to share stories and write about random stuff, people who know my first blog would tell you about the crazy things I used to write. Don't bother yourself, you will never find it. When I stumbled upon Arese Ugwu's instagram (I know I'm obsessed), my perspective changed. I discovered I could make an impact doing what I love. I'm still writing, the difference is that I now write with purpose. That is the effect a mentor can have on you.

A lot of young people have in them potentials to be great, but their major stumbling block is that they do not have who to help them be all they can be. A mentor will give you insights, help you with the blind spots you couldn't see, make sure you build discipline you couldn't have on your own, in fact help you maximise your potentials generally.

Life and business are hard, and even the smallest measure of success requires the help of lots of mentors, family and friends. You cannot always do it by yourself. Everyone knows the small number of people who have made an impact on them,  whose ways they admire, those are your mentors.

Using myself as a case study, the power of mentorship to me is underrated. My encounter with Arese has been nothing but mind blowing. We actually do not have a personal relationship, just a few retweets on twitter, Instagram likes and one or two direct messages but honestly, i have felt the impact. I am inspired to do more each and everyday, with each new feat she conquers, I have hope that I can do it too. Through her, I have come across a couple of other really smart people who indirectly mentor me.

As a young person starting out in business or any career of your choice, do well to find yourself a couple of people who are experienced in that field. Do not be afraid to ask anyone to mentor you. Those people at the top are always willing to help, provided you are ready to learn. If you are not in direct contact with someone you admire, just try to keep up with them, one day you will be noticed.

If you go on the internet, you will find tips on finding the right mentor, but i believe you know what you want and you can find them yourself. Apart from my parents and few close relatives, I found most of the people I look up to on social media. Your Instagram shouldn't just be for looking at fine people and watching videos, your twitter shouldn't just be for 'jamming' people up and down. They can be used for productive activities too.

These are some of the accounts I follow;
@smartmoneyarese
+She Leads Africa
@foundr
@womeneur
+Business Babes
@forbesafrica
@heatherllove

and of course Tony Elumelu

May you find someone who would help you conquer the world. Amen

Adanna Elechi
@adee_elechi
Instagram and twitter
Facebook.com Adanna Elechi

School Is Not The Enemy

in the past, people didn't drop out of school just because they felt it was cool, it was mainly as a result of hardship or ignorance on the part of some parents or guardians. In recent years, we have seen a lot of young people who have both the economic means and brains to finish school abruptly quit because they feel it is the new cool.

Recently, we have seen the idea of dropping out of school being glamorised, making people who are in school trying to better themselves feel like they are doing the wrong thing. It looks like the best way to promote yourself or your business is to say you dropped out of school. There are so many role models and mentors to choose from too. Then again is it the best way to go?

I have met people who have nothing good to say about education, they also have a long list of successful dropouts who they use to buttress their points . Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Richard Branson etc. Egbon, did they drop out from your school or at your level, do you have the same opportunities ? Why do you only see the successful ones? Most street sweepers, janitors and other people who do the type of jobs you will never agree to do are also dropouts. Let me remind you that they also out-number the Zuckerbergs and Gates.

Everybody has a choice make, if you choose to dropout of school, that is fine but don't start campaigning for everyone to join you. Passing this message to the younger generation is not cool. School teaches you that if you fail, you still have a chance to go back, work harder and succeed which is applicable to every venture. These anti-education campaigns that make students feel that once you fail a course, then you don't belong in the classroom but on the "streets" is wrong on every level. What if you leave school and the next thing you jump into fails, what will you do?

Going to school doesn't always mean you will end up successful, but it increases your chances. I know the current economic situation and high levels of unemployment makes dropping out look like a good option, trust me it is not. The value of education cannot be overemphasised. Even your  dropout role models didn't quit school as early as you think, even those who did have gone back to take courses to improve themselves.

Dear students both home and abroad don't allow anyone make you feel like you are doing the wrong thing by being in school. Those of you abroad, I'm sure people have tried to get in your head by telling you that you are wasting money considering the high exchange rates. I know people have asked you who masters 'epp' and told you the money you have spent would have started a big business. Biko ignore them, your greatest investment is yourself.

These days, nobody needs to dropout of school because a course doesn't suit his /her capabilities or not what they want to do with their lives. We have moved from the times when it was either medicine or law, there is a wide range of courses to choose from. There are also courses for people who want to be entrepreneurs.

Lastly, school is not a waste of your time, everything good takes time to achieve. Everyone wants to be a millionaire fast, but leaving school is not a guarantee that it will happen overnight. Please stay in school, you can have a legit side hustle if you want but by all means stay in school. There are so many successful dropouts, but remember that the unsuccessful ones out-number them.

if they can stay in school, why would you drop out?

 Adanna Elechi

My Quest To Finding the RIGHT Soap

Lets take a break from the serious stuff, let us talk about something a little more serious. I do not have a soap. Call 911 or is it 0810052016. Don't worry, it is not your number.

These days, everyone is taking care of their skin, bobrisky style. Yellow is the new cool, I think it is because yellow pepper sells faster than the other ones, I'm just saying o. When I say I don't have a soap, it is not that there is no soap in my bathroom or that I don't have money to buy. EPs and Villagers sorry to burst your bubble. The Lord is my shepherd. The issue is that I'm not really into it like many girls are and some "female sons", according to a twitter user.

My journey with soaps and creams started when I got into the University. My life was a lot easier when my Mum used to buy  them, she knew when to stop Imperial Leather and switch to irish Spring. I on the other hand, was more interested in the packaging and fragrance. I switched soaps as frequently as an IT student at PHCN office would switch the light off and on. Nigerians I know you understand.

I finally graduated from packaging and fragance, then i entered expensive. The more expensive the better. 'Gbo gbo makari chics'. I never paid attention to bleaching agents, I love my complexion. Even if I wanted to bleach, I just had to think about one aunty I used to know and tell myself Adanna it is not your portion. Me wey like bum shorts.

So I went to camp, and Kubwa sun was like since you no wan fair, you go black. I went from caramel to charcoal, chaiiiiiiiii. That was how my trouble began. Everybody started recommending things to help deliver me from my burnt Lupita complexion. Ijay my ever helpful sister will always say "Adanna nke a na a brightenu". Adanna in her usual jumping style will jump to the new soap. That was how i jumped inside a pimple pit.

New poblem, new set of advisers. "Adanna it is only neutro.... that will clear it", Piam I'm already at the store loading my basket with products. No wonder i didn't save 1kb from my allawee. The more I tried, the worse it got. Last week, I took my time to calculate the money spent on different products with no result. It broke my heart o.

After trying over and over again, I decided to go the ncha nkota (black soap) way. Any which way na way abi? Guess what, it worked! After spending a fortune on packaging, It was 200 naira 'dudu osun' that cleared all my pimples. I later discovered a better packaged black soap with rose petals and other fine fine things for 'gbogbo bigz gehs'. You have to agree with me that packaging matters. The soap smells like heaven, I know how heaven smells because I'm a child of God.  I want to tell you the name of the soap, but I need endorsement money first.

I still don't have a soap, that beautiful soap is just for my face, now looking for the perfect soap for a dark girl. I have used three different soaps this week .  If you are my friend, recommend something nice, if not, one day I will use deteregent. Just kidding oooo or not.

Facebook: Adanna Elechi
Twitter: adee_elechi

Self Employment Is Not For The Lazy

First of all, I should apologize for  taking really looooooong breaks. It has to do with laziness. I'm working on it I promise.

 Being your own boss, is something almost everyone dreams about, no matter how big or little your company is, it is something to be proud of. Then again, a lot of us abuse it, we think it is just about answering the 'what do you do' question with I am self employed or plastering our social media pages with 'CEO'. Every Tom, Dick and Harry with a Facebook account can be 'CEO at Self employed'. Its a thing, check out some facebook profiles.

Self employment is bigger than sleeping and waking up when you like, or doing what you have to do at your own convenience and procrastinating. you can't be on your phone all day chatting, tweeting, watching funny videos everyday and expect your business to thrive. Even Mark Zuckerberg takes a break from chatting to run facebook. Self employment requires a lot of discipline, I don't blame people who say it is better to work for someone first before you start your own business. Then again, the jobs are not really there and you have to do it on your own.

As someone who is starting up in business too, my major distraction is my phone. The short time i spent writing this article, I cannot count how many times I  checked my messages, tweeted (if you check my TL, you will see something about spell check. hehhe) even instagram. I also like to lay around doing nothing. What I'm saying is that you are not alone. Many of us lack discipline too and the purpose of this article is to help those of us who are lazy and undisciplined.

For you to succeed in any venture, you have to ask yourself why you started it in the first place. What did you have in mind when you started? Will you achieve it by stalking someone's TL or laying around? I do not know your answers to other questions, but nothing can be achieved by rolling on your bed.  Even the Bible warns about a little sleep and a little slumber.

I recommend that everyone who wants to start up a business, should first of all read books on entrepreneurship. There are a lot of books out there that can help. Not saying swallow everything the author says hook, line and sinker, sieve out the information relevant to your growth. Secondly, you should have mentors, people who you look up to and who have excelled in the path you are on. Thirdly, you have to decide this is what you want to do. No matter the amount of books you read or how qualified your mentors are, if you don't take a stand you will fail.

Self discipline is not something that you achieve with a snap of a finger, it is a process and the first step is deciding that you are ready. Every little step counts. waking up an hour earlier hasn't killed anyone. Also not checking your phone every second won't kill you.  Do not let minor distractions to keep you from reaching great heights. Do not let sleep rob the world of the next big thing. Nothing great comes to the lazy.

Wake up and do something for yourself being  'CEO at self employed' on facebook is not the reason God created you, wake up and win!

Adanna Elechi
connect with me on facebook Adanna Elechi
twitter @adee_elechi