EP 19. Peace Itimi, Director of Marketing at Smile Identity.

In this conversation, Peace Itimi discusses the resistance that comes with pursuing meaningful goals and the importance of not quitting when faced with challenges. She reflects on her career accomplishments and how they inspire others in the marketing field.

Check out the episode below.

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In this episode, Peace Itimi, Director of Marketing at Smile Identity, shares her compelling career journey and the profound impact of Seth Godin's book All Marketers Tell Stories. Emphasizing the importance of storytelling in marketing, Peace recounts a defining failure that ultimately led her to discover her passion for technology. She also recommends the book The War of Art, highlighting its emphasis on overcoming resistance and committing to meaningful work. Reflecting on the significant influence of her mother on her work ethic, Peace underscores the role of strong role models in shaping one's values and professional approach.

Peace discusses pivotal life decisions, such as moving to Lagos and later to London, and the substantial impact these moves had on her career. She emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and taking action, even when faced with fear. Peace delves into the inevitable resistance encountered when pursuing meaningful goals and stresses the necessity of perseverance through challenges. She reflects on her career accomplishments, noting how they inspire others in the marketing field and advocating for the celebration of milestones while continuously striving for more.

In conclusion, Peace's experiences include the power of storytelling in engaging and persuading audiences, and the unexpected opportunities that can arise from failure. She highlights that luck often stems from taking proactive steps and seizing opportunities. Peace's journey underscores the importance of not waiting for perfect conditions but rather embracing new challenges head-on. By pushing through tough times and recognizing resistance as a sign of being on the right path, individuals can achieve significant personal and professional growth. Peace encourages sharing experiences and knowledge to inspire and support others in their own journeys.

Takeaways

• Storytelling is a crucial aspect of marketing, as it helps to persuade and engage audiences.
• Failure can lead to unexpected opportunities and personal growth.
• Luck is often a result of taking action and seizing opportunities.
• The book 'The War of Art' emphasizes the importance of overcoming resistance and committing to the work.
• The influence of a strong role model, such as a parent, can shape one's work ethic and values.
• Life-changing decisions can alter the trajectory of one's career and personal life. Take opportunities and try new things, even if you're afraid. Don't wait until you have everything figured out.
• When the going gets tough, don't quit. Push through the challenges and learn from them.
• Recognize the resistance that comes with pursuing meaningful goals. It's a sign that you're on the right path.
• Celebrate milestones and accomplishments, but always strive for more.
• Share your experiences and knowledge to inspire and help others in their own journeys.

Chapters

0:00

Just because something didn't workout the way that you should, then if I make the wrong decisions following that disappointment, things could just skyrocket and watch whatever you believe that even that best disappointment.

Peace.

Welcome to Key Moments.

Thank you.

Very nice to be here.

0:15

Of all the videos that I watched that you have put out on your YouTube channel, you are very prolific.

One of the ones that really stood out to me was one that you've done three years ago, and it was an interview with Seth Gordon.

And the reason why it was interesting is because you talked about a book that I think is like probably one of the most underrated books that he's published in my opinion, which is all marketers tell stories.

0:39

I know he's published books before that like perfect count stuff like that.

He's published stuff afterwards.

But maybe tell us a little bit about like why, why you pick, why you pick that book and and how you would explain it maybe for people have never heard of it before.

I mean it's a very simple story I and and getting said Godin also was it was it was it was very radical team wasn't planned.

1:01

I obviously I'm a marketer so I read a lot of marketing books and I had just come across the book all marketer still stories and I read it.

I was like this is so good and I wanted to have a conversation with the author about it.

So I just realized, oh, I subscribe to said Godin's e-mail newsletter for a while and I really like his newsletter cuz like really sometimes just like one line.

1:23

Like you see words, that is done.

And I said what if I asked to have a conversation with me, I didn't expect a reply, much less that we're going to actually have the conversation.

I just wanted to.

I just remember being like, just like, my God, this book actually makes sense because like what you do as a market size, you just telling stories, telling stories and hopes that people will get convinced or picsuited or interested and curious enough to take the link that you want them to do the action, that you actually want them to help the bottom line.

1:54

And it was just like, okay, let's, let's, let's try this out.

And so I sent a random e-mail and he replied to me in less than 30 minutes and I'm like, oh, okay.

And that conversation kept going and we had a conversation.

And if you watch the video, the entire video was just really about storytelling, what it means to tell stories, but not only just from a marketing perspective, but also from like a personal perspective, like what it means to be the personal brand or technically just inside.

2:18

So that was it.

Yeah, yeah, I love that.

And yeah, like that.

That's so cool that you go back to you like that fast.

So I guess to set the stage for people who've never met you before, you want to tell us a bit about, you're obviously the doctor marketing at Smile ID right now, but maybe tell it.

2:37

Let's rewind the tape a little bit and maybe walk us through like how you got to where you are today before we jump into the key moments.

So currently I work with my idea, which is Africa's leading identity verification provider as director marketing.

So I lead the marketing team here and I'm also the host of Founds Connect.

2:57

So just like you are the host of Job Cast.

I'm Force of Founds Connect and it's a it's a platform on YouTube where I just have conversations with leading entrepreneurs and senior operators in African tech.

I I work in tech, in African tech and it has changed my life and at some point I'm like I want to meet the founders of my favorite product and the guys who are building and are very resilient.

3:18

So that's what Farmers Connect is brought going from just a podcast to having like annual event.

I'm working on documentary etcetera for Farmers Connect, all before YouTube and Smile.

I have had bigger marketing for around 7-8 years so I started with the digital marketing.

3:36

You just seen that my friend and I cofounder together called We Need to Talk and I've worked with the core pay payments infrastructure company in Lagos.

Instead of marketing, I work with seed stats at some point as global, good marketing money, just needing to go to globally.

3:53

I've worked in stats and I've worked in ID.

So I've worked in a lot of companies like it's in two years ish and now I'm at ID.

Amazing.

And over like during that whole time and like the diverse experiences that you've had, is there anything?

4:13

That you saw coming in terms of like where you'll end up today, Like did you kind of predict what how the journey will unfold?

Yeah, that's a good question.

I don't think that I did.

I think every now and maybe I have a better idea of like what success looks like or what the next two years looks like, what the next five years it looks like just based on my experience and all my dreams are now, it's much easier to even like Crafty Path.

4:38

When I started 5/8 years ago, it was just like I like marketing.

I'm taking a lot of classes.

I know IT people.

Are you trusting me to do this?

Let's be the business and kind of see where that goes.

And at some point or I want to stop doing agency.

I want to be on client side.

4:54

So I don't think that I knew that I would be doing this.

Even when I said on my YouTube channel, I did not think that was going to be interviewing African founders.

At tone point I thought I was just going to be teaching.

All true because that's what I said my YouTube channel.

But at the opportunity came stand and then I started to do them.

5:11

So I think my story is just one of seeing, yes, the opportunities and new ideas and kind of seeing where that goes.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean cuz if you think about it like you went from like you know I'm obviously skipping a lot of steps here, but like at one point you know Co founding, Co founding an agency working on like VC side with like startups, being in a startup, posting your own show and keep educating people through your market through your YouTube channel and other channels.

5:41

On marketing before obviously doing the the show around like interviewing like successful African founders and so on.

So you've done a lot and it's definitely a nonlinear path, which I think is really interesting for people And I think this could be a good segue to really jump into the key moments.

So let's let's let's take it to the core.

5:58

So what is 1 failure for you that you can share with us?

This is power back before my career.

Before.

Before even marketing started.

But I think it's one of the most defining failure moment that I've had ever.

I studied medical biochemistry and genetics in university.

6:17

Well, I wanted to study medicine in surgery.

Yeah, but I want to study medicine in surgery.

So in my 100 level, after I got into medical biochemistry, you have the opportunity in 200 level to switch department because all medical students, all states in that faculty, the basic medical science faculty, we cannot do all our courses to get 100 level.

6:40

I'm buying 200 level.

You didn't separate into any video apartment, so there's an opportunity that you could actually switch.

So by that.

You specialize a bit more.

Exactly, exactly.

So my entire goal in my 100 level my first year was that I was going to switch to medicine and so doing my second year.

6:59

And so I did everything that I had that I could do.

I had all the A's.

I had like a first class CGPA in that first year and then my time or at the end of the year you have to go to the department to get a form and it fill it and it process a transfer.

And I remember with department and trying to get a form and they are like, oh, there are no forms available because they're no processing transfers this year because it took too many students in 100 nil for maintenance surgery.

7:26

And so it knocked me out.

I was, I was very depressed and so I moved from a 4.7 ish CGPA for the first year.

So like it had cost CDPA 2.3 in my second year, first semester, because I was just disoriented and just very depressing.

7:43

I could study.

So that was the defining failure moment.

Just realizing that just because something didn't work out the way that it should, then if I make the wrong decisions following that disappointment, things could just skyrocket much more terribly than even that first disappointment.

8:04

I don't know if you can.

You know what's, you know what's crazy is that you are the same.

This is that we're talking about this.

This is the same person who has who has gotten that the 4.34 point, 3C GPA or sorry, I think it was 4 point something and then four points after four I stopped counting.

8:22

I'm like I never went beyond, I think like 2.9 myself or something.

And then you went, you went to like 2 point something and it's like it's almost like that mental piece like that was the only variable that changed exactly, exactly, just precisely.

8:38

You decide the business night it.

So that was very defining.

But what is even much more difficult about that failure is that it was in that year, in that semester, 3-4 months where I wasn't paying attention to school and I was just like all over my head that I started tweeting a lot and then I saw some money.

8:58

See, I have a blog on WordPress and so I went at that time.

If you Scroll down a WordPress blog you see at the bottom, create your own blog or WordPress Internet.

Went to rabbit and ended up creating my own WordPress blog and that's how I started blogging.

9:13

Now Fast forward from that, obviously I tried to come back after my second, my, my second, see my.

So I'm like, yeah, I'm not going to just be free though because of this, but then that's fine.

Discovery WordPress blog is what kind of mean to tech because I started writing a lot and just sharing my feelings And then someone I went for an event and someone said here I've been reading your blog and I'm like oh people actually read it.

9:34

And he said hey if you apply to be a Google students ambassador meets my friend who's correctly Google center pastor you still be need.

And I said hi Alex.

Alex I peace.

And he said oh when the next application opens I will share with you you should apply.

And she said it with me and I protesting that a lot because I wasn't evenly take years to blog on my phone but I said the also says no.

9:57

And so I applied and I got into the program into the Google Sense ambassador program and that was when I learned about this from the first time I didn't go district market to summit and that's literally how my parents started.

So it was a key failure because of love taught me why?

Don't think.

Without it I would have.

10:13

I may not have gotten to take at all if I didn't.

That is crazy.

Yeah, that's that's crazy.

I did not.

I did not see that coming.

And I think like how big, how big of a role do you think luck played here, if at all?

I mean, I I had something recently, right?

10:34

That lock is not just like a random thing that happens that that lock happens as a result of other things.

It could be as a result of exposure, it could be as a result of motion.

It could be as a result of unique traits.

And it is one which is just blind lock.

Hands of the blind lock had nothing in my story, but I think what had something in my story was the lock, the lock of motion, The fact that even though that's really had happened, I kept moving and I found something else.

10:59

And then I went for an event and then I met someone and then he sends to me and I applied.

Then I got lucky, right?

So yes, it was a lot of luck, but it was also because as against just getting depressed as they were my tech class, I still found even if I didn't go back to the first class in uni, I found another interest.

11:18

I kind of kept moving that then I guess a lot in that area.

I love the way you said it piece in terms of like the luck of motion previously.

I just tell myself that like the harder you work the the luckier you get, which I think is synonymous with what you're saying and that that you know like it's just another word for like more opportunities.

11:38

And I think the way that you were able, obviously there was there was that first mindset shift where things didn't go as you expected.

But then there was another mindset shift of like just let's just keep going and let's let's just be open to what comes next.

And I think.

This obviously played in your favor, which is awesome.

11:55

So moving to the next point then what is one book for you, One book?

It would be the world of Acts.

Or is it the outer world?

No, it's the world of Act.

I'm looking if it's on this show, but I think it's on the bookshelf in my.

12:14

So what the world Act?

Yes, exactly.

It is.

It's probably, probably maybe to compete in one, but the world of at stakes for me, and it's simply because of this very small part of it.

I think it was one of the early chapters where he talks about resistance and how when something is supposed to be, where something has the potential for big success, there's much more resistance from the universe and everything in your life for it not to get done.

12:42

When something has a little resistance, there's then there's probably like maybe not a lot of benefit.

And so for instance, eating will not have a lot of resistance.

I would eat jock, sleeping will not have a lot of resistance, Party will not have a lot of resistance compared to sitting down to do 3 hours of intense work, right.

13:01

That couldn't initially or really have like gave me some visibility that changes my car, right.

And so that's that's specifically actually.

So there's a lot more he talks about in the book, but I remember reading that and just said, Oh my God.

13:17

And so whenever I am because I will say Serial Procrastin, it deliberates more than an unconscious one.

It kind of balances out every now and again.

But whenever I'm digging down on getting something done, it's always a reminder that piece maybe you're fascinated so much because this has higher potential.

13:35

Do you want to actually fight?

And we draw over whatever resistance it is right now and just like sit down and do the work.

Another part of the book that struck those where he talks about when you see down to do the work, that power concentrates around you.

And he talks about how for yourself the hardest part of writers writing is sitting down to write or musicians get into the studio.

13:57

But I when you actually stay as I want to do the work, you will find out.

The power will concentrate around you and you will get like much more engaged and more inspired.

But you just have to fight the resistance and get yourself to actually sit down.

There is my mind all the time what I think about.

I'm so glad.

14:14

I'm so glad you brought that up piece because it's a book that I've I've read on on Kindle and in the past.

And I think one of the, I know exactly what you're talking about in terms of like personifying resistance and actually making it so that like sometimes you feel like the the bigger the thing that you're working on, the the the bigger the, yeah, the bigger the resistance that you feel.

14:37

And I think he talks about it.

It's almost like.

It's almost like a person following you around called like resistance, and they're like, their job is to like actively stop you from doing the thing.

And like one of the things that's really big for me that I'm that I'm caught currently struggling through what I'm trying to get better at is just always getting distracted.

14:52

And one thing that I found helps me a lot sometimes is, yeah, you know, whenever I whenever I start doing something within like two or three minutes, I just get attracted to the next shiny thing and I just lose focus very, very easily.

In person, in my personal life and my professional life.

15:08

And one thing that's helped me is to just, you know, remind myself that like if I get this one thing done, I can use that other, that shiny thing as the motivation.

So if I want to do this shiny thing, let's say, let's say I'm doing laundry and I really, find it really, really boring and I would rather listen to this podcast.

15:29

But if I listen to this podcast now, I'm just focusing on it and I can't actually, I'm actually can't multitask, basically.

Just now I tell myself, hey, get this thing done and the reward as you get to listen to the podcast, for example.

Exactly.

And what's crazy is I find that it almost simplifies your life, at least for me.

15:44

It simplifies my life in that moment so much that, like, there is nothing else to be done.

I don't.

There's almost no thinking involved.

Just do the specific thing in front of you.

And there's almost a sense of serenity that comes with that, where it's like, I no longer have to actively think if that makes sense.

16:01

I'm just like in an execution mode.

Uh, huh.

Yeah, 100 percent, 100%.

That book is amazing.

It is.

It is, yeah.

And I guess, yeah, moving on to the next one then is, I'm curious where you're going to take us for this.

16:16

But who is one person for you, professionally or personally?

I'm personally open my mom.

Just really my mom.

I I'm probably very cliche but even though I believe that cliches are cliches because they're very true on the work for a lot of people which is why you see it in the but this is cliche but my mom is the strongest person that I know.

16:37

I I I grew up with her as my supervisor so I just mean for for myself and my older brother.

I I think just seeing how to do the work was very inspiring for me.

Sometimes I think about myself and one of the things that people would have that around me would describe me is that I'm a hard worker right.

16:55

I'm ihosa.

I wouldn't do the work.

I would do multiple things at the same time because I have many interests.

But like, I would actually do the work.

And I've started down to think about it over and over again.

And whenever I think about I'm like this, this, this value or this essence of being able to, like, commit to something under the work and make sure that you actually get results done.

17:17

It's something that I saw evidently watching my mom grow up, right, And shows us, shows us she was a vicepres, but at some point, and she would go to classes, she would teach English, that she would do business and had a store.

So after my so after school and you will go to the store and help her sell and we'll come back.

17:34

She will travel to different cities to buy stuff.

She has sold ice cream.

She has made us so ice cream, and she has sold provisions.

She has sold household utensils, She has sold clothes.

She's done everything in between and just like a very vibrant business world.

I don't have that same kind of business acumen or buy and sell mine is we tech.

17:53

But I know that just seeing how like saying hey, no matter how hard I need to work, I would create a better life for myself and my kids, that is very inspiring for me and that's something that I aspire for.

So personally the world fashion for me, it's always good to be do.

You think thank you for showing that, Do you think?

18:10

Where do you think she got her inspiration from?

I think that a part of it is, they is, you know, how how do I say this?

When you're put inside this situation, you have absolutely no, you have absolutely no choice but actually, like fight against it, right.

18:32

So my mom, I sometimes I tell people that one of my one of my biggest drives is that I've seen poverty and I'm not going back to it.

So whatever I need to do to be able to create the kind of quality of life that I want to do, I'm going to create a quality of life.

Also maintain that quality of life.

Not to use it, but I think about creating a better life than my mom had and I think she also kind of like did the same as well.

18:53

But when I think about it, for most part her driver was always to make sure that the kids that are brought to earth, they're going to be much better than I am.

They're going to not lack anything.

That's no matter how much work I have to do, they require me here to beg and lose my pride.

I would actually get it done.

So I think it was also a a thing of necessity, but also just if you know she she really likes it when you have a flare for doing a lot of things and doing business and then you have a drive to see how you can create a better life, those two things kind of coming together to create a really great result.

19:26

And I'm just beating up on that cuz I'm like yeah, I saw that working this hard actually created results and I think about my life and I've I've come and I've seen that you can also enjoy what you do and you're proud about it.

So I want to also be able to replicate that as well.

Yeah, it it's so nice to have a a person like that and your story of your mom reminds me a little bit of of my my grandfather who who I've never met but he was like the only boy in like a family of like a few sisters.

19:56

He was the oldest one and he had to get pulled out of school like after like at the end of before even finishing like primary school.

He had to.

He had to get out and like basically start working already and from there, like that really helped.

Like that, really.

Almost like set the tone for for my dad and and I guess like ultimately me as well that like you you really have to.

20:17

I mean it sounds obvious but like you really have to do whatever it takes to to put your family 1st and and and to look out look out for for for the people that you're taking care of even if it means that you're going to do things that are like unconventional or things that people wouldn't necessarily expect you to do.

So yeah, I mean it it it it's I don't know what you but like sometimes when whenever we have any modern day you know first world challenge challenges or whatever.

20:41

Like the easiest thing for me is to just go back and go back one or two generations and be like hey like don't don't stop now.

Like don't stop their progress now like they they everyone is passing the ball to the next one don't be the one to drop it to to put it bluntly.

So So yeah it's it's something that's very real for me.

20:58

Yeah I can I can completely understand.

Did you ever, if you don't mind me asking, was there a recent situation where you kind of thought of thought of her and like what she would do?

Something that maybe you were going through yourself.

I think all the time.

21:16

I think there isn't a specific situation that I can remember right now, but I think that I kind of draw from that and I go back so like that every time I'm fist with like a very critical decision.

I always think about him that I didn't act one because like I know that the reason why I actually come into play from there.

21:35

So that's one.

I think something else might have to just be like being kind of situations are expecting back at times where someone's trying to frustrate you somewhere.

And I like the one we had know that my mom would route to still be to give a lot of grace and to be very kind and not expecting.

In fact, she usually would say that the one thing that you have to remember when you're being kind to people is that the same people might not be the ones I'll be kind to you.

21:57

So you cannot do something for someone and expect that the other ones that will bless you back like your blessing might come from. 5 generations out, the line of somebody completing one minute to that.

So just do the things that you want to do and leave it for the universe.

And if good things come back to you as a result, as a byproduct, you would.

22:13

But don't just stop because.

So when I'm in frustrated, like, yeah, when I'll probably be a little more kind of difficult, I love that so much.

It reminds me of if you're into, like, if you're a big reader, like there's there's a book that you might like called Give and Take by Adam Grant.

22:32

I don't know if you've come across it before, but it talks about like three types of people, givers, takers and matchers.

And how most people in the world are matchers.

They're like, hey, I'll, no problem, I'll do this thing for you because I think you're going to do something back for me.

But the people who are actually most successful are givers who are exactly like, like like your mom, I think from your description, which is like people who are giving value, adding value, and they are not doing it because it's a transactional thing and they're not doing because they're expecting anything in return.

22:58

They're doing it because this is who they are, #1 and #2 like by them doing that, this almost like like the how can I say like that the positive word of mouth or like the positive ripple effect just continues to to spread.

23:14

And even I like the way you thought about it.

Like, I like your mindset of like, forget this lifetime, even if it's like generations down the line.

You never know how this can come back to you.

Yeah, makes sense.

Like 100 percent, 100%.

23:29

I always try to remind them that cuz at some moment it's not the easiest thing to remind yourself about, but it's something that I'm always very conscious of.

To say here, just give it into the universe and keep moving on.

It would come back.

You just don't know how.

I can't be too part clever but how before the word.

23:48

Yeah exactly.

And I mean I guess even for people listening like I I imagine like we we can agree that this is not something that's very commonplace that when people do do that it almost catches catches catches you by by surprise and and it's and it's a welcome thing.

24:03

So that's always something that that plays in that favor for sure.

So shifting gears once more maybe closer now to that to the time that you were closer to to what you are doing today.

What is one decision for you that really change the trajectory of things?

I don't, that's a big question.

24:23

I would have said still it was applying for the Google digital marketing and for the Google students ambassadorship program, but that's also very linked to the field of story.

So I would say maybe two things.

So I thought you said one, but I'll share two if you don't mind.

24:39

That's shooting.

I think two and first one, okay, the first one would be moving to Lagos, so I grew up in Benin City.

And I stood in down the state so that's S South of Nigeria.

Lagos is a take hold probably why why not do it or not.

But then when I when I realized that I was prostitutional markets and after I finished my first degree I had to move to Lagos.

24:59

And I think that that was very powerful to us and mostly go to 2017 and my friend and I because in the whole of 20 part of 2015 and whole of 2016, we had spent it traveling from Benin and Ibadon to Lagos find deals at 10 event.

And by somewhere on the road, like almost once every month.

25:17

But like I don't just move to Lagos.

So that was definitely watching or listening.

Like how far, how far are they from each other?

By bus at the time been into Lagos was about 7 hours by bus and but I was just outside of Lagos so about one hour 30 minutes and my flights do it's like one hour.

25:39

But at the time I created our 4th flight so I was doing like 6 to 8 hours bus trips.

Two and four.

So it's like 12 to 16 hours Rd. trips every month.

It's just go to attend events in Lagos.

I kind of like see if we can get clients or agents I would like this doesn't make sense and so we eventually we put move myself like Obama, we bought moved to Lagos and that was a very defining moment because it was in Lagos that I got almost all of the opportunities that I had training for Google at some point training for Facebook training and wild fish offer.

26:08

I feel for the British Council additional like a team, and those are things like, 'cause I went brown out when I saw my talking to ship thing.

And finding someone who said, hey, you should do YouTube, or pushing me to do YouTube, getting my first couple of jobs and startups after the agency, all of those things happened in Lego.

26:24

I don't know that I was just on that.

Did you so that people understand, like, did you make the move to Lagos when you were, If you don't mind me asking, like did you make the move to Lagos when you already achieved a certain success and then you're like, right now I can?

Just at the beginning of our priors.

26:41

Like you're still you didn't even know what to expect.

Yeah so it wasn't a, you know before any like had money saved up or anything.

I kept to say here you need was bad and I see like a National Youth Service training training year but it was just like I just graduated uni.

26:58

We want to build this and with two kids who were at time I was.

I think it was 2322, I was 22 and when Joyce was 20 she's four years old.

She's 26.

So it's like we're moving to Lagos.

We don't know what we want to do, but we want to be the agency, all the clients that can give us money to actually build a life.

27:19

They're all headquartered in this.

Yeah.

So let's back our banks and we'll figure sheet out.

And yeah, so we did.

And so again, most of my current lessons that happen in Lagos, but in the next one is also very closely related to, it's very closely related to moving to Lagos.

27:35

And I was moving to London.

I went to London two years ago with the Global Talent visa.

And that for me was also a really big decision that I think has changed my car, and not even in ways that I can see now.

I think that's something that would look back in another seven years and be glad that I moved to London.

27:50

But it was such a defining moment because I spent about 4 1/2 years in legal, so 2017 to 2021 and when I was applying for my global talent visa and I planning one weekend.

I realized that every single thing I had done in that four years, we're kind of leading up to this moment.

28:07

So some people would say see what see about the visa requirements.

I feel like well I need to go plan six months ahead, few months ahead.

I was like have everything, the proto legs, company work, top leadership work, visibility work.

Like I had spent a lot of time when he goes just giving back to the community and trying to build a brand and try to so when I need it.

28:30

And I need to make a critical decision to rule.

It was super easy for me to get the number one visa in UK because I had done this.

After that was my employee.

I said well now I think about it and say here I don't know what I would need to apply for in another four years.

But if I spend amount of the amount of that same amount of energy giving back to commit to be able to branding and just kind of replicate in it, then I know I'll almost always be a step by head of my peers and so that.

28:57

That was a critical decision because one, it's given the opportunity to have a better quality of life.

Being along that I have access to a different sort of like ecosystem, the Europe ecosystem or the ecosystem.

But at the same time it was, I would not have, it would not have sucked.

29:13

How much value that also pillar of legals was if I didn't need it to translate into something like this so.

I think that has been the most critical ones.

A lot, yeah.

And focusing on the second one a little bit, Like what?

For people turning in, like what would you, what did it teach you about?

29:33

Let me say this way, like what advice would you give your older self was maybe hesitating about something like that in the past, now that you've seen how it plays out.

So say us again.

So now that you see how this, how how this plays out obviously the move to Vegas and ultimately the move to London for people cheering like what advice would you give would you give them and even just give your older self in terms of like how you've seen this played out especially when you find that it it could be something that because because you you said that like you you made the move before you were ready and then you you got ready like on like at at the time.

30:10

So a lot of people say no, no makes sense, but I'm going to do it when I'm ready.

And how do you help them, like overcome that hurdle or even your older stuff?

I think the most important thing is to say yes, opportunity it is, and to try out stuff.

30:27

To not say, hey, I need to have it all figured out before I can take the first step because like, you almost never would have that first.

I never really like that's scary though.

That's very scary.

One of my life mantras is do it afraid.

It is so dear to my heart because whenever I think about doing it, afraid, I think that it doesn't mean that I would not be scared.

30:49

It literally says feel the fear like you are afraid but still do it.

So I acknowledge how scary things could be and I acknowledge that I'm scared to my bones and I would much rather not do it.

But I also know that if I don't do it.

I would never know how good it would have been and that could be the biggest regret.

31:08

So I would feel the fear, but I'll still go ahead.

So like I'm taking the first step and I'm shaking, but I'm still doing it.

That's what doing our phrase means to me.

So yes, it is scary, but I've also seen and again for me, I've also built the most overtime I can count so many things that I have done afraid and I've seen them become good successes.

31:26

So I'm like this thing I'm about to do is a much bigger one, but I'm going to do it.

I'll give you a good example for Families Connect.

I organized an event in Lagos.

It just was July, so three weeks ago and we had 500 people come and it was, it was just a tweet.

31:41

I was like, I'm going to be in Lagos in July, should we do like a meet?

And then yesterday, I know I had like 800 people that have filled my premunization for my city, Please hold an event and then I'm getting sponsors and people are like, yeah, what do you need for the event?

And people are planning to volunteer and they say no, I'm like we're doing the 500 people event for the first ever event.

32:01

Right.

First ever physical interaction or something disconnect.

And when I was doing it every step of the six weeks it took us me and my team to plan it.

I was scared like I was like should we return all this for this money should be like I'm not doing a game like there's no flight but I'm like I would never know And it became it was beautiful.

32:22

People said event was magical and so again, the more the more experience I have I think the.

Much more scarier.

My ambition is so even with the experience that I had of doing things afraid, I also know that there's much more things that I have not like.

32:38

I don't have experience, but I also know that and the resistance is higher, so you know.

That's still sign exactly.

Resistance is high.

Exactly.

So I'm just going to keep doing this.

I would say yes, opportunities are the ideas that I have.

I would give them a shot if I didn't give Always Legal as a shot.

I probably been here if I didn't give a plan for Global talent visa a shot.

32:57

Probably won't be living in London for two years.

If I didn't give blood in just a random I don't know what this means, but let me We'll see what it is.

Agree to what was wrong, or apply for Google.

I like you won't be here let me let me ask you a question that's tough for me to ask was there anything?

33:17

So I follow all that and I think it's I love this something I'm going to try to to apply to my life which is do it afraid.

Was there any time that the scariness, and that's correct English, the scariness was too much and you actually never acted, but now that you look back at it, you're telling yourself you're like, I wish I did that, but I didn't.

33:42

That's such a good question.

Take your time.

There's something that I wanted to do that there was a sense of too much, and I'm doing that.

I was scared that I didn't.

I don't think.

I mean, probably, yes, but nothing big enough for me to remember.

34:03

Yeah because I can I can if I sit down just think about it like maybe we're going to be and I'll tell you.

I'll tell you one maybe while you think of 1.

I'll tell you one from my side.

And I was not planning on on on sharing this life with with with people but you you you brought it out of me piece.

34:25

So I blame you, But basically when I was a teenager, I was in Egypt and I was basically like, I was just doing like swimming lessons in Egypt.

Like when you get born, you get signed up before you get born, you're enrolled into swimming lessons.

34:43

It's just an Egyptian thing.

So basically at one point the coach is like, hey, how old are you again?

At that stage, I would think I was like 1314 or something.

And it's like you're what?

Hey, you're really tall.

You should join the water polo team.

I'm like what's water polo?

And then I got they rushed they got me into like the the it's called Ali club which is like the big the biggest sporting club in Egypt.

35:06

I I was like in the in the water Polo Club for that.

For my age group.

I was the goalkeeper because they're like, yeah, you know what, the way you look goalkeeper.

That's what you should do.

I was a terrible goalkeeper but but they're like, fine, you'll just be sub.

You'll get better.

We'll just sub you in from time to time but the the the thing that I regret the most and I can't believe I'm saying this out loud.

35:27

But anyways I actually found that the training was was was too tough at sometimes and I'm a little bit embarrassed to say that because the training was so tough.

I was like I I I think I'm going to drop out.

I I think after I'm actually getting some good stuff to say this but like I'm kicking myself for why when the going got tough I quit.

35:49

It was.

I think I was like 5-6 months into it.

It's not just me.

Everyone around me is training hard.

It was like super pressuring.

Even during like Ramadan where we fast from sunrise to sunset, we were practicing on those days.

We would have two practices in the In the morning, while you're fasting, you break your fast, congratulations, come back.

36:08

There's a second practice that day before you go to sleep.

This just, you know, so there was just so much stuff.

And now that I'm older and wiser, I would do anything to go back and not quit.

And it's not even about It's not because I'm passionate about water polo.

I don't think I ever was.

Maybe that had a role to play.

36:24

I never really was.

I switched to basketball after that.

But basically I I never really was passionate about water polo.

But the reason why I would go back and do it is because it would have taught me a lesson that I had to learn anyway, which is when the going get tough going, get stuff.

Don't, don't don't quit, don't quit on yourself.

36:40

It doesn't matter if it's pottery or for example, I don't care about pottery even.

Yeah, it's not about what it is.

It's about the fact.

It's about your mindset, if that makes sense.

That's such a good story.

Thank you for sharing it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

36:58

We'll see.

It's probably like doing, but I do think I was trying to think about something in the past and I still couldn't think of one.

However, there's something I'm currently experiencing and that is that I want to do an MBA and this is probably too much accountability for me.

37:16

But I wanted to name me and I've been trying to write to Jim at exam since January and I still haven't been able to get myself to study and write it.

I have no since last year.

I have moved the exam three Times Now.

So I moved this from August last year to to one in October to December to December to May and then made to August and about to vote again for the fifth time to in November.

37:42

And I've been saying that.

The VSC copies that so many other things happen in my life in work that they haven't haven't been able to see them to concentrate and write it.

But that's probably we just checking out that I haven't written that much of behind it.

So I don't know if I'm still going to do, but like that's that's something that I'm probably already feeling like because I'm moving like four times.

38:05

I still we tend to do it, but I think the resistance is probably way too much so.

Fingers crossed I have another three wants to try and get my seriously down and start enough to get any consequence to write a prospect.

Yeah, I think I know we've only recently met, but if you don't mind me saying I'm, I'm proud of you.

38:27

And the reason why I say that was because I'm proud of you.

Because, not because you've pushed that five times, but because you are, you are self, self self aware enough to recognize what's at play here that like, hey, I see what's going on.

38:43

This is the resistance.

The resistance keeps coming back bigger than ever because I'm doing something that's super meaningful.

So I understand why.

It's almost like you're zooming out of yourself and you're like, I see what's going on.

I see why I'm acting this way.

And I think it takes us really a certain level of wisdom to to get to that stage.

So yeah, something I'm working on for sure.

39:01

So yeah, I just wanted to say that it seemed it seems like when the resistance, when when it's worth, when the goal is big enough, the resistance will, as you have taught us today, the resistance will also be higher.

But that's a sign that you're on the right path.

39:16

Do it.

Afraid.

Yeah yeah that's that's true.

This is enough for myself.

I ain't to go and stun cuz it could be potentially life changing if I can just get myself to go back to school.

So fingers crossed when I do I will send you an e-mail.

39:33

I say, hey, look at that.

I think I finally did it.

It might be nestier December, for it would get done.

Fair enough.

Fair enough.

Well, look, we're we're coming to the end of the episode, but we're not going to leave you without you telling us what is 1 learning or even 1 accomplish.

39:54

To be honest, you've been showing a lot of learning.

So let me ask this a different way.

What's what's 1 accomplishment?

That maybe for other people didn't mean that much, but for you it just hit different for some reason.

One personal accomplishment.

I don't know that there is one accomplishments that I think a lot of the things that I've done in my life just kind of lead up to the next moment and now it's mouse done and I celebrate them in the moment and people tell me that I don't know how to just sit with this has happened for a while before thinking about the destiny.

40:29

There might be a flaw but I'm more friends like this was good and this was a milestone but there's much more than we can do.

And I kind of seek compounding.

But that said I know that for a lot of people who follow me, one of the things that the reference is how much my and it would the way and manner that my current marketing has sort of like grown about the years.

40:52

And I don't think that's something that I I always understand the same magnitude when I hear people that are meant to do what I'm see it or reference it.

But I am proud of it and I'm like I'm glad that you think I'm doing well with my car.

41:07

I'm just trying to make sure that I can pay my bills and do my best work whereby I pay time.

But I think a lot of people see it as an inspiration especially marketing as African marketer.

So yeah, that could be it.

Yeah.

41:24

Do you think that?

A lot of them are almost like try.

They're going on their own journey and they're trying to they're trying they're trying to almost follow like a similar path and they're they're seeing inspiration that or almost like some some type of a playbook on on how this can be achieved.

Yeah, 100%.

41:43

I I think a lot of people.

I think a lot of people definitely kind of see my life as an inspiration.

And to be fair, that's also something that I optimize for.

My my mission in life is to grow people and grow businesses.

41:58

I'm very, very impacts to be absolutely important because I I think that I'm here for the much bigger purpose.

So that's why teaching is important to me is why sharing is important to me.

Your content is important because I'm like all of the things that I'm expressing that I know all the stories that I have.

42:19

This can help people move forward fast and avoid mistakes.

So I I think because I optimized for that days actually also very tangible resource called for a lot of feedback that I get.

And so I'm grateful that people that I was outside of just my own life experiences for in terms of in nine to five that people who want to be able to mirror that or kind of use that as a milestone or some sort of reality.

42:43

So yeah.

Yeah.

Piece, I love that.

You know like it's you really are an asset to the to the marketing world especially because you did not do it the.

The typical way or the expected way like you're you have had like a pretty diverse journey as we've as you've shared with us like on the on the show today and I I think it just gives inspiration for folks that it's and it's not about following pieces steps exactly.

43:09

It's about it's it's bigger than that it's about regardless of like what you're what like what what pathway you want to take like there's always a way for you to find to find it to the to the end goal.

Not saying that right now is your end goal, of course, but like.

There's always going to be a way if you have the right mental like mindset and and some of the tools even that you shared with us today, like, you know, doing it afraid, like looking at the resistance increasing as a sign that you're moving in the right direction.

43:37

So I guess all I can say is yeah, thank you.

Thank you for your time today.

Where can people find you and did you want to give anything to the community as yourself or as Smile ID?

So mine you can find me on everywhere.

I think I'm on all social media as PCC needs, so P/E, A/C, EICI, right?

43:55

So LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, even Trends and YouTube as well.

My YouTube is.

So for me personally I would give her on YouTube because I think that it's a, it's an it's an ocean and cocktail like lots of different.

So what are you interested in like African tech or you're interested in like markets and just like lessons and stuff.

44:16

It's a pretty good one.

And for Smart ID I will give the we have a startup program called Smart for Success where we offer 86 setups, 6000 credits to verify up to 30,000 users.

So you can go on, use myid.com, check out resources you see Smart for success or just Google its Smart ID Smart for success program and you find the landing page link.

44:41

I can show you the current one link page as well and apply for it and you will get access to $6000 through credit for KYC as long as you're not a current small ID customer.

I need no result of $5,000,000, so it's for ADC startup.

So my YouTube channel and it's.

44:57

Fantastic.

Awesome.

Well, please.

Thank you so much for coming on and we'll see you soon.

Thank you.

Have a good day.