“What was the worst mistake you made and what did you or are you still learning from it?”
After days of phoning, sending emails and practically stalking all 5 of them, I was finally able to find out. What I got was a series of thought-provoking, intelligent and diverse responses with lessons that can help you stay true to yourself and your vision.
Noble Igwe. 360nobs.com: “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
“At the beginning, I knew I was positioning 360Nobs.com as a Hub for lifestyle, news and entertainment in Africa”
Says Noble Igwe, the founder of the highly influential blog … 360nobs. Noble used a simple personal diary series “Memoirs of a SLU….shhkid” to spark the growth of the blog.
But (according to him) his worst mistake was stopping the popular series to focus on a new relationship. A mistake he admits still haunts him…
“Looking back, I shouldn’t have stopped writing something that was so huge in terms of traffic generation. I cannot say that I’ve fully recovered from it but I hope to have enough time to write something of that nature soon. If it’s not broken, don’t change it.”
Fortunately, he hasn’t been hampered by that setback and is actively managing the growth of 360nobs along with several other blogs including the fast-rising stylevitae.com.
Linda Ikeji. Lindaikeji.blogspot.com: “find the right balance”
After several attempts … emails, text messages and phone calls, I was finally able to reach Linda Ikeji and when I did she was multi-tasking. Always moving, always working and always making an impact on Nigerian news. That is the dynamic life of Nigeria’s most successful blogger and founder of lindaikeji.blogspot.com. Her blog is so influential that it routinely shapes the Nigerian discourse daily, largely due to the number of breaking news stories that originate from the site.
So when asked her worst mistake it was not a surprise that Linda mentioned this breaking news article “Richard Mofe Damijo builds Multi Million Naira House” which sparked a personal and heated response from Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD) debunking the cost of the newly built house. Although the figures were never fully ascertained by RMD, it became a defining experience for Linda. In her words…
“Inaccurate stories affect your brand and affects your credibility in the long-term. And for you to be taken serious you have to find a balance and accept it.”
And that balance for her was to ensure that 100% of her posts are accurate but yet be able to accept that inevitably 1 out of 10 might not be. Such is the nature of the fast paced news industry where even large media houses like CNN and BBC struggle with finding the right balance. But Linda seems to have found it … as she continues to deliver breaking news without sacrificing her blogs credibility.
Ikenna Azuike. What’s Up Africa: “take the leap”
While most struggled to think of worst mistakes. Ikenna Azuike creator of the popular BBC (in works) video blog What’s Up Africa was one of the few to start with the words “I have made so many mistakes.”
So many that we had to limit it to just one. And this mistake is one that a lot of people stuck behind a desk or trapped in an office can relate to. It is the fear of staying at a high paying job you hate versus going to a low paying job you know you would love.
“[My mistake was] being afraid of starting from the bottom again. I began as an intern at RNW.org and took an 80% pay cut. Painful. And of course I had some savings when I left … so it was a calculated leap of faith. But I trusted in my abilities, my network of friends who supported me and knew that with a bit of creativity and hard work things would be okay.”
Thankfully he did take the leap and with over 179,000 subscribers on the What’s Up Africa Facebook page, he is fast becoming a global force to reckon with!
Tosin “SuperGal” Olori. OloriSuperGal.com: “ignore the negativity”
When I caught up with Tosin aka Olori Supergal founder of olorisupergal.com she was at Mo Abudu’s 50th birthday celebration but above the blaring music, she was still able to share her worst mistake… “My mistake was listening to numerous family and friends who told me to stop blogging and get a REAL job. But the worst mistake was accepting their words and actually considering quitting.”
It is 2014 and Tosin is arguably one of Nigeria’s top bloggers and her break through moment … the moment when she knew she had made the right decision was when she was hosted by Airtel’s management in 2012 … the same year she considered quitting!
From almost quitting to now sitting down with top managers, celebrities and national dignitaries, Tosin knows she made the right decision. Her response illustrates the importance of sticking to what you believe in and surrounding yourself with positive people.
Uche Pedro. BellaNaija.com: “find your niche”
“I really can’t think of anything that will qualify as a worst mistake [and] maybe I am still making this mistake.”
Coming from a TEDAfrica Fellow, a Future Award Nominee, a Young Person of the Year finalist at the Future Awards, award recipient of the British Airways Opportunity Grant and founder of the ever popular and still growing bellanaija.com … it is hard to see any mistake Uche Pedro is still making … but as she ponders the question more she offers up this piece of advise:
“Keep it simple. Don’t try to do everything. Pick your lane and be the best at it. While I love the variety of BellaNaija, my next venture will definitely be niche.”
And that’s the message … keep seeking ways to improve your business even though it is already successful.
Nobody knows what Uche Pedro’s next venture would be, but chances are that it will be sharp, niche and likely successful!
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