Where Do You Spend Yours?
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- January 31, 2022
In avoiding accursed New Year’s resolutions that one can never stick to, I have been looking at being more mindful and intentional with how I live my life. The results? I am hoping for a healthier body, mind, and spirit feeling with which I approach this rollercoaster called life. It all seems to be about changing small habits in your everyday life to create significant change. Swap your single-use plastic for a more sustainable alternative.
Drink more water
Do the physiotherapy exercises for your busted knee first thing in the morning Odun; it only takes 10 minutes. Little habits, big gains. As a minusculesized business owner, it came to me while I was doing the small-businessowner dance after an order came in: who dances when I spend my money? For a hot minute, there was a ‘Buy Nigerian’ movement in the fashion industry, but shockingly, I could not find any details about the who, what, or where if I put that into the Google search engine.
Currently, there are two movements of note in America: Buy Local (all about being environmentally aware with your spending), and Support Black-owned Businesses.
Separate movements to be sure, but they had me thinking. Why are we so reluctant to support our own? Make no mistake, in almost every other continent and culture, you first spend your money within the community before going elsewhere.
Why have we been so convinced of the superiority of “OTHER” as a continent, a country, a people?
I know our fraudulent reputation here in Nigeria does not help, customer service seems to be a foreign concept, and there is just no getting away from the superior quality of most international luxury brands but, with some research and a little priority reorganisation, the bulging bank account of LVMH may not be the best resting place of your hard-earned cash.
It goes without saying that investing in Nigerian-owned businesses and entrepreneurs is critical to creating opportunity and growth in our country.
Consumer power is a superpower…
Small businesses, entrepreneurs, and (dare I add as a niche consideration) women with small businesses have been long-time wealth-builders for generations in this country. By supporting more Nigerian-owned companies for your everyday needs, you can help create more opportunities for meaningful savings, property ownership, job creation, and generational wealth in our community.
Supporting Nigerian businesses shouldn’t be a trend; it should be a lifestyle. When you ‘choose’ to support Nigerianowned businesses, you support black pride, unity, and self-determination. Am I taking this too far? Ask yourself what your regular patronage means to a small business and the families supported. Nigerian entrepreneurship must be funded first by Nigerians. It is a tool for survival in a world that seems to not want to see us win. When we choose to win against all odds (here I will add the absolutely hostile and toxic banking industry), young Nigerian children grow up seeing successful entrepreneurs and a thriving community.
- What does support look like?
If you had a good experience, tell a friend. A personal endorsement is better than any advertisement.
Follow, engage and post on social media Support isn’t free, and free isn’t support. Do not ask for a discount if your overall goal is to help!
Odunayo Ogunbiyi is an ex pharmacist with a passion for food and pampering. Writing about her exploits wherever in the world she may find herself is just her way of staying sane in this zany world.
