Torrents of prayers and new year’s resolutions have gone out as they do every year. The majority of them are certainly asking for money in the new year. But in the prevailing world capitalist calligraphy, while the government often monetizes debts and other financial instruments to generate revenue, individuals and businesses also monetize products and services to generate profit. So in 2023, if you are not a government that will monetize debts and extorts from the public, you have to be an individual or business that will monetize your products, services, or skills to generate profit. You must know how to monetize whatever skill you have. Whatever it is that you know how to do has to be appropriately priced and paid for.
I will break that down in a moment but before then, let me say a few things no matter how disagreeable they may sound. In 2023, stop trying to please everyone. Stop trying to solve every problem thrown at you. Stop thinking you can take every call or respond to every message. Even God doesn’t answer all calls and prayers. Know ye also that the most successful people in the world are not prayer warriors. They are those who had concrete plans and pursued them ferociously and grace enabled them to succeed in their plans.
Getting back to our conversation; even in nations that are at war, the shylocks are making money. So, the dire economic and security situation in Nigeria today also presents a massive array of problems that demand workable solutions, and those who can provide these solutions and price them appropriately will be paid for them. The ongoing political season also presents an opportunity for solution providers to monetize their services and price themselves appropriately.
For example, our consultancy company is taking advantage of the politicking season to offer services to several politicians across the country. These services include helping them with competitor analysis and profiling, to understand their political landscape, understanding and utilizing effective political digital tools, manifesto drafting, strategies for field campaign organizing, voter targeting, capturing voter issues within a jurisdiction, working on strategies to encourage eligible voters to vote and personal branding, etc. Look in the mirror and ask yourself what value you can add to any project or product. Will you be benched if you were playing in a team or will you be a regular?
Those who can add no value, those who can offer neither a product, nor a service, nor a skill, should in all sincerity accept that they have to be at the mercy of those who can, not only in 2023 but at all times. But in all honesty, every human being, regardless of their post in life, has one or many things to bring to the table.
And monetizing what we are coming within 2023 is very important to every individual, business, or other entity’s growth in the months ahead. Indeed, we must all seek novel ways to turn otherwise unprofitable engagements into profit centers as a primary goal to confront the excruciating challenges that our economy presents and promises. Those who have been consuming these products, services, and skills for free without seeing the need to pay for them should also rethink and begin to ask for and balance the payments so that life can swim in both ways as it should be in 2023.
Yours sincerely.
Citizen Agba Jalingo is the Publisher of CrossRiverWatch and a rights activist, a Cross Riverian, and writes from Lagos.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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