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Naira Life Vol 159

Naira Life Vol 159

This is how he did it.

Toheeb Lanlehin
November 17, 2025

Volume 159

In partnership with

Good Morning,🌞

“Slow and steady, then all at once.”

A friend recently dropped this line while we were talking about how we’re increasingly integrating AI tools into our workflow.

Totally different context, but I imagine that’s how the subject in this week’s Naira Life feels about his income trajectory. It almost fits too well. You see, he grew up with nothing. The kind of scarcity that narrows your world. And for a long time, even after he could attempt to chase his opportunities, progress felt like a pipe dream. Then, the minor signs of a turnaround began to show. Subsequently, the big win he’d been pursuing his entire life landed.

It’s always slow and steady, then all at once.

Let’s dig in + the other stories in this dispatch.

In this letter:

#NairaLife: He Struggled Financially for Years. Then a Career Switch Changed His Life

The 34-year-old in this #NairaLife has mostly had it rough in life. He grew up in poverty that persisted even after his professional career kicked off in 2016.

However, things began to look up after he switched careers in 2023. If you ask him, he’d tell you he’s “living in answered prayers”.

Read his #NairaLife

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I Went From Broke to a Net Worth of Over ₦30m in 5 Years. Here’s How I Did It

In 2020, Lekan* (31) thought he’d finally made it, until the pandemic left him broke overnight. In this story, he recounts his gritty climb back to financial independence.

Spoiler alert: it was marked by long hours, smart investing, and a few strokes of luck. Read the full story here

I Quit My Job a Year Ago. 500 Applications Later, I’m Still Jobless

Dotun (28) left a job that burned him out, confident he’d find something better.

A year and 500 applications later, he’s still searching. Here’s what surviving a year of constant rejection has taught him Read here

Ask Aunty M with Reni

My finances is a mess. I'm a medical student in my final year. During the lockdown I started a bead bag brand. But I didn't keep track of my finances and blew up all my money mostly because I didn't exactly start with a capital. I just showed people what I could make; they paid and I made it, making ₦2-3k on profits. It wasn't sustainable as I was spending the profit as it came. I was however able to save and rebrand but I've not been able to continue as I can't get people to pay what my products are worth. Recently I used about ₦50k in my savings to start a POS business in my small hostel which I’ve grown to almost ₦200k in a few months — there aren't many occupants in the hostel, and as a student I can't get a tent outside and run it full time. I really need to find another good source of income, but I don't know where to start. I almost feel like a failure. I’d like to take courses on writing because I enjoy it, but I don't know how to monetise the skill. I'm really open to any ideas and suggestions for how I can go about making money. I know it's pathetic but please help - Beauty, 24

Hi Beauty. First, it’s not pathetic at all. You’re running a business all while doing med school? That’s a lot for anyone so please give yourself a pat on the back. Well done.

When it comes to your POS business, since you can’t run it full-time because of school + hostel restrictions, think of it as a steady side pot that grows your capital. Even if you only make a little, you’ve proven you can multiply ₦50k to ₦200k. Let that be your proof that you can grow a business, and use the income as your financial backbone while you test other ideas.

Writing is a great idea and can be very profitable as a freelance/ gig. The thing with building your freelance business is that you need lots of proof of concept before people will buy from you. So the course is step one, but now you need to show your writing to the world. You can start by posting short, consistent writing samples about a topic you enjoy and can stay consistent with. You can post on Twitter, on LinkedIn, or Substack, on a blog — whatever you want. This helps people see your work. Remember to research writing topics that are in high demand for freelancers as well like finance, tech, healthcare, etc. Especially since you are a medical student, medical content writing could be a great niche for you.

Next, offer services to businesses at a relatively low rate to get yourself comfortable with charging for your services, and to have a body of paid work for clients. For example, blog posts for ₦30k, social media captions for ₦10k, etc. Display these on your portfolio.

Then, with this solid body of work start selling your services online. Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are great places to find clients. You can also pitch to people via email or DMs. Make sure your email is professional, and obviously, well written.

These are the steps I would take. Remember this isn’t a quick money making scheme, but over time it can be very successful, especially because your clients can be from any country, and can pay in dollars. Do a great job, market your services well, and growth will come.

Xoxo, Reni

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