Let dope content grow your hustle
Subscribers are fickle. But content is king. If you have thousands of subscribers and no content to write home about, it only be a matter of time before your whole hustle unravels.
Life is a classroom. I still apply some lessons I learned while selling second-hand clothes in different situations.
Angose, Oti Ngori, and Alfuh had hustles next to mine in Jericho Estate. (Oti Ngori and Alfuh are deceased. RIP my Gs). Oti Ngori mostly sold leather items like jackets. Alfuh was the go-to guy for men’s coats.
This brother could sell coats to the tailors on Saville Row. Angose specialised in shirts. I sold women’s clothing. I would sometimes buy men’s clothes, wear them – I called it modelling and advertising – then sell them to the highest bidder.
Business fluctuated. At times, one business would get droves of customers, while others got nothing. We knew the nature of the business we were in. And we also knew what our customers wanted.
As we used to say back then, even if we were stuck with some items for months: “Kila dandi ina fala wake.” This meant that every item – even dead stock – had a fool who would fall for it. It was only a matter of time.
There were certain lines we did not cross. One such line was not going into another seller’s stall and trying to pinch their customers. We always believed that kizuri chajiuza. If something is good, it will sell itself.
I am fond of observing trends. It seems like many young people want to be “content creators”. They believe this is the way they will hit pay dirt.
One trend I have noticed is that of upcoming content creators who are all over the comments sections in YouTube channels, begging for subscribers. Me? I am not selfish. It costs me nothing.
So? I subscribe to everyone and their mother-in-law. Whether or not I watch the content is another matter altogether. I won’t be surprised if, pretty soon, YouTube hits me with a “no-subscribe strike” for hitting that subscribe button like whack-a-mole.
I understand that, on social media, it’s all about eyeballs. The more, the merrier. But instead of begging people to subscribe to your channel, why not tell them to check out the dope content you have created? Why not prepare such a meal as they’ve never tasted before, till they’ll be licking their fingers and begging you for more?
The thing with dope content is that, though it may take time to pick, it will eventually sell itself. You may piggyback and beg on other content creators’ channels and get 1000 subscribers. And 1000 is a sweet spot for many upcoming content creators. But, if you have dope content, it can be shared and will eventually burst the banks. It takes just one person to share it and, voila, you will be hitting crazy digits.
Subscribers are fickle. But content is king. If you have thousands of subscribers and no content to write home about, it only be a matter of time before your whole hustle unravels. Subscribers return because of content, and dope content at that.
The problem is we are a country of copycats. If we believe other people are getting rich because they are selling quails, that’s what we will sink all our lifesaving into. Then we get in and realise it’s not all it was hyped to be. Or we realise it takes tons of elbow grease to make it happen.
Are you afraid to start because you have an idea for a niche content and you think it will go south? Go for it. Kila dandi – or content – ina fala wake. Don’t skate to where the puck is, but where the puck will be. Grow your hustle organically. And trust the process.
