MHS: My Hustle Squad
Well, you might be wondering what I was thinking about when I came up with this particular heading/topic and I am wondering the same thing too lol.
Well for me as an Entrepreneur/blogger, I use writing as a means to keep record and to constantly track my growth not just as an Entrepreneur but also an individual that works towards making the world a better place. It is important to acknowledge that I did not start my entrepreneurial journey alone and I have my crew with me and I am sure in one way or the other, you have yours too.
By ‘crew’ I mean, a number of people that I associate myself with that I motivate and who motivate me as well.
There’s a saying that goes, “you are a sum total of the people you spend your time with the most”. If you meet in person each and everyone of these people in my crew that I have decided to write about today, you would see where I do get my drive from. The vibe off these people is electric and it keeps me going. There are a quite a number of people that I would have added to this, but I would pick on just 3.
The people are relatively unknown, as I would expect your crew to be, but in my opinion these lads whose names I am about to mention are superstars in my book, and as I iterate further,you would begin to understand why they inspire me to be the best version of myself. As my peers, their effect on me is electrifyingly positive (PS. First time I thought of “peer pressure” in a positive manner. LOL.)
They are;
- Vincent Badom
- Vincent Nnagboro
- Obum Obioha
(PS : if you ask me, I would be the one being pulled up the mountain. LOL. By the way it’s a coincidence that I am talking about 3 people and they are 3 people on the mountain top, as well as myself, trying to climb up #motivation.)
Here is a bit about them and projects that they are currently undertaking.
- Vincent Badom
This has to be the most dedicated individual I have ever met in my life. We attended Coventry University,UK together where we studied Civil Engineering and that was where my journey with this young man began.
He was always an outstanding student, but he caught my eye when he was the only student in our class in 2nd year to respond to an advert by one of our lecturers to take on a real life ‘house renovation project’. Within a couple of weeks, he had learnt how to use construction design software like autocad to produce conceptual designs for the client to decide on how his house was to be renovated. This definitely blew my mind, No doubt! I know its blowing yours too.
He graduated a couple months ahead of me and headed down to Nigeria for his NYSC ( a year internship program), where he served in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria in their State department of Lands and Survey. He was able to leverage on his internship program to network with real estate developers as well as high net-worth individual clients that came around to purchase lands to offer them his building design and construction services. He used this opportunity to found his startup company, ARKWORKS. He soon began to multitask ,as he usually did over the years, between his internship job and his startup. Towards the end of his internship, he had grown his client base and had a portfolio of more than 5 construction projects that designed and managed himself. Here is the nutcracker, he is just 19 years of age. 
His most recent project, had him play a consultancy role in the design and construction of a structure that would contain automated teller machines , here is a picture of him as the construction job was completed.
Despite his love for construction, he has continuously developed transferrable skills, whilst showing a deep interest in programming and has currently taking up a position in KPMG as an actuarian.
He told me he took this decision to broaden his horizon and improve his skills as well as grow his network and capital base to enter the construction industry even stronger. His Entrepreneurial drive is enviable.
2. Vincent Nnagboro
I am sure you can tell from this picture, this young man is quite the all rounder. Coming out from a construction-related background. His decision to study Political Science and International Relations at University stunned everyone. He bagged a first class degree from Veritas University and shut everyone up.(PS He’s got swag like that). He is a childhood friend.(PS We had to be, our dad’s were alumni of the same university, University of Nigeria, Nsukka)
He got out of University and we spoke and he told me of his innate drive to take his dad’s construction company to the next level. Gradually, he brought his personality and immersed it into the business.
We talk about Entrepreneurship a lot and after every conversation I would see something new added to the way he did things and it inspired me to do even more for my business.
As a non-construction personnel, there was a lot of perceived spite and underestimation from sub-contractors and his dad’s staff and he soon, like he always does, he shut them all up with his drive and commitment to create awareness and boost the profile of the company, MinutemanNG.
Typically in Nigerian construction, there is low concern for health and safety in construction sites, but he took it as an opportunity not only to protect the engineers and staff that worked constantly on the sites that he managed but leveraged that for branding and marketing purposes. His laudable efforts soon earned him the position of Managing Director, MinutemanNG.
Under his father’s wing, he is growing into a construction whiz, having taken on a couple of construction projects personally. His drive is constantly fueled by the success of Obiwanne Okeke, CEO of Invictus Group, named as one of Forbes Africa 30 under 30 Entrepreneurs and he is well underway to reaching that goal. He is just 22 years of age. He has stepped up to the podium and increased the potential that his company,MinutemanNG has across our country, Nigeria building a network of high net-worth individuals as well as governmental agencies whose construction projects, he would handle. He has succeeded in diversifying the business into other government contract jobs.
3. Obum Obioha
Obum Obioha’s story is inherently different from my two previous crew members, his story is truly one to behold. He studied Maths and Statistics at Imo State University and as he was about to graduate from the university, he had made up his mind to make a drastic change to his fortunes. He had convinced his elder brother to sponsor his education to study medicine at the University of Kharkov, Ukraine.
Due to the downturn in the Nigerian economy, he soon was under pressure to raise funds to live comfortably enough to continue to pursue his medical degree. 
That was where his Entrepreneurial ability kicked in. He decided to use his cooking skills and knowledge of different Nigerian/African delicacies to cook meals for Africans that would otherwise not get the opportunity to have African food in the city. He was able to leverage Facebook and other social media platforms to reach out to his potential customers and African comedians in his city to create awareness for his first startup, Silvafelikitchen, later called S&F Kitchen.
His business soon grew and he sought towards building a partnership with one of the popular African comedians in Kharkov, names withheld, and they cofounded , NEON LOUNGE. Neon Lounge is a combination of a evening hang-out spot, restaurant and an event arena with an African feel. The duo have been able to apply their skills to make NEON lounge a banging location for everything African in Kharkov.(PS If you are in Kharkov and you have not been there, you are definitely playing yourself. 
He has grown the popularity of his original personal brand, FoodisBae and this boost in his profile and business is as a result of the opportunity he has to network with top Nigerian comedians across the globe. He is just 25 years of age.
FINAL COMMENTARY
As a budding Entrepreneur myself, at 23 years of age, I have realized how vital it is that my crew, that is, the people I spend the bulk of my time with, share similar dreams and aspirations with me. This is the one of the major ways that I consistently derive commitment to continuously pursue my goals.
Who is part of your Hustle Squad?
Thanks for reading,
Muna Ejieji
(HubbonNG)
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