No Incentive

I started a small business in an interior village, where electricity was more of a myth than a reality. People struggled to keep their phones charged and to do other electrical related things. Seeing this, I decided to start a phone charging service which at the start was moving at the speed of light.

Every day brought a steady stream of customers. People were grateful, and I was excited. The income was consistent, and the demand was constant. It was so promising that I dropped my other side hustles just to focus on it fully. For once, I felt like I had found something solid, little did I know that life has its own plans.

A new government came in, and one of their first declarations was the removal of fuel subsidy. Overnight, fuel prices skyrocketed. I watched helplessly as my profits dwindled. What used to give me close to ₦60,000 now barely gave me ₦10,000, sometimes even less. The joy of running the business began to fade under the weight of growing expenses.

Then came the worst part , my generator broke down. Some of my extension cords got damaged too. Everything was falling apart. I borrowed money from a friend just to fix the generator and guess what? The repair took me for just two weeks after which the engine got knocked because I couldn’t afford enough fuel to run it properly. And that was the final straw.

I knew the business still had potential. The need was there, and people kept coming. But I had no more strength, no more funds, no more motivation. The setbacks kept piling up. Eventually, I stopped. Not because the business failed but because I had no incentive left to keep going.

Source

Sometimes, even when something works, life makes it so hard that you begin to wonder if it's worth it. And in my case, it just wasn’t anymore.

Thanks for reading.
Stay inspired, stay true.
Your girl, Rita.