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Reveals How He Hit It BIG In Life
+His Success Strategies
Last weekend, in Lagos, Real Estate player, Dr. Stephen Akintayo celebrated his 40th birthday in Grand Style.
Before his birthday, City People Publisher SEYE KEHINDE spent 60 minutes with him during which he revealed his success strategies, as he launched his new estate at the Free Trade Zone Area of Ibeju Lekki in Lagos.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
As you counted down to your 40th birthday, what was on your mind?
(Smiles) That is an interesting question. Let me say Gratitude. I am just full of Gratitude, because people like me don’t get to rise to this level within a short time. If my parents were to be successful entrepreneurs, people will understand. If my parents were to be politicians, it make’s sense.
So, I was never from such background. My mother was a Civil Servant. And she died over 15 years ago.
My father’s business had crumbled before I was born. I was born in Maiduguri and later grew up in a village outskirt of Maiduguri. It had no water, no electricity.
I had my first bed at the age of 13 when I was going to secondary school.
So it wasn’t a background that made Success easy.
It wasn’t like somebody modelled success for me. And so one had to work one’s way out. So, I’m just grateful.
And looking back. I may not be where I want to be, but never where I used to be. So I’m full of Gratitude.
So, how do you plan to celebrate or mark your birthday?
I plan to do it in a more purposeful celebration way. I call it a purposeful celebration. So before you came here, we just finished an Outreach with Lagos Foodbank, where we invited some indigent people in this community to distribute food to them, we are doing another one at Ikoyi Prisons tomorrow.
And on Wednesday, which is the main day I was born, we are starting with a Sales Masterclass for Business owners, which we wanted to charge for but we decided to make it Free. And then in the evening, we’re doing a Praise event from 4 pm to 6 pm.
So the Sales Masterclass for business owners starts from 8 am to 12 noon at Oriental Hotel, Lagos. While the Praise event starts from 4pm to 8 pm.
But yeah, I just want to be Grateful. But the main joy, is now Saturday 31st. And on that day, there’s a public lecture.
We have 4 key things we’re hoping to achieve on that day. One is to launch my latest book launch. The Billionaire Habits (Vol 3) of it.
And then we’re also doing the ground breaking for our new 1,000 apartments project at the Free Trade Zone area, that we are starting.
It’s just 10 minutes from the hotel. So it’s a public lecture, and reception kind of. And then we’re also dedicating a street after my spiritual mentor Bishop Oyedepo.
So there are about 4 things we’re celebrating. But as for the public lecture, we just want to have a conversation around: Why are young people not becoming rich? Why are they not becoming millionaires? Yes, by all standards, I am one.
But how many young people are like me? Some of the speakers like Dr. Cosmas Maduka and Leo Stan Ekeh-Those ones became multi-millionaires in dollars in their 30s, in their 40s. Why are we not finding too many people who repeat that in this generation?
I would want the conversation to be from this perspective: what is missing? What is not being done? What can be done? What is the younger generation missing?
So we hope we can have a really sparkling conversation in that regard. Registration starts at 10 and goes on till 2 pm.
Reception is from 3 pm to 6 pm. Chief Ebenezer Obey will be performing.
We have noticed that everything you do in life is intentional. It is about having a plan and achieving it. How did you achieve that?
Yes, it is, I agree with you. I’ve been very intentional about life. I think without being intentional, I wouldn’t be here.
Well, I think it started with my frustration with my Poverty level when I was growing up.
As a Teenager when I’m going back to go to boarding school, my mum used to go and borrow money. She will have to go and borrow money from our neigbours. Most of them are her junior. She will knock on their door, they will look at her from head to toe. They will look at me from head to toe. They will say we too, we have our children going back to school. Sorry we can’t help.
And I used to be so upset with her. One day I had to ask my mum: why are we poor? What is missing? And she said, well, it was because she didn’t have a Degree.
So her promotion was stagnated. But I was lucky to read a book called Rich Dad, Poor Dad, at the age of 17/18. And the book then told me that I don’t need a degree to be wealthy.
So we had 2 different thoughts. My mom said, the degree was why we were poor, the book said, you don’t get wealthy by having a degree.
And he talked about Liabilities and Assets and all that. So I started reading, Acres of Diamond, Think and Grow Rich.
So some of these books taught me how I think and how I see life.
So I got serious with life early. I think that’s why we were able to take on poverty by then.
So I got serious with life quite early. So, that attracted a lot of elders to me who freely conversed with me as though they were talking to their kids because they were more into me. And that was the basis of my thinking.
And I think reading those books as a teenager really did change my world view. I think that is why many people say they are not sure that I am just 40. They think I should be older. That is what attracted elders, to me, to fully converse with me as if they are talking to their mates. And I was not shallow with my thinking.
As you move around, what’s your message to young people who want to be successful like you?
My message is: It’s Possible.
Your background is not the reason for being poor or why your back is on the ground. You can rise from any level to any level. My life is a practical testament to that.
You know? You can rise from any level to whichever level you want. Once your are intentional and you are purposeful, and you’re committed to it and you chase it, legitimately, you can do it.
I used to say this, and I think it’s something that this generation is lacking. That if you knock a door, consistently for a while, after a while, that door will have no choice than to open.
The problem is we give up too early. Young people try multiple things. No consistency. They expect things to be a lot easier than they really are. If Success is easy, everybody will be successful.
We also, as young people, ignore Mentorship. What’s the big deal? I can do it. Instead of asking those who have done it and saying, give me one or two blueprints or idea of what I am getting right or what am I getting wrong, we often don’t leverage on that.
So, I think those will be my advice:
Read hard and get mentorship. Be consistent. If it doesn’t work no problem. Try again, I’ve failed in almost 20 businesses. But nobody cares. It is the one that succeeds that people talk about.
So, get used to failure. If you fail, what next? Don’t let the shame, the rumours, the mockery, distract you.
You know where you’re going. The same people who will complain today, will look out for you tomorrow when Success comes. But think of what you’re doing. But you must be dogged, determined and chase your dream.
Because what you don’t want, you don’t want. Right? And whatever it is that you want, if you’re really serious about it, you must desperately chase after it. Because nothing just happens in life.
Everything, you know, requires exceptional pursuit. So, let’s pursue our dreams and it’s possible. Very, very much, very, very much possible.
Looking back, I can go on and on talking about stories that were supposed to make someone like me not to be here.
When I was getting married to my wife, I remember meeting my father-in-law. And then I was much skinnier than this. I wasn’t wearing a hat and I wore a palm slippers. He looked at me and asked me to mention somebody notable in my generation that I know so that he knows he is giving his daughter to somebody.
You know. I couldn’t find any. I couldn’t.
Even when I attended my church, that day I attended a church earlier, so I mentioned some of the rich pastors in the church. I also didn’t know the rich pastors. So, he looked at my wife, he said, this guy is not responsible.
He can’t take care of my daughter. That’s how bad it was, but I believe strongly. I say to people, everybody has the right to give up on people.
But you cannot give up on yourself. You have to keep insisting on where you are going, even if they say, you can’t make it, say, I believe I can.
And I’m glad that the same father-in-law was alive to see me and his daughter get married. What I discovered is also that the way the mind works doesn’t support the intuitions you have.
