Number 299 : Leverage
Amplify efforts for better results
My first deal with a European company came unexpectedly. I never applied, never even knew they existed. I just stayed focused, maximizing my time by consistently doing the right things at the right time, all in pursuit of my northward goal — greatness.
When I launched Travella.io in January 2021, we were just piecing things together. By April, Lion’s Den from Ultima Studios — a Nigerian version of Shark Tank — launched. I stumbled across their ads online; I wasn’t looking for them, but I applied anyway. Boom! We got selected to demo. That platform gave us our first major mainstream media exposure and a real online presence. We weren’t actively seeking them out, even though we had our eyes on specific investors. The key? I kept moving towards my goals, and the right opportunities kept meeting us along the way.
It’s always better for opportunities to find you in motion than for you to sit and wait for them. Don’t waste time or money. While you wait, don’t be idle — gather information, think critically, and strategize your entry into the global market. Find the best angle with the strongest amplification of efforts. Don’t set yourself up for disadvantage.
It’s funny when people think they’re the first to start a company, the first to try something new, or the first to walk a specific career path. Millions have done it before and are doing it right now. The real wisdom is in observing where the market is, identifying your entry point, and pushing forward in a way that outpaces the competition. Don’t waste time unnecessarily reinventing the wheel.
Career, entrepreneurship, freelancing — all have precedents. The game is about calculation: the deal, the play, the timing. Over a billion people are in the labor market, and millions of companies exist in the world’s supply chain. You’re just another drop in the ocean of efforts. So how do you stand out? You must identify and leverage the best amplification point that others are missing.
For Tems, it was RCA pushing her recordings online. For Cristiano Ronaldo, it was Sporting CP — a club deeply embedded in football’s supply chain. For Elon Musk, it was Mohr Davidow Ventures funding Zip2. The right amplifier effect can multiply your efforts 10,000 to 1. It may take time to get it right, but alignment with the right northward force can exponentially amplify your success.
The biggest mistake you can make is being disconnected from the world’s supply chain. If you’re too isolated — where finance, resources, and opportunities don’t flow to you — you’ll spend a lifetime exerting effort with minimal results. Align with systems and networks that are in motion with the world’s pace. That’s how you amplify your efforts and achieve lasting impact.
