What if you could change global perceptions with a simple YouTube channel? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Wodemaya, Africa's most influential YouTuber, as he recounts his journey from creating comedic skits to becoming a powerful voice in reshaping narratives about Africa. Hear the touching story of how his father's initial disapproval turned into steadfast support, all thanks to his mother's persuasion. Wodemaya's unique experiences in China, coupled with his language skills, opened doors for him to challenge stereotypes and showcase Africa's true beauty and potential.
Starting small and building big is a central theme in Wodemaya's story. Despite financial struggles, the support of a Chinese friend and the trust of his subscribers enabled him to continue his mission. We discuss the vital importance of integrity and authenticity, and how these values have earned him trust and investments, including his first camera, which was a gift from a supportive subscriber. Through reflections on his humble beginnings, Wodemaya illustrates the transformative power of genuine passion and dedication in content creation, shedding light on how starting with limited resources can lead to significant impacts.
Content creation is not without its challenges, and Wodemaya's journey highlights the resilience required to overcome them. From financial struggles to travel visa restrictions and even having his YouTube account hacked, Wodemaya has faced numerous hurdles. Yet, he offers practical advice to fellow creators and emphasizes the power of creating meaningful content over chasing views. We wrap up with an inspiring message about the impact of giving back, the importance of discipline, and the necessity of believing in one's dreams despite naysayers. This conversation is a testament to the transformative power of passion, resilience, and authenticity in content creation.
Watch the video episode of this on YouTube - https://linktr.ee/konnectedminds
What if you could change global perceptions with a simple YouTube channel? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Wodemaya, Africa's most influential YouTuber, as he recounts his journey from creating comedic skits to becoming a powerful voice in reshaping narratives about Africa. Hear the touching story of how his father's initial disapproval turned into steadfast support, all thanks to his mother's persuasion. Wodemaya's unique experiences in China, coupled with his language skills, opened doors for him to challenge stereotypes and showcase Africa's true beauty and potential.
Starting small and building big is a central theme in Wodemaya's story. Despite financial struggles, the support of a Chinese friend and the trust of his subscribers enabled him to continue his mission. We discuss the vital importance of integrity and authenticity, and how these values have earned him trust and investments, including his first camera, which was a gift from a supportive subscriber. Through reflections on his humble beginnings, Wodemaya illustrates the transformative power of genuine passion and dedication in content creation, shedding light on how starting with limited resources can lead to significant impacts.
Content creation is not without its challenges, and Wodemaya's journey highlights the resilience required to overcome them. From financial struggles to travel visa restrictions and even having his YouTube account hacked, Wodemaya has faced numerous hurdles. Yet, he offers practical advice to fellow creators and emphasizes the power of creating meaningful content over chasing views. We wrap up with an inspiring message about the impact of giving back, the importance of discipline, and the necessity of believing in one's dreams despite naysayers. This conversation is a testament to the transformative power of passion, resilience, and authenticity in content creation.
Watch the video episode of this on YouTube - https://linktr.ee/konnectedminds
2020,. I found that I could not even afford a house Wudemaya, Africa's most influential and charismatic YouTuber.
Speaker 2:He has risen to prominence by championing African stories through his engaging content and showcases the continent's beauty, potential and diverse cultures.
Speaker 3:Say, you put your voice in certain companies and vouch for companies' credibilities and then all of a sudden, the people who watch you get drawn towards those companies, and then they get disappointed. How would you feel about it?
Speaker 1:There's this particular brand that I went there. They told me they're selling affordable homes and it's been years.
Speaker 2:With his infectious enthusiasm and genuine curiosity, Muda Maya has built a massive following and become a vital voice in changing the global narrative about Africa.
Speaker 3:We had every reason for this podcast to not happen, but he made it happen. So, yes, Africa's most influential YouTuber without a doubt. Wadamaya, you're welcome to Connected Minds.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm so calm today, you know, and when I'm behind the camera, I mean behind the microphone, I always shout, but today I'm kind of calm.
Speaker 3:I'm calm.
Speaker 1:It's the weather as well, isn't it?
Speaker 3:Maybe always shout, but today I'm kind of calm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the weather as well, isn't it maybe? I mean, this is my favorite weather so far. I love it. I love it whenever it rains, man, because I would love to I mean, go into the rain naked, yeah yeah, I think it's the weather as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, so my first question, which I didn't prepare I spoke to my team and some of the students I work with and they came up with this question and I thought it was important I did. I did that because then I would know what the audience want to hear from you. Yeah, and the first question is what inspire you to start creating content that focuses on showcasing africa? But I want to. I want you to take it from the point where you started youtube up onto the point where you decided that you want to showcase Africa.
Speaker 1:I think I've come a very long way. I did not wake up one day and say that I'm going to create content about Africa. I mean, I believe creating content about Africa is actually the later part of what I do, I mean, but it's been a very long journey. I started as a comedian, more like doing comedy skits. I started with comedy skits, but what really got me into that is being an engineer, being in school 24-7,. I found internet. I mean, wherever I go, there was internet. So I was like, where I'm coming from, I struggle because I was born and raised in the village. So I mean, going to China was more like a culture shock for me. So seeing internet everywhere and I was like you know what? It's about time for me to take advantage of this internet that I have.
Speaker 1:And that's how I started doing my research. Like, hey, I love talking. Why is it that no one is paying me for talking? So I found guys that were making videos. Um, I wish I. Is it real? Bugger gh, if I'm right. Oh yeah, bugger gh, bugger gh, if you know those guys actually from the us, thank you. So I started watching these guys. So I created a youtube account just to be able to comment on their videos. That's how I ended up having a youtube account. So when I had a youtube account, I mean they were making videos all the time. But when I was doing my research in terms of how to talk and get paid, I was like you know what I can do, exactly like Bogajie, but I don't know how to dance. So we started doing comedy skits. So comedy skits and my father found out my videos. And my father got extremely mad that I took you to school to become an engineer, not the guy on youtube having fun and all of that and that alone.
Speaker 1:My dad stopped talking to me for two weeks wow, yeah my dad stopped talking to me and, um, two weeks later, my dad called me and said my mom has managed to convince me, hence the name. What am I so? What? Amaya simply means my mom, just to celebrate my mom for convincing my dad to support my YouTube career, right? So when I was doing those skits, my father was like for me to give you my blessings for you to do what you do.
Speaker 1:I believe that you speak Chinese, so why not use the Chinese that you speak to change the way Chinese people think about Africa? So I stopped doing the comedy skits and I did my first ever YouTube video of me talking to a Chinese lady trying to change the misconception they have for the motherland, and hence the viral video. So when I got that viral video, that's when I started making videos about concerns of Africans living in China. So basically, I pick your story and then I use it in the form of a YouTube video just to, I mean, educate Chinese people, because the kind of misconception that they had about Africans were like we live on trees, I mean Africans don't wear shoes.
Speaker 1:So to the extent that you'll be in a taxi and the driver will keep on looking at your food, like, do you feel comfortable at your food? Like, do you feel comfortable? You know, do you feel comfortable? I mean, one of the craziest thing the day I was eating chocolate and then the lady was super shocked like wow, he's eating chocolate, he's actually a human being, he's actually. No, he's like. You know, you're not scared, you're gonna bite your fingers because the chocolate color and your chocolate and your color skin looks exactly the same way.
Speaker 1:So I started changing all those misconceptions Times that when we tried to stop a taxi, the drivers don't stop for us because you're black. So I was creating awareness and I started seeing more Africans following my page and, to the extent that most of them were coming to China because of me, I meet people on the street like I came to China to do business because of you, I meet students. It'll be like, oh my goodness, your video, your videos, actually inspired me to come to China and I'm like, if all these guys are coming to China, why do I have to stay here? I mean, I'm not from here, I have to go back to the motherland, because I I kind of like, when I started talking about africa, there was something in me that was boiling that you know and why is it that chinese people don't know anything about africa? So I started like doing research about can I have, can I find content creators on the continent that are showcasing africa in a positive way? So I'll be able to use those videos to change the way Chinese people think. And when you go online, it's basically people putting 10 slides together to say that top 10 places in Africa that you have to those kind of videos.
Speaker 1:So I'm like you know what, if no one is doing it, then I have to go. And that's when I called my mom and said I'm coming to Ghana, and my mom started crying because she told somebody how you jujured me. So I was like, no, I just feel like somebody need to come up to change this narrative, hence how I found myself in Ghana. I came to Ghana, nobody really knew what I was doing, they didn't really care about it, and then I left and I started a whole project in Ethiopia, which is Addis Ababa, and then it continued from rwanda and everything changed. I was in rwanda when a video went viral, a video of sitting in a gacha eating, and it got viral. And that's my actually my first ever viral video, and hence how everything started like promoting africa from one country to another and, as I said here today, we've been to 30 countries in africa now you've done fantastic.
Speaker 3:No, during these times when you were doing this works, did you have to do the edit yourself. Content planning, thumbnails, captions, tags, you name it I was a one-man show, bro.
Speaker 1:Wow, I was on. I was a one-man show till I hit 200k. So basically, you're not making money, you're just having fun. You just enjoy what you're doing, to the extent that when I was coming to Africa for the first time, it was actually on a loan.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you said, you know how crazy that is.
Speaker 1:Because when I had the passion of changing the narrative about Africa, I spoke to all my friends Like, hey, like there's something in me that is boiling, that I'm so passionate about Africa that I really want to go back home and start changing the narrative. But guess what? You ask this person can you just give me one dollar? Let me tell you the reason why. I even started asking people to donate to me Because whenever somebody is sick in China, whenever someone is sick from the city that we are in, I am the fundraiser. I'm the one who take it upon myself, raise funds for the sick, raise funds for people that have problems. So when it got to my turn, I really want to go back home. I just feel like I need to promote Africa to the world. But then I spoke to all my friends that were like we're sorry, man, this is not a kind of fundraising that we do. We are not the AU. You can reach out to the AU if you feel like promoting Africa to the world.
Speaker 1:So I had a Chinese friend who believed in the dreams man and he said let's use credit card. We use a credit card to buy five different countries in Africa. And he told me please just come back so that we can pay the loan. If you don't come back, I'll go to prison. Wow, and the rest is history. I was in Rwanda. When my videos go viral, that's when I called him and said we're paying the loan.
Speaker 3:When you have a friend that believes in the dream that you have, it means that you have to be a certain type of person. You must be built in a certain way for people to recognize that about you. To say that I want to give you a loan to take away and you're going to pay it back.
Speaker 1:It all boils down to your values. Yes, integrity, I mean, I've been honest from the very beginning of what I do and honesty is part of my values. So people that get closer to me because I knew that guy for four years, listen, I would love to go in depth of this on this podcast, because I feel like I mean podcast is where I get the chance to express myself. You know know, to the same guy he saw the foundation, I didn't have camera. My first ever YouTube video was filmed with Samsung S2. A big shout out to my senior brother. He bought me that phone. I have all the records. It's there. You can go and trace it up.
Speaker 1:Now, when I that phone, at some point people were complaining that, hey, we can't hear you whenever you make YouTube videos. So I didn't have sound Guess what. I bought a microphone and I didn't have a camera. The same guy, the Chinese guy, said hey, I'm a photographer, so since you have a microphone, just buy an SD card, I'll bring my camera. So that's how I used to film my YouTube videos this guy will bring the camera. I have my SD card and my microphone. It's there. There are videos that shows that I bought a microphone before buying a camera.
Speaker 1:Even my first ever YouTube camera was bought by a subscriber, a doctor from the USA. I didn't know him anyway. He's like hey, I think I believe in your dreams just the same way. He was even on Utopia and then he gave me the money to go and buy the camera. It's there on my YouTube channel and so for me, it was stages, and I believe that when people see your values, they're willing to invest in you. Let your values lead you wherever you find yourself, and I keep on telling people, if I am your friend and I say that, hey, you're not honest, I would never introduce you to another person, because I know the kind of person you are. Do you get it? So for me, all that I've had in life I mean apart from God being with me, I think the values that I work with has been my breakthrough everywhere I go.
Speaker 3:One thing that I will testify to you is, though, that, apart from the fact that you carry very high values, you're really likeable individual. Oh wow, you know it's not. There's something, isn't it? You know it's not, there's something, isn't it? Now, you've just described how small beginnings look like. Now, for many people, when they are starting, they just want to go big, and that can deter a lot of things from going through, but you've just shown that it is okay to use a small phone to start, but be lovely behind the camera, and those that love it will help you, yep, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think if you have the gadgets, if you have the money, if you can afford it, please invest in it, because if I knew this is how youtube is going to transform my life, I would have used my university money to build the studio. So if you have the money to invest, why not? But if you don't have it, start small. So you can start with a phone, you can start with a small camera that you have. It's the content that matters, not the equipment.
Speaker 1:I always tell people, if you are ready to stay authentic in your content, trust me, your authenticity will find you the right audience. I mean, when I started making videos, everyone is like who is this guy who dresses like this? I'm not interested in a guy who just wears shorts. I mean, I had people that were complaining in my comment section, but I'm like, hey, this is who I am and I'm not gonna change because you don't like me, do you understand? But now I have people who likes me for who I am? Yes, yes, and that is it. So stay true to yourself and work towards the dreams that you have Period.
Speaker 3:You posted your first video out. Did you really think about the title?
Speaker 1:There was no title on my first video, bro. I mean, you know, oh my goodness, you know those videos that we, those days, you put your name and then you put featuring, because there's another guy in the video, right. So you put got a baby featuring, then tile. There's a guy in the video called tile, so got a baby fishing, tile. Those are the. You know the titles that like, um, personally, when I was posting my first ever youtube video, I didn't post it because I want to be on YouTube. I posted it because I was looking for a place to store the video. Right, it was a drop box for you. Yeah, it was a drop box because, being in China, somebody will even for us to film that video.
Speaker 1:We had to get a guy. May his soul rest in perfect peace. We had to get a guy. May his soul rest in perfect peace. We had to get a guy who, when we came to school, he's like he's a filmmaker. But recently I started watching those videos. I'm like, how did this guy become a filmmaker To understand the like, the way he was filming the video? It takes you three months for you to get that far. So three months later he brought us the edited video and I was like yo, I don't have the hard drive, I don't have the pc, but we had a, um, a tv, high sense tv that you can easily slot in the put in the pen drive okay so put a pen drive and then we copied it onto the pc and then uploaded it.
Speaker 1:That's it, wow, and that's how my first YouTube video came online.
Speaker 3:Wow, you know, fast forward a few years down the line. I'm sure now you calculate everything. Yeah, now the way you were thinking about titles before. Yeah, what has changed now.
Speaker 1:I think I did a whole lot of research in terms of titling, thumbnails, even the content of the video. So what really changed is that there are things that people are searching for. So I always advise content creators create content that people are searching for. People find value in such content. So what really changed from the beginning for me was when I started doing my own research about how to get my videos out there.
Speaker 1:Now I went back and I saw that, okay, the titles were totally wrong. So what was the video about? The video was about Chinese people. The video was about African speaking Chinese. Then I went and changed the title speaking chinese. Then I went and changed the title there's a black man speaks chinese, something like that.
Speaker 1:Bro, in a month I've you don't hit a million. This is an old video that has been there for like two years. Uh, and don't forget that that video had a hundred views and with a hundred views, I think I watched 99 of them. I watched 99 of them. Anytime you refresh, you see another view. You get super excited thinking that, oh, there are people watching, but apparently it was your own, it was just you. You were refreshing.
Speaker 1:So at the end of the day when we changed the title Black People Speak, something like that, if I could recall that, I saw the video was just popping up. In a month later, I saw the video was just popping up and a month later I saw a million views, to the extent I became one of the top most searched Chinese video. Wow, that's my YouTube video. But that's just the title made a trick. I have not been a big fan of time notes in the past Because for me it was more of um telling a story, and when I told the story I just more like I just want the story to have a value. I don't want to fake anything. So I was always taking maybe pictures from the videos and I posted. But recently I just found out no time nails play a major role when it comes to, like attraction of a video and that's why I had to even now have to employ somebody. His job is to make sure every video that we post. He created thumbnails.
Speaker 3:Now you've had your own experience with the titles right, and you've had experience with thumbnails. Yeah, as a top content creator, which one do you think is most important to you?
Speaker 1:on your channel. Okay, timelines and titles, titles and thumbnails actually draw people to the channel Because he's going to click on the video because of the title of the video. He's going to click on the video just because of what he saw. So you have to invest and listen. That's the most difficult part of content creation. You shoot, you edit, but now, when the video is online, to get the video to the masses, it's one of the biggest problems, because there are a lot of people that are uploading You're not the only one on that platform so you have to spend more time optimizing the videos to make sure that it gets to a certain places. It's a lot of work, man. To the extent that people even employ people for that. Yeah, it's a lot of work, man. To the extent that people even employ people for that, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a lot of work, really a lot of work, man.
Speaker 3:It is. It is Maya. At which point did you think this may not work? Let me give up.
Speaker 1:When I quit my job in 2018, that I want to do YouTube full time. I was making a1,000 in a month that time. But when I quit my job, bro, I dropped back from $1,000 to like $200 a month and I was like, was this really worth it? Don't forget that I have a long story, man. I was staying in a village, so now I came to a big city and a big city that I'm in I have to pay rent. You know, everything was super expensive and at the end of the day, I mean I told, like when I was working, that's how I was getting $1,000. Now that that I'm gonna spend all my time on it, I should be doubling the, you know. But it actually went down.
Speaker 1:So I was like you know what? I have to go back. But then I was like you know, there's more like a reason to everything, right, so you just keep going. I mean, I was, I was just trying to motivate myself, but deep down, I was like, nah, I just want to drop this.
Speaker 1:But I never stopped. Why didn't you? Because it was more like I have dreams that I wanted to fulfill, so money was not like the driving force, do you understand? So, even though I needed money to do what I do. But I had dreams, like there's something in me that was boiling that, hey, keep going, because I want the world to hear about this. So that alone kept me moving.
Speaker 1:But with the money, I expect I'm like you want me to go and achieve all these dreams, but at the end of the day, there's no money that is coming in for you to be able to travel. But that alone, and one of the things that really kept me moving is when I step out of my room, I meet people. You know, when you're doing something, people look I love your videos. It's so funny. You know, those are not the comment I was getting, but they would say, hey, because of you, that's why I'm doing this, because of you. And that alone made me realize that you know what we can do this in a bigger way, to have more impact. And that was a drive to move back to the continent, because these are people that I was meeting in China. I mean, their first words would be like because of you, wow, and I'm like you know what we can get more because of you in Africa.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Wow, it's been crazy.
Speaker 2:I like that.
Speaker 3:I like that because um every now and then I get messages on Instagram, TikTok with people saying those things, and it lights up my eyes, you know the impact. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You see, I always advise content creators it shouldn't be all about the views, it shouldn't be all about the number of subscriptions that you have, but it should be about the impact that your content makes. See, when you know that your content makes more impact in the society or in the community, believe me or not, money does not matter, the subscription does not matter. You just have to keep going, because you might never know the people that you are touching their lives with the videos that you make. There's a video that I did that. Believe me, the video did not even get 30,000 views, but the number of people that I've met that told me that it's because of this video. That's why they started investing in Africa. Do you believe it?
Speaker 1:And that video is more like I said don't come to Africa to look for a job, but come and create one. And I didn't even know what I was saying. It was COVID. It was just me checking my surroundings and seeing that, hey, a lot of people want to come to Africa from the diaspora, coming back here and say that, oh, they want to be paid the same amount of money that they get paid in the West. It don't work that way. So I'm like, hey, don't come here to look for a job, but come and create one. And I met people who came to create business and, at the end of the day, when I meet people like that, it lights me up and I'm like you know what? I can't stop what I'm doing.
Speaker 3:You know, you've interviewed a lot of people, many diasporans like myself, and a lot of these people you've interviewed right, maybe they were married couples or maybe they started a business in Africa, or there's even recently. There's a Nigerian man you interviewed and when he went there it was beautiful landmark and then things, basically you meet people at a point where they are so together, yeah, so organized, and then, as a creator, you go back to them again or you hear that what they once had together, or the venture they had, the marriage they had, the corporation they had, is no longer together. How do you feel?
Speaker 1:It really breaks my heart sometimes, you know, and the saddest part of it all is that you had a guy championing Africans investing in Africa. When you go back, especially landmark scene, things that happens to them, and you'd be like you know what? Is it even worth it? Right, but I must tell you all, wherever there are challenges, that's where the opportunities are. Life in Africa would not be easy, and I always thought people that invest in Africa like, don't give up. Africa got its own challenges. It's not like it's not a continent that is already built up. We're struggling. We're struggling from colonization, we're struggling from slavery, we're struggling from so many external factors, right, so all these things will play a role from slavery, struggling from so many external factors, right, so all these things will play a role in your businesses. But I'm just going to let you know that give Africa another chance.
Speaker 1:Like when I was speaking to Landmark, I saw a man who was head. Like he was head, you know, like you could feel it, could feel it. You know like you could feel it, could feel it, you know. But at the end of the day, I also see a man that is not giving up just because his business was destroyed. So I mean, it's not just landmark that I've seen that he started a business and it has gone down. I met a couple of people that were doing so well, but at the end of the day, things messed up, you know. But one thing that I always admire about these people is the fact that they still remain on the continent to try something new or try something different, because you might start a business, it might not work, but you have to keep pushing. So I would just say that don't give up on africa, no matter how the challenges may be. Just keep pushing and give africa another chance you heard it here connected minds.
Speaker 3:Please subscribe, leave us a review and stay with us. You know when we started, right, you spoke about integrity, values that you have and what you represent as an individual. Say you put your voice, and you have done that a few times. You put your voice in certain companies, certain industries, and vowed for companies' credibilities and then, all of a sudden, the people who watch you listen to you get drawn towards those companies and then they get disappointed. How would you feel about it? I?
Speaker 1:also feel disappointed, and whenever I feel disappointed, I call the company to let them know. Man, don't joke with my brand. And this is one of the reasons why. Let me give you an example. That's one of the reasons why, like these days, when it comes to real estate, if you don't have a building that is there and you tell me that you're selling this particular building, you will never see me. You know, to tell me that, oh, we have a bare land and we need your money to build on it. Because, I mean, there have been situations where you go they saw the ideas, the dreams to you, and then you use your brand, you put your brand at stake and then you just let people know that, hey, this is the brand, reach out to them and I don't even get anything out of these things. You know, it's more of me just sacrificing letting people know that you can actually own a home in africa, letting people know that it's about time to support african businesses. By the end of the day, they disappoint you and disappoint the people. Um, I don't want to mention a particular brand here, but I'm trying so hard because there's this particular brand that I think.
Speaker 1:I went there. They told me they're selling affordable homes. I went there and it's been years. The people are not getting the houses. But I even told them, like yo, if you're able to provide for these people whatever you need, next time I'll come and do it for you for free. That's it. But till today still hasn't been done, hasn't been done.
Speaker 3:I think we should all do better, especially Africans on the continent, because if we do better it will attract a lot more people to come in it's hard.
Speaker 1:You know I love supporting African brands, but I would say that sometimes it can be very disappointing, you know, because you just want Africans to succeed, but at the end of the day, the same integrity that you have, you realize that this company does not have this kind of integrity. So at the end of the day, you vouch for so many people and they end up disappointing you. It's just sad and I don't know what I'm going to do about it. So right now, I mean, it's been hard, it's been hard, it's been really hard.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let me take you out of the hard place and then bring you back into something that you're a bit more comfortable with, which is for your entire time, so far, that you've been on youtube. Yeah, what has been the biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?
Speaker 1:I think the challenges have been many and um. The biggest is in terms of like my movement. Flight ticket has been one of my biggest challenges.
Speaker 3:We'll buy you an airline right. You need an airline.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and the visa restriction has been a major challenge For me. I barely see challenges. I barely, I barely, I barely see challenges. Why is that? Because I feel like it's part of my. It's part of my job. Right, I'm supposed to go through these phases, you know, because in order for you to get more stories to tell, you have to go through certain phases. But when it happens, don't see it as a challenge For me. I see it as one of those things. Okay, it's a phase that you need to pass in life that will make you stronger.
Speaker 1:You know, I always tell my wife whatever challenges that we are going through. To me, I feel like it actually makes me a tougher person. It makes me a tougher person so that next time when I'm telling a story or when I'm using my life to tell you a story, it's not something that I'm telling you because I got it from somewhere. I'm telling you a personal life experience. If I should sit down with you and tell you about my life story, we wouldn't get out of here, even though I'm not too old. But I have so many challenges that I faced in life that if it were to be other people, they would have committed suicide, do you understand? So, when it comes to all these things like I mean challenges of, I mean flying, we talk about it For Africans to African airlines to reduce the prices, just because of the audience's sake, but when it comes to me, that's not a challenge, right? When it comes to visa restrictions, I always want to talk about it so that more Africans can travel within Africa freely, but when it comes to me, it's part of the phase that I need to go through, because in future, maybe, if I get a chance to rule this country one day, I'll be like, hey, when I was young, I was moving from one country to another and there were so much visa restrictions. So hey, now that I got an opportunity to rule you and there were so much visa restrictions, so hey, now that I got an opportunity to rule you, it's about time to crack all these things down.
Speaker 1:If I didn't pass through, I would never know. Because, listen, let's talk about the leaders we have today. There's so much visa restrictions, but why are they not doing anything about it? One they never experienced it when they were in their countries. They were not traveling from one country to another with what do you call it? The ordinary passport, so they've never passed through all these phases. At the end of the day, why are you telling them to change it? They can't relate, thank you. So I believe that all these things are just preparing you for something better and something great in future. So for me, I see it as a phase in life. I don't see them as challenges. So I mean, for the audience, these are the challenges I have to talk about, right?
Speaker 3:See in my business, right, yeah, if I wake up one day and then I get a phone call from the manager at one of the shops, and then the person I'd be like, wow, okay, well, maybe if it's just one I'll be cool, but all of it bent down, I'll probably. I will need time for myself. I was on Twitter and I saw that your YouTube account was hacked. Yeah, how did you feel? That's your source of income.
Speaker 1:That was one of the hardest day, like I mean, I was on my way to go and film a YouTube video and on my way I saw I got an email that my YouTube account has been hacked. I didn't film that video because I'm like, what am I going to do? You know, this is my. I would say, it's your livelihood, my livelihood, you know. So I was like you know what, what's the way forward? So I reached out to youtube and they were very responsive and they were like okay, we got our account, but it has to take us like 24 hours to get it fully for you, all right. So when youtube told me that I knew that, okay, you know what, something has been done.
Speaker 1:So I was offline for like 24 hours. Why did you go offline for 24? Because everyone was calling me. Okay, everyone was calling me. My family is calling me, friends are calling me, people that I know, because the news was actually everywhere. You know, that's one of the days that I trended in this country, just because my account got hot, not because of the videos that I'm doing, you understand. So when all that was happening, I was just tired of the calls so I had to go offline. But when I got assurance from YouTube, I was like, ok, let me just wait for these guys, for them to do what they have to do. 48 hours later, that count was back. But it's one of those lessons that you need to learn that don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Speaker 3:That's a very good lesson.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I mean before I had only YouTube, but now I think that taught me a lesson to expand the whole reach. That's how we took Facebook serious and now we're like 1.6 million people, and it's even over. We have more followers on Facebook than on YouTube. Do you understand what I mean? I do?
Speaker 3:But were there anything you did that compromised your account?
Speaker 1:I think what I did was when I found myself in Europe, because I was in Europe and my mom was calling me and I was about to fly. So I was like you know what, let me call my mom to let her know that I'll be on the plane, because if I'm on the plane, I won't be able to talk to my mom. So I connected, because I barely connect to airport Wi-Fi. So one of the things that I think I did that got me into that trouble was when I connected to the airport Wi-Fi. So I always advise content creators never connect to airport Wi-Fi, because I mean they can hack into your systems and all of that.
Speaker 1:And, um, even when that happened, I spoke to youtube, because when we found out that the hackers were somewhere in slovakia, you know, because we're able to trace everything. So literally everything happened when I was in europe. Okay, so public wi-fi's and, um, now there's something that we call google security key, which I didn't even know. So right now, even if you want to, you know, log in into public Wi-Fi, make sure you have a Google Security Key. You can actually buy it online and use a fingerprint and your account will be fully secured. I mean, as a creator for a very long time. I didn't even know until my account got hacked, and that's how I ended up.
Speaker 3:It must have been, it must have been devastating no, very.
Speaker 1:Even when I saw it I was like very, very, I don't want to be in your shoes I mean, I was just waiting for that account to come back, that's it.
Speaker 3:I mean, that was the only thing that was going through my mind maya, if you had lost that account forever, yeah, what would you have done as far as content creation is concerned, I think I've always wanted to be a farmer.
Speaker 1:I've always wanted to be a farmer and I've always wanted to be a real estate developer. And even though I create YouTube videos, but side hustle is real estate, side hustle is into farming. So, let's say, even YouTube was no more. I mean, I have the name, so I would still, I mean, try and build other platforms and even with YouTube, if I'm supposed to build, I might not get the 1.5 million people, but even if I have to use what I know right now, or the influence that I have, I could just build that page from nothing to something you understand, because the experience is there. I mean, when it comes to content creation right now, it's just that I feel so relaxed. But if I'm to put my game like, bring it back to the olden days of mine in terms of what I've learned so far, believe me, I mean I would have just pulled all those numbers back again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, many people start businesses, especially those that have a heart like you do. Yeah, it's usually passion, drive, desire that they use right To push the business. At which point did you start thinking of YouTube as a business 2020. Okay, that's push the business. At which point did you start thinking?
Speaker 1:of youtube as a business. 2020 okay, that's very recent. Yeah, I was doing youtube just because of the passion that I have for the content. Nothing, really, I I didn't even know how to monetize so many things. I was just having fun, enjoying myself going out there, you know, speaking because for me, it's all about the impact that the content makes, not the money that you make out of the content. So I was constantly out there shooting, you know. I mean you can ask my, my camera guy that time like, for me, it's about the value the content brings on the table.
Speaker 1:But 2020, I found that I could not even afford a house to live in. I was staying in my mom's house COVID time. I'm like you know what? I need my own space, but I don't have the money. So that is why I started, like even for you to reach out to me, to do something for you.
Speaker 1:I was doing, I asked people, people that I worked for from when I started to 2020, I did all of that for free, even in 2020, with the COVID time, all the people that I interviewed were all free. I never asked anybody for a dollar. I mean, they can bring their names out, never charge anybody. It was all about creating content because I wanted the value that comes with the content. I don't really talk about everything. I talk about content that I believe in. Do you understand? By 2021,? I realized that, okay, I've built a very good brand, people are trusting the brand, so I not just make some money, monetize the brand, monetize the brand and that is why, when people come to me like, hey, I want you to do this video, I'm like, okay, you have to give me this amount of money.
Speaker 1:And they bring the money and you do the video. So that alone, actually, I started seeing that, oh, I could afford a house. Now I'm like, okay, that's interesting, so everything's that. I would say 2020, let's use 2021, because even 2020, most of the videos that we did were for free. So I would tell content creators yes, you love what you do, but at the end of the day, you have to feed yourself and your family.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's very important yeah, do you think you realized that a bit too late?
Speaker 1:I think it was the right time. Okay, you know you need to pass through the process. You need to build a solid foundation. Don't build a youtube platform just because you know that what am I monetizing, so you can also monetize it. You gotta mean get that foundation, learn from it so that when a brand comes to you, they get the value for their money. I mean, as I sit here, if you give me money, that hey, maya, I'm giving you this money. I want you to do this campaign for me. Trust me, you get. You get the value for your money.
Speaker 1:But I did not wake up to build all those audience with people telling me that, oh, give me money and let me do this for you. No, I built everything organically. So, building that organic audience now, an organic audience are there. So if you come to me, I'll be able to, you know, give you something and then you give me something in return. So I'm just telling content creators build an organic audience. And the time that you know that you have the organic audience and people need those organic audience, that's when you say, okay, give me 1,000. Let me exchange it for my organic audience. That's it. It's a butter trading, right.
Speaker 3:If you have a YouTube channel or Instagram, whatever social media channel right now and you're listening to this right, that's a cue right there. Yeah, pay close attention, but if you haven't subscribed, please do Leave us a review and, yeah, be our best customer. Now, what advice would you give to aspiring content creators who want to follow and create positive, you know, narrative content and also socially impaired content?
Speaker 1:First of all, I would say that stay true to yourself. Authenticity is everything for content. Don't try to be anyone else and, most importantly, try and carve out a niche. You know there's so many content out there. Don't try to be like what am I? You can be you and then I might be, I might inspire you, but come up with something that is you, that represents you. That's what I always tell you. Come up with something that really represents you, that if somebody sees this content, their minds trace back to you and not what am I do you get what I mean. And from there, all you need to do is to stay consistent when you find that niche. Stay consistent, because that is.
Speaker 1:That is the only way to go, because consistency has been one of the biggest issue for so many content creators. I mean, I've been in this game for like 10 years. How, how have I been able to stay consistent for 10 years and still get people to watch my videos? I mean five years. People get tired of you, but I've been here for 10 years and people are still watching my videos. So I always tell people hey, try and always stay consistent, but don't be giving them the same thing. Try something different all the time and, at the end of the day, it's just you, your camera and, should I say, your editors. Yeah, yeah, because I don't do everything by myself.
Speaker 3:Right, that's it so, right, yeah you know, um, I've got a few questions here. Feel free, and what I these these three or four questions? I actually posted it on instagram. Then I had people send me the questions and, um, the first one is what personal values or philosophies drive your work?
Speaker 1:impact, impact, the impact of what I do drives what I do. You know, I'm even I'm talking about my personal life, not even about the, the content that I do like personal life. I what really drives me to keep living is is knowing that I have students, that I'm paying their fees, that nobody knows, and they come and show me their result. I'm like, oh wow, can we start paying more? So, like, seeing that impact makes me feel like I have to do more and that alone, like I would say it transpired to the work that I do, that you know what, when you create content and you meet somebody and they be like, oh, my goodness, what am I? Because of you, I moved to Ghana. That's another impact.
Speaker 1:So my whole life is about impact, impact, impact. It's not about money, it's about putting smiles on people's faces and knowing that you put smiles on people's faces. I mean, my wife always tells me why do you always live your life for all this? That is me. I can't change and my whole personal life you see it in my videos it's just me have the drive to make impact. I'm actually an impact-driven person and nothing else, like everything around me, is about making impact and nothing else, like everything around me, is about making impact. So even my youtube videos.
Speaker 1:When I'm posting a youtube video, I know videos that can go viral, but I'm not interested. I'm just interested in that video, even if it's 10 000 people that watches it. I know that out of that 10 000, five of them got impacted by the video. That is what drives me. You get what I mean. So I always tell people Yosin, I just want to make impact and when I'm done, I'm out. I'm not here to become Africa's most famous YouTuber or Africa's most popular, I'm not interested. These are like worldly titles. I wake up every day feeling like I have 1000 subscribers so I be able to live my simple life. Go wherever I want to go, free heart, free spirit. Keep going. So impact is everything for me, brother yeah, yeah, it certainly is.
Speaker 3:It certainly is. You know this question right? I'm not sure how you're gonna answer it, but how do you navigate? Entitled friends and relatives. The question was some way to me, but I have to ask because it came from one of my audience.
Speaker 1:I don't really think I have entitled friends. Okay, but I feel like that is the benefit of you working so hard. So if you work so hard, your friends need to benefit from you working so hard. Right, I would say friends that I mean we all age, mate, age group, family, young, old. I mean we're all not born equal. So if God bless you for you to make it, definitely there are people that are going to depend on you.
Speaker 1:But for me, sometimes people say, oh, these guys are so entitled. I mean, get used to it. We call it the black tax. I mean it can be draining. I'm not going to say that it's not draining. It can be draining knowing that everyone is pulling you from and that is what should motivate you or inspire you to work harder so that you'll be able to come through for your friends, you'll be able to come through for the family, you'll be able to come through for everyone. Believe me, that's the bigger my biggest prayer. Because listen, if I tell you the black taxes that I pay, they're even more than my personal like expenses right, but I don't.
Speaker 1:I don't really see, because at the end of the day I get it back. When I give bro, I get it back times 10, times 1,000. So if you know me very well, if I'm driving, you can ask my wife. Sometimes my wife has to hide some of my money just because she doesn't want me to finish all the money at once. I don't see anybody as entitled, trust me, that's the word that everyone uses. But I feel like come on, man, god has blessed you. You are there. How much are they asking for? What do they need from you? If you are in a position to help, just help. If you can't, I can't. And they're not going to kill you, you just can't, and that's what I just want everybody to know. For me, I don't think I have entitled family members or friends. I'm just the one that God has blessed and I'll use that blessing to bless them too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's it. Yeah, giving is one of the wealth principles, though. So spot on with that one. Yeah, it's one of the wealth principles, though. So spot on with that one. Yeah, it's one of the wealth principles. And regardless of how you know down the success ladder you are, you need to learn how to give back. Yeah, question from my previous guest. What is the meaning of life to you? And I kind of know what you're going to say. What am I going to say? Impact, right, right. Meaning of life to you, and I kind of know what you're gonna say. What am I gonna say? Impact, right, right, right.
Speaker 1:Uh, let's see uh impact impact, right impact, yeah, impact yeah, yeah, okay meaning life. Life is so simple, you know. I think people make humans make life so complicated. Thank you, life is so simple. What is that one thing that really, really drives you, bro? Yeah, when you know that this is, this is my biggest drive, believe me, teachers have to keep going.
Speaker 3:Yeah okay motivation or discipline, discipline okay you know, discipline is everything.
Speaker 1:You have to be disciplined in terms of how to manage your finances. You have to be disciplined in terms of how to you know, control your ego when you're becoming popular or famous, your finances you have to be disciplined in terms of how to control your ego. When you're becoming popular or famous, ego comes in. It's self-discipline that will keep you in check, even like women, when you have money, knowing that you can actually have everyone around you. It's discipline that comes in Even work. See, this morning I woke up feeling so tired and I went to my mom and I said I'm so tired I don't think I have to go to work today. 20 minutes later I came showered up. I'm going to work. My mom asked me. Later I came showered up. I went to work. My mom asked me. But you came to my room 20 minutes ago telling me that you're so tired and I told my mom, as we call discipline.
Speaker 3:If you know, you're tired you got to discipline yourself to go.
Speaker 1:What's the last?
Speaker 3:book you read.
Speaker 1:I don't even know the last book that I read. If somebody asks me even know the last book that I read. So if somebody asks me what's the last book, I do I don't know the title, but it's about marcus garvey. Okay, it's a book that I'm I'm still. Actually it was a gift from jamaica. Oh god, it's actually a book that shows you how to live your life as a black man, how a black man needs to God. I will find a book and I will look for the title.
Speaker 3:Yeah, send it to me, Maybe I might want to. No, no, you have to.
Speaker 1:How to live your life as a black man, like how powerful you are as a black man. It was written by Marcus Garvey, so it's the book that I'm actually reading right now. I'm almost halfway through, but I didn't know about a title. But I'll send it to you, okay fantastic.
Speaker 3:What's the best advice you ever received? The best out of all the many, the great people you've met your parents, your friends can.
Speaker 1:I tell you, your network is your net worth.
Speaker 3:I mean you've done great work with that.
Speaker 1:You've done great work with that yeah, bro, like your network is your net worth, and anyone that I meet, I say invest your time knowing people. You know the people that I used to know before I was spending my time. If I meet three women, one guy, I would talk to all the three women, forgetting that there's a guy in there who has value. You know, in a way of, like you feel like this is what I can get from this woman, so I need to talk to her. But when I met this guy and he told me your network is your net worth, and I didn't know anyone. And let me tell you one more the same person. He's saying work so hard that you'll just be a phone call away from the president. Wow, do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah, so if your network is not like knowing people to the standard, the last person you have to call just one person and you are close to the president then you need to continue working hard. This is the same guy. Wow, and, bro, it was not an easy journey, like trying to get to know people. Get to know people, keep them. You know you have their contact.
Speaker 1:I wanted to tell you something. Today, something happened. My passport is full, yeah, and I'm supposed to travel. My passport is full. I've applied because I want to be a good citizen. I've applied, bro, they said I'll get the passport in three months later and I'm like I have to go. I'm like I can't wait, so I pick up the phone. I don't want to tell you who I called, but just one phone call. Tomorrow I'm going for the passport.
Speaker 3:Good night, You've lived those words yeah.
Speaker 1:Once again, this is an advice from me to you all Work hard to increase your value so that your appearance no matter on the table. This is a you know how in Ghana they they say fake it till you make it. I would say work hard in that, whatever corner that you find yourself, so that your appearance will not matter on the table wow, this is coming from africa's most influential youtuber.
Speaker 3:Yes, and I've loved this conversation. I've enjoyed it. I was going to ask you if there's anything for the audience, but I'm not going to do that because you've already said it.
Speaker 1:But now, yeah, it's question for my next guest question for your next guest what drives him or her to do what? To do more of what he does? I mean, what is the drive? What drives him or what drives her to do more of what she does?
Speaker 3:I'm looking for the first thousand people that watched this entire video or listened to this entire conversation to the end and just leave a comment. I'm still gonna ask you anything for the audience, anything for the audience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would just say believe in your dreams. Don't listen to what people tell you. So far as you have a dream, work towards. I mean, whenever people try to discourage you in terms of what you know that you have to do, don't listen. I mean, I'm that guy that a lot of people said so many things about, but I never gave up. I kept kept pushing but I walked towards my dream and here we are today. So, once again, never give up.
Speaker 3:Never give up, and you heard it on Connected Minds and I beg you to stay connected. My name is Derek Abayde.