I didn't disappear from you, I promise. Life happens.
I don't know if this happens to you all, but it happens to me all the time. There are certain things that I quickly do. Things like designing a solution or coding a solution to a problem. That comes just naturally. There are certain behaviors that I'm really good at being consistent with. I can easily decide to wake up every morning at 6:00am and go for a run. I can pick up a book and only drop it just because I'm becoming anti-social for people around me(my wife and daughter). I'm sure I'm good at what I do, but I struggle to enjoy success and keep up.
Started a blog couple of years ago and had about a thousand regular post views. I have met people who gave compliments about my stories. Once that happens, I retreat. Am I scared of success? Do I self-sabotage? I welcome your feedback. Please reply to this email or leave a comment on the posting page.
That was a side note. I hope you can help me figure out how to approach success.
On to today's story. The abundance of ideas and scarcity in the market? This is something that I've been thinking about a lot. A couple of weeks ago, I promised to share a project my wife and I have been putting together with you. While coming up with ideas, I realized that there is an abundance of things to do, but the market doesn't take all those ideas. Our vision isn't particular at all. We are not trying to disrupt any industry. By the way, if you have been thinking about building a business or coming up with an app, chances are you are not going to develop the next Instagram or WhatsApp. There is plenty of apps or business ideas out there, but the world takes just a few. Why is so?
Every time you come up with an idea, there is definitely someone else doing that already. Some are copycats of others. Original ideas fail, and copycats succeed. Why though? Let me know what you think.
Back to Otesha. Otesha is Swahili for cultivating, to grow. I have been getting many phone calls and emails from people asking for advice on how to get into the technology world. How to learn how to code. Everybody should learn how to code. Don't do it to switch career but just do it. If you can't, please get your kids to do it. Let them become doctors and lawyers who know how to code.
The majority of people reaching out to me are from Africa. Some with Computer Science degrees from Africa are having a hard time navigating the U.S system. The main question is, how did you do it? I won't answer this question now but will definitely answer it in an upcoming post.
On the other hand, I love teaching and mentoring. My wife has a background in accounting and finances. So we are putting our heads together to start Otesha. The idea of Otesha is simple, help people get jobs in technology. We will train, guide, and people level up. We will also help companies in finding talents. We are currently putting touches on the website and other materials, and we intend to launch it soon.
Stay tuned!