61: Networking Your Way Up, Navigating Cultural Transitions, and Giving Back to Nigeria with Olumide Gbenro

The Maverick Show with Matt Bowles

Olumide Gbenro takes us on his journey growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, and then navigating the cultural transitions as his family moved to the UK and eventually the US, all by the time he was in high school.

After getting two master's degrees, learning multiple languages, and being on a career path to make his parents proud, Olumide shares the transitionary moment when he had an emotional conversation with his parents and decided to change his life course and pursue his passion for entrepreneurship and world travel. He opens up about the hard times of sleeping on multiple peoples’ couches and failing multiple times before finally being able to build a digital agency, stabilize his income, grow his following and influence on social media, and live the digital nomad lifestyle. He explains the crucial role of networking and provides specific tips and examples of how to effectively network both online and in person. He also shares techniques for effective personal brand building and the similarities and differences with business brand building. He then shares specific tactics for monetizing your audience. Olumide then talks about what travel means to him, shares his #1 travel memory, and discusses the importance of connecting with locals, especially in ex-pat-heavy locations. He then talks about social awareness and environmental sustainability that travelers need to be conscious of as the digital nomad movement grows. Olumide shares his personal passion for giving back to his home country of Nigeria and discusses his “globo-water” initiative to build water wells in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. And finally, he discusses his latest initiative, the Digital Nomad Summit which is expected to draw over 500 nomads in Bali. FULL SHOW NOTES AND DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IS AVAILABLE HERE.